The XplicitConcerts YouTube channel has uploaded video of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's entire May 26 performance at the Sonic Temple festival at the Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Game Over
02. Afterlife
03. Hail To The King
04. We Love You
05. Buried Alive
06. So Far Away
07. Nobody
08. Nightmare
09. Bat Country
10. Unholy Confessions
11. A Little Piece Of Heaven

At this year's Sonic Temple, AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ spoke to Bodhi of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station about the band's upcoming album "Life Is But A Dream…", which is set to arrive on June 2 via Warner. Regarding whether the LP was easy to put together, considering it has been seven years since 2016's "The Stage" was released, Johnny said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Every album that we go into have their challenges, and those challenges come from within. We wanna challenge ourselves at our crafts and try to accomplish things that, hopefully, no one else has tried to accomplish before. And we try to do that to the best of our ability. We do that pretty every record — literally every record. So when it [came] time to do this record, it felt very much like any other time. New challenges, of course. And we wanted to accomplish things that we haven't accomplished before, as I just said — not to keep beating a dead horse there. But as far as the overall feel of it, it was very much like we got off the road from 'The Stage' cycle and we started writing. It took about a year, maybe a little longer than a year, for the writing. And just when we were ready to book the studio time to actually just start recording it, the pandemic hit and put a lot of restraints on what we could do. So we said, 'Fuck it. We're just gonna chill back and wait until we can do everything right, the way that we want to.'"

He continued: "It ended up being a silver lining, to be honest, for a lot of us, on our personal ends. We have young families, and we were able to be home with them for an extended period of time, taking the kids to school and sports and everything, which was really cool. We probably wouldn't have had a chance to do that [if it hadn't been for the pandemic]. And the other one is it gave us time to really concentrate on the record sonically after we had already finished the writing of it and maybe go back a couple of times over and really go, 'Okay. We were gonna do these interludes, and maybe we're not gonna do those anymore. Let's trim the fat on everything and make this the best possible journey of music that we can possibly put together for everybody.'"

Written and recorded over the span of four years, "Life Is But A Dream…" was produced by Joe Barresi and AVENGED SEVENFOLD in Los Angeles and mixed by Andy Wallace in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. The album is a journey through an existential crisis; a very personal exploration into the meaning, purpose and value of human existence with the anxiety of death always looming.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD made its first festival appearance in five years on May 19 at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The band's setlist included three songs from < "Life Is But A Dream…": "Game Over", "We Love You" and "Nobody".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first concert since June 2018 took place on May 12 at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Last month, AVENGED SEVENFOLD announced the second leg of its extensive "Life is But A Dream…" North American tour featuring support from FALLING IN REVERSE. Produced by Live Nation, leg two includes stops in Nashville, Denver, Austin, and more before concluding at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on October 15. Fans will have the opportunity to hear the group's first single in seven years, "Nobody", and their new album "Life Is But A Dream…" for the first time live during the 30-show outing.

The first leg with support from ALEXISONFIRE includes thirteen cities across the U.S. and Canada, such as Mansfield, Québec City, Tinley Park, Calgary, and more. The group kicks off their 2023 solo touring run with two unique one-night-only arena shows in New York and Los Angeles this June.

To date, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has sold over 10 million albums worldwide and earned two consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart (2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King") to go along with over a billion video views and a billion-plus Spotify streams, as well as multiple No. 1 singles on rock radio. The band is equally known for their spectacular live shows, selling out arenas and headlining the world's most prestigious rock festivals.

During a recent question-and-answer session with France's GDP.fr, GHOST leader Tobias Forge was asked about his songwriting formula. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When you've written one hit, it doesn't get easier. Once you're done with one, you have to write another that is supposed to be different. Then it's even harder. And you have the sharks underneath you. You want to entertain people; you want people to be happy. Almost every time when you write a new song, it feels like virgin territory again. You're, like, 'Ugh, how do I do this?' Like, 'Ugh.' You feel better all of a sudden because you think it's good. And then you go back and start doubting. And sooner or later, you just have to, sort of, [say to yourself], 'Now it's done. It's an album. Hopefully people will like it.'"

He added: "We've been able to deliver every time something that people feel is a new thing, that I feel is a new thing, that is not a repetition of what I just did."

GHOST performed its cover version of GENESIS's "Jesus He Knows Me" live for the first time on May 21 at the opening concert of the band's 2023 tour at Zénith in Rouen, France. The band's 20-song setlist also included "Respite On The Spitalfields", the closing track of GHOST's latest album, 2022's "Impera", which was aired for the first time since the LP's release.

On May 19, GHOST released "Phantomime", a five-song EP which sees the Swedish occult rockers offering takes on IRON MAIDEN's "Phantom Of The Opera", GENESIS's "Jesus He Knows Me", TELEVISION's "See No Evil", THE STRANGLERS' "Hanging Around" and Tina Turner's "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)".

GHOST is no stranger to covers, having previously tackled material originally written and recorded by THE BEATLES ("Here Comes The Sun"), ABBA ("I'm A Marionette"), DEPECHE MODE ("Waiting For The Night"), Roky Erickson ("If You Have Ghosts"), METALLICA ("Enter Sandman"), PET SHOP BOYS ("It's A Sin") and EURYTHMICS ("Missionary Man"), among others.

This past February, GHOST revealed details of its upcoming "Re-Imperatour" summer 2023 U.S. tour with special guest AMON AMARTH. Produced by Live Nation and FPC Live, the 27-date trek kicks off on Wednesday, August 2 in Concord, California at Concord Pavilion, with stops in Salt Lake City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Austin and more before wrapping up with the band's Monday, September 11 return to the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

GHOST is continuing to tour in support of "Impera", which sold 70,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the third top 10 album — and fifth top 40-charting set — for the Swedish act. The 12-song effort was produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace.

"Impera" landed at position No. 1 in Germany and Sweden, No. 2 in the U.K., Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, No. 3 in Australia, No. 5 in France and Ireland, and No. 20 in Italy.

Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

In January, GHOST released a new version of its song "Spillways" featuring a guest appearance by DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott.

"Spillways" is taken from "Impera", which was released in March 2022.

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Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce that they have secured the rights to release the entire set of shows that Blue Öyster Cult held at Sony Hall in NYC in celebration of the band’s 50th Anniversary in September 2022.


BÖC celebrated their historic career milestone performing three sold-out shows in a row. Each show featured the band playing in its entirety one of their first three albums (Blue Öyster Cult, Tyranny and Mutation, and Secret Treaties), followed by a set of deep cuts and classics from their other albums. Founding member Albert Bouchard was a special guest on all three nights, as well.







The Frontiers label will release each night as a special individual package, starting with the first night before the end of 2023. But the good news for their fans is not over!


Blue Öyster Cult are working to make their fans a very special gift, the details of which will be revealed in due course. It will delight both longtime and more recent fans, and show the commitment that the Frontiers label has for the timeless music of these true rock giants. More details on this project, which promises to be truly special and unique will be released at a later date.


For over five decades, Blue Öyster Cult has been thrilling fans of intelligent hard rock worldwide with powerful albums loaded with classic songs. Indeed, the Long Island, NY-based band is revered within the hard rock and heavy metal scene for its pioneering work. They occupy a unique place in rock history, because it’s one of very few hard rock/heavy metal bands to earn both genuine mainstream critical acclaim and commercial success.


The band is often cited as a major influence by other acts such as Metallica, and BÖC was listed in VH1’s countdown of the greatest hard rock bands of all time.


Upon the release of BÖC’s self-titled debut album in 1972, the band was praised for its catchy-yet-heavy music and lyrics that could be provocative, terrifying, funny or ambiguous, often all in the same song. BÖC’s canon includes three stone-cold classic songs that will waft through the cosmos long after the sun has burned out: The truly haunting “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” from 1976’s Agents Of Fortune, the pummeling “Godzilla” from 1977’s Spectres, and the hypnotically melodic “Burnin’ For You” from 1981’s Fire Of Unknown Origin. Other notable BÖC songs include “Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll,” “Then Came The Last Days Of May,” “I Love The Night,” “In Thee,” “Veteran Of The Psychic Wars,” “Dominance And Submission,” “Astronomy,” “Black Blade” and “Shooting Shark.”


The intense creative vision of BÖC’s original core duo of vocalist/lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Eric Bloom is complemented by Richie Castellano on guitar and keyboards, and the longtime rhythm section of bass guitarist Danny Miranda and drummer Jules Radino.


“We realized we’re a ‘classic rock’ band. That’s what we are, that’s what we do best, and that’s what we know,” declares the band.


They’re proud of BÖC’s classic sound, and pleased the band is creating vibrant work for disenfranchised music lovers. BÖC has always maintained a relentless touring schedule and an album of new material, The Symbol Remains, was released IN October 2020, to rave reviews.


Blue Öyster Cult are:


Eric Bloom - Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser - Guitars, Vocals
Richie Castellano - Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Danny Miranda - Bass, Vocals
Jules Radino - Drums

Prog-rock pioneers and veterans, Crack The Sky, will be releasing their 20th studio album, From The Wood, on Friday, June 9. Physical pre-orders are available here. The record will also be available across all digital platforms.


