During the question-and-answer portion of his January 19 spoken-word appearance at Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki, Finland, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was asked when fans will finally get to hear his long-awaited new solo album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Soon. Obviously, there's gonna be a MAIDEN tour in between me finishing the album and then you hearing it later. I won't tell you when. It'll be a surprise. Not really. But there's been a lot of things around this particular record; it's been a long time."

He continued: "The record itself is, I think… I'm very proud of it. I think it's gonna be quite special. I think you'll really dig it. There's some other stuff that I'm doing around it that's hopefully gonna be quite interesting as well. So I've got a lot of things I'm gonna be doing and be busy doing this year preparing it all. That's all I can tell you at the moment. And there will be a tour. And we will be coming, I hope, to Helsinki."

Last March, Bruce told Consequence about his next solo album: "I've been working on it, on and off, since [2005's] 'Tyranny Of Souls'. But between lockdowns and albums and MAIDEN tours and everything else, I'm looking for a clear space to actually nail and say, 'Okay, this is what it's gonna be,' and get [Bruce's longtime collaborator Roy ['Z' Ramirez] to put some backing tracks down. And then we can do it. So we're at the point now where we've already got — I don't know — anywhere between 50 and 70 percent of the material for the album, depend[ing] on what we pick, from things we've already got. And I think we'd like to tweak it a little bit."

Back in December 2017, Dickinson said that his next solo LP would likely include a reworked version of "If Eternity Should Fail", the opening track on IRON MAIDEN's 2015 disc "The Book Of Souls". At the time, he said that he had about "half" of his seventh record already written and he also confirmed that "If Eternity Should Fail" was originally penned as a Dickinson solo track.

He told Finland's Kaaos TV that the original plan was for his next solo record to be "a whole concept album, which was gonna be called 'If Eternity Should Fail'. And 'If Eternity Should Fail' was the title track to my new solo album," he said. "And a bit like [Dickinson's 1989 solo song] 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter' [laughs], it got commandeered for IRON MAIDEN. So if I did do another solo album, which I think I will, I might just stick to my original plan and have that as the title track. I mean, I did write it — it was the first track that I wrote for it. So, yeah, I'd probably still include that song. But it would be… the feel would be slightly different — not very much, though — from the MAIDEN version."

In 2015, Dickinson told France's Hard Force magazine that "If Eternity Should Fail" ended up being used by IRON MAIDEN after bassist Steve Harris heard the demos that Bruce was working on for what was supposed to be his next solo album. "And [Steve] went, 'That's a really cool song. Can we use that? That's gonna be the opening song on the album,'" he recalled. "And I went, 'Yeah, okay.' And he was already writing, I think… He was already thinking of 'The Book Of Souls' as being the title, so he told me about the Mayan thing. And I'm, like, 'Yeah, that's cool. Okay. Yeah, I see where you're going.' But in my case, that song was written as part of a story. So the spoken word at the end is the beginning of a story that goes through the whole album. And one of the characters is Dr. Necropolis; he's the bad guy. And the good guy is Professor Lazarus; he raises people from the dead. So that introduces Necropolis in the spoken-word thing. And I asked Steve… I said, 'Look. Okay. I get having the song…' 'Cause it opens up with, 'Here is the soul of a man.' 'Yup. Get that. But what about the end?' I said, 'Will people understand what this is about? Because this is nothing to do with the Mayans or anything. This is to do with… I'd come up with a concept album that doesn't happen.' [Laughs] And he [went], 'No, no, no. It's just talking about souls and everything, and it sounds great.' I went, 'Okay.' [Laughs]"

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith. Since then, Dickinson has only released one more solo album (the aforementioned "Tyranny Of Souls") but has previously said that his solo career is not over.

In a new interview with Metal Express Radio, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford spoke about what fans can expect to hear on the band's upcoming follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When you're in a band, you're always trying to better yourself; you're always trying to say, 'This is the best album we've ever made.' It's just a natural thing to do. And I'm aware of the great success and love that was given to 'Firepower'. And so how do you deal with that? Well, firstly, you have to let that go. You have to let that go, because it's like you're chasing after something that's elusive. What's the point of trying to emulate something that you've already done? We've just gotta do like we've always done with PRIEST, the way that every album has its own concept, every album has its own thing. 'British Steel' isn't 'Painkiller'; 'Painkiller' isn't 'Point Of Entry'; 'Point Of Entry' isn't 'Nostradamus'. So this album is shaping up to be its own thing."

He added: "It's great. It's a really good album, and I know our fans are gonna love it."

Regarding the progress of the recording sessions for the next PRIEST LP, Halford said: "As I've been saying in these recent Zooms [interviews], they're all waiting for me, because all the music is done. I've got the album here in front of me, on my laptop, and it sounds fucking amazing, which you expect every musician to say. But I've really gotta do my work now and make sure that what I do relates to the great work that the guys have done.

"So, it's coming together," he continued. "It'll be ready when it's ready. But we're trying to stick on a timeline. We're hoping to do this Ozzy [Osbourne] tour [of Europe in May]. Please, Ozzy, be well enough; I think he will be. Once we do the Ozzy tour, then we're gonna really get into the back end of finishing the record and then probably being ready to release that. I'm saying now… I did say '23. It looks like it's '24 — which isn't that far away. It's already almost February in 2023.

"I think if you look back at all the work that we've done — apart from that time in the '80s when we were making an album and a world tour literally year in and year out for three or four years… You can do that when you're in that mindset at that point in your life and in the band when things are just roaring. This far on, when you've done so much work and you are aware of what you've achieved, then I think naturally you take your time more."

Last November, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner spoke to Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules about the musical direction of the band's upcoming LP: "You know what? The Internet seems to know everything these days about what the new album's going to sound like based on a couple of words that [we've] put out there [in previous interviews]. I think we've used the word 'progressive', and everyone thinks it's gonna become 'Nostradamus' [PRIEST's controversial 2008 symphonic heavy metal concept double album about Nostradamus], or RUSH, which is two different things. I've definitely used the word 'progressive' [to describe the new PRIEST material in previous interviews], purely because it's got a few musical turnarounds that 'Firepower' doesn't have. But that doesn't make it a RUSH record. It just makes it — instead of, like, a verse into a bridge into a chorus, there might be a couple of more musical passages in there to make it a bit more… interesting; might be the wrong word. I don't know. You've gotta be careful with the words you use these days. So it's not 'Firepower 2', but it's the same band a few years later, so there's obvious connections to the last record. But it's not 'Firepower 2' by any means."

Richie continued: "No PRIEST records have sounded the same, but it's got a common DNA. And you always try and make the next one sound a bit better — or whatever 'better' may be; 'better' is subjective. So, is it better written? Are the lyrics better? Does it sound better? And 'better' is always subjective. So it's hard to pinpoint, really. But it's a bit more of a musical adventure than the last one, I'd say. But then again someone might listen to it, when it does come out, and have a totally different interpretation of what it is. So it's always tough to sum up your own music without sounding up your own butt."

Asked if longtime PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease nine years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier, will play on the band's album, Richie said: "He will be, yeah. I don't think he's recorded his guitar parts yet, but he's definitely involved in the writing of it. Obviously, we're all aware of his challenges with Parkinson's, so we were adamant that if he couldn't play that particular day that he was involved in the writing. He'd share his ideas with me and I'd kind of be his… he would share his ideas through me."

