KINGS OF THRASH, the new band featuring former MEGADETH members David Ellefson (bass) and Jeff Young (guitar), recently entered the studio to begin recording the first of four original songs. The group, which also includes drummer Fred Aching as well as guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon, along with the occasional guest appearance by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar), just completed a four-date West Coast tour which culminated in a sold-out gig at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. All four shows saw KINGS OF THRASH performing MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" in their entirety.

Speaking to Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules about KINGS OF THRASH's future plans, Ellefson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Through doing the Nick Menza documentary, I got reconnected with Jeff Young. We were at the Rainbow. He was singing me a riff that he wrote on the 'So Far, So Good… So What!' tour in 1988. I went, 'Dude, I remember that riff.' And so that led to us… We wrote some songs. We got 'em demoed up. When we did the tour last week, we filmed it at the Whisky, so we've got all that. So we're working on some live stuff and some studio stuff. We got tunes recorded and then the live stuff we captured as well. Like everything, it kind of finds its lane and moves on from there."

Earlier in the month, Young told Ghost Cult magazine Young that KINGS OF THRASH's first original song was being recorded at a North Hollywood studio previously used by legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix). As for the musical direction of KINGS OF THRASH's original material, Jeff said: "It's got the vibe of MEGADETH — it's on that playing field, but it's got all of its own stuff and all of our influences and some SOUNDGARDEN/TOOL vibes in maybe the music and melodies."

Jeff was also full of praise for Aching and Leon, saying: "We really feel in a way how Ozzy [Osbourne] must have felt introducing Randy Rhoads to the world with these young two guys we have, both half our age and both so composed and mature musically for their age. And we've just been having a blast. And it's great that they're fans of the music and they've really studied it. Chaz, the singer/guitar player, plays in a MEGADETH tribute and fronts a SOUNDGARDEN tribute. So he has some of that Chris Cornell huskiness… So it's really cool to hear him sing these songs with a bit more huskiness and that young exuberance that he has. I think the kids are gonna love him 'cause he has that Dimebag Darrell kind of likability."

In a separate interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of the Rock Interview Series, Young was asked if he, Ellefson and Poland have gotten any reaction to the tour — either in the form of a blessing or an angry rebuke — from MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine. Jeff responded: "We're really not concerned. I don't pay attention. I haven't really paid attention or followed MEGADETH since, I think, I heard the 'Rust In Peace' album a couple of times, and then what you might hear on the radio or in the press.

"For us, this isn't about any spite or retaliation; it's a celebration of the music that we were all a part of, that we helped create," he explained. "And it's fun for us to do this.

"People said, 'You should do this.' And we said, 'Hey, yeah, you're right. We should do this.' It's a win-win — it's a win for us, and it's a win for [Mustaine], because any performance royalties, anything… If we did include live tracks, he would make money off that. It's promoting albums that hopefully fans will go back and buy, which is putting money right in his pocket. Especially 'Killing Is My Business', I think a lot of people are gonna go back and wanna rediscover that album after this tour.

"For us, it's all about positivity," Young added. "We're all in this moment — we're living in the moment, and we're not looking beyond. We're not reading any of the comments on Blabbermouth or any of the stuff. Because we know what our intent is, and intent is everything. And our intent's positive. We like playing together. We know we're crafting original music. We're not relying on this; we don't need to ride the coattails of this. This is just something that the fans wanted, and you wanna give fans what they want."

Ellefson told Yes! You CAN Play Guitar! that the intention behind KINGS OF THRASH is not to stick it to his former bandmates. "This is a celebration, not a retaliation," he explained. "This is a good moment. This is a happy moment, to celebrate these songs and these tracks and these records. So we go at it with just fun… It's, like, 'Wow. Wouldn't it be fun if we went out and played these records?' And we're doing it. So it's meant to be this celebration and bringing people together. And honestly, that was kind of always my role in MEGADETH. Dave [Mustaine] always called me 'The Ambassador', and I was always that guy, and I am that guy. So it's, like, let me just continue that role in our community and have one of good will."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH nearly a year and a half ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

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

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Dave Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH leader shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

Poland was a member of MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, during which time he performed on the band's classic albums "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" and "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" He is also a featured soloist on the group's 2004 album, "The System Has Failed".

Back in 2004, Poland and/or his management and attorney filed a lawsuit against Mustaine regarding the use of the three "Rust In Peace" demos on the album's reissue without Chris's permission. Chris eventually settled for $9,500 and thereby ended a professional relationship with Dave and MEGADETH.

For the past couple of decades, Poland's main musical focus has been the fusion band OHM:, which has released several full-length studio albums to date.

Fan-filmed video of the newly reactivated LYNCH MOB performing on October 25 aboard this year's Kiss Kruise can be seen below.

Earlier this week, legendary DOKKEN axeman George Lynch explained his decision to return to using the LYNCH MOB name for his solo project.

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, earlier this month, it was reported that LYNCH MOB was once again playing shows, with George joined in the band's current lineup by his longtime drummer Jimmy D'Anda (BULLETBOYS) along with TANTRIC bassist Jaron Gulino, and singer Gabriel Colon.

Lynch discussed his change of heart in a new 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."

Asked if he had gotten any negative comments from fans over the LYNCH MOB name, George said: "I may have had a few in the 35 years it's been around, but I'd say probably the most negative criticism I've had of it came from me. So I was my own worst critic with the name, especially in later years. I got a lot more criticism with ELECTRIC FREEDOM.

"It's a brand," George explained. "I mean, nobody wants Coke to change their recipe. Just stay the same, and that's what you built over the years. Why would you…? 'Why would you change it' is a rhetorical question. Why I'm probably not more successful in some ways in my career is because I followed my aspirations musically rather than sometimes be smart about just sticking to the plan. [Laughs]"

The news of LYNCH MOB's return was first reported by the Metal Sludge web site on October 1.

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.

A few months later, Lynch offered a lengthy explanation for why he was ending LYNCH MOB during an interview with George Dionne of Metal Express Radio. Addressing questions about why it took him three decades to call it quits with LYNCH MOB, George said: "When we first formed the band in '89, the name had sort of already been around. While I was in DOKKEN, it's what I called our little group of guitar fans — I had picks made; it was kind of a little subculture within DOKKEN. When we started working on developing and building the band after DOKKEN broke up, that was just the name that we always thought we'd use, 'cause it was a perfect fit — it's my name, and it describes it pretty well. And, of course, the negative connotations were always there, and I was aware of 'em, but not as aware as I probably should have been. [Laughs]

"I had made numerous attempts over the decades to kind of let that name go and had walked that back for multiple reasons — usually because of business considerations," he continued. "For instance, if you try to go out on a tour and not use the name, promoters aren't gonna be happy with you changing it. People aren't gonna know who you are. They're not gonna show up, because what's THE GEORGE LYNCH EXPERIENCE, or whatever you call it. Or record labels are not interested, because it's a brand that they can count on and sell a certain many albums or whatever.

"For instance, the LYNCH MOB record 'Smoke This' that came out, I think, in '99 or 2000, that was not supposed to be a LYNCH MOB record; that really wasn't anything to do with LYNCH MOB. At the end of the day, after the record was done and we were delivering it to the label, they insisted on using that name as insurance. And if I hadn't agreed to that, we wouldn't have had a record. That's the kind of pressure I'm talking about.

"But then, with the onset of everything that's happened in the last year, I didn't have that kind of pressure anymore," George added. "I could take it or leave it at this point. And I didn't really feel comfortable with it; I didn't feel comfortable with the name. 'Cause I'm a very progressive person politically, and it just so flies in the face of everything I believe in, and it makes it hard. It makes it hard to have relationships with people and explain yourself, and I got tired of rationalizing it. I think the music is bigger than that, and it's had a great run.

"Another reason, too, is the band fell apart again. The band has fallen apart so many times, I can't even count. And it was just, like, 'No more Oni [Logan, vocals], no more Brian Tichy [drums], no more this guy, no more that guy. Oh, great. Now what do I do?' It's, like, 'Okay, build another band from scratch, call it LYNCH MOB?' No. How about just build something new? It gives me a lot more freedom to basically play anything I want live… I can go out and play everything from my catalog — new, old, covers, jams, you name it, and go deep and have fun and change it up every night."

Oni first hooked up with LYNCH MOB in 1990, but exited the group after the release of its first album, only to rejoin the outfit in the late 2000s.

Logan is featured on five of LYNCH MOB's eight albums, including 1990's "Wicked Sensation", as well as 2009's "Smoke And Mirrors", 2014's "Sun Red Sun", 2015's "Rebel" and 2017's "The Brotherhood".

In August 2021, LYNCH MOB celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Wicked Sensation" with a special limited print/deluxe edition of the album. "Wicked Sensation Reimagined" features re-worked and re-recorded versions of the LP's classic songs, and was made available via Rat Pak Records.

Michigan metallers THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER played their first show since the passing of singer Trevor Strnad last night (Friday, October 28) at Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit. Founding member Brian Eschbach has put down his guitar and has taken on the role of lead vocalist. Stepping back into the THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER family is guitarist Ryan Knight. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Eschbach told Decibel magazine about THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's decision to move forward: "We spent many days thinking things like, 'Is this over?' None of us wanted it to be over. We still feel like there is a lot left to do. I know Trevor would keep this band going if I went down a deep, dark path and weren't here. It's bigger than us. When we finally started talking about it, we thought, 'Let's remake it from within and see if Ryan wants to return. And I'll take a crack on the vocals and see how it goes.' I can't go out there and do Trevor's voice or try to be him. I can only execute the music of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER with respect and try to do it the most justice I can. I've heard Trevor perform more than anyone else alive."

Knight said the decision to return was easy despite the difficult circumstances. "The time I've spent with this band is the best time I've ever had," he says. "Being away has given me a lot of time to reflect, and it always occurred to me that being in THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER is the best use of my time. I've thought a lot about the band while I was away and realized how much value this band has. I almost feel like I let some opportunities slip, being away from the band. So, it feels great to be back and like everything has come full circle. I've realized how much I love being in this band."

A memorial for Strnad was held on July 30 at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit. The private event was attended by Strnad's friends, family members and music industry colleagues, including Brian Slagel and Michael Faley of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's record label, Metal Blade Records, and BROKEN HOPE guitarist Jeremy Wagner.