“Writing From The Wood was a new, albeit old experience. The last few Crack The Sky albums were written on electric guitar, piano, and drum loops. This one was done strictly on acoustic guitar like back in the day. We initially felt that using all string instruments - guitars, mandolin, dobro, etc., would be both a challenge and change; but ultimately made it an exciting and new process. There was nothing to lean on with doing so and therefore the songs had to hold up on their own - naked of any synthetic or electric painting. Once the guys got into the studio however, it was clear that no one felt handcuffed by an acoustic project, as parts and performances shined, no one was restricted creatively. The songs are displayed in wonderful landscapes and the freedom of organic expression worked far better than we had hoped for,” comments frontman John Palumbo.


Much of the songwriting inspiration flows from the hardships that humankind endured in 2020-2022; feelings of isolation, separation and anxiety all thrust upon us by a global condition. The band hopes that this album will inspire, enflame, and reassure listeners.







From The Wood tracklisting:


"I Get High"
"Lady In The Lake"
"My New World"
"Fun In Isolation"
"Don’t Close Your Eyes"
"Outside Of Me"
"Heart Of The Lion"
"Going Downtown"
"Don’t Feed The Tigers"
"The Circle Of Life"


Crack The Sky is comprised of John Palumbo (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Rick Witkowski (guitars, vocals, studio production, engineering), Bobby Hird (guitars, vocals), Joey D'Amico (drums, vocals), Glenn Workman (keyboards, vocals), and Dave DeMarco (bass, vocals).

Frontiers Music Srl has released the latest music video, “Angels Never Sleep,” from US hard rockers, Heroes And Monsters.


Formed by three rock n' roll lifers and friends, bassist/vocalist Todd Kerns, guitarist Stef Burns, and drummer Will Hunt, their self-titled debut was released on January 20.







The players' resumes speak for themselves, but rest assured, if you are looking for hard hitting, hooky, in-your-face rock-n-roll, then Heroes And Monsters will be good for what ails you. The band approaches their style with their influences in tow, but also with an understanding and appreciation of the current rock scene. A best of both worlds' scenario, if you will.


Todd Kerns is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is most noted for being the bass player and backup singer in Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, and for being the frontman of gold-record-selling Canadian band The Age Of Electric. In more recent years, he has been making his mark as a singer-songwriter with sold out solo performances as well as fronting former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick’s band and his own Canadian supergroup, Toque.


Guitarist Stef Burns has a fantastic and varied history in rock music. He has spent time playing with pop acts like Sheila E., Berlin, and Huey Lewis & The News as well as rock acts like Y&T, whom he recorded four albums with, and Alice Cooper, playing on the albums Hey Stoopid and The Last Temptation. Stef currently plays with Italian rock superstar Vasco Rossi and also has his own band, The Stef Burns League.


Drummer Will Hunt currently resides in the drum throne for Evanescence, whom he first started playing with in 2007, and has performed and written on their last three studio albums, including their most recent release, The Bitter Truth, which debuted at #1 on 27 different countries' album charts. Over the years, the in-demand skinsman has performed with Dark New Day, Skrape, Staind, Vasco Rossi, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Slaughter, and more. He has also appeared on albums by Black Label Society, Michael Sweet (Stryper), Crossfade, Dirty Shirley (George Lynch), Device (David Draiman of Disturbed), and more.





Heroes And Monsters tracklisting:


"Locked And Loaded"
"Raw Power"
"Let's Ride It"
"Angels Never Sleep"
"I Knew You Were The Devil"
"Break Me (I'm Yours)"
"Blame"
"Don't Tell Me I'm Wrong"
"Set Me Free"
"And You'll Remain"


"Break Me (I’m Yours)" lyric video:





"Let's Ride It" video:





"Raw Power" video:





"Locked And Loaded" lyric video:

Soen have announced the release of their new album, Memorial, which will be available on September 1 via Silver Lining Music. The band have also released the hard-hitting first single, "Unbreakable". Watch the video below.


The new single is a statement of intent of what’s to come from the forthcoming album and sees the band take a much heavier approach but still retain their melodic sensibilities.


Founding member and drummer Martin Lopez comments, “‘Unbreakable’ is a song about how you limit yourself as a human, by blindly believing in something.” Vocalist and co-founding member Joel Ekelöf continues, “Politicians and the media paint everything as black or white, entitling you to try to destroy your opponent instead of trying to find common ground. It’s key to be humble and open to different viewpoints to keep growing, ‘Unbreakable’ feels like a marriage between classic-metal and Soen.”




The new album has a potent drive and sees the band channel the ills of current society with a crisp, riff heavy ferocity but at the same time still showcasing Soen’s unique blend of progression, aggression, and beauty.


Memorial is drenched in melody with face-crushing guitars and rhythms from start to finish. Album opener, "Sincere", starts off with relentless propulsion, whilst the sheer power of the title track is enriched with a solid groove, underlying the weighty tones and evocative vocals of Joel Ekelöf.


Finishing with the beautiful, tragic, Pink Floyd-esque ballad, "Vitals", Memorial is arguably the band finding their best stride yet. Soen have been building up to this moment for years and now they’re here with Memorial, which is an inspiring modern hard rock classic.


Memorial will be released on September 1, via Silver Lining Music. Available as a Deluxe CD, 12” Vinyl Album in Black and colour variants, digital formats and special D2C products and bundles. For pre-orders, head here.





Memorial tracklisting:


"Sincere"
"Unbreakable"
"Violence"
"Fortress"
"Hollowed" (feat. Elisa)
"Memorial
"Incendiary"
"Tragedian"
"Icon"
"Vitals"


"Unbreakable" video:





Soen are completed by Lars Enok Åhlund (Keyboards and Guitar), Oleksii ‘Zlatoyar’ Kobel (Bass) and Cody Ford (Lead Guitar) and are set to play at this year’s Download Festival on Sunday, June 11, before embarking on the Memorial 2023 tour in Europe this September, with the newly added show at the Locomotiv in Bologna, Italy. Tickets for the shows are available here.





Lineup:


Joel Ekelöf - Vocals
Martin Lopez - Drums
Lars Enok Åhlund - Keyboards and Guitar
Cody Ford - Lead Guitar
Oleksii “Zlatoyar” Kobel - Bass

HateSphere have released a playthrough video for the track "Gravedigger", featured on their new album, Hatred Reborn, released back in March via Scarlet Records. Check it out below:





Once again produced by Tue Madsen at the legendary Antfarm Studio, Hatred Reborn is available in the following formats:




- limited-edition vinyl
- digipak CD
- digital


Order here.


The artwork was created by Stefan Skjoedt.





Tracklisting:


"The Awakening"
"Hatred Reborn"
"Cutthroat"
"Gravedigger"
"918"
"Darkspawn"
"The Truest Form Of Pain"
"Brand Of Sacrifice"
"A Violent Compulsion"
"Spitting Teeth"
"Another Piece Of Meat" (Scorpions cover - digipak bonus track)
"The Fallen Shall Rise In A River Of Blood" (live - digipak bonus track)


"Darkspawn" lyric video:





"Cutthroat" video:





Find the band's tour itinerary here.


HateSphere lineup:


Mathias Uldall - vocals
Peter Lyse Karmark - guitar
Kasper Kirkegaard - guitar
Jimmy Nedergaard - bass
Mike Park Nielsen - drums

On May 28, 2023, former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach played Riverside Park in Grants Pass, Oregon.


Audience video of Baz and his solo band jamming the Rush classic "Tom Sawyer" can be enjoyed below.







Footage of "18 And Life", "I Remember You", and "Youth Gone Wild" has also surfaced:


 











This summer, Sebastian Bach will return to Alaska! "Anchorage Alaska! We will see you July 8 Matanuska Brewing Eagle River. I've only played in Alaska twice before back in the late 90s it's been a really long time. We are so excited to come back and kick ass with you all in Anchorage at Matanuska Eagle River! Going to hang out in town for a couple days and check it out. How many times do we get to come to Alaska! Looking forward to the show Anchorage see you July 8th!"


 


 

After releasing a rer-ecording of their fan favourite “Declaring War (2023)” Nasty are unleashing “Chaos (2023)”. Find the song on all digital platforms and a visualizer below.


The band comments: “Listening to this ‘Endzeit’ scenario hardcore-death banger is a pure energy boost, it’s the perfect tune to break all personal records!”







The aggro punk outfit toured Europe together with Dying Fetus, Cabal and their label mates Frozen Soul earlier this year. Catch them on one of the following shows:


June
30 - July 1 - Rennes, France - Superbowl Of Hardcore


July
8 - Ieper, Belgium - Ieper Fest
28-29 - Hartenbergsee, Germany - Afdreiht Un Buten


August
16-19 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze
19 - Hamburg, Germany - Elbriot

Hard-hitting Australian metal band, Carbon Black, has announced a partnership with Wormholedeath for the release of We Remain Special Edition. A video for the album opener, "Red Flag", can be found below.


The album was initially released independently in 2022 and received critical acclaim, with several positive reviews. Carbon Black is thrilled to partner with Wormholedeath to bring their music to even more audiences around the world.


We Remain is an album that Carbon Black is immensely proud of, and for good reason. The album was recorded piece by piece throughout 2020 and 2021, during a time of great personal and global turmoil. Despite the challenges, the band persevered, and the result is a powerful collection of songs that speak to the experiences of the last two years. Legendary producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley, known for his work with Dream Theater and Iron Maiden, mixed the album, adding his immense experience to create a truly thunderous mix that sets the bar higher than ever. The song "Under Order" also features a guest appearance by former Judas Priest vocalist, Tim "Ripper" Owens.




