Mandatory Metallica, METALLICA's exclusive SiriusXM channel, is back for a limited time in celebration of the band's upcoming album, "72 Seasons".

The channel kicked off today (April 4) and will run through May 3 and is available to SiriusXM subscribers nationwide in their cars (channel 105) and on the SXM app.

SiriusXM's Mandatory Metallica features the rock great's ferocious, heavy music, including their remasters, demos, alternate mixes, live concerts, and favorite songs by other artists. Additionally, tune in from April 14 at 3 a.m. EDT through April 16 to hear a special simulcast on both Mandatory Metallica and Liquid Metal (Ch. 40) for the release of "72 Seasons", METALLICA's highly anticipated 11th studio album, due out April 14.

Listeners can tune in to METALLICA members James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo deliver an exclusive track-by-track special about "72 Seasons" featuring commentary about each song on Mandatory Metallica. Both Hetfield and Trujillo will also share their music they grew up listening to in special guest DJ sets in honor of "72 Seasons", the title of which refers to how the first 72 seasons (or 18 years) of your life shape who you are. Additionally, a new Lars Ulrich interview will premiere today on the channel.

Speaking about what METALLICA means to him, Ulrich said in one of the clips: "To me, the best part of it is just one of the main parts of the METALLICA experience, which is the community and the collective experience and just sharing.

"I was an only kid growing up," he continued. "I listened to most of my music in my early years by myself. But then you started hanging with your buddies and just sharing those musical experiences. And the reason I wanted to be in a band was to play music and share music with other like-minded people like myself. So being in a band, being out there and playing and playing shows, it's all about that communal experience, trying to break down that barricade, that physical barricade between the band and the audience and just trying to make us all one. And so in METALLICA, that's one of our M.O.s, is just to try to figure out how to sort of get everybody together and share."

Referencing the fact that METALLICA and Trafalgar Releasing will hold a worldwide "72 Seasons" listening party for one night only on Thursday, April 13 when the full album will be played in full in pummeling surround sound exclusively for cinema audiences worldwide, Lars said: "Neighborhood movie theaters, new tunes, the new album. Here we go. So April 13th, strap yourself in. And [I] hope you guys dig it. And we've got some videos and some visuals to go along with the tunes. So there'll be something obviously up on the screen also. So it'll be hopefully fun for everybody. And once again, the key thing is just that the room will be full of — hopefully full of — METALLICA diehard fans in your neighborhood and your community to share this experience with. So we think that's super cool."

Asked what his favorite METALLICA songs are to play live, Lars said: "I have a few favorites from where I'm sitting. 'Sad But True' is a particular favorite of mine. I love the feel of that song and the kind of the stomp and the size of it. You know, it's a song for me that I play pretty much different every [time]. There's some of the songs that are really rigid and some of the other songs that are a little more freeform. 'Sad But True' falls kind of on the far end of the freeform scale; every night [I] play sort of different drum fills and push, pull, all that stuff. So that one I love playing. I love playing 'Welcome Home (Sanitarium)', which also subscribes a little bit to the same kind of [approach]; I don't think I ever play it the same way twice. So those are fun. Those are the first two that come to mind."

Broadcast schedules for interviews and specials below.

Lars Ulrich interview (hosted by Shannon Gunz):

Tuesday, April 4 @ 5 p.m. EDT / 2 p.m. PDT
Wednesday, April 5 @ 12 p.m. EDT /9 a.m. PDT
Thursday, April 6 @ 8 p.m. EDT /5 p.m. PDT
Friday, April 7 @ 2 p.m. EDT /11 a.m. PDT

James Hetfield first "72 Seasons" guest DJ s p.m. EDT cial:

Friday, April 7 @ 12 p.m. EDT / 9 a.m. PDT
Saturday, April 8 @ 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT
Sunday, April 9 @ 3 p.m. EDT /12 p.m. PDT
Monday, April 10 @ 9 a.m. EDT /6 a.m. PDT
Tuesday, April 11 @ 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT
Wednesday, April 12 @ 9 p.m. EDT /6 p.m. PDT
Thursday, April 13 @ 12 p.m. EDT /9 a.m. PDT

METALLICA"72 Seasons" track-by-track special hosted by James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo:

Friday, April 14 @ 7 a.m. EDT /4 a.m. PDT, 1 p.m. EDT /10 a.m. PDT, 9 p.m. EDT /6 p.m. PDT
Saturday, April 15 @ 4 p.m. EDT /1 p.m. PDT, 11 p.m. EDT /8 p.m. PDT
Sunday, April 16 @ 10 a.m. EDT /7 a.m. PDT, 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT

Robert Trujillo first "72 Seasons" guest DJ special:

Friday, April 21 @ 12 p.m. EDT /9 a.m. PDT
Saturday, April 22 @ 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT
Sunday, April 23 @ 3 p.m. EDT /12 p.m. PDT
Monday, April 24 @ 9 a.m. EDT /6 a.m. PDT
Tuesday, April 25 @ 6 p.m. EDT /3 p.m. PDT
Wednesday, April 26 @ 9 p.m. EDT /6 p.m. PDT
Thursday, April 27 @ 12 p.m. EDT /9 a.m. PDT

WINGER has released the official music video for its latest single, "It All Comes Back Around". The track is taken from the band's upcoming seventh studio album, "Seven" which is due on May 5 via Frontiers Music Srl. The 12-track album was produced by WINGER frontman Kip Winger and recorded in Nashville.

In January, WINGER shot music videos for three of the songs from "Seven", including "It All Comes Back Around" and the previously released "Proud Desperado".

As with "Proud Desperado", the "It All Comes Back Around" clip was filmed in Nashville and directed by Jack Sawyers.

Three months ago, WINGER guitarist John Roth told Sam Wall about the band's upcoming LP: "[There's] 12 songs on the album. One song's a pretty big surprise.

"To me at least, there's always a song on a WINGER album that comes at you from left field," he explained. "Like on 'Karma', we did a blues song — Kip [Winger, WINGER frontman] and I co-wrote a song called 'After All This Time'. On 'Better Days Comin'', the title track, 'Better Days Comin'', it's kind of funky and it's fun and it's different for WINGER; WINGER's a pretty heavier, darker, metal-ish kind of band. So there's a song on this album that's very different for the band, which is cool.

"It's meticulously produced and recorded, [with] tons of layers of background vocals," he added. "It's heavier lyrically, maybe. All of WINGER's records have a heavier overtone, because the guitars are tuned low; it's just more aggressive. And there's a little bit of a progressive flair on one of the songs. But I think people are gonna really enjoy the album. I hope it's well received."

Roth also spoke in more detail about the WINGER songwriting process, saying: "Well, Kip and Reb [Beach, guitar] are the primary songwriters of the band; they are the nucleus. But I did co-write one song on this album with Kip.

"With WINGER, it normally starts [as] the musical idea. A lot of people write from lyrics and melodies. Most of the songs I write, I have a melody or a lyric which is like the nucleus or the starting point for a song. But with WINGER, it's a riff, it's a musical idea.

