FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho joined UGLY KID JOE on stage last night (Thursday, May 11) at RISE Rooftop in Houston, Texas to perform a cover of the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Earlier this month, UGLY KID JOE kicked off its first U.S. tour in 27 years. Support on select dates is coming from FOZZY, with PISTOLS AT DAWN opening all concerts.

UGLY KID JOE is touring in support of its latest studio album, "Rad Wings Of Destiny", which came out last October.

"Rad Wings Of Destiny" saw UGLY KID JOE re-teaming producer Mark Dodson who was behind the desk for the band's debut album, "America's Least Wanted", which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year.

Speaking to France's Loud TV about the "Rad Wings Of Destiny" album title, UGLY KID JOE frontman Whitfield Crane said: "I love JUDAS PRIEST. UGLY KID JOE has a penchant for poking a little humor into the universe — the universe needs a little humor — and also giving respect to things that we love. So we love JUDAS PRIEST. We're from California. We say 'rad' all day long. So 'Rad Wings Of Destiny'."

Regarding how first single "That Ain't Livin'" came together, Crane said: "I wrote the riff in Greece. We worked on the song as a band in Mallorca, Spain. We tracked the song in El Paso, Texas. And then we couldn't finish all the vocals in El Paso. So then I found myself living in Lisbon, Portugal. And I flew to London to meet the producer and I tracked the vocals in London."

Asked if the rest of "Rad Wings Of Destiny" is musically similar to "That Ain't Livin'", Whitfield said: "Well, it's hard for me to describe it, 'cause I'm so close to it; I'm really close to it. But yeah, the first track, 'That Ain't Livin''… Also we love old-school AC/DC; I mean, I love for AC/DC. I wrote the riff for 'That Ain't Livin'' on an island in Greece and I had the riff. And so we wrote that song. And it's really an homage to 'Powerage'[-era] AC/DC. So that's that song. But there's nine other songs, and there's a lot of different frequencies that we're embracing."

As for the lyrical themes covered on "Rad Wings Of Destiny", Crane said: "'That Ain't Livin'' is just — if you feel stuck in a nine-to-five rut, stop. Embrace life… We cover a version of THE KINKS' 'Lola', which is really cool; we did great on it. But I'll let the thematic structure of the album, I'll let that remain a mystery for someone to figure out themselves. I think if I project what I think it is, sometimes that takes away from somebody feeling what it is for them."

After a 15-year hiatus, UGLY KID JOE reformed in 2012 and has toured extensively throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

The band released the EP "Stairway To Hell" in 2012 and the full-length "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be" in 2015.

Three years ago, Crane told Eonmusic about UGLY KID JOE's huge success on the back of single "Everything About You" in 1991: "'Eye of the storm' is a good way to put it, because it just was all happening at a deadly fast gait. And it was a lot — it was beautiful and also very challenging, because there's a lot of people that surround the business of music that are full of shit. But when you're 23 [or] 24, you don't know how to negotiate that, so on one hand, it was super fun and we did all the things you should do at that age, and on the other hand, it was too much for me. But we survived it, and I can deal with it all now."

Former SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and MARILYN MANSON drummer Brandon Pertzborn has officially joined THE OFFSPRING. He made his live debut with the band last night (Thursday, May 11) at the Zielbau Arena in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Earlier today, Brandon shared a few photos from last night's concert and he included the following message: "It's official! I've joined THE OFFSPRING! My first show was last night in Switzerland and it was INCREDIBLE. @offspring".

In addition to SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and MARILYN MANSON, Brandon has played with HO99O9, Corey Taylor (from SLIPKNOT),DOYLE (from MISFITS) and BLACK FLAG.

Following the beat of a heart-driven passion, Pertzborn set out on a journey to pursue his desire to be a drummer at the age of 12.

Brandon has played with many bands and has spanned several genres of music. "Learning something from every musician is so important," he stated to PearlDrum.com, adding, "I love constructive criticism; it's how I continue to grow and improve. I learn something new about music every day." Brandon expanded his repertoire of instruments to guitar, bass and piano. "Since learning to play guitar and piano, I've grown so much more as a drummer," he said. "It's reshaped the way I play drums and has taught me how to interact and gel with other musicians. I've always thought of myself as a musician — not just a drummer."

Brandon inspires those around him through teaching when not on tour. "I love seeing the passion for music in people because it reminds me of myself. Every day I learn something new about drumming and I love passing along everything I learn to others." Brandon added, "I will always be appreciative of Ludo Baccherini, an accomplished touring drummer, composer and producer, who helped teach and guide me when I was just starting out, and I want to do the same for other aspiring musicians."

When not performing live, Brandon enjoys spending creative time in the studio. He’s been fortunate to have written and recorded with several bands and independent artists, and has worked with talented producers such as CJ Eriksson, Dave Fortman, Doug Grean, Greg Ginn and Doyle from the MISFITS. "I'm so thankful for the gift of music and never take this gift for granted," he said.

Pertzborn announced his exit from SUICIDAL TENDENCIES last month, writing on his Facebook page: "For the past (almost) two years, I've been so unbelievably fortunate to play with the almighty SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. Musically and personally, it's been some of the best times of my life. Every single person in the band/crew will be lifelong friends of mine and they have all filled my heart with joy these past couple years.

"I've learned so much during my time with ST — as a person, and as a musician. As a person, I can't say enough good things about everyone in this camp — it's a true family. As a musician, the amount of growth I've experienced is priceless. I mean, come on – you can't be in a band with Mike Muir and not end up being pushed as a musician and come out better than you were before.

"The thing about life is, there comes a time when you have to make decisions — hard decisions — and they're never based on one factor alone; they're based on many factors: where you are in life, where you've been, where you want to go, what's best for you at the time, what you think the future will look like, and so many other personal factors. And with this, I've made the difficult decision to leave SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

"Rest assured, the band will still be firing on all cylinders. My boy, Greyson Nekrutman is an absolute monster and is going to KILL it with ST. They all have my full love and support.

"As for me, I'll have more news soon! I ain't stepping away from drumming anytime soon. In the meantime, I can't thank everyone involved enough in SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for everything. Man, what an honor it's been. I'll always look back on this time and smile."

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BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarist Jasen Rauch spoke to Janna of 97.9 WGRD in Grand Rapids, Michigan about the band's plan for the follow-up to 2018's "Ember" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are working on music. We've been writing for quite a while. And regardless of whether we were able to record anything or not, we've been writing for a little over a year, I would say. We kind of keep the bar pretty high for ourselves as far as the standard moving forward. We've been experimenting with some things, throwing some things out, started over a couple of times, and are getting to a place where we're pretty happy.

"So, yeah, we've been in the studio," he continued. "We did some in Nashville. We've done a lot of stuff remotely. Ben [BREAKING BENJAMIN frontman Benjamin Burnley] and I have dozens and dozens of voice memos going back, 'Hey, try this. Try this.' And we'll record something and send it back and forth. But, yeah, we're looking forward to it. And hopefully we'll have something out soon for everybody to hear."

The members of BREAKING BENJAMIN are no strangers to the upper echelons of the rock charts. Since bursting on to the scene with 2002's "Saturate", the band has amassed an impressive string of mainstream rock radio hits, with 10 songs hitting No. 1, numerous platinum and multi-platinum songs and albums, billions of combined streams worldwide and a social imprint of over 6.5 million — a testament to the band's global influence and loyal fan base. Their most recent release, "Aurora", gave BREAKING BENJAMIN their tenth No. 1 song at rock radio with "Far Away ft. Scooter Ward".

BREAKING BENJAMIN's last studio album, "Ember", debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 and marked the multiplatinum band's fourth Top 5 debut on the Billboard Top 200, following 2015's No. 1 debut for "Dark Before Dawn" (gold),2009's "Dear Agony" (platinum) at No. 4 and 2006's "Phobia" (platinum) at No. 2. "Ember" spun off two No. 1 hits at Active Rock Radio with "Red Cold River" and "Torn In Two". "Aurora" and "Ember" charted Top 10 across numerous countries worldwide and topping charts across multiple genres, including Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Digital Albums.

"Aurora" was released in January 2020. The disc features reimagined versions of the band's biggest and most popular songs with special guests including Lacey Sturm (ex-FLYLEAF),Scooter Ward (COLD) and Spencer Chamberlain (UNDEROATH),to name a few.

Two weeks ago, 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.

Professionally filmed video of the "You Must Burn!" performance from METALLICA's April 29 concert in Amsterdam can be seen below.

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.

According to Billboard, "72 Seasons" sold 146,000 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 marks the band's 12th Top 10-charting album, of which eight have reached the top two.

"72 Seasons" had the biggest week for any rock or hard rock album since TOOL's "Fear Inoculum" arrived in September 2019 with 270,000 equivalent album units.

"72 Seasons" was released on April 14 via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, it is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

Speaking of the album-making process, Ulrich explained: "It's one of the only things that hasn't changed in 40 years. There'll be a whole slew of riffs and jams and sound checks, then it falls into my lap to go through them and identify, 'That one's great, that one's good, maybe there's a song over here.'"