"We are extremely excited to announce our partnership with Wormholedeath to bring a Special Edition of We Remain to a worldwide release," said Carbon Black. "With their professionalism and proven history, we're certain the album will reach many more ears than ever before!"


Carbon Black's lineup includes Jonathan Hurley on vocals, Steve Giles on drums and percussion, Rob Giles on bass guitar, and Damon Bishop on guitar. The band's blend of social and political commentary and a lot of heart has earned them a loyal following and critical acclaim.





Tracklisting:


"Red Flag"
"The One Who Knows My Name"
"Scars"
"Under Order" (Feat. Tim "Ripper" Owens)
"We Bleed"
"One Enemy"
"Our Reprise"
"Under Order" (Solo Version)


"Red Flag" video:





"Under Order" music video:

Singer, dancer, actress and author Tina Turner, often referred to as the "Queen Of Rock 'N' Roll", passed away on May 24 after a long illness. She was 83. The Two Minutes To Late Night crew pay tribute with their cover of "One Of The Living". Watch the video below.


A message states: "When Karl from Earth Crisis asks to cover the angry Tina song from Mad Max, you gather the oddest team of musicians possible and give it a breakdown. RIP to simply The Best, Tina Turner. This is the 65th bedroom cover made with the support of Patreon. Become a Patreon patron today and get access to exclusive rewards like patches, t-shirts, even custom songs! Plus, you get to see every cover we make before it publicly premieres."


This cover features:




Karl Buechner - Earth Crisis
Jennifer Vito - War On Women
Dirk Verbeuren - Megadeth
Joe Principe - Rise Against
Angelo Moore - Fishbone

In any serious conversation about death metal, the name Vomitory has to come up. Following their inception in 1989, between 1996 and 2011 they dropped eight of the most blistering albums the genre has spewed up, the quartet parting ways in 2013. However, the band's retirement turned out to be short lived, returning to stages in 2019 to celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, and now they drop their first new full-length in twelve years, the monstrous All Heads Are Gonna Roll. A full album stream can be found below.


Boasting the classic Vomitory sound with a few new twists and turns, it is everything their faithful could have hoped for, the band having taken their time before committing to it rather than rushing in. "We weren't feeling any pressure, it was rather about making a decision whether we should continue as a band, i.e. release new material, or simply put the band back in the grave again," explains drummer Tobias Gustafsson. "We wrote a few songs first just for the fun of it, to see if we still 'had it', before we made the final decision to continue and make a new full-length album."


All Heads Are Gonna Roll is best described as "fast, grinding, D-beat, fist-in-your-face death metal", it features fresh aspects that are uncommon to Vomitory records. "One thing in particular we did was to try to build distinct choruses in the songs, which is something we didn't put too much effort into earlier," explains drummer Tobias Gustafsson. "We have also spent a lot more time working with the backing vocal arrangements, which we certainly think paid off very well. It brings something new to our sound. We have also tried to write more straightforward riffs, like we did in the early 2000s."




The instruments for the record were tracked in the band's rehearsal space, on a mobile studio setup engineered by Mats Lindström, and was self-produced. This allowed them to work at their own pace in the hours that worked for them, rather than having this dictated to them as would be the case if they had rented a studio. "Although we had a lot of flexibility to choose our working hours, it was still crucial to keep the recording schedule as strict as possible, because it was so easy to say 'let's do it tomorrow instead'." For vocals, they went to Leon Music Studios and engineer Rikard Löfgren, which was where they recorded their last three albums. They brought in good friend Christian Fredriksson (Vulkan) to play some guitar solos, but otherwise it is entirely their own work. With vivid horror movie-inspired artwork - with a hint of anti-religion thrown in for good measure - All Heads Are Gonna Roll really is the whole package for death metal fans, and a stunning return to form after so many years between releases.





All Heads Are Gonna Roll is available in the following formats:


- Digipak-CD
- 180g black vinyl
- dim gray marbled vinyl (limited to 700 copies)
- crimson red marbled vinyl (limited to 500 copies)
- clear w/ red & white splatter vinyl (limited to 300 copies)
- silver w/ black splatter vinyl (limited to 300 copies)
- red w/ purple splatter vinyl (limited to 300 copies) Sound Pollution exclusive


All Heads Are Gonna Roll, available via Metal Blade, can be ordered here.


Cover art by Giannis Nakos.





All Heads Are Gonna Roll tracklisting:


"All Heads Are Gonna Roll"
"Decrowned"
"Ode To The Meat Saw"
"The Deepest Tomb"
"Piece By Stinking Piece"
"Raped, Strangled, Sodomized, Dead"
"Dead Man Stalking"
"Disciples Of The Damned"
"Dead World"
"Beg For Death"


Album stream:





"Piece By Stinking Piece" visualizer:





"Raped, Strangled, Sodomized, Dead" video:





"All Heads Are Gonna Roll" video:





Unboxing video:





Vomitory lineup:


Erik Rundqvist - vocals/bass
Urban Gustafsson - guitar
Peter Östlund - lead guitar
Tobias Gustafsson - drums

Van Halen singer, David Lee Roth, is back with yet another of his interpretive dance videos. This time, Roth performs a little dance to "Atomic Punk", the seventh track on Van Halen’s 1978 self-titled debut album. Watch below:





A few of Roth's previous "dance" videos can be viewed below:

Less than a month before the two concerts of the all-star metal project Storm In Human Form - June 23 and June 24 in Bulgaria - the Bulgarian singer Tsena Koev from Vivaldi Metal Project presents a new song, in duet with the Swedish vocalist Mats Levén (Therion, Candlemass, Yngwie Malmsteen). "Miserere" will be featured on Tsena Koev's upcoming sophomore album, which is also titled Storm In Human Form, and will be out in September.


The recording of "Miserere" also features Leonardo Porcheddu (guitar), Dino Fiorenza (bass) from Vivaldi Metal Project and Greek drummer Panos Geo. The song's opening narration is recited by Snowy Shaw (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Therion, Notre Dame). The music, lyrics, arrangement and keyboard recordings are the work of Zhivko Koev.


The song will be part of the setlist for both Storm In Human Form shows in June and will be heard live in Bulgaria with the original voices of Mats Levén and Tsena Koev. Snowy Shaw, Jeff Scott Soto and keyboardist Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson) will also take part in the concerts.




The song's lyric video can be viewed below:





(Photo - Zhivko Koev)

Canadian metal legends and 2023 JUNO Award-winners, Voivod, performed at Rock Hard Festival 2023 in Gelsenkirchenm, Germany on May 27th. Check out the pro-shot livestream below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Killing Technology"
"Obsolete Beings"
"Macrosolutions to Megaproblems"
"Rise"
"Rebel Robot"
"Thrashing Rage!"
"Holographic Thinking"
"Sleeves Off"
"Voivod"







Voivod are celebrating 40 eventful years of existence this year and recently announced a special anniversary studio album, Morgöth Tales, to be released on July 21 via Century Media Records. An official video for the 2023 version of "Nuage Fractal" can be found below.


Once more recorded and mixed by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio, mastered by Maor Appelbaum and produced by Voivod, Morgöth Tales includes fresh studio (re-)recordings by the band’s current lineup of nine especially selected, not-so-obvious picks from the band’s hyper-classy and extremely diverse back catalogue (between 1984 and 2003) as well as a brand-new song in the album’s title-track, “Morgöth Tales”.


Voivod drummer Michel “Away” Langevin commented about Morgöth Tales as follows: “Morgöth Tales covers 40 years of space exploration. It was really exciting for us to revisit a more obscure part of the Voïvod catalogue, from thrash-punk to prog-metal to…? The title track is a new song, which we started writing in the tour bus and hotels during the Opeth European tour in November/December 2022. It has the vibe of the experimental music we are doing nowadays, with a new twist I think. We also had the great thrill of getting E-Force (Eric Forrest) and Jasonic (Jason Newsted) involved on this album. I hope you’ll dig it, Chewy, Rocky, Snake and I certainly had a blast recording it. All aboard and ready for take off!“





Tracklisting:


"Condemned To The Gallows"
"Thrashing Rage "
"Killing Technology"
"Macrosolutions To Megaproblems"
"Pre-Ignition"
"Nuage Fractal"
"Fix My Heart"
"Rise" (feat. Eric Forrest)
"Rebel Robot" (feat. Jason Newsted)
"Morgöth Tales"


"Nuage Fractal" video:





(Photo - Catherine Deslauriers)

EyeHateGod performed upon the Sophie Lancaster Stage at the 2022 edition of the Bloodstock Open AIr Metal Festival. You can now watch professionally-filmed video footage of the band's full set. Check it out below.





EyeHateGod perform next on June 23 at Twist of Lime in Metairie, LA. Find the band's tour itinerary here.

HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger were joined by rising guitar virtuoso Sophie Lloyd during their May 26 "unplugged" performance at the Heavy Music Awards at London, England's OVO Arena Wembley. The event celebrated the most influential and ground-breaking artists and creatives in the heavy music world.

HALESTORM was nominated in four categories at this year's ceremony, including "Best International Live Artist" and "Best Album".