"I remember when I was first co-writing with Kip on some songs on 'Better Days Comin'', we're not demoing the songs. We're writing 'em; we're recording the actual songs," he explained. "So, I'm looking at him, going, 'How do you know that you just want one more bar here?' He's, like, 'I hear where I wanna go with the lyrics.' And I'm, like, ''Cause you're making a lot of really big-time decisions for the arrangement,' and we're recording final guitar parts and the lyrics have to revolve around it.

"So everything starts with the music with WINGER," Roth added. "But as the songs are being written and the riffs are coming about, the melodies are in Kip's head. Kip's the maestro, you know? He's the maestro of the band. So he's thinking as we're writing — what the melodies are gonna [be], how they're gonna work around the riffs, and inevitably making final judgment calls on the arrangement as we're cutting the songs. [It] used to be you'd demo songs. You'd demo a song out, and sometimes you couldn't beat the demo. You'd be, like, 'There's a magic on the demo we cannot beat.' So WINGER really doesn't have that problem anymore 'cause as we're writing the songs, we're cutting the final parts."

Asked if he enjoys working that way, Roth said: "I like it. I like it, 'cause stuff moves fast. It's quick. It's exciting. Because a song can sit there when you're layering parts on a song for months at a time. It can get a little bit too thought out, you know what I mean? So when you're writing and you're creating the song, the final [album version], when you're writing [and recording it] instead of coming up with the demo [first], it's exciting. Things move fast."

WINGER's next LP will be the follow-up to 2014's "Better Days Comin'".

In December 2020, Beach described the new WINGER material to the 213Rock Podcast by saying: "It's WINGER — heavy riffs with big vocals. Very catchy songs and very heavy stuff — very progressive."

A month earlier, Beach told the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast that he and Kip had initially pieced together ideas for 11 tracks for WINGER's next album, but that Kip "threw away six of 'em, saying that this has to be like the first BOSTON record where every song is undeniable. And he just wants it to be progressive and like nothing he's hard before," he said. "I brought him these riffs that are just straight-ahead rock riffs, and he said, 'I already know what the next three chords are gonna be after I've heard three chords.'

"We're going for something that's poppy and sing-along stuff yet cool, heavy, progressive riffs — kind of like [2009's] 'Karma'," Reb explained. "That's what we're going for."

WINGER will hit the road beginning with a U.K. tour with STEEL PANTHER in May, followed by a U.S tour with the Tom Keifer in June. Additionally, the band will play a number of headlining shows throughout the summer.

In the spring of 2020, WINGER invited artists, friends and fans — including Alice Cooper and members of SCORPIONS, STEELHEART and WARRANT — to sing along to "Better Days Comin'", the title track of the band's sixth studio album. An official music video for the new version of the song was made available in late April of that year.

WINGER formed in the late 1980s and soared to immediate success with its 1988 self-titled release. The album spawned the hit singles "Seventeen" and "Headed For A Heartbreak" and achieved platinum sales status. "Winger" also stayed on The Billboard 200 chart for over 60 weeks where it peaked at #21. Their next album, "In The Heart Of The Young", also achieved platinum status behind the singles "Can't Get Enuff" and "Miles Away". The change in musical climate of the mid-'90s, compounded with unprovoked ridicule on MTV's popular "Beavis And Butt-Head" show, led the band to go on hiatus in 1994. In 2001, WINGER reunited and has not looked back since. Kip also earned a 2016 Grammy nomination for the classical album "C.F. Kip Winger: Conversations With Nijinsky", recorded with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra.

The Jamie Frolick YouTube channel has uploaded video of FEAR FACTORY's April 2 concert at EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It marked FEAR FACTORY's 29th show with new singer Milo Silvestro and touring drummer Pete Webber as part of the "Rise Of The Machine" tour as the support act for STATIC-X.

The Italian-born Silvestro recently joined FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for the band's original singer Burton C. Bell.

Webber is filling in for FEAR FACTORY's longtime drummer Mike Heller who is unable to make the trek due to "scheduling conflicts."

FEAR FACTORY's setlist for the Green Bay concert was as follows:

01. Shock
02. Edgecrusher
03. Disruptor
04. Dielectric
05. Powershifter
06. What Will Become?
07. Archetype
08. Demanufacture
09. Zero Signal
10. Replica

The 42-date North American trek also features DOPE as well as select dates with MUSHROOMHEAD and TWIZTID.

In a recent interview with Revolver, conducted prior to the start of the tour, Silvestro was asked if he was feeling nervous about taking the stage as the singer of FEAR FACTORY. He responded: "Yes, a little bit, but I always thought that being nervous is part of the game. My dad always told me, the moment that you're not scared of going onstage, you better quit music. I think it's supposed to be a really emotional thing, an emotional [moment in] your life. Also, the fact that it's my very first tour experience, my very first FEAR FACTORY experience, my first huge [musical] experience in general, of course that makes me a little bit nervous. But the good thing is that Dino [Cazares, FEAR FACTORY guitarist] and also the fans, fortunately enough, are making me really comfortable. I want to say thanks to them because they've been amazing. You're always scared about the hating, the negative comments and stuff, which I started seeing because my name had been leaking even before [I got the job] because of the [vocal] covers [I put on YouTube]. People were like, 'Oh, this guy is really good, so maybe it could be him.' Some haters started popping up: 'Oh, he's fucking garbage.' At first I was a little bit scared — and of course Dino had been preparing me for a long time. 'Be prepared. Either in a good or bad way, it's going to be a shitstorm.' But fortunately enough, [when] the announcement came out, [the reaction] was 99.9 percent positive. The negative comments were mostly about [how] this band without [the] previous singer is not FEAR FACTORY anymore. They just need to change the name, blah, blah, blah. Maybe one or two guys were like, 'I don't like him. He sucks.' But nothing that big to fuck with my brain or make me insecure. I was really happy to see literally thousands of people — either friends of mine, people that I know from Italy and totally unknown FEAR FACTORY fans — going, 'Welcome to the family, dude.' It was a really amazing love showering. I'm so thankful and so humbled for that."

Asked how he planned to win those skeptical fans over, Milo said: "I get that certain people are skeptical, because as a fan of music, as a metalhead and a fan of music in general, I know that metal fans are so dedicated, so crazy about their music, which is a good thing. It's almost like a religion. When your favorite band changes singers or a guitar player or whatever, you can feel a little bit sad about it. It can be hard to move on. I had favorite bands of mine that changed either singers or drummers. Maybe I was so affectionate to the style of that musician, and then I had a hard time moving on. But then once I found myself in this position of being the actual guy that is replacing the previous one, now I realize even more that, yeah, sometimes it can be tough for a fan. But it's just something that you either get over, or you don't care about the band anymore.