Regarding the fact that guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo were given writing credits on more than half of "72 Seasons", Hetfield told the Associated Press: "All four guys were on the floor when we were writing, which is new for us. Usually it's just Lars and I sitting out there hashing it out. It felt really great to have the energy of all four. There's a lot more democracy on this album. Lars and I gave up the steering wheel a little more than usual."

Hammett agreed, saying: "It was much more collaborative. The attitude was just more open. There is less limitations on everyone's creativity and I think that shows."

In the seven years since the arrival of "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", METALLICA has reissued some of its classic albums, released a second live album with the San Francisco Symphony, commissioned a covers album featuring the likes of GHOST, VOLBEAT, WEEZER, Corey Taylor and THE HU, and landed on the Billboard songs chart with "Master Of Puppets" after a prominent placement in the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things".

GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna recently spoke to Pete Bailey of Primordial Radio about his band's decision to focus on touring and no longer release new albums following the arrival of "Lighting Up The Sky" in February. Regarding how long he and his bandmates plan to keep performing, Erna said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's a lot of bands that have much more veteran status than we do — the AEROSMITHs, THE ROLLING STONES, the METALLICAs, the FOO FIGHTERS. Some of those bands, it may be in their blood to the point where — obviously with THE STONES; I mean, what are they? A hundred and six years old now? They're never gonna stop. I mean, they're probably gonna die in a roadcase. I don't want that for me and my life."

Sully continued: "There's other things that I wanna enjoy. And the things that I wanna enjoy and some of the guys in the band really love are the simplicity of life. And that's the stuff we've been deprived of our whole lives. So most people just work their jobs — they get up, they make their kids breakfast, they go to work, they come home, they spend time with their family and do the things that they do. And this life that we live is kind of a fantasy life for them; it's not really a reality. They see that as a whole different kind of lifestyle where we look at the simplicity of their lives and go, 'Those are the things that we crave. Those are the things that we'd like to spend our time doing.' And that's what I'm kind of looking forward to."

GODSMACK kicked off its 2023 U.S. tour on May 4 at the 107.9 KBPI Birthday Bash at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado.

This past March, GODSMACK and STAIND announced a 25-city co-headlining 2023 tour, produced by Live Nation. The trek kicks off on July 18 at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, Missouri, with stops across the U.S. before wrapping up in Austin, Texas at Germania Insurance Amphitheatre on August 31.

"Lighting Up The Sky" was co-produced by Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

The first single from "Lighting Up The Sky", "Surrender", which arrived in September, marked the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King has dropped $500,000 from the initial asking price of his Las Vegas mansion.

Kerry put the home in a section of the Las Vegas Valley known as Enterprise on the market in January 2022 for $4.8 million, but that price came down in April 2022 to $4.478 million and in September 2022 to $4.299 million.

According to Realtor.com, King bought the house in 2020 for $3.819 million.

A 2022 video tour of the property, courtesy of the Sherwood Luxury Group, can be seen below.

In January 2022, the New York Post reported that Kerry and his wife, Ayesha, purchased a condo in Tribeca, a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, for $3.65 million. The renovated 3,522-square-foot home was on the market for 45 days. It comes with $4,572 monthly common charges.

Check out pictures of the property at this location.

Ayesha King broke the news of the couple's move in an Instagram post in November 2021. She wrote: "I suppose it's time to tell you all that the King and I have moved to NYC ( back home for me, excited to be near my family again ). I figured I'd beat some acquaintance's friend buddy who it heard it from a guy to announce it and think he's cool. I served my time on the west coast for 18 years. Time to be back in the best city on earth."

Kerry's SLAYER bandmate Gary Holt was one of the musicians who congratulated the couple on their new residence, writing in the comments section: " No fucking way!!! Congrats on the return home!" TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, wrote: "Heck yes. C u guys around!"

In October 2021, Kerry made headlines in the metal world when he said that SLAYER retired "too early." While recording a short video message to congratulate MACHINE HEAD on the San Francisco Bay Area act's 30th anniversary, SLAYER's founding guitarist said: "So, I hear congratulations are in order for my friends in MACHINE HEAD. Apparently, it's 30 years, which is quite an achievement. Not a lot of bands get there. We did, and then we quit too early. Fuck us. Fuck me. I hate fucking not playing."

SLAYER played the final show of its farewell tour in November 2019 at the Forum in Los Angeles. One day later, Ayesha said that there is "not a chance in hell" that the thrash metal icons will reunite for more live appearances. In August 2020, she once again shot down the possibility of her husband and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya sharing the stage ever again under the SLAYER banner.

After Ayesha shared three photos of Kerry holding their cat in slideshow-type Instagram post, a fan wrote: "No Tom, No SLAYER Kerry. Stop thinking SLAYER without @tomarayaofficial". Ayesha then replied: "don't worry, they'll never be SLAYER again! You can rest easy".

That same month, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph confirmed that he is involved in a brand new project headed up by Kerry King. The duo spent much of the last year and a half working on music with the hopes of recording it properly once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

SLAYER's final world tour began on May 10, 2018 with the band's intention to play as many places as possible, to make it easy for the fans to see one last SLAYER show and say goodbye. By the time the 18-month trek wrapped at the Forum, the band had completed seven tour legs plus a series of one-off major summer festivals, performing more than 140 shows in 30 countries and 40 U.S. states.

In a new interview with the 93X radio station, GHOST leader Tobias Forge was asked how he felt when he first saw the video of METALLICA vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield jamming the GHOST track "Cirice" during a 2018 rehearsal session at METALLICA's headquarters. The footage showed Hetfield playing the intro and riff from the song, which originally appeared on GHOST's 2015 album "Meliora". "Awesome. Of course," Tobias said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I guess that's the ultimate sort of circle. Hetfield, everything he's done, basically… He was a very early influence for me and keeps on being one. And going from a childhood hero to now a mentor and friend and colleague, if you will, and then having that sort of… receive back in the form of that flattery is amazing, of course. That humbles you."

In a 2019 interview with Impericon, Forge said that METALLICA is "one of the most important bands for me — has been for a long time. Definitely a band without whom I probably wouldn't do these things," he said. "I wanted to be a rock musician before I knew, or before I was enamored with METALLICA, but they definitely inspired me. When I was a kid and liked THE ROLLING STONES and PINK FLOYD and Jimi Hendrix and all that, they were clearly from another time doing something that sort of belonged to the past, whereas METALLICA, when I started listening to them, they were very much current and they were very now. They were the biggest band in the world at that time, and still are. But they inspired me in many, many ways. And nowadays, of course, I get the amazing opportunity to be inspired and be taught, firsthand, by a band that I've spent so many years learning from from a distance."

Back in 2017, Forge told BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show With Daniel P. Carter" that some of the first "really big shows" he ever saw were METALLICA concert. "That also set a standard," he said. "So now, being mentored by those bands and being close to them and close to their crew and watching that operation, it's, for me, very, very inspiring, and I'm happy that I have the luxury of seeing that. METALLICA was also one of my brother's favorite bands, so there's definitely moments where — because he passed away, basically, just before GHOST happened — so there's definitely moments there where it's… You have that feeling of, 'Look at this. I'm here watching this. Being asked to… I just played on this stage now. There's James Hetfield playing that song.'"

GHOST's cover version of the METALLICA classic "Enter Sandman" was included on 2021's "The Metallica Blacklist", a massive 53-song collection featuring covers of every track off METALLICA's self-titled breakthrough album.

Forge founded GHOST nearly a decade and a half ago and has written almost all of the group's music, while also performing for years in costume as first Papa Emeritus and later Cardinal Copia. His real name was a mystery for the first few years.

EYE AM, the new band featuring former TYPE O NEGATIVE members Kenny Hickey (guitar/vocals) and Johnny Kelly (drums),along with Kirk Windstein (guitar, vocals; CROWBAR, DOWN, KINGDOM OF SORROW) and Todd Strange (CROWBAR, DOWN),will release its debut single, "Dreams Always Die With The Sun", on June 2 via Corpse Paint Records. A music video for the track was recently filmed by Mike Holderbeast and will make its online debut on the same day. A preview is available below.

Windstein says about the track: "For me, I just love jamming and writing songs with talented people. Of course, I've jammed with Todd Strange since the '80s, so I knew that would be great, but having the opportunity to get together with Kenny and Johnny was exciting. I was a little nervous at first, but once we started putting the song together, I had a great feeling we were on to something special. I love the song, and can't wait to write some more with these guys."

Hickey adds: "Well, we didn't really know what would happen when we got together. I had a few riffs and half-finished ideas, and I recorded them and sent them to Kirk and he wrote some ideas off of that. I think because we're all around the same age, it echoes the music we grew up with, which was mostly '70s hard rock and metal. It has a classic rock quality to it. I hear some Hendrix in there as well. It's really satisfying when you throw musicians and riffs into a pot and then listen back to hear what comes out of it. It's somehow less contrived sounding, I think. It could have also hit the wall and ended up a disaster, which adds an element of risk to it as well. But I think we came out with something really cool."