The 27-year-old Lloyd is one of the most prolific guitarists on the world wide web, a trailblazer who is redefining the concept of a "bedroom" guitarist. A talented composer and accomplished musician, Sophie graduated from the prestigious BIMM in 2018 with a First Class Honours BMus in Popular Music Performance, honing and refining a talent she has nurtured since childhood. Since then, she has amassed the kind of following that even the guitar gods she grew up idolizing would be envious of, with a reach surpassing three million followers across her social channels, built through a steady stream of sharing her talent via guitar "shredleys", covers and her own original material.

Most recently, Sophie could be seen shredding on stage as guitarist for multi-platinum recording artist Machine Gun Kelly on his recent "Mainstream Sellout" world tour, which included sold-out shows at legendary venues such Madison Square Garden in New York and Wembley Arena in London.

Earlier this month, HALESTORM teamed up with country singer Ashley McBryde for a reimagined version of the band's song "Terrible Things", which was originally featured on the Lzzy Hale-fronted outfit's 2022 studio album "Back From The Dead".

This past December, HALESTORM released a deluxe edition of "Back From The Dead". "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" includes seven previously unreleased B-sides, including "Mine", a 1980s-inspired rocker. "Back From The Dead: Deluxe Edition" is available digitally, on CD, and cassette tape, marking the first time that the album has been offered in those physical formats.

Lzzy (vocals, guitar) and her brother Arejay (drums) formed HALESTORM in 1998 while in middle school. Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

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The Pablo Cuesta YouTube channel has uploaded video of Glenn Hughes's May 14 concert at Teatro Palacio Valdés in Avilés, Spain. Check out the clips below.

Hughes, the former bassist, and singer of DEEP PURPLE, known to millions as the "Voice Of Rock", and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, recently launched the "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live - Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of The Album Burn" tour.

Glenn is performing DEEP PURPLE's legendary rock album "Burn" and is also playing DEEP PURPLE MKIII and MKIV songs.

Glenn's band features Søren Andersen (guitar),Ash Sheehan (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keyboards).

"It was 50 years ago, in the summer of 1973, that the 'Burn' album by DEEP PURPLE was written at Clearwell Castle in the Forest of Dean Gloucestershire," reminisced Glenn. "It was recorded in October in Montreux, Switzerland. We all became one in this centuries old castle in the U.K. countryside, it felt like DEEP were a new band, with David [Coverdale, vocals] and I as new members, we couldn't wait to start working on new songs. The atmosphere was electric, in such amazing surroundings.

"All the songs on 'Burn' were written in the crypt/dungeon, underneath the great hall," he continued. "We worked on a new song every day, and we were in the flow. Musically we would play, and work out ideas, and David and I would come up with vocal melodies that would later have lyrics. I remember it like it was yesterday.

"As you could imagine, Ritchie Blackmore [guitar] was in full prankster mode, Jon [Lord, keyboards] had warned me, and he rigged my room one night with a speaker that was hidden, and had ghostly voices delivered to my bedside.

"The title track was the last song to be written. We came back from the pub, and went down into the crypt, and magic happened."

Concluded Hughes: "It's time to celebrate 'Burn', and I'm really looking forward to seeing you."

"Burn" is the eighth studio album by the English rock band DEEP PURPLE, written and recorded in 1973, and released in February 1974. The album was the first to feature then-unknown Coverdale on vocals and Hughes, from TRAPEZE, on bass and vocals. "Burn" was recorded in Montreux, Switzerland, in November 1973, with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. With the addition of Coverdale and Hughes, DEEP PURPLE's hard rock sound incorporated elements of soul and funk, which would become much more prominent on the follow-up album, "Stormbringer".

The phenomenal "Burn" title track started things off at full throttle and challenged the seminal "Highway Star" for the honor of best opener to any DEEP PURPLE album, while showcasing the always-impressive drumming of Ian Paice. The fantastic slow-boiling blues of "Mistreated"'s greatness qualifies it for the highest echelons of hard rock achievement, and therefore ranks as an essential item in the discography of any self-respecting music fan.

"Burn" hit No. 3 on the U.K. albums chart, No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard 200, and No. 1 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Norway.

In 2004 "Burn" was remastered and released with bonus tracks. "Coronarias Redig" was recorded during the "Burn" recording sessions, used only as a B-side for the "Might Just Take Your Life" single in 1974. It appears as a bonus track (in remixed form) on the anniversary edition re-release. The 2004 remix version of "Burn" was later used in "Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock".

In 2005 an unauthorized documentary about the album was produced as part of "The Ultimate Critical Review" series. It featured a brand new interview with Hughes.

Glenn Hughes, 14 de mayo de 2023.
Celebrando el 50 Aniversario de 'BURN', Glenn Hughes interpretará el legendario álbum...

Posted by Teatro Palacio Valdés on Thursday, May 11, 2023

FOO FIGHTERS have unveiled "The Teacher", the fourth track to drop in advance of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers' eleventh album, "But Here We Are", due out June 2 on Roswell Records/RCA Records.

"The Teacher" complements the primal scream of "Rescued", the bittersweet punk/pop-tinged rock of "Under You" and the serene dream pop of "Show Me How" with a bold new dimension of FOO FIGHTERS' sonic identity. Both the longest song the band has ever recorded and arguably the shortest 10 minutes in rock history, "The Teacher" builds from an understated Dave Grohl and guitar intro, layering impressionistic lyrical refrains onto a series of crescendos, peaks and valleys, before saying goodbye in a blaze of audio overload. A rock epic in the truest sense, "The Teacher" is like nothing the band has done before, yet instantly identifiable as FOO FIGHTERS.

In other previously unexplored territory for FOO FIGHTERS, "The Teacher" scores a short film directed by multimedia artist Tony Oursler. Known since the late 1970s for his body of work spanning video, sculpture, installation, performance, and painting, Oursler came to FOO FIGHTERS' attention via his work with David Bowie, specifically his video for Bowie's landmark January 2013 single "Where Are We Now?" The resultant collaboration is a beautifully disorienting array of emotive non-linear imagery that transcends boundaries of time and space in its telling of the enigmatic tale of "The Teacher". If "The Teacher" is FOO FIGHTERS as you've never heard them, Oursler's visual interpretation is certainly FOO FIGHTERS as they've never been seen before.

The first new song to be released was "Rescued" — which has generated raves including "driven by a fresh sense of pathos and urgency" (The New York Times),"FOO FIGHTERS have never sounded more vital" (Consequence)," "one of the FOOS' most immediate, emotional songs" (Vulture),"delivers everything fans have come to know and love" (Revolver) and more.

A brutally honest and emotionally raw response to everything FOO FIGHTERS endured over the last year, "But Here We Are" is a testament to the healing powers of music, friendship and family.

Produced by Greg Kurstin and FOO FIGHTERS, "But Here We Are" is in nearly equal measure the eleventh FOO FIGHTERS album and the first chapter of the band's new life. Sonically channeling the naiveté of FOO FIGHTERS' 1995 debut, informed by decades of maturity and depth, "But Here We Are" is the sound of brothers finding refuge in the music that brought them together in the first place 28 years ago, a process that was as therapeutic as it was about a continuation of life.

"But Here We Are" track listing:

01. Rescued
02. Under You
03. Hearing Voices
04. But Here We Are
05. The Glass
06. Nothing At All
07. Show Me How
08. Beyond Me
09. The Teacher
10. Rest

FOO FIGHTERS played their first official concert with new drummer Josh Freese on May 24 at Bank Of New Hampshire Pavilion At Meadowbrook in Gilford, New Hampshire. The band launched the 21-song set with "Rescued" and performed three other cuts from the "But Here We Are" LP, "Under You", "Nothing At All" and the title track. The rest of the concert included the first performance of "Cold Day In The Sun" in five years, and frontman Dave Grohl's daughter Violet Grohl joining the band onstage for "Shame Shame".

FOO FIGHTERS will make a few other festival stops, including Bonnaroo in June, Festival D'Ete De Quebec in July, Outside Lands in August, the Ohana, also in August, and Chicago's Riot Fest in September.

The band revealed Freese as part of its new touring lineup on May 21 during a pre-tour livestream called "Foo Fighters: Preparing Music For Concerts". Freese was unveiled as the drummer during the livestream after comedic cameos by Chad Smith of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, Tommy Lee of MÖTLEY CRÜE and Danny Carey of TOOL.

Freese was most recently drumming for Danny Elfman but was recently replaced by Ilan Rubin. Freese was also touring with THE OFFSPRING up until last year, with former SUICIDAL TENDENCIES drummer Brandon Pertzborn stepping in to officially replace him a couple of weeks ago.

Freese replaces longtime FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins, who tragically passed away in March 2022 at the age of 50.

Freese previously played with the FOO FIGHTERS at the tribute concerts to Hawkins in 2022.

Freese is a veteran session drummer who has performed with GUNS N' ROSES, A PERFECT CIRCLE, PUDDLE OF MUDD, NINE INCH NAILS, WEEZER, PARAMORE, THE REPLACEMENTS, Sting and THE VANDALS, among many others. He has also played more than 300 recordings ranging in genres from pop to rock to country.

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), will release its debut album, "To Hell And Back", on June 2 via Napalm Records.

