Frontiers Music Srl  announces the signing of an incredible new trio, Heroes And Monsters. Formed by three rock n' roll lifers and friends, bassist/vocalist Todd Kerns, guitarist Stef Burns, and drummer Will Hunt, the band's debut album will be released in early 2023.


Ahead of that, the band is pleased to release their debut single, "Locked & Loaded". Watch the lyric video below.







The players' resumes speak for themselves, but rest assured, if you are looking for hard hitting, hooky, in-your-face rock-n-roll, then Heroes And Monsters will be good for what ails you. The band approaches their style with their influences in tow, but also with an understanding and appreciation of the current rock scene. A best of both worlds' scenario, if you will.


Todd Kerns is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is most noted for being the bass player and backup singer in Slash featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators, and for being the front man of gold-record selling Canadian band The Age Of Electric. In more recent years, he has been making his mark as a singer-songwriter with sold out solo performances as well as fronting former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick’s band as well as his own Canadian supergroup, Toque.


Guitarist Stef Burns has a fantastic and varied history in rock music. He has spent time playing with pop acts like Sheila E., Berlin, and Huey Lewis & The News as well as rock acts like Y&T, whom he recorded four albums with, and Alice Cooper, playing on the albums Hey Stoopid and The Last Temptation. Stef currently plays with Italian rock superstar Vasco Rossi and also has his own band, the Stef Burns League.


Drummer Will Hunt currently resides in the drum throne for Evanescence, whom he first started playing with in 2007, and has performed and written on their last three studio albums, including their most recent release, The Bitter Truth, which debuted at #1 on 27 different countries' album charts. Over the years, the in-demand skins man has performed with Dark New Day, Skrape, Staind, Vasco Rossi, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Slaughter, and more. He has also appeared on albums by Black Label Society, Michael Sweet (Stryper), Crossfade, Dirty Shirley (George Lynch), Device (David Draiman of Disturbed), and more.


Stream/download "Locked & Loaded" here.





Lineup:


Todd Kerns - Lead Vocals, Bass
Stef Burns - Guitar
Will Hunt - Drums

SALIVA reunited with its original singer Josey Scott for a one-off appearance on September 11 at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Scott performed three songs with the group at the event, which also saw SALIVA play with its singer of the past decade, Bobby Amaru.

Blue Ridge marked Scott's first appearance with SALIVA since he left the band at the end of 2011 after a 15 year-run with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last four releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016) and "10 Lives" (2018).

In a new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Josey stated about his onstage reunion with his former bandmates: "[It was] just total magic time. Getting to play the Blue Ridge music festival there in Virginia and getting to see all those fans stacked up on what they call 'Hell Hill' was just amazing. It looked like an endless amount of people to the left and right and then as far back as you could see. My cousin actually had a beautiful photograph enhanced for me. The bass player Brad [Stewart] was actually behind me and took a beautiful picture from behind, where I was singing, and my cousin had that picture blown up for me and framed and sent to me. And it was just a beautiful encapsulation of a wonderful moment, a wonderful return to the stage. And it was just like flipping the light on. I went and lived a regular life for a while and worked a regular job and loved every second of getting back to that normality, because I needed that in my life at that time, and then going back to this guy that I play on stage has just been amazing; it's just been amazing."

Speaking in more detail about what it was like to perform in front of a large crowd again, Josey said: "It has familiarity of riding a bicycle, but it's more akin to flying a fighter jet. Once you get up there and you really get back in the cockpit of where you used to be, and with my mind not being so clouded with substances, and that, coupled with being in the gym so much and working out really aggressively for an hour and a half so that when I do get up on stage and I do go crazy for that hour or hour and a half, it's not such a hard impact on my body and I'm not worn out. That's one thing that was really precious and I was really grateful for that, is I got up there and I got three or four songs deep at different times and I wasn't winded; I wasn't wore out. I was, like, 'I've still got some gas pedal left.'"

Earlier this month, Scott told The Bay Ragni Show that he had no hard feelings about the fact that his former bandmates chose to continue with another vocalist after his departure. "I was actually grateful for the decision, for them to replace me and to find someone to carry on for the fans and to keep that music out there and to keep that music going," he said. "I'm very grateful and thankful for Bobby Amaru who's done, I think, a really great job of taking that seat.