In October, Halford told AXS TV's Katie Daryl about what PRIEST fans can expect from the upcoming LP: "The same energy, the same vitality, the same determination, and it really is, again, another affirmation of what you love about JUDAS PRIEST. If you listen to any album from PRIEST from 'Rocka Rolla' in the '70s up to the 2000s with 'Firepower' and everything that went on between there, whether it was 'Turbo Lover' or whether it was the 'Painkiller' or '[You've Got] Another Thing Comin'', all of these pinpoints connect the dots of this great 50 years of metal, this journey that we're on. And it ain't over yet, folks, because that means another album and another tour. And we can't wait to keep pouring out the metal, 'cause that turbo power isn't gonna get turned off anytime soon."

In February 2022, Halford was asked by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In if he agreed with Faulkner's recent comment that the band's upcoming album will be more musically "progressive" than "Firepower". He responded: "Yeah, the metal is there. But here's the thing: we've tried our best not to replicate anything that we've done. From 'Rocka Rolla' all the way through to 'Firepower', each record has had a distinctive character. And it's tough because fans go, 'We want another 'Painkiller',' 'We want another 'British Steel'.' And [it's, like], 'Dude, we've already done that.'

"Fans know that we're a band that is always full of adventure and trying new stuff," he continued. "And so, yeah, this has got probably some more progressive elements that we've never really delved into before. And that's exciting, because, again, it gives us and our fans another opportunity to see a different side of PRIEST. But it's still metal. There's just more of it. There are more notes than there were before."

Also in February, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the overall sound of the new PRIEST music: "Whenever you start a record, you never know how it's gonna turn out. So you might start with an idea of what it's gonna be, and as it kind of rolls on, it comes out something different. So you don't quite know. And also it's really hard to sum up your own music, I find, without sounding really pretentious. But I think this one — it's not 'Firepower 2', I don't think. It's its own thing, it's its own animal. If anything, I would say it's a bit more progressive in places, and in places it's got a bit more of that 'Killing Machine' swagger."

Faulkner added: "I know everyone says, 'Oh, is it the next 'Painkiller'?' or 'Is it the next…?' whatever… I don't know if they'd ever done it, but I know we've never done it when I've been in the band; we've never tried to recreate an album. It's always we try to create an album that stands on its own legs. So I think it's definitely a little bit more progressive than 'Firepower' and, as I said, in places it's got a little bit of that 'Killing Machine' angry swagger attitude going on. But again, as I said, we're waiting to see what it turns out like, 'cause it could turn out completely different."

Two years ago, Halford confirmed that PRIEST's next album would see the band reuniting with the "Firepower" production team consisting of Andy Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony are celebrating the 28th anniversary of Van Halen's tenth studio album, Balance, released on January 24, 1995 via Warner Bros. Records. They've shared video of VH performing "Amsterdam" live on The Jon Stewart Show that same year.


Balance is the last of the band's four studio albums to feature vocalist Hagar, and the final Van Halen album to feature bassist Michael Anthony in its entirety.


Says Sammy: "The Balance record was such a great record, but it was during hard times for the band, and a very hard record to make. A lot of painful dark images, bickering amongst the band, health issues, but this live performance of 'Amsterdam' on the Jon Stewart show shows how great this band was live. Wow & that's a TV performance."




Adds Michael: "By the time the Balance record came out, there was lots of tension within the band, personally, and professionally. One thing that was understood though was that the music was the important thing, and when we got together to play live we kicked ass, be it in concert or guesting on a TV show. This clip of us on Jon Stewart shows we were still delivering the goods!!!"

Colorado-based death/thrash outfit Necropanther will release their long-awaited fourth full-length, Betrayal, March 3, today unveiling the record’s artwork, track listing, and first single.


The metal genre-manipulating band from Denver has always crafted their full-length releases around cult sci-fi/dystopian future cinema. Betrayal intertwines the movie The Warriors with the Greek story of Anabasis by Xenophon (on which The Warriors is based).


The eleven-track album features the rigorous musicianship and energetic riffs that Necropanther fans have come to expect, with the addition of experimental executions and techniques that put the band in fresh territory. “These are areas we’ve never explored before, like backwards guitar, Marcus using a screwdriver on a bass track, and harmonized whammy leads,” notes guitarist Joe Johnson. Betrayal sees the addition of guitar solos from vocalist/guitarist Paul Anop and deeper vocals from bassist Marcus Corich to complement Anop’s signature rasp.




“This is the first album where I have guitar solos,” states Anop, “It definitely challenged me and helped me grow as a musician.” Corich echoes these sentiments, “Testing the limits of my bass performance, playing with atypical sounds and taking on vocals was both massively challenging and rewarding.” Adds Johnson, “It was a lot of fun trading solos with Paul and to have that new lead voice. Combining that with Marcus’s vocals adds dimension to our orchestration and sound that helps make this the richest record we’ve ever done.”


This musical progress was born from the pandemic-imposed hiatus from live shows, leaving the band to focus on practicing, writing, and developing material in the practice space. “Everyone in the band composes songs, but everyone has different styles and influences. Continuing to elevate these collaborative voices is what stimulates our growth and exploration as musicians, and makes Necropanther unique,” says drummer Haakon Sjogren.


When it came time for Betrayal’s technical production, Necropanther knew the right partner was critical. They enlisted the mixing talents of metal legend David Castillo (Carcass, Kreator, Katatonia) of Ghost Ward Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. “This record has more lead guitar than any we’ve ever done, and based on his incredible past work, we knew Castillo could help us reach our goals,” elaborates Anop. Adds Johnson, “His catalog speaks for itself. Our sound is a combination of different metal subgenres, sometimes in rapid succession. He was able to present those details with clarity so our listeners can enjoy that variety in its correct context.”


From a technical aspect, Castillo was a good fit. Explains Corich, “His hybrid workflow, with a mixture of analog and outboard reverbs, compression and console summing, fit this production perfectly.” And there was another benefit. “We got the added bonus of visiting Scandinavia,” Sjogren points out, “I’m from Norway, so we visited Oslo before going to the studio in Sweden. It was really cool to introduce the band to my origins, both personal and musical.”


Adds Castillo, "I loved working with these guys. Their music and performances are so pure and raw in a very good way. You can hear that each one of them put their heart into the music and the delivery is outstanding. They need the cred that they deserve, and I wish them the best of luck!"


Necropanther chose The Warriors as subject matter for Betrayal after exploring the history of the movie. “The Warriors is based on the ancient Greek war story of Anabasis. The tales are parallel: A small group is betrayed and isolated in dangerous enemy territory and must fight their way back home,” states Johnson. Adds Sjogren, “Much like The Warriors, we explored new territory on this album and often found ourselves in unfamiliar places but working together to make it ‘home.’ Also, it’s just a great, fun movie with wisdom that’s still relevant in today’s world.”


In advance of the release of Betrayal, the band is pleased to unveil first single “One And Only.” Notes Johnson of the track, "‘One And Only’ is a melodic thrash song with some twists and turns featuring extended performance techniques on guitar and bass and introduces Marcus Corich's low vocals for the first time. This is the third album in a row opening with a song written by Haakon Sjogren. He has a great thrash sensibility and it made sense for us to establish that we're developing artistically but not reformatting on this record.”


Betrayal, which comes adorned in the cover art of Max Sherman, will be released on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Preorder on Bandcamp.


Necropanther will play a special record release show on April 8th in Denver joining metal legends Vader, Krisiun, and Decrepit Birth with additional live performances to be announced in the weeks to come.