Today the band has released the song "Walk With Me Forever", featuring the first-ever solo lead vocal performance of Ellefson's career. The track holds very special meaning on this U.S. Memorial Day week, as it explores the intense loss of a loved one and their memory providing the strength to carry on. The track's haunting accompanying music video, also out today, shows Ellefson narrating a story of love and loss, directed by Oskar Szramka and starring notable Polish actors Jan Napieralski and Agnieszka Goździewicz.

Ellefson states about the track: "We've all experienced loss and grief at some point in our life, and this song expresses that feeling as well as the gratitude we find when accepting, letting go and carrying the beauty of that person's life with us as we move on."

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!"

"To Hell And Back" track listing:

01. To Hell And Back
02. Don't Get Mad ... Get Even!
03. Wicked Disdain
04. Free Us All
05. Heavy Is The Crown
06. Walk With Me Forever
07. Dead Inside
08. The Mark Of Cain
09. In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents
10. Severance

Upcoming DIETH shows:

June 05 - DE, Berlin - Columbia Theater (supporting TESTAMENT + VOIVOD)
June 16 - DE, Hannover - Capitol (supporting TESTAMENT + VOIVOD)
June 15-18 - BE, Dessel - Graspop Metal Festival
July 6-8 - CZ, Velke Mezirici - Fajtfest
Aug. 3-5 - PT, Vagos - Vagos Metal Fest
Aug. 20 - FR, Carhaix - Motorcultor Festival

DIETH is:

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

Photo credit: Maciej Pieloch

FIRSTBORNE, the band featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Adler and MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo, has released another new single, "Follower".

As was the case with "Bad Things" and "One Of A Kind", which were made available in September; "Dead Rats", which came out in October; "Intercontinental Champions", which was released in November; "Sinners", which arrived in February; and "Follower", which came out in April; "Home" was independently produced by the band — also featuring soft-shred pioneer Myrone (guitar) and rising-star vocalist Girish Pradhan.

When "Bad Things" and "One Of A Kind" were released, Adler had this to say about the new singles and the trajectory of FIRSTBORNE: "We've made good use of the time. For the next year-plus we will be releasing a song a month, starting here and now with a one-two-punch.

"I'm thrilled to be in a creative partnership that can do just about anything. Feels like playing in 'God Mode' on Guitar / Band Hero. It's a passion project and it's fun for us to share. Dig in. Or don't. See you next month!"

Myrone added about the ethos of the group: "No Labels, No Management, NO GODS, NO MASTERS!!!!"

FIRSTBORNE's self-titled debut EP came out in 2020 and marked Adler's first dedicated band release since his departure from MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD.

"Firstborne" included five songs and two lyric videos. The EP represented several years of dedicated introspection and refined effort to the idea of a heavy and positive message.

As might be expected, Adler chose his bandmates in this endeavor meticulously.

Not too long ago, Adler shared the stage across the Middle East with LoMenzo in HAIL! Prior to that, LoMenzo and Adler orbited each other for years traveling together on tours crossing the globe. The connect was inevitable.

Adler and Myrone began collaborating in early 2019 after Myrone noticed Adler's e-mail address attached to a Bandcamp sales notification email. Adler had been a fan of Myrone's talent for years prior and as soon as they connected, it was game on.

A chance meeting in India, almost a second home to Chris after eight visits, was the spark needed to form the international group FIRSTBORNE and for Chris to return to the studio. Adler met and shared the stage with Pradhan during a six-week clinic tour of India in the fall of 2019. After the first show of the clinic tour, Adler immediately called Myrone, noting he'd "struck gold" in their search for a singer for the then-unnamed project.

Girish Pradhan is the glue that united FIRSTBORNE. Pradhan on vocals represents an almost unprecedented international collaboration.

Pradhan is an established and well-known recording and touring artist in India and resides in Bengaluru. His band GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES made international headlines with their album "Rock The Highway" and music videos "Rock 'N Roll Is Here to Stay", "Identity Crisis" and "Rock The Highway".

Speaking on his experience creating with FIRSTBORNE, Myrone explained: "Every single part of this experience has been extremely surreal for me. Girish is one of the best metal vocalists on the planet, Chris is one of the most influential drummers of the last 25 years, and JLO can play anything from MEGADETH to John Fogerty to Motown and everything in between. I can't believe I get to share space on a .wav with them."

Myrone is a Los Angeles-based producer/guitarist who pioneered the "soft shred" genre. In the last few years, he has released several albums and two EPs of instrumental guitar music and racked up millions of Spotify streams. In addition to his own recordings, he has collaborated with Rivers Cuomo (WEEZER),SZA, Little Boots, Michael Christmas and Deaton Chris Anthony. More recently, Myrone was Guitar #1 in the L.A. production of "Rock Of Ages", the 29th-longest running show in Broadway history.

LoMenzo is a veteran touring/recording musician since his multi-platinum band WHITE LION in the 1980s. Lomenzo is one of the most in-demand rock bass players in the world. His list of credits includes WHITE LION, Zakk Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY/PRIDE & GLORY, MEGADETH, Jerry Cantrell, David Lee Roth, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, LYNCH MOB, FREHEY'S COMET and more. He officially rejoined MEGADETH as a touring member last year and became an official member in May 2022.

LoMenzo had this to say about his collaboration within FIRSTBORNE: "I first met Chris in 2006 on MEGADETH's 'Gigantour'. I was playing bass with MEGADETH at the time. Watching Chris on that tour, I recall being struck by the creativity, speed and power of his drumming with LAMB OF GOD. In contrast, I found him to be a gentle, thoughtful soul. Years later, I had the opportunity to finally play with Chris, performing in the Middle East with the all-star metal band HAIL! We had a great time. At this time, Chris mentioned he was looking forward to exploring making all kinds of music. I suggested he keep me in mind. Next thing I know I'm being introduced to Myrone through a demo that Chris forwarded to me. I was immediately drawn to the music. Myrone's guitar is uniquely untethered to any one style. He's a brilliant and capable amalgam of classic rock, new and classic metal. Girish on top of all this had me stunned! A soaring, powerful voice that while uniquely his own, conjures images of the greatest singers of metal, blues and classic rock. His voice is a powerful, emotive vehicle to inform through his heartfelt and socially conscious lyrics. To my ear, the combination of all this musical talent is wonderfully unique and perfectly familiar."

Adler added: "I've been incredibly fortunate in my creative endeavors. From the start, I sought out the best players I could find to work alongside. It's been an incredible journey that is clearly not over. Some things have changed. This may not be exactly what people expect from me right now, and I'm aware and embrace that. It's time for something new. I'm have a platform to present something important, true and collaborative. Creating FIRSTBORNE beckons cohesiveness as a mission statement. This is not about being mad all the time, egos or fabricating polarizing drama. 'This is right' is now my alarm clock. Girish, Myrone and James have the exact locker room mentality of 'kill 'em all! but let's make sure everyone is okay and having a kick-ass time' that I try and bring to everything I do. FIRSTBONE is the result of all of my experiences, both positive and negative, and I'm proud of what we are doing together."

Adler is a Grammy-winning American metal drummer from Richmond, Virginia. Chris founded LAMB OF GOD in 1994 and helped usher in what critics have dubbed the "New Wave Of American Heavy Metal." LAMB OF GOD's discography with Chris includes multiple gold records and platinum DVDs as well as five Grammy nominations.

Chris received a Grammy for playing drums on legendary thrash metal band MEGADETH's 2016 record "Dystopia". Chris also toured with MEGADETH in support of the record while juggling and occasionally combining tour dates with LAMB OF GOD.

Chris has collaborated and contributed to records with PROTEST THE HERO, TESTAMENT, THAIKKUDAM BRIDGE, Michael Angelo Batio and Ron Jarzombek.

In 2018, Chris created an artist management firm Kintsugi Management.

FIRSTBORNE is:

Vocals: Girish Pradhan
Guitar: Myrone
Bass: James LoMenzo
Drums: Chris Adler

Professor Reggie Almeida of the Gracie Barra Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Spring Hill, Tennessee, who has been traveling with MEGADETH on the band's recent tours, has uploaded backstage and performance video of MEGADETH's appearances at Knotfest Australia, which took place March 24 in Melbourne, March 25 in Sydney and March 26 in Brisbane. Check out the footage below.

In a message accompanying the YouTube release of the video, Almeida wrote: "A short version of what I did in Australia with MEGADETH, worked out with Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader], and of course backstage, concerts etc."

MEGADETH's current lineup includes guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who had played with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH, Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was previously best known for his work with ANGRA, and bassist James LoMenzo. James was MEGADETH's bass player in the mid-2000s and stepped back in as a touring member for the 2021 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year". In May 2022, it was announced that Lomenzo was officially rejoining the MEGADETH family.

Last September, MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", debuted at the top of the charts during its first week of sales, taking the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200 as well as number ones on Top Album Sales, Top Current Albums Sales, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was the highest-charting MEGADETH album of all time around the world, notching No. 1 In Finland, No. 2 in australia, poland, Switzerland, and Scotland, No. 3 in the U.K., and more.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

MEGADETH recently received its thirteenth Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "We'll Be Back" from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

MEGADETH won the 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of the band's 2016 album "Dystopia". This marked the group's twelfth Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category).

HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta joined MACHINE HEAD on stage during the latter band's May 28 performance at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to perform the MH classic "Davidian". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

For the Milwaukee Metal Fest performance, MACHINE HEAD once again recruited HAVOK's Reece Alan Scruggs to play second guitar. Scruggs previously played with MACHINE HEAD on the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" fall 2022 tour. Reece was filling in for Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED),who was unable to make the fall 2022 trek due to his touring commitments with his longtime band DECAPITATED.

Last month, 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.

Ted Nugent has blasted the Los Angeles Dodgers for their decision to feature controversial anti-Catholic LGBTQ+ activist group of "queer and trans nuns" known as the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence at a Pride Night event scheduled for June 16.

After the Dodgers announced earlier this month that they were inviting the well-known San Francisco order that has existed since the 1970s, some conservative Roman Catholics and politicians had accused the group of mocking nuns and the Christian faith. In addition, the non-profit advocacy group CatholicVote launched a $1 million campaign, calling on everyone to boycott the baseball franchise.

In response to backlash, the Dodgers stated they would not feature the group during Pride Night festivities, but later reversed course in the face of outrage from LGBGTQ+ groups across the country.

"After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and generous discussions with the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence, the Los Angeles Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and families," the organization said.

"We have asked the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16th. We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades…" it continued.

In their own statement, the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence said: "This morning our Abbess, Sister Dominia, and another board member, Sister Bearonce Knows, met with the Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten … A full apology and explanation was given to us by the Dodgers staff which we accept. … May the games be blessed!"

Nugent addressed the controversy in a new interview with Eric Bolling, the host of Newsmax's "Eric Bolling The Balance". The outspoken conservative rocker said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "These decision makers are rock solid in the liability column for mankind. This is pure runaway evil. That is Satanism. When you attack Christ, when you attack religious people who abide by the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, the Constitution, the Bill Of Rights, all that radical stuff, you are literally on the side of pure evil.

"Satan has his foot in the American door right now," Nugent continued. "He's got the president, he's got the vice president, he's got almost everybody in the Democrat party and the Republican party, they've got the DOJ, the CDC, the FDA, the USDA — literally evil controls the majority, if not all, of Uncle Sam right now.

"So, once again, this is an experiment in self-government," Ted added. "I'm just a guitar player, but everybody who works for me in government knows exactly what this guitar player believes in. It's God, family, country, Constitution, Bill Of Rights, being the best that you can be, law and order. And these perverts are literally doing the evil deeds of Satan. It's so obvious, even guitar players can figure it out."

The L.A. chapter of the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence will accept a "community hero award" "for the lifesaving work they have done tirelessly for decades" at the June 16 event, which marks the tenth anniversary of Pride Nights at Dodger Stadium.

Founded in San Francisco in 1979, the Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence were one of the first groups to fundraise and provide community outreach in response to the AIDS crisis. In the time since, they have raised over $1 million for various causes affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
pic.twitter.com/626cPP4Ith

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 22, 2023

In a new interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about how he and his bandmates came up with the idea of creating the Snake Pit, a standing-only area built into the center of the stage so that a select group of fans could experience the show on a more human scale. He said: "One of our managers back in New York in the late Eighties/early Nineties [had] the idea that when you would go to a restaurant that the best seat in the restaurant was actually not in the house — [it] was in the kitchen. So in crazy, cool restaurants, if you could somehow get into the kitchen and eat in the kitchen, you were in there where all the action was. So the idea that came out of that for that Snake Pit on the 'Black Album' tour was basically to be in the middle of the stage. So we had a stage that was shaped like a diamond, and there were 30, 40 spots in the middle of that stage. Radio contest winners, friends, family, a few crazy metalheads from around the audience would end up in that snake pit, and they would be onstage with us. And then it morphed. Basically, for, I guess, 30 years now, the Snake Pit has been an integral part of at least a METALLICA indoor show. And then in the stadiums when we've been playing outside, it’s been sort of this extension of the stage. You've seen it, but they've never been, like, crazy big. There's been room for a couple of hundred here, a couple hundred there, whatever."

Ulrich added that the current iteration of the Snake Pit holds 900 to 1,200 people, depending on the rules of the local fire marshal.

Snake Pit ticket packages for METALLICA's "M72" world tour reportedly run from $1,038 up to a whopping $4,398, limited to two per fan, but you can still enter to win them if you're a member of the fan club.

In "A Year And A Half In The Life Of Metallica", a documentary about the making of the "Black Album", Lars said the Snake Pit was part of a larger plan to push the envelope. "This time around, we really wanted to fuck with the concept of arena rock," he said. "We came up with a stage that was definitely different than what any other bands had done: playing every song in a different formation [where we'd have] drums moving around, James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] moving around, [and] the Snake Pit [with] kids in the middle."

Late last month, METALLICA kicked off its "M72" world tour 2023-2024 with two spectacular performances at Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, Netherlands with support from ARCHITECTS and MAMMOTH WVH on night one and Floor Jansen and ICE NINE KILLS on night two. The career-spanning sets featured the live debut of "If Darkness Had A Son" and "You Must Burn!" along with songs off their newest album "72 Seasons", including "Screaming Suicide", "Sleepwalk My Life Away" and the title track "72 Seasons". In total, METALLICA performed 32 different songs taken from its 11 studio albums.

METALLICA is visiting a total of 22 different cities around the world and playing two nights in each city.

The trek sees the band playing two nights in every city it visits — with each "No Repeat Weekend" featuring two completely different setlists and support lineups. The "M72" tour features a bold new in-the-round stage design that relocates the famed METALLICA Snake Pit to center stage, as well as the "I Disappear" full-tour pass and the debut of discounted tickets for fans under 16 years of age.

Opening acts include FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ICE NINE KILLS, MAMMOTH WVH, PANTERA, ARCHITECTS, GRETA VAN FLEET and VOLBEAT.

METALLICA promises fans who purchase a two-day ticket that they won't see the same song twice for a total of over 30 songs spanning the band's 40-plus-year career.

Each weekend offers a variety of "Enhanced Experiences", ranging from access to a meet-and-greet, production and stage tour, food and beverage in the "Black Box" lounge to early entry into the venue and the Snake Pit. The very popular "Black Laminate" is back, now known as the "I Disappear Ticket", and is the ultimate pass for the fan who wants to run away with METALLICA for multiple weekends.

A single "I Disappear" ticket purchase gives you access to as many of METALLICA's 46 headlining tour dates across Europe and North America in 2023 and 2024 as you choose. You decide how many shows you'd like to attend around the world, and for how long, and METALLICA will make it as easy as possible.

In a new interview with Revolver magazine, former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo was asked if he wishes he could have played on the band's final tour in 2018 and 2019. He responded: "No, not really. I was already doing so much… I'd known for years that Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] wanted to retire, so it was no surprise. During the later years — I left in '13, so maybe around 2009 or 2010 — Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist] and I were thinking about putting together another band. It might have been at Hellfest when Kerry and I said, 'Hey, let's go see EXODUS.' We walked to one of the other stages and we saw Gary Holt play. I said, 'Dude, that guy's a badass.' And Kerry was, like, 'Yeah, that's who we need to recruit for this new project.' And again, at that time we knew Tom wanted to stop. He was tired. And then the whole Jeff Hanneman thing went down and the first person that crossed our minds was Gary Holt."

Pressed about whether he would say "yes" to playing with SLAYER again if the band decided to come back, Dave said: "I don't even go down that path. I don't see it ever happening. If they ever do decide to come back, they're going to piss off a lot of fans because, man, they really hyped that farewell tour. They're going to have to be very careful on how they approach that. But who cares? The fans will be happy regardless. So, I don't even think about that."

Dave previously reflected on his final stint with SLAYER, which lasted from 2001 until his dismissal in 2013, last month during an appearance on an episode of the "Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal" podcast. Asked how it felt to be coming back to the band after being gone for so long, the now-58-year-old drummer said: "It made sense. I was out of the band for 10 years — 10 [or] 11 years. And they decided to bring me back in. And everything was good. Everything felt fine. We had a good run. I was able to bring my own creativity or at least…

"It was difficult to change the SLAYER path," he continued. "They really liked their niche market, and they didn't wanna stray too much. But in a live sense, I was able to be free when it came to some of the drum rolls and some of the changes. I used to throw the guys in the band for a loop when I would create a really bizarre drum roll. And it makes them turn around [and go], 'What the fuck is that?' And then I land on the 'one.' It's, like, 'There it is.' But I was getting creative, I think, because I knew the music so well. And so there was room for me to fuck around. It's, like, 'Why didn't I play this drum part when I recorded the album? It would have been so much better.' After you played something for so long…

"I read once that Mick Jagger said, 'God, I wish we would have written that song 'Satisfaction' a little better if I knew we were gonna play it for [almost 60] years.' I was going through a little bit of the same thing with my own drum parts," Dave admitted. "'Ah, I'm gonna do this.' 'Oh, that double-bass section in 'Angel Of Death'. You know what? I'm gonna extend it a little longer.' Or 'I'm gonna add a snare roll in the middle of it.' So I was just having fun with it. And it was because I was, I guess, seasoned from the musicians I was working with in the past. And that kind of helped, I think — helped me personally — to enjoy the moments on stage. Because when you are on tour and playing the same songs month after month, year after year, it becomes a little redundant. So that kind of helped me entertain myself on stage, to see if I could stump the guitar players, if I could mess with them."

