Spirit Adrift will release their new album, Ghost At The Gallows, on August 18th via Century Media. The official lyric video for lead single "Death Won’t Stop Me" can be viewed below.


"Spirit Adrift’s gimmick is simple: there is no gimmick," states the band’s mastermind, Nate Garrett. "Just great songs, great heavy riffs, catchy parts that make you want to bang your head and uplifting parts that make you want to fly into the sky."


The single is now available on all digital platforms.

KnuckleBonz has announced the upcoming release of new "Queen II" Rock Iconz statues.


The new statue set from KnuckleBonz features Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon performing during their first US tour in 1974/1975. The tour was promoting the Queen II album and "Sheer Heart Attack" was just hitting the FM radio airwaves - marking the take off point for the band on its way to global rock stardom.


Queen II Rock Iconz are currently in production; pre-order to reserve one of these limited editions. Ships fall 2023. Individual statues also available.







Officially licensed, only 3,000 are created. Each statue is hand-painted, numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity on the base.


“This is the statue set I have wanted to create ever since we founded KnuckleBonz 20 years ago,” said Tony Simerman, CEO & Founder of KnuckleBonz. “I was fortunate enough to see Queen during this era at the Kennedy Center in DC Feb of 75'. An amazing setting to see Queen as they began their ascent to become one of the greatest bands of all time.”

ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records has announced that Queensrÿche frontman Todd La Torre's debut album, Rejoice In The Suffering, will be released in Europe on April 21 under the exclusive license of Rat Pak Records.


Check out the official video for the new single, "Apology", below.







Todd teamed up with longtime friend and collaborator Craig Blackwell, alongside Zeuss for mixing and mastering, creating a diverse heavy metal album that draws influence from different styles. These styles will surprise fans who only know La Torre from his previous work with Queensrÿche or Crimson Glory before that.








Rejoice In The Suffering will be released in Europe on April 21 as jewel case CD, limited to 200 copies on Red Opaque double vinyl and limited to 300 copies on White/Red Splatter double vinyl. Pre-order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"Dogmata"
"Pretenders"
"Hellbound And Down"
"Darkened Majesty"
"Crossroads To Insanity"
"Critical Cynic"
"Rejoice In The Suffering"
"Vexed"
"Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall"
"Apology"


Bonus tracks:


"Fractured" (Bonus Track)
"Set it Off" (Bonus Track)
"One by One" (Bonus Track)











Rejoice In The Suffering lineup:


Todd La Torre – Vocals / Drums
Craig Blackwell – Guitars / Bass / Keys


Guests on the album:


- Solo appearance by Jordan Ziff on “Rejoice In The Suffering”
- Additional Keys by Asgrim Allen Nunn on “One By One”

Swedish dark symphonic metal powerhouse Eleine have unveiled details of their fourth full-length album. Appropriately titled We Shall Remain, Eleine's new opus marks their first full-length release through new label home Atomic Fire Records following their Acoustic In Hell EP (October 2022). We Shall Remain will be released on July 14.


As an appetizer, the band has unveiled their first single off of the record, “We Are Legion,” alongside a music video: An instant hit delivering chuggy riffs, an empowering chorus, and Eleine's signature battle vibe.


"The song is our way of honoring our fans," comments the band. "They have named themselves the Eleine Legion and they have been with us through thick and thin. They have shown us their dedication time and time again, so this song came naturally to us when we started the writing process of We Shall Remain. This is truly a Legion song to and for our fans. It’s a reminder of your own worth, to feel empowered and that you're not alone!"




We Shall Remain was written and produced by guitarist/vocalist Rikard Ekberg and lead vocalist Madeleine Liljestam while Thomas "Plec" Johansson took care of co-recording, mixing ,and mastering at The Panic Room Studio in Skövde, Sweden. Its fiery artwork was designed by Nestor Avalos (nestoravalosofficial.com) and Madeleine Liljestam.


We Shall Remain will be available as a digibook CD, digibook CD + signed photo card (limited edition; EMP & Sound Pollution excl.), jewel case CD, LP (Orange/White), and digitally.


Preorder the album in the physical format of your choice, pre-save it on your favorite DSP, or preorder it digitally to receive “We Are Legion” instantly at this location.





Tracklisting:


“Never Forget”
“Stand By The Flame”
“We Are Legion”
“Promise Of Apocalypse”
“Blood In Their Eyes”
“Vemod”
“Through The Mist”
“Suffering”
“War Das Alles”
“We Shall Remain”


“We Are Legion”:





Besides recently welcoming long-time live bass player Filip Stålberg as a new permanent member, Eleine will embark on their very first North American tour next month. Accompanying legendary Portuguese dark metallers Moonspell on their 30th anniversary tour across the US and Canada, the band will play twenty-three shows from April 29 through May 23 with additional support coming from Oceans Of Slumber and Vintersea on select dates. To help the band on their journey, head to gofundme.com.