Strnad's death was announced by his bandmates on social media on May 11. At the time, they wrote: "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Trevor Scott Strnad. Beloved son, brother, and Shepard of good times, he was loved by all that met him. A walking encyclopedia of all things music. He was a hugger, a writer, and truly one of the world’s greatest entertainers. His lyrics provided the world with stories and spells and horror and whimsy. It was his life to be your show." The band also shared the telephone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER guitarist Brandon Ellis wrote in a separate post: "I can not even begin to process this... In total shock and disbelief. It has been my greatest honor to spend the last six and a half years in a band with this absolute icon and legend. A brother. A best friend. One of the funniest and most entertaining people to walk the earth. The life of the party that is THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, as well as any given room he happens to occupy. A lyrical mastermind. A champion of the entire culture of heavy music. Also my biggest supporter. This man changed my life and believed in me more than I do myself. I can not believe there will no more laughs had, songs written together, or stages decimated with Trevor at the helm. I hope he knew how much he was loved the world over."

Last November, Strnad shared on social media that he was having a difficult time dealing with the passing of his mother, who had "died a few weeks" earlier "very abruptly." "Even at 40 years old, it's still hard," he wrote. "We were close. I feel like a lost little kid. Props to the many of you out there who have dealt with this and made it out the other side."

In an April 2021 interview with Metal Injection, Strnad spoke about his battle with depression and alcohol dependence. At the time, he said: "At the rate I drink while we're gone on tour, it's just not sustainable for getting older. Being 40-plus and being able to do what I do well and not look like a shithead, I've gotta be better to myself. So that's really the impetus [for quitting drinking]. That's the heart of it. It's not that… I know I'm no fun [when I'm drinking].

"I did an eight-month stint with no alcohol out there, but at that time it was more to save a relationship; it wasn't something I really, really wanted to do and really invested myself in. I was embittered by having to do it after a while and kind of resentful of my partner. But this is full-on my choice. I want to have the excitement I had before I ever drank. When we started this band, I was a fucking weird straight-edge kid. And now it's become kind of like… it's a lubricant for me to get up on stage and be funny and be kind of carefree and be the wild guy that [fans] expect of us, that they've seen from our DVDs and shit, which is really just a compilation of the good times. So if you expect any band that's just raging full-on like that all the time, they're not — it's just not sustainable. But it's to the point where I'm having 10 drinks a day plus to go on stage. And two weeks into it, I've been hung over every single day. I'm chasing that hangover with just more liquor, until the end of the tour [by which time] I have doubled my intake just to get by, basically. And it's not fun — it's disgusting; it sucks. It starts as fun. The three of us that drink in the band are, like, 'Yeah, bro. Sipping time.' And it is fun, but it's not sustainable. I've seen photos of myself, videos of myself where I'm, like, 'Yeah, you look like shit.' I don't wanna look like shit. From here on out, it's only gonna get harder to meet people's standards physically.

"Even though it's a death metal band, there are so many eyes on us and so much judgment, it's insane," he continued. "We're not a boy band. I'm not supposed to be fucking handsome. Who gives a fuck? But people berate you. I can't tell you how many times I've been called fat on the Internet. It's insane — literally. You've gotta have a thick skin to do what I do. But also it does wear you down over time, man. Doing all the social media myself and taking the brunt of whatever anonymous abuse, it's accumulated in some self-doubt, it's accumulated in more anxiety, for me, as the band has gotten bigger and bigger and there's more eyes and more pressure."

Trevor went on to say that his 40th birthday was a turning point for him. He explained: "I wanted my 40s to be awesome. I wanna look presentable; I wanna be a better frontman; I want to be more physically fit; I want to go into my 40 screaming. I don't want anyone snickering at me. I don't wanna be in W.A.S.P. I want this band to keep going at this tremendous speed, and I wanna segue into being an older metalhead gracefully. Luckily, in metal you can be an older metalhead. It's not like pop music where they just throw you away. Thankfully, this music is just as much about the past as it is about the present and the future. People are always gonna love the classic metal records. And that's one thing I enjoy about it. It's not this disposable music that you like for a week and throw away.

"I see this band going for another 20 years. But to physically be able to do it at this level and not top out at all is gonna take a focus on health and longevity and sanity too. [Laughs]"

He added: "Being left alone with my thoughts all this time [during the pandemic] has just been so dangerous for me."

Strnad also revealed that he was about to undergo ketamine therapy as a way of treating his depression. "It's intravenous," he said. "They pump ketamine into you over the course of two weeks — three days a week for two weeks. And they put you in this euphoric state for a couple of hours. And eventually you've done it enough to where your brain makes new passageways, new synapses, and you stop doing these cyclic kind of thinking — self-defeating. I've been a lot better now, but there was times when shit got pretty fucking dark for me over the last two years.

"You can go there as an emergency if you're ideating suicide really crazily — they can take you in on an emergency basis. You're basically high as fuck and euphoric as fuck, and they just give you all these great chemicals — you release all these happy chemicals and stuff like that. And they just keep doing that to you until you kind of rewrite the way you think.

"Really, this put the nail in the coffin for me about the way I look at the world, and it's been heavy as fuck," he continued, referring to his life during the pandemic. "I feel like there's no happy ending for any of us in the way that we've set everything up — government and just everything. I feel like it's just gonna be darker and darker from here on out. And that's a lot for a person to think about all the time. It basically stole whatever little bit of innocence I had left or any little blinder I had on to the way shit is. It's been heavy, dude. This has been a heavy fucking thing for me… I'm arrested by all of this right now and by my own feelings. It's just brought my anxiety to an ultimate head, basically. It's to the point where I've gotta do something."

Formed in 2000, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER — named after the infamous 1947 unsolved murder of actress Elizabeth Smart — had a number of shows scheduled for this year, including an appearance at Daytona Beach, Florida's Welcome To Rockville festival.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's latest album, "Verminous", came out in 2020. It was described in a press release as the band's "most dynamic, rousing and emotional release to date."

W.A.S.P. performed the song "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" live for the first time in more than a decade and a half at the opening concert of the group's 40th-anniversary tour Friday night (October 28) at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. On Your Knees / The Flame / The Torture Never Stops / Inside The Electric Circus
02. Crazy
03. L.O.V.E. Machine
04. Wild Child
05. Heaven's Hung In Black
06. Arena Of Pleasure
07. The Idol
08. The Great Misconceptions Of Me

Encore:

09. Chainsaw Charlie (Murders In The New Morgue)
10. Blind In Texas

Encore 2:

11. Animal (Fuck Like A Beast) / The Real Me (THE WHO cover)
12. I Wanna Be Somebody

More than a decade ago, W.A.S.P. mainman Blackie Lawless, who is a born-again Christian, said that he would "never" play "Animal" again, explaining that it was "totally because of [his] religious faith." He added at the time: "I don't want 13-year-olds going around singing that song. If that's something they wanna do later in their life, that's their business. But, like I said, it's a question of faith and the religious conviction that I have."

Earlier this month, in an interview with "Chris Akin Presents", Blackie addressed the possibility of bringing back the song for the upcoming W.A.S.P. run of shows. He said: "I don't wanna go into detail about it right now. I'll just say it's being discussed. But if we did it, it's gonna be different than people might expect. And what I'm talking about is from a visual perspective. And this idea has only just surfaced in the last couple of weeks. And again, I won't go into what it is, but it brought up a very interesting idea of if it was played how it could be approached. So I'll just leave it at that for now."

Last month, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, who played on the original recording of "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)", stated during a question-and-answer session in Toronto about the prospect of W.A.S.P. performing the song live again: "Blackie says now [he won't play the track] because of religious beliefs, so I think he should change the title to 'I Fuck Like A Priest'." He added: "I don't know, but that's what I was thinking."

Blackie previously touched upon the chances of performing "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" again during a January 2022 interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Asked why he dropped "Animal" from W.A.S.P.'s live set in the first place, Lawless said: "Two reasons. Number one, my religious convictions. [Because of] my Christian faith, I thought, 'Well, this is not really something that I wanna say.' But also, there was another reason as well. We were doing more serious material. Do you really want that conflict of messaging going on at the same time. So there was a two-fold reason for it.

"We haven't played that song in quite some time; it's probably going on 15 years now," he continued. "But however long it's been, I think I made my point. So we're in the process of… We're discussing [the possibility of bringing it back]; let's put it that way."

Prior to his January 2022 appearance on "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Lawless discussed his decision to stop performing "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)"in a 2015 interview with Classic Rock. He said at the time: "At the time I came back to my faith, I said, 'That's it. I can't stand up on a stage and say this.' There's a verse in The Bible that says: 'Let no corrupt speech come from your mouth.' Between me and you and the fencepost, that song was put into my life for a reason — for me to create the fervor that it did with the PMRC and make the band a household name, and then for me to announce to the world that I would never play the song again."

He added: "I tell people now, the silence of it is deafening. It's worked like a charm."

"Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" was originally intended to be the opening track on W.A.S.P.'s self-titled 1984 debut album, but was dropped before the album's release, although it appears as a bonus track on the 1998 reissue. Written by Lawless, the song was deemed too controversial, with W.A.S.P.'s then-record label, Capitol Records, not wanting to risk the album being banned from major retail chains. The single was shelved until the band was able to strike a one-off publishing deal with the independent label Music For Nations. The single was finally released in April 1984, complete with the original sleeve and art depicting a codpiece and a circular saw blade.

W.A.S.P.'s first U.S. tour in a decade includes support from ARMORED SAINT and MICHAEL SCHENKER on select shows.

Joining Lawless in W.A.S.P.'s current lineup are 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.

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Ron Keel Podcast", Lawless spoke about what fans can expect to see on W.A.S.P.'s 40th-anniversary tour. He said: "Well, in '86 we did a record called 'Inside The Electric Circus'. And I had, as a kid… I was born in Tampa [Florida]. Before I moved to New York when I was seven, in Tampa, there's an area there that's just south of Tampa called Gibsonton. And Gibsonton is an area where a lot of people from the circus go in the off seasons in winter there. So I grew up — literally — around seeing circus people. As a matter of fact, where we lived, there was a family that were trapeze artists. And when I was a little kid — like, when I was five — I'd walk over there and I'd watch 'em rehearse. And I was fascinated by it. So the whole idea of the circus has been something that's really been part of my makeup. So we visited this in '86. But what happened is when we were moving into playing arenas… What I originally wanted to do was more like an old-fashioned 1930s carnival. But because we were moving into bigger venues, everyone said, 'Well, it's not big enough. It's not flashy enough. It's gotta be bigger. It's gotta fill up those rooms.' So what we ended up doing was a much more flashy production. And it was good, but it was not my original idea. So I'm getting an opportunity now to go back and do this thing that looks like a 1930 carnival, but this is a dark carnival. And dark in the sense that when we first started, and [we were] making the demos, one day we were in the studio and something happened and a piece of gear broke down and we had to take a few hours off. And so there was a movie theater across the street and 'Road Warrior' was playing there. And so we said, okay, we wanted to see the movie, so we went over and watched it. And I was absolutely riveted to it. And I remember thinking, 'All right. If we go out and we do this stuff live, this is what we're gonna look like; this is what we're gonna feel like.' And the whole idea, when we wearing the pants that had no backs in 'em and all that stuff, all that came from the 'Road Warrior'. We thought for sure we would get busted on this, and we were waiting for those questions. And we never once got busted on it, and we couldn't believe it. [Laughs] Because we stole our whole act from that movie — the girl on the rack; all that stuff came from that movie. So if you can imagine today an old 1930s kind of sideshow, dark carnival-slash-'Road Warrior', that's what this is gonna look like."

