Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno, along with guitarist Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne), performed at Gagarin205 in Athens, Greece on December 14. Gus has shared this recap video:





Di'Anno is performing tracks from the two albums he recorded with Maiden - the self-titled Iron Maiden (1980), and Killers (1981). The next show happens tonight Friday, December 16 at the Principal Club Theater in Thessaloniki.




Fan-filmed footage from the Athens date, courtesy of the YouTube channel Hronis Arva, can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"The Ides Of March"
"Wrathchild"
"Sanctuary"
"Purgatory"
"Drifter"
"Murders In The Rue Morgue"
"Remember Tomorrow"
"Genghis Khan"
"Killers"
"Marshall Lockjaw"
"Strange World"
"Charlotte The Harlot"
"Transylvania"
"Phantom Of The Opera"
"Running Free"
"Prowler"

In a recent interview with Eonmusic, Joe Lynn Turner was asked if he was disappointed that he wasn't included with his former bandmates in DEEP PURPLE as part of the group's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016. He responded: "No, because I don't believe in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I think it's the Rock And Roll Hall Of Shame. It's a business. It's really a money business; it's a money grab. Ritchie [Blackmore, former DEEP PURPLE guitarist] wouldn't go too.

"First of all, in RAINBOW, we were never about awards or videos. We had to make them — which we did — but we were always half-hearted about it because we were about live performance, kicking ass on stage, making records. So award shows, unless it was like a people's choice, never mattered to us. We barely wanted to receive our gold records because it was just, like; 'So what?!' We really didn't enjoy that as much.

"There are some really great bands that are still not in that Hall Of Fame. Why? And if it's the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, why are there rap stars and everybody else? It's a money maker — big money for the seats and all that, and it's this big thing. I got the skinny from [DEEP PURPLE bassist] Roger Glover actually, when they were saying, 'No, we're not going to go,' and then he said, 'Let's just do it for the fans,' and that was one of the main reasons they went. They do deserve some recognition, of course, but they have that recognition. So, I had an honorable mention. I think it was Ian Gillan who said, 'And Joe Lynn Turner, Tommy Bolin, all of these people that were in the band at one point or another really made us the sum total of the parts that we were,' and that actually went over. Ritchie said — and this was really something — in an article, he was talking about it, and he was kind of disparaging this 'Hall Of Shame' thing, and he didn't want to go and all that, and he said, 'but I think Joe Lynn Turner should get an award for his writing ability and singing on the album.' I was floored. The respect that I got from that, I go, 'That's the kind of award I like.'"

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich inducted DEEP PURPLE into the Rock Hall, after which the then-lineup of DEEP PURPLE performed a mini-set that included "Hush", "Highway Star" and "Smoke On The Water".

Blackmore later posted a statement on his Facebook page in which he said: "I have my reason for not attending the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, although I appreciate the award. However, I do think that they should've given an award to Joe Lynn Turner for when he was in DEEP PURPLE — for his singing and writing on 'Slaves And Masters' — a great record, one of my favorites."

Despite Blackmore being a no-show at the 2016 Rock Hall, he was given several shoutouts during the induction speeches of the DEEP PURPLE members in attendance. In addition, Ulrich praised "Ritchie fucking Blackmore" for one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time on "Smoke On The Water".

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony seemed like a rare opportunity for DEEP PURPLE to reunite with Blackmore, who wrote many of the band's most memorable riffs, but hasn't played with the group since 1993.

The DEEP PURPLE members that were inducted are: Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice.

In recent years, Lynn Turner has repeatedly blasted Blackmore for going out and performing DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW's classic material with a new group musicians under the RAINBOW banner, explaining that "the fans deserve better than a cover band."

Joe was the singer of RAINBOW between 1980 and 1984 and he sang on the album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

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

1990 saw Turner reunited with Blackmore in a reformed DEEP PURPLE for the aforementioned "Slaves And Masters" album.

Former JUDAS PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens has weighed in on the fact that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

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

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

Owens discussed his views on the PANTERA comeback during an appearance on the "Smokin' Talk N' Roll" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's great. As long as they don't say it's… It's not PANTERA; it's a celebration of PANTERA. I think it should be [written] on the top of it: 'Celebration Of PANTERA'. People are loving it. Obviously, people hate everything, right? Go to Blabbermouth or wherever."

Expanding the discussion to include metal fans' general reluctance to embrace anything but the classic lineup with their favorite bands, Owens continued: "I had to live with [that kind of criticism as well when I joined JUDAS PRIEST]. That's why Ronnie [James Dio] and I hit it off and he took me under his wing right away. 'Cause he was, like, 'I had to go through it with BLACK SABBATH.' He was, like, the people in the crowd flipping you off…

"People don't give it a chance," Tim added. "When they say — to me, they [say things like], 'You're not a good singer,' or, 'You're a Rob Halford clone.' First of all, when you hear my records, I sound like me. I've been doing this for 20, 30 years; I've been putting these records out. [It's PRIEST album] 'Jugulator''s 25th anniversary. It sounds like me. Can someone finally just go, 'Yeah…' And they do say it, but then there's also people that [are], like, 'He's trying to be like Rob.' I'm, like, 'Why would I try to be like Rob?' And why would Zakk Wylde try to be like Dime. There's people who just attack you."

The reformed PANTERA played its third concert without Rex Thursday night (December 15) at Vibra in São Paulo, Brazil. The show took place three days after Rex confirmed that a positive COVID-19 test forced him to miss PANTERA's performance at Knotfest Chile in Santiago on Sunday (December 11). Filling in for him at both gigs was CATTLE DECAPITATION bassist Derek Engemann, who also plays with Anselmo in both PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS and SCOUR.

PANTERA is next scheduled to play another show in São Paulo — on Sunday, December 18 at Knotfest Brasil.

The new PANTERA lineup made its live debut on December 2 at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest and also performed on December 6 at Monterrey Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico.

In a new interview with Consequence, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton spoke about Randy Blythe's evolution as a frontman since the band's inception nearly 30 years ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's just been awesome to have front-row seats to watch Randy — my friend Randy — evolve into one of the greatest frontmen in metal. And I stand by that statement. Anyone who has seen LAMB OF GOD knows how great Randy is on stage. He leaves it all up there, and it matters to him, and he cares. He's just phenomenal to watch. And we're lucky to have him. He's also a real team player when it comes to being in a band with him. Randy is the loudest guy in the room and he's abrasive and he barks a lot and talks over you, and that kind of thing, and that's who you want as a frontman. And I say all this with love. Randy is my brother; he's one of my best friends in the world. Everybody knows that. But that's what you want as a frontman. And that's why he's able to project and be that guy in front of a thousand, ten thousand or a hundred thousand people. He can do that."

Mark continued: "I'll share a story with you. [Back when we were] upping the ante and really increasing the priority of production [of our live shows], one of the things we've done over the last couple of years is we put 'follow' spots on Randy, so when he's being a tornado all over the stage, there's at least one, usually two, spotlights from the back of the arena or the amphitheater, or whatever, following him around so he's well lit, so you can see where he's going, 'cause he's always going somewhere. Well, when we were implementing that part of the production, Randy was really, really nervous about that, really apprehensive, very averse to the idea of having spotlights on him. And his words were, 'This is not the Randy Blythe band. I don't wanna look like I'm the star of the show up there.' And I was, like, 'Randy, we need you to be a rock star right now.' And he understood that. And he's a team player, and part of that is his own humility.

"I don't know if Randy will love that I told that story or not, but ultimately we put spotlights on him and he looks great," Morton added. "And he's the frontman of the band, and that's what we need, and that's part of that production you see and that's why it looks so massive and exciting. It's little things like that [that] start to add up. But Randy was uncomfortable with that, because he feels like he's in a band. I think his words were, 'I don't wanna look like Liza Minnelli up there.' And I was, like, 'I promise you…' It was a dialogue. But my input was, 'I promise you — you're not gonna look like that. It's gonna look great.' And it does."

Two months ago, Blythe told Metal Hammer magazine that he didn't intend on performing with LAMB OF GOD into his 70s.

"I plan on making music for as long as I possibly can," he said. "But nobody needs to see 70-year-old Randy Blythe up onstage jumping around and yelling 'this is a motherfucking invitation."

The 51-year-old Richmond, Virginia-based musician continued: "I'm such a physical performer; that's what it is for me. Total physical immersion in our music. I don't know how long I'll be able to do that. I know for a fact that, unless something horrible happens, if we make it to 2025, that'll be 30 years of the band. I gotta make it to 30 years, and I think my body can take that."

Blythe, who published his first book, "Dark Days: A Memoir", in 2015, previously discussed his retirement from LAMB OF GOD during a 2016 appearance on "The MetalSucks Podcast". At the time he said: "I think I'm a better writer than I am a musician. And I'm not gonna be in LAMB OF GOD when I'm 70 years old. But hopefully I'll still be writing books."

He continued: "I will bet you every penny in my bank account that you will not see a 60-year-old Randy hopping around, screaming 'walk me in hell.' Fuck that. That's not gonna happen… It's not gonna happen. God, that would be atrocious. No one needs to witness that.

"Can you imagine me at 60? I'm skinny enough as it is. By then I'll have a little gut. I'll look like a toothpick that swallowed a bowling ball, probably bald… My throat will probably fall out if I do that by then."

In 2015, Blythe told Revolver magazine that he didn't think it was possible for him and his LAMB OF GOD bandmates to play extreme music into their 60s.

"I'm not going to be doing this when I'm fucking 60 — no fucking way," he said. "We're not THE [ROLLING] STONES."

He added: "I'm always going to be doing music, but not something quite so aggressive, I'm sure.

"I don't think LAMB OF GOD ever has to break up," he clarified. "I think we can, like, gracefully move out to pasture."

"Dark Days: A Memoir" focused on Randy's ordeal in a Czech Republic prison and his subsequent acquittal.

In 2012, Blythe was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with manslaughter for allegedly pushing a 19-year-old fan offstage at a show two year prior and causing injuries that led to the fan's death. Blythe spent 37 days in a Prague prison before ultimately being found not guilty in 2013.

Blythe's prison experience inspired two songs on LAMB OF GOD's 2015 album "VII: Sturm Und Drang": "512", one of his three prison cell numbers, and "Still Echoes", written while he was in Pankrac Prison, a dilapidated facility built in the 1880s that had been used for executions by the Nazis during World War II. It also led him to write the aforementioned "Dark Days", in which he shared his whole side of the story publicly for the first time.

In July 2021, Blythe said in an Instagram post that he was about to begin writing his second book. In October, he described the upcoming non-fiction tome as an inspirational memoir "about different perspectives from other people that I've tried to incorporate into my own life and take something from."