"What I want to say to [the doubters] is, I know you're skeptical, and it's totally understandable because the FEAR FACTORY vocal legacy is so iconic. The vocals were so identifiable and iconic and it's like replacing James Hetfield in METALLICA. What I want to say is that it's okay to be skeptical, but we are making sure that we're going to do this right. ... I've been working hard these past three years on the vocal style to make sure even the small nuances [are accounted for], how [Bell] pronounced certain things, how he goes from that note to that other note, how he pronounced certain screamed words. Also, from a vocal effects standpoint, we're making sure that everything sounds exactly like the record. I brought a bunch of effects, which I'm a bit of a freak about because I also run a studio. I like to tweak some shit, so I brought them a bunch of shit. Dino, at first, was like, 'What the fuck is this?,' but then he was like, 'Okay.' I was like, 'What if we recreate some of the vocal effects on the record, the beautiful delays which are parts of the vocal legacy?' Songs like 'Self Bias Resistor', the beautiful chorus has got a lot of deeper delay. That's part of the vocal sound. That's also what makes FEAR FACTORY's trademark sound."

Earlier in the month, Cazares told "The Jasta Show" about the band's vocalist search: "A lot of females stepped up. And there was definitely some females in the top five that I almost chose. But it did take a long process for me to find somebody. I was touring with SOULFLY [as a session guitarist] around late 2021 up till recently. And in that process I was looking for singers, and I was very meticulous, because I know how important it is for FEAR FACTORY fans that I pick the right guy. And I believe, and I know that I got the right dude. So I'm very happy [about] that."

Cazares went on to say that he "definitely" considered "guys [who] were in other bands" but that he thought "there would be a lot of scheduling conflicts, if the guy is in another band, and then we wouldn't be able to tour as much. What it somebody wanted us to do something like the Milwaukee Metal Fest, I wouldn't be able to do it because the singer has another gig somewhere else," Cazares explained. "So I wanted a guy who was fresh off the boat, new-school guy. I like discovering new talent. There's a lot of talented people out there, and they just never get the shot. So I wanted to give kind of an unknown guy a shot, or an unknown person a shot."

Dino previously told RichardMetalFan that he wasn't "afraid" of replacing someone like Bell. "I've been there before," he said. "I'm ready to move on forward. I look forward to it. I think it's gonna be fucking ripping. It's gonna be killer. I'm gonna put out some more heavy shit. So I don't think anybody needs to worry. The vocalist I got is amazing. He's younger; he's in his mid-30s. He's at his vocal peak, I think. He's there and ready to go."

In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside Heller.

In a new interview with Australia's Silver Tiger Media, ex-ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider spoke about what it has been like to work again with his former ACCEPT bandmate Peter Baltes on U.D.O.'s recent tours. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, [Peter] was helping us out on [U.D.O.'s] European tour and South America. Our [previous] bass player Tilen [Hudrap], he had a serious health problem. He was collapsing in Munich at a show [last September]. And then for us, it was, like, 'What can we do? Stop the tour or try to get a [new] bass player?' I was already in contact with Peter. I did together with him a classic album with the German armed forces, and we did [the] DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG [project], so I was in contact with Peter. Then I called him and said, 'Peter, I have a problem — a serious problem. I need a bass player. And maybe can you help us out?' And then he said, 'Yeah, okay. Give me one day.' And then he said, 'Yeah, I'll do this.' And it was a lot of work for him to do all these U.D.O. songs. And then he said, 'Yeah, I'll help you out, as long as you're looking for a new bass player.' But we will see. I get the feeling that he wants to join the band. And he had so much fun. He said, 'Wow. This is great. I have so much fun with this band. It's really nice.' We will see."

Udo went on to say that he is "happy" to be playing with Peter again.

"Peter is a great bass player — for me, one of the best in heavy metal," Dirkschneider said. "He's a legend. And of course, I worked with him for a very long time together. He's a good singer, he's a good songwriter. Maybe we will see what the future will bring. So, you never know."

Udo also touched upon the fact that the current lineup of ACCEPT only features guitarist Wolf Hoffmann from the band's original incarnation.

"I don't wanna say anything wrong, but I think now we [in U.D.O.] are more ACCEPT than ACCEPT is at the moment," he said. "There's only one [original ACCEPT member] left [in ACCEPT]; that's Wolf Hoffmann. So, [it's] interesting — yeah, very interesting."

Three years ago, Baltes and former ACCEPT drummer Stefan Kaufmann were part of the songwriting team for U.D.O.'s album called "We Are One", a collaboration with Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr, the military band of the German federal armed forces.

Earlier this month, Baltes said that he was "extremely unhappy" toward the end of his four-decade tenure with ACCEPT. The 64-year-old German-born musician discussed his decision to leave ACCEPT in an interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music. He said: "The statement that came from the band literally five minutes after I announced that I'm leaving [back in November 2018], that I wanna spend more time with my family, well, that wasn't true. No, no. I was extremely unhappy. And I found out a few things. I'd been in the band forever, and I found out in the end, in this incarnation of ACCEPT, I wasn't even really a member; I was a hired gun. And it's these things that come out where you don't have any input, insight, and you start getting bitter. And there's no reason to, but somebody else's ego is just so big or whatever — two of 'em — that it just takes them there, and they just need to control everything and have everything and you name it. That's what got [original ACCEPT singer] Udo out back then, and I think in the end it hit everybody. So I was the last one standing, but I couldn't stand it anymore. I needed happiness in my life, and there was no happiness there. It was just a dead horse. So I left after the tour. And in my case, it was the best I ever could have done."

Baltes also talked about what it was like to play bass for U.D.O. on the group's fall 2022 European tour.

"In retrospect, when I stepped on stage in Berlin [in September 2022] with Udo after so many years — the last time was 2005, I think — it was a moment that I can't even describe it," Peter said. "We went on stage first, and then Udo comes, and he starts singing. And the first note brought me back instantly to our days when we played little clubs. The man is such a legend, and his voice… And it's nothing to do with you're short, you're tall, you're fat, you're skinny, none of that — you're in shape or you're not — none of that matters to me, to him and the audience. [What is important is] when something is authentic. And that's what got me at that moment. I was, like, 'Man, this is the real deal.' I wasn't used to that; I wasn't. I totally forgot. And you can into this where you think, 'We've been doing this all our life.' No, we didn't. We played kind of like it, with people that kind of sound like it. But no. He's the real deal, and the power that comes out of his voice is second to none. Sheer power, meaning volume, power. Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN] has power. When he sings, you can see it — he has power. Some singers, they have power. And Ronnie [James Dio] had power. Udo has power. That's certain power that just captivates you in your ears, in your stomach, and you go with it."

Baltes was replaced in ACCEPT by Martin Motnik.

Two years ago, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he had had a chance to talk to Peter since his departure from ACCEPT and if he had gotten clarification on why Baltes left the group. Wolf said: "No, man. That's kind of the sad part about it. He kind of made that decision alone, and we never really had a sitdown and a man-to-man talk that I was hoping we'd have. He just announced it to the world, and that was it, and at that point, it was almost too late. I have to respect his decision.

"I miss him very much, and I think he's always gonna be my buddy or whatever," Wolf continued. "But right now, we don't really have much in common. Because when somebody leaves the band, it's usually that we never really see them much again, as sad as it is. I wish we would, and maybe one day we will. But right now, we don't, really. But we didn't have any fights or anything. I can only speculate why he left the band, but I'd rather not."