"I try to put myself in the other person's shoes and look at it from their perspective and always look at it through the eyes of love, man," Josey continued.

"Somebody told me something one time. They said, 'Man, we're just all walking each other home in the long run.' And I just hold on to lines like that. And I try to keep things in perspective and look at things through the eyes of love — always, always, always. And I slip and I have a temper and I've definitely shown my ass a couple of times, but for the lion's share of things, I try to look at things through the eyes of love and I try to put myself in another man's shoes or a woman's shoes and think things through like that. And I couldn't be more grateful and more thankful for how things turned out, because I believe everything happens for a reason."

Scott, who is preparing to embark on a short solo tour, also talked about the fact that he was supposed to be launching a career in Christian music after his exit from SALIVA. "I think I was up for anything because I was going into uncharted waters," he said. "And at the time, our management wanted to release some kind of statement. They were pressuring me and us for some type of statement, because these people have to have a reason. You can't just do it because you wanna go be a father and get sober and clean up your life and find yourself mentally and spiritually and philosophically and all that — it can't be that reason; it's gotta be some other tangible reason. So I was just, like, 'Okay, man, I might go do this.' And I thought about doing a country record. I thought about doing a blues record, being from Memphis.

"I do hold tightly to my faith — don't get me wrong," he clarified. "But I actually took a meeting with one of the presidents of one of the Christian labels, and he told me, he said, 'Josey, I'm gonna be honest with you. You're not ready to come over here.' He said, 'There's just as many snakes and vipers and sharks over here as there is over there.' And I was, like, 'Wow.' But I appreciated his honesty. And I'm not speaking for every group or individual that does Christian music — I don't believe that they're all hypocrites; I'm not saying that at all; please don't get it twisted — but I believe that he was trying to give me a warning, definitely. If I thought I was gonna go from the frying pan to the ice box, I wasn't; I was gonna go from the frying pan to the fire. So I was glad that he was honest with me and told me that. Because I wasn't ready; that was the truth."

In October 2019, Scott announced that he was returning to SALIVA, explaining at the time that he wanted to get together with his former bandmates and "write a badass record." Less than a year and a half later, in March 2021, SALIVA guitarist Wayne Swinny poured cold water on those plans, saying that the reunion with the singer "never really got off the ground."

Amaru discussed Scott's failed reunion with SALIVA during an interview with The Bay Ragni Show. Asked if he feels any "pressure" knowing that there are still ongoing discussions about a possible reunion with Scott, Amaru said: "I'm in those discussions as well, and there's nothing shady going on; it's nothing that I don't know about. It was my idea to actually say, 'Hey, you guys should do a 20-year-reunion deal.' I was an advocate for that. Wayne Swinny will tell you that. I was the one that was, like, 'I think you guys should.' And I think a lot of things just didn't pan out last year with… They couldn't get on the same page, and then Josey lost his son. It was just not a good year for anything like that."

Bobby also addressed BLABBERMOUTH.NET's previous coverage of SALIVA's reunion talks with Scott, saying: "Blabbermouth and all that stuff, that's clickbait, man, and that's stuff that… It's drama. There's too much drama in the world as is. If people wanna be fucking focused on who the fucking singer of SALIVA is — who fucking cares? Whatever. You know what I mean? There's way more shit going on, man. And typically the people that are on there are probably writing, 'Ah, I fucking hate it' or 'Who cares anyway?' They're probably… I don't know what they're doing with their life — fucking working at Subway or whatever. It's all good.

"I know that what we have, this band, we have a business; this is like a business; this is our business," he continued. "And it's also a fun business. And, dude, we're all happy doing this. We're not trying to enter drama into it or whatever. And I'm not saying that that's what would happen, but we're just not looking to change what we have going on."

When Swinny spoke to WRIF about SALIVA's failed reunion with Scott, he said that even though there were some initial discussions about Josey's return to the group, there was no follow-up to ensure that the plan was executed.

"If you wanna do something, do it," Wayne said. "But you can't just talk about it and have it magically happen. There's work, there's planning, there's stuff that goes into it, and none of that stuff was done early enough to pull it off.

"Yeah, there was some fan response, saying, 'Wow, yeah, that might be cool.' But it didn't get enough steam to take off," he explained. "All the preliminary stuff kind of got set up, and it just didn't jell.