Tracklisting:


“One And Only”
“Covenant”
“Breathe Evil”
“If You Can Count”
“Into Danger”
“Revenants”
“Wanderers”
“Furies”
“Don’t Stop For Death”
“Out To The Sand”
“Betrayal”


“One And Only”:


Betrayal by Necropanther

MOTÖRHEAD, the iconic Godfathers of heavy metal, have unleashed a brand new video for the previously unreleased track "Greedy Bastards", taken from the upcoming release "Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic".

"Greedy Bastards" is the second rare gem found in the recording session vaults for the 23rd (and final) studio album, "Bad Magic", in 2015. Instantly hailed as one of the best albums the beloved trio had recorded in many years, "Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic" is the ultimate bumper reissue, including the only recently released stomper "Bullet In Your Brain", as well as a snarling, fangs-out live performance from the "Bad Magic" tour at the giant Mt Fuji Festival in Japan in 2015.

Fans will also get "War, Love, Death And Injustice", an audio interview with Lemmy conducted by MOTÖRHEAD expert Robert Kiewik during the tour, and should the desire to have a chat with Lem or anyone beyond this mortal coil arise, the box-set will exclusively contain a "Murder One" ouija board (complete with the "Ace Of Spades" planchette to spell out the conversation).

Kicking off with a raw spoken-word intro from Lemmy, "Greedy Bastards" profound message is as relevant today as ever, while delivered with the classic MOTÖRHEAD rip-roaring, swagger.

"Another beauty from the 'Bad Magic' sessions," comments guitarist Phil Campbell, "with Lem's lyrics hitting our times bang on the head."

The new animated video for "Greedy Bastards" can be watched below (video by Natalia Jonderko Śmiechowicz).

At the time of its release back in 2015, "Bad Magic" arrived as a massive kick in the teeth for anyone who believed MOTÖRHEAD were going to amble along into a peaceful little pasture containing fluffy little lambs, folk music and perhaps the odd medieval lute here and there. Big-rig head crushers such as "Thunder & Lightning" and "Teach Them How To Bleed" brought such people to their knees begging for forgiveness, as the album unfurled into their toughest, leanest, meanest and most uncompromising album in aeons. Much of this came down to long-time producer Cameron Webb getting the band to record live at NRG North Hollywood, Maple Studios and Grandmaster in California together for the first time in the Kilmister/Campbell/Dee era, and from the crackling punk energy of "Electricity" to Brian May of QUEEN's scintillating guest-appearance on "The Devil", a vast wealth of aggression, attitude, and excellent songwriting was cultivated in that furious working environment. Phil Campbell didn't just record possibly his finest guitars, he threw down most certainly his best solos for decades, while Mikkey Dee's drumming found new tribal resonance with the MOTÖRHEAD sound he had helped nurture. There was also one of Lemmy's rawest lyrical life reflections on "Till The End", and a cover of THE ROLLING STONES' "Sympathy For The Devil" which made the song feel like one of their own. One of the hidden gold-dust additions to "Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic" is MOTÖRHEAD's famous, and internationally acclaimed, version of David Bowie's classic "Heroes". Originally slated for inclusion on the last release only to be withdrawn at the last minute, it was a cover version which Lemmy had a great affection for, and as such its inclusion here is both fitting and just.

Due on February 24, 2023, "Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic" will be released on double 12-inch vinyl, CD digipak with bonus disc, limited-edition boxset, digital download and streaming.

"Bad Magic: Seriously Bad Magic" track listing:

01. Victory Or Die
02. Thunder & Lightning
03. Fire Storm Hotel
04. Shoot Out All Of Your Lights
05. The Devil
06. Electricity
07. Evil Eye
08. Teach Them How To Bleed
09. Till The End
10. Tell Me Who To Kill
11. Choking On Your Screams
12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You
13. Sympathy For The Devil
14. Heroes
15. Bullet In Your Brain
16. Greedy Bastards

Live at Mt Fuji Rock Festival 2015 – Sayonara Folks! track listing:

01. We Are Motörhead
02. Damage Case
03. Stay Clean
04. Metropolis
05. Over The Top
06. String Theory
07. The Chase Is Better Than The Catch
08. Rock It
09. Lost Woman Blues
10. Doctor Rock
11. Just ‘Cos You Got The Power
12. Going To Brazil
13. Ace Of Spades
14. Overkill

Two years after the release of Queen Takes Kin", The Rainbird's latest album, the band's new single, entitled "Little Dreamer", is about to be released. The song, which will be released on February 10 on all digital platforms, will introduce their new concept album, titled Devil's Smile.


The story, written by drummer Steve Foglia, is set in Florence in the glorious period of the Renaissance where a very young Leonardo meets a mysterious woman called Monnalisa. With the release of each single you will be transported into the history of the concept, making you more and more curious, step by step.


“Unlike Queen takes King, for this album we had a very different approach to pre-production,” says drummer Steve, “after developing the story of the concept, I took care of writing all the lyrics of the songs that Fabrizio set to music with his unmistakable style, trying to vary the pieces as much as possible. Once the songs were ready we met in the rehearsal room to try them trying to put our own on each song and I must say that the result is really noticeable!”




Devil's Smile will be the third album from the band formed in 1998, as well as the second with the legendary Michael Vescera (former lead singer of Loudness and guitar hero Yngwie J. Malmsteen) on vocals.


Stay tuned for further details.

The Rainbird lineup:


Mike Vescera – Vocals
Bonalien – Guitar
Valerio Matafu’ – Guitar
Steve Foglia - Drum
Davide Galletti – Bass

Former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe has released the video for the high-octane title track of his latest solo album, "I Live Too Fast To Die Young", out now via Silver Lining Music.

"I Live Too Fast To Die Young" is quintessential Monroe, playing with words and concepts in a playfully irreverent way and wrapping it all up in some proper kick-in-the-balls rock 'n' roll.

"This one started life as just a song title — a tongue-in-cheek nod to Vivienne Westwood's 'Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die' t-shirts after I had been gifted one by a fan in Japan," guitarist Rich Jones explains. "It's a reference to Michael's seemingly boundless energy and the fact that he's still kicking ass after all these years."

"I love reinventing old clichés," Monroe laughs. "The whole 'live fast, die young' cliché is so boring, so I live too fast to die young! It takes more to survive and be here today than to self-destruct and die young!"

A close friend of Monroe, Slash from GUNS N' ROSES, throws down some lead guitar on the track.

"Slash is one of the nicest guys that I know and one of rock's greatest guitarists as he's maintained the spontaneity, the human touch and the heartfelt kick-ass attitude in his playing," Monroe enthuses. "I figured this would be a good one for him to play a solo on, he said he loved the song and that it's super catchy."

"Having Slash play an absolutely ripping guitar solo on it was a real honor and it's since become a fan favorite in our live shows," adds Jones.

Recorded at Inkfish Studios in Helsinki, Finland between November and December 2021 and produced by the band with engineer Erno Laitinen, the album features Monroe on lead vocals and harmonica, Steve Conte (guitars and vocals),Rich Jones (guitar, vocals),Karl Rockfist (drums) and Sami Yaffa (bass/vocals/guitar).

Regarding the musical direction of "I Live Too Fast To Die Young", Monroe previously said: "The punk is always gonna be there — it's part of my thing and our sound — and overall I think we've really renewed the band's sound in the best possible way without getting away from who and what we are."