"Dreams Always Die With The Sun" was recorded in February in Gainesville, Florida. The recording sessions were overseen by bassist Roger Lima of LESS THAN JAKE at his studio called The Moathouse.

In a recent interview with Moshpit Passion, Windstein stated about how EYE AM came together: "We're friends, and I'm a huge TYPE O fan. A friend of ours, Andrew Spaulding, has an independent label called Corpse Paint Records, and he kind of brought it all together, like, 'Hey, guys, I really wanna get you all in a room together and see what happens.'

"We have one song," he continued. "But it came out great. We've got a video that'll be coming out soon. We had a lot of fun. So I'm sure we'll do some more writing together. It was fun."

In addition to their work with TYPE O NEGATIVE, Hickey and Kelly had previously collaborated in a band called SEVENTH VOID, which released one full-length album, "Heaven Is Gone", in 2009, and SILVERTOMB, which issued "Edge Of Existence" in 2019.

In a 2018 interview with Rock And Roll Fables, Hickey stated about his chemistry with Kelly: "I've been working with Johnny long before TYPE O. I met Johnny probably in 1986. TYPE O formed in 1989, so we were already in a thrash band together. Basically, we grew up and learned everything the wrong way together and had to work it out over the course of the years. [Laughs] For me, it's completely natural with him. We got better at it. Dude, you do something for 35 years, I hope you're getting better at it."

Original CROWBAR bassist Strange returned to the band in 2016 for the touring cycle in support of the band's "The Serpent Only Lies" album.

Strange, who originally left CROWBAR back in 1999, stuck around for two years before departing once again to focus on his family life.

CROWBAR frontman Windstein, who also plays in the New Orleans supergroup DOWN, released two albums with HATEBREED's Jamey Jasta under the KINGDOM OF SORROW banner. Kirk's debut solo album, "Dream In Motion", arrived in 2020.

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CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has confirmed the return on drummer Stanton Moore for its new album. The "brutal-sounding" follow-up to 2018's "No Cross No Crown" is tentatively due in 2024.

In an interview with Eonmusic ahead of the kick-off of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's European tour in Dublin, bassist Mike Dean and guitarist Woody Weatherman spoke about the loss of drummer Reed Mullin, who passed away in January 2020.

"It's a shock when you really realize [that he's gone for good]", said Dean. "Yeah, it was kind of a shock, yeah. Such an important musical contributor. Definitely an innovator. You can't replace him, for sure."

Added Weatherman: "Nobody really plays like Reed. But it's all part of moving forward. We miss him."

On the decision to bring back Moore, who played on 2005's "In The Arms Of God", the pair were enthusiastic.

"We've been down to New Orleans and had a little writing session," Dean said. "We got together and picked it up pretty much where we left off." Weatherman added: "We turned the embers over a couple of times, rebuilding the fire."

On what Moore is bringing to proceedings, Mike said: "He's amped to do it, and he's got his indomitable style, so that's a good way to follow up the last one, for sure."

On how the drummer came to be involved once again, Woody said: "He kind of spearheaded it, if recollection is clear, because him and Pepper [Keenan, guitar/vocals], they both live in New Orleans. He expressed his interest, and we were, like, 'Yes, that would be awesome, if, you know, if you got the time.' I mean, we'll make up time and we'll do it."

As for the sound of the album so far, Mike offered: "It's hard to say. I think you'll hear some new ideas, but I think you'll hear a little bit of the 'In The Arms Of God' vibe because that's where we're picking up with, in terms of jamming with Stanton. And he'll have his Stantonisms."

Weatherman added: "It's pretty brutal sounding. We're jamming a couple up that show promise. I mean, you never know what will happen."

Read the entire interview at Eonmusic.

When Dean first confirmed to MetalSucks last November that Moore would appear on the upcoming effort, he said: "History repeats itself all these years later. Stanton played on 'In The Arms Of God', and I think he's going to be working with us again for the next record. Having him aboard, I think you need to get a little nerdy to describe it because Stanton has got his own particular way that he wants to play. He wants to play kick drums in his jazzy way and likes to have the drums heads up front, so it's more of a traditional-sounding thing. And all of Stanton's fills are very second-line sounding, and he has these little phrases that are unique to him."

When asked if Stanton will join CORROSION OF CONFORMITY as a permanent replacement for Reed Mullin, Dean said: "Stanton is a different animal than Reed — we learned that back when we did 'In The Arms Of God' — and he brings an entirely new dynamic to the band. Stanton will take these straight, New Orleans-influenced, second-line things and throw them into a metal song; there's no stopping it. If you've seen Stanton Moore with GALACTIC, you'll know what I'm talking about. He's got his take, man. He's a character. But this isn't like Stanton joining the band per se, and I'm not sure that he would come out on the road and play with us because he's busy. It's more that Stanton is a good friend of ours, and we love working with him when we can when our schedules all sync up. Plus, Pepper and Stanton have known each other since they were little. It felt right to do another album with him because we loved what he did on 'In The Arms Of God', and we wanted to make this first record after Reed passed special. So, stay tuned, and we'll see how it all comes out."

Last October, Keenan told Guitar World that he still loves "No Cross No Crown". "It was a really fun experience to do and the last thing we did with Reed, unfortunately. So, it holds a special place in my heart. We're very happy with it."

Mullin died in January 2020 at the age of 53. The drummer, who co-founded CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1982 as a hardcore punk act alongside guitarist Woody Weatherman and Dean, had missed a number of shows in the preceding four years due to a variety of health issues, including an alcohol-related seizure he suffered back in June 2016.

Asked how Reed's passing affected him and the rest of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, Pepper told Guitar World: "We lost our left arm. It was very hard to find a drummer. We have John Green [on tour with us], who is fantastic, but you just can't replace people like that. Other people have gone through it, too — but it's not easy. You spend decades with a person writing, and you don't even have to look at them; it just comes out. This was the first time we had to regroup in a long time and try to do it with a different drummer. We've got that figured out, so now we're getting ready to focus on that."

In 2014, after nearly a straight decade traversing the globe as a guitarist with New Orleans supergroup DOWN, Pepper reconnected with the core CORROSION OF CONFORMITY trio of Weatherman, Dean and Mullin to hit the road hard. "Reed called me and mentioned maybe playing a couple shows," Keenan recalled back in 2017. "I said, 'Let's just go to Europe and see if it works.' So we went to Europe and then ended up going back four times in one year... We toured for a year and then started tracking."

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recorded "No Cross No Crown" in about forty days over the course of a year at a North Carolina studio with longtime producer John Custer.

The new Tigertailz single, "You Can’t Stop The Rock", is now available from all the usual digital outlets. It is the first new music written by the band since their Blast album in 2016.


Guitarist Jay Pepper comments: "We wanted to put out something fun and entertaining, paying homage to the '80s classic rock era, and this track captures that vibe perfectly."


This fits in with the band’s upcoming special guest appearance on Steel Panther’s Ireland dates later this month, and then a headline show at The Underworld, Camden – June 3rd.




According to xsrock.com, Tigertailz are currently re-recording a selection of their finest tracks from their back catalogue for a Best Of Volume I and II’ Album compilation, due for release end of 2023.


Check out "You Can't Stop The Rock" below.





In December 2022, Cardiff, UK-based rockers, Tigertailz, welcomed Power Quest/Dendera frontman, Ashley Edison, as their new vocalist.


It's said certain metals cannot be mixed, they cause corrosion. Surely this is true when trying to meld together a power metal vocalist and the UK's most prolific glam metal band?


Guitarist/founder Jay Pepper: "Some things should never happen, and yet when Ashley came to the studio and began singing 'Sick Sex', the mountains in Wales started to rumble, an earthquake was happening, and his voice was causing it! From that moment I knew people had to hear it. Ashley singing Tigertailz songs is like a jet engine running on Nitroglycerin!"


Ashley Edison: "I am SO excited to be joining the legends in Tigertailz! A band that not only inspired so many but still put on a hell of a show! When I was with Jay singing Sick Sex, everything just felt right and fell into place perfectly! The guys have been so incredible to work with and I can't wait to get going on some exciting future projects together!"





The band released Bezerk's "Sick Sex", reworked and accompanied by a powerful video depicting stereotyping of women and the dark world of S&M. The single is available from all the usual digital outlets.





The band have also announced their first live show for 2023, taking place at The Underworld in Camden, London on Saturday, June 3.

Guitarist Phil X (Bon Jovi, Phil X & The Drills) has shared a Q&A new video, answering a question submitted by a fan. Check it out below. 





On March 25 at the Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, California, Michael Anthony (Sammy Hagar & The Circle, ex-Van Halen) headlined a fundraising event/concert benefiting Save The Heartbeat, a non-profit organization that exists with a mission to fight to improve the lives of those affected by congenital heart disease (CHD).







Michael was joined by Sammy Hagar, Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X, and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (Guns N' Roses) and John 5 (Mötley Crüe), among others. Fan-filmed video can be viewed below.














Planet Rock recently reported that Michael Anthony has formed a new four-piece band with Bon Jovi guitarist, Phil X.