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing's new band KK'S PRIEST will co-headline next year's edition of the Alcatraz open air hard rock and heavy metal festival, set to take place August 11-13, 2023 in Kortrijk, Belgium.

Downing announced the group's appearance at the event via a video message posted to his social media earlier today. He also promised that there would be "lots more gigs coming your way."

Downing is joined in KK'S PRIEST by former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals),along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST's debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", was released in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Downing spent four months writing and recording "Sermons Of The Sinner" and, along with new ideas, he even resurrected a few archived riffs from the '80s.

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour. It followed a couple of celebrated stage appearances, first with former MANOWAR guitarist Ross The Boss in the summer of 2019, then with a one-off lineup that included former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former PRIEST drummer Les Binks later that year.

In a recent interview with Ernest Skinner of Border City Rock Talk, Owens spoke about the status of the sophomore album from KK'S PRIEST. He said: "I have one more song, I think, to finish. But they're mixing it and doing it as I finish these songs. So it's gonna be fairly close. It's really moving along really good. And it's really good too. I like it better [than the debut LP]. It's a little heavier, a little edgier on the vocals — and even music, I think."

As for a possible release date for the new KK'S PRIEST album, Owens said: "[K.K.] wants to get it out pretty soon. 'Cause I know we wanna do some touring. So I know he wants to get it out."

Last month, Downing told Danny Stoakes about KK'S PRIEST's upcoming LP: "It's imminent, for sure. Everything's gonna be sticky-taped and glued together, and we'll fire it out very soon. It's more than well on the way; we're in the mixing process."

He continued: "It's great. I can't wait. It's so frustrating. You just want it out now. But it will happen. So I'm looking forward to that."

Downing was reunited with JUDAS PRIEST for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

A little over a year ago, Downing said that he had no problems with fans making comparisons between PRIEST and KK'S PRIEST. "It's absolutely fine, because it's who I am and what I am and what I do and how I do it," he told Brazilian journalist Igor Miranda. "It's too late to change; I can't change. I can't go out and buy different guitars and different amplifiers and start to write differently and think differently. I have to do things the way that I like them to be done. And that's what I did in JUDAS PRIEST for all those years to the best of my ability. But even now that I don't have to consult with anyone else, really, then I feel a lot more freedom to be able to do this.

"I think I can do what I do better now than I did before, if that makes any sense," he continued. "Because I'm working and writing and putting things together for me — and, obviously, of course, the rest of the members in [KK'S PRIEST] as well. But I was on my own, for the most part, in the lockdown doing this. But there was a lot of things I wanted to say and get off my chest.

"The [KK'S PRIEST] album's full of emotions, sentiments and messages and also rejoicement. It's a lot of things, all in one package. And it was very important for me to be able to express myself through this album.

"I know that people will make comparisons, but that's fine. I either succeed or fail, like everyone else in life. But I'm a fan of this wonderful style of music, and if I like it, I'm hopefully sure that the fans will like it too. And I really hope they do. And I'm very much looking forward to the feedback from everybody all over the world.

"Towards the end for me in JUDAS PRIEST, it wasn't as energized as it was in former years, and I missed that. I remember the days when Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer] used to come offstage and he used to empty his boots out, and the water — which was sweat — used to just pour out of the boots. And it was the same for all of us. It was like we ran a marathon or something. So, hopefully we deliver that up. So I'm looking forward to doing that. I'm definitely gonna do my best, put it that way."

In September 2021, Owens said that there was no competition between JUDAS PRIEST and KK'S PRIEST. "I don't think we look at it [like that]," he told The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn in an interview. "There's one JUDAS PRIEST. They're JUDAS PRIEST. If [K.K. and I] wanted to take that angle, we would have called [our new band] KK'S JUDAS PRIEST. But I think fans are happy 'cause they know they do have two things that are the same vein, and they have K.K. back. I went nowhere — I've been putting music out like crazy — but they have Ken and I back together again. So there's no competition. I mean, how awesome would it be if we do shows with them? I don't care. I really don't. I love the guys in PRIEST. Rob's [Halford, PRIEST singer] my idol. And Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] and I are friends. But this isn't a competition. We're not trying to make it a competition or another JUDAS PRIEST. That's why we put an album out first; that was the difference. If we were trying to make it that, we would start touring right away, doing the back catalog."

Asked if KK'S PRIEST is really open to touring with JUDAS PRIEST, Tim said: "I'm open to anything. I've never burned bridges. From the sounds of it, it's never gonna happen. 'Cause it never happened with me. I tried to get BEYOND FEAR to support JUDAS PRIEST on tour. Wendy Dio was my manager, and they were, like, 'Absolutely not. You're not gonna support us.' But we're all friends. I mean, I'm speaking for me — I'm not speaking for Ken. But, yeah, listen, I always look at it as how much fans would love stuff. How cool would it be if that happened?"

Photo by George Chin

📣 KK'S PRIEST TO HEADLINE ALCATRAZ FESTIVAL!🤘

JUDAS PRIEST founding member, songwriter and guitarist KK Downing is...

Posted by ALCATRAZ MUSIC on Thursday, December 15, 2022

Tour news

K.K.’ greetings, KK’s Priest headlining Alcatraz (BE)Festival-23🤘🏿🔥

Posted by K.K. Downing's Steel Mill on Thursday, December 15, 2022

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Bay Ragni Show", Pete Evick, who is best known as Bret Michaels's music director and guitar player of the last 19 years, was asked to weigh in on PANTERA's recent comeback. Surviving members Rex Brown (bass) and Philip Anselmo (vocals) are joined in PANTERA's reformed lineup by guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX). According to Billboard, the new lineup has been given a green light by the estates of PANTERA's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

Pete said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think Phil's a douche. I think Phil's a douchebag. And Vinnie was my friend. Not an acquaintance — Vinnie was my friend."

Pointing at a Dean guitar which is hanging on his wall, Pete continued: "Vinnie and Dean Guitars gave that to me. It's the 10-year-anniversary-of-Dime's-death model guitar. They gave it to all the Dean players. I've been a Dean guy for 20 years or whatever.

"Vinnie was great," Evick added. "And Vinnie was a great producer. He understood the studio. And me and him were friends. He was great to my son."

Circling back to the new PANTERA lineup, Pete said: "I think that the world deserves to celebrate the music. I believe that the only [guitarist] that should be allowed to do it is Zakk Wylde. Charlie Benante… Maybe it could have been Mike Portnoy; maybe it could have been Mikkey Dee. There's a handful of people… Charlie's great for it.

"I'm glad that people are gonna hear it, because the PANTERA stuff was… I remember when I was a kid, I was young enough that… When I heard VAN HALEN for the first time, I wasn't blown away. As I got older and learned… Friends of mine that were maybe 10 years older than me tell this story about hearing VAN HALEN and going, 'Holy fuck! That doesn't even sound like a guitar.' But I was born in '72. I was playing guitar by 1978, and I was only six years old. And by seven years old, I was already exposed to VAN HALEN. So I was too young to… It was just another great band. My ears were so fresh. So I loved it, and from the day I heard it to this day, they're my favorite band. But I didn't understand the intensity of how hard it was, because I started with it. At seven years old, I wanted to know how to play 'Eruption'. So I never experienced that whole thing of… I already played guitar, so I didn't have to relearn how to play guitar. That's what most people had to do with VAN HALEN, was relearn everything they knew. I never experienced that with [Eddie Van Halen]. But I experienced it with PANTERA. PANTERA is the only thing I've ever heard in my life that I went, 'I don't fucking know how to do that.' Don't get me wrong — I love Steve Vai, and I can't play like Steve Vai, but when I hear it, I know what he's doing. I go, 'I know what's happening. I can figure that out if I really wanted to sit down and figure that out.' When I heard PANTERA the first time, I went, 'What the fuck is that? How do you even make that sound with a guitar?' Which has to be what all of them felt about VAN HALEN.

"So I respect what [Dimebag] did, and what they did as a team," Pete continued. "Just like Alex [Van Halen] and Eddie, they were brothers. That chemistry between the two of them, it was the same exact thing for a different generation.

"It's good that the world's gonna hear the music. But I think that Phil's a douche," Pete repeated. "And I hope he does it right. That's all I can say, is I hope he does it right."

Asked for his thoughts on Rex, Pete said: "I don't give one shit about that guy. [Laughs] I don't know him. I don't not know him. I know he the bass player. Me and Vinnie never once had a conversation about the guy. I don't know anything about him personally. I don't know that he did anything on bass that was mindblowing. Maybe he did; I don't know. So I don't have an opinion. But I'm glad that there's multiple living members of the band. I think that I like it better that he's there. I think if it was just Phil, I might be a lot more angry about it."

Pete went on to clarify that he has never actually met Philip, "so I shouldn't judge like that. But I knew somebody that knew him really fucking well," he added.

PANTERA is next scheduled to play two shows in São Paulo, Brazil — on Thursday, December with JUDAS PRIEST and on Sunday, December 18 at Knotfest Brasil.

The new PANTERA lineup made its live debut on December 2 at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest and also performed on December 6 at Monterrey Metal Fest in Monterrey, Mexico.

It was first reported in July that Anselmo and Brown would unite with Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

The band will headline a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and stage some of their own headline concerts. They will also support METALLICA on a massive North American stadium tour in 2023 and 2024.

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

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

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

During a "VIP Experience" question-and-answer session before W.A.S.P.'s November 26 concert at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida, frontman Blackie Lawless was asked for his memories of late MOTÖRHEAD legend Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[He was] a very complex individual. He was human, like anybody else, but he had moments of real insecurity. And I won't go into detail, because it wouldn't be fair to him. But I knew him pretty well. And we had some fun times together. But like anybody else… I mean, there was a very public squabble that happened between us back in the '90s that was nothing.

"He was enormously complex," Blackie reiterated. "I think all artists are, to some degree — some more than others, and I would put him in the 'some more than others' category. The image you saw of him and the man was two different things. Not that he was living a lie, 'cause he wasn't; what you saw is what you got, but you didn't see everything of who he was.