In a separate interview with Metal Edge magazine, Lawless was asked how he plans to stage a "real-deal W.A.S.P. show" to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary "with the existence of cancel culture and woke culture." He responded: "That's a complicated question you just asked. Because first of all, I'm not gonna even consider a woke culture. That has nothing to do with my world. You know, if that's what somebody wants to do that's their privilege. Free country. But our fan base is our fan base. So, one of the things I learned a long time ago is that if you're going to have a genuine career… And when I say a real career, I'm talking about somebody that does it for a lifetime, I'm not talking about somebody that just makes records. And that's okay, too. In the pop world, that's fine. You know, that's what people want. But if you're going to have a genuine career, I'm not talking about somebody that's around for five years, or 10 years. I'm talking about somebody who's around 20 years, 30 years, longer. What you're saying, in effect, is you're going to take that fan base on a lifelong ride. And if you're going to do that, you have to have an intimate relationship with them. And if you don't have that intimate relationship, they will never feel like they know you.

"You've got to be willing to crack your skull open, and let them come inside and walk around barefoot, inside your head," he continued. "You really do. And the only way you can do this is with lyrics. We can do interviews like this, and it helps considerably. I mean, people get to know you a lot that way. But the lyrics are where they're really gonna get to know you. Because that's what they're listening to most of the time. And so to do that, you've got to be willing to share parts of yourself that a lot of artists just aren't willing to do. Let them get in there, into the nooks and crannies, and find the good and the not so good.

"So, to get into a culture that is doing that, that would do me no good, because I'm talking to specific people out there. First of all, our type of music, whether it's us or anybody else in our genre, we are a subculture. We're not mainstream. We're not the pop world, which is 50 percent of the market. We're a smaller market, like, you know, 25 to 30 percent of that potential pie that's out there. It's not going to do me any good to try to talk to people that aren't going to listen anyway. My whole thing is to try to identify what it is I'm thinking and feeling at the moment. Because I, too, like everybody else, my opinions are gonna change from time to time.

"And so the idea is, when you take people on that lifelong ride, they look at what you wrote 30 years ago, and they go, 'Oh, wow, look what he was thinking,'" Blackie added. "And they listen to something, whatever the last thing was that came out, and they go, 'Oh, wow, look at how he's thinking now.' So this is that intimacy, where you take people and you're literally communicating with them over the course of this journey. So, trying to do anything from a standpoint of being influenced socially would do me no good. Or anybody like me that does this. You have to be true to yourself. I mean, we got into this not giving a damn about what people thought so why should it be any different now?"

W.A.S.P.'s first live performance since December 2019 took place on July 23 at Skansen in Stockholm, Sweden. A week later (July 30),W.A.S.P. also played at Skogsröjet festival in Rejmyre, Sweden.

W.A.S.P. recently postponed its European 40th-anniversary tour, originally scheduled for spring of 2022, until the spring of 2023. The new dates will take place in March, April and May of 2023. All tickets previously purchased for the 2022 tour will be valid at the rescheduled 2023 shows.



W.A.S.P. at the House of Blues Las Vegas! 🤘🏻

Posted by RIP Magazine on Friday, October 28, 2022

WASP was amazing! Sounded perfect, show was great, all the hits! My advice is that if you go, don't be in the middle,...

Posted by Robert Moseley on Saturday, October 29, 2022

Wasp house of blues Las Vegas

Posted by David Lowell on Friday, October 28, 2022

WASP

Posted by Tracy White-McEwan on Saturday, October 29, 2022

WASP set list from VIP in Vegas prior to show

Perrin Wolfson reporting for The Metal Voice in Las Vegas at the House of Blues Oct 28 2022

Posted by The Metal Voice on Friday, October 28, 2022

Marquee at The House Of Blues in Las Vegas for tonight’s first show of the US tour.

WASPnation.com/Tour

#waspnation...

Posted by W.A.S.P. Nation (Official) on Friday, October 28, 2022

DIEHUMANE, the new "avant garde alt-metal" band featuring Rick Hunolt (EXODUS) on guitar, Garret West on lead vocals, Sal Abruscato (TYPE O NEGATIVE, LIFE OF AGONY) on drums, Joshua Vargas on rhythm guitar, bass, piano, programming and Greg Hilligiest Jr. on keyboards, samples, additional guitar, will release its debut album, "The Grotesque", in early 2023 in partnership with producer Ulrich Wild's label WURMgroup and The Oracle Management, the management company of COAL CHAMBER and DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara. The LP, which will feature 10 original compositions, was produced and mixed by Wild.

DIEHUMANE was founded in Galveston, Texas at the end of 2020 by Vargas and Hilligiest as a way to deal with the loss and isolation of that year. From there it snowballed into something massive, with West, Hunolt and Abruscato all joining the fold.

DIEHUMANE is a band that swims about as far away from the other fish as it gets. It combines elements of doom metal, jazz, industrial, blues and prog. Imagine if CELTIC FROST got into a car crash with A PERFECT CIRCLE, NINE INCH NAILS and TYPE O NEGATIVE while listening to PINK FLOYD on the radio. DIEHUMANE is heavily rooted in mood and atmosphere, from the brooding to the cathartic, from the hopeless to hopeful. Love them or hate them, it's a musical ride that you can only get from them.

Said Fafara: "We here at Oracle Management are very proud to announce that DIEHUMANE has chosen to allow us to represent them. The music belongs in its own category being artistic, heavy, and unique in its own right. There's seasoned musicians at the helm and one of the best vocalists I've heard in many years. Here's to the future!"

Said Hunolt: "To be honest, being in a band wasn't even on my mind at the time a dear friend called me and said, 'Hey, I know these guys looking for a guitar player.' He sent me some raw tracks, and I listened for about a month before I replied, and it was the music that I was looking for. It gave me the ability to express myself musically and, even more important, was radically different than anything I have ever played. Music needs 'different' in order to evolve. [There's] so much talent in this band, and I can't wait for you to experience DIEHUMANE."

Added Abruscato: "I am looking forward to the release of this very different and unique album I had the pleasure writing/performing the drum tracks for. It's different from what I have done in the past and it's been fantastic to be a part of it with everyone in the band, Ulrich Wild/WURMgroup and The Oracle Management. I feel folks will be blown away."

Stated West: "I grew up listening to Sal and Rick. Then Dez took us into his flock with The Oracle and Ulrich (a powerhouse responsible for many of my favorite records) made it his mission to make us sound pristine. What we have here is something special. I just hope people find it as special as we do."

Said Hilligiest: "I want to thank Ulrich and Dez both for taking interest in us and helping us get it out there. I'm just happy to finally get it out to people's ears. We've been hearing this album in many different forms for two years now, it's time to let everybody else in the world hear it as it is meant to be heard. I hope you all like it as much as we do."

Commented Vargas: "Typically the formation of a project and subsequent creation of an album marks the beginning of something, whereas this one starts with the end, and actually ends with the beginning of something. All of these songs began as a way of dealing with complete and total isolation in 2020 and the loss of what life was before that year, and ends marking the beginning of something awesome, and the album sounds like exactly that. Recording began in a dingy townhome in Galveston, Texas and ended in fucking Hollywood. The musical journey we all took on this album is something I wouldn't trade for world. Big thanks to Ulrich Wild (WURMgroup) and Dez Fafara (The Oracle Management) for going on this crazy journey with us. I'm so happy with this album that I don't even care if anyone hates it."

Hunolt — the other half of the famed EXODUS "H-Team" who is on every studio recording from 1985 through 2004 and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs such as "A Lesson In Violence" and "Deliver Us To Evil" — left EXODUS after the band's highly acclaimed 2004 reunion album, "Tempo Of The Damned". Following his departure, Hunolt was replaced by HEATHEN guitarist Lee Altus.

Rick discussed his exit from EXODUS during a November 2021 appearance on "Put Up Your Dukes", the podcast hosted by ex-EXODUS singer Rob Dukes. He said: "During the recording of 'Tempo', Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] had just gotten clean a little while prior to that, and I was still using. But I've gotta say, Gary Holt — my hat's off to the man for… He never sweated me. Not once did Gary say, 'Dude, you're a piece of shit. I'm gonna fire you from the band if you don't get your shit together.' He never said nothing. He let it take its course, you know what I mean?

"I was a mess," Rick continued. "We all were, but everybody got better, and I didn't. I fell down the rabbit hole even worse, I think, because I was just so depressed. I couldn't stop. I don't know what was up… To the point where I was gonna lose my position in the band I'd been in for over 20 years — my best friends, my life. Yeah, it was dark as fuck.

"One day, after spending my life, giving everything that I had and the whole world to EXODUS, one day I woke up and I wasn't in EXODUS anymore," Hunolt added. "And that morning was, like… Dude, I can't even describe the emotions that I [was feeling]. I woke up and I wasn't in EXODUS anymore, dude. It damn near took me out, bro."

Rick revealed that he went through a particularly difficult period after splitting with EXODUS. "I had to reinvent myself at 40-plus years old, [with] two little kids," he said. "I ended up moving out of Oakland. I had to get the fuck out of there, 'cause we were living at the studio; it was bad. And then we moved in with my wife's mom and I got a job at the [discount chain] Dollar Tree and I ended up working there for, like, two or three years. I mean, I can go on and on and on. But long story short, I met a guy who knew who I was and offered me a job on his ranch. And the rest is history. He taught me how to live my life and make money."

Hunolt makes a guest appearance on EXODUS's new studio album, "Persona Non Grata", which was released last November via Nuclear Blast Records.

Photo credit: Anthem In Art Photography

Suicide Silence have released a new track and music video, “Capable Of Violence”, via Century Media Records. The track, which is off the band’s forthcoming release, Remember… You Must Die, is available on all digital platforms today. Check out the music video below.





The band’s forthcoming seveth studio album, Remember… You Must Die, was produced and mixed by Taylor Young (Nails, Xibalba, Vitriol, etc.) and will be released the first quarter of 2023. For the artwork, the band enlisted renowned Necrosurrealist artist David Van Gough to visualize the concept.