He continued: "I always wanted to maintain the excitement and curiosity of life, to keep that mind of a child and excitement about stuff and not get complacent, not get tired. Of course, I can be cynical and I'm sarcastic, and I haven't had the best of luck, but then again who does? And I still have a lot of things to be happy about. It doesn't take much for me to be happy. To be able to do what I love doing the most, and make a living out of it, that's a gift."

Monroe and his band are getting ready to join BLACK STAR RIDERS on their 2023 UK tour along with MOTÖRHEAD's Phil Campbell and the BASTARD SONS. The tour will kick off on February 13 at Nottingham's Rock City and conclude on February 26 at London's 02 Shepherds Bush Empire.

PANTERA's concert in Austria this spring has been canceled following an outcry over singer Philip Anselmo's previous racist remarks.

The reformed band — featuring PANTERA's surviving members Anselmo and Rex Brown (bass) along with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) — was scheduled to appear at Gasometer in Vienna on May 31 as part of its spring/summer 2023 European tour. However, earlier today (Wednesday, January 25),promoters Barracuda Music and Mind Over Matter Music released a statement on social media saying that the show was scrapped. "All tickets can be returned where they were purchased," the promoters wrote. "Thank you for your understanding."

Barracuda Music and Mind Over Matter Music did not offer an explanation for the cancelation, but the majority of the fans commenting on the promoters' Facebook page assumed that the move was made for the same reason PANTERA's appearances at Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park festivals in Germany were called off earlier this week.

Most of the backlash that led to the German concert cancelations stemmed from the fact that Anselmo made a Nazi-style salute when he performed at the January 2016 "Dimebash" event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood in honor of late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. He also appeared to say "white power" as he made the gesture, but later claimed he was joking about drinking white wine backstage and was reacting to the audience members up front who he says were taunting him.

There was additional criticism with regard to the fact that Rock Am Ring takes place in Nürnberg (known in its English form as Nuremberg),where Hitler supporters held a series of mass Nazi party rallies between 1933 and 1938.

In calling for Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park organizers to cancel PANTERA's appearances at the festivals, the German Green Party said in the Nürnberg city council that Anselmo "repeatedly and deliberately made Nazi gestures and yelled racist slogans." Réka Lörincz, the spokeswoman for the Greens against racism and right-wing extremism, added that "the former Nazi party premises" were "being deliberately misused for the staging and reproduction of racist and inhuman ideology." The Green Party rep told Germany's Stern magazine that Anselmo's apology for his white power outburst was "not credible enough" and that hosting the band on the former Nazi Party rally grounds "clearly exceeds the limit of what is bearable."

“We are relieved about the organizer's decision not to offer the band PANTERA a stage. Their singer Phil Anselmo had repeatedly attracted attention with anti-Semitic and racist incidents," Lörincz wrote in a statement on the Green Party's web site. "Therefore, a performance was unimaginable for us — especially on the former Nazi party rally grounds."

In the days leading up to the Vienna concert cancelation, the Green party in Vienna demanded that this performance also be scrapped.

"Due to its National Socialist past, Vienna in particular has a special historical responsibility to oppose any form of right-wing extremism. The appearance of PANTERA is completely incompatible with this responsibility," they said in a statement. "Therefore, it can only mean for Vienna: No stage for a Hitler salute, no stage for PANTERA!" At the request of the APA, Barracuda Music explained in a statement on Tuesday (January 24): "We are currently examining the possibility of canceling the show."

Back in May 2019, Anselmo was asked by U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine if he feels the "Dimebash" debate is something he has moved past. He responded: "I feel like it's ridiculous. I made an off-color joke and 'Boom!' — it's like I'm literally Hitler! I'm not. I take each individual one at a time, in the way that any logical individual will. I have love in my heart. Over the years, I've learned to take the first step with love and to put good faith first. I get along with everybody. If there's any doubt about my political leanings, people should get it out of their heads. I was raised amongst a dazzling [cast of characters] from the theatre, from the mental hospital, from all walks of life — all colors, creeds and kinds. It's absurd to me that anyone in this day and age would judge anyone by the color of their skin, their heritage or their religion. I'm a harmless guy. I'm a reactionary, not a troublemaker."

In the days following the "Dimebash" incident, MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn — who played PANTERA songs with Anselmo at the event — released an eleven-minute response video in which he denounced Anselmo as a "big bully" and a racist. He concluded by saying that he would never play another PANTERA song again. ANTHRAX's Scott Ian, who is Jewish, released a statement on his official web site saying, "Philip's actions were vile" and invited Anselmo to make a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Former PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who hadn't spoken to Anselmo since the band's split in 2003, was dismissive when asked for a comment on the singer's white-power salute. "I can't speak for him," Vinnie said in a 2016 interview. "He's done a lot of things that tarnish the image of what PANTERA was back then and what it stood for and what it was all about. And it's sad."

In 2017, Anselmo blasted "false journalism in the metal community" for suggesting he was racist because of his actions at "Dimebash".

In the weeks after the "Dimebash" incident, Anselmo's DOWN project canceled a number of shows, including at France's Hellfest, Dutch festival FortaRock and U.K.'s Download. The singer wrote an open letter to the Hellfest organizers in which he said it was not the right time for DOWN to tour. He also revealed that he was suffering from a recurring knee injury and needed rehabilitation.

Das Konzert von PANTERA am 31. Mai 2023 im Wiener Gasometer wird abgesagt.
Alle Tickets können zurückgegeben werden, wo sie gekauft wurden.
Vielen Dank für euer Verständnis.

Posted by Mind Over Matter Music on Wednesday, January 25, 2023
@Pantera looking forward 🎶🖤 #Vienna 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/9hfPpqJd3s

— El presidente (@elpresi666) November 30, 2022

Frontiers Music Srl announces the upcoming release of Cross Country Driver's The New Truth on March 17.


Written and performed by Rob Lamothe (Riverdogs), James Harper (Fighting Friday), and Zander Lamothe (Logan Staats Band), The New Truth is an old-school-rock rollercoaster of an album. A single and video for the track "A Man With No Direction" featuring dUg Pinnick is out today. Watch the clip below.


This gutsy, continent-and-generation-spanning musical adventure features inspired performances not only from the aforementioned trio at the core of Cross Country Driver, but by friends such as Mike Mangini (Dream Theater), Greg Chaisson (Badlands), dUg Pinnick (King's X), Rhonda Smith (Jeff Beck), Jimmy Wallace (The Wallflowers), KFigg (Extreme) and more.




Two-and-a-half years in the making, The New Truth was mixed by Grammy-award winning musician/mixer/engineer/producer Nick Brophy.


Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard, Last In Line, Riverdogs) joins on guitar and vocals on "Risen" and summed up the album best when he said, “Lush, rich, deep and spirited. No one makes records like this anymore. Bravo!”


Rob Lamothe has shared stages with everyone from Guns N’ Roses to members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He has toured throughout Europe close to 30 times now. Riverdogs, Rob’s Los Angeles-based rock band, reached global cult status three decades ago and found a new generation of listeners after signing with Frontiers Music Srl a couple years ago for the release of the album, 'California', which received critical acclaim from media and fans alike.


James Harper has been a mainstay in the New England music scene for over 20 years and is known for his high energy performances and chameleon-like ability to play and write in any style. He has performed thousands of shows with one of Boston’s best bands, Fighting Friday, and has written and released countless songs with them, as well as Funk Piranha, The Funeral Puppets and others.