Tour dates:


April
29 - Brooklyn, NY - The Monarch
30 - Philadelphia, PA - Warehouse on Watts


May
1 - Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
2 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
3 - Orlando, FL - Conduit
5 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar*
7 - Dallas, TX - Trees*
8 - Santa Fe, NM - Tumbleroot Brewing*
9 - Phoenix, AZ - Last Exit Live*
10 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720*
11 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick*
12 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge*
13 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom*
14 - Vancouver, BC - The Cobalt*
16 - Denver, Co - Oriental Theater
17 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
18 - Joliet, IL - The Forge #
19 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Piere’s #
20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Preserving Underground #
21 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus #
22 - Quebec, QC - Source De La Martiniere #
25 - Boston, MA - Sonia #


* with Vintersea
# no Oceans of Slumbers


(Photo: Madeleine Lijestam/Rikard Ekberg)

Contemporary dark wave project Host, launched by Nick Holmes and Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost, have released a sprawling ambient remix of “Hiding From Tomorrow” by Lustmord. The remix follows the recent release of the band’s debut album IX.





Greg Mackintosh comments "Lustmord has taken this track from electro Goth into a whole new territory. I love it when a remix drifts far and wide from its source material and he has certainly done that. He has created a sprawling, emotive, cinematic soundscape."




Order IX on various formats here

Texas death metal outfit, Creeping Death, will unleash their long-awaited new full-length, Boundless Domain, on June 16 via MNRK Heavy. Preorder here.


Creeping Death is on a quick and furious ascent from the underground. The Texas death metal crew repeatedly delivers a relentless bludgeoning summoned from the furthest reaches of the genre's past, present, and future. A triumphant celebration of the style itself, the Lone Star State five-some whips up gruesome riffage and Southern grooves with an improbable cathartic glee.


The band's formula hits perfection with the brilliant Boundless Domain, a sophomore slab of spectacular weight, dimension, and might. Produced by Killswitch Engage guitarist, Adam Dutkiewicz (As I Lay Dying, The Acacia Strain, Underoath), Boundless Domain is a certified ripper, top to bottom.




"We've never sounded better," guitarist Trey Pemberton shares enthusiastically. "We love the people we've recorded with before, but we've never had anybody challenge and push us as Adam did."


In the wake of the passing of local heroes Riley Gale of Power Trip and Wade Allison of Iron Age, the band – Pemberton, singer Reese Alavi, bassist Eric "Rico" Mejia, drummer Lincoln Mullins, and guitarist A.J. Ross, III – found themselves digging back into some of their metallic hardcore favourites. "We made it a point to bring in more influences from hardcore bands we came up loving, especially Texas hardcore," Pemberton explains. "There's a lot of Mammoth Grinder, Iron Age, and Power Trip influence. Having Riley and Wade pass so close to one another left a huge hole in the scene. We all went on a kick of listening to the Texas stuff for a while, and it definitely seeped into our writing."


Boundless Domain boasts future death metal classics like the super heavy, fast, and groovy Intestinal Wrap, which features George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse. Vitrified Earth showcases Creeping Death's increasing skills at songcraft, most evident with the cadence and phrasing of Alavi's vocals while never neglecting the sick riffs. Toward the album's end, there's even a bit of a spaced-out atmosphere, with guitar effects, harmonies, and heady time signatures.





First single and video for “Intestinal Wrap” is streaming below.


Comments Pemberton of the track, "We feel like we collectively stepped up our performances on this record. Working with Adam was a blast and we’re all proud of how Boundless Domain turned out. See you on the road!"


Tracklisting:


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


“Intestinal Wrap” video:





A US trek supporting Carcass, Municipal Waste, and Sacred Reich is on the books. The journey kicks off on March 31 in Santa Ana, California and winds its way through two dozen cities, including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, before closing on April 30 in Los Angeles, California.





Tour dates:


March
31 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory


April
1 - Mesa, AZ - The Nile Theater
3 - Austin, TX - The Mohawk
4 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
5 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
7 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
8 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
11 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
12 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Sound Stage
13 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
14 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
15 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
16 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
18 - Chicago, IL - Metro
19 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
20 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada
21 - Denver, CO - The Gothic Theatre
22 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
24 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
25 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
26 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
28 - Berekely, CA - The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall
29 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory
30 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco

Nuclear Blast recently announced the release of The Aggression Sessions, featuring Thy Art Is Murder, Fit For An Autopsy, and Malevolence which will be available digitally on April 7th and on CD + Vinyl on July 21st, 2023 via Nuclear Blast.


Today, Thy Art Is Murder releases the second single from the EP entitled, "Until There Is No Longer".







The Aggression Sessions is the follow-up to 2016's The Depression Sessions and follows the same 6-song mini album where each band offers an original single and a cover song. For this session, Thy Art Is Murder is covering Cannibal Corpse and Fit For An Autopsy is covering At The Gates whereas Malevolence is handling a song by American singer Anastacia.


Thy Art Is Murder and Fit For An Autopsy make the following joint statement: "Before we had even completed work on 'The Depressions Sessions' we knew a lifelong friendship had been forged between Thy Art Is Murder and Fit For An Autopsy, and that we would have to do another variation of the project. 'The Aggression Sessions' concept was born almost immediately following the completion of the first iteration but has taken many years to finally find the time to record and release it amidst the chaotic touring and music release schedules of both bands. We wanted to take things back to some of our favorite inspirations for writing and performing heavy and aggressive music this time, encapsulating the tone of the EP title. We hope everyone enjoys!


"Joining us for round 2, please welcome Malevolence into the series. Much love to The Acacia Strain, and thank you to them for being a part of this lineage. Check out their new forthcoming record as well!


"Working with friends and peers and avoiding the pitfalls of competitiveness has always been the most rewarding part of being in a band, so as always thank you for the support and opportunity to have this platform. See you all on the road soon!"