The band previously released the track and music video, “You Must Die”. Watch the clip below:





Before the album release, Suicide Silence will hit the road with Lamb Of God and Killswitch Engage for The Omens Fall 2022 US tour. Then, this November, Suicide Silence will join After The Burial for their “Impericon Never Say Die! Tour 2022” co-headline European tour.


Suicide Silence is:


Chris Garza (guitar)
Mark Heylmun (guitar)
Eddie Hermida (vocals)
Ernie Iniguez (drums)
Dan Kenny (bass)


(Photo - Travis Shinn)

Frontiers Music Srl will release the self-titled debut album from melodic rock band, About Us, on November 11. Watch a video for the new single "Our Fairyland" below, and pre-order/save the album here.


About Us hail from Nagaland, India, and more specifically from a district in the state of Nagaland called Wokha (‘Land of Plenty’). The band first formed in the winter of 2019, with the members having spent the last 15 years or so in different bands and projects before coming together. Their collective musical taste runs the gamut from AOR, hard rock, metal, and more, with all of these varied influences reflected on their debut album.







Tracklisting:


"Right Now"
"Gimme Gimme"
"Lead My Heart"
"Our Fairyland"
"Loaded Love"
"Rock On Top"
"Rise"
"Golden Troops"
"Open Your Heart"
"Love And Affection" (Bonus Track)


"Our Fairyland" video:





"Gimme Gimme" video:





"Right Now" video:





Lineup:


Sochan Kikon - Vocals
Renlamo Lotha - Guitars
Pona Kikon - Guitars
Soren Kikon - Bass
Renbomo Yanthan - Keyboards
Yanni Ennie - Drums

Emerging dark wave project Host, launched by Nick Holmes and Greg Mackintosh of Paradise Lost, have revealed a remix of their debut single "Tomorrow's Sky" by US synthwave producer, Gost. The release follows the recent announcement of their debut album IX, out on February 24, and signing to Nuclear Blast Records.


The remix is an amped up version of the duo's track that surges with a brooding, yet irresistibly danceable energy. Gost comments "After listening to the original track I knew the vocals and overall vibe would fit well with the Gost sound.  The vocals sat effortlessly into my mix and the guitar solo’s are super smooth.  Stoked to work with Host on this and I cannot wait to share the remix with my fans."


Stream "Tomorrow's Sky" (Gost Remix) on all platforms here, and below:







Host previously released a video for "Tomorrow's Sky", a cascading, synth laden track driven by an insatiable pop vocal hook. The video was directed and produced by Ash Pears of AshTV. Watch the video below, and stream the song on all platforms, here.


In relation to the project itself, Greg Mackintosh comments: "Host is something that I had in mind for a few years but never had the time to do it justice until now. It’s taking the concept of what we attempted to do on the Paradise Lost album 'Host' but approaching it in a modern context. It’s part 80s goth, part electro , part rock but none of them specifically. The emphasis is on hooks and atmosphere. It’s quite a challenge to make miserable music catchy and hopefully we’ve achieved that to some degree."


Pre-order IX on various formats here.





IX tracklisting:


"Wretched Soul"
"Tomorrow's Sky"
"Divine Emotion"
"Hiding From Tomorrow"
"A Troubled Mind"
"My Only Escape"
"Years of Suspicion"
"Inquistion"
"Instinct"
"I Ran" (A Flock Of Seagulls cover; Digipak bonus track)
"Hiding From Tomorrow" (Lustmord Remix; Digipak bonus track)
"Tomorrow's Sky" (GosT Remix; Digipak bonus track)


"Tomorrow's Sky" video:





The origins of Host do not trace back to the 1999 Paradise Lost album bearing the same name but instead to the West Yorkshire music clubs of the mid-to-late 1980s. WhileHolmes and Mackintosh were already certified heavy metal fanatics (“metal thrashing mad” as Holmes equates), they were equally drawn to the New Wave and Goth music scenes. The pounding rhythms, sublime melodies and undercurrent of darkness drew them in, creating immediate earworms and a desire to delve further.


Mackintosh finally put plans into motion during the pandemic for a venture that would merge his penchant for sound design with the moods and atmosphere of 1980s dance-pop and Goth. The project was originally a solo pursuit until he asked Holmes, his longtime Paradise Lost songwriting partner, to join. 'Host' was selected as the name as a tip of the hat to the aforementioned album that found Paradise Lost in an unprecedented period of experimentation that eschewed their metal roots and also challenged their fanbase in ways like never before.


“We always stood by 'Host' as an album,” says Mackintosh. “This project is not totally connected to that album, but some of the ideas are extrapolated. We’re taking the basic premise and trying it out now. And, really, it was something fun and interesting for us to do. We’ve been doing Paradise Lost for a long time and got an itch to try something different from where PL is now. I could take PL down this route again. Who knows? It may happen if we live long enough, but I thought, ‘Why not now?’ I had the time to do it.”


Host is:


Nick Holmes - Vocals
Greg Mackintosh - Guitars, Synths & Programming


(Photo - Balazs Szabo)

"A massive thank you to everyone that has made the Legacy Of The Beast tour one of the best tours we’ve ever had!," states a message from Iron Maiden, introducing the tour recap video below:





Iron Maiden’s Legacy Of The Beast tour ended on October 27 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with yet another sold-out US show in front of over 12,000 fans.




Band manager Rod Smallwood issued the following:


“On behalf of the band, myself and all at Phantom, we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who made this Legacy tour such a special and memorable experience. First and most importantly you, the fans, especially those affected by problems caused by the global pandemic which led to the 2020 European stadium shows having to be rescheduled not just once but twice!


Your patience and good-will in holding on to your tickets and waiting until we could finally bring the Legacy show to you was very much appreciated. You truly are the best and playing to over 3 million of you over the extended tour was a hell of an achievement so thanks to each and every one of you for making this both possible and also making it incredible fun for the band who enjoyed pretty much every minute on stage.


We’d also like to thank our brilliant touring Killer Krew - both the longstanding and newer members to the Maiden family, who never cease to rise to any challenges thrown their way - and there were a few - no mean feat considering this tour covered 33 countries and 139 shows played since we started in Tallinn way back on May 26 2018.


Thanks also to all our Special Guests and support acts who played on the tour since 2018: Airbourne, Avatar, Fozzy, Gojira, Killswitch Engage, Lord of the Lost, Mastodon, Powerwolf, Rage In My Eyes, Rhapsody Of Fire, Sabaton, Serpentor, Shinedown, Tempt, The Hellacopters, The Raven Age, Tremonti, Trivium and Within Temptation.


Thanks also to our suppliers, our agents, promoters, merchandisers and everyone else involved in bringing this show to you night after night, city after city.


And finally, both personally and, I am sure, on behalf of all of you – massive thanks to Bruce, Steve, Dave, Adrian, Janick and Nicko who never let up, played, and sang! magnificently and matched every crowd for passion and enthusiasm every single night, wherever they were. Guys – I don’t know how you do it but we are all bloody glad you do!!


We are all now going to take a well-earned break and we’ll be back again next year with a great new show, THE FUTURE PAST TOUR playing just Europe this time as the 2022 Legacy tour was such a long run to enable us to see as many of you fans as possible post-pandemic. However, THE FUTURE PAST TOUR will continue into 2024 and who knows where it will go… so stay tuned!!"





(Pictured above: Tampa, Florida: Nicko McBrain being presented with an award disc on behalf of Iron Maiden from their agents CAA (N.America) and K2 (rest of world) commemorating the amazing achievement of 3 million tickets sold on the legacy of the beast tour.)


 





Iron Maiden will be bringing a new tour to Europe in the summer of 2023, including arena shows in the UK & Ireland. The Future Past Tour will feature previously unperformed songs from the band’s most recent studio album, Senjutsu along with a focus on 1986’s iconic Somewhere In Time record, plus other classic cuts.





The first shows to be announced are as follows (on-sale dates here):


June
13 - Tauron Arena - Krakow, Poland
19 - Hallenstadion - Zurich, Switzerland
24 - 3Arena - Dublin, Ireland
26 - Ovo Hydro - Glasgow, Scotland
28 - First Direct Arena - Leeds, England
30 - AO Arena - Manchester, England


July
3 - Motorpoint Arena - Nottingham, England
4 - Utilita Arena - Birmingham, England
7 - O2 Arena - London, England
11 - Ziggo Dome - Amsterdam, Netherlands
13 - Sportpaleis - Antwerp, Belgium
15 - The Return of the Gods Festival - Milan, Italy


Further European dates for The Future Past Tour will be announced later.


Steve Harris says, “Following the release of our latest album, Senjutsu, we updated the current Legacy of the Beast Tour a little by opening the show with the first 3 songs from it, with the Japanese Palace stage set. As it doesn’t make a lot of sense to repeat this for a Senjutsu album tour, we thought about other options and we’ve decided to revisit Somewhere In Time as that tour didn’t feature in the various retrospective history tours we’ve played over the years. They were based on our 80’s concert videos and sadly we did not film that tour (blame the manager!!).  We have had lots of requests from fans over the years for many tracks on it so we are now going to play them, plus of course a few others we know you will like! It will also be particularly satisfying to finally get to play some of the more epic tracks on Senjutsu, it's been a long wait! 2023 is going to be an exciting time and we’re really looking forward to seeing everyone again in the UK, Ireland and around Europe."


Manager, Rod Smallwood adds, “This combination of the two albums we feel is very exciting. We know fans want to hear those epic cuts on Senjutsu for the first time live and we think that by combining it with an iconic album like Somewhere In Time it will make for another really special tour for fans old and new! Of course, for a new album tour in Europe and the UK we will go back largely to the relative intimacy of arenas and we know fans will be very happy about that too!”

Athens-based metal unit, W.E.B., have unveiled their brand new video for "Murder Of Crows", taken off the full-length Colosseum that was released last year via Metal Blade Records.


Comments guitarist/vocalist Sakis Prekas, "'Murder Of Crows' is about the loneliness of death, the greatest mystery of what the end of life's circle feels like and the emotions surrounding the very last moments of life. The concept of death in W.E.B. lyrics is not new, only this time, the inspiration was born after watching the Sons Of Anarchy series and the way life, death and morals were perceived in there by a culture that was yet unknown to me. Hence there are clearly several lyric references to the series, it is strongly filtered by W.E.B.'s music style combining melody, brutality and symphony elements. The video of 'Murder of Crows' incorporates much of the band's stage presence accompanied by the roles of Thanatos, the subconscious and the madness of reality."







Uniting the brutal with the catchy and drenching it in orchestrations that only serve to expand its epic scale, Colosseum is a thrilling, gripping listen with each of its nine tracks playing an important part in the album as a whole, making it clear that W.E.B. stands toe-to-toe with anyone in their genre.