Pre-order/save The New Truth here.





The New Truth tracklisting:


"Wild Child" ft. Mike Mangini, Greg Chaisson, & Jimmy Wallace
"So Fly" ft. Greg Chaisson, Jim Hoke, & Jimmy Wallace
"A Man With No Direction" ft. dUg Pinnick & Jesse O’Brien
"Traces Of The Truth" ft. Greg Chaisson & Jimmy Wallace
"I Won't Look Back" ft. dUg Pinnick
"Rio Tularosa" ft. Mike Mangini & dUg Pinnick
"Shine" ft. Mike Mangini, Greg Chaisson, & Jimmy Wallace
"Off The Rails" ft. Rhonda Smith & Jimmy Wallace9. Long Gone ft. Kfigg, Greg Chaisson, Carl Ayotte & Jimmy Wallace
"Real Love" ft. Mark Hill, Chad Cromwell & Jimmy Wallace
"Risen" ft. Vivian Campbell & Rhonda Smith
"Everything Forgiven" ft. Rhonda Smith & Jimmy Wallace
"My Goodness" ft. Justine Fischer


"A Man With No Direction" video:





Lineup:


Rob Lamothe - Vocals, Guitar
James Harper - Guitar
Zander Lamothe - Drums

Warner Music Group's global catalog division has announced the acquisition of the recorded music rights and income streams from YES's Atlantic Records-era catalog. More than 50 years after the British group's debut, YES remains one of the most successful, respected, and influential rock bands of all time, with more than 30 million albums sold worldwide.

This acquisition continues a longstanding relationship between the band and Warner Music that now spans over a half-century, beginning with YES's self-titled 1969 Atlantic debut album. The deal encompasses landmark works such as "Fragile", "Close To The Edge" and "90125". The full purchase includes 12 studio albums, as well as live recordings and compilations.

In making the announcement, Kevin Gore, Warner Music's president of global catalog, said: "My introduction to YES came while working at a record store in Ohio in 1983. I loved the '90125' album and went to see the band live, where I was introduced to their catalog of incredible songs. I've been a fan ever since and we're absolutely thrilled and deeply honored that the strong relationship between YES and Warner Music will continue forever."

The band added in a joint statement: "The entire YES family came together and worked enthusiastically with Warner Music Group to secure this historic deal, ensuring that these iconic recordings will continue to be curated in the optimum manner to delight their fans across more than five decades, while also finding and developing new audiences for this timeless music."

YES is among the most enduring, ambitious, and virtuosic bands in music history, with a dedicated legion of fans across the globe. When the progressive rock pioneers joined the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017, RUSH's Geddy Lee noted in his induction speech: "The music of YES is still echoing down through the years, showing me that music truly is a continuum."

The original members of YES — bassist Chris Squire, singer Jon Anderson, drummer Bill Bruford, guitarist Peter Banks and keyboardist Tony Kaye — came together in 1968. In early 1969, the band auditioned at London's Speakeasy Club for Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, who immediately signed them up. Later that year, the group released its self-titled debut, mixing original material with totally reworked versions of songs by groups like THE BYRDS and THE BEATLES.

YES became an international arena band after Steve Howe joined in 1970 for "The Yes Album" and Rick Wakeman in 1971 for "Fragile". The band's sound evolved and its songs became more ambitious as they adopted a symphonic approach to their music and explored more enigmatic themes with their lyrics. Drummer Alan White joined in 1972 after the recording of "Close To The Edge". This era saw YES build a huge global following, enjoying both critical and commercial success thanks to a string of now-classic albums: "The Yes Album" (platinum),"Fragile" (double platinum),"Close To The Edge" (platinum),the double album "Tales From Topographic Oceans" (gold),"Relayer" (gold),"Going For The One" (gold) and "Tormato" (platinum). The 1970s also produced some of YES's best-loved tracks, including "I've Seen All Good People", "Starship Trooper", "Roundabout" and "Heart Of The Sunrise", along with album-side length epics like "Close To The Edge" and "The Gates Of Delirium".

A new YES incarnation was born in 1983 when Anderson, Squire, White, and original keyboardist Tony Kaye were joined for the first time by guitarist Trevor Rabin. The landmark album "90125" was certified triple platinum and produced the band's first and only No. 1 hit, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". An instrumental track on the album, "Cinema", would go on to win the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Instrumental Performance". In 1987, YES released its final album for Atlantic, "Big Generator". It was certified platinum and featured the radio hits "Love Will Find A Way" and "Rhythm Of Love".

Studio albums, live recordings, and compilations included in the deal:

* Yes (1969)
* Time And A Word (1970)
* The Yes Album (1971)
* Fragile (1971)
* Close To The Edge (1972)
* Yessongs (1973)
* Tales From Topographic Oceans (1973)
* Relayer (1974)
* Yesterdays (1975)
* Going For The One (1977)
* Tormato (1978)
* Drama (1980)
* Yesshows (1980)
* Classic Yes (1981)
* 90125 (1983)
* 9012Live: The Solos (1985)
* Big Generator (1987)
* Yesyears (1991)
* Yesstory (1992)
* Highlights: The Very Best of Yes (1993)
* In A Word: Yes (1969-) (2002)
* Yes Remixes (2003)
* The Ultimate Yes: 35th Anniversary Collection (2003)
* The Word Is Live (2005)
* High Vibration (2013)
* Progeny: Seven Shows from Seventy-Two (2015)
* The Steven Wilson Remixes (2018)
* Topographic Drama: Live Across America (2017)
* Yes 50 Live (2019)

Primary Wave Music, the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world, has finalized an agreement to acquire the rights of Robby Krieger and the late Ray Manzarek as they pertain to the critically acclaimed band THE DOORS. The monumental acquisition includes their interests in THE DOORS' music publishing catalog, recordings, trademarks, and merchandise rights and income, among other things. The Jim Morrison entities and the legendary band's drummer John Densmore retain their interests separately from Primary Wave.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, THE DOORS were the first American band to have eight consecutive gold albums. The groundbreaking group would go on to sell over 35 million albums in the U.S. alone and over 100 million worldwide. With 10 gold, 14 platinum, four multi-platinum and one diamond award in the States, they are considered one of the best-selling bands of all time. They have been ranked by several outlets, including VH1 and Rolling Stone, who included them on their "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" lists. In 1993 the band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and several years later both "Light My Fire" and "Riders On The Storm", along with their debut album, were inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. The Library Of Congress has even recognized the brilliant work of this iconic rock band, selecting their self-titled album "The Doors" for inclusion in the National Recording Registry in 2014. The band also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2007.

This deal brings into the Primary Wave Music family THE DOORS' timeless and classic hits across six phenomenal studio albums. Following Morrison's tragic death, Densmore, Krieger and Manzarek released two more albums as THE DOORS, "Other Voices" and "Full Circle", and lastly the Grammy-nominated album "An American Prayer" in 1978, which coupled Morrison's spoken-word recordings with new music by the remaining DOORS. Songs include their first single off their breakthrough self-titled debut album, "Break On Through (To The Other Side)", which Billboard described as an "excitement-filled rocker" that represented a "powerful debut" and the band's No. 1 hit "Light My Fire" which has been ranked on several magazine's "best of" lists including Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs Of All Time". Other classic recordings include "Hello, I Love You", "People Are Strange", "Riders On The Storm", as well as "L.A. Woman" which The Guardian declared as "Morrison's last great vocal performance."