Malevolence's Wilkie Robinson adds, "New Jersey to Australia to Sheffield! it was an absolute pleasure to be involved in this big international metal link-up and a great opportunity for us to have fun creatively outside of the usual expectations. Shout out to Eliran Kantor for killing the artwork and Nuclear Blast for making it all happen."


The Aggression Sessions will be available in the following formats:


- CD jewel case
- Vinyl
  * Grey Brown Swirl w/ Black Splatter (Nuclear Blast USA/EU + Retail)
  * Clear w/ Silver Red Brown Splatter (Fit For An Autopsy) exclusive, limited to 1,000 copies)
  * Red w/ Silver Brown Splatter (Thy Art Is Murder exclusive, limited to 1,000 copies)
  * Silver w/ Red Brown Splatter (Malevolence exclusive, limited to 1,000 copies)


Pre-order your copy of The Aggression Sessions here.





The Aggression Sessions tracklisting:


"Hellions" - Fit For An Autopsy
"Until There Is No Longer" - Thy Art Is Murder
"Waste Of Myself" - Malevolence
"Under A Serpent Sun" (At The Gates Cover) - Fit For An Autopsy
"Hammer Smashed Face" (Cannibal Corpse Cover) - Thy Art Is Murder
"Left Outside Alone" (Anastacia Cover) - Malevolence


"Hellions" visualizer:

Jeff Scott Soto has heavily implied that he is the singer of the new band formed by ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, BON JOVI guitarist Phil X and current AEROSMITH touring drummer John Douglas.

Anthony, who is currently the bassist for Sammy Hagar's THE CIRCLE, revealed the existence of the project during a March 22 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". When asked if he had any plans to form a new project or band once Hagar has finally retired from performing with THE CIRCLE, Michael said: "Well, I wasn't going to mention anything about it, but there is a little side project thing that I've kind of been speaking to some people, and might be doing a couple of things with. I don't wanna get ahead of myself and mention too much, but it might involve Phil X and John Douglas, who you know as [the touring drummer] for AEROSMITH right now."

Anthony continued: "I've known J.D. for many years, since he's worked with VAN HALEN… What a great guy. And we do have a singer. I don't wanna mention any names, but a really, really cool singer. And we're recording just for fun right now, some stuff. That's all I can say."

On Friday night (March 24),Soto, who has recorded and toured with JOURNEY, Yngwie Malmsteen, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and SONS OF APOLLO, among others, took to his Instagram to share a screenshot of BLABBERMOUTH.NET's original coverage of the project, and he included the following cryptic message: "Hmmm....ummm...no comment =)" When one person asked Jeff, "Who's singer?", he responded: "Read between the lines my friend".

Anthony guested on "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" to promote his appearance at a fundraising event and concert benefiting Save The Heartbeat on March 25 at Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, California. Also performing at the show will be Phil X, Hagar and John 5, among other musicians.

Save The Heartbeat is a non-profit organization that benefits those that are affected by congenital heart disease (CHD). Danielle and Jonathan Maloof started this charity after their son Remington was born with an undiagnosed congenital heart defect in 2013.

VAN HALEN and Anthony had not been on good terms for more than a decade prior to guitarist Eddie Van Halen's death in October 2020, with Anthony not invited to join the reunion with singer David Lee Roth that began in 2007. The subsequent two tours and studio album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", featured Eddie's son Wolfgang on bass.

Anthony took a pay cut and signed away all of his rights to the band name and logo in order to participate in VAN HALEN's 2004 tour, which featured singer Sammy Hagar.

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IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson is taking part in a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in March and April. The concerts are being performed by a symphony orchestra consisting of more than 80 instrumentalists conducted by Paul Mann, a close friend of Jon's, and assembled especially for the occasion with members of OSESP (Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo) and some of the country's main symphony groups. They are appearing alongside Kaitner Z Doka (JON LORD, IAN PAICE, DON AIREY) on guitar, Bernhard Welz (JON LORD, DON AIREY) on drums, John O'Hara (JETHRO TULL) on keyboards, Tanya O'Callaghan (WHITESNAKE) on bass and Mario Argandonia (SCORPIONS) on percussion.

Fan-filmed video of Dickinson's March 22 concert at Sports Hall Mirza Delibasic in Sarajevo, Bosnia And Herzegovina can be seen below.

In a video announcing the "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" shows, Dickinson said: "So I'm really excited to be doing this Concerto For Group And Orchestra all around the place — around Europe and in Brazil.

"Well, what is it exactly? Well, it's about a 45-minute piece of classical music that was written by Jon Lord from DEEP PURPLE involving a group; in this case, it was DEEP PURPLE," he explained. "And it's like a meeting of minds between a rock and roll band and an orchestra, and they play slightly separately, they play together. I'm basically just the singer in the part of the Concerto that is the singing part; that's basically part one of the show. Part two, we kind of really let our hair down a bit. There's a couple of more classical interactions between the band that's more instrumental, and then we do five PURPLE songs with the orchestra and the band, so 'Perfect Strangers', 'When A Blind Man Cries', obviously, 'Smoke On The Water', 'Hush' and 'Pictures Of Home', which is a rarity and it's amazing with the orchestra. And then we're also gonna do something a little bit special. We've done an orchestral arrangement of my version of 'Jerusalem' and also 'Tears Of The Dragon' with the orchestra and the band. So, those two are gonna be in there at end — no particular order at the moment. So it's a really good, amazing evening of fantastic playing by incredible musicians. And that's what it is — it's music."