Hoffmann was also asked if he was surprised to see Baltes working with Udo on some new music in 2020. He responded: "Yeah, I probably shouldn't say much about that. Again, I can only speculate what that was all about. At the end of the day, we do our thing, and everybody has to know for themselves what they wanna do. Yeah, let me not say as much about that as I can, please."

In January 2021, Hoffmann told Australia's Metal Mal that he was "a little bit heartbroken" when Baltes left ACCEPT. "I felt it was not only a sad day for ACCEPT, it was also a sad day for rock and roll, or heavy metal, in general, because I thought we were gonna be doing this until the sun goes down — I don't know; until forever," he said. "But he all of a sudden decided otherwise, and he made that decision, and that was it. And that's sad, but what can you do, man? I decided, along with everybody else, the show must go on, and we continue without him. So this is what we did. And here's the new album — without Peter. But it's still sad. I still miss him sometimes. It's just the way it is."

In November 2019, Hoffmann told Powermetal.cl that he no longer kept in touch with Baltes after the bassist exited the group a year earlier. "Unfortunately, when somebody leaves the band, they're always kind of out of sight, out of mind," Wolf explained. "It's very sad. I wish it wasn't that way, because we've been friends for so long. But the reality is I haven't really heard from him — even though I reached out a couple of times. He's almost like he wants to disappear or he wants to leave the music business altogether. It's sad and I still don't quite understand what really happened. But it is what it is, and we move on."

Back in 2015, Hoffmann dismissed Dirkschneider's comment that the band's then-lineup — which included Baltes and ACCEPT's singer of more than a decade, Mark Tornillo — performed live "without any emotion." "It's just hilarious at this point," Wolf said. "It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

An 18-year-old man who was injured when the roof collapsed at a theater hosting a MORBID ANGEL concert in Belvidere, Illinois last Friday night (March 31) spoke to CBS 2's Shardaa Gray about his experience.

"I heard a big crack, and then I started running – and then that's when the whole roof came down on me and other people," Daniel Barac said from his hospital bed in Madison, Wisconsin.

Barac, who suffered a fracture in his vertebrae, and several broken bones in his foot, then found himself trapped.

"It kind of hurt, but then once I was stuck under there, then it really hurt — because I was just trapped underneath all this heavy debris in rubble and old bricks, and the old roof," he said. "I could still see through like a little space in the debris, and I could still stick my hand out. But I couldn't move either."

Barac went on to say that other concertgoers helped to free him from the rubble.

Although the concert was reportedly sold out, the Belvidere Police Department said only 260 people were at the Apollo Theater on March 31 when the collapse occurred as a heavy storm rolled through the area. The capacity of the theater is around 1,500.

In total, 28 people were taken to local hospitals by paramedics and another 48 people sought treatment on their own.

This past Monday, another one of the survivors, Dylan Crone told ABC 7 Chicago from his hospital bed: "I don't even know how I made it out. As soon as I felt pain and started yelling for help, I said there was still a chance that I can make it through this. I was in front left center of the stage, so right where the main part of the building fell, I was right there. It just immediately crashed on me, and I was out like light."

Paul Rojas, who was standing near Fred Livingston, Jr., the only fatality from the disaster, and Fred's son, recalled: "I feel the whole, heavy things in my body, my legs, my head. When you realize days after, and see that, man, he was next to me."

Victoria Bella, who was also in the front row, said: "I remember going to turn to run away and something hit me in the head, and the next thing I knew I was unconscious. And, the last thing I remember was a paramedic scooping me up and taking me to an ambulance."

Some of the concertgoers at the Apollo Theater have returned to the venue for the first time since the roof collapsed, trying to identify the belongings they left behind in the rubble.

"You could hear screaming, I didn't know if the world was ending, or it was a tornado," Violet Munoz, who attended the show on Friday, told WTVO. "The next second, I was buried alive. I was pulled from the rubble by my boyfriend, Eric Biel. He's a hero. And everyone in there."

Officials were notified by the National Weather Service of a tornado warning at 7:45 p.m. CT. The roof collapsed ten minutes later, according to Belvidere Fire Department chief Shawn Schadle.

Livingston's sister Deanna Hicks told ABC7 Chicago he was attending the concert at the theatre with his son Alex, who Hicks said is "OK."

Belvidere police chief Shane Woody described the scene when police arrived as "chaos. Absolute chaos. When officers are first on the scene, when the fire department and first responders get here, they do the best they can to control the chaos as much as possible," he said. "But ultimately, we go in, and ultimately try and find people, and save as many people as we possibly can — and bring them to safety as best as we can."

One person who was inside the theater when the collapse happened told Rockford Scanner: "It was in between sets. The first band had just played. People were going outside to smoke. And then all the people came running back in, 'cause the rain started coming down real heavy. Then all of a sudden the door that they came out of was swinging back and forth, slamming super hard. All the power went out in the building and the entire ceiling collapsed on everybody in the front area — right at the stage, on the stage, the people behind the stage; that sector of the building. When it came down, it blew me out towards the exit door. I crawled out a hole through the door and I escaped without a scratch; I don't know how I did. But there's definitely casualties and 50 wounded — severely. It's horrible."

"Initially, I was confused because it felt like an earthquake, and I was thinking, 'Why would there be an earthquake right now?'" an audience member at the concert who narrowly escaped injury told The New York Times. "As soon as that happened. I watched as the entire roof collapsed on everybody, basically right where we were standing."

The concert was part of MORBID ANGEL's 2023 U.S. tour, featuring support acts CRYPTA, SKELETAL REMAINS and REVOCATION.

According to the venue's official Facebook page, doors were scheduled to open at 6:00 p.m., with CRYPTA set to perform at 7 p.m., SKELETAL REMAINS at 7:45 p.m., REVOCATION at 8:40 p.m. and MORBID ANGEL at 9:40 p.m.

The collapse was reported as severe storms with 90 mph winds blew through the area.

According to local reports, at least 20 ambulances were dispatched to the theater, which is located roughly 14 miles outside of the city of Rockford.

Photos and video taken at the venue showed that the theater's marquee and façade had crashed on to the street, with debris littering the area as first responders worked to help the injured.

Belvidere is located in Boone County, about 72 miles from Chicago.

The Apollo Theatre opened in 1921 as a stage play, movie, and vaudeville venue.

In a new interview with Justin Hunt of The Entertainment Outlet, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked if he is working on a new album of all-original material. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been working on it for the last year and a half. And I actually recorded about half of it last summer. I went over to Italy and I recorded about half of an album. And I'm really, really excited about it. And I've been working on demos for the remaining half of the album."

Regarding what fans can expect from his upcoming LP, Marty said: "I think it's gonna please a lot of people who liked my [1992] album 'Scenes', one of my earlier albums. It's kind of in that vein, but much more modern. And it's got all the things that I've added to my musical — I don't know how to say it — palette, or what I'm trying to do musically. It's basically a grown-up version of 'Scenes', really, so far. But I haven't finished it. And I will probably say next summer [it will be ready for release]. It's taking a long time, but, you know, tender love and care. And it's coming along great."