Also a member of the as-yet-unnamed musical project is drummer John Douglas, who has been filling in for Joey Kramer at Aerosmith live shows since 2019. Michael also revealed the band’s lineup will be completed by a “really, really cool” vocalist, who will be revealed at a later date.


Appearing on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk on Wednesday (March 22), Michael announced his new band when he was asked if he would form a new act if Sammy Hagar ended The Circle.


"Well, I wasn't going to mention anything about it, but there is a little side project thing that I've kind of been speaking to some people, and might be doing a couple of things with,” he said.


“I don't wanna get ahead of myself and mention too much, but it might involve Phil X and John Douglas, who you know as (the touring drummer) for Aerosmith right now. I've known J.D. for many years, since he's worked with Van Halen. What a great guy.”


Commenting on the band’s frontman, Anthony added: “We do have a singer. I don't wanna mention any names, but a really, really cool singer. And we're recording just for fun right now, some stuff. That's all I can say."


Stay tuned for updates.

In the fan-filmed clip below, Extreme performs at the Royal Theatre during the Monsters Of Rock Cruise on May 3. Despite sustaining a knee injury during a basketball game, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt decided to go through with the show, though he did have to sit down shortly into the set.


The setlist was as follows:


"#Rebel" (live debut) 
"Decadence Dance" 
"Li'l Jack Horny" 
"Rise"
"Play With Me" 
"Midnight Express" 
"More Than Words" 
"Cupid's Dead" 
"Am I Ever Gonna Change" 
"Hole Hearted" 
"Flight Of The Wounded Bumblebee" 
"Get The Funk Out"







Multi-platinum hard rock heroes Extreme’s single, “Rise”, has seen unprecedented success following its debut on March 1 alongside a fiery music video which has received over 2 million views to date. The critically acclaimed song, from their new album SIX, out June 9 via earMUSIC, has earned praise from international top tier media outlets, in addition to accolades from such fellow musical peers as Brian May and radio personality Howard Stern while peaking at #3 on the Classic Rock charts.





The band - Gary Cherone (vocals), Nuno Bettencourt, Pat Badger (bass), and Kevin Figueiredo (drums) - recently shared two new singles along with dazzling videos to accompany each: “Banshee” and “#Rebel”.


“Banshee” is a seductive classic hard rock tune with a chugging rhythm section, playful guitar wizardry and electrifying vocals that testify to the power and inspiration of the female form and spirit. “#Rebel” takes on scathing so-called keyboard warriors with its head-nodding beat and searing dive bomb lead guitar runs catering to the harder edges of Extreme's sound.


“We’re calling out those trolls who can’t back up their words,” explains Cherone.


Find both videos below.


On SIX, Extreme swing between unapologetic fits of fret-burning hard rock and intimately introspective balladry. For the recording of the Bettencourt-produced 12-track album, the members buckled down at his home studio in Los Angeles to channel the electrifying eclecticism that defined their seminal output with a 21st century twist.


This dynamic affirms the iconic Boston quartet as one of rock’s most unpredictable, undeniable, and unbreakable groups whose songs course through the very fabric of popular culture. They’re the rare band whose music has appeared in an actual cult series a la Bill & Ted as well as the Netflix juggernaut Stranger Things. They’ve sold 10 million records, topped the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, packed major venues on multiple continents, memorably performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in London, and regularly average over 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. However, their dynamic approach hits harder than ever on their 2023 full-length offering, SIX.


Pre-order SIX here.





SIX tracklisting:


"Rise"
"#Rebel"
"Banshee"
"Other Side of the Rainbow"
"Small Town Beautiful"
"The Mask"
"Thicker Than Blood"
"Save Me"
"Hurricane"
"X Out"
"Beautiful Girls"
"Here's To The Losers"


"Banshee" video:





"#Rebel" video:





"Rise" video:

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen has checked in with the following message to her fans:


"Feeling the love not only on stage, but also in the charts! To chart with Paragon in multiple countries, let alone Germany and UK, is amazing! So grateful to all of you who made it happen!"


Paragon chart e tries are as follows:




- Germany Album Charts: #19
- UK Official Independent Albums Chart: #12
- UK Independent Album Breakers Chart: #3
- UK Physical Albums Chart Top 100: #38


Floor released Paragon on March 24. Paragon showcases Jansen's impressive vocal range and powerful voice on a diverse collection of pop-infused tracks and emotional ballads influenced by the sounds of her career. The album has something for everyone and is a must-listen for fans of Jansen.


With its mix of influences and powerful vocal performances, Paragon is an album that will appeal to fans of pop music and metal alike. It's the perfect addition to any music collection, and a must-have for fans of Floor Jansen and Nightwish.


Paragon is available digitally and physically on CD, vinyl, and a limited edition deluxe box set. The album is available on all major streaming platforms and at music retailers worldwide. You can order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"My Paragon"
"Daydream"
"Invincible"
"Hope"
"Come Full Circle"
"Storm"
"Me Without You"
"The Calm"
"Armoured Wings"
"Fire"


"Daydream" video:





"Me Without You" video:





"Storm" video:





"Fire" video:





"Invincible"

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo cover of Gary Moore's "Nuclear Attack", taken from the 1983 album, Dirty Fingers. Check it out below.





Sabaton's final EP in the Echoes Of The Great War EP trilogy, entitled Stories From The Western Front, is now officially available on all platforms and features a never-heard-before cover of Motörhead's well-known track, “1916". Stream Stories From The Western Front here.




In celebration of this final EP, the band has also unleashed a brand-new music video for “1916” filmed in Birmingham, England, and at Britain’s famous Black Country Living Museum. The music video features an overload of historical characters from the Sabaton lore, a headbanging metal army from Birmingham, and even a cameo from the living members of Motörhead - Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell. Watch the music video below.


The Western Front was one of World War I’s main theatres of conflict. It stretched across more than 400 miles through France and Belgium from the Swiss border to the North Sea. It was a deadly place, and to put things into perspective, at least four-million men died there, although the true figure can never be confirmed.


The Stories From The Western Front EP tells stories of those who fought and fell on the Western Front, a place where the trenches and the ceaseless shelling drove men to insanity. Often, those who returned from this treacherous place did so with shell shock and chronic nightmares, PTSD or injuries that changed their lives forever.


“We are excited to release the last EP in the Echoes of The Great War series as well as a new music video, which we had a blast filming in the UK. Our new EP tells the tales that came from the Western Front, a brutal and unforgiving theatre of war. The Battle of Verdun, which was the longest battle of the First World War, the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 in Flanders, the Battle of the Somme… these are all things we should not forget,” explains Pär Sundstrom. “And through this EP – in fact, through this whole EP collection – our sole mission has been to immortalize these stories and ensure that these are at the forefront of everyone's minds.


“Speaking of the Battle of the Somme,” Pär adds, “this conflict resulted in a huge loss of human life – around 300,000 fatalities. It was one of the bloodiest and deadliest conflicts of WW1 - and in human history! This is what “1916” was written about, and that’s why it was the missing puzzle piece of this EP.”


Meanwhile, Joakim Brodén shares more information about the band’s cover of Motörhead: “We believed that ‘1916’ was the perfect fit for this EP, not only because it’s related to the First World War, but because we just love everything about the song. Lemmy was inspired to write this track after watching a documentary about the Battle of the Somme. The lyrics are emotionally charged and perfectly describe the experiences of all the young soldiers, most of whom were essentially just kids. A lyric that really moves me and hits home is: ‘We were food for the gun, and that’s what you are when you’re soldiers.’ I can’t get that out of my head.”


“We think we did this song justice. It’s our tribute to one of the greatest bands in the world and a nod to those who fought in the First World War and made the ultimate sacrifice!” he notes.


With each EP in the Echoes Of The Great War trilogy, Sabaton is releasing an exclusive digipak in limited numbers. They often sell out immediately, so if you want one for your collection, be quick!





Tracklisting:


"1916"
"Great War"
"Hellfighters"
"The Price of A Mile"
"Fields of Verdun"
"Race To The Sea"
"Devil Dogs"


"1916" video:

Germany rock legends Scorpions have unearthed more vintage video, this time of the rare performance of the Virgin Killer track “Pictured Life” from Kaléidospop on May 7, 1977.





Check out the previously uploaded performance of  "All Night Long":







Catch Scorpions live in concert on the dates listed below.





May
14 - Westfalenhalle - Dortmund, Germany
16 - SAP Arena - Mannheim, Germany
19 - Zag Arena - Hannover, Germany
21 - Schleyer Halle - Stuttgart, Germany
23 - Mercedes Benz Arena - Berlin, Germany
28 - Hall Tony Garnier - Lyon, France
31 - Zenith - Toulouse, France


June
2 - Hallenstadion - Zürich, Switzerland
5 - Olympiahalle - Munich, Germany
7 - Winning Group Arena - Brno-Střed, Czech Republic
10 - Atlas Arena - Łódź, Poland
12 - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark
14 - Avicii Arena - Stockholm, Sweden
17 - Song Festival Grounds - Tallinn, Estonia
19 - Žalgirio Arena - Kaunas, Lithuania
22 - Ergo Arena - Gdansk, Poland
25 - Štark-Arena - Beograd, Serbia
28 - Romexpo - Bucharest, Romania
30 - Midalidare Rock In The Wine Valley - Mogilovo, Bulgaria


July
6 - Festival les Déferlantes Sud de France - Céret, France
11 - Icónica Sevilla Fest at Plaza de España de Sevilla - Sevilla, Spain
16 - Altice Forum - Braga, Portugal

The Richard Hoffman Live Music Channel has uploaded video of Glenn Hughes's May 6 performance at Valand in Gothenburg, Sweden. Check it out 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, has just 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.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD played its first concert since June 2018 last night (Friday, May 12) at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The band's setlist included the live debut of three songs from AVENGED SEVENFOLD's upcoming album, "Life Is But A Dream…", which will be released on June 2 via Warner: "Game Over", "We Love You" and "Nobody".

The setlist was as follows (according to Setlist.fm):

01. Game Over (live debut)
02. Afterlife
03. Hail To The King
04. We Love You (live debut)
05. Buried Alive
06. So Far Away
07. Nobody (live debut)
08. Nightmare
09. Chop Suey! (SYSTEM OF A DOWN cover) (snippet)
10. Bat Country
11. Unholy Confessions (song cut short due to injury in crowd)
12. Mattel (snippet)
13. A Little Piece Of Heaven

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

Last month, AVENGED SEVENFOLD announced the "Life Is But A Dream…" 360-degree immersive album experience at AREA15 from May 11 through May 14.

Experience the band's first full-length album in seven years three weeks before its official release, exclusively at this once-in-a-lifetime event. Dive into 11 new songs from the multi-platinum headliners and famed heavy metal rock band with grand, immersive visuals and an exclusive curated merch pop-up shop celebrating their genre-bending new album set to release on June 2, 2023.

Says AVENGED SEVENFOLD: "We're excited to announce our #LifeIsButADream… 360º Immersive Album Experience at @AREA15official in Las Vegas from May 11-14. Be the first to experience our new record, three weeks before its official release, as it's meant to be heard - in its entirety from start to finish."

Tickets are available now at Area15.com.

In a recent interview with I-Rock 93.5, AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ spoke about how he and his bandmates evolve musically on every album while still maintaining the core AVENGED SEVENFOLD sound. He said: "It's not a conscious thing. Pretty much every record that we've always done, we challenge ourselves to sound different and do something different. Like I said, we've done it every time in our career. Each time you do that, we put so much of us into creating that art that it becomes part of our DNA. And whether we know it or not, it's still there in the next writing process and the next writing process and the next writing process. So much so that at this point — we all talk about it internally — no matter what we say… We can say we wanna sound like the craziest hip-hop thing or a classical thing or whatever, but once you put it through us, it goes through the quote-unquote AVENGED SEVENFOLD filter. And that's just us. That's where you get that character of AVENGED SEVENFOLD, really.

"So, to answer the question, it's not like a direct thought of, like, 'Oh, no. We went too crazy. Let's bring it back and make it more AVENGED-y.' It's, like, no. We're going for it," he continued. "This is what it sounds like when we go for it.

"We have distinct players in this band. You've got a lead vocalist like M. Shadows — a very distinct, awesome voice. You've got the guitar work of Synyster [Gates] and Zacky [Vengeance] — just so distinct. And who's gonna mix up Brooks Wackerman's style with anybody else? It's just we have a bunch of unique players together that I think no matter how far out we go, it's gonna fall into that uniqueness anyway, and it just sounds like AVENGED SEVENFOLD by the end of the day."

Written and recorded over the span of four years, "Life Is But a Dream..." was inspired by the writing and philosophy of Albert Camus. Accordingly, the lyrics are rooted in existentialism and absurdism.

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.
Why not... https://t.co/hG84oaZdBmpic.twitter.com/uDDFwgF3eQ

— Avenged Sevenfold (@TheOfficialA7X) May 11, 2023

MEGADETH's Dirk Verbeuren has shared a drum-cam video of him performing the song "Tornado Of Souls" with his bandmates at Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on May 9, 2023. Check it out below.

Last December, Verbeuren spoke to That Metal Interview about the songwriting process for MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", which arrived in September via UMe. He said: "There was a lot of freedom. [Dave Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] invited Kiko [Loureiro, MEGADETH guitarist] and myself from the get-go to contribute our own ideas and our interpretations, and that's what we did.

"The way we work and the way Dave tends to work is that he has this massive vault of riffs, guitar riffs that go all the way back to the early years, to the '80s. And that's all sitting in a folder and organized. And so we started by him picking out a bunch of riffs and working with those. And as the process went on, those started turning into songs and we would maybe add some riffs or change some riffs or maybe go fishing for some more or write new ones — whatever felt right at the time. So I also contributed some music myself, and so did Kiko; Kiko co-wrote quite a few of the songs on the album. So it was a very collaborative process. As far as the drums went, same thing. Of course there were certain parts where Dave preferred one idea over the idea, and he would be, like, 'Play it more like this,' or, 'I prefer that beat over this beat.' But for the most part I pretty much got to do what I wanted to do and how I felt it. Because I think, at this point, having been in the band for over six years, I've got a pretty good feel of what MEGADETH drums are supposed to sound like, and it seems like Dave feels the same way."

Dirk went on to say that he didn't want to deviate too far from the drumming style that characterized MEGADETH's classic albums. "It's an important thing, because I'm also a MEGADETH fan," he explained. "I was for many years when I was younger. So I know what it's like to be a fan and going and watching your band or hearing a new album by your band that you like and you expect it to be within certain parameters. So, having grown up listening to [previous MEGADETH drummers] Gar Samuelson and Chuck Behler and Nick Menza, of course, I wanted to have kind of that vibe. So that's what I aimed for. In the end, it's gonna sound like me as well, because I can't change that. And I also put some of my own flavors in there, of course. But I did wanna be very mindful of the legacy of MEGADETH history and respect that and carry on that tradition."

"The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" sold 48,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked MEGADETH's eighth top 10-charting album. Of "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!"'s 48,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprised 45,000, SEA units comprised 3,000 and TEA units comprised a negligible sum.

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).

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

Drum-cam video of the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally concert — courtesy of drummer Charlie Benante — can be seen below.

PANTERA's setlist for the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally included one song which hadn't been performed live since the band's comeback last year: "Suicide Note Pt. II", from PANTERA's 1996 album "The Great Southern Trendkill".

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

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

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

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

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

Benante opened up about his participation in PANTERA's return during a recent interview with "THAT Rocks!", the new weekly YouTube series hosted by Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson. Speaking about some of the criticism he has received for his involvement with PANTERA, Charlie said: "People had their preconceived notions of what they were gonna think: 'Oh, I don't dig this without Vinnie and Dime.' And of course… What do you think? We don't know that Vinnie and Dime are not with us anymore? But when we start playing the songs and you just see the faces in the crowd, all that shit goes out the window, the negative stuff that has been said.

"Man, that's all I ever wanted to do, is just come and do this and make people hear these songs again," he explained. "And that's what it's all about, really. It's about the music."

Asked who was in charge of making the decision to use the name PANTERA for the new lineup instead of calling it a tribute or naming it something else, Charlie said: "It wasn't me. [Laughs] For us it was about the celebration of the music and Dime and Vinnie; that's what it was about since day one. No one called it a tribute; no one called it a reunion. It can't be a reunion. This is a celebration of the music of PANTERA. Come and enjoy it. And that's it. That's all could do."

Benante also talked about his personal connection to Dimebag and Vinnie, saying: "Yeah. I loved those two guys, man. You never think that certain things would ever, ever happen, and then when it does, you sit back and think, like, 'How did this happen so fast? How did this time just slip by?' And Darrell's been gone for a while now. But it doesn't change how we all miss him and feel him.

"Every show that we play… [Longtime PANTERA engineer, bass tech and friend] Sterling [Winfield], who used to work for PANTERA — still does, in a sense. The first show, he came to Mexico City and he brought me one of Darrell's wristbands and a pair of Vinnie's gloves that they used. And every show that I've played so far, I wear the wristband and Vinnie's glove is in my pocket because I feel like they're with me. And I do that for every show, and I'll continue to do that for every other show we play. It just has significance."

Benante previously discussed his involvement in PANTERA's comeback during a recent interview with Consequence. Addressing the negative comments he has received for his participation, Charlie said: "I don't go [online] looking for [people's negative comments about it]. There's people that send me, 'Hey, did you see this?' And I'm, like, 'Why did you send me this? Why ruin my day?'

"I think the people who do these things, these comments, I don't even think they realize how much of an effect that they could have on people," he continued. "And whether or not you hate the situation, or whatever it is, why can't you find some sort of restraint? Why do you need to say this thought that you have? Can't you just hold it in and maybe be, like, 'I'll keep my thoughts to myself.' No, they've gotta tell you. I've never seen more of it in my life than I [did] in these past couple of months about just people judging."

Regarding his personal approach to playing the parts originally written and recorded by Vinnie Paul, Charlie said: "I just spent a lot of time on Vinnie's parts and more importantly the tone that Vinnie had because I wanted it to sound like PANTERA. That was my thing. And my drum configuration is different from the ANTHRAX one because I wanted to challenge myself to play those parts like he played them in that configuration, which, to me, was more important than anything. But yet people still have to find some problem in that."

According to Benante, the initial rehearsals for the PANTERA comeback tour were "an emotional thing" for Philip and Rex "too, because they hadn't played as a group, those two hadn't played together in a long time, playing PANTERA songs. Yeah, they played [together] in DOWN, but this was an emotional thing for them," Charlie said. "And I remember after the week of rehearsals that we did, saying goodbye was weird, because it was an emotional thing; we really kind of bonded, the three of us. Zakk wasn't there at the time. But for me, I knew I had done something right."

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

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

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

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

Cello metallers Apocalyptica have shared their performance of "Rise" from Tuska Utopia 2020. Check out the pro-shot video below.





"The collaborations don't stop!," begins a message from Apocalyptica issued back in March. "We captured our performance of 'Rise Again' with Simone Simons of Epica in London. Check out the performance and then come out to one of our remaining tour dates and if you're lucky we'll perform it together for you!"







In support of the start of the second leg of their successful European tour, Epica and Apocalyptica teamed up for a unique collaboration on the atmospheric ballad, "Rivers", that they recorded live during the first leg of the Epic Apocalypse Tour, at Amsterdam’s AFAS Live in front of more than 5,000 fans.


“To play with these legendary musicians on our biggest indoor show in the Netherlands was a dream come true “, comments Coen Janssen and Mark Jansen adds: “To perform with Apocalyptica added an extra layer of pure magic to the song. Not only are these guys great musicians but also on a personal level, we match very well with these lovely people. Therefore, it was particularly special to perform ‘Rivers’ with them and we are very proud to present you the result of this collaboration in the form of our live performance.”


Stream the new single here, and watch the video below. The clip was shot by the team at Panda Production and edited by Jens de Vos.

Toronto rockers Danko Jones performed at Wacken Open Air 2022. Check out pro-shot video of "I Gotta Rock", "I Think Bad Thoughts" and "My Little RnR" below.





Hot on the heels of sharing the news of their upcoming album, Electric Sounds, Danko Jones have now announced a clutch of UK headline dates for December, as part of a wider European trek.




No band has ever sounded more ready to hit the road than the pumped-up threesome showcased on the hell-for-leather ragers featured on their forthcoming album. Armed with this collection of brand new bangers, Danko Jones launch themselves into 2023 on a renewed mission to rock the living shit-lights out of anyone and everyone that wants to join the party.


Frontman Danko declares, "We love touring in the UK and thankfully we are coming back! What’s not to love when you play in front of crowds that know their rock and know how to rock out?! Every day is just one more day we have to patiently get through until the tour starts. I think you can tell I’m already very ready to do this. Give me a guitar and get me to the stage NOW!"


Special guests for the dates will be US punk squad Radkey.


Set your alarm! Pre-sales for tickets begin at 10 AM, BST, Wednesday, April 19. Tickets go on general sale starting at 10 AM, BST on Friday, April 21. For all ticketing links and more information, head here.


UK dates:


December
12 - Bristol, UK - Thekla
13 - Glasgow, UK - King Tuts
14 - Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms
15 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
16 - London, UK - Garage





In addition, Danko Jones are confirmed as main support on Sunday, December 3 at the rifftastic extravaganza that is Planet Rockstock, taking place in Trecco Bay, South Wales and marking its10th anniversary this year. Tickets for that event are on sale now.


Danko Jones announced that their eleventh studio album, Electric Sounds, will be released via AFM Records on September 15. The three-man squad, dedicated to the noble art of riffs, melodies, and life-affirming rock anthems, return to provide maximum satisfaction and serve up all the Electric Sounds you could possibly need!


With Electric Sounds, Toronto’s archbishops of amplification prove that even a global pandemic couldn’t stop Danko Jones. As first album single "Guess Who's Back" showcases, it's just made them even more unstoppable. "Guess Who’s Back is not only the lead-off track to our new album, Electric Sounds, it’s also the imperative sentence everyone is begging to answer - Danko Jones!" quips charismatic frontman Danko.


Get the new Danko Jones song on all digital services here, and watch a lyric video for "Guess Who's Back" below.


“Not working for two years really felt like touring rock bands were being put out to pasture,” recalls Danko. “But I guess that only made us try harder. We were still able to record and release an album during the pandemic (Power Trio, 2021). We toured as soon as we were allowed. Now that Electric Sounds is getting released, it doesn’t feel like we missed a beat. During the pandemic, we moved away from each other. JC lives in Finland and Rich lives in Prince Edward Island. So the writing for this band has changed. We used to bash out ideas in our rehearsal place, day after day, but it’s more about sending files back and forth now. However, last summer, while on tour, we did manage to jam out ideas in a rehearsal room in Berlin for a few days. Out of those jams came the nubs for five songs...”


Five songs have since been expanded to eleven new Danko Jones songs, and Electric Sounds promises to have the instant sound and feel of a classic. With no need to reinvent the wheel, the group have further honed and refined their craft - always at full volume - although Electric Sounds is a deceptively diverse affair. No band has ever sounded more ready to hit the road than the pumped-up threesome showcased on the hell-for-leather ragers featured on their forthcoming album.


Electric Sounds was produced by Eric Ratz, and features guest spots from Tyler Stewart (Barenaked Ladies), Damian Abraham (Fucked Up) and guitarist Daniel Dekay (from Canadian thrash legends Exciter).


Pre-order the album here.





Electric Sounds tracklisting:


"Guess Who's Back"
"Good Time"
"Electric Sounds"
"Get High?"
"Stiff Competition"
"She's My Baby"
"Eye For An Eye"
"I Like It"
"Let's Make Out"
"What Goes Around"
"Shake Your City"


"Guess Who's Back" lyric video:





These road dogs have a few new miles to put on the tour bus yet. Stay tuned for hot tour news from Danko Jones very soon!


Danko Jones is:


Danko Jones - Vocals/Guitar
John Calabrese - Bass
Rich Knox - Drums


(Photo - Daniel Berbig)

Ruïm was formed in 2020 by the Norwegian born, Grammy award winning guitarist Blasphemer (Rune Eriksen), known from acts such as Vltimas and Mayhem. Joining Blasphemer on drums is French born drummer César Vesvre (Agressor, Thagirion).


Driven by a firm desire to revisit the style of music he has dedicated himself to and been associated with since the mid-‘90s and inspired by the rediscovery of a long lost tape of old, unused Mayhem-era riffs from 98/99, the concept of starting a new project based around these ideas manifested itself quickly. Soon, a new vision was born for an album immersed in Brazilian witchcraft and the left-hand path of the Umbanda tradition - a practice in which Blasphemer himself is taught in - to deliver a new blackened opus in the vein Blasphemer has been synonymous with since his inception into Mayhem back in 1994 (until 2007).


Black Royal Spiritism – I – O Sino da Igreja is Ruïm’s debut studio album. It presents a glimpse of something new, unique, visionary and highly eclectic. This album marks the beginning of a concept set to span a trilogy of releases exploring and incorporating a deeply personal expression of Blasphemer’s own beliefs regarding the greater spirits of the left-hand path. A pitch-black offering, Black Royal Spiritism is steeped in ominous and eerie, unnerving darkness. Each track is meticulously woven with a sinister undercurrent, given flesh by Blasphemer’s highly distinctive brutal riffing style, with atmospheric, ambient, and clean passage interludes featuring among the chaos.




Vocals on Black Royal Spiritism – I – O Sino da Igreja are also handled by Blasphemer himself, sung in a mix of English, Portuguese and Norwegian, with lyrical themes rooted in a celebration and dedication to the lore and rituals of linha da esquerda.


The album was recorded at Drudenhaus Studio in France and mastered by Jack Control at Enormous Door and artwork created by Sindre Foss Skancke.


First single and lyric video for "The Triumph (Of Night & Fire)" has been released. 


Black Royal Spiritism – I – O Sino da Igreja will be released on Peaceville Records on May 26 on CD / LP / Limited edition gold coloured vinyl and digitally. Preorder options available here.





Tracklisting:


“Blood.Sacrifice.Enthronement”
“The Triumph (Of Night & Fire)”
“Black Royal Spiritism”
“Evig Dissonans”
“Fall Of Seraphs”
“Ao Rio”
“O Sino da Igreja”


"The Triumph (Of Night & Fire) lyric video:





(Photo: Mara D'Eleán)

As Peaceville mark 30 years since the release of the genre classic, Under A Funeral Moon, the True Black Metal era of the Norwegian pioneers Darkthrone is also commemorated with a special limited five cassette boxset titled Unholy Black Metal.


Featuring what was always considered the unholy trinity of Darkthrone albums; namely 1992’s iconic A Blaze In The Northern Sky, along with Under A Funeral Moon (1993) and Transilvanian Hunger (1994), this collection also notably includes the often considered “missing link” in the form of 1995’s legendary Panzerfaust, to now proudly and rightly sit alongside those opuses, for what can be deemed a quartet of timeless and highly regarded black metal masterpieces. As an added bonus, the set also includes the The Wind Of 666 Black Hearts release, containing Darkthrone’s rare A Blaze In The Northern Sky and Under A Funeral Moon rehearsals.