Remaining dates are as follows:

March 24 - Hall Drazen Petrovic, Zagreb, Croatia
March 25 - Cancarjev Dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia
April 02 - Hala University Palacheho, Olomouc, Czech Republic
April 15 - Vibra, Sao Paulo, Brazil
April 19 - Teatro Positiva, Curitiba, Brazil
April 21 - Vivo Rio, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
April 25 - Auditorio Araujo Vianna, Porto Alegre, Brazil

For tickets, visit ScreamForMe.com.

Bruce previously performed "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" in November 2021 in Győr, Hungary with DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover and the Győr Symphony Orchestra. Prior to that, he performed at the 50th-anniversary celebration of "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" in November 2019 at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

When the Quebec City concert was first announced, Dickinson said: "As many people know, DEEP PURPLE have been a major, ongoing influence in my life since I was a teenager, and down the years, I have been fortunate enough to become good friends with all of the band, most especially in my collaborations with Jon Lord."

Added Mann: "My long collaboration with Jon Lord, and in particular his innovative, genre-defying 'Concerto', has been one of the greatest joys of my musical life. Jon's spirit will definitely be with us."

During a September 2018 spoken-word gig in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dickinson talked about his friendship with Lord. He said: "Jon Lord was a wonderful gentleman, and we were close friends. And he sadly died of… He had pancreatic cancer, but he survived for a year and a half — much against what everybody had said would happen. And actually, at the end, he didn't die of pancreatic cancer — he died, unfortunately, of some terrible blood collapse that happened with him, possibly as a result of treatment. But we had all kinds of crazy plans, including me going out on tour with him, singing DEEP PURPLE songs with an orchestra, which he was planning to do; that was one of the things we were planning to do. But it all got interrupted and canceled, and [it was] obviously very sad. He was a wonderful man."

Lord died on July 16, 2012 at age 71 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Lord, who was known for his keyboard virtuosity and his reinvention of the Hammond B-3 organ sound, co-wrote such PURPLE classics as "Smoke On The Water" and "Child In Time", among others. Lord and drummer Ian Paice were the only original members to last through the band's initial run from 1968 to 1976. He was on board for their 1984 reunion and stayed on through to his 2002 retirement from the band, after which he worked primarily in the classical field.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, the band featuring guitarist Joe Bonamassa, vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, THE DEAD DAISIES),drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL),will perform on next year's Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea IX cruise, sailing from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico on March 18-22, 2024.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's most recent performance took place in February 2018 at the fourth edition of the Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea, which benefits the Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Bonamassa's non-profit organization dedicated to providing students, teachers, and musicians with the resources and tools needed to further their music education.

In a September 2022 interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Bonamassa spoke about the possibility of a fifth studio album with BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. Joe said: "We have quite the group chat going right now. So we're gonna start — Glenn and I are gonna start working on writing some songs. We're just gonna get together in October, next month, and we're gonna start. And we're gonna see if we can get everybody's schedule lined up for next year and do another record. 'Cause I really miss those guys. And when we fire on all cylinders, there's nothing better."

Asked what it is about a "band situation" that appeals to him, considering he has spent most of his career as a solo artist, Joe said: "I like nothing more than to be a member of a band and playing guitar. I don't have to front it; I don't have to sing all the time. And it's a lot less pressure than being the front person. Being the person in front is a special skillset. You have to be an entertainer. You can't just sit up there and stare at your guitar and go, 'Wow. Look, I can play guitar pretty good.' That's not gonna fill the theater. You have to put on a show. And to put on a show requires being an entertainer. So being in a band, the sum of the parts is greater than the single entity. So this thing where Glenn co-fronts BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, I can just sit back and play rhythm guitar and watch him do his thing. He's a legend. And then conversely, Glenn doesn't have to sing all night; I'll sing three or four [songs]. So we kind of spread out the whole workload a little bit."

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's next disc will be the follow-up to "BCCIV", which was released in September 2017 and marked BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's first studio effort since 2013's "Afterglow".

Just like its three predecessors, "BCCIV" was overseen by producer Kevin Shirley, who originally had the idea of putting Hughes and Bonamassa in a band after seeing them jamming together onstage in Los Angeles back in November 2009.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's inception took place when Hughes and Bonamassa fused their styles on stage in Los Angeles for an explosive performance at Guitar Center's King Of The Blues event. With the help and guidance of Shirley, they further added to their rock lineage by recruiting Bonham and Sherinian.

In a 2017 interview, Hughes talked about the chemistry between the BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION members, especially since all the musicians have had successful careers prior to launching the group.

"This band was meant to be," Glenn said. "It was formed out of a friendship with Joe and I. We got the [other] guys to come in, and it's always been a strong brotherhood. And we're just very lucky and fortunate to have met. I've known Jason since he was [a kid]. I just think that these four guys in this band are the right guys to play in the band."