"I'll tell you a funny story about him," Lawless added. "The last show that we did together was about two years before he passed. We were in Romania. We were playing this festival. And it was just ungodly hot. Somebody said — 'cause they measure everything in Celsius, but they tried to figure out what it was in Fahrenheit. It was about 105 [degrees]. And I knew — 'cause we had been on a plane together, him and I, the day before, and I knew he was not doing well. So I was concerned about him. So when I got off the stage, they were going on right after us… And I kind of dragged myself in his dressing room, and I said, 'Listen, you have got to make sure you stay hydrated today.' I said, 'It is unbelievably hot out there. You've gotta make sure you've got fluids in you.' Now, I look. He's sitting at a table. He's got a half-eaten Reese's peanut butter cup, which may not sound like a big deal to you guys, but they don't sell Reese's peanut butter cups in Romania. So where he got it, I don't know. He's got a glass half full of Jack and Coke and it's got ice in it. And he holds up his glass to me, and he goes, 'I intend to stay hydrated. I have many ice cubes in this glass.' And I threw my hands up. I go, 'What am I wasting my breath for?' I go, 'I'm telling you, you've gotta stay…' And I turned around and walked out."

Back in 2006, Lemmy reflected on MOTÖRHEAD's legendary 1997 tour with W.A.S.P. which resulted in MOTÖRHEAD quitting the trek after butting heads with Lawless. Asked to offer his version of events that led to MOTÖRHEAD's departure from the tour, Lemmy said: "We went on the tour. It was supposed to be co-headlining, but he [Blackie] was actually closing the show, 'cause he made such a fucking mess of the place, right?! 'Cause he killed a fake pig with a fake sword and he cut pillows open and threw feathers all over the stage, so by the time he finished with it, it wasn't fit to piss in and I wasn't gonna play [on] it. So he closed the show every night. And he was… I just don't know what it is with Blackie. I've known him 20 years, you know, and he was walking the first five years right past us and onto the stage — not 'Hello,' nothing, not acknowledging [us]. And he's still got his cellulite, old ass hanging out of his chaps, and he's got this mic stand with handlebars — 'the Blackie Lawless complete workout.' And at one gig we had to share a dressing room — well, there was only one dressing room — so we said, 'Okay, we'll go on and then we'll pack up real quick and get out and then you can use it.' And we came back off stage soaking wet to find all our clothes thrown into the hallway. So at that point we said 'Fuck you' and we walked off that tour. There was always two hours before… First band and us, there would be an hour and a half before they would go on, because he had this cheap crew that didn't know what they were doing."

W.A.S.P. just completed its first U.S. tour in a decade. The trek coincided with the band's 40th anniversary and included support from ARMORED SAINT and MICHAEL SCHENKER on select shows.

Lawless is joined in W.A.S.P.'s current lineup by bassist Mike Duda and guitarist Doug Blair, who have been in the band 26 years and 18 years, respectively, along with drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.

Two years ago, legendary guitarist Steve Vai underwent shoulder surgery to repair an injury. That procedure was successful, enabling him to record his new album, "Inviolate". However, in preparing for a U.S. tour in support of the LP, it became clear that another injury emerged that required another surgery.

Vai offered an update on his recovery while answering questions as part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series. He said: "The thumb surgery healed in, like, a couple of days, really. Then I started to get a little trigger in my other finger, so I had to get another surgery. But my shoulder is okay. I had two surgeries. The European was probably a little premature, 'cause it didn't do much good for my shoulder. But the American tour is doing great. And I feel good. It's still healing; I've got probably three more months of healing."

Steve previously discussed his physical issues in a January 2022 interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said: "[Around December 2020], I did have to get surgery on my shoulder. I'm usually a totally healthy guy. I do take the holistic approach when I can, but 50 years of abuse playing the guitar, my shoulder just got to the point where I had to really get it checked out. And I got a wonderful surgery, and it healed. And it was funny because while I was healing, I couldn't use my right arm, obviously; I was in a sling. And the sling was called a 'Knappsack,' because the doctor that designed it, his name is Doctor Knapp, and he's the one that did the surgery. So I got home from the surgery and I couldn't play with my right hand, so I actually recorded a song that I called 'Knappsack' with my left hand, and that made it to 'Inviolate'."

He continued: "I got through the pandemic recording the record. And the surgery healed quick and I was able to record the record. But I did something really stupid over the summer. [Laughs] This is crazy. Well, I have a pizza oven, and I was putting a pizza in the oven and the dough sticks on a little plate, and I had to jerk it really hard to pull it and I tore another [tendon]. And I thought I could get through the tour, but the tour is a megatour that we're planning, 'cause I've been just dying to get on tour. And we've got, like, 250 shows that we wanna do around the world, and it's gonna take, like, a year and a half. And once I started to prepare, it became really obvious that there was just no way. And the doctor said that 'it's only gonna worse and there's nothing you can do. I highly recommend you get it fixed before you go out on tour for a year and a half or you're gonna be in real trouble.' [Laughs] So I said, 'Okay.' And the way that the tour is scheduled, it's not so uncommon these days that artists are kind of moving blocks of dates around. And we just took the whole tour — the North American portion — and moved it to the fall, almost completely intact. So it gives me an opportunity to heal and get out there and kick some butt."

When host Eddie Trunk told Vai that he must be a "serious pizza maker" in order to tear a tendon in his shoulder while making pizza, Vai said: "I wish I had a better story." Steve went on to say that "it was the same shoulder but a different tendon" that he injured last year.

In February 2021, Vai revealed that he had undergone shoulder and trigger finger surgeries, explaining that his shoulder had been "screwed up."

During an appearance on Tyler Larson's "Guitar Villains" podcast, Vai said that he sustained the finger injury by holding a tough chord for too long.

"I was doing this fun thing, and I had to put my thumb in this really weird position," he said. "And I had to kind of hold this chord really for a long time — I was meditating on it. And I knew it was a hard position, and I just kept sitting there and playing it and playing and playing, and 20 minutes later, I'd kind of come out, and I [felt pain in my hand]. So I kind of sprained this, and then, all of a sudden, I developed trigger finger. My wife said, 'Don't show anybody,' 'cause they did that operation and they cut in there, and the guy's fooling around with everything in there, and it's really bizarre. But it's all fine — it's something very simple that they can fix. But I won't be able to play for a while."

"Inviolate" was released in January digitally and on CD via Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group.

LYNCH MOB is putting the finishing touches on a new studio album for a tentative 2023 release. Joining former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch in the newly reactivated band are his longtime drummer Jimmy D'Anda (BULLETBOYS) along with TANTRIC bassist Jaron Gulino, and singer Gabriel Colon.

Lynch offered an update on his long-running project in a new interview with MetalSucks. He said: "We've got the new [LYNCH MOB] lineup set, and we've got my guitars, Jaron Gulino's bass tracks, and Jimmy D'Anda's drums all finished. We need to get Gabriel Colon's vocals wrapped up and then go from there. The new lineup is really great, and I love what we're doing. So, we'll keep working on that with an eye to getting that out for 2023, too."

George also talked about the status of THE END MACHINE, his collaborative project with former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson. He said: "Jeff and I have been working intensely on the third END MACHINE record with our new singer, who is from India, Girish Pradhan [FIRSTBORNE, GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES], who is unbelievable. We loved Robert Mason [who sang on the first two THE END MACHINE albums], and he's an incredible singer, but we felt it was time for a little bit of a change. So, of all the records I'm working on — and there's a lot — I'm most excited about this next END MACHINE album. It's really powerful, and some of the tracks are downright scary good."

Asked what it is about the upcoming THE END MACHINE album that has him most excited, George said: "When me and Jeff get together, we're just a two-headed songwriting monster. It's crazy, but we finish each other's sentences and understand each other musically. I think that because we've been doing the same thing for so many decades, we know exactly what we're trying to do, but now we have a much better idea of how to get there than we used to. And when I work with other people — and I've worked with some great people — I don't have that connection with any other people like I do with Jeff. It's everything, from riffs, guitar sounds, and composition to putting that together. We're very attuned to each other, and our skill sets complement each other very well, so working on this record is an absolute joy, and it's got me very excited."

For much of the last year and a half, George had played dates around the U.S. under the name ELECTRIC FREEDOM, which he previously said was the new name of his "touring entity" after deciding to retire the LYNCH MOB band name in 2020. However, in October, it was reported that LYNCH MOB was once again playing shows.

Lynch discussed his change of heart in an interview with Full In Bloom. He said: "[LYNCH MOB is] just a brand I'd established for decades, obviously — over three decades. Nothing's perfect, and I've gotta just live with the fact that it has some negative connotations that I probably have to continue explaining for the rest of my life, and I don't mind doing that. But it is a brand that I built, and I'm just gonna stick with it. As far as a marketing thing and a brand thing and a business thing and a working thing, and it keeps my band guys working and it keeps the fans happy, it makes sense.

"I really felt, when I adopted ELECTRIC FREEDOM, that I was really going against the grain more than keeping the old name," he laughed. "I really felt a lot more resistance than I'd ever felt having LYNCH MOB; that was actually the reality of it. Nobody really liked it. And I didn't like living with that; it was just kind of uncomfortable. It's, like, 'Okay, well, we've just gotta put up with George's decision here to do this, but nobody agrees with it. We're not comfortable with it.' It has a sort of disingenuous ring to it. As much as my motives were pure — I felt honest — it just never caught on, on all kinds of levels."

In August 2020, Lynch announced that he was ending LYNCH MOB due to the racial insensitivity of the moniker, saying he would no longer record or perform under that name.

THE END MACHINE released its sophomore album, "Phase2", in April 2021 via Frontiers Music Srl.

"Phase2" featured drummer Steve Brown, younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer "Wild" Mick Brown, who played on THE END MACHINE's self-titled 2019 debut.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, PEARL JAM guitarist Stone Gossard was asked for his take on the long-running narrative that grunge reinvented the rock and roll genre and killed the career of many hard rock and heavy metal musicians. He replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think we changed the landscape at that time; I just don't think we reinvented anything. We were taking punk rock and the blues and rock and roll and we were just kind of doing it in a different way. I do think we impacted the music industry at that time, and it's only because hair bands were so entrenched and the record business was so entrenched and everybody was just doing the same thing for so long that it lost its flavor.

"I was into hair bands; I wanted guys to dress up and have crazy hair and makeup," he continued. "But I think everything — there's time for a change at some point, and everyone wants something fresh again.

"I love the moment when kids get ahold of something and they break it and they wanna just make it their own. And so anytime that happens, it's kind of fun. It's a good time to listen. Then it makes it more about for anyone to make a band; it's not just stellar musicians. Sometimes it's just gotta be a group of people that just love making racket together."

Gossard previously discussed grunge's impact on the hard rock and heavy metal scene this past summer in an interview with VWMusic. At the time, he said: "I think there's always renewal in the world, and with that renewal, comes new perspectives. And I think that hard rock was really stagnating at that point in a way that gave an opportunity to what I'll call 'less musically talented' musicians to say, 'Hey, there's another way to play rock songs. There's another way to have songs that are heavy. And there's another way to create chaos and energy from those songs that would be outside the normal color palette of a heavy metal song.'