Colosseum is available on CD, Fruit Punch-colored LP, and digital formats. Find ordering options at this location.





"Dark Web"
"Murder Of Crows"
"Pentalpha"
"Colosseum"
"Dominus Maleficarum"
"Necrology"
"Ensanguined"
"Exaudi Luciferi"
"December 13th"


"Pentalpha" lyric video:





"Dark Web" video:





"Dominus Maleficarum" visualizer:





Album stream:





W.E.B. lineup:


Sakis Prekas - guitars, vocals
Hel Pyre - bass, vocals
Sextus A. Maximus - lead guitars
Nikitas Mandolas - drums

John ‍Entwistle is best known as the legendary bassist ‍for The Who. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers", Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Entwistle was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of The Who in 1990.


Rarities Oxhumed - Volume One dropped on October 21. It is the first in a series of posthumous releases coming from John Entwistle as part of a new partnership with Deko Entertainment and longtime friend and collaborator Steve Luongo. There are 13 tracks in total. Included are the demos for the Who’s “Where Ya Going Now” and “Life Goes On”; the unreleased studio track “I Wouldn’t Sleep With You”; and live tracks “Trick Of The Light” and “Under A Raging Moon,” recorded during the John Entwistle Band’s final tour in 2001. All are packaged in a 6-panel digipak with artwork conceived by Chris Entwistle - John’s son - and Steve Luongo. There is also a limited edition expanded booklet with never-before-seen photos and a track-by-track description giving details of each of the 13 tracks included in this release.


“Bogey Man” was originally recorded in the 70’s with Keith Moon of The Who on drums.  As explained in the expanded booklet, the resurrection of this song was kismet. Entwistle began his quest with just a demo cassette of a rhythm track with Entwistle’s vocal and horns. When Steve Luongo identified Keith Moon on drums, Entwistle futilely made an exhaustive search for the multi-track tape, so he could add the missing tracks and complete the song. As he was giving up, “…a bloody loud bang from behind scarred me half to death.” It was the “Bogey Man” multi-track tape. Entwistle described the event as “spooky!”







The album cover concept was conceived by Steve Luongo and Chris Entwistle (John’s son). It gives a nod to John’s dark sense of humor and includes many of John’s favorite things. The two also worked with celebrity designer Queenie (Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Cardi B) to create two commemorative pieces of jewelry based on the Entwistle Crest.  These are limited to only 300 each of both a necklace and keychain.  As Deko president, Bruce Pucciarello, states, “Hearing the foundation of sound that John Entwistle provided Pete Townshend on Live at Leeds was transformational for me.  Watching Steve find these never heard gems from John’s career and making them available to the public is an honor for everyone involved.”     


Pick up Rarities Oxhumed - Volume One and special limited bundles here.





Rarities Oxhumed - Volume One tracklisting:


“Bogey Man”
“Darker Side Of Night”
“I'll Try Again Today”
“When You See the Light”
“Back on the Road”
“Left for Dead” (Alternate Version)
“I Wouldn't Sleep With You”
“Don't Be a Sucker”
“Life Goes on” (Demo)
“Where Ya Going Now” (Demo)
“Trick of the Light” (Live)
“Under a Raging Moon” (Live)
“Shakin' All Over” (Live)


“I'll Try Again Today”:





Trailers:

Sabaton have released a new lyric video for the Carolus Rex album track, "1648". Watch below.


Says the band: "This song is about The Battle of Prague, which was the last major clash of the Thirty Years’ War. The Swedes took the opportunity for a last assault on Bohemia to loot Prague Castle of its art and valuables – fascinating story."







Following the release of their tenth studio album, The War To End All Wars, Sabaton announced that spring 2023 will see the band touring across Europe on the eagerly awaited re-scheduled tour: The Tour To End All Tours.


Starting in Leeds on April 14, the tour will bring Sabaton to 21 cities in 14 countries. They will present their biggest and most spectacular show to date in Europe's largest arenas. Fans can be assured that the band will write history with the ground-breaking live shows on The Tour To End All Tours.


The band has now confirmed that Japanese dance metal sensation Babymetal will appear as very special guests, marking their first international shows in over three years. Finnish Eurovision winners Lordi will open all shows.
 
"We are extremely happy to welcome Babymetal to our already much anticipated tour in Europe 2023,” says bass player Pär Sundström. “The energy and power of this band will for sure make each night something special."
 
“If there ever was a band that would break all the rules, it’s Babymetal with the power and precision to deliver a full on heavy metal show!” echoes frontman Joakim Brodén. “It’s not our first rodeo together, expect nothing but excellence from Babymetal!”
 
Joakim participated as a guest on “Oh! Majinai (feat. Joakim Brodén)" on Babymetal’s third album, Metal Galaxy, released on October 11th, 2018. He also made a guest appearance at Babymetal’s headline show in October 2018, Babymetal World Tour 2018 in Japan Extra Show Dark Night Carnival.


Tickets for European shows are available here. Tickets for the UK shows on sale here.





Tour dates:


April
14 - Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
15 - London, UK - OVO Arena Wembley
16 - Cardiff, UK – Motorpoint Arena
18 - Glasgow, UK – The OVO Hydro
21 - Paris, France – Zenith
24 - Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena
25 - Esch / Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
28 - Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena
29 - Oslo, Norway – Spektrum
30 - Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena


May
2 - Hannover, Germany – ZAG Arena
3 - Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
5 - Berlin, Germany – Mercedes Benz Arena
6 - Leipzig, Germany – Quarterback Immobilien Arena
7 - Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle
12 - Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena
13 - Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis
15 - Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle
18 - Tallinn, Estonia – Saku Arena
19 - Helsinki, Finland – Ice Hall
20 - Kuopio, Finland – Kuopio Hall


With their fascination for the stories of World War I and two dedicated studio albums filled to the brim with stories from this conflict, the band from Falun have decided to dive even deeper into this topic with their newest release: The EP trilogy entitled Echoes Of The Great War.


This new EP trilogy features new songs specifically about World War I, coupled with topically related catalogue music. You read that right; Sabaton has been busy in the studio recording some new music for their fans. With this WWI collection, the band aims to present this music in a different way, enabling the listener to familiarise themselves with these incredible war stories, while simultaneously quenching the thirst for metal music.


Commenting on the new project, Pär Sundström states: “This trilogy complements our two studio albums The Great War and The War To End All Wars. We were definitely not ready to close our World War I chapter. We wanted to continue the journey and let it echo a little longer in the hearts and minds of our fans."


The first in the series, Weapons Of The Modern Age, is out now. In times of conflict, science is very much linked to the war system. The First World War witnessed some of the biggest leaps in scientific evolution, weaponizing land, sea and skies in ways never witnessed before. This EP sheds light on the powerful and devastating tactics used to fight the war, and kicking off this release is SABATON's new track, "Father".


Sharing his insight on the track, Joakim Broden declares: “Our new song, 'Father', is a dark track about a very controversial person. Fritz Haber, the man who weaponized lethal gas, is responsible for about 4 billion people being alive today thanks to the Haber-Bosch process that he won a Nobel Prize for. It takes some serious thought to wrap your head around his story. Things aren’t always easy to understand or simply black and white, but rather all shades of grey. 'Father' really forces you to think a bit more than the average song you hear on the radio."


Weapons Of The Modern Age is available at all streaming platforms found here. Watch the "Father" lyric video below.





Tracklist:


"Father"
"The Red Baron"
"Dreadnought"
"The Attack of the Dead Men"
"The Future of Warfare"
"Stormtroopers"

Extreme metal pioneers, Venom Inc., performed "At War With Satan", the title track of the third Venom album, during their set at the 2022 edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival. Watch professionally-filmed footage below:





Watch "Sacrifice" from the same show below:







Venom Inc. recently announced that they have been forced to postpone their US tour. The band's message follows...


"It is with great frustration and regret that we must announce that our planned East Coast US run must be pushed into 2023. In the meantime, we will plan the West Coast dates to happen earlier in 2023.


Due to the backlog caused by the Covid-19 situation, the US Embassy in Portugal is unable to schedule an appointment interview for a visa before mid-November. Although we have been pushing for weeks and have been passed with all paperwork required and fees paid, the government is the one who holds the wand over us and has refused to expedite us in this instance so we are left with no choice but to postpone.


Some things are beyond our control so we apologize but rest assured we will hit hard, heavy, and loud in 2023 so hold fast and we will see you soon!!"


Tickets purchased for the tour will be refunded by the venue.Keep an eye out for future US dates in 2023.


Venom Inc. recently released their new album, There’s Only Black, via Nuclear Blast. Almost 40 years after their inception, the revitalized 1989 - 1992 Venom lineup of guitarist Jeff “Mantas” Dunn and vocalist/bassist Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, and the new addition of drummer Jeramie 'Warmachine' Kling have returned with one hell of a follow-up to their acclaimed debut, Avé, and show no signs of slowing down.


Order/save the new album here.





Tracklisting:


"How Many Can Die"
"Infinitum"
"Come To Me"
"There's Only Black"
"Tyrant"
"Don't Feed Me Your Lies"
"Man As God"
"Burn Liar Burn"
"Nine"
"Rampant"
"The Dance"
"Inferno"


"There’s Only Black" lyric video:





"Come To Me" lyric video:





"Don't Feed Me Your Lies" lyric video:





"How Many Can Die" lyric video:

Fantastical heavy metal band, Spell, have released a lyric video for the song "Watcher Of The Seas", featured on their new LP, Tragic Magic, out now via Bad Omen Records. Find the clip below.


Featuring ten tracks of prime, progressive heavy music flooded with mesmerizing atmospheres, Tragic Magic sees Spell take a decidedly grittier lyrical approach, leaning less into escapism, while confronting real life challenges of modern times. Striking cover art by Canadian artist Francesco Gemelli (Master, Esoctrilihum) portends the palpable potency that the record promises.


Tragic Magic was written and recorded entirely as a collaboration between brothers Cam and Al (Lester); the record's songcraft is steeped in the atmosphere of the arcane, yet the hooks are more razor-sharp than ever. While influences like the esoteric charge of the aforementioned Blue Öyster Cult and the elemental expansions of Camel and King Crimson drift through these crepuscular melodies, Spell are as likely to be influenced by the life-affirming energy of '60s Motown, the ethereal dimensions of Cocteau Twins, the strident woe of Candlemass, and the classic songwriting chops of Russ Ballard.




"The themes on this album are more concrete, guided by personal experience," offers Mesmer. "Tragic Magic' has to do with mental illness, ageing, the death of a loved one, the decay of time… this is what Tragic Magic means to us - loss and tragedy outside of our control, which fundamentally alters our perceived reality. This album is our response to the world as it currently is: music for an ascetic age."