Primary Wave's marketing, digital strategy, branding, licensing, and synch teams will work closely with THE DOORS' manager Jeff Jampol (Jampol Artist Management, Inc.) to help drive opportunities across this rich catalog of music.

"After 58 years, and the most magical of times, I've decided to sell my share of THE DOORS to Primary Wave," said Robby. "This will enable me to help the many charities I've been involved with, and some new ones too. I know Primary Wave cares about music, art, and about helping legacies go to even bigger levels. Our longtime DOORS manager Jeff Jampol will still be protecting our legacy in partnership with Primary Wave, so I'm comfortable and happy with the future of THE DOORS."

"Ray and I spent a lot of time discussing the future of THE DOORS' legacy, and how to handle things after he departed this plane," said Dorothy Manzarek. She continued, "Our family has worked patiently to find the right partners to continue Ray's lifelong efforts in protecting and promoting his art, and now we are happy to have finally come to an agreement with Primary Wave. Under the continued guidance of our manager, Jeff Jampol, Primary Wave will be the right partners in this endeavor to build future generations of new DOORS fans."

"THE DOORS are one of the most legendary rock bands of all time. We are looking forward to growing the legacies of Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek," said Larry Mestel, CEO and founder of Primary Wave Music. He continues, "We are also very happy to be working alongside such an industry icon as Jeff Jampol to tastefully grow opportunities for THE DOORS."

John Branca, David Byrnes and Kelly Vallon Ciccotti negotiated the deal on behalf of the sellers.

Image courtesy of Trafalgar Releasing

During a January 9 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", drummer Carmine Appice discussed the possibility of a reunion of the power trio/supergroup BLUE MURDER. The band was formed by guitarist/vocalist John Sykes and released two studio albums — 1989's self-titled effort and the 1993 follow-up, "Nothin' But Trouble" — before calling it quits.

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if he thinks Sykes is "done" playing music, Carmine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think he's done. I send him texts; I don't hear nothing back. I don't know. Maybe he's pissed off at me for some reason. But I talk with [BLUE MURDER bassist] Tony [Franklin]; he hasn't heard from him either.

"Tony said [John] just don't like the business now, the way the business is," the 76-year-old drummer continued. "He'd rather do nothing. That's what Tony told me. But we can go play, the band. When we rehearsed a few years ago, it was like magic. And then it just didn't happen. It was just tremendous, the three of us playing together again. It was really tight. We'd say, 'Hey, let's play 'Valley Of The Kings',' and we did it. Now, unfortunately, our keyboard player, Nik [Green], passed away [in 2016]. But we can get somebody else to play keyboards.

"I would love to do some shows with Sykes and Tony as a trio with a keyboard player," Carmine added. "We used to call it 'the trio with depth.'"

Asked how long ago he, Sykes and Franklin last rehearsed together, Carmine said: "It was four years ago, maybe — five years ago. Yeah, [we were rehearsing because we were planning] to do shows. And it just didn't happen.

"When [Sykes] got out of THIN LIZZY, that was supposed to be because we were gonna do shows. And we had shows in Europe booked. But something happened with him and the management; something happened. I forgot what it was. So all the shows got blown out. We had some of the big festivals over there. That would have been the start of it. He left THIN LIZZY, from what I understood, so we could do BLUE MURDER. 'Cause THIN LIZZY was, like, he was in it for a while, he was doing stuff, but he didn't play on the big records. But BLUE MURDER was his; we created it. And it was something that I felt was never completed. It was a great band. Unfortunately, when it came out, for some reason it didn't do what it was supposed to do. And then grunge came in and kind of killed the whole idea. Too bad."

Three years ago, Carmine told "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" at the NAMM show in Anaheim, California that "people wanna see [BLUE MURDER play again], but we can't get John out of the house."

He continued: "I saw John [in 2019] at the Heavy Metal Hall Of Fame, and he told me he was going out with Tony and this little kid drummer [Fred Boswell Jr.]. And he said, 'The kid wants to meet you,' and I met him. He said [his solo] album's coming out, and they're gonna tour. And I said, 'Good. When that's all done, then let's do BLUE MURDER.' He said, 'Okay.' Now, nothing's happened. It's been a year."

Tony told "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" in January 2020 that he spoke to John "regularly" and he explained that there had been "some issues" with Sykes's record label, resulting in a delay in the release of what was supposed to be John's next solo album, "Sy-Ops". He said: "There are so many dynamics to the story, but it doesn't have to be so complicated. He could just get out there and play music.

"I think one of the things with John is that he has a problem embracing the new business for what it is," Tony continued. "And it is different, and you do have to embrace it."

Carmine concurred, saying: "[John] was always more into the creative part, and the business part he always left to other people. And I know when we were together, he would always ask me, 'What about this? What about that?' So I'm sure he's having a problem embracing the business now. We all are, really, a bit. I mean, I can't believe the way the business is. I've seen it change from [more than 50] years ago. So I'm sure that's part of it with John."

Upon Sykes's firing from the most successful version of WHITESNAKE, the former TYGERS OF PAN TANG and THIN LIZZY axeman set out to create a similar sounding bluesy hard rock band. BLUE MURDER released two studio albums and one live album before breaking up in 1994. The late Ray Gillen, most famous for singing for BLACK SABBATH and BADLANDS, sang for an early version of BLUE MURDER, and the band reportedly recorded demos with him, but he didn't appear on any of the group's albums.

In July 2021, the now-67-year-old Sykes released the official Parker Thibault-produced music video for a new song called "Out Alive". The track, which was recorded at least four years earlier, was expected to appear on the aforementioned "Sy-Ops" LP.

"Out Alive" was the second song from "Sy-Ops" to be released in 2021. Back in January of that year, Sykes dropped a video for "Dawning Of A Brand New Day", also produced by Thibault, with additional footage courtesy of Natasha Gregory and James Sykes.

In 2020, Sykes parted ways with Golden Robot Records without releasing a single record through the label.

Sykes's partnership with the Australian company was first announced in January 2019. At the time, John promised that his first album in two decades would arrive before the end of 2019. However, things apparently went south shortly after the signing, with Sykes later accusing the label of making "little attempt to move things forward despite our best efforts and patience."

Speaking to Reality Check TV at the January 2019 Hall Of Heavy Metal History event in Anaheim, California, Sykes stated about his absence from the rock scene: "I'm looking forward to getting out on the road and playing again. I kind of go underground and stay there for a while. I don't know, man. Sometimes I just take off and shut it all down. But I'm getting the itch, I've been having the itch to get back out and play, so I'm looking forward to that."

John's best-known work was when he joined WHITESNAKE and co-wrote the band's self-titled seventh studio album, released in 1987. It produced a major power ballad hit, "Is This Love", along with the No. 1 hit "Here I Go Again". The album was a major crossover hit, eventually selling over eight million copies in the U.S. alone.

Sykes announced his departure from THIN LIZZY in July 2009, explaining that "I feel it's time to get back to playing my own music."

Requiem Reloaded, the debut album by international power metal band Ashrain, will be released on April 14th by Metalville Records.


Ashrain is a newly formed group, founded by guitarist and producer Nozomu Wakai (Destinia / Shortino / Sigh). Nozomu as Destinia released an album titled Metal Souls in 2018, featuring the likes of Tommy Aldridge, Marco Mendoza, and Ronnie Romero. He also worked with Paul Shortino and his band Shortino, and was featured on the latest Alcatrazz album. In addition, Nozumu has worked as a guitarist for Japanese black metal band Sigh, and has performed at festivals such as Brutal Assault 2022 and Candelabrum (Mexico) 2022.