"I mean, coming up, I listened to a lot of heavy metal," he continued. "I listened to a lot of MOTÖRHEAD. I listened to a lot of IRON MAIDEN. I listened to a lot of MERCYFUL FATE. I listened to a lot of LED ZEPPELIN. I listened to all those New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands, and I was into it. This said, as a kid, I didn't really know how to play like that, so I was just doing what sounded right to me. And I think that in the late '80s, there was a very free attitude about art and music that was brewing in the wake of hard rock, and a lot of people were experimenting with sounds, and the bands formed from there. There was something about it that was fresh, that really captured people's ears, and that had a huge effect on it all too. But you know, a lot of those heavy metal bands you're talking about are still around, so clearly they all didn't die. Sure, a lot of them had to regroup, and yes, some did die, but that's part of the life cycle, right? There are still a lot of fans out there who love hard rock, and I'm one of them. I love hard rock, and I always have, but renewal and rebirth are a part of art, I think."

In recent years, several 1980s hard rock musicians have weighed in on grunge's impact on the glam-rock scene, including SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan. Regarding how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting, Rachel told Rodrigo Altaf of Sonic Perspectives: "When a musical genre becomes just a point of sale, that's kind of the beginning of the end for the genre, 'cause they'll sign a million bands that kind of sound like a band, and then it just dilutes everything. So that's what was kind of happening right around when grunge came out. And then when grunge came out, it was the next big thing, and then it happened to them too. Every band that kind of resembled NIRVANA got signed, and they were nowhere near as good as NIRVANA. So it dilutes the market and eventually just poisons it."

Back in 2014, Bolan admitted to the Dallas Observer that "grunge put a lot of bands like us out of business. You just have to wait it out. We came back because people wanted to have fun again. There were some grunge bands that I liked, but it was such a different vibe and a different scene. People started to miss bands from our era. There was a certain nostalgia involved."

In a 2016 interview with the Fox Business program "Kennedy", Bolan's onetime bandmate Sebastian Bach was asked when he realized that there was a "shift" taking place and how he felt about it. He responded: "I think I realized it when I saw the video for [NIRVANA's] 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. And there was never any video or song like that before; it was a new sound, and people were responding to it. But what goes around comes around. I mean, now the biggest tour in town is GUNS N' ROSES or AC/DC, who have the same singer. [Laughs] So, you know, music is cyclical, and people will always love rock and roll, 'cause it gets passed down through the generations. IRON MAIDEN has never been bigger than right now. It's kind of crazy."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

Earlier this year, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider told told Armchair MBA that "no one saw" the rise of grunge coming, but he admitted that he "was already dead and semi-buried before grunge hit. TWISTED arrived in the early '80s and then we hit our stride in the mid-'80s and by the late '80s, the band had broken up. I had a band called DESPERADO [with former IRON MAIDEN drummer Clive Burr and ex-GILLAN guitarist Bernie Tormé] that got shelved by Elektra Records; a lot of money we spent on that record. So I was sort of already removed as a featured artist by that point, and I was struggling trying to find my footing with DESPERADO and then WIDOWMAKER. And then I got the letter in the mail, certified letter, 'We have decided we're no longer doing what you do — look like you, sound like you, sing like you, write like you, perform like you. We actually don't want anything to do with anything you ever did. Sincerely, the music-buying public.' [Laughs] And that's when the bottom really fell out. I mean, imagine being a doctor who studied a form of medicine, and they found a cure for it. You're a cancer specialist — a specialist; it's what you dedicated your life to — and you get a pill that cures [cancer]. You're out of work. Grunge cured hair metal. So I was out of work."

Two years ago, Snider told Ultimate Guitar that he "loved" NIRVANA and other grunge bands when they emerged. "When they first came out, it wasn't even called grunge," he explained. "And this is the thing about titles — even heavy metal, punk, hair metal, those are not titles chosen by the artists; they're titles chosen by the writers. And usually as a negative connotation. Usually as a form of a putdown. And the artists that they called grunge, called punk, called heavy metal — they hated it. This is a fact, dude. I'm old. I know this, a fact: if you mentioned grunge to SOUNDGARDEN or PEARL JAM, they got physically violent with you. They were just a rock band. And if anything, SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, they were metal bands. They were touring with Ozzy [Osbourne]. It just became defined by some writers; they pigeonholed it and called it a new sound."

Dee continued: "When it first came out, I was, again, doing metal radio, and I was playing ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA on my show, and I was like, 'This is great, heavy new stuff.' So then it became defined as grunge, and then it was the hair metal killer, and that was awful. But I don't blame it on the music; hair metal did it to itself. It became too commercialized, and then it got unplugged and became nothing but power ballads and acoustic songs, and it wasn't metal anymore. It had to go; it had to change."

Snider's TWISTED SISTER bandmate Jay Jay French told Daniel Sarkissian of the "Rock Is Dead?" documentary about the death of hair metal and arrival of grunge: "The only band that leapfrogged and saved themselves was GUNS N' ROSES. And my theory is that GUNS N' ROSES was not perceived as a joke. They came out of L.A., but I think that Axl [Rose], first of all, had a great voice. I think that they were perceived as real, not fake. Like, they were real junkies, not pretend junkies. So there's an authenticity. It's all about authenticity, and grunge is all about authenticity. People wanted authenticity, so they got it with grunge. It wiped out the perceived frivolousness of hair metal, which is, 'Hey, man. Let's party. Let's get the girls and drink.' I think people just got sick of that, and they wanted [something more] authentic."

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi told Newsday in a 2014 interview that the CRÜE album he sang on was a commercial disappointment because the music scene had changed, with hair metal brushed aside for grunge. "Everybody was listening to ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN," Corabi said. "At that point, we were considered passé."

According to Corabi, CRÜE's ill-fated 1994 American tour " was a nightmare. We weren't selling tickets. It was just horrible," he said.

In 2019, former TNT singer Tony Harnell said that the rise of the grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image, was ultimately a positive thing for the rock genre because it "shined a really harsh light on how boring and repetitive" the '80s glam metal scene had become. He explained: "It was the same look, the same songwriters, the same producers, and it just started to be… Nobody was offering anything… Don't get me wrong, there were a few that got in there that were interesting and different, but, for the most part, they were all just sort of rehashes, slightly, of other bands."

St. Louis, MO-based black metal duo Stormruler - consisting of midwestern scene stalwarts Jason Asberry (vocals/guitars/bass) and Jesse Schobel (drums/vocals) - recently released their new album, Sacred Rites & Black Magick, via Napalm Records. The band have released a drum playthrough video for the track, "Upon Frozen Shores". Watch below:





Produced, mixed and mastered by Gabe Usery at Encapsulated Studios and featuring stunning artwork by Giannis Nakos of Remedy Art Design, Sacred Rites & Black Magick blisters with more unrelenting intensity while maintaining a haunting, visceral aura more ancient and foreboding than ever. As on Under A Burning Eclipse, between each song on Sacred Rites & Black Magick is an intricately positioned interlude building the ambiance and steering the thematic intensity of the album.




Stormruler says about Sacred Rites & Black Magick: "This album is on another level in comparison to our previous offering. It falls in the same vein of the melodic second wave black metal worship of Under The Burning Eclipse, but with a more intense and darker touch. It's got the high speed buzzsaw attack we love, crushing grooves, solid leads, ambience within the interludes and acoustic passages, as well as lyrics that tell a story."





Sacred Rites & Black Magick is available for in the following formats:
- 4 page CD Digipak
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 2LP Gatefold Marbled White/Black/Blue - Napalm Mailorder only, limited to 300 worldwide
- Digipak & Shirt Bundle - Napalm RoW Mailorder only
- Full Digital Album


Order here.





Sacred Rites & Black Magick tracklisting:


"Hymns Of The Slumbering Race"
"Internal Fulmination Of The Grand Deceivers"
"Adrift Dark Halls Of Vinheim"
"To Bear The Twin Faces Of The Dragon"
"In Light Of Paleblood"
"Entranced Within The Moon Presence"
"Invocation Of The Black Sacrament"
"Sacred Rites & Black Magick"
"Oathpact"
"Ten Heralds, Ten Desolations"
"The Waters Of Iolamita"
"In The Shaded Vlasian Forest"
"Amid A Smear Of Crimson Cloud"
"Apparitions Across The Ravencrest"
"Sanguinare Vampiris"
"Upon Frozen Shores"
"Shadow Of The Golden Eagle"
"Along The Appian Way"
"By Winters Long Passed"
"A Malice Dead & Cold"


“Upon Frozen Shores” lyric video:





"Internal Fulmination Of The Grand Deceivers" video:





"Sacred Rites & Black Magick" video:





Stormruler is:


Jason Asberry - Vocals, Guitars and Bass
Jesse Schobel - Drums & Vocals


Stormruler recently announced their upcoming support of Cannibal Corpse, Dark Funeral and Ingested on their 2023 European tour. The tour begins on March 10 in the Netherlands, hitting a massive number of major European cities before coming to an end in Nottingham, UK on April 23. Tickets are on sale now.

THE ROLLING STONES have announced a new online concert event celebrating the release of "Grrr Live!" The concert will take place February 2 at 8 p.m. GMT / 8 p.m. Eastern / 8 p.m. Pacific / 8 p.m. AWST (February 3).

Recorded on the band's "50 & Counting" tour, the "Grrr Live!" concert featured guest appearances by THE BLACK KEYS ("Who Do You Love?" ),Gary Clark Jr & John Mayer ("Going Down"),Lady Gaga ("Gimme Shelter"),Mick Taylor ("Midnight Rambler") and hometown hero Bruce Springsteen ("Tumbling Dice"),and proved to be one of the most memorable shows in the band's history. It has not been available to fans since it originally aired on pay-per-view in 2012.

The "Grrr Live!" experience will bring this history-making concert to fans around the world on RollingStonesNewark.com via interactive video company Kiswe's global live streaming technology. The concert features some of the greatest songs of all time including "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It)", "Honky Tonk Women", "Start Me Up", "Gimme Shelter", "Sympathy For The Devil" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Unlike viewing performances on other platforms, Kiswe Live allows the fans to be part of the experience. Fans from all over the world will be able to upload short video selfies of themselves to celebrate the band, the performances, see themselves on the screen and be seen by others across the globe, alongside the performance.

Tickets are on sale December 15 at RollingStonesNewark.com.