"And we couldn't be happier about the result," Mesmer continues. "The identity of Spell came into sharp focus as it was always intended to be. Music is magic, and Spell is a spell. Fundamentally, it is a forum to make our dreams come true."


Order Tragic Magic here.





Tracklisting:


"Fatal Breath"
"Ultraviolet"
"Hades Embrace"
"Fever Dream"
"Sarcophagus"
"Cruel Optimism"
"A Ruined Garden"
"Souls In Chains"
"Watcher Of The Seas"
"The Watching"


"Watcher Of The Seas" lyric video:





"Fever Dream" video:





"Ultraviolet" video:





(Photo - David P Ball)

AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman M. Shadows believes the band's latest album, "The Stage", "will continue to grow and stand the test of time."

The surprise release of the disc, which was announced the night it went on sale in October 2016, earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in 11 years. It sold 76,000 copies in its first week, 73,000 of which were physical. The effort was a deeply complex concept album about the evolution of artificial intelligence and its possible consequences (both positive and negative) upon our society.

Earlier today, Shadows, whose real name is Matt Sanders, marked the sixth anniversary of "The Stage"'s release by sharing the following statement via social media: "6 years ago we stood on top of Capitol Records playing a live show streamed across the world. At 12 o'clock midnight we did what no other metal band had done before and surprise dropped our new album 'The Stage'. For the ones that spent time with it... this new progressive sound inched its way into their very souls. Existentialism, artificial intelligence and the history of the world was on full display. This album allowed us to spread our wings musically and declare to the world that you never know what you are gonna get on an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album. I believe that beyond any other album we have made, that this one will continue to grow and stand the test of time. Here's to 6 years."

Shadows previously defended "The Stage" in a 2018 issue of Metal Hammer magazine. At the time, he said: "I think it will stand the test of time in terms of AVENGED's legacy and I think that at some point it will be a lot of people's favorite record. I just think that when you're in the middle of the process of writing a record and you know that things are going to be a little complex or a little over people's heads, then you've got to know that a backlash is coming. And it did. But you know that going into it. I just wish that we didn't do so many crazy things at once."

He continued: "I feel that all of the initial backlashes that we've had, people have grown into it. They try it on and see how it fits. The backlash to 'City Of Evil' was insane — and then the next one was insane because it wasn't 'City Of Evil'. The next one was actually fine because Jimmy ['The Rev' Sullivan, drums] had died. We didn't get much of a backlash because I think that people felt bad for us. But then when 'Hail To The King' came out, there was a huge backlash. The different thing on the backlash with 'The Stage', though, was it was the first time that we had a great critical response and more of a fan backlash."

"The Stage", AVENGED's debut for Capitol, sold less than half as many copies in its first week as the group's two previous efforts, 2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King".

The group made the album available at midnight on October 27, 2016 with almost no promotion beforehand, save for the arrival of a new song one week earlier.

The deluxe version of "The Stage" arrived in December 2017. This edition featured seven additional studio songs plus four previously unreleased live tracks recorded during the band's shows at The O2 arena in London. Among the seven bonus tracks was the band's cover of the PINK FLOYD classic "Wish You Were Here".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD recently completed work on the long-awaited follow-up to "The Stage" for a tentative early 2023 release. The LP was once again produced by Joe Barresi, who previously worked on "The Stage".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's upcoming effort was mixed by legendary producer Andy Wallace. Wallace has mixed all of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's studio albums since 2005's "City Of Evil".
🦇 @shadows_eth: pic.twitter.com/Zdi8Z29P1M

— Avenged Sevenfold (@TheOfficialA7X) October 28, 2022

In a new interview with Heavy New York, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares spoke about the band's plans recording and touring plans for the coming months. He said: "We'll be on tour, actually, starting in late February; we'll be on tour with STATIC-X, going all through the United States. We've got 42 shows in 52 days, so, yeah, we have a long touring schedule ahead of us.

"We're working on a new record now — pre-production — so be looking out for that, something new, later on," he continued. "Or actually, I would say probably mid-next year. And we're gonna be touring [FEAR FACTORY's latest album, 2021's] 'Aggression Continuum' starting in February, like I said. And I can't wait to play those songs live."

Last month, Cazares told "The Jasta Show" that FEAR FACTORY fans will have to wait a few more months to find out the identity of his band's new singer.

"FEAR FACTORY singer and music will be coming just before the [group's North American] tour with STATIC-X," he said. "End of February is the first show, so just before that we'll be releasing the single and the singer. And then boom — right on the road."

According to Dino, he has been working with the new FEAR FACTORY vocalist for a year. "It's just a lot of developing," he said. "You know, FEAR FACTORY is precious to a lot of people, and so I've gotta make sure that it's right.

"I wanted to release some tracks a while ago with the singer, but then I had nothing behind it — no tour or anything like that — so the hype was gonna die down quick," he explained. "So I wanna do it around a tour; that way you've got something to work. And I just didn't wanna release his name too quick, because no one's gonna care by the time I release a track a year later. So I want it all to be done together."

This past February, former NIGHTRAGE singer Antony Hämäläinen, who unsuccessfully auditioned for the vocalist slot in FEAR FACTORY, claimed in an interview that the new FF frontman is "a person from Italy."

In April, Dino told "The Garza Podcast" that the new FEAR FACTORY singer is emotionally ready to handle the inevitable pushback from some fans that he will get once his identity has been revealed. "I think that they're ready," he said. "When it comes to talent, they're very ready. But 'tour ready' is completely different. Let's hope that… Well, the person that we have has done some touring, but not touring like we do touring. Like, a full U.S. tour can be anywhere from four weeks to six weeks to whatever, then you fly over to Europe and do another four to five weeks, come back to the States, do another tour, then you go to South America and do another few weeks there, then you go to Australia and do another few weeks there, and then you plan for next year. I think one of the other things, too, is when this person is announced, they're gonna have to be able to handle all the criticism. That's gonna be the hard part. 'Well, it didn't sound like Burt.' Well, of course not. I want this person… They do actually sound like Burt — they can handle all the old stuff like Burt — but as far as moving forward, I would like them to have their own identity. We're still gonna have the formula of what makes FEAR FACTORY — for sure — but I want this person to somewhat have his own identity as well."

Pressed about what happened to cause Burton to leave FEAR FACTORY, Dino said: "Good question. I don't know. I think he just lost interest in… I can only assume, because we went through some really heavy lawsuits for four years, and it financially crippled us — personally as well — and I just believe that he lost interest. I think that possibly all the stuff that we went through in FEAR FACTORY was just, like… He's one of those guys, 'Fuck it. I'm out. I quit. Fuck it.' He doesn't come across as a fighter — as somebody who's gonna be, like, 'Fuck it. We went through it. Let's go through it and let's just continue.' I mean, I left the door open for him for a while to come back into the band, but he pretty much said fuck me, Raymond [Herrera, former FEAR FACTORY drummer] and Christian [Olde Wolbers, former FEAR FACTORY bassist] — everybody. Fuck everybody.

"I'm not gonna push it," Dino added. "I'm not gonna push him or nothing like that. Fans ask me all the time: 'Hey, call him up. Just call him up.' Well, if you saw the stuff he said when he left, he's not exactly a phone call away… He left pretty bitter, and that's pretty much where… It looks like he's having a good time being free. So I'm not gonna force anybody to come back or [any] stuff like that.

"Some people want change in their life, but sometimes fans just can't accept that. Fans are, like, 'He was the singer for 30 years. Come back.' That was his decision. No one pushed him out; no one forced him to leave — none of that stuff. That was his decision."

Asked about his previous comment that he was open to hiring a female vocalist for FEAR FACTORY, Dino told Bucketlist TV: "That was true. I auditioned a few women, yes. But it didn't work out — not because they were female or anything like that. Because I wanted to pick whoever was best for the position, and it turned out to be a guy."

Dino also addressed his statement from last year that he wanted to give an "unknown guy a shot" at fronting FEAR FACTORY. He said: "Well, it wasn't like I was only looking for somebody that nobody knew. I was looking for all different [types of singers]. Sure, if the guy turned out to be, or the girl turned out to be, someone that nobody knew and I gave 'em that shot, yeah, great. I was open to all of it, is what I'm saying. Male, female, whatever, known, unknown — I was open to all of that."

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

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's latest LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

In October 2020, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with Herrera and Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

"Aggression Continuum" was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside drummer Mike Heller.

KORN frontman Jonathan Davis spoke to Variety about his newly launched line of horror and rock-themed pet products bearing the name Freak On A Leash, one of his band's most popular songs. The products are presently only available at FreakOnALeash.com, with a portion of the proceeds going to the animal-rescue nonprofit Take Me Home.

Regarding how the idea for Freak On A Leash came about, Davis said: "It took shape about a year ago. Me and my girl Bee were talking about how much we love our animals and how cool would be to start a pet line of leashes and other dog and cat products, and she said, 'How funny would it be if we called it Freak On A Leash?' We went out and found a company to work with that wanted to do it, and the rest was history."

Jonathan went on to say that he is "deathly allergic to dogs." He explained: "I'm severely asthmatic, but I love them so much that I just deal. Occasionally I have to get my inhaler or my eyes are itching, but over time I get used to it and I can live with it. Anyway, I went on tour [earlier this year] and was really missing the animals. Bee said, 'We need a puppy' but I said, 'We've gotta be home so it's bonded to us.' So after the tour we found a place that had puppies and chose a Bantam poodle. His name is Dante and he's amazing — just a baby, so I'm really stoked. He brings so much life to the house — I just love the companionship with animals. I like them better than humans. [Laughs]"

Freak On A Leash merchandise was made available for the first time at the Take Me Home tent on October 8 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

KORN's latest album, "Requiem", was released in February via Loma Vista Recordings. The band celebrated the LP's arrival with a special record-release event at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California.

"Requiem", which was produced by Chris Collier and KORN, entered Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. The band sold 23,000 equivalent album units in the February 4-10 tracking week, according to Billboard. Of that sum, 20,000 units were from album sales. "Requiem" also landed at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. On the all-format Billboard 200, it arrived at No. 14.

KORN recently completed a summer tour with fellow rock culture icons EVANESCENCE, produced by Live Nation. Accompanied by special guests varying across select dates, the 18-city tour kicked off on August 16 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, making stops across the U.S. in Boston, Chicago, Houston and more before wrapping up in Ridgefield, Washington on September 16.