Photo credit: Neil Zlozower

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In a brand new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, singer Michael Starr of California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER — whose songs contain what some critics say are racist, misogynistic and lewd lyrics — was asked if he and his bandmates have been affected by "cancel culture", a term which describes efforts to shun, silence or demonetize people who express unpopular beliefs. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, not really. I mean, I don't wanna say 'not really.' I would just say… I mean, the only pushback we got was for a plug-in that [STEEL PANTHER guitarist] Satchel designed called the 'Pussy Melter'. And it was on the TC Electronic web site and a girl guitar player saw it and she got extremely offended by it. And she wrote the company and they took the plug-in off because one person was upset with it. And so Satchel came up with the idea, and he said, 'Why don't we just make a fucking guitar pedal?' So we got into the guitar pedal business. Man, that thing flew off the shelves so quick. 'Cause people were trying to cancel us. We only made, like, I think, ten thousand of 'em or something — just a small order of 'em. Because it's expensive to get that capital to make 'em all. So we made, like, ten thousand and we made it a limited edition and it cut off at a certain number. And we sold 'em all in, like, two weeks. And so that [was a situation where] somebody tried to cancel us — like a subcategory of us — and it kind of backfired on them."

Starr went on to say that people who attend STEEL PANTHER concerts are fully aware of what they are going to see at the performances, including girls being invited girls up on stage to flash their breasts and single-entendre lyrics that seemingly objectify women and demean everybody.

"People that come to our shows, they know what to expect," Michael explained. "No one walks off the street and just goes, 'Oh, that looks like a fun show. I'm gonna go in.' And they buy a ticket and go in and go, 'Oh my God! I am so offended by them saying 'fuck',' or whatever. 'They said 'Asian hooker'. That's so racist.' People that come know what they're coming into. They know they're coming to a show where they're gonna laugh and hear some profane, politically incorrect humor. And if it's their first time [seeing the band], it's because their friend brought 'em. And people are pretty aware of what's going on. So I think everyone is there for the same party. So we really, really haven't experienced any of that [cancel culture]."

Starr added: "Our shows have been selling out on this tour. And I like to attribute it to how great my hair looks. But it's not that. It's more like people are sick of not being heard. And people are sick of fucking getting bullshitted and they want something that they can count on.

"You go to a sports game and, for the most part, you can count on it being an even match. The refs may fuck up a couple of calls. At the end of the day, at the end, somebody wins and somebody loses. There's truth to that. And when you come see us, at the end of the day, you're gonna get drunk, you're gonna laugh and you're gonna have a good time. You can't argue with that. And I think people really wanna just do that."

Less than two years ago, Satchel lamented the current stage of the world when asked about the future of comedy and entertainment during an appearance on the "2020'd" podcast. At the time, he said: "I know that wokeism is out of control and cancel culture is out of control right now, but people love to laugh and people love to be able to speak their fucking mind. And you can't be funny, I think, if you can't push the envelope a little bit and joke about shit that you're not supposed to joke about. And that's one of the things that is great about the differences in people — being able to joke about cultural differences. Because there's huge differences between black and white culture, there's huge differences between Asian culture and black culture, or gay culture and heterosexual culture. Gay guys are fucking hilarious; they're really funny. And I don't understand a lot of it, but they're funny as fuck. I'm not gay, so I don't suck dicks, but, to me, the whole idea of being gay is very funny, and there’s a lot of funny shit in that.

"Listen, stereotypes are stereotypes because they are fucking funny," he explained. "It's funny to joke about Asian people being bad drivers, 'cause there's a lot of 'em."

Satchel went on to say that STEEL PANTHER concerts provide a safe space for people to make fun of all situations and individuals equally without fear of offending someone.

"One of the things that I love about being in STEEL PANTHER, and one of the things I love about our shows, is that people who go to our show, and it doesn't matter whether they're white or black, or male or female, or gay or hetero, they go to our show because they love that they're in a place where everybody's… The playing field is level, because we make fun of everybody, and everybody can laugh at everything, and you don't have to worry about it," he said. "And you don't have to watch what you say because everybody can joke about everything. Everybody's in on it, so everybody has fun. And it really lets everybody let their guard down and everybody can have fucking fun.

"When you're out in public normally, most people are very aware of what they can and can't say in this day and age," he added. "And God, that gets fucking old after a while. Most people are just, like, 'Fuck, I just wanna cuss and make fun of a gay person for once. Come on.'"

STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released on February 24.

The band's "On The Prowl" world tour 2023 kicked off in February and will run throughout North America through April. CROBOT and TRAGEDY are joining the band on the trek. STEEL PANTHER will take a short break before bringing the party to the United Kingdom and Ireland in May.

In September, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Fifteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

In a new interview with Cigar Aficionado magazine, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield once again repeated his belief that he and his bandmates are not the greatest musicians in the world. "I know individually we're all really average players, but when you put us together, something happens," he said. "Something really happens…. Getting up and jamming with people is like a nightmare for me."

Hetfield also spoke about his struggles with stage fright during METALLICA's early days and how he overcame his performance anxiety in the band's later years.

"Early shows were really difficult — I was so shy," he admitted. "[I] didn't want to talk. I'd have the other guys in the band introduce the songs. [Now] I feel so comfortable up there, it's so weird. Sitting down one-on-one with someone is a lot more anxiety ridden than standing up in front of 10,000 people, 20,000 people."

Hetfield previously touched upon the METALLICA members' musical skills — or supposed lack thereof — in a 2016 interview with Spotify's "Metal Talks". The subject came up as Hetfield was discussing METALLICA's performance of its classic song "Enter Sandman" using children's musical instruments during an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". They were joined by the house band THE ROOTS and host Fallon.