"Grr Live!" track listing:

CD1

01. Get Off Of My Cloud
02. The Last Time
03. It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
04. Paint It Black
05. Gimme Shelter (with Lady Gaga)
06. Wild Horses
07. Going Down (with John Mayer and Gary Clark Jr)
08. Dead Flowers
09. Who Do You Love? (with The Black Keys)
10. Doom And Gloom
11. One More Shot
12. Miss You
13. Honky Tonk Women
14. Band Introductions

CD2

01. Before They Make Me Run
02. Happy
03. Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor)
04. Start Me Up
05. Tumbling Dice (with Bruce Springsteen)
06. Brown Sugar
07. Sympathy For the Devil
08. You Can't Always Get What You Want
09. Jumpin' Jack Flash
10. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Kiswe is the interactive video company that transforms live streamed events into immersive and socially connected experiences, reliably, at scale. With its award-winning cloud video technology, Kiswe has delivered the world's largest digital pay-per-view events and serves the top sports, media, and entertainment companies with its production, content distribution, fan engagement, and audience data solutions. Kiswe is headquartered in New Jersey, USA and has offices in New York, Seoul and Hasselt.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE bassist Tim Commerford has joined forces with Mathias Wakrat and Jonny Polonsky to form a new trio, 7D7D. The band's second track, "Misinformed", has just been released via Mad Bunny Records and can be streamed below.

7D7D's debut song, "Capitalism", was made available on Black Friday.

The band plans to continue releasing its music one track at a time.

It is hard to pinpoint what hits you first — the misleadingly upbeat, even pop nature of the melody and Tim's vocals, or his signature bass tone; Mathias's totally unique and odd pattern of drums, whose time signatures have hints of jazz, mechanical and electronic rhythms but are all acoustically created expertly integrated; or Jonny's sublime, precise and powerful guitar locking it all together to deliver the lyrics — manifestos, really — that arrive into your mind like a snake in the grass. In just a few lines of "Capitalism", the catchy tune compels you to sing along before you even realize the no-holds-barred content, and the lyrics continue to come down like a gavel, explicitly denouncing the tyranny and injustices Tim observes, and has raged against, all his life.

Raised in Irvine, California, Tim learned the bass and began to channel a tough childhood into music. By the time he was in his early 20s, he was in RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. Tim was also in AUDIOSLAVE (where he met Jonny) and PROPHETS OF RAGE. French-born Mathias first fell in love with percussion through his uncle who played, and began studying it at age 11, before moving to Los Angeles, where he would later meet Tim. Tim and Mathias were fast friends, sharing a passion for mountain bikes and John Coltrane, though it took many years before they performed together in a band.

In 2015 the two were both in the trio WAKRAT, which Tim described as "unapologetic, unrelenting, unbridled and uncensored. Understood?" However, this could be said of every band Tim has been in.

Tim and Jonny first started writing music together after AUDIOSLAVE broke up. Jonny had been a guitar tech, but that humble position is deceptive — Jonny was discovered in the 1990s by Reeves Gabrels, and Frank Black from the PIXIES helped produce his first demo. Jonny was then signed by Rick Rubin to his label American Recordings. Jonny went on to join PUSCIFER, he has toured with many artists, including Tom Morello, and he has recorded with Kevin Haskins and David J of BAUHAUS, and played on the last two Johnny Cash albums produced by Rubin and more.

Earlier this month, Commerford revealed in an interview with SPIN that he recently had his prostate removed after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. The procedure took place two months before RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's recent summer tour, which marked the band's first set of live dates since in 11 years.

Belgium-based progressive post-metal trio Psychonaut released their Violate Consensus Reality full-length on October 28 via Pelagic Records. on all streaming platforms. They have released an official video for the new single, "Hope".


One of the most personal and intimate songs the band has ever written, the trio collaborated with French dancer and longtime fan Alice Small, who fully choreographed the beautiful aerial dance video. "Hope" also features additional piano by Wouter Dewit and strings by Reinhard Vanbergen.







“We distance ourselves from a system that is based on the idea that humanity is fundamentally bad and needs protection from itself in the form of a hierarchy,” notes guitarist/vocalist Stefan De Graef of Psychonaut's latest album. “By no longer subscribing to the notion that we are all separate beings in a separate world that is dead and pointless, we embrace the vision of a new civilization that is rooted in the idea that we are part of a living, sacred universe.”


Likening our present state of separation to “an island on oceans grown, designed to bear unpredictable wrath,” the band accompanies their denunciation by punishing riffs and heavily syncopated rhythms, grabbing you by your guts and taking you on a turbulent journey. Violate Consensus Reality engages the senses in a way that is quite rare for concept albums, it is raw and brutal, unlike the lofty concept albums of yore with their endlessly repeating motifs and needlessly complex song structures. It stands in a long tradition of activism in music, but it also deconstructs this tradition by taking its loud and admonishing tone and providing it with a thoughtful base rooted in philosophy and spirituality.


Violate Consensus is not for the faint hearted, concept-wise but also music-wise as it contains some of the most gnarly riffs and technical playing on any Psychonaut output to date. The record constitutes a wild ride from the breakneck paced riffing of “A Pacifist’s Guide To Violence,” through the undulating neo-classical piano passages of “Hope” to the glorious finale of “Towards The Edge.” The mantric title track opens with the angelic voice of Stefanie Mannaerts (Brutus) and slowly builds up to erupt in an explosive sermon delivered by Colin H. van Eeckhout (Amenra, CHVE, Absent in Body), the appearance of both gifted musicians affirming Psychonaut’s stature in the Belgian metal scene and beyond.





Tracklist:


"A Storm Approaching"
"All Your Gods Have Gone"
"Age of Separation"
"Violate Consensus Reality"
"Hope"
"Interbeing"
"A Pacifist's Guide to Violence"
"Towards the Edge"


"Interbeing"





(Photo – Gert Stockmans)

Severed Angel, the new Northeastern US melodic metal band, has self-released their new single, "Professor Finch”, to all streaming platforms specifically for the Christmas season. A lyric video for the song can be found below.





What happened in the days leading up to a certain well-beloved green character stealing Christmas? What led said character to go down the road to madness? Is it true that all it takes is one bad day to make a sane person go mad?




The band decided to tackle the Yuletide season with an original ode to the beloved Christmas character that is as charming as an eel with all the tenderness of a seasick crocodile. If you're tired of hearing the same five Christmas songs (pick any of them) on repeat on every radio station around the country, then we have your solution. All you'll want for Christmas is "Professor Finch."





Severed Angel band lineup:


Alex Repetti - Vocals, Guitar (Infinite Spectrum / Tension Rising)
Lou Mavs - Guitar, Vocals
George Dimitri - Bass (Timeless Haunt)
Marc Muchnik - Keyboards (The Nightmare Stage)
Wayne Noon - Drums (Project Resurrection / Ex-Phoenix Reign)

In a new interview with Matt Bingham of the Z93 radio station, PUDDLE OF MUDD frontman Wes Scantlin confirmed that he has been working with former PUDDLE OF MUDD bassist Doug Ardito and ex-PUDDLE OF MUDD guitarist Christian Stone on material for the band's upcoming follow-up to 2019's "Welcome To Galvania" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's awesome, man. Those guys are just amazing, and they will always be amazing, amazing musicians and songwriters. They've actually stored so many songs that we have actually collaborated together with in the last 10, whatever, years. And I can't wait to be able to work with them and go back and forth and do a collaboration-type deal. But, fortunately, they have families and stuff. And God bless all their children and their families and everything. Families are the most important thing."

Regarding what it is about Ardito and Stone that makes their collaboration so special, Scantlin said: "They're genius. They get it. They understand a badass vibe. They get into a zone. They're just hit-making motherfuckers, man. They've got the skills to throw hits out. It's gonna be crazy, amazing music."

Wes went on to say that it's "a big-time possibility" that PUDDLE OF MUDD will begin performing some of its new songs live in early 2023.

Two months ago, Wes told the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire" that "the only thing" he did during the pandemic was "write songs and re-collaborate with Doug Ardito and Christian Stone, former bandmates of mine and brilliant musicians, man. They've been forwarding a lot of songs that are really, really freakin' amazing," he said. "And I wanna go back in the studio with [producer] John Kurzweg, who did [the] 'Come Clean' and 'Life On Display' [albums]. Yeah, I'm gonna work with him again. 'Cause that guy is the magic man — John Kurzweg, man. He's amazing. Doug Ardito, Christian Stone — just killer writers, amazing guys, amazing musicians."

Scantlin previously said that the new PUDDLE OF MUDD album was "basically pretty much done" this past May in an interview with Jave Patterson of Reno's Rock 104.5 radio station. At the time, he said: "I've just gotta polish it a little bit up and revise a couple of things. I did a lot of work with Doug Ardito [and] Christian Stone that used to be playing with me and stuff like that. And they had basically saved a bunch of songs that were recorded. And I'm really happy about it. It was a little funky, but I'm glad that it was put into a musical vault. So it takes a lot of weight off my shoulders."

Scantlin's latest comments come a little over a year after he made headlines for on onstage meltdown at the EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin where he seemed to barely get the words out to the band's hits, complained that the lighting was blinding him and abruptly ended the show after just a few songs.

Wes had almost non-stop problems with the law, alcohol, finances and other issues, before claiming to have gotten sober in 2017. Scantlin said that he ended up going back to rehab and receiving treatment "because there's really nowhere else to go." He also credited his family and fans for giving him the strength to try to get better.

Scantlin was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in September 2017 after he attempted to board a plane with a BB gun. He pleaded no contest and was banned from LAX unless it involved traveling for work.

Before that, there have been a few tumultuous years for the singer and guitarist. In January of 2016, he was arrested on suspicion of breaking into his former home and vandalizing some of the property.

He skipped two court dates related to the charges later that spring, which led to another arrest.

Prior to that, Scantlin was arrested in December 2015 for possession of a controlled substance and had several previous busts that same year for driving under the influence.

Additionally, he was arrested at a Denver airport in 2015 for taking a joyride on a baggage carousel and taken into custody as far back as 2012 for an altercation with a flight attendant.

He also ended a number of PUDDLE OF MUDD shows in 2016 early with various meltdowns, including one in which he accused a fan of stealing his house

PUDDLE OF MUDD was formed in 1991 in Kansas City by Scantlin, the only original member still with the band. The group into the mainstream with 2001's "Come Clean", which yielded three hits — "Control", "Blurry" and "She Hates Me".

"Welcome To Galvania" was released via Pavement Entertainment.

KINGDOM COME singer Keith St. John, who joined the band in 2018 as the replacement for original frontman Lenny Wolf, spoke to the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast about the reformed group's plans for the coming months. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've got live dates right now. We've got a fairly famous rock drummer in the band, James Kottak. [He spent] 17 years in the SCORPIONS. It was really his brainchild, to be honest with you, to put [KINGDOM COME] back together without Lenny. So it's the original four members, who never worked together again after those early days. And I was honored that James called me to come and do it. But James has had some health issues in this last — [it's] going on for about two years, I would say, and creeping up. And now he's on a break for a little while until he gets recouped and recovered from everything. And my good friend who plays in '[Raiding The] Rock Vault' with me out here, Blas Elias, has stepped in — Blas Elias from SLAUGHTER; he stepped in to take over the drums for now.

"But Rick [Steier] and I, one of the guitar players, who also lives in L.A., we do have a whole bunch of riffs and songs we're waiting to put together with the rest of the band and get going on that, if we can."

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

St. John announced Elias's addition to KINGDOM COME's touring lineup in a statement to Metal Sludge. He wrote: "Taking over the drum seat in KINGDOM COME for the time being while James is recovering and getting his health together will be my 'Raiding The Rock Vault' and BURNING RAIN brother…(drum roll please)… Blas Elias!

"Blas has been so kind to step in and fill in for James. At this point, we don't know how long it might be, but thankfully Blas has an amazing feel for this music and is absolutely killing on it! It's also fair to say that James has always mentioned that Blas is one of his favorite drummers."

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

In June, Kottak denied that alcohol played a role in KINGDOM COME's disastrous performance at a Swedish festival.

The band's June 10 appearance at Sweden Rock Festival was described by the popular Swedish site Rocknytt as the event's "biggest fuckup." Writer Peter Johansson criticized the band for the inclusion of "several lengthy, uninspired, uninteresting and completely meaningless solos on both guitar and bass", saying that the musicians "completely massacred" one of their most popular songs, "Do You Like It". He also singled out Kottak, writing that the drummer played "really badly, sluggishly" and at times failed to keep the tempo "worryingly throughout the concert". At the end of the show, Kottak "stumbled to the edge of the stage to bow with his bandmates," according to Rocknytt.

Also critical of KINGDOM COME's performance was renowned Swedish music journalist and guitar player Janne Stark, who took to his Facebook page to share a photo of the gig and he wrote in an accompanying caption: "I've never seen a drummer fall asleep on stage before but James Kottak is pretty damn close. Drunk? He slows down every song to half tempo. KINGDOM COME, sorry guys but this is SHIT!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"It's a typical alcoholic way of thinking: 'Well, I may as well have a drink. Why not?' And that's typical alcoholic disease thinking. 'Cause it is a disease."

Kingdom Come Band Official

Posted by Kingdom Come on Saturday, September 24, 2022

Norwegian progressive rock group, Avkrvst, have signed with InsideOutMusic/Sony Music for release of their debut album in 2023.


Avkrvst was founded by Martin Utby and Simon Bergseth - two musicians and friends who grew up together and have been playing tons of gigs with all kinds of different bands, but never together - until now.


The band had this to say about the signing: “Signing with InsideOutMusic is a childhood dream come true. We’re beyond excited about the journey ahead and ready for the world to hear our music.”
 
Thomas Waber, InsideOutMusic Label manager had this to say: “We are really happy with the signing of Avkrvst, a young new band from Norway. I am convinced they will find an audience in the current scene. Looking forward to building a future together!"
 
At the young age of 7 years old, Martin and Simon made a pact that they would form a band when they got older. Now, 22 years later they’ve done just that. An album is ready - 55 minutes of music inspired by everything they grew up listening to - everything from Mew, Anekdoten and Porcupine Tree to Opeth, Neal Morse and King Crimson.
 
All the music has been written at a small cabin, deep into the Norwegian forests (Alvdal, Nor- way). Simon (composer, guitars, bass and vocals) and Martin (composer, drummer and synths) have later been joined by Øystein Aadland on bass/keys, Edvard Seim on guitars and Auver Gaaren on keys.




The band have shared a teaser video of them working in the studio, which you can see below:





(Photo - Kristian Rangnes)

According to Billboard, a California judge has ruled that Lloyd's Of London doesn't cover METALLICA for financial losses suffered when the legendary heavy metal act was forced to postpone six shows in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The lawsuit stemmed from the cancelation of METALLICA's six-date tour of South America in April 2020. Just weeks prior to the tour's scheduled launch, COVID-19-related travel restrictions were enacted in all parts of the world, giving METALLICA no choice but to postpone the dates.

According to METALLICA's complaint, which was filed in June 2020 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the band's standard "cancellation, abandonment and non-appearance insurance" policy with Lloyd's Of London was denied by the insurer, which cited the policy's communicable disease exclusion. The lawsuit called the move "an unreasonably restrictive interpretation of the policy" and alleged breach of contract. METALLICA argued that Lloyd's "cannot conclusively say that the Pandemic is the efficient proximate cause of the cancellations because there are other adequately alleged causes that are covered under the Policy."

The complaint alleged "that travel restrictions, the duty to mitigate damages, the need to 'flatten the curve' and stay-at-home orders all caused the Shows' cancellations."

In a November 30 decision obtained by Billboard, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly J. Fujie disagreed with METALLICA's arguments, writing: "The travel restrictions which caused the concert cancellations were a direct response to the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic. The evidence … demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic spurred the travel restrictions to South America and restrictions on public gatherings. The COVID-19 pandemic was therefore the efficient proximate cause of the concerts' cancellations."

Shortly after METALLICA filed the lawsuit, a Lloyd's representative clarified via a press statement: "Lloyd's is not an insurance company, it oversees and regulates a market of independent insurers. For that reason, we have no information on any specific policy or lawsuit and in any event are not authorized to comment on matters in litigation."

In its suit, METALLICA acknowledged Lloyd's as "a market in which independent insurance underwriters join together syndicates to sell insurance, mainly through brokers, under the umbrella of the Lloyd's brand name."

METALLICA sought unspecified compensatory damages as well as a declaration of the rights and obligations of the parties.

This was not the first time Lloyd's Of London has been involved in a lawsuit related to the cancelation of major rock concerts. Back in 2016, FOO FIGHTERS settled their lawsuit against the world-famous 336-year-old insurance market on claims related to several shows scrapped during the band's 2015 world tour. Because it was dismissed with prejudice, the FOO FIGHTERS were barred from re-filing the case on the same claim. Terms were not disclosed.

Some of the FOO FIGHTERS shows were called off after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg on June 12, 2015, during a show in Gothenberg, Sweden. The injury resulted in the cancellation of seven shows. Three of those dates were mentioned in the suit. After his leg was treated, Grohl went on to perform 53 concerts, mostly while seated on a makeshift "throne" onstage.

The Quireboys are preparing to turn back the clocks to the summer of 2022 and a special evening in the City of London.


As we enter the festive season, summer may seem like a distant memory, but not for long. The Quireboys would like to invite their fans to relive one of their highlights of 2022 via the band’s new concert album Orchestral Quireboys Live.


To set the scene, it was an evening which saw the legendary rockers descend upon the capital for perhaps one of the group’s most remarkable shows to date. A night where classic rock met classical music under the roof of the legendary O2 Forum Kentish Town.







On this landmark occasion in The Quireboys’ history, the band was accompanied by a string quartet and a brass trio, adding a new dimension to the group’s tried and tested sound. Collectively The Quireboys’ extended ensemble reimagined tracks from the band’s extensive back catalogue.


If you were at the show in London and would like to relive the experience – then read on. Likewise, if you were unable to make it to the show in the Big Smoke – fear not. Thankfully, for fans and followers alike, The Quireboys preserved the memory of this unique live experience via their new concert album/film titled Orchestral Quireboys Live.


Physical copies of the band’s latest offering are available to pre-order on CD, DVD and as a Single Coloured Vinyl (limited to 1,000 copies worldwide). The accompanying visual presentation of the event was captured via a multi-camera recording which will be released via Amazon Prime worldwide this month.


Throughout the album’s sixteen-song track listing, the five-piece performs live fan favourites such as “There She Goes Again”, “I Don’t Love You Anymore” and “7 O’Clock”, along with hidden gems from the group’s repertoire. Each of the songs featured has been given a new lease of life thanks to the band’s string and brass counterparts.


Orchestral Quireboys was a show that will be remembered fondly by fans of the band for years to come. It was a unique evening from a unique band which has been captured for our enjoyment for years to come.


The live album will be released physically on February 10, 2023. Preorder at offyerrocka.com. Orchestral Quireboys Live is available now on all digital/streaming outlets.

POISON frontman Bret Michaels stopped by SiriusXM's Hair Nation (ch. 39) recently to chat with host Tommy London about his summer 2023 "Parti-Gras" tour plans. During the in-depth conversation, Bret shared stories about how music was his salvation during "a crazy time" in his life, helping him through his parents' divorce and living as a teen with Type 1 diabetes. He also told Tommy about POISON's early days — how one of their first touring vehicles was actually an ambulance, how the band routinely snuck around Los Angeles late at night to hang flyers for their shows, and how they funded their first album themselves. And, Bret revealed that POISON made a business decision early on that turned out to be "the gem" for them — they retained control of their publishing.

"It was hustle," Bret said of POISON's early drive to find success. "There's this thing inside you [that] you find. There are so many talented bands… You know what stops a lot of people? I call it the wall. You hit that wall or that door. And every time we hit a door or wall, we either climbed over it, punched our way through it, kicked the door open. And you found a way. It was never exactly like you wanted it to be, but you found a way to get it done. Like raising the money, convincing people we were gonna have a hit record. We had to believe it before they were gonna believe it.

"I always told people, anybody, no matter what it is you wanna do in life, bet on yourself," he continued. "I have to bet on me before anyone else is gonna bet. So what happened is we go in to do this album ['Look What the Cat Dragged In'], and we had hit so many walls that we just decided we were gonna make this happen. One of the biggest blessings that came from that is we held all of our publishing. I didn't know that was the gem. We had been offered these really small offers and we were, like, 'We're already poor. Let's just stay here and just hold on to controlling our career.' And I go back to this now. That ended up being the biggest gem for POISON, is we kept all the publishing and just did an administration deal."

Joining Bret on his 2023 "Parti-Gras" tour will be special guests NIGHT RANGER and JEFFERSON STARSHIP with special appearances from Steve Augeri (former lead singer of JOURNEY) and Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY).

Presented by Live Nation, the 12-city run kicks off on Thursday, July 13 at Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, going on to make stops across the U.S. including at The Pavilion at Star Lake, in Bret's birthplace of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania),Holmdel (New Jersey),Tinley Park (Illinois),Tampa (Florida),and more before wrapping up in Charlotte (North Carolina) at PNC Music Pavilion on August 6.