Friedman went on to say that his current U.S. tour as the support act for QUEENSRŸCHE is a "perfect" way to inspire him to complete his new album. He explained: "This tour I'm playing really my most aggressive music with my most aggressive band. And that is perfect for my mentality for writing stuff like 'Scenes'. That's how 'Scenes' happened in the first place, because I was touring with MEGADETH like a maniac, and I was playing all this really, really heavy stuff every single night, and now I'm doing the exact same thing with my band. And so what I write is the complete opposite. So it's kind of like a really good creative time. And things are moving along really nice."

Marty's tour with QUEENSRŸCHE will run through April 16, when it wraps up in St. Petersburg, Florida. Along the way, the trek will make stops in New York City (April 10) and Nashville, Tennessee (April 14),to name a few.

Marty's latest album, "Tokyo Jukebox 3", came out in April 2021 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan in October 2020, is the third in a series that began with "Tokyo Jukebox" in 2009, and then "Tokyo Jukebox 2" following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman's inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he's chosen to cover.

Marty's presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.

Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.

On April 21, Finnish post-punk outfit, Grave Pleasures, will release their third full-length, Plagueboys, via Century Media Records. For a preview of Plagueboys, the video for the new single, "High On Annihilation" (directed by David Fitt) can be viewed below.





Formed in 2015, after the dissolution of singer Mat McNerney and bassist Valtteri Arino's short-lived sensation Beastmilk, Grave Pleasures have defiantly expanded on what has been described as their "war-cry for the eternally doomed," with each album seeing their song-craft reach new heights. Their raw atomic punk of their major label debut album Dreamcrash (2015) was revamped and contorted into the uplifting nihilism of distinctly more frenetic sophomore smash-hit album Motherblood (2017), ultimately amped up and finessed into the heady Plagueboys (2023), their most mature yet dangerous album to-date. With the electrifying contradiction of light and darkness, the duality of the funereal Grave and euphoric Pleasure in their moniker, Plagueboys is an exhilarating, tear-filled, grinning dance of death, undoubtedly their most pleasurable yet.




With music written by McNerney (Hexvessel, Carpenter Brut, Me & That Man) and guitarists Juho Vanhanen (Oranssi Pazuzu) and Aleksi Kiiskilä, and then arranged together with Arino and drummer Rainer Tuomikanto, Plagueboys sees the lineup, who frantically hacked out Motherblood together, come of age and find their superpowers. Recorded in Finland and produced by Vanhanen and his Oranssi Pazuzu comrade Niko Lehdontie at the controls, the sound on Plagueboys is a blistering wash of reverb and neon warehouse dancefloor; unabashed lone drum and bass carrion call give way to synth and guitar interplay that brings to mind British grandmasters Wire, The Sound and Echo & The Bunnymen through a contemporary lens.


Album formats:


- CD Digipak
- Black LP (incl. LP-sized booklet & poster)     
- Transparent blue LP available from CM Distro Wholesale EU and CMdistro.de (limited to 300 copies; incl. LP-sized booklet & poster)
- Yellow LP available from UK outlets, Levykauppa Äx, Nuclear Blast (limited to 300 copies; incl. LP-sized booklet & poster)
- Lilac LP available from Grave Pleasures via Evil Greed (limited to 300 copies; incl. LP-sized booklet & poster)
- Digital album


Pre-order here


Album artwork by Tekla Vály:





Tracklisting:


“Disintegration Girl”
“Heart Like A Slaughterhouse”
“When The Shooting’s Done”
“High On Annihilation”
“Lead Balloons”
“Imminent Collapse”
“Society Of Spectres”
“Conspiracy Of Love”
“Plagueboys”
“Tears On The Camera Lens”


“Heart Like A Slaughterhouse”:





“Society Of Spectres”:





On April 28, Grave Pleasures will host a special album release show for Plagueboys in Helsinki, FI.

Frontiers Music Srl announces the upcoming release of Swedish hard rock/traditional metal worshippers Vypera's second album, Race Of Time. The first single from the album, "Hey You", is out today. Watch a video for the track below.


Vypera, consisting of lead singer Andreas Wallström, guitarists Christoffer Thelin and Cederick Forsberg, bassist Andreas Andersson, and drummer Johan Pettersson, are hard rockers to the core. Emerging from the fruitful Swedish rock and metal scene, they are yet another high quality musical offering from, arguably, the new center of the rock n' roll universe. Their debut album, 2022's Eat Your Heart Out, was a headbanging, fist-raising salute to the great '80s metal/hard rock scene whose musical altar the band worships at.


Vypera, originally known as Madhouse, formed in Sandviken, Sweden in 2016 and soon set out on crafting original material to reflect the rock 'n roll and metal spirit that burned within the band. They began writing music that they felt traveled on the same good ol' road where their influences like Rainbow, Icon, King Kobra, London, Triumph, W.A.S.P., and the like had originally started. Their musical signature is that aforementioned classic hard rock/metal style played with immense pride... and joy.




Pre-order/save Race Of Time here.





Tracklisting:


"Hey You"
"Riding On The Wind"
"Mary Jane"
"Stormwind"
"Vicious"
"No Place For A Dreamer"
"Trying Hard To Run Away"
"Fool's Game"
"Speedin'"
"Daytona"
"Slave To Love"


"Hey You" video:





Lineup:


Andreas Wallström - Vocals
Christoffer Thelin - Guitars
Cederick Forsberg - Lead Guitars
Andreas Andersson - Bass
Johan Pettersson - Drums

Originally formed in 1984, old school Florida death metal legends, Hellwitch, are back with their unique brand of highly energetic, incisive, thrashing death metal. The band has always sounded insanely catchy, always balancing technicality to a great measure, Hellwitch have drafted some genuine classic songs over the years and their new album is a culmination of all such works and experience.


Hellwitch’s new album, Annihilational Intercention, will be released digitally on June 2, and physically on June 30. The band will also release a video for the song "Delegated Disruption" on April 19. You can pre-order the digital single here.


Band leader Pat Ranieri comments about the artwork for Annihilational Intercention: "The cover of Annihilational Intercention is what is coming in the future of mankind on this wretched planet. The Judge is in the final stages of administering punishment to our race, eradicating every last being. Having biologically and supernaturally evolved to possess otherworldly powers, his psychic assault is manifested in spears of burning energy and levitational force. His apocalyptic "Horsemen" look on with hatred, aiding the cause. The poisoned, decimated world that surrounds tells the tale of man left to his own devices."




Artwork by Khaos Dictator Design.





Annihilational Intercention tracklisting:


"Sollipsistic Immortality"
"Delegated Disruption"
"Megalopalypytic Confine"
"Sorcerous Imminence" (instrumental)
"Hellwitch"
"Epochal Cessation"
"Anthropophagi"
"At Rest"
"Torture Chamber"
"Sweet Home Alabama" (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover, vinyl only bonus track)





Hellwitch tour dates:


June
5 - Milestone Club - Charlotte, NC
6 - Powers BMX Shop - Richmond, VA
7 - The Kennel at West York Inn - York, PA
8 - The Fire - Philadelphia, PA
9 - Pie Shop - Washington, DC
10 - Lurking Class Skate Shop - Salisbury, MD
11 - Saint Vitus Bar - Brooklyn, NY


November
3-5 - Mass Destruction Fest at The Loft - Atlanta, GA


More dates to be added soon.