Photo credit: Charlie Nunn Photography

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A post shared by Jonathan Davis (@officialjonathandavis)



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A post shared by Jonathan Davis (@officialjonathandavis)

At this month's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, CHEVELLE drummer Sam Loeffler spoke to Knotfest's Cori Westbrook about the band's plans for the follow-up to last year's "Niratias" LP. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, [CHEVELLE vocalist/guitarist] Pete's [Loeffler] our songwriter so he's our lyricist and everything. Basically, he just writes about what's going on around him. If he's taking the garbage out that night or has a bad day driving, he's watching a documentary that really affected him, he hears a podcast — so he's writing about those kinds of things. So if you're able to internalize that kind of a thing, I think you have a lot to write about. It doesn't just have to be a relationship that — a relationship with your dad or your significant other. I think those are some pretty powerful feelings — I get it — but if you are able to bring in all those other things in from your everyday life, there's a lot more to write about. So as far as inspiration goes, it's not hard to find; it's everywhere; it's all around you. And especially nowadays, we have so much access to what's going on around us that there's even more ideas to pull from."

He continued: "Yeah, we're always writing; Pete's always writing. We've got seven songs or so together-ish and then about 45 more ideas. But he has hundreds and hundreds of ideas from years. And you can't use all those songs because your tastes change, especially over years and years and years. So you're, like, 'Well, this was a great song five years ago. I really liked it. Now I don't like it at all.'"

In a separate interview with Heavy New York, Sam said that he and Pete have "a whole bunch of music written now that we're trying to put together another record for '23. Because that's what we do — you put music out, you write… It'll be our first record in a long time not with a major label, which is just neither here nor there," he added. "Epic Records did a lot of good stuff; we were with them for a long time, but we're finished with that contract now. So now we're doing something different. And we'll see how different it is."

This past June, Sam told New Jersey's WSOU 89.5 FM radio station that he and his bandmates were hoping to "get into the studio in November/December, which is the thing that excites us. We wanna write, we wanna play — that's our thing," he said. "So if we can get music out in '23, because that's what we do — we put out music, and hopefully we can keep new music coming out for the rest of our career. Keep going. We're not old, so we're just gonna keep doing it."

In April, CHEVELLE canceled one concert and postponed another after Sam tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

CHEVELLE had been touring in support of its ninth album, "Niratias", which was released in March 2021 via Epic Records.

"Niratias" is one of CHEVELLE's most provocative records to date. Teaming with longtime producer Joe Barresi (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE),CHEVELLE recorded throughout 2019 and 2020 and ultimately pieced together an inimitable body of work. The album artwork was designed by Boris Vallejo — the famed and award-winning artist is responsible for the posters used for films like "Knightriders" and "National Lampoon's Vacation", as well as iconic '70s and '80s science fiction novel covers and magazines (such as Heavy Metal).

Over the course of its career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum "Wonder What's Next", which boasts the double-platinum smash "The Red" and the platinum hit "Send The Pain Below". "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" attained platinum status, while "Vena Sera" was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including "Sci-Fi Crimes" (2009),"Hats Off To The Bull" (2011),"La Gárgola" (2014) and "The North Corridor" (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.

Former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry returns with the deluxe edition of "The Season", an exquisitely curated holiday album that reveals him as a flawless interpreter of the classic Christmas songbook. "The Season (Deluxe Edition)" contains two brand-new recordings: Steve's first-ever holiday original called "Maybe This Year" and a soulful new cover of the Donny Hathaway classic "This Christmas".

Says Perry: "I wanted to write an original Christmas song of my own, so Dallas Kruse and I began writing what became 'Maybe This Year'. I wrote the lyrical sentiment about how the holidays can bring such joy and sadness and how for me, both these emotions give me connection to feelings of gratitude for so many years gone by, and a desire to hold on to these holiday feelings we share throughout the coming year. Along with 'Maybe This Year', I have also added one of my favorite Donny Hathaway songs, 'This Christmas'. I dedicate both these tracks to my friend Lamont Dozier."

"The Season (Deluxe Edition)" track listing:

01. Maybe This Year
02. This Christmas
03. The Christmas Song
04. I'll Be Home For Christmas
05. Auld Lang Syne
06. Winter Wonderland
07. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve
08. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
09. Silver Bells
10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Primarily recorded at Perry's home studio, "The Season" came to life in collaboration with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa) and Dallas Kruse (a multi-instrumentalist who also worked with Perry on his acclaimed 2018 album "Traces"). While most of the album encompasses an understated sonic palette — piano, strings, upright bass — each track leaves an indelible impact thanks to the soulful sincerity of Perry's vocal work.

"One of the things I love most about those traditional recordings is they're not coming at you like a rock song — they're just sitting there quietly and inviting you in," says Perry. "I'd never sung with that much simplicity before, and it was incredibly thrilling to bring that kind of expression to these songs."

Steve's stirring interpretations of these holiday staples capture their timelessness, while simultaneously putting his own personal spin on each track.

"Music has always been something that rescues me in difficult times," says Perry. "I hope when people hear this record, they're teleported in the same way I was when I recorded all these songs — I hope it brings them back to those golden moments with their loved ones and gives them that feeling of joy and connection and comfort that we all need so much."

One of the most iconic voices in rock and roll history, Perry has captivated generations with the sheer power of his range and extraordinary warmth of his tone. One of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers Of All Time," he fronted JOURNEY during the band's massively successful era and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Perry returned to music in 2018 with the release of his Fantasy album "Traces" which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard album charts and No. 6 overall — a personal best for his solo work.

Courtesy of YouTube user luigigarcia64, the clip below features Mercyful Fate's entire October 29th show in Los Angeles, including pre-show footage as frontman King Diamond heads to the stage.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"The Oath"
"A Corpse Without Soul"
"The Jackal of Salzburg"
"Curse of the Pharaohs"
"A Dangerous Meeting"
"Doomed by the Living Dead"
"Melissa"
"Black Funeral"
"Evil"
"Come to the Sabbath"




Encore:
"Satan's Fall"





 

The Stadium Tour, featuring Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Poison, Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, wrapped up on September 9th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This marked Mötley  Crüe guitarist Mick Mars last official show as a touring member of the band, as it was announced earlier this week will no longer perform live.


Check out fan-filmed video of "Kickstart My Heart" from the show. It was the last song of the night, closing this chapter of Mick Mars' career.







Mötley Crüe issued the following statement in regards to Mars stepping down as a touring member of the band:


"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.


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 Crüeheads out on the road!" - Vince, Tommy & Nikki


Says John 5 - "I'm honored to carry on Mick's legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs.”


Hot off the heels of the biggest North American stadium tour of 2022 with more than 1.3 million tickets sold, the world’s most iconic and celebrated rock legends Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe are going global in 2023 with their co-headlining "The World Tour".


Produced by Live Nation, the world tour kicks off on Saturday, February 18, 2023 at Foro Sol in Mexico City. Both bands will bring their electrifying stage shows across the globe with stops throughout Latin America before heading to Europe in May 2023 - which includes a stop at the iconic Wembley Stadium on Saturday, July 1, 2023 - then wrapping up in Glasgow, UK at Hampden Park on July 6, 2023. Stay tuned for additional 2023 shows to be announced soon.


“After finally getting back on the road and having a monumental summer tour in the US & Canada this year, we’re beyond thrilled to be bringing this massive stadium tour to major cities all over the world, and kicking off Europe in Sheffield where it all started for us 45 years ago. We’re looking to forward to seeing you out there, somewhere soon!” said Joe Elliott of Def Leppard.


“We had an incredible time playing The Stadium Tour in North America this summer and we truly can’t wait to take the show around the globe with The WORLD Tour in 2023. Crüeheads in Latin America and Europe: Get ready! We’re coming for you next and can’t wait to finally see all of you out there again next year!” Mötley Crüe said in a joint statement.


Check local listings for complete details including VIP offerings, on sale times vary. To purchase tickets, visit defleppard.com/tour, and/or motley.com.





Dates:


February
18 - Mexico City, Mexico - Foro Sol
21 - Monterrey, Mexico - Estadio Banorte
25 - Bogota, Colombia - Parque Simon Bolivar
28 - Lima, Peru - Estadio Nacional


March
3 - Santiago, Chile - Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida
7 - Sao Paulo, Brazil - Allianz Parque
9 - Curitiba, Brazil - Estádio Couto Pereira
11 - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Arena do Grêmio


May
22 - Sheffield, UK - Bramall Lane
25 - Mönchengladbach, Germany - SparkassenPark
27 - Munich, Germany - Koenigsplatz
29 - Budapest, Hungary - MVM Dome
31 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena Kraków


June
2 - Prague, Czech Republic - Prague Rocks *
3 - Hannover, Germany - Expo Plaza
7 - Solvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival *
9 - Hyvinkää, Finland - RockFest *
11 - Trondheim, Norway - Trondheim Rocks *
14 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhell *
18 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting *
20 - Milan, Italy - Ippodromo SNAI San Siro
23 -  Lisbon, Portugal - Passeio Maritimo de Alges
24 - Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Spain - Auditorio Miguel Ríos
27 - Thun, Switzerland - Stockhorn Arena


July
1 - London, UK - Wembley Stadium
2 - Lytham, UK - Lytham Festival *
4 - Dublin, Ireland - Marlay Park
6 - Glasgow, UK - Hampden Park


* Festival Date

Led by guitarist / vocalist Fabian "Fabs" Schwarz, German thrash machine Runamok have broken 13 years of silence with a new single, "Creeping Beauty", the first taste of a brand new slab of shred and violence due to be released in 2023, entitled The Clown Brigade.





Inspired by metal icons Annihilator, Megadeth and Testament, Runamok unleashed five albums between 2004 and 2009. With a little free time between projects, Fabs decided to pick up where Electric Shock ended in 2009, resulting in a record that shreds mercilessly from top to bottom and has more hooks than a fishing boat, remaining catchy and melodic. Simply put, from "Creeping Beauty" to the crushing "D.I.L.L.I G.A.F", from the shred n' roll of "The Hex" and "Nailgun Romance" to the high-speed bitchslap takedown of "Damn Your God", "Leech" and "In Regret", The Clown Parade at its core is good, loud, mean and unrelenting fun.




The way metal is supposed to be.


The Clown Brigade will be available for download on November 25th.


Check out new single "Damn Your God" below. Pick it up here.


Damn Your God by RUNAMOK

Ayreon will play live again in Tilburg 013 on September 15th, 16th and 17th, 2023, perform the album 01011001 in full. Tickets went on sale on October 27th and are officially sold out. Founder / mastermind Arjen Lucassen has checked in with the following update:


"I’m extremely happy with the singers that we managed to get for the 01011001 shows, what a cast! It’s always a big challenge to enlist all the singers for the live shows so far in advance, because so many of them are mega successful and therefore really busy. So... if your favourite singer isn’t there, PLEASE know that I did the best I could, but some simply aren’t available. Always to their own regret. I’m sure you agree that we have no less than 19 amazing singers here (apart from that hippie-dude), already proud of them!"