"The 'Jimmy Fallon' thing is just one of those things that showed up in our lap," James explained. "They said, 'Hey, you wanna do this?' [And we were] like, 'Sure. Why not?' And, yeah, we had a blast doing that."

He continued: "You have to have humor, you have to… you've gotta laugh at yourselves, you've got to… not take yourself so seriously all the time. Stuff like that is just fun, and it lightens your heart, and it humbles you as well.

"We're literally afraid to jam with certain people, 'cause we think we're not worthy enough; we're not great musicians. Even with those little flutes and stuff, I was worried… I mean, Kirk [Hammett, guitar] was practicing the song on this little recording thing. It's, like, 'Dude, stop practicing it! Just go have fun, man. Go screw it up.'"

Hetfield added: "It's fun to give each other permission to screw up, and you're not under a microscope. 'Cause live, I mean, sometimes we're really tight, sometimes we're really not. And before going onstage, we always remind each other that, 'Hey, mistakes are supposed to happen up here and it makes this gig unique. Don't be so hard on yourself. And if you're feeling down, just look at the other guys, and we'll carry you through.' So there's a freedom to fuck up in METALLICA."

METALLICA's 12th studio 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". The album will be released in formats, including 2LP 140g black vinyl and limited-edition variants, CD and digital.

Chilean metal group Weight Of Emptiness have released a video for the song "Defrosting", taken from their new album Withered Paradogma, released March 7th, 2023 via Sliptrick Records.


Weight Of Emptiness released this statement: "When our true essence manages to thaw the ice walls of the soul, we can be ourselves and face the challenge of controlling our own life, without the heavy burdens imposed by society or the rigid standards of upbringing. That also happens on a social scale, and the people also begin to understand where they want to go and where they come from. 'Defrosting' invites the listener to defrost the soul and look towards our roots to find a path in the future."







Withered Paradogma artwork and tracklisting:





"Mutrümtun (The Calling)"
"Defrosting"
"0440"
"Wolves"
"Vital End"
"Beyond The Marinas"
"Black State Council"
"Storm Within"
"Oblivion Collector"
"Solstice Haze"
"The Awakening"





For further details, visit WeightOfEmptiness.com.


 

Medevil is a highly energetic, fast-paced metal band known for their tight songwriting, intense stage presence and roaring vocals. Back in 2016, they released their debut album Conductor Of Storms and this year they are following it up with Mirror In The Darkness, which is dedicated to their late drummer Chris Malcolmson whose drums are recorded on the album. The latest single off this progressive and adventurous new album is “Dead Before Birth” presented with a visualizer video. 


The band shares their thoughts on the opening track:


“Kicking things off is ‘Dead Before Birth’, a hard-hitting opening track that begins with a drum-only intro. Featuring complex arrangements, precise timings, and vicious guitar riffs. Between the many different time signatures, dense guitar layers, and menacing chorus, ‘Dead Before Birth’’s goal is to be catchy while also challenging the listener. The lyrics are kept abstract, dealing in a metaphorical sense with the feelings of depression.”




The single was actually the first track they fully completed writing for the album, all the way back in 2017 with the Conductor Of Storms lineup. The song didn’t change too much since then, but it also helped pave the way for the vibe of the album to be in a much more progressive and interesting direction than before. There are more twists that catch you off guard here, and is the perfect way to kick off Mirror In The Darkness. It’s probably their most complicated song rhythmically, and while they didn’t originally write this thinking it should be complex, it seemed to happen naturally with the riffs they were coming up with at the time. Somehow despite that complexity, it’s also extremely catchy.


Mirror In The Darkness comes out on April 7. Pre-order on Bandcamp and receive the digital download of "The Signal".





Tracklisting:


“Dead Before Birth”
“Among Thieves”
“Pray For Me”
“The Signal”
“Smoke And Mirrors”
“Weight Of The Crown”
“Mirror In The Darkness”
“Gateways”
“Veiled”
“No Peace In Rest”


"Dead Before Birth":





"Pray For Me":





“The Signal”:





"Among Thieves" lyric video:





(Photo – Matthew Collingwood)

Dissonant death metal outfit Nightmarer, which features current and former members of The Ocean, Convulsing, Gigan, War From A Harlot’s Mouth, and more, will release their second full-length, Deformity Adrift, via Total Dissonance Worship And Vendetta Records on May 5.


Today, the band release a music video for the track, "Hammer Of Desolation". Watch below:







Forged in 2014, the international collective known as Nightmarer set out to derive only the most extreme elements of their previous musical endeavours and take them to much more miserable and punishing levels. Two years later, the band hit the extreme metal underground with their debut EP Chasm. The furious whirlwind of low-end dissonance and pulverizing heaviness immediately took the scene by storm and paved the path to a record contract with Season Of Mist.


Nightmarer’s following full-length Cacophony Of Terror (2018) and their appearance on the 2019 edition of the Devastation On The Nation Tour, earned the band a strong, diehard following, while the addition of guitarist Keith Merrow (Merrow, Conquering Dystopia) in the same year, only further cemented their reputation as a band to watch closely.


In early 2020, Nightmarer parted ways with Season Of Mist to launch their own label, Total Dissonance Worship. Under that banner, the band released the single “Primordial Grit” and 2021 EP Monolith Of Corrosion to critical acclaim from both fans and critics alike.