In 2020, Nozomu began recording new material with his long-time friend Peter Baltes (ex-Accept). They were later joined by Iuri Sanson (ex-Hibria) and Andy C (ex-Lords Of Black). Ashrain was born, and the strong debut Requiem Reloaded was completed. The album was mixed by Simone Mularoni (DGM) at Domination Studio. It also features Elyes Bouchoucha (Myrath) as guest keyboardist. Requiem Reloaded presents beautiful, impressive melodies, guitars with bite, and a fat bass - everything that good power metal needs! Cover and tracklisting are as follows:







"Are You Ready For Rock?"
"Requiem For Screamer"
"Put On The Trigger"
"I Still Burn"
"Break Through The Fire"
"Symphony Of Despair"
"Believe"
"No Surrenders"
"The End Of Sorrow"
"We Fight To Win"


 

Back in August 2022, Finnish modern metal squad, Lost Society performed upon the Ronnie James Dio Stage at the Bloodstock Open Air 2022, at Catton Hall and Gardens in Walton-on-Trent, England. Check out pro-shot video of "Stitches" below:





Watch the band perform "Blood On Your Hands" at the same show:







Lost Society released their latest manifesto, If The Sky Came Down, in October 2022. Order/save the album here.





Tracklisting:


"112"
"What Have I Done"
"(We Are The) Braindead"
"Stitches"
"Awake"
"Underneath"
"Creature"
"Hurt Me"
"If The Sky Came Down"
"Suffocating"


"Awake" video:





"What Have I Done" video:





"Stitches" video:





"112" video:





Lineup:


Samy Elbanna - Vocals, Guitar
Arttu Lesonen - Guitar
Mirko Lehtinen - Bass
Taz Fagerström - Drums

In a new interview with "The Metal Edge Podcast", former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy spoke about his involvement with "Lost Not Forgotten Archives". The collaboration between the band and record label InsideOut Music has seen the virtuosic quintet's long-standing Ytsejam Records catalog reissued, alongside some brand new additions to this special collectors series. (Ytsejam is the label imprint which DREAM THEATER had been using for years to release official bootlegs of live recordings ["Ytsejam" is "Majesty" spelled backwards; MAJESTY was DREAM THEATER's original band name].)

Portnoy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, I was one trillion percent involved with the originals. In fact, that was my project; I was the one that had the archives and put together all these releases with photos from my archives and extensive liner notes. So I was the one that put together the original Ytsejam bootlegs back — I don't know — 15, 20 years ago. So there were about 16 or 20 titles that I did back then. So when they started reissuing these as their new 'Lost Not Forgotten' series, I wasn't involved at all; they were doing it all on their own. But they were reusing a lot of my original Ytsejam titles. So, yeah, I was appearing on a lot of these, but I wasn't involved with any of the artwork or anything like that. And it kind of bummed me out because I spent so much time on the originals, with the liner notes. The liner notes are real important for people to have context of what went behind all of these demos or live shows or whatever. So I wasn't involved in these new reissues. But then John [Petrucci, DREAM THEATER] and myself started working together [again] in 2020. I played on his solo album, and then him and me and Jordan Rudess [DREAM THEATER keyboardist] and Tony [Levin, bass], we did a third LTE [LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT] album. So once John and I started working together, inevitably I brought it up to him: 'Hey, man, what's up with that? Why aren't the liner notes there anymore?' And I noticed some wrong things on some of the credits on the ones that they released without my involvement. So he was, like, 'Hey, if you don't mind overseeing some of the credits and things like that,' just making sure everything is factually correct, because I'm very, very anal about that. So after about their first five or six releases, John started tying me in to make sure at least all the info was correct. Sadly, they're still not using my artwork or liner notes, but that's their prerogative. And then once I got involved on that level, him and the band's manager asked if I'd be willing to maybe contribute some more things from my archives. And I was, like, 'You know, what the hell? Why not?' There's a bunch of things in my archives that it's a waste for them to just be sitting here at my house. So I contributed a bunch of new titles. Like, they just released our show at Madison Square Garden opening for IRON MAIDEN; that is a new one. And then there's a few others that are coming out soon that came from my archives. So I'm slightly involved at this point. Not as much as I was with the originals, but enough where I can give them a few new titles to add to the collection."

Asked if he appears on a few of the "Lost Not Forgotten Archives" releases, Portnoy said: "Obviously, I appear on all the original Ytsejam titles. And then there's some new ones that I'm contributing from my time, from my archives. But they also have a bunch of post-MP stuff that they're putting out as well.

"The only bummer for me with the liner-note thing is now I think they have it streaming on some of the streaming services, and there's no context for any of this stuff." Mike admitted. "Somebody e-mailed me a few days ago, 'Hey, what's the deal with this song I just heard?' And I was, like, 'Where the hell did you hear that?' And they were, like, 'Oh, it's on Apple Music or Spotify.' And they didn't know who was on it; they didn't know who's the singer. There's some things on there that are demos with different singers. And without the context of my liner notes, it's almost impossible for people to know what the hell these things are. But anyway, that's neither here nor there."

Ytsejam Records previously played host to DREAM THEATER's official bootleg release collection comprising of live shows, demos and studio outtakes from throughout the band's prolific career. As part of the "Lost Not Forgotten Archives", the entirety of the collection has been reissued on CD, as well as for the very first time on vinyl and digital, with brand new artwork and packaging. The band has also been busy digging into its encyclopedic vault to find some very special, previously unreleased material. The first brand new release in the reinvigorated archival series was a recording of the band's start-to-finish performance of its classic second studio album, "Images & Words", taken from its performance at Tokyo, Japan's legendary Budokan venue in September of 2017.

Following this inaugural "Lost Not Forgotten Archives" release, the extensive back catalogue of Ytsejam Records offerings started to be reissued. Plenty more previously unreleased material is getting its initial publication, presenting an absolute treasure trove of DREAM THEATER music for fans both old and new to explore.

Back in 2012, DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie denied that Ytsejam Records died with the departure of Portnoy in 2010. LaBrie said: "No, it didn't die. I've been taking care of that, so I've got each night's recordings, and I've documented it. There is so much stuff from all around the world from this last tour that I already have documented and put into a master list that these particular nights… What I did is I took them from certain areas of the world, and it sounds incredible. It's just a matter of it making sense for us, when we're gonna release the next Ytsejam [recording]. But it will happen. I can guarantee you — it will happen. At this point, it's not a priority. But the stuff is there. Right now we have more than enough that we can release an amazingYtsejam release right now — definitely. So it's just gonna be when we feel, as a band, 'Okay, let's finally put it together and let's get it out there.' I have a few ideas where it could be really… something cool, some added features that would be really cool. And the other guys are involved, too, so it's very collective as to how we want the first Ytsejam [release] — post-Mike's involvement, with all those previous Ytsejam [releases]… We want it to have a really big impact."

Ted Nugent has paid tribute to British guitar legend Jeff Beck following his death on January 10.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer, who rose to prominence with THE YARDBIRDS, died "suddenly" after contracting bacterial meningitis, his representative said.