Ted Nugent played the national anthem and received the "Great American Defender Of Freedom" award from former U.S. president Donald Trump at American Freedom Tour's Winter Gala at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida on December 1. Photos from the event can be found below.

The outspoken conservative rocker discussed the award 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 (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This was given to me by the great president Donald Trump, and it says right here: 'The Great American Defender Of Freedom Award'. 'American Freedom Tour'. 'Ted Nugent'. And so I'm accepting this, Keith, on behalf of you, because you're a freedom fighter, and my entire team, and my wife Shemane, my kids, who stand up against the lie, the scam, the joke of peer pressure. God made us individuals.

"So here at 'The Nightly Nuge' I accept this on behalf of everybody watching and celebrating 'The Nightly Nuge' where truth, logic and common sense is the wind beneath the eagle's wings," he continued. "And if we don't fight against evil, if 'I'm not into politics,' you are literally fueling evil. In 2022, if you're not against the Nancy Pelosis and Joe Bidens and the Hunter Bidens and the Eric Holders and the Barack Obamas and the Hillary Clintons, if you're not against them, then Satan… And this is harsh, harsh terminology… if you're with the Democrats and you think men should destroy the hard-earned world athletic records of women, and if you think that fat, perverted, Satanic men should be able to crotch-twerk children at a drag queen event, then you're on the side of evil. You have to be into politics."

Nugent previously spoke about his admiration for America's 45th president in an October 2020 interview with InfoWars' "The Alex Jones Show", hosted by noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. At the time, he said: "I genuflect at the altar of this great man. He is just pulling off miracle after miracle. He's really touching the heart and soul and representing the heart and soul of the best American families out there. Just praise God for that. This is one of those divine intervention moments, like the founding fathers. Believe me when I tell you that.

"I've been so honored and humbled to spend time with the great man," Ted continued. "There's something very spiritual about this crazy guy. I say 'crazy' — he's crazy like you; he's crazy like me; he's crazy like this welder I know down the road that, no matter what welding job you have, he shows up early and he welds something that will never break, and then he goes to his next welding job, and he leaves a vapor trail of high energy, of positive spirit.

"The energy from this president… Like the founding fathers defined the history of slavery and tyranny and kings and emperors and despots, that was divine intervention, Alex. And I've witnessed this great commander-in-chief Donald J. Trump, and he goes from rally and rally, and he gets up there with piss and vinegar and vim and vigor… You should see the sparkle in this man's eye."

Nugent went on to say that Trump's appeal lies in his image as the bold, no-B.S. boss who tells it like it is and cuts a fair deal.

"Here's the bottom line: the most admirable attribute of a human being is believability," Ted said. "If you believe this man, you believe he believes in what he says and that he represents your beliefs, that identifies President Donald J. Trump. This man just wants to renegotiate global contracts to benefit the United States. He wants the United States to be the winner. He wants to have fair deals, and he wants to have fair trade. He wants to benefit the United States Of America, because this is the last best place. If we turn it over to the freaks like [Nancy] Pelosi and [Joe] Biden and [Kamala] Harris, if we turn it over to them, we are Venezuela overnight."

Nugent added: "[Trump] sees the threats to the American Dream. He sees the oath violating by elected employees who have turned the corner into criminality, from [Barack] Obama to [Eric] Holder to [Loretta] Lynch to Lois Lerner to Adam Schiff, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton — we go right down the list of these gang bangers. I mean, it's MS-13, Black Lives Matter, Antifa in the Democrat party… [Trump] sees the threats to America and he's gonna use every maneuver, every trick, every law he can to stop the Marxists. He's saving his family from the wolves. That's his motivation."

A former board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has drawn intense criticism for his controversial past remarks, including telling then-president Barack Obama to "suck on my machine gun." He also made inflammatory remarks about Hillary Clinton, calling her a "devilbitch" who "hates everything good about America."

In a lengthy Facebook post in 2016, Nugent said Obama and Clinton should be tried for treason and hanged over their handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

In 2019, Nugent defended Donald Trump after the then-U.S. president was accused of making racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

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In a new interview with Backstage Pass Rock News, ex-MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman John Corabi, who joined the band in 1992 as the replacement for original singer Vince Neil, spoke about his current relationship with his former bandmates. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I am close to [guitarist] Mick [Mars]. And I do occasionally talk with [drummer] Tommy [Lee] via the Internet. He'll comment on a picture; he'll comment on something. I'm even fine with Vince. If Vince walked in here right now, I'd give him and hug and we'd sit down and have a drink together. That would be fine.

"Nikki [Sixx, MÖTLEY CRÜE] really — and I know I'm opening a can, 'cause Blabbermouth's gonna get hold of this; they always do — but Nikki, for some weird reason, he did some interviews, like, five, six, seven years ago, and he just sat there and just out of the blue just started saying that the record [I made with MÖTLEY CRÜE] sucked and I couldn't write and it was a horrible experience working with me.'

"It doesn't really matter to me," he continued. "I don't really care. I've seen Nikki a few times. We saw each other at Loud Park [festival] in Japan when I was with THE [DEAD] DAISIES. And he just chooses to not say hi. If he wants to be the way he wants to be, I don't care. Okay. Fine. If you wanna talk to me, I don't care. We're fine. Whatever. It is what it is.

"People ask me these questions, and I've tried saying, 'Next question,' but then I come off looking like… It's one of those situations where I can't win. If you [were to] say, 'Hey, can I ask you something about MÖTLEY CRÜE?' and I say, 'No. Next question,' I look like the asshole to your viewers for not answering the question. And if I do answer the question, I guarantee you this whole thing is gonna be on Blabbermouth in two days, and then the comments below will be, like, 'Man, doesn't that guy have anything else to talk about?' And I'm just answering a question."

Corabi also once again weighed in on Mars's recent announcement that he would no longer tour with the legendary rock act. Mick is being replaced on the road by former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5.

"I answered this already, and a few days later it was on Blabbermouth," Corabi said. "So apparently Blabbermouth has nobody else to talk about but me…

"Personally, my verdict is… I have an opinion, I have a thought on what transpired, but I haven't heard anything from Mick. The statement that we've all gotten was from MÖTLEY and their management and whoever's on that side of the camp.

"I know John 5. I think he's a brilliant guitar player. I am not taking [anything] away from John, because I love the guy to death. He is a guitarist's guitarist. But I can't help but think, when we were doing the 'Generation Swine' record, there was a rub between me and Mick, which transpired during… They had already told me that they were bringing Vince back, and their manager said to me, 'Can you help them finish the record?' And I said, 'Yes.' And every day they would call me at nine or ten o'clock in the morning, and it was Nikki, this guy Scott Humphrey and Tommy — [they] were producing the record — and they would call me every day, and they would go, 'Hey, can you come by the studio and play some guitar?' And I said, 'Well, as long as Mick is cool with it, sure.' Well, every day I'd get to the studio and they just complained, like, 'Oh my God. We had Mick here yesterday till two o'clock in the morning. We couldn't get anything out of him,' and blah blah blah. So, that was '95. And then they did the record. Now, I can tell you right now most of the rhythms on that record were mine. And if Mick was sitting here, he'd go, 'Yeah, most of the guitars were his.' So I played on the 'Generation Swine' record. I don't know if Mick played on 'New Tattoo' — I'm not sure — but I know it was DJ Ashba on 'Red, White & Crüe', on the new songs, and I know on 'Saints Of Los Angeles', it was DJ Ashba. And then I know on the movie 'The Dirt', the new songs that they did [for the accompanying soundtrack], [a cover of Madonna's] 'Like A Virgin' and all that shit, it's John 5. So they haven't had Mick… they haven't been using him since — fuck — '95.

"Again, I'm just looking at things the way I look at 'em and I can't help but think that they just went for the upgrade — in their minds," Corabi added. "You do have a history there; the fans are used to that history.

"And you know what? Folks, if I am wrong, I'll come back again with you and I will say, 'I apologize. I'm wrong.' But until I hear it from Mick, I don't buy any of it."

Corabi previously talked about Mars's supposed retirement from MÖTLEY CRÜE during an appearance on a recent episode of the "Life In The Stocks" podcast. Saying that there was something else that was "kind of bugging" him about the way Mars's exit from MÖTLEY CRÜE's touring lineup was announced," he added: "Because since that announcement came out, I've reached out to Mick and his wife a few times. And Mick hasn't responded at all. And I sent [his wife] — she's from Switzerland — so when I was there last week, I sent some photos of the Alps — I was in the Alps — and I wrote to her, and I said, 'Hey, I'm in your motherland.' And she wrote back. Then I came back, and I was, like, 'Hey, man, how's Mick?' And she goes, 'He's fine.' [And I said], 'Hey, what's going on?' Crickets. So that's kind of unusual behavior for Mick and [his wife]; they would normally [be] just, like, 'Yeah, dude. Everything's cool. Whatever.'"

Speculating about the possible reasons for Mick's silence, Corabi said: "I don't know if he's embarrassed or he's maybe… Who knows? Maybe he's angry and maybe he's being told not to say anything to anybody. Maybe there's gonna be a lawsuit. I don't know. But I just know how those guys operate, and I would not be surprised if they didn't say, 'Mick, look. You're in pain. We've got John 5. We're gonna bring him in.' Maybe throw him a bone — like every time they tour, throw him some money — but 'we're gonna move forward with this guy.' It wouldn't surprise me."

Corabi clarified: "Now, this is all a theory. I know about as much as you guys do. But personally, I don't believe a word of that statement at all."

Mars said that he was retiring from touring because of his long struggles with degenerative disease ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, according to the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases.

The 71-year-old Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as MÖTLEY CRÜE's lead guitarist since the band's inception in 1981.

A day after Mick announced his retirement from touring, remaining members, bassist Nikki Sixx, singer Vince Neil and drummer Tommy Lee vowed to "continue the legacy." In a statement, they said: "While change is never easy, we accept Mick's decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health. We have watched Mick manage his Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades and he has always managed it with utmost courage and grace. To say 'enough is enough' is the ultimate act of courage. Mick's sound helped define MÖTLEY CRÜE from the minute he plugged in his guitar at our very first rehearsal together. The rest, as they say, is history. We'll continue to honor his musical legacy."

The statement continued: "We will carry out Mick's wish and continue to tour the world as planned in 2023. No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick's shoes so we are grateful that our good friend, John 5 has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward. We'll see all you Crueheads out on the road!”

John 5, whose real name is John William Lowery, said: "I'm honored to carry on Mick's legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs."

In his statement, Mick said that he had decided to step back from live shows due to his "ongoing painful struggle" with ankylosing spondylitis and while he will continue to be a member of the band, he cannot "handle the rigors" of touring life.