Hellwitch lineup:


Pat Ranieri - Guitars, Vocals
J.P. Brown - Guitars
Brian Wilson - Drums


(Photo - Roberto Badillo)

In a recent interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules, Mikkey Dee was asked how he landed the job as the drummer for SCORPIONS in 2016 after spending almost 25 years as a member of MOTÖRHEAD. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They [initially] called me in to be the stand-in for maybe [their then-drummer] James [Kottak]. Because they started to get tired of his problems. So they said, 'Look, if you could be a stand-in on parts of the European tour.' I said, 'Yeah. No problem.' But meanwhile, while I was secretly following the band around in Germany, we were rehearsing a couple of times — secretly. And I'm sure that they wanted to check me out there, of course. And you never know how things are gonna go with the social part or the musical part, but they loved it immediately. And my idea was to show them what they cannot be without, basically.

"James is a great drummer," Mikkey continued. "He did fantastic with SCORPIONS. He ran into some health problems that he had to deal with. I was never, and I will never, talk him down in any way, shape or form, but I would like to do, what I wanted to do at that point was to show what I can do and what you cannot be without. I said to the guys that I'm gonna Motörize them. 'I want it harder, tighter and heavier, and I'm gonna show you what kind of drummer I am. I'm gonna put much more energy into what we do, and hopefully that will contaminate the whole band and we can take it to another level. And I can inspire enough to you guys, and you will inspire me as well, of course.' Because playing pretty much the same stuff for 25 years is one thing. So this was a big challenge for me, of course, as well… And when that works out the way it did, it's a good thing. They have no attitude. I have no attitude. We knew each other before. We get along great. And now we're just gonna play great together. But of course, you never, ever, ever know. I might be an idiot getting out there with the SCORPIONS, being a complete prick about stuff. And they go, 'Holy shit. We don't remember you like this.' I might think that, 'Holy smoke. These guys are fucking morons. I can't deal with this.' But that was not the case. And of course, we got along great, and we still do. And we're having a blast on the road and in the studio. So, it turned out to be a win-win situation."

The 59-year-old Swedish musician also elaborated on his comment that "secretly followed" the SCORPIONS around in Germany while Kottak was still playing with the band.

"I saw every single show because I had to sit and learn the set," Dee explained. "And I was sitting secretly up on the arena. Usually, they have it blocked off. If you draw a line on the short side of an arena, the stage and then backwards, it's never open for the public. I had to sit very, very far away up there with in-ears, so I could hear what was going on. And [James] knew that there was a drummer [acting as a possible stand-in], [but he did] not [know] who it was. And he played great. I mean, he shaped up and played fine. And then I went back [home] to Sweden. And then I got a call just right after the European tour, and they said, 'Look, can you finish out the year?' And I said, 'Absolutely. 'Cause I'm doing nothing.' And I realized at that time that [James is] not coming back, because we already did some rehearsals and I showed them kind of what they cannot be without; I was hoping. But he did great, and then, obviously, he kind of lost it there a little bit. You can't live everybody else's life, of course. I was not there to snag his seat in the SCORPIONS, but they had to do something, and that's what they chose to do. And here I was."

A little over a year ago, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker spoke to Spain's classic rock radio station RockFM about how he would compare the drumming styles of Kottak and Dee. Schenker said: "Every musician has his own style. James was great, and is still a great drummer — no question about this — but we had a little problem… well, he had a problem, and we tried to help him through the problem. In this case, we noticed that he need[ed] more time than we could give him because we were on tour. So in this case, Matthias [Jabs, guitar] had the idea to call Mikkey Dee, because he was available because of [MOTÖRHEAD frontman] Lemmy's death. So, yeah, it was a great thing to see light in the distance because we were a little bit depressed because we [were] helping James so much, but he couldn't deliver the spirit we gave him. And so we split."

Rudolf continued: "We rehearsed with Mikkey Dee and we noticed immediately there's a new kind of kick-ass [energy]. Everybody has his own style, and Mikkey Dee is really a very — especially for me as a rhythm guitar player — he is a very influencing person. That means when I play my riffs, he knows how to make them more wild and more powerful. And that's very good — it's a synergy effect which even is added by Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] because they are really a great rhythm team, Pawel and Mikkey Dee, and me as a rhythm guitar player, we can build a great basis for Matthias and Klaus [Meine, vocals]."

In a 2020 interview with the SCORPIONS official fan club Crazyscorps, Kottak discussed the circumstances that led to his departure, saying: "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."

Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996, recalled one particular turning point when he spent three months at Eric Clapton's Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment center on the island of Antigua.

"I've been to hundreds — I won't say thousands — I've been to hundreds of A.A. meetings," he said. "I spent 92 days in rehab down at Eric Clapton's rehab place. I was only supposed to stay there 30 days. They offered me, they said, 'Hey, if you wanna stay another couple of weeks, it's okay.' And I'm, like, 'What? Well, do I have to pay?' 'Cause it's expensive — it's, like, 30 grand a month. They go, 'No. You can just stay if you want.' So I stayed another two weeks, then another two weeks. And long story short, I was there 92 days, which it changed my entire life and my whole way of thinking."

James went on to say that he is "still very good friends" with members of the SCORPIONS. "Me and Matthias e-mail, and me and Klaus e-mail regular, like, maybe once every few weeks. And I just say, 'Hey, man, how are you?' And Klaus will write back, 'Hey, everything is great here. What's going on with you?' It's that kind of a thing.

"I saw them [in 2019] down in Orange County, which, from here, it sounds close, but it was like a two-hour drive. I went and visited with the guys, and I said hello to the crew, and I went backstage, and I went and visited with Klaus privately.

"They're my friends, man," Kottak added. "Just 'cause you're not in a band [together] anymore doesn't mean you can't be friends. And these guys are my friends."

Asked if he had any regrets about the way his time with SCORPIONS came to an end, Kottak said: "Of course, there's always a regret with any change. But 21 years in rock and roll might as well be 150 years."

Four and a half years ago, 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. "We reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it," Jabs said.

Kottak has spent much of the last five years touring with a revamped version of KINGDOM COME, also featuring guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, and bassist Johnny B. Frank, along with singer Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB). Original frontman Lenny Wolf declined to participate in the reunion.

SCORPIONS' 19th studio album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022.

California’s Lunar have recently released their fourth album “The Illusionist” featuring album guests Jørgen Munkeby (Shining), Christian Münzner (Obscura), Andy Gillion (Mors Principium Est), Taylor Washington (Paladin), Sam Vallen (Caligula's Horse), Ben Karas (Thank You Scientist), Gleb Kanasevich, and Patrick Corona. 