The following performers have been confirmed for all three shows:




Original 01011001 cast:


Hansi Kursch
Tom Englund
Daniel Gildenlow
Jonas Renkse
Anneke van Giersbergen
Simone Simons
Wudstik
Marjan Welman
Liselotte Hegt
Maggy Luyten
Phideaux Xavier
Arjen Lucassen (yeah, sorry for that)


Special guests:


Damian Wilson
Brittney Slayes
Micheal Mills
John Jaycee Cuijpers


Backing vocals:


Marcela Bovio
Irene Jansen
Jan Willem Ketelaers


Band:


Marcel Coenen - guitar
Timo Somers - guitar
Johan van Stratum - bass
Joost van den Broek - keys
Ed Warby - drums


Ensemble:


Ben Mathot - violin
Jurriaan Westerveld - cello
Jeroen Goossens - woodwinds


Check out the official Ayreon website for more information and news here.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea has paid tribute to the band's former drummer D.H. Peligro, who has died at the age of 63.

Peligro's passing was announced earlier today (Saturday, October 28) by the legendary punk band DEAD KENNEDYS, with whom the drummer had played, on and off, for more than four decades. According to the DEAD KENNEDYS, Peligro — whose real name was Darren Henley — died at his Los Angeles home from trauma to his head from an accidental fall.

Flea took to his social media to write: "My dear friend, my brother I miss you so much. I'm devastated today, a river of tears, but all my life I will treasure every second.

"The first time I saw you play with the DK's in '81 you blew my mind. The power, the soul, the recklessness. You became my beloved friend, so many times of every kind. We had so much fun, so much joy, having each other's backs.

"I love you with all my heart. You are the truest rocker, and a crucial part of RHCP history. D H P in the place to be, you live forever in our hearts, you wild man, you bringer of joy, you giant hearted man. I will always honor you. Rest In Peace and freedom from all that restrained you."

Peligro joined RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS following founding drummer Jack Irons's exit but was fired from the band after only two months over his drug problems. Peligro was replaced by Chad Smith, who has played with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ever since. Three songs co-written by Peligro — "Knock Me Down", "Sexy Mexican Maid" and "Taste The Pain" — are featured on the CHILI PEPPERS' 1989 LP "Mother's Milk".

Peligro joined the DEAD KENNEDYS in February 1981, replacing original drummer, Ted, and made his recorded debut with the group on the EP "In God We Trust, Inc." which was released in December of that year. He would go on to record the studio albums "Plastic Surgery Disasters", "Frankenchrist" and "Bedtime For Democracy", as well as singles/rarities collection "Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death". DEAD KENNEDYS broke up in December 1986.

In 2001, DEAD KENNEDYS, along with Peligro, reunited without former frontman and primary songwriter Jello Biafra following a civil fraud complaint against Biafra, accusing him of withholding royalties. DR. KNOW singer Brandon Cruz would replace Biafra on vocals and they played under the name DK KENNEDYS for a few concerts, but later reverted to DEAD KENNEDYS permanently.

In early 2008, Peligro took a hiatus from DEAD KENNEDYS, citing the need for time off from touring. The brief hiatus lasted until June 2009 when Peligro rejoined the band.

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A post shared by Dh Peligro (@dhpeligro)

The third Docker's Guild album, The Mystic Technocracy - Season 2: The Age of Entropy, is out today on all digital platforms. In a few days it will be released in physical format (CD Digipack). Go to the digital platforms here.





The overall narrative arc of Docker's Guild's space opera is quite complex and has been worked out down to the smallest detail. Album after album, you'll visit the dark world of The Mystic Technocracy, where a silicon-based techno-organic alien race attempts to wipe out all life on Earth through organized religion, while a tormented scientist makes his life's mission to save. humanity. The search for him will take him through the universe and on a personal journey from which there is no return.




You will meet many characters such as Dr. Jack Heisenberg, Tith, ZZ-999, Cardinal Berengar Yersinia, Lucy Higgs, Adam V, Camilla, Cassilda and many more. You will visit the alien worlds of Silix IV and Carbonia in the Andromeda Galaxy and travel back in time to the age of the dinosaurs to witness their extinction.


The lineup is split in two halves:


International Artists:


Douglas R. Docker (Biloxi, Vivaldi Metal Project, Chronomaster Project): bass, keyboards, vocals, spoken voice
Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, TSO, Cher): guitars
Sascha Paeth (Avantasia): guitars
Nita Strauss (Alice Cooper): guitars
Mio Jaeger (Frantic Amber): guitars
Anneke Van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Devin Townsend): vocals
Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Trillium): vocals
Elizabeth Andrews (Frantic Amber): extreme vocals


Italian Artists:


Helly (Killin' Beaudelaire): drums
Stefano Aglì: drums
Anna Portalupi (Hardline, Tarja Turunen): bass
Luca Pisu (I Fasti, Dirty Set): bass
Roby Salvai (Roby Salvai Quintet): bass
Giorgio Novarino (The Chronomaster Project): bass
Toni Urzì (La Quadrilla): guitars
Luigi Iamundo (The Chronomaster Project): guitars
Valentina Procopio: vocals
Anna Petracca: vocals
Serena Moine: operatic vocals


- Alberto Macerata: recording engineer
- Mixed by Neil Kernon
- Produced by Douglas R. Docker


- Artwork and booklet design by CA Beckston


Check out the album preview below.





(Nita Strauss photo - HDK Media)

Original DEAD KENNEDYS frontman Jello Biafra has paid tribute to the band's drummer D.H. Peligro, who died late last week at the age of 63.

Peligro's passing was announced on Saturday (October 29) by the other members of DEAD KENNEDYS, with whom the drummer had played, on and off, for more than four decades. According to the DEAD KENNEDYS, Peligro — whose real name was Darren Henley — died on October 28 at his Los Angeles home from trauma to his head from an accidental fall.

On Sunday (October 30),Jellotook to his Twitter to write: "D.H. PELIGRO: 1959-2022

"Wow. I sure wasn't expecting this.

"I feel like I've been hit by a train.

"Despite all he'd done to his mind and body, I never thought we would lose him first. He was not just our powerful unforgettable drummer, he was a gifted singer, songwriter, guitarist and so much more. Even behind the drum kit, he had presence. All animal instinct, he never played anything quite the same way twice. He was a born showman.

"Clear back in '79, I got a hot tip on a new CLASH-inspired Punk band called SSI playing at the Deaf Club. As great as those guys played, it was the drummer that stole the show. A free spirited African American force of nature (The Punk scene is always too white),with this shit eating grin, a bandana on his head, and two kick drums (!) singing his ass off to 'Keep a Knockin', even sounding like Little Richard, as they closed the show...

"Then they disappeared.

"In 1981 we needed a new drummer. Somehow Ray found that guy from SSI. Or maybe Darren found him, I was never sure. From the first song, he was solid. Good kick and snare instinct, to make the songs go. At the second audition, he was the one who'd done his homework, so hands down he was in. Ray said he'd learned 'In-Sight' from hearing it once in his car on the radio.

"Now we had more fire and feel than ever before, and the rest is history. He made the whole band 10 years younger, including all the damn carousing and pranks. Throwing food at passengers all over the plane on the way to Australia til the pilot came back and threatened to arrest him.

"In Rome, he and I pulled on all these cables outside the window of a music label office, not realizing we were yanking all these peoples' TVs off their balconies, and out of their living rooms...

"We laughed about a lot of stuff the other guys didn't. We had our own unique bond. Friends who saw DH with the CHILI PEPPERS at the Hollywood Bowl said he looked so happy up there. He looked so proud. But it was not to be.

"When he finally hit bottom, he went clear back to St. Louis to clean up. I was the one who flew out to see him when he got out of rehab. Another friend came down from Chicago, and blew our minds with our first 90 minute baptism of Wesley Willis!...

"A year or two later, I was in Chicago working on LARD, and Wesley came over. I called DH, and put Wes on the phone, not telling Darren who he was. When talk shifted to the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, I knew he knew. When I got the phone back, he was laughing his ass off.

"When he came north to visit, he'd stay with me; and we grew closer and deeper than ever before. The other guys begged off, and didn't want to see him. I thought we would truly be brothers for life...

"He put together his own band, called PELIGRO of course, with him on guitar and vocals, using a lot of the songs from his 80's Punk power trio, THE HELLATIONS. Their Alternative Tentacles debut is by far the best solo album by any of the ex-DKs. Like 'Fresh Fruit..' gone BAD BRAINS, in the best possible way. He had now spread his wings as a full fledged leader and songwriter. But more was not to be...

"I still think they could have become so much more when they regrouped, than a 20+ year tribute band. They could have gotten a new drummer, Jon Lieb, maybe; and made DH the new frontman, on vocals, second guitar, spice up his songs, and more. Aim high and do it right, with a new name, new sound, and a whole new identity. Like the class way BAUHAUS morphed into LOVE AND ROCKETS, post Peter Murphy. That could have been such a good band. Damn. I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

"So I hope Peligro is up there somewhere, getting his headbutts from Wesley at last. Forever free from any hellrides from high fructose corn syrup.

"With much love and respect, Jello Biafra".

Peligro joined the DEAD KENNEDYS in February 1981, replacing original drummer, Ted, and made his recorded debut with the group on the EP "In God We Trust, Inc." which was released in December of that year. He would go on to record the studio albums "Plastic Surgery Disasters", "Frankenchrist" and "Bedtime For Democracy", as well as singles/rarities collection "Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death". DEAD KENNEDYS broke up in December 1986.

In 2001, DEAD KENNEDYS, along with Peligro, reunited without Biafra following a civil fraud complaint against Jello, accusing him of withholding royalties. DR. KNOW singer Brandon Cruz would replace Biafra on vocals and they played under the name DK KENNEDYS for a few concerts, but later reverted to DEAD KENNEDYS permanently.

In early 2008, Peligro took a hiatus from DEAD KENNEDYS, citing the need for time off from touring. The brief hiatus lasted until June 2009 when Peligro rejoined the band.

Peligro joined RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS following founding drummer Jack Irons's exit but was fired from the band after only two months over his drug problems. Peligro was replaced by Chad Smith, who has played with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ever since. Three songs co-written by Peligro — "Knock Me Down", "Sexy Mexican Maid" and "Taste The Pain" — are featured on the CHILI PEPPERS' 1989 LP "Mother's Milk".

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. CHeck out their Halloween special below.





A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below: