King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with their latest Sunday Lunch video, this time covering Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation". Watch below.


A message states: “A brand new Sunday Lunch for you this week, and in true Toyah And Robert style it's a belter!"







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


Tickets are available here.





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


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

Skid Row vocalist Erik Grönwall has shared a new solo cover, this time taking on the Alice In Chains classic "Man In The Box". All instruments were played by Philip Näslund. Check out the video below.





Skid Row have been confirmed to support KISS for six shows in Europe on the End Of The Road Tour this summer. Dates are listed below.




June
12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
13 - Brussels, Belgium - Palais 12
27 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier⠀
29 - Tuscany, Italy - Lucca Festival⠀


July
1 - Mannheim, Germany - SAP Arena
2 - Cologne, Germany - Lanxess Arena

Mentalist and former Blind Guardian drummer, Thomen Stauch, has released a drum playthrough video for Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name", taken from the band's self-titled 1992 album.





A selection of Thomen's previous drum cover videos are available below:

John Rae, former drummer for Axis Of Evil, Ectopia, Furnaze, Inner Eden, Intense, Pain Control, Winter Of Torment, and Wykked Wytch, has passed away at 51 years of age, following a long bout with alcoholism.


Wykked Wytch shared the sad news via Facebook, writing: "Learned some very sad and depressing news over the weekend that a great friend and our former drummer John Rae passed away. Still in shock trying to put this together but wanted to give him a tribute that he deserved.


John performed the drums on the second Wykked Wytch album, Angelic Vengeance, back in the summer 2000. He also joined us on the road the fall 2005 supporting Deicide performing drums all across Europe.




John was one of our favorite people and longest friendships of over 20 years. He made a major impact in our lives and upset that he left us far too soon. We will miss your stories, crazy antics, jokes, and all those great times. Those memories we cherish.


Your Friends, Ipek & Tory (WW)."


Axis Of Evil's Jonny Elraiz shared the following: "Shocked to find out the drummer from my old Industrial Thrash Band - Axis of Evil, has passed on to the great gig in the sky. John Rae was a talented drummer and a true Pro. He was drum tech for Nick Barker (Cradle of Filth/Dimmu Borgir) and was always up for a good party. Sadly not seen him in 15 years but spoke occasionally over the years to catch up. It's always sad to hear of someone passing but especially when you've spent so much time working and playing with someone. Condolences to Johns Family... Horns up Bro, fly high!"


Nick Barker posted: "Saddened to hear my old mate of 25+ years, John Rae, has passed away after a long battle with alcoholism. Say "HIGH" to Fozz Bear For me. Until we meet again, R.I.P. mate!"



(Photo collage - Wykked Wytch)


 

uDiscover Music is reporting that Tim Bachman, one of the founders of Canadian rock favorites Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died at the age of 71. His son Ryder announced the news in a Facebook post on on April 28th.


“My Dad passed this afternoon,” he wrote, having previously revealed that his father had been in a hospice after fighting brain cancer. “Thank You Everyone for the kind words. Grateful I got to spend some time with him at the end. Grab yer loved ones and hug ’em close, ya never know how long you have.” His brother Robbie died in January.


Guitarist / vocalist Tim Bachman was born on August 1, 1951 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and played in the later line-up of BTO’s forerunners, Brave Belt. He co-founded the hard rock figureheads in 1973 with brothers Randy and Robbie Bachman, and Fred Turner. Signing with Mercury Records, they achieved Top 10 success in Canada with their self-titled debut that year, on which Tim co-wrote and sang lead vocals on "Down And Out Man". The album also contained their Billboard Hot 100 debut, "Blue Collar" and later achieved gold status in the US.
















(Top photo - Ryder Bachman)

German rockers Fair Warning have shared the sad news that guitarist Helge Engelke has passed away at age 61:


"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we have to inform you that our dear friend and guitarist, Helge Engelke, has passed away unexpectedly yesterday, on April 28, 2023. He died in hospital after complications occurred with a colon tumor which only had been discovered two days before.


Speaking for all of us, this is a tremendous loss, both as a friend and colleague, as well as a gifted artist, always full of great new ideas and concepts. He will be deeply missed. Our thoughts and love go out his beloved wife Olatz and daughter Maialen.




May God bless Helge's soul."


Engelke recorded eight studio albums with Fair Warning between 1992 and 2016. He formed Dreamtide in 2001 following the break-up of Fair Warning in 2000, and kept the band running when Fair Warning reunited in 2005. Dreamtide's final album, and possibly Engelke's last recorded work, was  the 2022 album, Drama Dust Dream.

Having refined their broody, mesmerizing vision of gothic/symphonic metal to cinematic levels, with three EPs and a full-length album behind them, Blackbriar continue to set their sails towards the future. The Netherlands based band are currently working towards their second full-length album, accompanied by long-time collaborator, Joost van den Broek. Today, the band have released a brand-new song titled “My Soul´s Demise”.





Singer, Zora Cock about the new song:  




"My Soul's Demise is a song about love and pain, where you're willing to do anything for the one you love, no matter what, even if that means that it will destroy you in the meantime. Yet sometimes you wonder, would that person do the same for you? It's inspired by the medieval practice of sin-eating, a ritual where mourning families hired a sin eater to consume their loved ones' sins. The sin eater would eat food left on the dead person's chest. The food was believed to have absorbed the deceased's lingering sins. Sin eaters were paid next to nothing for their service, they were reviled, and seen as filthy people, full of sins. Villagers even avoided looking them in the eye. I learned about the sin-eater when watching an episode of Outlander, where a sin-eating ritual got introduced. 


"Now it gets a bit more personal. While reading about the sin-eating ritual, and writing the lyrics, it reminded me of a story my dad once told me. A long time ago, my dad suffered from psychosis and was admitted to a psychiatric clinic. He told me a lot about his experiences, what it was like, and how his mind worked at that moment. He thought he was the devil incarnate, possessed by something dark, and he felt like everyone felt his evil presence as he walked by, everyone would flinch away from him. This made me write the bridge of the song “No one can even look me in the eye, everybody is flinching away from me as I pass by”. Somehow the story of a medieval sin-eater reminded me exactly of the way my dad explained how he felt, as if he had consumed the world’s sins and darkness. 


"I read about the last known sin eater of England as well, which was a very heartfelt story. His name was Richard Munslow, and he died in 1906. It is believed that the tragic loss of four of his children at very early ages that died within one week may be the reason he resurrected the macabre ritual. This made me write the song from the perspective of willing to do anything for the ones you love.


"The songwriting process of My Soul’s Demise went pretty fast. After writing the lyrics, I recorded some of my vocal ideas a cappella. This is how we mostly start writing a new song. I then sent it to René, with a note saying that it sucks and that he could probably throw it in the bin right away. Haha! Luckily he didn’t throw it away, and he actually liked what he heard, and made the basics for the song that same night. We brought the draft version of the song to our producer Joost van den Broek, and worked on it some more. Another instrumental part was added, so I needed to come up with some more vocals for that extra part. This was the more ‘quiet’ bridge part where I am doing some weird stuff. I wanted to do something with my voice as if I just consumed so many sins that I couldn’t handle it anymore, as if it had taken over my body, sort of possessed, and got inspired by Anna von Hausswolff.


"We shot the music video at a medieval 12th-century church in the north of the Netherlands, and it took us two days to shoot it all. I always get fascinated by the atmosphere of standing in such an old building, shooting this video there felt perfect and so fitting. We were very lucky to be able to get all the freedom and time to be creative. 


"Another thing that was perfect, is that the whole band portrayed a role in this story, even our ex-bass player Frank. Frank played the corpse, and it felt like we held a funeral for his bass-playing years for Blackbriar, celebrating the awesome time we spent together. A symbolic farewell. For this video, we needed some extra actors to witness the ritual. We opened up a casting call to my Patrons, so the people you see sitting in the benches are all Patrons. But not only Patrons, you can also see my parents! For me, the video story itself was more challenging than other videos we did so far. I can say that I gave it my all, and I hope that you feel something when watching it. It’s one of the more personal songs of the album."





Blackbriar live:


June
9-11 – Leeuwarden, Netherlands – Into The Grave


More to be announced soon.

Earlier this week, it was announced that SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor has signed a "global recordings agreement" with BMG to release his second solo album, "CMF2". The follow-up to 2020's "CMFT" will arrive later this year via Taylor's label imprint Decibel Cooper.

Speaking to "The Archive Of B-Sox" about what he plans to do with his label imprint, Taylor said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm really excited [about it]. This is the first major step in something that I've been building towards for a long time — not only my solo career but me trying to help do my part to bolster the next generation of hard or heavy new music, whether it's rock, punk, metal, regardless. I'm always trying to put my money where my mouth is, and for me, being able to go out and discover talent now and try to help them get a foot up when largely sometimes that whole label or studio mechanism doesn't really allow for the aberrant talent to kind of get through, it tends to play against type. So for me, it's just one more notch in my bat where I can break through some walls for people, man. So I'm really stoked. I'm really looking forward to it."

Asked what he is looking for in new artists, Corey said: "It all depends. The thing that I look for, really, first is something that catches me. I look for passion. I look for the ability to really pull it off live, which, to me, is a dying… and I mean 'live live'; I don't mean iPads and MacBook Pros and all that stuff. I mean a band that's up there gritty, raw — flaws and all. You don't have to hit all the perfect notes to make a perfect show. I want something that's real. That's my biggest thing. So that's what I look for. I look for passion; I look for aggression. I look for something in the eyes that lets you know that when they're playing music, that's when they truly feel alive. 'Cause that's [how I am] — when I'm onstage, that's when I know I'm doing something that I was born to do."

Taylor began tracking "CMF2" in January at an undisclosed studio with longtime producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with STEEL PANTHER and ANTHRAX, among others. Corey previously stated about the musical direction of his new material: "I mean, everything's just bigger this time, man. Everything sounds better; everything's running better; everything's running hot. Instead of where I came from, this is where I'm going. Musically, it's harder, it's faster, but there's still tons of stuff from the first album. So, there's elements of SLIPKNOT, there's elements of STONE SOUR, there's elements of 'CMFT'; there's elements of the stuff that I've been doing for years — just, like, cover-wise or whatever, just all the stuff that I've always wanted to do, we're doing that. We're just cranking it up and it all sounds so fucking good that I can't even describe to you how stoked I am."

In February 2022, Corey released a solo album of covers and acoustic recordings, titled "CMFB…Sides", via Roadrunner Records. The collection comprised nine previously unreleased B-sides, covers of tunes that inspired Taylor, acoustic renditions, and live versions.

"CMFT" made impressive debuts on charts around the world, entering at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Hard Rock Albums chart, while claiming No. 2 on Current Rock Albums, No. 6 on Vinyl Albums, and No. 9 on the Top Albums charts. Furthermore, "CMFT" landed Top 10 on the official album charts in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, with Top 20 debuts in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan (international chart).

"CMFT" was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with Ruston and Christian Martucci (guitar),Zach Throne (guitar),Jason Christopher (bass),and Dustin Schoenhofer (drums).

"CMFT" had been a long time coming for Taylor, with newly written tracks alongside some dating back to his teens.

In 2021, Taylor made history as he reached No. 1 at Active Rock Radio with his powerful single "Black Eyes Blue". The achievement put Taylor in a class all his own, making him the first artist in the history of the format to reach No. 1 with three separate projects, following chart-topping efforts from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR.

Photo credit: Pamela Littky

Less than two months after the passing of SALIVA founding guitarist Wayne Swinny, the band's surviving members have announced plans to "move forward" with the release of their already completed new album.

Earlier today, they released the following statement via social media: "Since the devastating loss of our brother Wayne, we have had many difficult discussions regarding the future of the band. We had recently completed an album that was three years in the making, but when tragedy struck, we paused all plans and focused our energy on supporting one another and Wayne's loved ones through this troubling time. As we grieved, we also took time to reflect on the joy of countless memories together on the road, travelling, making music and performing.

"Wayne truly loved being onstage and he loved his fans. We also thought about all the creativity, talent, and passion that Wayne put into what would ultimately and unfortunately end up being his last album. Onstage and off, Wayne was a powerful presence in as our lives, so the decision on whether to carry on as a band is a difficult one.

"What is the best way to honor a legendary talent like Wayne?

"After careful consideration, and with the support of his family, we have made the decision to pay tribute to his legacy the best way we know how, through our music. We intend to move forward with the release of our album so everyone can hear the new songs that Wayne put his heart and soul into. We will also continue with the summer tour plans, honoring his memory every time we perform with a portion of the proceeds from each show gifted to his daughter Nikki.

"The entire music community has lost a remarkable talent, and Wayne's impact on the music industry will continue to be felt for years to come.

"We miss Wayne beyond measure, but we know that he would want us to keep making music and sharing it with our fans, and to keep his spirit alive through our performances.

"We are grateful for the love and support from Wayne's family, fans, and friends.

"Rest in peace, Wayne. You will be missed, but your music will live on forever."

Wayne's sister Linda Hanson issued a separate statement in which she said: "Wayne Swinny was one of a kind. He tried to cover up his kind, gentle, loving heart and soul with a rough and tough exterior, but he just couldn't help being the person he really was, Kind. Gentle. loving. A true friend! He truly lived life to the fullest and was living his lifelong dream. His talent was natural. He would sit in his room as a young kid listening to KISS and picking out the music on his guitar. As his sister in the bedroom next to his that was not always a good thing. But there is no denying he was an amazing musician and guitarist. I am beyond proud of him.

"As the last original SALIVA band member, all he wanted was to continue the SALIVA legacy. He loved the band but most of all loved his fans. His spirit will live through the new album, every new song they write, and every performance the band will continue to give.

"Wayne's legacy will live on through the musk of SALIVA — now and in the future. He would want everyone to Rock On."

Shortly after the news of Wayne's death was made public, original SALIVA singer Josey Scott (a.k.a. Joseph Sappington) wrote on his social media: "I have no words. Just the love, and the little moments, and the looks that we shared, just between us and the fans, on stage, after stage, all over the world, that no one will ever know. Playing music, and writing music with a man like Wayne Swinny, for as long as we did, like we did, in all those places we did, is so very intimate. It was a love we shared together, and I will go into eternity holding on to that love, and those memories. Forever #TheToxicTwins".

On March 22, SALIVA shared a statement on Facebook in which the band said that Swinny had been found that morning "in medical distress." Paramedics were called and the musician was transported to hospital "where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain."

SALIVA was on the road in the U.S. as part of the "Spring Mayhem" tour with THROUGH FIRE and ANY GIVEN SIN and had played in Nashville on March 20.

SALIVA launched its career in 2001 with the release of "Every Six Seconds", a double-platinum selling album with hits that include "Click, Click Boom" and "Your Disease".

The band has toured the U.S. with SEVENDUST, AEROSMITH and KISS.

SALIVA reunited with Scott for a one-off appearance at last year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Bobby Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last four releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016) and "10 Lives" (2018).

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.

Posted by Saliva on Friday, April 28, 2023

Former SCORPIONS and current KINGDOM COME drummer James Kottak spoke about his alcohol issues in a new interview with Tulsa Music Stream. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've had a few bouts with booze over the years. But what people don't know is all the years that I was sober. 2008 to 2011. And here a year, and there a year. And when our kids [with his ex-wife Athena Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee's sister and acclaimed drummer in her own right], were in the oven. I spent a lot of time not drinking. And then I had my moments when I did drink. And that doesn't mean I'm falling down drunk, walking around with a bottle around the house."

James, who recently said in a separate interview that he has been sober since October 2022, added that he hasn't been able to completely give up drinking. "Well, I'm not gonna say I haven't drank anything," he said. "When I go out and] I see some guys playing, I'm standing there and everybody wants to buy me a drink. And I go, 'No, no,' and finally I take it and I have a couple of glasses of white wine. And then I'm pissed at myself. And so there you go."

He added: "I wish I could say, 'Oh, yeah, I've been sober for six years.' It hasn't worked like that for me. I've been in and out and in and out and in and out — and mostly 'in', meaning not drinking. But I've had my moments. And it's an ongoing process. It's progress, not perfection, as we say."

The 60-year-old musician, who missed some of KINGDOM COME's recent shows because he has been dealing with "health issues", told Artists On Record Starring ADIKA Live! that he "fell out of bed" in his sleep last July and "cracked, like, three or four ribs". He also said that he "cracked" his hip last fall after when he "tripped and fell on the pavement" in a completely separate incident.

Last month, KINGDOM COME singer Keith St. John, who joined the band in 2018 as the replacement for original frontman Lenny Wolf, told Italy's Poisoned Rock about Kottak's absence from some of the group's recent shows: "James needed some time off from the band, 'cause he's had some health issues. I don't really wanna say too much about it, but he's got some personal health issues [that] he's been working on resolving and getting care and everything."

St. John also talked about KINGDOM COME's now-infamous appearance last June at Sweden Rock Festival, which was described by the popular Swedish site Rocknytt as the event's "biggest fuckup." Writer Peter Johansson singled out Kottak, saying that the drummer played "really badly, sluggishly" and at times failed to keep the tempo "worryingly throughout the concert". At the end of the show, Kottak "stumbled to the edge of the stage to bow with his bandmates," according to Rocknytt. Also critical of KINGDOM COME's performance was renowned Swedish music journalist and guitar player Janne Stark, who took to his Facebook page to share a photo of the gig and he wrote in an accompanying caption: "I've never seen a drummer fall asleep on stage before but James Kottak is pretty damn close. Drunk? He slows down every song to half tempo. KINGDOM COME, sorry guys but this is SHIT!"

Keith said: "That was the show… I hate to say this, but it's in the best interest of James and the band… I think James should have started working on his health and what was happening with him earlier than that, earlier in the year, 'cause he was already… But James, he has a youthful spirit, and he wants to keep on going. He's one of those guys that at the last breath of life is gonna be clawing and climbing up the cliff and playing drums and going out there and doing it. It was a hard situation, but at Sweden Rock the band wound up getting some negative reviews in the press, and it was largely because of the performance on the drums, I hate to [say it]," the singer admitted.

According to St. John, KINGDOM COME is in a good place right now, despite the fact that the band's recent shows have featured SLAUGHTER's Blas Elias behind the kit instead of James.

"I'm glad we are where we are, 'cause it needed to happen and James needs to get it back together so he's strong enough to play again," Keith said. "He was like next coming of [John] Bonham when he came out [in the 1980s], so he needs to be at his best. Even at an eight for James is a 20 for most people. Even if he's at seven or eight out of 10, then we can go and get that going. In the meantime, Blas is doing a great job. The band continues playing live."

KINGDOM COME played its first two shows with Elias in September in Texas.

Seven months ago, Kottak announced that he wouldn't play with his KINGDOM COME bandmates at their concerts in Texas. In the early hours of August 21, 2022, James took to his Twitter to write: "I will not be at the Kingdom Come Plano or San Antonio shows so don't waste your time thanks jams k [sic]".

In February, St. John told Chris Akin Presents about Kottak's absence from KINGDOM COME recent shows: "James Kottak has had some health situations over the last year, and they've really been affecting his playing. Everybody in the band really wanted him to be able to continue and play, but he's just gotta sort some things out and wait for some stuff in his body to heal before he has the strength to play the songs [properly]."

Kottak publicly discussed KINGDOM COME's performance at Sweden Rock for the first time in an interview with "This That & The Other With Troy Patrick Farrell" conducted just days after the concert. Regarding what caused the show to fall short of expectations, James said: "I wanna say about eight or nine days ago, maybe 10 days ago, in the middle of the night, like four o'clock in the morning, I was in a dead sleep and I just rolled off the bed and I cracked three ribs on my left side. And I went to my chiropractor guy and he says, 'Oh, you have hairline fractures.' And I'm, like, 'Oh, great.' And dude, it's just been non-stop pain. It's not just my ribs; it's head to toe. That's why things were a little bit slower. 'Cause I took ibuprofen and the usual, Aleve or whatever, but, man, it was an uphill battle from the time we started. And it was just — I mean, not pain; I'm talking pain-pain, big-time stuff. That's no excuse, because the show must go on. But, yeah, I was a little slower than usual. But also we [usually] have a click track, of course, 'cause we might have a little bit of playback. Something was up with that, so we were flying solo… And [when] you don't have it, you go, 'Oh-oh. Okay. We'll do this.' It was just an off day, and there's nothing you can do about it."

According to James, there was "definitely no drinking" involved prior to the KINGDOM COME mishap at Sweden Rock. "Because that with the medication, it doesn't go good together," he explained. "And it was just an off day, man. I did everything to [make it better] — tons of tea, this and that, and all the usual things that I do — but, man, it was just too soon after falling that we went to play this gig. But it's Sweden Rock, and you don't wanna bail out on that."

Asked if alcohol contributed to him falling out of bed prior to the Sweden Rock performance, Kottak said: "I always sleep on the left side of the bed, and I just somehow, in my sleep, rolled off the bed and landed on my left side. I mean, that's really it. I wasn't drinking — nothing like that. Yeah, I have a few white wines here and there, but nothing like that. I just rolled off the bed. And that's the first time in my life that's ever happened where I actually fell off. I woke up and saw stars. It took me 15 minutes to get off the floor. These things happen sometimes, and there's nothing you can do. With SCORPIONS, going up my riser to get to my drums, there were, like, 14 steps, and I fell down those stairs at least five times, if not six times. Because I was like a dummy — I was always spitting this water. And I'd finish a song and I'd come down not thinking, and, just, 'Whoop', right on my ass."

James also denied that his battle with alcoholism was the primary reason he was fired from the SCORPIONS in 2016. He has since been replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee.

"I hate to say it, but Blabbermouth's kind of been the worst James basher," Kottak said. "They always say — any article about SCORPIONS, they say, 'Yeah, ever since James Kottak was released for alcohol abuse.' So I e-mailed them one day and said, 'Man, stop saying that.' We parted ways. It wasn't just from alcohol, dude. We went through five years of negotiations, 'cause the manager and tour manager both died within six months of each other. Then the band decided to self-manage, which is cool. But I'll tell you what, man — that's when it was a super-bumpy road and we were just not on the same page anymore. And that happens with bands."

Five years ago, SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs said that he and his bandmates "had to make" the decision to fire Kottak, explaining that they gave the drummer "all the chances" to get better. During an appearance on "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon", the guitarist said: "James was a real good friend — and he still is — but we couldn't continue with him. We gave him all the chances, and 10 more. And it was something that developed over the years — the drinking habit. It came in waves — sometimes it was good for four weeks, and then [there] was drama, and if you know him, you know what that's like. Then if it affects the show, you have to go, 'Hmmm…' Because our drum riser goes up 21 feet, or 24 feet sometimes, if the venue allows it, and the production manager, or stage manager, goes, 'I can't have him go up there. It's too risky.' If you can't really walk down the stairs straight, you can't have that. So that affects your intro of the show, and that's not good — it's not professional."

He continued: "We were helping him — we were sending him to [the island of] Antigua [to Eric Clapton's Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment center], and we paid for it, and we did everything we could, because we are extremely loyal. It's always hard if you work with somebody for almost 20 years to say, 'Okay, you've gotta go.' We'd rather do the opposite and try to keep him and help him. But we reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it. After three months or four months even — they gave him an extra month in Antigua, the rehab — he'd come home, we'd start again, and you can't even talk to him. So we had to make that decision. We had Mikkey on the road, so [James] didn't notice. So I rehearsed with [Mikkey] and Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] in the afternoon, just a backup; that was the original plan. But then there was no way we could continue with James, so we started with Mikkey."

Three years ago, Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996, told the SCORPIONS official fan club Crazyscorps about the circumstances that led to his departure from the legendary German hard rock band: "I always liked a drink here and there. And then I always also take a pain medication called Aleve. It's what all the baseball players take, all the footballers, and it works like a charm. You take those of those and you don't feel anything. But on top of that, I'm a rock drummer in a rock band, and you've got the green light to drink.

"From 2008 to 2011, I didn't drink," he explained. "I just woke up one day and said, 'I just don't wanna drink anymore.' I didn't go to rehab; I didn't do any of that stuff. I just didn't wanna drink anymore.

"If you have any knowledge of A.A. [Alcoholics Anonymous] or any type of program or rehab, it only lasts so long and then you have what we call in recovery a relapse. I would go through these phases of a year or maybe two years of no drinking, and then you gradually…

"SCORPIONS, we play our show, we go back to the hotel, [and] 45 minutes later, we're all downstairs having dinner," he continued. "And everything's just the right price — free. All these flights back and forth from Europe, from L.A. — I was just flying constantly. Which I'm not complaining about, but it's always business or first class, and once again, all the booze is at the right price. I'm going, 'I've got the next two days off. I might as well have a drink.' And that's what triggered me to start drinking again sometimes. It's a typical alcoholic way of thinking: 'Well, I may as well have a drink. Why not?' And that's typical alcoholic disease thinking. 'Cause it is a disease."

Alice Cooper and his band kicked off the "Too Close For Comfort" tour Friday night (April 28) at the Soaring Eagle Casino Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The 95-minute set included the classics "I'm Eighteen", "Under My Wheels", "Be My Lover" and "Poison", along with the first performance of "Snakebite" since 1991, with "Welcome To My Nightmare" returning after a nearly six-year absence.

Cooper's setlist was as follows (according to Setlist.fm):

01. Lock Me Up (first time ever performed live)
02. No More Mr. Nice Guy
03. I'm Eighteen
04. Under My Wheels
05. Bed Of Nails
06. Billion Dollar Babies
07. Fallen In Love
08. Snakebite (first time performed live since 1991)
09. Be My Lover
10. Lost In America
11. Hey Stoopid
12. Drum Solo
13. Welcome To My Nightmare (first time performed live since 2017)
14. Cold Ethyl
15. Only Women Bleed
16. Poison
17. Feed My Frankenstein
18. Black Widow Jam
20. Ballad Of Dwight Fry
21. I Love The Dead
22. Escape
23. School's Out

Encore:

24. Elected

Prior to the start of the "Too Close For Comfort" tour, Alice promised "a brand new production", telling Macomb Daily: "There's going to be a lot of things going on in this show that we haven't done yet — and a few things that we've done but reimagined

“We just kind of got tired of people not being able to see some of the real intricate parts," the 75-year-old rocker explained. "Like when Alice does Dwight Fry, before you could never see the facial thing going on there. You will be seeing it this time."

Regarding the setlist for the tour, Cooper said that "we have to do the hits," including "I'm Eighteen", "School's Out" and "Poison". "The audience wants to hear the hits, so it's how do you decorate those hits? How do you put them into a story form or some kind of new way of looking at the show. It's putting a puzzle together, really, and I've got all the people that have done this for 50 years. We know how to make it work."

Last month, it was announced that guitarist Nita Strauss would return to Alice's band for his 2023 tour.

The Alice Cooper North American tour continues through late September, including a handful of August stadium shows with DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE, followed by a co-headlining late summer "Freaks On Parade" tour with Rob Zombie.

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



Posted by Chris Winzloff on Friday, April 28, 2023



Posted by Chris Winzloff on Friday, April 28, 2023



Alice Cooper kicks it off at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort

Posted by Gary Graff on Friday, April 28, 2023



Posted by Andrea Ehrmantraut on Friday, April 28, 2023

MÖTLEY CRÜE played a free concert earlier tonight (Friday, April 28) at the end of Day Two of the NFL Draft outside Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri. The band opened the 40-minute set with a public service announcement warning everyone of the MÖTLEY CRÜE cult taking over Kansas City and went on to play a total of six songs: "Wild Side", "Primal Scream", "Live Wire", "Home Sweet Home", "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Kickstart My Heart". The Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders joined the band for "Kickstart My Heart", which is often played at home games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Professionally filmed video of MÖTLEY CRÜE's entire performance can be viewed on the NFL Facebook page.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After selling more than 1.3 million tickets in 2022, MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD and are going global in 2023 with their co-headline "The World Tour" along with special guest Alice Cooper.

Earlier this month, MÖTLEY CRÜE entered the studio with longtime producer Bob Rock to record some of the band's brand new music.

Last fall, John 5 joined CRÜE as the replacement for founding guitarist Mick Mars, who announced in October he would no longer tour with the legendary rock act because of his long struggles with degenerative disease ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, according to the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases.

On April 6, Mars filed a lawsuit against MÖTLEY CRÜE, alleging his bandmates are trying to kick him out of the group and reduce his ownership stakes because of his debilitating illness.
Motley Crue with an incredible show at the #NFLDraft night two. “Home Sweet Home” on the fountain! pic.twitter.com/Te614jBUdN

— Shawn Kopelakis (@shawn_kopelakis) April 29, 2023


Great job @QuintonLucasKC and @MotleyCrue for representing the City of Fountains for the @NFL Draft!🤘🏼🤘🏼 pic.twitter.com/o6pvi1GWFE

— Chris (@sodbuster432) April 29, 2023

Fan-filmed video of SEVENDUST's entire April 28 performance at WDHA's Rock The Rock Fest 2023 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Pieces
02. Denial
03. Praise
04. Waffle
05. Shine
06. Crucified
07. Face To Face

SEVENDUST will release its fourteenth studio album, "Truth Killer", on July 28 via the band's new label home, Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2020's "Blood & Stone" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

"Truth Killer" showcases that the original and current SEVENDUST lineup — comprised of Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vince Hornsby and Morgan Rose — sounds as relevant today as it did on its 1997 self-titled debut. "Truth Killer" is now available for pre-order in multiple configurations.

From the introspective opening of "I Might Let The Devil Win" to the classic SEVENDUST sound of "Fence", the twelve songs on "Truth Killer" demonstrate the diverse style that has won the band a legion of loyal fans. "Truth Killer", "Everything" and "Holy Water" combine elements of the classic SEVENDUST sound with modern updates, pointing their lyrical lens at the world today. The first song released is the album closer "Fence", out now and accompanied by a claymation music video directed and animated by Ollie Jones. The video tells the story of a chemical leak during a SEVENDUST show that causes the band to turn in to zombies.

In a February 2023 interview with "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", Lowery stated about "Truth Killer": "I'm very stoked about the record. A lot of bands say that. I'm amazed we're still making music we love and we're not phoning it in. We worked really hard on it."

Clint previously talked about the upcoming SEVENDUST LP in an interview with "Good Company With Scott Bowling". At the time, he said: "I'm really excited about this record. We did that with Elvis Baskette. He's got his vibe. And this will be our third record with him."

Lowery went on to say that he has had to step away from the new SEVENDUST album after it was completed.

"I've listened to it, I've not liked it, I loved it, I hated it, and then I fell back in love with it," he explained.

"When I'm finished with a record, I really… That one took a lot out of me creatively, which is amazing that I even went for [a new solo] EP to do myself [shortly after finishing the SEVENDUST LP], 'cause I was kind of tapped out creatively. I couldn't even listen to the record afterwards. It was mixed and I heard it, and Elvis did a great job, but it was, like, 'I've gotta put it away for a while.' And I put it on the other day to listen to it, and I'm, 'Oh, man, this is gonna be good. People are gonna really dig it.' I think it's one of the best [records] we've done in a while, man."

Last June, SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose said that the writing session for the band's upcoming album was his "favorite" of SEVENDUST's career. "Just 5 guys in a farm house, creating," he wrote on Instagram. "Telling each other how much we love each other, supporting each other, enjoying being together. No outsiders, no drama, no bullshit. Just us…. The songs are magical, the vibe of the record is magical, our relationship with each other is magical."

In December 2021, SEVENDUST released a digital expanded edition of "Blood & Stone". "Blood & Stone Deluxe" contained five new tracks, including three never-before-released remixes and two newly recorded songs. Jake Bowen of PERIPHERY, Richard Wicander of FIRE FROM THE GODS and Justin deBlieck, formerly of ICE NINE KILLS, provided remixes and the band finished recording "All I Really Know" and "What You Are" specifically for this release. "Blood & Stone Deluxe" was released via all digital partners via Rise Records.

In March 2022, Witherspoon told St. Louis Post-Dispatch that "Blood & Stone" showed SEVENDUST is "still standing the test of time. It was great to do the album with [Baskette] in Florida again. It was a good time. We wanted to hit [listeners] hard and let them know we still got it and that we're not afraid to put slower songs out there too."

As for the decision to release a "deluxe" version of the LP, Lajon said: "We wanted to put some extra songs out there, B-sides that people hadn't heard. It's a little more of a treat."

FLYLEAF played its first concert with singer Lacey Sturm in 11 years last night (Thursday, April 27) at Schoepf's BBQ in Belton, Texas. Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user Russell McKeown).

FLYLEAF, which hadn't performed live since 2015 prior to the Belton concert, will make a number of festival appearances this year, including at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in September in Alton, Virginia and at the Sick New World festival in May in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sturm left FLYLEAF in October 2012. She was replaced by Kristen May, who recorded one album with the group, 2014's "Between The Stars", before exiting.

Lacey opened up about her reasons for her departure from FLYLEAF in a video promoting her 2014 memoir "The Reason: How I Discovered A Life Worth Living". At the time, she said: "We were on our second album when I got married. And the album was called 'Memento Mori'. And 'memento mori' means remember you're mortal, remember that you'll die and remember that your life is short and precious and so are the lives of those around you.

"For two years, I toured with my husband and it was really amazing, and then after those two years, we ended up getting pregnant with my son," she continued. "And I recognized that my priorities were gonna change even more and that message of 'memento mori' and remembering how short your life is was really weighing on my heart.

"We toured for ten years. I mean, we weren't home for more than a month, probably, a year. So, for me, I just felt really blessed to be pregnant and to be in a place where I could stay home if I wanted to, and really ask that question: how is this gonna change my priorities? How is this gonna look? We had a few things happen that really brought that message home, but the one that hit the hardest was the death of our sound engineer [Rich Caldwell]. We did one last show with FLYLEAF as a benefit for his wife Katy and their son Kirby. And it was really hard to do a show without him, and it was really hard to think it could be our last show. So I remember looking at my son after Rich had passed and just wondering to myself, if this was the last year I had with my son, how would I spend it?

"It was really amazing to recognize this season changing in my life and the freedom that I was gonna be able to focus on my family. And I'm so thankful for that time. And although it was really hard, I'm thankful. And that's the reason I stepped down from FLYLEAF."

Back in 2016, Sturm was asked in an interview with RockRevolt Magazine if there was chance that she could reunite with her former bandmates after they had parted ways with May. She responded: "Well, you know, I feel like I'm the kind of person that I think so much happened that I never in a million years thought would happen, so I've learned to quit saying 'never.' But at the same time, I'm a really present person."

She added at the time: "I don't have any plans for that, but then again, you never know. I don't know… [Laughs] They haven't called me. And I don't have any plans [to go back]."

At several shows last year, Sturm joined SEETHER on stage to perform the FLYLEAF song "I'm So Sick".

In December 2021, Sturm released the official music video for her latest solo single, "Awaken Love". The track followed the previously released "The Decree" and "State Of Me".

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GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash joined IGGY POP AND THE LOSERS onstage Thursday night (April 27) at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California to perform THE STOOGES' 1969 classic "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and a cover of the 1950s rock staple "Louie Louie". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Joining the legendary 76-year-old rocker Iggy Pop in the IGGY POP AND THE LOSERS lineup are Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) on drums, Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) on bass and producer/songwriter Andrew Watt and Jamie Hince (THE KILLS) on guitar.

Iggy's latest album, "Every Loser", is his first to be released via the recently announced partnership between Atlantic Records and Gold Tooth Records, the new label founded by the album's Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum executive producer Andrew Watt. Watt previously worked with Ozzy Osbourne on the metal icon's last two studio albums, including 2022's "Patient Number 9".

"I'm the guy with no shirt who rocks; Andrew and Gold Tooth get that," Pop previously said about his new LP. "We made a record together the old-fashioned way… The players are guys I've known since they were kids and the music will beat the shit out of you."

For his part, Watt said: "Iggy Pop is a fucking icon. A true original. The guy invented the stage dive... I still can't believe he let me make a record with him. I am honored. It doesn't get cooler. This album was created to be played as loud as your stereo will go… turn it up and hold on."

Widely acknowledged as one of the most influential artists and dynamic live performers of all time, Pop is a singer, songwriter, musician, author, record producer, DJ and actor whose epic body of work has earned him both worldwide critical acclaim and fanatic cult success. Beginning in 1967 with his era-defining group THE STOOGES, Pop merged primal rock, blues, and free jazz into something altogether dangerous and new, paving the way for punk, post-punk, hard rock, and grunge. His landmark solo career — which kicked off with 1977's David Bowie-produced "The Idiot" and "Lust For Life" — has seen Pop traverse a stunning span of musical genres, inspiring generation after generation of rock 'n rollers with his iconoclastic songcraft, uncompromising performance style, and one-of-a-kind charisma. Perhaps the greatest living embodiment of rock and roll, Pop has never slowed down, pushing the art form forward for more than half a century, including his 2019's contemplative, critically acclaimed "Free".

During an appearance on this past Wednesday's (April 26) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Wendy Dio was asked if "Dio: Dreamers Never Die", the first-ever career-spanning documentary on the life and times of legendary metal icon Ronnie James Dio, will get a DVD and Blu-Ray release in the near future. Ronnie's widow and longtime manager responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, yes, absolutely. That's in the works. In fact, I was just singing off on the credits today. And that will be out on Mercury through Universal in September. It comes out on Blu-ray and on DVD, and there's so much bonus stuff on it too; there's a whole bunch of bonus stuff that never made it to the film that will be in there. So I'm excited about that. Of course it's still on Showtime, but a lot of the people in Europe and stuff didn't get it at all unless they saw it when it was in theaters. So now it will go worldwide."

Elaborating on the bonus footage that will be available with the DVD and Blu-ray, Wendy said: "The thing was there was so much material that we had, it would have been a five-hour movie. So a lot of the stuff, unfortunately, had to [be] cut out. But there's different stories — Simon [Wright, former DIO drummer] talking about Ronnie, there's some Jack Black content, there's some content about me saying some different things. There's some content with Wyn Davis, who was Ronnie's engineer that's revealing different things about stuff. There's lots of interesting stuff that was in there, but we had to cut a lot of stuff out because it just would have been way too long. But now they're getting to have the bonus stuff, extra stuff that would have been included if we had time."

Speaking about the response to "Dio: Dreamers Never Die", Wendy said: "I went to the premiere in London, and Tony Iommi [BLACK SABBATH] was there and a bunch of other guests were there, lots of other musicians. And around the world everybody can't wait, because they only saw it in theaters for two days, and then it was gone. And so now they've all been waiting with bated breath for the DVD to come out. So everybody's very, very excited about it. We got 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes [the online review aggregation service that allows both critics and the public to rate movies], which is unheard of."

Wendy went on to say that making "Dio: Dreamers Never Die" was "a bittersweet journey, but I wanted the fans to see certain things that even the diehard fans didn't know about Ronnie, which were in there — the accident [1968 car crash that killed guitarist Nick Pantas], the doo-wop days — things that even the really, really hardcore fans didn't know about certain things that we wanted to put in there," she explained. "It's a journey through life, and, as I said, it's a bittersweet journey, but I think Ronnie would be happy and proud of it… I'm very, very happy with it."

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die" had its television premiere last December on Showtime. It is also available to stream via the Showtime app.

Executive-produced by Wendy and fully authorized by the artist's estate, "Dio: Dreamers Never Die" delves deep into the singer's incredible rise from a '50s doo-wop crooner to his early rock days in ELF and Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW, to replacing Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH, and finally cementing his rock star status with his own band, DIO. The film incorporates never-before-seen footage and personal photos, as well as offering intimate scenes with his closest peers, family, and friends, among them Wendy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Glenn Hughes, Vinny Appice, Lita Ford, Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Eddie Trunk and Jack Black, as they bring viewers inside the life of one of rock and roll's true heroes and one of the most beloved figures in rock.

Asked in an interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio about her previous comment that her mission in life now is to carry on Ronnie's legacy, Wendy said: "I just think that Ronnie was always overlooked during the time that he was alive. And after his passing, I just felt that his music was something that he wrote for the fans, he performed for the fans. He loved his fans and that should continue on and carry on. That's one of the reasons why we did the documentary, was so that people could understand him, understand his life and where he came from and the trials and tribulations he had. He wasn't an overnight success. He paid his dues, for sure. And also to get his message out there. Ronnie's message was always, like, follow your heart, follow your dreams [and] don't give up."

Wendy also talked about her first reaction to seeing "Dio: Dreamers Never Die", saying: "When they put the film together and we had a private screening for me, it was my first chance to see all the little bits put together, and it was very bittersweet. I broke down and cried. And it was just exactly how I wanted Ronnie to be portrayed. They had done such a magnificent job. And that was just really, really — after all the hard work we all put into it, it was, like, 'Woah.' I think the fans are absolutely gonna love it."

Ronnie James Dio, who died of gastric cancer in 2010, reigns as one of the most influential rock artists of all time and one of the greatest vocalists ever. With an illustrious recording career spanning from the 1950's through to the 2000s, the documentary follows his trajectory from sideman into singer, songwriter and frontman of not one, but three of rock's internationally renowned, multi-platinum-selling arena attractions: RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH and DIO. Famous for popularizing the 'devil horns' hand gesture that is now synonymous with hard rock and heavy metal music, Dio was known for not wavering in his pursuit of his rock and roll dreams and continues to influence a new generation of music artists. His fans the world over remember him not only for his massive talent, but for his kindness, resulting in millions of dollars raised for cancer research in his memory.

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die" was financed solely by BMG and was directed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton ("Framing John DeLorean", "Believer", "Last Days Here"),produced by Don Argott and Sheena Joyce for 9.14 Pictures, and executive-produced by Wendy Dio for Niji Productions and Kathy Rivkin Daum for BMG.

Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Dio's autobiography, titled "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography", was released in July 2021 via Permuted Press.

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THE HALO EFFECT, the project featuring five former members of the Swedish metal band IN FLAMES — Jesper Strömblad (guitar),Daniel Svensson (drums),Peter Iwers (bass),Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals) — will release a new single, "Path Of Fierce Resistance", on May 19. THE HALO EFFECT has also released ab official band documentary about the making of the group's debut album, "Days Of The Lost", which came out in August 2022 via Nuclear Blast.

Next month, THE HALO EFFECT will embark on an eight-date North American tour leading up the band's appearance at this year's Milwaukee Metal Fest. Support on the trek will come from UNEARTH and HIGH COMMAND.

THE HALO EFFECT debuted two brand new songs, "Become Surrender" and "The Defiant One", during its recently completed three-date Swedish tour.

THE HALO EFFECT recently entered the studio to record a new LP. The upcoming effort will be the follow-up to "Days Of The Lost", which entered the official chart in Sweden last summer at position No. 1. This was believed to be the first time a debut LP from a metal act had ever topped the chart in Sweden in its first week of release. "Days Of The Lost" also landed at No. 6 in Germany.

Asked in a recent interview with Tomar Uma if THE HALO EFFECT is a "band" or just a "project", Mikael said: "It is definitely a new band. It started out as a project or an idea, but because of the time we had, I think we made it into a proper band and we wanna treat it as such because we want to make sure that we do everything we possibly can to make this as good as it possibly can be. We wanna do some tours; we wanna do cool festivals. And we're already starting to plan for more recordings and the next album and that kind of stuff. So everybody's just excited. And because it felt good and we were on a roll… You really can't hold Niclas and Jesper back once they get started. So they've already started writing new stuff. Let's keep up. It's gonna be a lot of work [laughs] the next couple of years, that's for sure."

Stanne was also asked if "Reroute To Remain", IN FLAMES' sixth album, which came out in 2002 and featured Jesper, Peter and Daniel, was an influence on the way THE HALO EFFECT approached the songwriting process. He responded: "I don't think so. I love that album — I think it's fantastic — but no, I don't think so. But, obviously, the other guys were a big part of it, so maybe that's something… They had that experience, so that will color and will somehow affect them. But I don't think it ever came up, so I don't think that was a particular influence. But, of course, everything is a part of what you do, right?!"

In June, Iwers was asked in an interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast if he would agree that "Days Of The Lost" is, in some ways, a "spiritual successor" to "Reroute To Remain". Peter said: "Ooh, interesting. I haven't really thought about it. When you make music, like we do, you tend not to overthink stuff — you just go in and you write music and kind of know that what comes out will sound a certain way because of the style that we are playing and how we are playing and performing our music. So I haven't really thought about it, but maybe — maybe. It was definitely nothing intentional. We just went in. We had a bunch of ideas and we came out with a bunch of songs that happen to sound a certain way. But none of us really overthought it and it was never meant to 'it's gonna sound like this' or 'it's gonna sound like that.' We just [went], 'Let's write this music and see what happens.' And because of, like I said, how we're playing, it will sound a certain way."

Added Daniel: "A lot of people like to analyze music, and, of course, it sounds Gothenburg metal-ish because we all are from that genre and we are some of the people that kind of created it. So, of course, it will sound Gothenburg metal-ish, IN FLAMES-ish. And then which era, I don't know. And as Peter said, we don't really think about how it should sound. This is how we sound today, and with our legacy this is inevitable, that we sound as we do."

Continued Peter: "Obviously, people like to do a lot of comparing between us… It's a difficult topic to discuss because none of us have — even though we've all been in IN FLAMES at some point, none of us have really thought about this as what you're saying. But then a lot of people that we speak to say it. So it's a little hard to take in, as we've been very thorough in just writing music. But I'd say it's a little flattering to hear it."

Svensson, who joined IN FLAMES in 1998, announced in 2015 that he was leaving the group to focus on his family life.

A member of IN FLAMES since 1997, Iwers issued a statement in November 2016 saying that he was exiting the band "to pursue other endeavors."

A founding member of IN FLAMES, Strömblad quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

Strömblad's THE HALO EFFECT bandmates have been supportive in his ongoing battle with the bottle, going so far as to hire THE HAUNTED's Patrik Jensen to fill in for him at any gigs he is unable to play.

Engelin has been sitting out IN FLAMES' tour dates for the past four years but has never officially confirmed his departure from the band. Engelin's replacement for IN FLAMES' live shows and in the recording studio since then has been former MEGADETH and current ACT OF DEFIANCE guitarist Chris Broderick.

ANTHRAX's Scott Ian (guitar),Charlie Benante (drums) and Frank Bello (bass) have been in the studio with producer Jay Ruston, laying down basic tracks in preparation for singer Joey Belladonna to record his vocals and for lead guitarist Jonathan Donais to add his leads and solos. No title nor release date at this time, but this will be the band's long-awaited first new album since 2016's internationally critically acclaimed "For All Kings".

A month ago, Benante was asked by Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules if his packed 2023 touring schedule with PANTERA will delay the release of ANTHRAX's new LP. He responded: "We're actually going in two weeks to start recording the record. But it probably wouldn't come out till '24 anyway. But the good part about it is we are going in to start recording it. So that's awesome."

Elaborating on why it has taken so long for ANTHRAX to complete the writing process for a new LP, Charlie said: "If we didn't get hit with this whole global pandemic thing, it would have been out probably two years ago, three years ago. But we all know what happened. But now, being that some of the songs were [written] before the pandemic hit, they're old to me. So now there's a bunch of new songs that kind of came in the mix. So that's a good thing. You can never have enough… We're still working on the older ones because we really like a lot of those."

This past January, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian told Metal Edge that he and his bandmates had "11 musical arrangements", as well as "some" lyrics, that they were working on for their next album. "Obviously, I'm going to be working on more words and we're getting there," he said. "I'm hoping at some point we'll be able to get into the studio [this year] and record them."

Benante also loudly wondered if ANTHRAX could focus on releasing EPs in the foreseeable future as opposed to full-length albums, as has been the case for much of the band's four-plus-decade career.

"What if it wasn't a full album?" the drummer asked. "If we released six songs and then we released another six songs. I know from a record company's point of view that really doesn't work, but in these days…"

"Yeah. It's all so different now," Ian said, jumping in. "SLIPKNOT's saying now why even make full albums anymore. I get it. I get all sides of it. I still love a full album, but at the same time I totally understand the idea of what's the point of giving someone 11 songs. Most people don't listen to albums anymore. So, yeah — why not parse it out? I don't know. All I know is at some point in the next few months we'll probably have 14 or 15 things and then we'll have to decide when we're going to record it and how we're going to release it."

"Think about it," Benante continued. "If ANTHRAX released five songs and you have these five songs, and you absorb it in such a different way nowadays, too. I think that may be the way to go, rather than give everybody 11 songs and it's like, 'Oh — I only had a chance to listen to the first four or five.' I don't know. I just think maybe the business model is different."

"And even for us, playing songs live it's like, you put out a record with 10 or 11 songs on it with the idea that, 'Oh man, I can't wait to play this one live and I can't wait to play this one live,'" Ian added. "On 'For All Kings', we definitely didn't play all of those songs at any point. I think there's maybe six songs on the record that got played – and that's it. I almost feel like you're wasting them. I understand album tracks, but if you put out just five songs it would be easy to play all five of those on a new tour."

"And easier to digest, too," Benante agreed. "You would appreciate it more if it was just five songs and, 'These five songs are fuckin' killer. I can't wait for the next five songs,' knowing that we will release another five or six."

Earlier in January, Benante told Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11 that ANTHRAX was planning to enter the studio sometime this spring to begin recording the new LP.

"Between the PANTERA [tour dates in 2023], we're gonna be working on this record, this ANTHRAX record," he said. "We're hoping to have it finished before PANTERA go to Europe [in late May]. I have a little window after that, before [PANTERA's stadium tour with] METALLICA starts. At least if I get my drum tracks done, then the other guys can continue to work on it. That's the plan. Unless something else happens, but hopefully nothing will happen."

Last November, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello told SiriusXM that the band is "not in a rush" to record the new album. "We wanna make sure it's the right record," he explained. "We can't just throw out something that's not ready. So we're gonna really make sure it's the right record and live with it for a little bit. We have some brutal stuff and some cool stuff coming up — very heavy — we've been working on. Everybody can say that when they're working on a record. But the proof is in the pudding. I'm pretty proud of what we've come up with so far."

In August, Ian praised the production quality on some of the band's recent albums, including 2011's "Worship Music" and "For All Kings". He said: [On] 'Worship [Music]' and 'For All Kings', for me, we've really kind of found our sound. We've got this base level where we're at right now with [producer] Jay Ruston where we know it's gonna be great, and then we could push it even further. Especially with the songwriting that we have right now, going into what will eventually be a new ANTHRAX album, it just lends itself to even a more aggressive production which I think we will have no problem accomplishing."

In April 2022, Scott confirmed to Metal Injection that ANTHRAX had a few songs already written for the upcoming LP. "All I can say is we will get in the studio when we're ready," he said. "I think we're getting there. I think we have great songs. I think people will be very happy.

"Not to make a weird comparison, but it's our third record back together with [singer] Joey [Belladonna]. Actually, it's an odd comparison. I should just say it's our third album since our kind of our reboot in 2010 and our third album back in the day was 'Among The Living'. I'm not saying that this is [like that album], because it's not 'Among The Living II' in any sense, but I just think we have some great songs and there's like a fucking mountain of great riffs. I think people are going to be very happy."

Ian previously discussed ANTHRAX's upcoming LP during a July 2021 appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. At the time, he said: "We've been at it for a little while now. We actually started writing in '19 — pre-COVID — and kind of stepped away from things when COVID happened. We were all separate and apart and we would kind of revisit some of the demos, but we weren't actively working on it.

"Yeah, it's the same as it's always been," he said. "I would have to think by the time we get to the other side of the writing process and we decide we're ready to go record it, I would have to assume it's certainly going to represent this time in our lives. And the world having gone through a pandemic, I would imagine certainly that's in some way, shape or form going to come out through this next record. I can't tell you how yet, but I would have to think it's going to."

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY recently completed a 24-date tour, making stops in all new markets, with both bands playing headline sets. Joining ANTHRAX and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY as special guest on this run was EXODUS.

Clockwise from left to right in photo above: Charlie Benante, Scott Ian, Frank Bello and Jay Ruston

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

West Coast metal veterans METAL CHURCH will release their 13th studio album, "Congregation Of Annihilation", on May 26 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The new album marks the first release since the tragic death of legendary frontman Mike Howe who passed in July of 2021. It also marks the first album with new vocalist Marc Lopes (ROSS THE BOSS, LET US PREY) who came on board in the summer of 2022, and features the current lineup of founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland. The new songs are a return to the band's musical roots harkening back to the vibes of the self-titled first album and "The Dark". "Congregation Of Annihilation" was produced by Vanderhoof and is now available for pre-order in various bundle configurations.

Vanderhoof comments: "This new album is starting a new chapter in the METAL CHURCH legacy. I really love this album. It's a fresh approach for us in one way, but also a return to the very beginnings of METAL CHURCH as part of the New American Thrash Metal movement. This record contains some of the most aggressive songs we have recorded. I hope the fans will like it as much as we do."

Lopes adds: "I am beyond honored to be part of carrying on this legacy into a new era of METAL CHURCH. Working with Kurdt and a band that was a huge influence of mine growing up was a surreal experience, to say the least. For me there was no point in trying to imitate what was already done to perfection. So, with respect to the past, we moved forward to a new chapter and here we are!"

"Congregation Of Annihilation" features nine all new tracks from METAL CHURCH and continues to build upon their iconic sound the band established over three decades ago. Infused with intelligent lyrical content, thundering guitar riffs, and Marc's aggressive soaring vocals, "Congregation Of Annihilation" furthers the bands sonic evolution up to the next level and is guaranteed to enthrall metal music fans around the world. From the first guitar riff of album opener "Another Judgement Day" through the driving outro of album closer "All That We Destroy", it is clear METAL CHURCH is back and better than ever. "Congregation Of Annihilation", "Children Of The Lie" and "These Violent Thrills" showcase the sonically charged songwriting that made the early METAL CHURCH albums such fan favorites. Haunting musical opuses "Me The Nothing" and "Making Monsters" each puts the musicianship that METAL CHURCH was known for on full display in 2023. The album also features two bonus tracks: "My Favorite Sin" and "Salvation".

The LP's second single, "Making Monsters", can be streamed below.

About "Making Monsters", Vanderhoof comments: "Keeping with the METAL CHURCH tradition of combining the heavy and aggressive sound of thrash metal while injecting a good dose of melody and hooks, 'Making Monsters' is a track that showcases what we have done for over 30 years. It has the comfort of old school METAL CHURCH while showcasing how our signature sound has evolved. The band is firing on all cylinders."

Lopes adds: "Just a dark, creepy, heavy-ass driving tune that is lyrically based from the book 'Making Monsters: The Uncanny Power Of Dehumanization' by David Livingstone Smith — a truly terrifying read. It's based on actual real-life research. The dehumanizing of others that transforms them into something so terrifying that they must be destroyed. Deep, philosophical and psychological stuff here, just another day in my train of thought."

"Congregation Of Annihilation" track listing:

01. Another Judgement Day
02. Congregation Of Annihilation
03. Pick A God And Prey
04. Children Of The Lie
05. Me The Nothing
06. Making Monsters
07. Say A Prayer With 7 Bullets
08. These Violent Thrills
09. All That We Destroy
10. My Favorite Sin (bonus track)
11. Salvation (bonus track)

In a recent interview with Chris Akin Presents, Lopes spoke about the inevitable barrage of criticism that he will receive as a result of stepping into the role previously occupied by Howe, David Wayne and Ronny Munroe. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Being in ROSS THE BOSS [the band led by former MANOWAR guitarist Ross 'The Boss' Friedman], I have faced so much stupid bullshit from fans, from MANOWAR fans. At the beginning, it bothered me, years back. Now I can give two shits; I don't fucking care. Because, you know what? If you fucking start worrying about what other people think, you'll never get anywhere. And the way I look at it is, it's, like, look, if you like it, great. If you don't, then fucking go somewhere else. I don't really give a shit. I know that I'm giving it everything that I have to do it and make it sound as best as possible. And if you don't like it, why am I gonna sit here and try to fucking satisfy you? I don't fucking care. I mean, obviously, if everybody fucking hates it, then probably I shouldn't do the gig. But with much respect to the METAL CHURCH community, they've been amazing; they love this new stuff.

"I've gotta be honest — the anticipation is insane, and it's making me more… I'm definitely nervous," Marc admitted. "But at the same time, I'm, like, look, I've gotta go out and do my thing. And the reason that I was put in charge of doing this new era of the band was because I am putting my own spin on it. Am I gonna sound like David Wayne? Maybe in some aspects. Am I gonna sound like Mike Howe? Maybe in some aspects. Am I gonna sound like Marc Lopes? Abso-fucking-lutely. And that's really what it comes down to.

"If this is my era of the band, then I have to do what I do best. Trying to imitate it isn't gonna do anybody any good. And the funny thing is, Ronny Munroe is amazing — he's a great vocalist — and he sounded more like David Wayne than me.

"I've gotta be honest: at first, I was, like, 'Fuck, man. How am I gonna do this?' [Then I was, like], 'Wait a minute. You're already approaching it wrong.' Kurdt would always be, like, 'You're already approaching it wrong.'

"Those guys are not imitatable because they are who they are… And Ronny has his own style too, and the stuff that he did was great. It just was a weird era for the band, I think, in the totality part of it…

"I already know there are gonna be the haters," Marc added. "And I don't care. And for those people — if you wanna waste your time with that kind of shit, then go for it. There's way more things to spend time on in life than being out there going, 'I hate this.' It's kind of ridiculous.

"The biggest joke is I'm a huge IRON MAIDEN fan and I never liked the Blaze Bayley era. And we always used to joke about it. I was, like, I'm a huge MAIDEN fan. Do I spend my time going, 'Oh my God. I hate that. And I hate this.' It's, like, why? I don't listen to it. [Laughs] Not everybody's gonna like everything you do. It's just the way it is."

Howe was found dead at his home in Eureka, California in July 2021. According to TMZ, Howe's official cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to hanging. A spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. told the site authorities are calling it a suicide. He was only 55 years old.

When Mike's death was first announced, TMZ stated that cops in Eureka got a call just after 10 a.m. on July 26, 2021 reporting an unexpected death at a home. By the time deputies arrived, they found Howe dead at the scene.

According to police, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene.

Four days after Howe's death, the surviving members of METAL CHURCH shared a statement on social media in which they blamed his suicide on the fact that he "was victimized by a failing health-care system and subsequently poisoned by the venom of Big Pharma," a term which refers collectively to the global pharmaceutical industry. "In short and in essence, he fell prey to the real 'Fake Healer'."

METAL CHURCH's statement was quickly met with criticism from some of the band's fans who felt that the long-running metal act was using Howe's death as a platform to assert its political views. As a result, METAL CHUCH pulled its original post from social media and replaced it with a revised version, in which the musicians said they were "in no way, shape or form referring to anything in relation to vaccinations, COVID or politics. We were saying our brother was hurting and while he was seeking medical care for it, the treatments he was utilizing did not protect him," they wrote. "Otherwise, he would still be with us today."

Howe, who fronted METAL CHURCH from 1988 until 1994, officially rejoined the band in April 2015.

Prior to joining METAL CHURCH more than three decades ago, Howe spent two years fronting California metal act HERETIC.

The reunion between Mike and METAL CHURCH was put in motion in July of 2014 when Mike started working with Vanderhoof on a side project Kurdt was forming with Nigel Glockler from SAXON. Through these initial conversations, Kurdt convinced Mike to ultimately return to METAL CHURCH. The idea was to see if they could recapture some of the magic from the three albums METAL CHURCH released in the late '80s: "The Human Factor", "Blessing In Disguise" and "Hanging In The Balance". Out of those sessions, 2016's "XI" was born and captured the sound that made the band fan favorites in the '80s and mixed it with a new, invigorated sound.

METAL CHURCH's latest release was "From The Vault", which arrived in April 2020 via Rat Pak Records. The effort was a special-edition compilation album that featured 14 previously unreleased songs from the Howe era, including four newly recorded studio tracks, among them a redux of the band's fan favorite classic "Conductor".

Howe is not the first singer of METAL CHURCH to die. David Wayne passed away in May 2005 from complications following a car crash. He was 47 years old.

Wayne sang on METAL CHURCH's first two classic offerings (1984's "Metal Church" and 1986's "The Dark") before leaving the group and being replaced by Howe.

Left to right in photo: Stet Howland (drums),Steve Unger (bass),Marc Lopes (vocals),Rick Van Zandt (guitars),Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitars)

Photo credit: Rat Pak Records

METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo was recently interviewed by host Mitch Joel of the "Groove - The No Treble Podcast". You can now listen to the chat below.

Speaking about how his relationship with his bandmates has evolved in the 20 years since he joined METALLICA, Robert said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "METALLICA is a family. I inherited a family. I inherited new brothers. As most people know, or I hope they know, when you join a band, especially a band like this, you have a responsibility. In most bands, I think it's common knowledge.'

He continued: "It's one thing to be able to play — of course you've gotta play; you've gotta play your instrument, and they've gotta have confidence in you, and you've gotta perform. So there's all that. But at the same time, as a family member, you've gotta be able to cater to the personalities. And everybody in METALLICA is very, very different; we are definitely not the same. So there's a lot of communication involved in how we work things out and resolve certain things. And sometimes you find yourself — just like you would with your brother — completely pissed off, and you have to navigate the terrain of the personalities, like I would do with my own family, and at the same time what's really important is support. You've gotta know when one of your brothers is down and how to help him. So there's all of that that goes into what it is to be in a band like METALLICA.'

Trujillo added: "It's one thing how we play individually or how we write with other people… Like myself, coming into it later in the game and having been a writer in my other situations, being a main writer, and all of sudden joining METALLICA and not being a main writer but understanding that, okay, I'm here to support as a bass player, I'm here to support James's [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] idea, or now it's time to create, it's time to write, to be able to understand how to wear that hat. Because it's not about the ego; it's about how you serve the team. And even beyond just the music and the personalities and how you work with each other, there's also the responsibility to the amount of press and the travel involved in that alone. And, obviously, it can be challenging to be on the road all the time, away from your family… It's a lot of everything.

"Being in METALLICA and also growing as a unit creatively has been incredible, because I really believe this. I feel that we've challenged ourselves over the years. We made an album with Lou Reed; obviously, 'S&M²' was really special. Just creative journeys that this band takes and then you grow from all of this and get better."

Trujillo, who was born on October 23, 1964 in Santa Monica, California, tasted success as the bassist in punk-funk pioneers SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and Ozzy Osbourne's band. But in 2003, he successfully auditioned to replace Jason Newsted in METALLICA, a process chronicled in the warts-and-all documentary "Some Kind of Monster".

METALLICA's new album, "72 Seasons", will be released April 14 via the band's own Blackened Recordings. Produced by Greg Fidelman with Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and clocking in at over 77 minutes, the 12-track "72 Seasons" is METALLICA's first full-length collection of new material since 2016's "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct".

METALLICA and Trafalgar Releasing will hold a worldwide "72 Seasons" listening party. For one night only on Thursday, April 13, "72 Seasons" will be played in full in surround sound, exclusively for cinema audiences worldwide — with every one of the new songs featuring its own music video and exclusive commentary from the band.

The "72 Seasons" global premiere sees METALLICA and Trafalgar joining forces once more, having previously worked together on the October 2019 worldwide cinematic release of "S&M²", which documented METALLICA and San Francisco Symphony reuniting to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their original "S&M" (Symphony & Metallica) concerts and releases.

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".

Former RAINBOW singer Joe Lynn Turner has once defended his comments about Ritchie Blackmore's decision to go out and play the band's classic material with a new group of musicians, saying Ritchie "wasn't playing well" and "there was no fire" in RAINBOW's performances.

Blackmore stepped away from his Renaissance-inspired brand of music with BLACKMORE'S NIGHT for the first time in 2016 to perform a handful of shows with a brand-new lineup of the band he had formed after quitting DEEP PURPLE.

The current incarnation of RAINBOW includes singer Ronnie Romero, originally from Chile but now settled in Romania after living in Madrid, Spain for a number of years, as well as STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT),and backing singers Candice Night [Ritchie's wife) and Lady Lynn.

Asked in a new interview with Rolling Stone why he wasn't part of RAINBOW's latest reunion, Turner — who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 until 1984 and was a member of PURPLE from 1989 until 1992 — said: "I'll give you the short version of this. Months and months before, a friend of mine, Barry Summers, who did the GUNS N' ROSES 3D movie ['Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live At The Hard Rock Casino'] and all that stuff … He wanted to do the same thing with this RAINBOW reunion. I was getting phone calls from Carole [Stevens], Ritchie's manager. That's Candy's[Night] mother. What happened is that she convinced Ritchie I wanted half of everything, and I wanted all this and millions of dollars. I spoke to Rick Franks at Live Nation. He was the main guy back then. We had a conference call without four or five other agents. I was on the call with the agents first. All of a sudden, I heard, 'Hello, this is Rick Franks.' And then silence. It was like the king walked in. I didn't know who he was. He said, 'Joe, if you can get the nod from Blackmore, I'll put you out 164 dates a year. I'll get you the best slots on the festivals. I'll make you ‘special guest.' You name it. Blah blah blah. Because your idea of an extravaganza reunion is just perfect.'

"I wanted that reunion. I wanted a real reunion," Turner continued. "I wanted to call in [Nineties singer] Doogie White. I wanted to call in Graham Bonnet. Had [Ronnie James] Dio been alive, I would have called him in. I wanted all the ex-members to play a good two- or two-and-a-half-hour show. There's a lot of people, including my wife, who is half my age, have never seen us live. They love the records, but they never saw us live. I wanted to put something together like this. I had the go from Barry. I had the go from Rick. I was trying to convince Carole, but she's a control freak. Anyone will tell you that. And I heard from a very reliable source, an insider, a producer, exactly what she was telling him. She was telling him a bunch of lies. I got offered a wage. I went, 'A wage?' I told that to [bassist] Bob Daisley. I wanted to bring him in. He's a good friend of mine. Daisley went, 'I won't work for a wage.' I go, 'No. How could we work for a wage? We need a little percentage of this thing. Throw us a bone.'

"With that, she just nixed the whole thing," Joe added. "Candy apparently found this singer [Ronnie Romero] on YouTube, sold Ritchie on the ideas, and paid him peanuts. There was your replacement singer. Never wrote a song. And they called it RAINBOW. That's not fuckin' RAINBOW. That was a money grab. He would have made more money doing what I wanted with this production than he's ever made with her… He had BLACKMORE'S NIGHT as his band. I saw videos. There was no fire. There was nothing there. It was flat. It was pointless. He wasn't even playing well. And I came out in the press and accused him of destroying the legacy, which is true. I speak my mind."

Last September, after Turner called the latest RAINBOW lineup "a cheap" and "weak imitation" and referred to RAINBOW's post-2016 live performances as "a trainwreck", Romero took to his Instagram to share a concert photo of the most recent RAINBOW incarnation, and he included the following message: "There is so much power in our words when we are a 'public person', that we must be careful with what we say…

"I don't know and I don't care what's between The Main Man and some old ex members of the band, what happened or whatever. I'm just a normal guy who one day received the call from one of His idols to sing in the band He always dreamed of to sing… that's it. I'm pretty convinced I did my job well, (same for Jens, Bob and David, wonderful musicians) as all the feedback, appreciation and love I'm still getting in every place I go.

"I know as well you cannot be liked by everybody, but I will not tolerate to somebody to call my work 'cheap'… No Sir.

"Maybe for some guy is time to move on, as He did with other issues in His life, and to be careful to not to despise honest people who is here just working hard, as He does. At the end is all about Music, that's the only thing that counts and matter".

In response to Romero's post, Turner released a statement via his social media in which he said: "RAINBOW was an Iconic band. All the incarnations throughout the years were unique and exceptional, with one common thread that was running through it all - the highest standards of excellence, integrity and quality that Mr. Blackmore demanded from everyone and especially Himself. I learnt the most valuable lessons that I've carried forth in my own carrier and I will always be grateful to Ritchie for that. Mr. Blackmore set the bar very high for the level of creativity and performance for the whole Industry to follow, aspire and protect. He is a true Professional and Perfectionist.

"I've put blood, sweat and tears into my tenure with RAINBOW... And my opinion of the last 'incarnation' of RAINBOW is well deserved and has never changed. With or Without my personal participation, I believe that this 'reunion' could have and should have been treated with more concern and respect to the Iconic standards that Mr. Blackmore himself had established.

"A Legacy is historically about the significant achievements and accomplishments that should be preserved and treasured. For example, the re-release/re-recording of one of the biggest RAINBOW classics 'I Surrender' was a heartbreaking disappointment... And I think the reasons are more than apparent and obvious for everyone who's heard it...

"My recent interview statement never referenced any individual in particular, that was never my intention. And anyone who feels singled out is either paranoid and insecure about their own self-worth. As most of you have noticed recently, I have totally moved on and I am in the exact place and time that I want to be.

"So, I offer an important advice to those who are personally concerned with this issue - Try moving on yourself out of the shadows of those who perpetrated the originality and creativity necessary to achieve such status.

"Simply put, I believe the RAINBOW legacy deserved much better treatment and respect than it received and so did many loyal, supportive and dedicated fans who wished to see RAINBOW shine with it's brightest colors.

"This will be the last time I address this situation, as it is old, tired and completely irrelevant, being simply a product of the 'yellow press' looking for any dirt they can dig up or shine a spotlight on themselves for personal gain..."

Three years ago, Turner blasted RAINBOW's latest lineup in an interview with the "80's Glam Metalcast", saying "the RAINBOW [Ritchie] put together is nostalgic, but it is not RAINBOW. They never did an album, and all they do is these spot dates. And anybody who goes to see them, it's all over YouTube. And that's really all I've gotta say about it. If you ask me, he's cheating the public. And that wasn't my intention. So happily I go along. Ritchie is allowed to do whatever he wants to do, and so I am. And I don't need the hassle. So it's great."

According to Joe, had his idea for a RAINBOW reunion come to fruition, "it would have been unbelievable. And even people who haven't seen RAINBOW before — there's a lot of 'em that love the music and grew up on it — are still coming out and seeing RAINBOW, no matter what configuration he put together," he said. "If you look at 'Live Between The Eyes' or any of our live stuff compared to the stuff he's got on YouTube with this particular aggregation, there's no comparison. None. Our band rocked."

Joe sang on the RAINBOW album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

During Turner's time with RAINBOW, the band had its first USA chart success and recorded songs that helped define the melodic rock genre.

Joe Lynn Turner photo credit: Agata Nigrovskaya

KISS performed at Monsters Of Rock 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 22nd at Allianz Parque. Fan-filmed video of their entire show is available below. 


The setlist was as follows:


"Detroit Rock City"
"Shout It Out Loud"
"Deuce"
"War Machine"
"Heaven's on Fire"
"I Love It Loud"
"Say Yeah"
"Cold Gin"
- guitar solo -
"Lick It Up"
"Makin' Love"
"Calling Dr. Love"
"Psycho Circus"
- drum solo -
"100,000 Years" (partial)
- bass solo -
"God of Thunder"
"Love Gun" (Paul on Stage B)
"I Was Made for Lovin' You" (Paul on Stage B)
"Black Diamond"
"Beth"
"Do You Love Me"
"Rock and Roll All Nite"







KISS has announced the addition of four new dates on their final tour, The End Of The Road Tour.


Produced by Live Nation, these final runs of shows will kick off this October and now include stops in Detroit, Nashville, St. Louis and Ft. Worth before wrapping up with a massive show in the city where it all began for KISS. New York City has been a part of the band’s ethos and storyline for more than four decades, so they felt it fitting to culminate an iconic Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame worthy career on stage at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden.


Tickets will be available starting Monday, April 3, with a KISS Army pre-sale at 10 AM, local time. Additional pre-sales will be available throughout the week before the general on sale starting on Friday, April 7 at 10 AM, local time at livenation.com.



North American tour dates:


October
20 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena (New Date)
23 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena (New Date)
25 - St. Louis, MO - Enterprise Center (New Date)
27 - Ft. Worth, TX - Dickies Arena (New Date)
29 - Austin, TX - Moody Center


November
1 - Palm Springs, CA - Acrisure Arena
3 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
6 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
8 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
10 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
12 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
13 - Saskatoon, SK - SaskTel Centre
15 - Winnipeg, MB - Canada Life Centre
18 - Montreal, QC - Centre Bell
19 - Quebec, QC - Videotron Centre
21 - Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Centre
22 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
24 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson-Boling Arena
25 - Indianapolis. IN - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
27 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena
29 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena


December
1 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
2 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

In a new interview with Japanese music critic and radio personality Masa Ito of TVK's "Rock City", Lars Ulrich spoke about METALLICA's enduring appreciation for New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) — the monumental British metal and European metal movement from 1979 through 1982 — and how it continues to influence METALLICA's music to this day.

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is] a big part of the reason that METALLICA exists and it's a big part of the reason that, obviously, we're still sitting here.

"My playlists in my iPhone and the playlists in my car and the music that I listen to… Yesterday — I kid you not — I was listening to DEF LEPPARD's 'Good Morning Freedom', I was listening to HOLLOW GROUND, the single by this band HOLLOW GROUND, one of the lesser-known bands of British heavy metal, on one of my playlists in my car as I was driving to take my son to and from school and to his sports practices.

"New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is a big part of me, it's a big part of METALLICA," Lars continued. "New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is for us in METALLICA a gift that keeps on giving. And it's something that we circle and have circled in and out of forever.

"I know there's a lot of people that connect [METALLICA's recent single] 'Lux Æterna' to the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. And I can tell you and look everybody in the eye and go, that wasn't necessarily the battle cry. When we sat down, we didn't say, 'Let's write a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal type of song.' But, obviously, I can hear those connections in the song when I disconnect myself from the recording and the writing process. And, like I said, I'm always proud to fly the flag for New Wave Of British Heavy Metal at any level that I can."

A self-proclaimed NWOBHM fanatic, Ulrich spent much of his time in the early 1980s tracking down obscure recordings from his favorite groups of the era. Ten years after the NWOBHM's glory days of 1982, Ulrich took time out to put together a multi-band compilation, "'79 Revisited: New Wave Of British Heavy Metal", along with journalist Geoff Barton, whose work in the now-defunct weekly U.K. rock paper Sounds had kept Ulrich posted while he was in the States.

At METALLICA's first-ever concert, which took place on March 14, 1982 at Radio City in Anaheim, California, Ulrich, James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney ran through a nine-song set, including no less than seven NWOBHM covers: four tracks by DIAMOND HEAD and one each from BLITZKRIEG, SWEET SAVAGE and SAVAGE.

Back in 2010, Lars was asked by Australia's long-running rock station Triple M about the band that was responsible for inspiring him to launch METALLICA. Ulrich said: "It was the summer of '81 and I'd been trying to get a band off the ground in California, but not much happened, so I sort of got fed up with the whole thing.

"DIAMOND HEAD were my favorite band, and I landed at Heathrow Airport (in London) and I went down to Woolwich Odeon, it was called, which was sort of a baby Odeon; it was about the size of this room we're in here. And there they were — DIAMOND HEAD. And I brown-nosed my way backstage and got a chance to meet them afterwards. I had actually written them a couple of fan letters. I was stunned to find out that they actually knew who I was. Maybe they didn't get as much fan mail as I expected, because the letter that I had sent them were actually on their radar. But then I ended up staying with them for the better part of the rest of the summer and ended up sleeping in the singer's front room.

"A lot of these bands that came out of that period, everything about the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal that I really liked was that all these bands were really grounded. There was a relaxed atmosphere around them, it wasn't sort of... Everything that had been going on in the '70s with bands like QUEEN and PINK FLOYD and DEEP PURPLE and LED ZEPPELIN, it was all about this larger-than-life type of thing and all these bands that were so grand and so majestic and so kind of out there. And a lot of these new bands — IRON MAIDEN and DIAMOND HEAD and all these bands — they were just kids, and they had their feet very firmly planted on the ground. So, in some way, the spirit of that whole movement was about keeping it real and all those attitudes just kind of rubbed off on us and rubbed off on me and made me want to start a band and really have the fans involved and give the fans as much access as possible."

In a new interview with Spain's The Metal Circus, ex-MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about the fact that he is constantly being associated his his former band, even as he tries to launch several new musical projects, including KINGS OF THRASH and DIETH. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm always gonna be known for my work in MEGADETH. But me not being in MEGADETH is not of my choice. [Laughs] I think people are appreciative that I'm continuing to make music — at least from what I've seen. It's not like I left the band and said, 'Fuck you. I'm out.' 'Cause if I did that, and then if I was trying to start new bands, people would be, like, 'Fuck you, Ellefson. You left our favorite band. Fuck you. We don't care.' People know that that was not my decision; it's not the way I would have handled that at all.

"Clearly I'm not mad about the past," he continued. "I'm not disrespectful. I didn't just close the door on MEGADETH and say 'fuck you' and move on to something else; I didn't do that at all. I will always be an ambassador for that group and for those songs and for that music, because I'm a part of that. So I think that's the difference. I think I'm being very respectful toward it despite how my dismissal was handled. I think I've gone above and beyond being respectful. I can assure you many others would not have [laughs], but I did. At the same time, there's new music. There's a forward path. And I'm not just gonna live in my past, my glory days of the past.

"Look, I can just quit and not do any more music — to be honest with you, I could," Ellefson added. "And there are some days I think about that and go, 'Yeah, fuck all this shit. Maybe I should just stop and just fucking get rid of all my guitars and just call it a day.' I mean, there really are days I think about that. But then I turn around and I go, 'I'm gonna grab an instrument,' and I start playing. So it's that natural instinct to want to play. That's why there is another David Ellefson band. It's because I'm passionate about it and I'm honest and I'm genuine about it. I'm not forcing something. I'm certainly not doing it for the money. All these bands fucking cost me money. I put my own money back into these things."