The nine-track album takes the listener through the life of a magician as he confronts the choices in life and offers a metaphor for those who also question their path. They have created a listening video for the serene, instrumental track “For My Next Trick” – premiered exclusively through BraveWords! Written by bassist Ryan Price, the low end plays a prominent part in this track and it signifies the calm before and after the storm where the main character has an idea for one last epic trick to pull and finally feels a sense of peace. 







The band goes into detail:


“For the final single of the album we wanted to show something a bit different. This song is very different from everything else we’ve released so far. The song is instrumental and very soft and serene. The polar opposite of the track ‘Juggling Chainsaws,’ which was the first single released from the album and also the track that directly precedes this one on the album. We wanted this one to be out there for people who haven’t listened to the album yet and see what kind of extreme variety they can expect between songs.”


Lunar cites that they have an interesting process when it comes to writing because the story or concept has come first with the last couple of albums. Then that gives a rough layout of how the music should assist in the storytelling and then the lyrics come last to really fill it in. Compared to their other three albums, which had a lot of prog-rock sounds, the newer stuff has more metal influences, and this new album has steered into new sounds they’ve never done before. There are more technical songs, there’s one that’s very Egyptian sounding, and one that is very Lunatic Soul inspired.


Expansive, creative, and technical, Lunar offers wild stories and impressive riffs. They are recommended for fans of Caligula’s Horse, Devin Townsend, and Opeth. Order The Illusionist on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Prestidigitation”
“The Illusionist”
“Showtime”
“Worship The Sun”
“Turn Off The World”
“Disassembled”
“Juggling Chainsaws”
“For My Next Trick”
“Now You See Me”


Recording Lineup: 
Drums & Percussion – Alex Bosson (Music - Track 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8,9) (Lyrics - Track 2, 3, 5, 6,9) 
Guitars – Balmore Lemus (Music - Track 4) (Lyrics - Track 4, 7 Bass – Ryan Price (Music - Track 8) 
Keyboards & Synthesizers – Alex Nasla 
Lead Vocals – Chandler Mogel 
Growl Vocals – Brian Lewis 
Clarinet – Gleb Kanasevich (Track 1) 
Saxophone – Patrick Corona (Track 2) 
Flute & Saxophone – Jørgen Munkeby (Track 6) 
Violin & Viola – Ben Karas (Track 9) 
Additional Guitar Solo – Andy Gillion (Track 2) 
Additional Guitar Solo – Taylor Washington (Track 3) 
Additional Guitar Solo – Sam Vallen (Track 5) 
Additional Guitar Solo – Christian Münzner (Track 7)

Trivium frontman Matt Heafy has  shared video shot by Metal Justice Tokyo of their entire Knotfest Japan 2023 show, which took place on April 1st in Chiba, Japan. Check it out below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Rain
"Amongst The Shadows & The Stones"
"Strife"
"Feast Of Fire"
"To The Rats"
"Down From The Sky"
"The Heart From Your Hate"
"In Waves"
"Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr"







Trivium recently announced their return to the UK this summer, for the Goblins And Wizards Tour - a baker's dozen of intimate shows including venues the band haven't played in over 15 years. Special guests will be Bleed From Within and Orbit Culture.


Bassist Paolo Gregoletto comments: "Since the first UK headline tour in 2005 we’d made it a point to do our best to get out of the big cities and play other ones that might get overlooked or skipped. We looked at old Maiden and Motörhead posters and let that inspire the way we routed this one. Bleed From Within and Orbit Culture are two of our favourite new bands and we are honoured to have them join us. This is going to be the biggest and best metal show to hit your town this summer guaranteed!"


Order tickets here or at Trivium.org.





Goblins And Wizards dates are as follows:


August
23 - Cambridge, UK - Corn Exchange
24 - Norwich, UK - UEA
25 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
26 - Oxford, UK - O2 Academy
28 - Stone, UK - Victoria Hall
29 - Liverpool, UK - O2 Academy
30 - Sheffield, UK - O2 Academy
31 - Newcastle, UK - NX


September
2 - Edinburgh, UK - O2 Academy
3 - Leeds, UK - Stylus
4 - Bristol, UK - Academy
6 - Folkestone, UK - Leas Cliff Hall
7 - Southampton O2, UK - Guildhall

3 Headed Snake is an old school classic power metal band based out of Los Angeles, California, inspired by the sounds of Warrior, Malice, Dio and Iron Maiden. 


The group features Floridian lead singer Johnny Ray, whose insanely powerful voice has been compared to Rob Halford of Judas Priest, and two-time Grammy-nominated guitarist Sin Quirin, who has been in the industry for nearly 20 years, playing and songwriting for legendary names like Ministry.


Their third single, “Tightrope”, is a ferocious, and powerful song which speaks to dangerous ways of living, and how, oftentimes, these ways end up being the most satisfactory for the soul.




Vocalist Johnny Ray shares, “I wrote this song as an encouragement for my sons. I have always taught them that to be the best men they can be, they have to 'take the hard road' - that's the road that will build your character, that's the road that will develop your soul.” 





The first single from 3 Headed Snake, “Untouchable Undead”, speaks to these feelings, as well as acting as a commentary on religion – providing a message of looking out for the powerless, the vulnerable, and the weak. It comes in hot right off the bat, with powerful drum kicks and Johnny’s captivating and illustrious voice. Combined with Sin’s unstoppable, dark industrial sound, the song is able to grasp the attention of metalheads and bring them a feeling of catharsis all from the very first track. 





The second single, “Dead Bound from Bedlam” is best described as a “quintessential story about scapegoating.” This particular song speaks to the power of alternative ideas, and how society is quick to shun those who push against its traditional framework. By pushing outcasts away, they turn to other areas of life, usually more involved with the wilderness – which in turn “brings peace and tranquility,” according to Ray. He describes how this notion can be seen in modern life, with the exacerbation of cancel culture in the past decade. Once again invoking a positive message, the group uses the song as a way to express that the scapegoats of society will find a new and better community through new outlets.





For further details, visit 3 Headed Snake on Facebook.


 

Finnish melodic metal band Dark The Suns released a new single and music video, "Raven". The track features Paavo Laapotti (Before The Dawn & Defiled Serenity) on vocals and is taken from the upcoming fifth studio album, Raven And The Nightsky, which is released later this year via Inverse Records. 
  
Comments from the band: 
 
Mikko: "'Raven' is the fourth single from our upcoming Raven And The Nightsky album. In the 'Raven' single we have a special guest vocalist, Paavo Laapotti. He has an amazing voice, and it brought really beautiful and melancholic athmosphere for the single! Jani also played acoustic guitar for the song, so we got more good new elements. I'm really proud of the results!"


Inka: "We had talked with Paavo about making a song together, and when one night I played the piano and made the chorus to this song, I immediately thought that this would sound great with Paavo’s vocals. He is super talented and he has such a great voice. The result sounds exactly like what I thought at the time. I thought about the single cover for a long time and made many sketches of ravens and black wings to catch the right feeling; in the end it felt like all the pieces fell into place, melodies and words, Jani’s acoustic guitar, painting, video... this was a really great project with a great team, and I am so happy for the results."


Paavo: "Making of this song was very easy with seamless teamwork and a great, clear concept. I really like the song and it has the great distinctive sound of Dark The Suns but with a twist. It was an honor to be a part of this release and I think we succeeded in bringing the nordic feel to the listeners around the world."




Jani: "As usual, working with Mikko and Inka was at the same time professional and easy-going, it is always a pleasure to spend time with them. The new song, 'Raven', is super catchy with beautiful melodies in it, and the vocals by Paavo are outstanding. I was honored to be involved in this one."
 
The single is available via digital platforms found here.


 


In 2005 Dark the Suns was founded by Mikko Ojala. In 2006 the band grew when three new members (bass player Inka, Juha on the keyboards and drummer Markus) joined the band, which signed with Firebox Records that same year.
 
During 2007-2010 Firebox Records released the band’s three full-length albums (In Darkness Comes Beauty, All Ends in Silence and Sleepwalking in a Nightmare). The band performed many live shows during these years.
 
There have been some changes in the line-up over the years, but Mikko and Inka have been continuously together, making music. The band was inactive for 2013-2020 but in 2020 Mikko and Inka decided to resume making music together. It was a really natural way to continue the band as a duo, because they have written almost all the band’s music and lyrics during all these years.


In 2020 and 2021 Inverse Records released four singles from the band’s 4th album Suru Raivosi Sydämeni Pimeydessä. The album includes ten songs of melancholic and melodic Finnish metal music. The band has always described their music as "beautiful piano melodies and dark vocals."


Jani Moilanen joined the band in March 2023. Their fifth studio album is set to be released later in 2023 via Inverse Records.
 

Following the release of the anthemic single "Joy", Northern Irish rock outfit, Therapy? drop their hard-hitting new track "Poundland Of Hope And Glory". The track is taken from their new album, Hard Cold Fire, which is set for release May 5th 2023 via Marshall Records.


Therapy?’s latest opus drips with the confident and regal essence of alternative rock royalty, while simultaneously delivering a sharp and contemporary bite that leaves a lasting impression. The band use their unique sense of socio-political satire to shed light on the dangers of living in an era rife with misinformation. The lyrics are strewn with bleak imagery, serving as a poignant reminder of the pitfalls that await those who blindly accept the narratives fed to them.


“This track started out as a hard take on how people lose themselves in narratives to the point that the myth takes on greater importance than the fact,” vocalist / guitarist Andy Cairns exclaims. “Just like the old adage about the liar repeating the lie so much that they eventually believe it themselves, the culture around us is bursting with fairy stories we tell ourselves.”




“Metaphor and hagiography surround us, but in a post-truth world, the Walter Mitty character is no longer a harmless fantasist but an incendiary zealot using misinformation and chaos to achieve their goals.” Cairns continues adding, “It’s easy to smirk at middle class parents whose Harry Potter loving kids are sent to private school because of the Hogwarts style uniforms, and easy to eye roll at adults who actually play Quidditch, a fictional sport from a novel written for children, but it’s not so easy to stomach the less savoury reinvention of colonialism as a lost paradise to which we should return.”





As Therapy?’s fourth decade finally gets underway in earnest, sixteenth album Hard Cold Fire, written and pre-produced during an unprecedented time for music, is hefty, compact, and accessible, a distillation of everything that has made them what they are - hewn from County Antrim basalt, still possessed of their stoicism, but casting a renewed focus on catharsis and healing.


“One thing we did decide when we were eventually able to rehearse, was that we didn't want to make a lockdown record,” says vocalist and guitarist Andy Cairns, “because people have been through enough.”


“When we began to rehearse the songs, we realised there was an empathetic quality to them. We wanted to make something that was a bit more relatable, and less standoffish and claustrophobic - which we have a history of, and it stands in places - but we wanted to make something more approachable and open.”


“We wanted this album to be one that felt good to play live, almost a release after this period of stasis, but then also not dwelling on the whole situation - we’re moving forward, and we wanted that energy to be there,” adds bassist Michael McKeegan.


The serrated, chugging riffage, churning low-end and propulsive rhythms that are hallmarks of the band’s sound are all present and correct, but met with a new-found sense of resolution and release, as most readily displayed on the one-two punch of their first single, "Joy".





Working once more with renowned producer Chris Sheldon (Feeder, Biffy Clyro, Foo Fighters), a consistent good-luck charm for Therapy? dating back to 1994’s breakout album Troublegum, the band decamped to the newly opened Marshall Studios in Milton Keynes toward the end of 2021, working furiously to put the album down in its final form.


“We know Chris. We've got a similar mindset, a similar outlook in life, a similar sense of humour,” McKeegan says. “It works well, and it's a very easy, collaborative environment. There's no agenda to making the album, apart from 'let's make this absolutely brilliant'.”


While Hard Cold Fire represents the next milestone in the band’s ongoing journey, it sits at the front of a long body of work, veering between noise-rock, discord and sparse, groovy experimentation, and million-selling, mainstream-friendly pop and noirish, cinematic vistas.


For long-time fans, this new offering will reward an attentive ear in terms of musical flourishes and Cairns’ trademark lyrical substance, but as a finished product, the band has set out to create something that stands alone, and Hard Cold Fire achieves just that.


“There's a reinvigorated feel to the band, as though things are moving forward,” adds drummer Neil Cooper. “I'm very excited about people hearing this. It's not just about turning up and performing. Everyone's so invested... we're unbelievably lucky, some bands don't get that privilege, and I appreciate that. We're in a fantastic place.”


Hard Cold Fire will be released May 5th 2023 via Marshall Records. Pre-save / pre-order limited edition bundles here.





Hard Cold Fire tracklisting:


"They Shoot The Terrible Master"
"Woe"
"Joy"
"Bewildered Herd"
"Two Wounded Animals"
"To Disappear"
"Mongrel"
"Poundland Of Hope And Glory"
"Ugly"
"Days Kollaps"


Therapy? will play a run of intimate UK in-store dates coinciding with the album’s release. Find information for in-store tickets at this location.





(Photo credit: Tom Hoad)


 

Australian doom cultists Oceanlord are now releasing the sinister video clip for “Come Home”, the second track taken from their forthcoming new album Kingdom Cold. The unfathomable debut full-length is slated for release on May 26, 2023 via Magnetic Eye Records. Find preorder options here.


Oceanlord comment: "The song 'Come Home' was written as a haunted tragedy, prompted by the thought that if ‘home is where the heart is’, where is home when my heart has died?" guitarist and vocalist Peter Willmott asks. "The swirling psychedelic guitar and crushing riffs follow a journey from love to guilt to grief and death. Perhaps a morbid reminder to come home while you still can, or a thought that all separated roads will join eventually as we all find our home in the final darkness."







Tracklisting:


“Kingdom”
“2340”
“Siren”
“Isle Of The Dead”
“So Cold”
“Come Home”


Lineup:
Peter Willmott – guitar, vocals
Jason Ker – bass
Jon May – drums