Lombardo, who has spent most of the recent years between crossover pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, horror-punk icons MISFITS, hardcore supergroup DEAD CROSS and MR. BUNGLE, was effectively fired from SLAYER after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other bandmembers. He was later replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001.

Shortly after his dismissal, Lombardo said that he discovered that 90 percent of SLAYER's tour income was being deducted as expenses, including fees to management, costing the band millions and leaving them with about 10 percent to split four ways. While he and Tom Araya hired auditors to figure out what had happened, Lombardo said he was never allowed to see any of the information obtained.

Lombardo released a statement in February 2013 saying he "was denied access to detailed information and the necessary backup documents." He added: "I was told that I would not be paid until I signed a longform contract which gave me no written assurance of how much or on what basis management would deduct commissions, nor did it provide me access to the financial budgets or records for review. It also forbade me to do interviews or make statements having to do with the band, in effect a gagging order."

Dave previously opened about his departure from SLAYER while taking questions from the audience in March 2014 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

"I did my best to try to keep it together, but I couldn't go on, man," Dave said. "I had to step out, because you can't be shackled like that; nobody can take advantage of another person like that anymore. I did it for too many years, and I held my breath. Red flags kept going on in my books. It's, like, 'Really? I'm supposed to make more money? Why am I on the same salary? I'm making the exact same thing I've been making the past two years. And this is back in 2004. So I knew something was up. And I tried my best to work it out with the guys. I brought Tom into the picture. I had Tom in a hotel room with me talking to my attorney, and my attorney was telling him everything their management company had been doing to them for the past 30 freakin' years. And we had an accountant, a forensic accountant, ready to go in there and look at the stuff."

He continued: "Tom got bought out. Management flipped him over a couple of hundred grand — who knows how much? — and Kerry as well, to keep quiet and go against Lombardo. So they turned their backs on me. And on the last day, when I'm at rehearsal with them — and I saved it all the way until the end — I said, 'Guys, we need a new business plan. You guys have been on the same business plan after 30 years. Now I'm an income participant. In other words, I 'm a percentage holder.' So if you're a percentage holder, you have the right, and you're contracted, as a percentage holder, you have the right to see where all the expenses are going. Because here you are getting paid off of net, and then out of 4.4 million dollars, the band gets 400 thousand dollars. Where's the four million? And that's just 2011. [The rest of the money went to] lawyers, accountant and the manager.

"For the past 30 years, they were doing that to the guys. And they took my information… I'll never forget the day…. I just said, 'Guys, look at this. This came from your accountant.' And it showed all the money. It wasn't showing where the money was going, it was just showing 'gross,' 'expenses,' 'net.' And out of that net, I made, on tour, in 2011, 67 thousand dollars. Kerry and Tom, that was about 114 thousand dollars they made on tour. So if you did about 60 shows, divide that up between 60 shows… Anybody have a calculator? No, not 60… Let's say about 90 shows per year: 30 in the spring, 30 in the summer and 30 shows in the winter, in the fall. So you break that up per show… Really? It's disgusting. I bust my ass up there playing drums. I mean, I am just sweating, I'm beat. And for the guy in the Hollywood Hills, for his facials, his manicures… No, I'm not gonna play for that. No."

In a November 2013 interview with Minneapolis City Pages, Araya stated about Lombardo: "Dave left the band originally in '91 or '92, After that, we brought in Jon Dette for two years and then we hooked up with Paul [Bostaph], who did four really great albums with us. Then he decided to move on. Our manager hooked us up with Dave again and when we were putting together [2006's] 'Christ Illusion', Dave offered to help out. We wanted to make things fair for him, so we offered him a contract with the band. Most recently, we were offered to tour Australia. When we were rehearsing, he seemed to do a 180 and said some things that kind of upset me and Kerry. Kerry just looked at him and said, 'If you feel that way, then why are we even rehearsing for this tour?' So we wrote him a letter and said, 'Listen, we need to know if you're going to do the shows in Australia. If you're not, we need to do something about that.' We didn't get a reply. We were put in a position where we had to do something, so we got Jon Dette to play with us again. After what happened with the Australia tour, we made the decision to move forward and make him aware that we no longer needed his services. He was really upset about that. He wrote a rant on Facebook. He said some things that he shouldn't have. It really upset us. And it upset me. I was fuming. I couldn't believe that he would throw that out in the court of public opinion. After that, Jeff [Hanneman, deceased SLAYER guitarist], me and Kerry all got on the phone and talked about it. And Paul's name came up. It was a sure thing with Paul. He'd been in the band for over 12 years. So we gave him a call to see if he was interested and he was more than happy to. It was a no-brainer. He's an amazing drummer."

A few years ago, King said that "when Dave was in [SLAYER] this last time, I figured I'd be on the stage with him until one of us fell off the stage, dead. Things change. He got some bad advice and listened to some bad advice, gave us an ultimatum ten days before we went to Australia [to do the Soundwave festival tour]. And I said, 'I can't have this over my head.' And I feel bad for Dave to this day; I really feel bad for him because he shot himself in the foot. Maybe he thought he had the upper hand, but you ain't gonna get me."

SLAYER played its last-ever show in November 2019 at The Forum in Los Angeles.

At this year's Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio, AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ spoke to Bodhi of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station about the band's upcoming album "Life Is But A Dream…", which is set to arrive on June 2 via Warner. Regarding whether the LP was easy to put together, considering it has been seven years since 2016's "The Stage" was released, Johnny said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Every album that we go into have their challenges, and those challenges come from within. We wanna challenge ourselves at our crafts and try to accomplish things that, hopefully, no one else has tried to accomplish before. And we try to do that to the best of our ability. We do that pretty every record — literally every record. So when it [came] time to do this record, it felt very much like any other time. New challenges, of course. And we wanted to accomplish things that we haven't accomplished before, as I just said — not to keep beating a dead horse there. But as far as the overall feel of it, it was very much like we got off the road from 'The Stage' cycle and we started writing. It took about a year, maybe a little longer than a year, for the writing. And just when we were ready to book the studio time to actually just start recording it, the pandemic hit and put a lot of restraints on what we could do. So we said, 'Fuck it. We're just gonna chill back and wait until we can do everything right, the way that we want to.'"

He continued: "It ended up being a silver lining, to be honest, for a lot of us, on our personal ends. We have young families, and we were able to be home with them for an extended period of time, taking the kids to school and sports and everything, which was really cool. We probably wouldn't have had a chance to do that [if it hadn't been for the pandemic]. And the other one is it gave us time to really concentrate on the record sonically after we had already finished the writing of it and maybe go back a couple of times over and really go, 'Okay. We were gonna do these interludes, and maybe we're not gonna do those anymore. Let's trim the fat on everything and make this the best possible journey of music that we can possibly put together for everybody.'"

Written and recorded over the span of four years, "Life Is But A Dream…" was produced by Joe Barresi and AVENGED SEVENFOLD in Los Angeles and mixed by Andy Wallace in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. The album is a journey through an existential crisis; a very personal exploration into the meaning, purpose and value of human existence with the anxiety of death always looming.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD made its first festival appearance in five years on May 19 at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The band's setlist included three songs from < "Life Is But A Dream…": "Game Over", "We Love You" and "Nobody".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first concert since June 2018 took place on May 12 at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Last month, AVENGED SEVENFOLD announced the second leg of its extensive "Life is But A Dream…" North American tour featuring support from FALLING IN REVERSE. Produced by Live Nation, leg two includes stops in Nashville, Denver, Austin, and more before concluding at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on October 15. Fans will have the opportunity to hear the group's first single in seven years, "Nobody", and their new album "Life Is But A Dream…" for the first time live during the 30-show outing.

The first leg with support from ALEXISONFIRE includes thirteen cities across the U.S. and Canada, such as Mansfield, Québec City, Tinley Park, Calgary, and more. The group kicks off their 2023 solo touring run with two unique one-night-only arena shows in New York and Los Angeles this June.

To date, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has sold over 10 million albums worldwide and earned two consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart (2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King") to go along with over a billion video views and a billion-plus Spotify streams, as well as multiple No. 1 singles on rock radio. The band is equally known for their spectacular live shows, selling out arenas and headlining the world's most prestigious rock festivals.

In a new interview with Fox News, Sammy Hagar spoke about mending his relationship with Eddie Van Halen prior to the legendary VAN HALEN guitarist's passing. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "To be able to have talked to Eddie and had a wonderful rapport with him on text, it means everything to me. If he would have died and we would have not ever said 'I love you' to each other again, I would feel really bad. I probably wouldn't be able to talk… I wouldn't be able to talk to you about it. So that means a lot to me. And it means a lot, I think, for me to feel good about talking about being in VAN HALEN now. 'Cause I feel like we buried the hatchet. To where otherwise I'd be saying, 'Well, those guys…' 'Cause I was mad, I was hurt. It's very important that we connected, yeah."

Eddie died in October 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Hagar replaced David Lee Roth in VAN HALEN in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band — "5150", "OU812", "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" and "Balance" — all of which topped the U.S. chart.

Sammy, Eddie, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony last teamed up in 2004 for a U.S. summer tour.

Last month, Sammy reflected on being estranged from Eddie for years after he was dismissed from VAN HALEN, telling USA Today: "I cherish [Eddie] more than ever. What happened with us at the end was such a shame. It's what happens when alcohol and drugs are involved, and I'm going through a divorce. It's such a shame. If VAN HALEN were still together today, we'd be headlining every one of these festivals all over the world.

"I miss his unique creativity," Sammy added. "He'd play something and I'd go, 'What? Where the hell did that come from?' He was so out of left field, so original. That creativity always lifted me."

Early last year, Hagar told KUSI's Paul Rudy about how he repaired his relationship with Eddie prior to the guitarist's passing. He said: "The whole year, of 2020, in the early parts, around January, Eddie and I connected and we started talking again. We were talking about writing music again. We were talking about going out and touring with the whole gang one time for the big time in '22; that was the plan. Of course we wouldn't wanna announce anything like that. But I think Wolfie [Eddie's son Wolfgang Van Halen] said it in some interviews how everybody was planning on doing that, and it would have been the greatest thing that ever happened to VAN HALEN. Unfortunately, Eddie didn't make it.

"I don't think anyone realized how sick he was," Sammy continued. "And then when I started talking to him [again], I would send him a call and he wouldn't answer. I would send him a text and say, 'Word man…' — I used to call him 'Word Man — 'Word man, where are you, man? I'm trying to get a hold of you. You're making me nervous.' And about a day later, he'd get back [to me] and say, 'Dude, I was in the hospital.' I'd say, 'Oh, god.' It was funny. 'Dude, I'm in the hospital. Give me some slack.'

"But I'll tell you what: that guy was made out of something special, man. That Dutch blood or whatever it is, he hung in there a long time. He's had cancer and hip surgery and all these things for years; I guess he'd battled it almost 20 years."

According to Sammy, Eddie never allowed his health or substance abuse issues to significantly affect his live performance. "Eddie always played great," he said. "That's the thing that used to make me mad, 'cause he could drink as much as he wanted, do anything he wanted and come out there and still play good. I'd be going, 'This guy is making me mad.' [Laughs]"

In his autobiography, "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock", Hagar slammed Eddie, saying the guitarist was unkempt, hunched over, frighteningly skinny, drinking wine straight out of a bottle, missing part of his tongue (after a cancer scare) and several teeth. He told an interviewer in 2012: "What happened on that reunion tour in '04 was some of the most miserable, back-stabbing dark crap I've ever been involved with my whole life."

In a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone, Eddie questioned an "embellished" portion of "Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock" that painted the guitarist as a "very angry drunk" during the group's 2004 reunion tour.

In November 2020, Wolfgang revealed that his father had contemplated a "kitchen-sink tour" that would have included Anthony, as well as vocal turns from both Hagar and Roth. There was even talk about bringing back Gary Cherone, who sang with VAN HALEN on one poorly received album, 1998's "Van Halen III".

Photo by Leah Steiger
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In a new interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green, GREAT WHITE drummer Audie Desbrow spoke about the likelihood of a reunion with original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It just couldn't physically be possible, I think… And there's just so much damage, verbal damage, e-mails to us from him that nobody will ever know what they were. And they're pretty bad. It's kind of beyond the ruin. I don't know how to describe it.

"But, yeah, I can't see that happening, unfortunately, I guess, for a lot of diehard fans," he added. "I'm sure there might be some fans who'd love to see us with Jack one time or whatever. But I just couldn't [see it happening]."

Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after Jack had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by guitarist Mark Kendall, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie and Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell now performing as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.

Last November, Russell told All Access Live! With Kevin Rankin about the possibility of him reuniting with his former bandmates: "As far as the fans are concerned, for the most part they've been really cool about it. It is what it is. Of course most of them would rather see us back together. There are a few people that, for whatever reason, like a new guy better, which I don't understand. That'd be like me saying I like somebody better than Steven Tyler in AEROSMITH. Or, 'Get rid of that Robert Plant schmuck [in LED ZEPPELIN]. Let me hear somebody else.' I don't know. To each his own. Some things just defy explanation or logic. But for the most part, I think, people would like things, to see them back to where they were, which will never happen. Those days are gone, and anybody out there that's hoping and wishing and praying, it's not gonna happen; I'll tell you right now. Both camps agree [on that]."

Russell went on to say that he chooses to stay away from speaking disparagingly about his former bandmates. "I don't jump on the drama train," he said. "Unfortunately, there are still people that do, in my other band, that still choose to pass along negativity. And I'm not gonna say anything bad about anybody. It's, like, why? We were all huge friends for years. We accomplished one of the hugest things you can ever accomplish together — something that's almost impossible we pulled off. We were on five major labels, so we did it five times. Usually you lose one and you're blackballed. And we were on five different major labels. So there's something to say for that. I never was gonna let up until I was done."

In June 2022, shortly after GREAT WHITE announced that it had parted ways with singer Mitch Malloy, Kendall dismissed the idea of reuniting with Russell, telling Dr. Music in an interview: "[People say,] 'Why don't you patch things up with Jack?' What people don't understand is we never even got in fights [with Jack]. In 25 years together, we might have gotten in two arguments. The thing that took him out is the horrible demons of addiction, and it's really affected his health. I just saw a video the other day where he's not even standing — he's using wheelchairs and he's sitting in a stool. So for us to go back to that, it just feels dark. I'd rather remember him… 'Cause I'm very proud of our career — I'm very proud of the past. I'm so lucky to be a part of it. And I wanna remember it like that, where he's flying around on stage and getting the crowds pumped and singing his heart out — not a sick person. So going to that…"

Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

In 2018, Desbrow told ListenIowa that there was never any discussion about possibly bringing Jack back after Terry's exit from GREAT WHITE. "Not at all," he said. "We've already moved on from that. We've gone through a lot of stuff with that over the years, and the fact that he sued us in federal court for the name, and we spent a lot of time and money, you just don't return from that. People tell me that they've seen his latest shows, and it's just hard to look at because his health isn't as good as it could be. We've got a really grueling schedule, and it's hard enough for me, and I'm semi-healthy. [Laughs] I couldn't imagine someone in his condition doing what we're doing. We did shows with him toward the end, and he was in and out of a wheelchair and crutches, had to be carried up stairs, was falling asleep onstage. It just got old. It's a business, and we have families to support and mortgages to pay. You can't go to work messed up 24/7 and still be able to work there."

Last October, GREAT WHITE officially named Brett Carlisle as its new lead singer. Carlisle joined the band as the replacement for Andrew Freeman, who sang for GREAT WHITE for only five months.

Carlisle made his live debut with GREAT WHITE on September 24, 2022 at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

WINGER and WHITESNAKE guitarist Reb Beach joined STEVE MORSE BAND on stage on May 26 at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont, Pennsylvania to perform the CREAM classic "Crossroads", originally recorded by blues legend Robert Johnson in 1936 as "Cross Road Blues". Fan-filmed video of Beach's appearance can be seen below (courtesy of Rick Robshaw and jmh2112 YouTube channels).

Earlier today (Monday, May 29),Beach shared video of the performance and tweeted: "It was such a huge honor to jam with my childhood hero, @SteveMorse . He is such an extraordinary person. He is incredibly kind and humble for being a musical genius. Like Jeff Beck, he is one of the great guitarists of our time, and a mind blowing song writer. It was a night I will definitely never forget. Thank you so much for letting me play with you, Steve."

Joining Morse in the STEVE MORSE BAND are Dave LaRue, also of FLYING COLORS and THE DIXIE DREGS, as well as Van Romaine, one of the most in-demand percussionists throughout his extensive career playing live and recording with legendary names like BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS, Billy Joel, NAUGHTY BY NATURE and many more.

Last July, Morse officially left DEEP PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. He was replaced by Simon McBride.

Morse's announcement came four months after the guitarist said that he would be taking a hiatus from the band, in the hope of rejoining his bandmates once his wife's health improved.

Morse effectively took over Ritchie Blackmore's DEEP PURPLE slot in 1994 and had been in the group longer than Ritchie.

Steve Morse spoke to the Beaver County Times about his decision to reform his STEVE MORSE BAND for a series of live appearances in April and May.

"I quit PURPLE because the tours were too long and we had a health emergency in my family with my wife having Stage 4 cancer," Morse said. "I told those guys 'I can't do this' and they were upset for like three to four seconds and then moved on. That's life, I and I wish them well and they're doing great."

Referencing STEVE MORSE BAND, he said: "I had always been told that we couldn't do weekends only. That it just wouldn't be possible to pay everybody and not be paying out of pocket to play. However, when we did the math with three people, it was possible in many cases to make it work. And the reason for the short length is so I can be home 90 percent of the time and possibly drag my wife with me, and line up all the medical appointments and everything. The idea was to make it possible so I could play some shows and not feel like I'm shortchanging what I could really help with by being home. It has made a huge difference in being a medical advocate through all the crazy stuff that's happened, and the surgeries and complications. There's so much to do with that."

Videos courtesy of Rick Robshaw and jmh2112 YouTube channels
musical genius. Like Jeff Beck, he is one of the great guitarists of our time, and a mind blowing song writer. It was a night I will definitely never forget. Thank you so much for letting me play with you, Steve.

— Reb Beach (@RealRebBeach) May 29, 2023



Can’t wait to head to Pennsylvania with the Steve Morse Band, performing live on May 26th at The Oaks Theater in Oakmont, PA. Get your tickets now at Eventbrite.com, and we’ll see you there!

Posted by Steve Morse on Wednesday, April 12, 2023