Asked if he thinks he was "a victim of unnecessary criminalization" when he was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter, Ellefson said: "A hundred percent. Fucking a hundred percent I was. Everything about that was just not okay. [Laughs] But you can spend your life trying to get justice, trying to go down that road, and it's kind of like it always just follows you. I had some good advisors around me, and at some point, it's, like, 'Look, it is what it is. What happened, happened. Just move on.' Life is lived forward, not backward… Own your shit and move on. Which is what I did. The night that a video was put out of me that I knew nothing about, and there it was. And all of a sudden, it's, like, hey, own your shit. All right. Whatever. That happened. Move on. And don't sit there and try to go back and do some spin control or call the publicists. 'Cause that's what some people wanted to do. And I was, like, 'Fuck that.' It is what it is. Just fucking own it and move on. And I'd like to think there's more integrity in just 'own your shit and move on.' … Let that situation help you get better rather than just sit around and hate on everyone."

Shortly before Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH, he released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual "masturbating encounters" without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.) Ellefson, who lives in Scottsdale, first became aware of the video on May 9, 2021, when the claim "David Ellefson of MEGADETH is a pedophile" appeared on Instagram. Ellefson told police he was notified on May 14 by MEGADETH that the band would be parting ways with him. Three days later, he was fired.

Pressed about whether he looks back on what happened and thinks what he did was "bad", Ellefson said: "First of all, I'm entitled to a personal life, and I didn't do anything to anyone — period. And that's just the bottom line. And some people set out to really hurt me. And I don't really wanna keep digging this up, because now we're doing the very thing I'm talking, which is not digging it up. We've moved on from it. It is what it is, it was what it was, and I certainly set out to prove what it wasn't. And that's the path I took.

"I think the bigger picture here… 'Cause I think right away… Look, I came forward and [said], 'It is what it is. Sorry. It's embarrassing.' But the fact that I was discounted from my band was clearly… I think people can see, because [the announcement that I was being fired] was personally signed [by MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine]… There was other resentments and other things behind that. And I think that's what became clear. And again, I did my best to try to mend that fence and to fix that, but he didn't wanna know about it. So it is what it is.

"I have not spent the last two years walking around saying 'fuck you' and ta-da-da-da-da. If anything, hey, I wish you well. Get on with your life. If that's what it is, then it's better to go our separate ways."

Asked if he is happier now than he was before, Ellefson said: "Very much. And in fact, outside of you and me talking about this, I don't even think about MEGADETH anymore. I really don't — I don't think about it. That whole thing, to me, it's dead to me, to be honest with you."

He continued: "I wasn't unhappy before. I knew what I was walking back into when I came back to MEGADETH. I knew what I was walking back into in 2010, which is why I agreed to only go back for one month and do the 'Rust In Peace' [anniversary] tour. And essentially I saved the day, because they didn't have a bass player, and they were about ready to go play the 'Rust In Peace' album. And [then-MEGADETH drummer] Shawn Drover, who recently was under some pretty shitty attack by a certain person we know, Shawn Drover did the right thing bringing me to MEGADETH. It was the right move for the band, for the legacy, for the fans, for the 'Big Four', for everything around it. Shawn Drover is a hero to MEGADETH. And he brought me back. I agreed to do it for a month. It went well, so we agreed to go to South America. It went well. We agreed to carry on, and we just kind of took it one tour at a time. And that carried on for another 11 years. So as much as there's some recent scrutiny about I should have never been brought back… Well, apparently I should have been, and apparently I should have never been out of there in the first place. And the two times that I've not been there were not of my doing. The first [exit] was over the change of financial splits, and then the second time was clearly of something much bigger — personal grudges and resentments toward me. But that notwithstanding, I knew what I was walking back into. And we had a lot of good times. There was a lot of fun in the 11 years that I came back. Not so much in the recent years. The last couple of years were pretty shitty and pretty difficult, especially trying to make that record [MEGADETH's 2022 album 'The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!']. It was very clear I was not invited into it. I was not welcomed. Clearly Dave did not want me to be part of that story, of that album. And I knew it. So, again, I'm a big boy. I get it. I see it. So that's why when I was dismissed, it was kind of, like, 'Well, all right. Move on from that.' That's why I'm not bitter about this. Now, it didn't end the way I thought it would, but oh, well. MEGADETH's over again. Well, now what? Move on. So I'd already been down this road once before."

Ellefson added: "I think, for me, I always knew when I came back to the group that don't look for your happiness here. Enjoy it. Be thankful for it. It's gonna end. You just don't know when or how, but it will end one day, and it did. So when it happened, I was able to just kind of move on from it and get away from — again — shitty people that did shitty things to me and just kind of close all that down and move on. So I think now there's just a lot more joy in my life. I make music I like with people I like. I'm excited about it."

Mustaine — who formed MEGADETH with Ellefson in 1983 — released a statement on May 24, 2021 announcing the bassist's departure from the band. In the statement, Dave said: "We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward."

Two days after Mustaine announced Ellefson's latest departure from MEGADETH, the bassist released a follow-up statement in which he vowed to file a "defamation lawsuit" against the person who "illegally posted a very private video" of the bassist and made "false allegations" against him. He also said he was working with the police in Scottsdale "in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted the video. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Ellefson wrote. He went on to say that he was "taking this time to be with my family" and wished his "bandmates" the best with their tour.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

Auction house Sotheby's has announced that around 1,500 items from late QUEEN singer Freddie Mercury's London home will be displayed in exhibitions around the world for the first time throughout 2023, with some going up for sale in September. An estimated 1,500 items will be sold over the course of six auctions and are expected to bring in more than £6 million ($7.4 million).

In a Sotheby's press release, Mercury's close friend Mary Austin, who has cared for the items for more than 30 years at his former Garden Lodge home in upmarket Kensington, said she decided it was time to let the items go.

"For many years now, I have had the joy and privilege of living surrounded by all the wonderful things that Freddie sought out and so loved," Austin said in a statement. "But the years have passed, and the time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life.

"Freddie was an incredible and intelligent collector who showed us that there is beauty and fun and conversation to be found in everything," she added. "I hope [the upcoming events] will be an opportunity to share all the many facets of Freddie, both public and private, and for the world to understand more about, and celebrate, his unique and beautiful spirit."

When Freddie died in 1991, he left both the house and its contents to Mary, his former girlfriend and lifelong friend. For three decades, Austin kept the house and its contents almost exactly as they were when Mercury died, but she has now decided to sell the collection.

A highlight of the sale will be Freddie Mercury's handwritten working lyrics to one of QUEEN's greatest anthems, "We Are The Champions", including harmonies and chords, written across nine pages. Also available are the previously unseen working lyrics to "Killer Queen", written on a single sheet of paper in black Biro in 1974.

In an interview with BBC News, Mary said the pages of lyrics and musical notes are particularly difficult to part with. "You're looking at the process of the artist, of work in progress," she explained. "The crossings out, the rethinking, the reformatting. ... I decided that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep things back. If I was going to sell, I had to be brave and sell the lot."

In addition to draft song lyrics. the items in the sale will include: pink, star-shaped glasses similar to the dark pair Mercury wore in the music video for his band's 1977 classic "We Will Rock You"; his tiny Tiffany & Co. mustache comb; his guitar, believed to have been used to write and record "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"; the waistcoat Mercury wore in his final music video, "These Are The Days Of Our Lives", in 1991; and a Pablo Picasso linocut titled "Jacqueline Au Chapeau Noir".

David MacDonald, the head of single owner sales at Sotheby's London, said: "Freddie Mercury's collection is a manifestation of one extraordinary man's creativity, taste and unerring eye for beauty, presenting so much more than just an exquisite selection of the very best examples by artists across centuries and countries. Like a Russian doll, Garden Lodge has revealed its layers of treasures over recent months, with the rich tapestry of objects we have discovered there taking us all on a glorious adventure through his imagination. Opening the door to the very special place that was Freddie Mercury's home offers us the ultimate backstage pass into his world."

The exhibition with Mercury's items will head to Sotheby's New York in June, then visit Sotheby's Los Angeles and Sotheby's Hong Kong, before returning to London. The Sotheby's London gallery with Mercury's collection will open on August 4 and close on what would have been his 77th birthday on September 5.

Following the exhibition, there will be a live sale on September 6, in which the most significant items from his collection will be sold, followed by six auctions with various themes: "On Stage," "At Home," "In Love with Japan," "Crazy Little Things" Part One and "Crazy Little Things" Part Two.

Austin will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sales to HIV/AIDS charities the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John Aids Foundation.

During an appearance on "Put Up Your Dukes", the podcast hosted by ex-EXODUS singer Rob Dukes, former MACHINE HEAD and current VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel reflected on his audition for the lead-singer position in SEPULTURA when Max Cavalera quit the latter band in 1996. Speaking about how his audition came about, Demmel said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had kind of quit music [at that point]. I was married with my first wife, just being young and dumb. I had a great job, I was in the union and was snowboarding and golfing and playing basketball three times a week. I was just doing that and kind of stepped out of music. So that came up. And it was, like, 'Yeah.' 'Cause I had done [a band called] TORQUE and I had been singing and playing and was used to that. I think that they [SEPULTURA] already had [found] Derrick [Green] and it was already a done deal [that he was going to be in the band]. But it was a good experience to get in and write lyrics over one of their original songs and make up my own phrasing and go in and sing it. So it was a good experience nonetheless… James Murphy [former TESTAMENT and DEATH guitarist] recorded me [at his studio]. I think it's on YouTube somewhere. It's not that good, man. It's so mid-'90s. I think the tune changed a little bit, too. It was a song called 'Choke' that was on that first record [1998's 'Against'] with Derrick."

Regarding the style of vocals he used for his SEPULTURA audition, Demmel previously told Rock Talks: "It was kind of raspy, kind of Chuck Billy [TESTAMENT] a little bit. If you listen to the TORQUE record — if you just pull up the TORQUE record on Spotify or iTunes or whatever — you'll have an idea. I did a whole record with me singing. [It's] the same voice."

In a March 2022 interview with Rocking With Jam Man, TESTAMENT's Chuck Billy, who also auditioned for SEPULTURA, was asked if he was disappointed when he didn't get the gig. Chuck replied: "No, 'cause TESTAMENT wouldn't be TESTAMENT. We wouldn't be able to write the records that we did — 'The Gathering' and all the great records of music. And the reunion of our original band wouldn't have happened.

"When I did the audition, I was too late; they already selected Derrick as the singer," he explained. "So that was a good thing. 'Cause if I would have got that gig, things would have been different for TESTAMENT."

Asked if he wishes that he had gotten the SEPULTURA job or if he likes how things turned out, Chuck said: "I like how it turned out, but at the time I wanted it to happen because music was up in the air; [TESTAMENT] was broken up; everything was changing; the music climate was changing. So I thought back when I auditioned that I wanted something secure — I wanted a security. And to me, finding a band that had something established is what I thought I wanted. Luckily, I didn't get it. Things would have been much different for me if I would have still been in SEPULTURA."

Pressed about whether he would have liked to have joined SEPULTURA if TESTAMENT had ended completely, Chuck said: "In a sense, but looking back now, I don't know. I mean, every band has their hardships and up and downs, so I don't know if I would have got into the band and then we would have hit a stone wall and had hardships there. I probably wouldn't have been in the band. I probably would have left the band. And who knows what I would have done."

Billy previously discussed his SEPULTURA audition in a 2016 interview with Eonmusic. At the time, he said: "Yeah, around that time was right before [TESTAMENT made] the 'Demonic' record, so we had finished our Atlantic [Records] contract, and we were shopping for a new deal. We didn't really have a deal yet, and at the last minute, I just said, 'You know what? Maybe I should try to find a band that's solid, that's going to keep touring and continue on,' and at that point, SEPULTURA was taking auditions, and I think it was at the end [of the audition process] that I decided, 'Screw it, I'm going to do it.' I think I did three songs; I did 'Refuse/Resist', I did 'Territory', and I wrote my version of 'Choke', and gave it to them. But by the time I had delivered, they had already made their decision for [the appointment of new singer] Derrick [Green], which in the end, was probably the way it all should have worked out."

Asked if it would have been a strange feeling to be performing with a new bunch of guys after playing with the same band for most of his career, Chuck said: "It would have been, yeah. I don't know if I was really prepared, and if they would have said, 'Okay, you're in,' I would have said, 'Well, let me think about that!' I don't know what I would have done. I just did it on the spur of the moment, like, 'Fuck it! What have I got to lose?!'"

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser spoke about Billy's audition for the band during a 2015 appearance on "The Jasta Show". He said: "Chuck [laid down his vocals over] the [demo version of a then-new SEPULTURA song called] 'Choke' … Because we sent the instrumental [version] of a new song [to prospective singers to record their vocals over]. We didn't want anyone to sing 'Roots [Bloody Roots]' or 'Refuse/Resist', because we didn't want a clone. We wanted somebody to bring new ideas, to bring SEPULTURA to a different path, to a different level. And Chuck Billy, he did… He used more of the guttural [vocal style on his audition tape]. And it works. Because, recently, we did a 'Metal Allegiance' jam at NAMM in Los Angeles, and we played some SEPULTURA stuff with Chuck Billy singing, and it was great, man — it was great. So he did a great job. But, you know, he's Chuck Billy; he's TESTAMENT. We wanted somebody new."