Ted addressed Jeff's passing during the latest episode of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which he offers his take on the news of our world every night. Speaking to co-host Keith Mark, Ted said in part: "There is not a meaningful guitarist in the world that didn't discover the brilliance, the lyricism, the dynamics, the vocabulary, the tonal spread of what Jeff Beck literally created. He was inspired by Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and certainly THE VENTURES and Duane Eddy and Lonnie Mack and all those original electric guitar virtuosos. Just an adventurous, creative, wonderful guy.

"We did a lot of shows early on with THE YARDBIRDS and JEFF BECK GROUP and BECK, BOGERT & APPICE with Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert from VANILLA FUDGE," Ted continued. "But his musical legacy has so enriched real music lovers' life. And he was a good man; he was a kind man.

"There was a lot of parallels [between Jeff and me] because the way he expressed himself on the guitar, it referenced that mechanics of horsepower. It represent[ed] the spirit side of the samurai, the martial arts. He was an archer. He made his own long bows out of Osage orange and he made his own arrows. So there's a lot of parallels there.

"When you play with that dynamic lyricism that Jeff Beck had mastered and uncharted tonalities, it was really mesmerizing," Nugent added. "And ultimately, as I say about Eddie Van Halen and all of our lost souls, when Chuck Berry passed, their music will continue to enrich our lives. So nobody ever forget Jeff Beck.

"And if you haven't listened to a lot of Jeff Beck, go back to THE YARDBIRDS and go back to the Jeff Beck 'Truth' album — unbelievable soulful music."

Having cultivated one of the most influential careers in rock history, Beck was universally acknowledged as one of the most talented and significant guitarists in the world, and has played alongside some of the greatest artists of rock, blues and jazz.

Over the course of his distinguished 50-plus-year music career, he had earned an incredible eight Grammy Awards, been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time," and been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame twice — once as a member of THE YARDBIRDS and again as a solo artist. In the summer of 2016, the guitar virtuoso celebrated his five decades of music with an extraordinary concert at the famous Hollywood Bowl.

Speaking when he was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for the second time in 2009, Beck said: "I play the way I do because it allows me to come up with the sickest sounds possible. That's the point now, isn't it? I don't care about the rules. In fact, if I don't break the rules at least 10 times in every song, then I'm not doing my job properly."

Beck famously replaced Eric Clapton as THE YARDBIRDS' lead guitarist in 1965 and later went on to form THE JEFF BECK GROUP, which featured Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on bass. Their two albums — "Truth" (1968) and "Beck-Ola" (1969) — would become musical touchstones for hard rockers in the years to come.

The constantly evolving Beck's next move — a power trio with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, which released "Beck, Bogert And Appice" (1973),once again shattered people's preconceptions of what a rock guitarist was supposed to sound like.

1985's "Flash" kept Beck in the spotlight as he earned the "Best Rock Instrumental" Grammy for the song "Escape". A second Grammy came with Jeff Beck's "Guitar Shop" with Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas, and a third for "Dirty Mind" from the "You Had It Coming" album in 2001. 2009 saw the release of the platinum-selling "Performing This Week… Live at Ronnie Scott's", which earned a Grammy for "A Day In The Life".

Beck's astonishing 2010 solo album, "Emotion & Commotion", brought about two additional Grammy Awards; Beck was nominated in five categories before bringing home three: "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" for "Hammerhead" and "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" for "Nessun Dorma", both from "Emotion & Commotion", and "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals" for "Imagine", his collaboration with Herbie Hancock.

His "Rock 'N' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul)" album was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". In 2016 he released "Loud Hailer" and in 2017 "Jeff Beck: Live At The Hollywood Bowl" was released, both to widespread critical acclaim.

The eight-time Grammy winner is survived by his wife Sandra.

Sweden's Vypera have released a music video for "Rock N' Roll", a track from the band's debut album, Eat Your Heart Out, released last year via Frontiers.


Says the band: "Here’s a small token of gratitude from us. Thanks for all your support during 2022. When we finished the recording of Eat Your Heart Out we had no idea that we would end up on the biggest label in the world for melodic rock. It was just a dream coming true after all those years of hard work. That you also loved the album as much as we do… That means the world to us! As we hinted before, we’re in the studio right now working on our new album and we can’t wait to present the new material for you. A wise band once said: “You ain’t seen nothing yet!” and that’s the feeling we also have. So, it's a little bit belated but from us to all of you - let’s make 2023 even more rock n’ roll!"







Order/save Eat Your Heart Out here.





Tracklisting:


"Slow Me Down"
"Standing On The Edge"
"Spellbound"
"Sierra"
"Rock N' Roll"
"Fantasy"
"Straight For The Kill"
"Danger"
"Fool For The Night"
"Cold As Ice"
"Wingborne"


"Cold As Ice" video:





"Standing On The Edge" video:





Lineup:


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

With just over four weeks until the release of "Blood Money Part Zer0", New York City electro metalheads DOPE have shared another piece of new music from the upcoming seventh studio LP. "Dive" is the sixth track from the collection of twelve all-new songs scheduled for release on February 24. The track showcases the sound that catapulted DOPE to massive global appeal and garnered them a loyal legion of fans that continue to make DOPE one of the top streaming artists of the genre.

"I'm really pleased with how the fans are reacting to the new album," exclaims DOPE mastermind Edsel Dope. "If you haven't done it already, go to www.dopeetheband.com and sign up to receive the new album for FREE! See you all on tour next month!"

"Blood Money Part Zer0" is DOPE's first release in seven years and is the follow-up to 2016's "Blood Money Part 1", which debuted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200, selling over 15,000 units in its first week.

DOPE has sold more than a million combined albums and has amassed an audience of nearly two million monthly listeners on Spotify while racking up more than 100 million plays on its cult classic "Die MF Die".

In a move to demonstrate the bands sincere appreciation to their loyal fanbase for more than two decades, DOPE is giving away "Blood Money Part Zer0" for free digitally. Longtime fans, curious listeners and people that enjoy gratis music can sign up to download the album for free on the band's web site. A physical pre-order is also available on the band's web site for fans that want to purchase the new album in various physical formats.

DOPE recently released an introspective infomercial which doubles as a behind-the-scenes look into the real life of Edsel, his private life, and his many ventures outside of DOPE. A very private person, virtually inactive on social media, Edsel is intentionally secretive about what he does with his time between records and tours. This video serves as a direct message to the fans, inviting them to see behind the curtain of the mysterious man, whose creativity they have supported for years.

DOPE will hit the road in 2023 in support of "Blood Money Part Zer0" as part of the "Rise Of The Machine" tour with STATIC-X and FEAR FACTORY. The 42-date trek kicks off February 25 in San Francisco, California and wraps up April 15 in Los Angeles, California.

During his time away from performing with DOPE, Edsel has become a successful creative director, project manager and entrepreneur. As part of a three-year stint with Omnicom's GMR Marketing, Edsel headed up music programs for the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, WWE, UFC and many others while also lending his creative marketing talents to brands such as Indian Motorcycle, Nissan and "American Horror Story", to name a few. Edsel, who now resides in Los Angeles, is a father, has a family and is also the owner operator of the3D/4D capture stage to the stars. Ecco Studios is a company specializes in the technical art of 3D and 4D scanning, which is the foundation for creating the most unbelievably realistic digital humans imaginable. Ecco is skyrocketing at the moment and through this venture, Edsel recently worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Snoop Dog, Terry Crews, Sylvester Stallone, while also working on titles such as "Spiderman", "Terminator: Dark Fate", "Love Death Robot", as well as several volumes of the EA Madden franchise.