By 2021, most of the band relocated to Portland, Oregon to finish the production of their long-awaited, second full-length: this year’s Deformity Adrift.


Inarguably the band’s most diverse work to date, Deformity Adrift ventures far beyond the conventions of the already unconventional genre of dissonant death metal, without surrendering an ounce of viciousness. A thirty-two-minute sonic behemoth, the record is at once confounding and ravaging. Strong nuances of industrial and doom metal can be heard throughout, the record’s nine tracks concluding fittingly with a suffocating wall of sound that leaves its listeners bruised, battered, and shaken.


Guitars on Deformity Adrift were recorded by Simon Hawemann at Sludge Studios, vocals and additional guitars were recorded by Keith Merrow at Merrowsound, all bass was recorded by Brendan Sloan at Overland, and drums were recorded by Marc Wüstenhagen at Dailyhero Recordings. The record was mixed and mastered by Raphaël Bovey at MyRoom Studio and comes adorned in the cover art of Jeanne Comateuse.


Nightmarer’s Deformity Adrift will be released by Total Dissonance Worship in the US and Vendetta Records in Europe on CD, vinyl, cassette, digital, and streaming formats. Find pre-orders here.





Deformity Adrift tracklisting:


"Brutalist Imperator"
"Baptismal Tomb"
"Throe Of Illicit Withdrawal"
"Tooms"
"Suffering Beyond Death"
"Taufbefehl"
"Hammer Of Desolation"
"Endstadium"
"Obliterated Shrine"


"Taufbefehl" video:





"Throe Of Illicit Withdrawal":





Nightmarer lineup:


John Collett - vocals
Simon Hawemann - guitars
Keith Merrow - guitars
Brendan Sloan - bass
Paul Seidel – drums


Additional musicians:


Christian Kolf and Jan Buckard (Valborg) - guest vocals on “Taufbefehl”
Eeli Helin - soundscapes and noise on “Taufbefehl”
Jesse Zuretti and Robert Bruckmayer - orchestration, soundscapes, samples on “Obliterated Shrine”


(Photo - Peter Voigtmann)

Ventura, California's heavy metal institution, Night Demon, have released a video for "Beyond The Grave", from their third full-length, Outsider, out now via Century Media Records. Watch below.


Jarvis Leatherby (vocals/bass) comments: "'Beyond the Grave' marks a pivotal moment in the Outsider album. This concept record follows a storyline, and here our main character finds himself in a dire situation, having to confront the darkest aspects of his own psyche. It's an ode to waging war and making peace with our own alter egos. The music video builds on these themes. We explore the darker aspects of ourselves, expressed on screen through magickal ritual and dark mirror gazing. We're immensely proud of this next single and video, and we hope it strikes a chord with our fans."







For more than a decade, Night Demon have defiantly flown the flag of traditional heavy metal, unwavering in the face of shifting industry trends and unscarred by global calamities. With new album Outsider, the band have challenged themselves musically and lyrically, pushing creative boundaries and evolving their sound far beyond their NWOBHM-worshipping origins into something truly singular.


Order here.





Outsider tracklisting:


"Prelude"
"Outsider"
"Obsidian"
"Beyond The Grave"
"Rebirth"
"Escape From Beyond"
"A Wake"
"The Wrath"
"The Last Day"


"Escape From Beyond" video:





"Outsider" video:





Night Demon are out on the "Hell's Decibels Tour 2023", hitting cities across the US alongside Satan and Haunt - with the trek concluding in Philly as the official Decibel Metal & Beer Fest pre-party. See below for all dates.


March


24 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
25 - Houston, TX - White Oak (Hell's Heroes)
26 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
27 - Wichita, KS - - Barleycorns
29 - St Paul, MN - Turf Club
30 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
31 - Des Moines, IA - Lefty's Live Music


April
1 - Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom (2 Minutes To Tulsa)
4 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
5 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
6 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
7 - Mechanicsburg, PA - Lovedraft's
8 - Cambridge, MA - Sonia
9 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
11 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
13 - Philadelphia, PA - The Foundry (Decibel Metal & Beer Fest pre-party)


Night Demon lineup:


Jarvis Leatherby - Vocals / Bass
Dusty Squires - Drums
Armand John Anthony - Guitars


(Photo - Nikolas Bremm)

Available below is a remastered video for "Brutal Planet", the opening track of Alice Cooper's Brutally Live tour. The video was filmed at London's Hammersmith Apollo in 2000. The Brutally Live tour followed the release of the studio album, Brutal Planet, a great collection of songs showing Alice Cooper embracing the harder side of heavy rock.





The Alice Cooper North American tour, with an all-new show dubbed "Too Close For Comfort," kicks off in late April in Michigan and continues through late September, including a handful of August stadium shows with Def Leppard and Motley Crue, followed by a co-headlining late summer "Freaks On Parade" tour with Rob Zombie.




For tickets + VIP information, head here.