A two-minute snippet of Chuck Billy's SEPULTURA audition tape can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

David Coverdale says that WHITESNAKE has never used backing tracks during the band's concerts.

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

Coverdale addressed some rock acts' reliance on pre-recorded tracks in a new interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane McEachern". Asked for his opinion on singers who use backing tracks for their lead vocals, the WHITESNAKE vocalist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that's happening a lot, unfortunately. But that's somebody's choice. That doesn't happen with us.

"I remember years ago somebody who should have known better had made a remark that they were shocked to see us using tapes," he continued. "This is many, many years ago. And nobody could be further from the fucking truth. Are you kidding? My band are great players and great singers — simple fact. But it got so ridiculous, how it does with the viral Internet, we invited journalists to come and stand at the front of house and see that everything that was going on is live.

"But that is WHITESNAKE," David added. "And I've gotta tell you, you're getting live, wherever you are. Good or bad, it's live. There's never been a consideration of tapes. But I do know a lot of my contemporaries embrace that. And good luck to them. It's not interesting to me.

"Listen, even when I'm making promo videos, I'm singing my nuts off. I can't pretend," he said.

Back in 2009, legendary vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) told Spain's The Metal Circus that he "heard on the Internet that David Coverdale was using all kinds of tapes. Well, I was in Finland [in June 2008] with Graham Bonnet and we were on the same festival [Sauna Open Air] as WHITESNAKE, and I couldn't believe he was using these tapes — for lead singing," he said. "Not just backgrounds, but lead! And I was... My mouth was open. I was like, 'What the fuck, David?! You can't do this. You look so stupid, so foolish.' And everyone is complaining about this. No, I'm singing live. This is what you get; that's it. . . I'm not trying to talk shit... This is true. Everybody sees this. . . I couldn't believe it, because he [David] was always one of my favorite singers. To use tapes for a lead vocal... I can understand backgrounds if the [rest of the bandmembers] don't sing. But for lead?! You've gotta be kidding."

Coverdale later fiercely denied Turner's allegations that the WHITESNAKE frontman lip-synced to pre-recorded tapes of vocals in concert, calling Joe's claims "absolute balderdash."

Coverdale told Classic Rock magazine: "I have no idea what the hell the daft bugger's talking about. I do not, have not and will not use tapes of my voice to mime in concert. My band and I perform and sing live in concert. Yeah… we're that fucking good! What a total prick."

Coverdale continued: "We had these rumors in Germany [in 2008] while we were on tour with ALICE COOPER and we actually had a journo sit out at the front-of-house mix to verify the rumors were unfounded.

"It's strange… this started on the Internet [in 2008] in Spain, then again in Germany. It persisted so much that SPV, my record company, proposed we get a 'regarded German journalist' to witness and report on the show, so we did.

"I'm not sure what you can do when something like this does the rounds. I'm still dealing with the 'Is it true you're joining VAN HALEN' rumors from years ago.

"If this continues, I'll get a some of my professional associates to make statements about this nonsense," he added.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During an appearance on a recent episode of the "Saint" podcast, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie, who celebrated his 33rd wedding anniversary to his high school sweetheart last September, spoke about his secret to a happy, loving marriage. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been married — it'll be 34 years in September. And then we went out for nine before that. But we broke up, like, three or four times.

"She's been through it," he continued. "And I've always said, if you're gonna get into the music industry, whether you're a girl or a guy, your partner better be strong — completely independent — because if they're not, it's not gonna last. And I've seen so many marriages break up. And here's the crazy thing — in [DREAM THEATER], everyone's still married [to their longtime wives]."

LaBrie elaborated on the challenges facing partners of touring musicians, saying: "At the beginning of it, it's exciting, but then they go, 'Oh, okay, now it's the third world tour they're about to start and embark on, so he's gonna be gone again four or five weeks at a time,' or 'She's gonna be gone four or five weeks at a time.' And I think on the partner, it's just, like, 'Oh my God. It's either you're here 24-7 or you're gone.'

"It's a different world — for sure it is," he continued. "But I think, too, being in an industry like this, or any kind of business that takes you away, makes you appreciate all the things that you do have, especially the simple things. Like just getting up, going downstairs and having a cup of coffee and sitting in your living room and having a conversation. I think we get too stuck in a rut. It's, like, like, 'Oh, same old, same old.' Well, go away for a bit. Not that everybody has that luxury, but flip it up and then come back and then you're going, 'Wait a minute. This is a good thing that I've got going on here.'"

LaBrie previously discussed his marriage this past January in an interview with "The Mistress Carrie Podcast". At the time, he said: "As far as keeping a marriage together, it's all about compromise. It's all about understanding. It's all about — definitely one hundred percent, first and foremost — respect. You have to respect one another and appreciate one another. And, yeah, you're gonna go through your lows and your highs. Everyone has these moments of… Or even consternation I can think of, where you're, like, 'What the hell is going on here?' But I would say that those points are the most important. You have to be willing to compromise. You have to be willing to be extremely understanding, respectful, compassionate and caring, considerate."

Asked if keeping a band together is harder than keeping a marriage together, James told "The Mistress Carrie Podcast": "Once again, it comes down to the individuals, their personalities. And I've said this several times in a lot of interviews. I've said you've gotta think about when you are married, that's one person that you're dealing with and that you want to get to know intimately, and through the years you do — I would hope you do. But I said, with bandmembers, however many bandmembers you have, that's how many people you have to figure out and you have to come to an understanding. Because we all have our idiosyncrasies; we all have our good points and our bad points. And it's a little bit of a whirlwind. And I think that's why a lot of bands don't stand the test of time, is because we're all coming from a different place, and at times you have some huge frickin' head banging going on. And it's not behind the sense of the song; it's just these personality conflicts. And then you're also in a creative environment. So that in itself is a very sensitive situation to be in. And you have to be respectful and at times very diplomatic. Because if you don't like something that somebody's presenting, you don't just go, 'Dude, that sucks.' So you have to be, 'No. You know what? I'm not hearing it. I don't feel it. I'm sorry. Can we try another angle? Can we approach that a little differently? Let's kind of twist and bend it, or whatever, to get around it.' Because, yeah, it's just difficult.

"I would definitely say that… band… I think with marriage, I would hope that you're worried about the repercussions if you don't smarten up," James added. "With band, yeah, there are repercussions, but at the end of the day, if you can't really stand being around that person, you do have the option to [walk away]."

DREAM THEATER won its first-ever Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which was held in April 2022 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. DREAM THEATER was nominated for "The Alien", a track from its 2021 album "A View From The Top Of The World". DREAM THEATER's previous Grammy nominations were for the song "On The Backs Of Angels", from 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album, and the single "The Enemy Inside" from 2013's "Dream Theater".

"A View From The Top Of The World" was described in a press released as "DREAM THEATER at its musical finest, expanding on the sound they helped create while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe." The seven-song album also marked the second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, engineered and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap.

Los Angeles' Krashkarma can easily be described as one of metal’s most accomplished duos. With an impressive track record, which includes over 3 million views on their YouTube channel, over 100,000 followers on Facebook and more than 600 shows performed around the globe, the band is ready to unveil new material with their sixth studio album, entitled Falling To Pieces, coming June 2023 via Rockshots Records.


Looking behind the facts and figures, the band is one of the only few metal duos with a female drummer and vocalist, and a single guitarist/bassist. From behind the drum kit the energetic Niki Skistimas keeps the rhythm rock-tight as she delivers her seductively-charged vocals; meanwhile, guitarist/bassist and co-vocalist Ralf Dietel brings the material to life with his unique Frankenstein guitar/bass creation. Never before have two people created a sound so immense yet so vibrant.


For the new full-length, the duo wrote and recorded at Karma Kollective Studios in North Hollywood, California along with Ralf Dietel taking on producing, mixing, and mastering plus artwork duties. They are a self-producing duo that can be considered a jack of all trades when it comes to everything from creating to presenting their music.




A representation of the universal human experience, where the blending of differences creates something extraordinary, Krashkarma is intense, raw, dynamic, and electrifying. Featuring 12 tracks, Falling To Pieces is a story that will take fans on a journey from start to finish. From the thunderous drum intro and heart-wrenching scream pouring out of Niki Skistimas' whole being, it sets the stage for what's to come. From there, the album takes you on a wild ride! Krashkarma has put a lot of effort into crafting a narrative that's both compelling and epic, with each song building on the last to create a cohesive whole. Along the way, listeners will encounter soaring melodies, crushing riffs, and blistering solos over hammering grooves interplaying with the vocal harmonies between Niki and Ralf that Krashkarma is known for.


"Our fans will absolutely love our new album. It's heavier and better than anything we've ever done before. We are confident that they will be blown away by it. There are all the elements that make our sound our own. Ralf really dove into utilizing every resource available to him to write the most creative riffs and bass lines possible on his prototype guitar/bass instrument, Ms. Frankenstein. We wanted the sound on the record to be as close to how we will play it live as possible and kept that in mind in the recording process. Our fans know we love a good melody and any opportunity to chant together, so there will be plenty of that as well. All the songs represent a significant moment in time for us and we're excited to share them with the world," adds drummer/vocalist Niki Skistimas.


Today, the duo presents their first single and the album's title track, accompanied by a music video. The song's riff is reminiscent of the band In Flames. It starts with a hard-hitting intro, followed by a short half-time verse, and then ends in a bittersweet chorus. When the duo is on tour in the US, they often drive long distances at night and to stay awake, they like to listen to Melo-Death Metal, and that has left its mark on them.





The band adds about the track: "'Falling To Pieces' starts off with a melodic heavy riff and within 60 seconds it showcases all the elements that create the monster known as Krashkarma. The lyrics describe the feeling of being lost in darkness, with the protagonist floating somewhere between the stars. They feel like they are slowly falling apart and that their darkness is growing. Like a sense of falling over the edge and being unable to turn back, with the gravity that once held them down no longer working. The song ends with crossing over into the unknown and fading away, like a star in the sky."


Stream / download the digital single here.


Krashkarma's Falling To Pieces is out June 23, 2023, and is available to pre-order at this location.





Tracklisting:


"Falling To Pieces" 
"15 Minutes Of Pain" 
"Survive The Afterlife" 
"Tap Dancing Through Minefields" 
"Last Rites" 
"Voodoo Devil Drums" 
"How God Lost Her Virginity" 
"Orphans In Zombieland" 
"Shut Up" 
"Fireball" 
"Monsters Exit The Hopeless" 
"Before The World Moved On"


Catch Krashkarma live on the Falling To Pieces World Tour:





 

At a time when cultural innovation is being side-lined like never before and many unusual forms of music are succumbing to the temptation of the more commercially lucrative mainstream, Virgin Steele are the shining silver lining.


For over 40 years, mastermind David DeFeis has kept one of the most imaginative bands in the power metal genre on track with his excellent songwriting and charismatic voice. At the same time, DeFeis has never stopped evolving as a composer, musician and producer, updating his symphonic-tinged sound with exciting new influences. He has already accomplished this many times over with classics like Invictus (1998), The House Of Atreus I & II (1999/2000) and Visions Of Eden (2006).


With his current album, The Passion Of Dionysus, DeFeis surpasses himself in his unbridled creativity. Eight years after the acclaimed studio opus, Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation (2015), DeFeis’ brilliant signature maneuvers the album through a gripping parable about control and freedom, creating another highlight of the Virgin Steele catalog.




As usual, David DeFeis has chosen a downright epic theme that delves deep into the annals of human history, while maintaining a concrete reference to the present: "The album deals with the concept of duality. Where something is both one thing and its opposite simultaneously“, he explains about the underlying message of the new record. "It obviously has to do with Dionysus and, as the title suggests, his “Passion” or suffering, and his coming to Thebes to avenge the slander of his mother, as well as punish the King of Thebes for denying his worship there. But that being said, more is going on.“


On The Passion Of Dionysus, DeFeis tells the epic struggle between the twin forces of control/restraint and freedom/release, as well as dealing with the question of “whether or not there is room in society for the irrational, the wild, the letting-go aspects of ourselves.”


There is no doubt that David DeFeis is not only an ingenious composer and musician, but also a true visionary who – with his band – has the perfect medium at his disposal to evolve both humanly and culturally: "I see Virgin Steele as a way of life. The band is my vehicle with which I traverse vast oceans of experience. We are always doing things our own way, on our own specific terms.“


Looking at the grandiose The Passion Of Dionysus, it’s no wonder at all that his fans accept this approach unconditionally!


The Passion Of Dionysus will be released worldwide on June 30 via SPV/Steamhammer in the following formats:


- CD DigiPak (incl. poster and 24 pages booklet)
- 2LP Gatefold (in purple-violet vinyl), CD/LP bundle with shirt (only at the Steamhammer Shop)
- Download and Stream


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"The Gethsemane Effect"
"You'll Never See The Sun Again"
"A Song Of Possession"
"The Ritual Of Descent"
"Spiritual Warfare"
"Black Earth & Blood"
"The Passion Of Dionysus"
"To Bind & Kill A God"
"Unio Mystica"
"I Will Fear No Man For I Am A God"


Virgin Steele is:


David DeFeis - vocals, keyboards, bass and orchestrations
Edward Pursino - 6-string guitar
Josh Block - 7-string guitar