The accompanying 40 page booklet features rare photos from this period of the band, as well as text chronicling the early-mid 90’s chapter of Darkthrone from the prior Black Death & Beyond book release, along with extra compiled articles on this period. Additionally, Unholy Black Metal includes two posters in the shape of the Taakeferd and Ferdasyn paintings from Under A Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger respectively, plus eight photo prints and a certificate of authenticity. Preorder at burningshed.com.

Texas’ favorite death metal practitioners Creeping Death today unleash their new single, “The Common Breed,” with an accompanying video. The track comes by way of the band’s Boundless Domain LP, set for release on June 16 via MNRK Heavy.


A sophomore slab of spectacular weight, dimension, and might, Boundless Domain was produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (As I Lay Dying, The Acacia Strain, Underoath) and is a certified ripper, top to bottom. In the wake of the passing of local heroes Riley Gale of Power Trip and Wade Allison of Iron Age, the band — guitarist Trey Pemberton, singer Reese Alavi, bassist Eric “Rico” Mejia, drummer Lincoln Mullins, and guitarist A.J. Ross, III — found themselves digging back into some of their metallic hardcore favorites. Boundless Domain boasts future death metal classics like the super heavy, fast, and groovy “Intestinal Wrap,” which features George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher of Cannibal Corpse. “Vitrified Earth” showcases Creeping Death's increasing skills at songcraft, most evident with the cadence and phrasing of Alavi’s vocals while never neglecting the sick riffs. Toward the album’s close, there’s even a bit of a spaced-out atmosphere, with guitar effects, harmonies, and heady time signatures.


Comments Pemberton on “The Common Breed,” “This music video perfectly encapsulates the energy of a Creeping Death show. Making it was a blast, we appreciate all our friends and family coming out and acting a fool for us.”




See all confirmed dates below. Tickets for all shows go on sale this Friday, April 28th at 10 AM, local time.





Boundless Domain Summer 2023 Part 1 with Year Of The Knife, Fleshrot, Saintpeeler:


June
16 - Vibes Underground – San Antonio, TX
17 - The Rock – El Paso, TX
18 - 191 Toole – Tucson, AZ
19 - Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA
20 - Supply & Demand – Long Beach, CA
21 - Kilowatt Bar – San Francisco, CA
23 - Dante's– Portland, OR
24 - El Corazon – Seattle, WA
26 - The Shredder – Boise, ID
27 - Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT
28 - The Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO
29/202389th Street – Oklahoma City, OK * No Fleshrot


July
1 - Mass Movement Community Arts – Tulsa, OK * No Fleshrot





Boundless Domain Summer 2023 Part 2 with Enforced (July 12 - July 16), Upon Stone, Saintpeeler:


July
10 - Chelsea's Live – Baton Rouge, LA
11 - 40 Watt Club – Athens, GA
12 - The Radio Room – Greenville, SC
13 - The Canal Club – Richmond, VA
14 - Lovedraft's Brewing Co. – Mechanicsburg, PA
15 - The Palladium – Worcester, MA
16 - Amityville Music Hall – Amityville, NY
18 - The Loud – Huntington, WV
19 - Eastside Bowl – Nashville, TN
20 - Vino's – Little Rock, AR
21 - Tulips FTW – Ft. Worth, TX


Pre-order Boundless Domain here.





Tracklisting:


“Boundless Domain”
“Intestinal Wrap” (feat. Corpsegrinder)
“Vitrified Earth”
“The Parthian Shot”
“Creators Turned Into Prey”
“Cursed”
“Remnants Of The Old Gods”
“Looming”
“The Common Breed”


"The Common Breed" video:





“Intestinal Wrap” video:

Frontiers Music Srl will release Art Nation's new album, Inception, on June 9. This will be the band's first new album in four years and sees vocalist Alexander Strandell, guitarist Christoffer Borg, bassist Richard Svärd, and drummer Alexander Lundgren delivering a powerful musical statement. Huge, anthemic melodic hard rock mixed with European metal influences throughout, make Inception an undeniably enjoyable sonic delight.


A music video for the new single, "1001", can be viewed below.


After having worked with lead vocalist Alexander Strandell on 2022's excellent debut album from Crowne, Kings In The North, Frontiers Music Srl approached Alexander about working together on a new Art Nation album and thankfully, Strandell was keen on the idea.




Importantly and crucially, guitarist Christoffer Borg, who started the band with Strandell in 2014, has returned to Art Nation. Strandell and Borg, along with bassist Richard Svärd and drummer Alexander Lundgren, have re-established that great musical spirit and chemistry that launched the band and Art Nation is back and better than ever!


"When Art Nation released our debut album Revolution'in 2015, everything went extremely fast. Suddenly we were on tour, doing shows on some of the biggest stages in Sweden and walking the red carpet of the Grammy Awards. At the same time, we were navigating the difficulties of being a bunch of kids, playing in a band where no one had any experience of doing all the things that we were expected to do. I was totally broken and overwhelmed by all the anxiety that had built up from the pressure of trying too hard. After the release of 'Liberation' in 2017, I could barely be on stage anymore without pain in my chest and I was so frustrated with being ill.


"During this period, I did things to my friends in the band that I deeply regret today. Even if I told myself that it was okay because of my health, it’s never okay to treat your friends badly. I need to live with that for the rest of my life and I’ll try to do better from now on. I lost my friends in 2017 and the band was never the same after that. We tried really hard to continue the journey, but it never felt like Art Nation without Christoffer, who started the band with me back in 2014. The musical spirit was gone along with the strong friendship," explains Strandell.


"After the release of Transition in 2019, the dawn of the pandemic in early 2020 forced me to cancel all future plans and everything went upside down. I tried to see it all as a sign to just focus on myself and try to repair all the damage I had done during the years. This break was necessary because I needed to heal myself and today I’m feeling stronger than ever, with much thanks to my family and friends. Christoffer and I are back together with Richard and Alex and we couldn’t be more happy," continues Strandell.


"We're here to stay this time and from the bottom of my heart, I’m so thankful for all the support during the band's existence. Let's make this next chapter of Art Nation the best ever!" concludes Strandell.





Tracklisting:


"Brutal & Beautiful"
"Last Of The Burned"
"1001"
"Fight Fire With Fire"
"Echo"
"Break Up"
"Light The Fire"
"The Legend Reborn"
"Somewhere I Know I Belong"
"Superman"
"Powerless"


"1001" video:





"Brutal & Beautiful" video:





Art Nation are:


Alexander Strandell - Vocals
Christoffer Borg - Guitar
Richard Svärd - Bass
Alexander Lundgren - Drums


(Photo - Johannes Malm)

Queen continues the new video series, “Queen The Greatest: Live”, a year-long celebration of Queen Live. It's a 50-week YouTube series going behind the scenes to reveal what goes into creating a Queen show featuring moments from iconic performances and demonstrating why the band is regarded as the ultimate live act. The latest episode can be found below.


A message states: "In this episode, Brian May and Roger Taylor exclusively reveal the secrets behind possibly the most crucial part of any Queen live show by revealing how they choose which songs to include, not to mention the order they come in, when constructing the all important set list."







"I like to be surrounded by splendid things. I want to lead a Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter." - Freddie Mercury


This summer, Sotheby’s is honoured to present Freddie Mercury: A World Of His Own, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore the private realm of a global icon.


Alongside his legendary public persona, Freddie Mercury was a deeply educated collector with a connoisseur’s eye, honed over years of careful research and exploration of the artists and movements that sparked his intellectual and aesthetic curiosity.


This collection has remained at Freddie’s beloved Garden Lodge for over three decades and displays a quality and diversity of works that are a testament not only to his passion, but his brilliant mind.


This rich legacy will now be shared for the very first time through a series of auctions at Sotheby’s London, in an immersive experience unlike anything that has been seen before. Join Sotheby’s this summer to celebrate Freddie Mercury: A World Of His Own.


Sign up here to be the first to receive updates on the sales, exhibition, catalogue release, events and more.





The regalia of a global icon, Freddie Mercury’s incredible stage-worn crown and robe were a commission by his friend and costume designer Diana Moseley. Indelibly linked to Freddie, he wore these for the rendition of “God Save The Queen” during his final tour with Queen in 1986, The Magic Tour. Estimate £60,000 - 80,000.

NMB (Neal Morse Band) present An Evening Of Innocence & Danger: Live In Hamburg, a live recording of their 2022 tour in support of their most recent studio album. Recorded live in Germany, this 3-disc release captures the band in fine form, presenting Innocence & Danger and more over nearly two and a half hours of music, and will be released on July 14t.


Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Eric Gillette & Bill Hubauer demonstrate a chemistry like no other on this musical document of that tour, supporting their fourth studio album, released in 2021. “NMB’s Innocence and Danger tour was an amazing experience all the way around and the Hamburg gig was a real stand out!”, says Neal, “The band was firing on all cylinders and the audience was so close to us and roaring from the very first note.”


Mike Portnoy continues, “It was our first post-Pandemic tour so everybody (including the audience) was just happy to be at shows again experiencing live music together. We particularly felt the love and emotions this evening in Hamburg which has always been an amazing audience for NMB.”




To celebrate the announcement, you can hear the band performing their arrangement of the Simon & Garfunkel classic, "Bridge Over Troubled Water", below.


Mixed & mastered by longtime collaborator Jerry Guidroz, the album will be available as a limited 3CD digipak, and digital album, and is now available to pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


CD1:
"Do It All Again"
"Bird On A Wire"
"Your Place In The Sun"
"Another Story To Tell"
"The Way It Had To Be"
"Bridge Over Troubled Water"
"Waterfall"


CD2:
"Not Afraid Pt. 2"
"Beyond The Years"


CD3:
"The Great Similitude Medley"


"Bridge Over Troubled Water" static video:





The Markthalle in Hamburg is a venue the band have played many times before, and as Bill Hubauer explains, it’s a place they hold very dear: “There is always something warm and magical about the audiences at Markthalle. This show was closer to the end of the tour and I was getting tired.  I remember looking at the itinerary and seeing Markthalle coming up and feeling so happy about it. I knew it was going to give me the boost of energy to get through the rest of the tour.  It's very much one of those "home away from home" tour stops!” Randy George adds, “It’s always a great show at the Markthalle! The tour was going well and the wonderful fans in Hamburg made it a wonderful evening.”


The band played the vast majority of their acclaimed latest album, including a mesmerizing rendition of their arrangement of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, a track that quickly became a favourite of fans during the tour. Portnoy comments, “I loved the format of this tours setlist, breaking the show into two halves similarly to the Innocence And Danger album. The 1st half the shorter more concise songs and poppier side of the band, and the 2nd half with the huge sprawling Prog epics.” The massive set concludes with the "The Great Similitude Medley" which features highlights from the band’s previous two records The Great Adventure and The Similitude Of A Dream.


The result is a sprawling evening of incredible musicianship, that demonstrates a band at the very top of their game.

In a new interview with Japanese music critic and radio personality Masa Ito of TVK's "Rock City", METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about the band's "M72" world tour, which will feature two-night stops in nearly two dozen cities. Presented worldwide by Liquid Death and Blackened American Whiskey (in North America only) and promoted by Live Nation, the 46-show trek launched in Amsterdam on April 27 and will include shows all over Europe and North America through 2024. Each "No Repeat Weekend" on "M72" will feature two completely different setlists and support lineups.

Regarding the prospect of playing two different sets in every city, Lars said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[It's] definitely exciting, definitely a little crazy. But it's fun spirited, of course, and a little overwhelming, to be honest with you.

"The concept was born out of a gentleman named Danny Wimmer who runs a series of festivals in America," he explained. "And I guess about four years ago now, he came to us and asked us if we would play six or eight of his festivals, and we would bookend the festival. We would play Friday and Sunday, and somebody else would play Saturday. And we would play Friday and Sunday — completely different sets — and bookend the festival. That sounded interesting, unique and crazy cool, so we said yes. And we had six, seven, maybe eight of those scheduled for 2020. Then the pandemic and lockdown came, and obviously that all went away. By the time we circled into the fall of '21, we went out and did three of those. And it was fun. We survived it. And it felt like it connected with an audience. And for us, it was an opportunity to do kind of a blank canvas experiment of just starting completely over, which is always fun and appreciated in the METALLICA camp. So when we were trying to figure out for the next record, we thought this concept of going around the world and playing two nights in every city and doing this would be fun.

"So, here we go. 'No Repeat Weekend'. We're not repeating any of the songs from one show to the other. It seems like a really good idea. It's also, obviously, gonna be a big undertaking. But I think it will be fun. I think the buzz is good.

"I'm not sure these days, to be honest with you, if everybody really understands what it is we're doing," Lars admitted. "I'm not sure we understand what it is we're doing. But I've heard myself talk about it now for a couple of weeks, and certainly everybody on our team is doing the best they can to get the message out there. It started off as one ticket for two shows, and then we let some single-day tickets be available for people that couldn't make both shows. Obviously, both shows, two shows is a big commitment for a lot of people; I understand that. So I don't know the idea that if people go to a show on one day, if they understand that there may not be certain toe-tapping favorites, as they may be called, that they will not hear. I don't know if they fully understand that concept, and I don't know if it matters. At the end of the day, it's a fun experiment, and when you've been playing for as long as we have and playing as many shows as we have, I think it's important to keep coming up with new ideas, to keep it fresh for the fans and fresh for yourselves. So hopefully this will connect. It's certainly exciting."

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.

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

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.

Mr. Lordi of Finnish metallers LORDI, who won the Eurovision Song Contest more than a decade and a half ago, has once again reflected on the band's involvement with the world's longest-running annual international TV song competition.

LORDI caused a sensation by winning the 2006 Eurovision with "Hard Rock Hallelujah", which in turn made the band's third release, "The Arockalypse", a hit throughout Europe. On the back of their Eurovision win, they scored a lucrative series of promotions including LORDI-branded cola, boiled sweets and credit cards; and played live at the MTV European Music Awards. A square was renamed in LORDI's honor in the Lapland city of Rovaniemi; a LORDI-themed postage stamp was issued in Finland and the group starred in its first film, called "Dark Floors".

With their monster-movie stage persona, LORDI seemed a most unlikely choice to represent their country in the Eurovision Song Contest. So you can imagine how many people were shocked when the group not only claimed top honors, but also earned the most points in the venerable event's history.

Asked in a new interview with Mulatschag TV if it was strange for him to see elderly people and 10-year-old kids in the front row at LORDI concerts following the band's appearance at Eurovision, Mr. Lordi said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was not that weird. Even before that, we were already a band that was touring and we had two albums out before that. And we've always been a band like, let's say KISS or Alice Cooper, for example, that we don't only gather certain age groups. Of course the diehards of any bands are in their 20s, but we've always been a band that we've always had little kids and even older people digging us. So in that sense it was no different. But since Eurovision, of course, the amount of those people, and when you see that these people have only seen that one fucking three-minute TV [performance] and that's all they know about the band, that was weird."

He continued: "I especially remember one moment in the summer of 2006, after a festival, I come down the stairs and I walk by the fence — like this barbed wire fence or something that is blocking the backstage area — and there are people waiting for autographs. And the weirdest thing is that you see these old grandmothers with their granddaughters and grandsons. And I'm dripping fucking blood — fake blood, but still I'm dripping blood — I have horns on my head, I have fucking red eyes and shit, and they're, like, 'Yeah', like they were fucking seeing Elvis or Jesus or something. And in that moment I realized that they don't see what this band is about. So that was weird. And eventually, a year or two years after that, when people only… They had some sort of a false image in their head what we were about… Of course it is the stupidity of themselves because they didn't bother to check it out. So when they came to our shows only because of that one song, so it was a long fucking 90 minutes before that song came out, when there's a lot of blood and guts and songs about anal fucking and all this shit. And they were, like, 'Why is LORDI changing all of a sudden? They should be family friendly.' Fuck that shit. We were never family friendly."

Mr. Lordi added: "When it comes to misconceptions… It's not about nationality and it's not about religion or it's not about age or sex or anything. It is like a default setting, like a false setting of a human that once you get some thought in your head, it is really difficult for you to let go of that. And when that false conception is shattered, your mind doesn't kind of understand it —'Why? What the fuck?' Because God forbid you cannot admit that you were wrong. That's how it goes."

Back in 2017, Mr. Lordi admitted to MariskalRock that he was initially comfortable about LORDI's connection to Eurovision. "There was a time a couple of years ago — well, more than a couple — when I really, really, really hated that everybody's always asking about the goddamn Eurovision; there was a time," he said. "Nowadays I have come to terms with it. It's, like, okay, I'm actually proud that we are part of Eurovision history and I am proud that Eurovision is part of this band's history. I mean, it is a big part of our awareness. Because the awareness of the band would be so different, it would be so much smaller, without that one TV show ten years ago."

He continued: "I absolutely don't regret that — absolutely not. Because I have nothing bad to say about Eurovision itself, but the problem that we have had in the years is the people who actually don't know anything else except for the fact that we were on Eurovision. And that is a big stamp to get out of — it's like a fucking tattoo, you have a fucking tattoo on your forehead that says 'Eurovision.' And that is something that really, really, really drove me nuts some years ago; I was really struggling with that.

"I have come to terms with it — it's all right; I mean, it's cool," he said. "I am proud of it. And every May, when there's a new Eurovision, I know that my phone will start ringing and people will ask my opinions and then we get requests: 'Do you wanna come to this country's semifinals? Do you wanna come here?' And for years we said, 'No, we don't wanna. We don't want to.' But now, we're, like, 'Fuck it! Let's do it. What the hell?' I mean, c'mon, it's all fun, and it's part of our history, and the Eurovision, they really want us to come there, because, let's face it, we are one of those winners that people still remember."

LORDI released its eighteenth studio album, "Screem Writers Guild", on March 31 via Atomic Fire Records.