Tour dates:


April
28 - Mt. Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino + Resort
29 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Centre
30 - Hershey, PA - The Hershey Theater


May
2 - Fort Wayne, IN - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
3 - Milwaukee, WI - Miller High Life Theatre
5 - Prior Lake, MN - Mystic Lake Mystic Showroom
6 - Bemidji, MN - Sanford Center
7 - Sioux City, IA - Tyson Events Center
9 - Champaign, IL - State Farm Center
10 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace Theater
13 - Knoxville, TN - The Tennessee Theatre
14 - Spartanburg, SC - Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
15 - North Charleston, SC - Performing Arts Center
17 - Shreveport, LA - Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
18 - Biloxi, MS - Beau Rivage Theatre
20 - Daytona Beach, FL - Welcome to Rockville*
 
* Festival


With Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe:


August
5 - Syracuse, NY - JMA Wireless Dome
8 - Columbus, OH - The Ohio State University Ohio Stadium
11 - Fargo, ND - Fargodome
13 - Omaha, NE - Charles Schwab Field Omaha
16 - Tulsa, OK - Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium
18 - El Paso, TX - Sun Bowl Stadium





Freaks On Parade Tour with Rob Zombie:


August
24 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
26 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
27 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
29 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
30 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater


September
1 - Tinley Park, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
2 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
5 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
6 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
8 - Scranton, PA - The Pavilion at Montage Mountain
9 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
10 - Hartford, CT - The XFINITY Theatre
12 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
16 - Englewood, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre *
19 - Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
20 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
22 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
23 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
24 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre

In a new interview with I'm Music Magazine, legendary bassist Billy Sheehan, who is perhaps best known for his stint as a member of former VAN HALEN frontman David Lee Roth's solo band, was asked how he feels about the explosion of artists using tracks in their live shows these days. He responded: "My last moments with David Lee Roth was in the studio. We sang all the background vocals for the 'Skyscraper' tour, to be on samples for them to use live, which went against my grain to start with. And later that day, I had the meeting which ended my relationship with Dave. Fortunately, I did not go out on that tour with fake vocals. I did sing on that tour, but I did it digitally."

Sheehan, who is currently on the road with THE WINERY DOGS promoting that band's third album, "III", continued: "I'm very, very much against faking it. Richie [Kotzen, THE WINERY DOGS vocalist/guitarist] really sings. There isn't a note of pitch correction on our record. It becomes professional wrestling at some point. I hate to see it because all it takes is work.

"I've never had any talent," Billy added. "I just worked my ass off and figured out the notes, figured out how to do it and got up on stage and did it live. But once you get it, you got it and it's satisfying and it's real and I prefer that over anything else.

"With THE WINERY DOGS, we improvise a lot. We do a lot of jamming, and we don't know what's going to happen. Somebody turns left or turns right and we decide to follow him. It makes it fun and alive, and people are enjoying a spontaneous moment where something happened that will never happen again."

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.

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."

Photo credit: Jeff Gerew / ABC Public Relations

LAST IN LINE — the band featuring frontman Andrew Freeman, bassist Phil Soussan (ex-OZZY OSBOURNE),and original DIO members Vivian Campbell (DEF LEPPARD) and Vinny Appice (ex-BLACK SABBATH) — will release its third studio album, "Jericho", on March 31 via earMUSIC. Audio samples of all the tracks that will appear on the LP can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Despite the past two years of isolation, "Jericho" was produced in the best hard rock tradition with great studio performances of an excellent all-star lineup.

Campbell explains: "With LAST IN LINE, just as we did with DIO, we cut the basic tracks live. It's important for us to capture the energy of the syncopation of playing together in real time — much like the energy of a live show. This record represents the best of both worlds: the spirit of an energetic band performance, and the more reflective and nuanced qualities of our individual performances, too."

Appice says: "All the musical forces of LAST IN LINE are combined here for a super-powerful new record. Press play and put your seatbelts on!!"

Last year, LAST IN LINE surprised with a unique version of THE BEATLES classic "A Day In The Life", which was released on the limited 12-inch silver collector's EP with the same name.

Last summer, Vinny told Metal Rules that LAST IN LINE's third studio album was helmed by Chris Collier, who has previously worked with KORN and WHITESNAKE, among other bands. LAST IN LINE's first two albums were produced by former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson.

The news of LAST IN LINE's partnership with earMUSIC was shared in February 2022 by Appice during an appearance on "Waste Some Time With Jason Green". Vinny also revealed that LAST IN LINE completed recording six more new songs in late January at Danny "Count" Koker's Desert Moon studios in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Formed in 2012 by Appice, Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — LAST IN LINE's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released in February 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when Bain unexpectedly died at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in Soussan and committed to sustained touring in support of the album before beginning work on the follow-up release, 2019's "II", which was also made available through Frontiers Music Srl.

In February 2021, Soussan told the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast about the musical direction of the new LAST IN LINE material: "The songs are another progression from the last album — the difference between 'Heavy Crown' and 'II', and now 'II' and whatever this next album is gonna be called. But it's definitely evolved even more; it's gone into even more of an evolution, but we are always trying to keep the characteristics of LAST IN LINE there. I mean, you can't shake those things — you can't shake Vinny's drumming, you can't shake Vivian's playing. And I'd like to say the same thing about myself, and, of course, Andrew."

Some of the early recording sessions for LAST IN LINE's third album took place in January 2020 at Steakhouse studio in North Hollywood, California.

"Jericho" track listing:

01. Not Today Satan
02. Ghost Town
03. Bastard Son
04. Dark Days
05. Burning Bridges
06. Do The Work
07. Hurricane Orlagh
08. Walls Of Jericho
09. Story Of My Life
10. We Don't Run
11. Something Wicked
12. House Party At The End Of The World

Photo credit: Jim Wright