The statement read: "Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band MÖTLEY CRÜE for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis, he will no longer be able to tour with the band. Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine."

John 5's involvement with MÖTLEY CRÜE as the band's new guitarist was first reported as a rumor by the Metal Sludge web site on October 7.

Speculation about John 5 replacing Mars gained strength after the longtime ROB ZOMBIE guitarist failed to appear with the shock rocker at this year's Aftershock festival in Sacramento. Rob was instead joined on stage by returning guitarist Mike Riggs for the first time since 2006.

John 5 has performed MÖTLEY CRÜE songs a number of times in the past. Back in 2018, John 5 was joined by Sixx along with ANTHRAX's Scott Ian and his wife Pearl Aday at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California to play a cover of "Shout At The Devil". Earlier this year, the guitarist ran through renditions of both "Home Sweet Home" and "Kickstart My Heart" at various shows on his U.S. tour.

In October, it was announced that MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD will go global in 2023 with their co-headline "The World Tour". Produced by Live Nation, the trek will kick off on February 18, 2023 at Foro Sol in Mexico City and include stops throughout Latin America before heading to Europe in May 2023.

In October, Sixx praised John 5, saying he "checks all the boxes" as Mars's replacement.

Sixx commented on John 5's addition to CRÜE while answering fan questions on Twitter. Asked why the band chose John 5, who is one of the credited co-writers on the three original songs on CRÜE's "The Dirt" soundtrack, Sixx said: "He checks all the boxes. He's a insane player. Has respect for our music, is funny as fuck and has history with us and we've written some pretty big hits together."

Sixx also addressed Mars's announcement that he was retiring from touring because of his struggles with ankylosing spondylitis.

"He's been a soldier along with us for 4 decades," Nikki said about his longtime bandmate. "We will continue to carrying our legacy to Generations of fans and honor Micks request for us to keep touring as Motley Crue."

In addition to co-writing the three songs on "The Dirt", John 5 collaborated with Sixx and Desmond Child on Meat Loaf's "The Monster Is Loose". Last year, Sixx and John 5 launched the L.A. RATS supergroup in which they were joined by Rob Zombie and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

Back in 2016, Mars released snippets of two solo songs, apparently called "Gimme Blood" and "Shake The Cage". The tracks, which were recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, where Mars has lived for about nine years, featured Corabi, who appeared on CRÜE's 1994 self-titled album. Corabi later said that he didn't contribute to the writing process for the two songs, but that he was open to collaborating with Mars on some brand new material.

Originally formed back in 1983 and re-formed in 2018, German heavy metallers Wardress have the follow-up to their 2019 album "Dress For War" in the can. In the meantime, they also found a label in Black Sunset / MDD to release the new LP in the first quarter of 2023. 


Fans can expect eight songs of sawing riffs and anthemic melodies, heavy metal in its purest form, classic, original and yet timeless, which you can hear the preference for NWOBHM. More info coming soon - stay tuned.







 

In a recent interview with The Sound Lab, SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg spoke about the evolution of the band's sound, particularly in the years leading up to the release of SLIPKNOT's latest album, 2022's "The End, So Far". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think as far as the mentality and approach to writing songs and crafting them in the studio and really just trying to throw ourselves into the music as much as we can definitely does change as you get older. This being my third record with the band, I've definitely learned over the years, after almost 10 years of being in the band, the live show really informs what we do. Which I kind of think back on making [2014's] '[.5:] The Gray Chapter' as incredibly ironic that we made an album without even playing a single show together, because so much of what we do is onstage; it informs pretty much everything. And that definitely does affect it. I think as you get older, your tastes and inspirations change and evolve, even though what I enjoyed back when I was a kid still, I'm sure, finds its way into my own contributions to our music. It's probably that way for a lot of us. But you have different things that you wanna say; you have different things that you wanna express, 'cause you're that many years down the line of being a person and having life experience to draw from. So, yeah, the mentality maybe stays a little bit the same in that we wanna throw a hundred percent of ourselves into it, but the approach and the end result, I think, does change as you get a little bit older. And you just wanna do different stuff; you don't wanna do the same things you did 10 years ago — or 20 years ago, for guys in the band. So, yeah, it's always a constant kind of evolving thing, as it should be, and that's perfectly fine."

Jay discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father Max, of Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND, and leader of the house band on Conan O'Brien's talk show. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Joey Jordison in 2013.

For the first few months after the release of ".5: The Gray Chapter", the members of SLIPKNOT had declined to name the musicians who were playing drums and bass on their tour, despite the fact that their identities were revealed as Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella by a disgruntled former drumtech for SLIPKNOT who posted a picture of a backstage call sheet on Instagram.

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Jordison passed away "peacefully in his sleep" in July 2021 of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.

Prior to joining SLIPKNOT, Weinberg was a member of AGAINST ME!, having played with the Florida-based act from November 2010 until December 2012.

Weinberg joined AGAINST ME! shortly after he was ousted from MADBALL and following the departure of AGAINST ME!'s previous sticksman, George Rebelo.

In May 2013, Weinberg filled in for KVELERTAK drummer Kjetil Gjermundrod during the band's North American tour because Gjermundrod had to bow out of the run after experiencing significant pain in his arm.

Mike Mushok has confirmed to the Loaded Radio podcast that STAIND is completing a new studio LP for a 2023 release. Speaking about the band's plans for the coming months, the guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think we're looking at finishing up [the LP] in January, and we'll have some dates next year also. We just did a little tour in September. It's great to be back playing with those guys."

As for the musical direction of the new STAIND material, Mushok said: "It's a little bit more modernized, I think. I think that was something we kind of wanted to do. There's a little bit more of an electronic element on there, which is something new for us, but I feel like everybody is kind of doing that. But I think it's cool. It's not overused. I think the songs are really good. I'm really happy with it. I can't wait for people to hear it."

Mushok also talked about his working relationship with STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis, saying: "We've been doing it for a long time. It's great to be back and doing that… I think that we definitely respect each other. It's kind of always been that. I think that STAIND's really kind of been… For the most part, I bring some music in and he decides what he likes and what he wants to write to, and we kind of take it from there. That being said, he's come in, obviously, with some amazing songs as well. So it's been a really good writing partnership, I feel."

This past September, Mushok told Atlantic City Weekly that both he and Lewis will continue to pursue other projects — Mushok with SAINT ASONIA, the band he co-founded in 2015 with former THREE DAYS GRACE singer Adam Gontier, and Lewis with his country solo career — alongside their long-running outfit.

"Aaron's built up a great following and great career that he'll fully pursue," Mushok said. "If we can do some STAIND shows in there, it would be great. If we can find a week here or there or maybe a tour every now and then, I'd be cool with that. Like we are looking to do a [STAIND] record, so we'll see how much we do to promote that. Honestly, I'm kind of taking it as it comes, one day at a time. It's hard to plan, you know what I mean. Who would have thought the world would shut down? So you've got to take it as it comes."

Last year, STAIND supported KORN on a U.S. run of dates.

The band was scheduled to support DISTURBED on "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" throughout North America last year, but the amphitheater trek was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

In June 2021, Mushok told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that he and his bandmates were working on their first studio album since 2011's self-titled effort. "There's a bunch of [new] songs kicking around," he said. "It's just kind of [a matter of] sorting through that stuff and seeing what, if anything, we like, and figuring out… I imagine, having not put out a real record of new music in 10 years, we're gonna be pretty critical of what it is and wanna make sure that it's great."

In March 2021, Lewis told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he "would certainly love to" have the new STAIND album released in the not-too-distant future. "All of our plans that were kind of semi on the books and on the table, everything just had a year taken off of it [due to the pandemic]," he said at the time. "We were gonna have a record come out sometime in 2020 or certainly in 2021, and there was a schedule that was on the table that, just like everything else, got burned to the ground as soon as [the lockdown] started."

STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", in May 2021 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents. The series launched with STAIND's "Live: It's Been Awhile (From Foxwoods)" concert, which streamed globally on May 1, 2021. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album and concert were recorded at the band's comeback show at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut in October 2019. The never-before-seen concert celebrated the band's reunion after a five-year hiatus. STAIND also performed its iconic multi-platinum 2001 album "Break The Cycle" in its entirety for a May 8, 2021 streaming event, exactly 20 years after the album's release. The "20th Anniversary Of Break The Cycle, Performed In Its Entirety" took place at Mill 1 in Open Square in Holyoke, Massachusetts, bringing the band back to their Western Mass roots.

STAIND played its first full live show in five years in September 2019 at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

PEARL JAM guitarist Stone Gossard spoke to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2020's "Gigaton" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're taking some time off right now. We finished up all the makeup dates that we lost from three years ago; we finished that up a few months back. The plan is that we're gonna do some more recording, and we're gonna try to finish a record here pretty soon. There's songs that are getting close to being done and there's a bunch that aren't. And we're gonna do something here pretty soon."

Gossard also spoke in more details about the PEARL JAM songwriting process, saying: "We do it all the different ways. Sometimes we go in and somebody just brings a riff and we just work it up from the very… 'I've got this and this part,' and everyone just jams on it. Usually that's the best formula for us, where everyone's kind of in the same room. But we all bring in fully realized demos. We've got demos for days. Everybody writes in the band, so now it's really just trying to figure out, really, what's something different for us and what's something exciting. And we're working on that. I think we've got a good start on another record that will be hopefully good."

Asked if the next PEARL JAM album will arrive in 2023, Stone said: "I bet it's gonna be 2024 before the record comes out, is my guess. But we're working on it."

This past July, PEARL JAM released "Gigaton (Tour Edition)". It featured 11 live songs recorded during the band's triumphant return to the road in 2021 alongside the group's critically acclaimed chart-topping eleventh full-length LP, originally released. It was made available on all DSPs and as in limited-edition LP/CD combo only in independent record stores across the country.

"Gigaton (Tour Edition)" arrived on the heels of the special Record Store Day release of the platinum 1998 live classic "Live On Two Legs". It emerged as the No. 1 indie retail piece for Record Store Day, bowing at No. 33 on the Billboard 200 and earning No. 1 on the Top Vinyl Albums chart, No. 1 on the Top Hard Rock Music Albums chart, and No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums chart.

"Gigaton" debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums and Billboard Vinyl Albums chart. In addition, it hit Top 5 on Billboard 200 Album chart, No. 2 Billboard Top Album Sales chart and to date has reached over 200 million global streams. The album was critically acclaimed, with Entertainment Weekly raving, "It's a sturdy rock album from five guys who know what they're doing, took time till they had something to say, are interpolating new influences and sound stoked to be back together in a room."