"It just didn't make sense to stop what we [the current lineup of SALIVA] were doing and do that, because you've got momentum, we've got a groove going, the band's tight live. I didn't feel like we should give that up or give that a rest."

Last December, Josey took to his Twitter to write: "I want 2 apologize 2 my fans because I thought I was gonna reunite w/certain people & make u new music, & that fell through, but, I believe everything happens for a reason. There are no coincidences. A blessing in disguise. Now it's just u, & me, how intimate is that?"

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.

Legendary DOKKEN axeman George Lynch has 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 (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[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.

Ingested will release their new album, Ashes Lie Still, on November 4 via Metal Blade. The band have released the video below, along with the following message from drummer Lyn Jeffs:


"Here's a short behind the scenes documentary of our drum tracking sessions for Ashes Lie Still. Due to the pandemic we tracked all instruments separately so it was just me and our producer Nico Beninato locked up in his studio in Mallorca for a week during August 2020, it was a pretty brutal experience cause we were dealing with a heatwave at that time and as the studio was newly built, there was no air conditioning installed, so excuse my effing and jeffing at parts. Thoughout the 20 min clip you'll get to see some drum tracking footage and walk throughs of the equipment we were using and why we decided upon them. Enjoy!"







Ingested are the flagbearers of modern UK death metal. They have been churning out bilious anti-anthems for more than a decade-and-a-half, dropping a string of releases that have helped shape the genre. They return with Ashes Lie Still, their most dynamic, inventive, and daring release to date, holding nothing back. The band describes it as "a modern essential. It still has the core Ingested elements of groovy slamming riffs, quick drumming, and guttural vocals but there's also atmosphere, ethereal moments, and some raw old school aggression."


Over the course of 10 tracks, Ingested hack, slash, and steamroll through everything in their path, and Ashes Lie Still easily stands as the highpoint of an already impressive career.


Founded in 2006 in Manchester, England, Ingested have since toured extensively with Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Nile, Carnifex, and Revocation, and have been seen on European festival stages including Summer Breeze Open Air. Slimmed down to a three-piece, the band feels it is in the best place it ever has been, enabling the members to work at the top of their game.


Ashes Lie Still was co-produced by the band and previous collaborator Nico Beninato, with drummer Lyn Jeffs living close to Beninato's studio in Mallorca and recording his drums there, while Sean Hynes recorded his guitars at home in the UK with the producer assisting remotely. Vocal tracking was interrupted by Jason Evans falling seriously ill when finally making it to Mallorca and was ultimately tracked back in Manchester. Bass was again supplied by Dominic Grimard (Ion Dissonance/The Last Felony).


Ingested succinctly encapsulate their existence, saying, "We've always been the underdogs, always fighting for scraps. Well it's time to get out of the fucking way, because now it's our turn to eat at the table."





The album will come in several vinyl variants, all listed below:


* Clear with Black Smoke (US exclusive)
* Sunset Peach Marble (US exclusive)
* Violet purple marbled (EU exclusive ltd to 1000)
* Natural clear w/ white splatter (EU exclusive ltd to 250)
* White/orange color in color (EU exclusive ltd to 250)
* Natural clear w/ blue-purple, orange & black splatter (EU exclusive ltd to 250)


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Ashes Lie Still" (Feat. Julia Frau)
"Shadows In Time"
"You'll Never Learn"
"Tides Of Glass"
"From Hollow Words" (Feat. Sven de Caluwé)
"Sea Of Stone"
"All I've Lost" (Feat. Matthew K. Heafy)
"With Broken Wings"
"Echoes Of Hate"
"Scratch The Vein"
"Rebirth" (Digital version only; new mix by Christian Donaldson)


"From Hollow Words" video:





"Tides Of Glass" video:





"Ashes Lie Still" video:





"Shadows In Time" video:





Lineup:


Jason Evans - Vocals
Sean Hynes - Guitars + Backing Vocals
Lyn Jeffs - Drums

German modern metal upstarts, League Of Distortion, deliver the next milestone in their young careers. Following the successful release of first singles “Wolf Or Lamb” and “My Revenge”, League Of Distortion - featuring the musical finesse and experience of Anna “Ace” Brunner (Exit Eden) and Jim “Arro” Müller (Kissin’ Dynamite) - abandon all rules with “It Hurts So Good”. The track is a staple piece of their new rule, convincing with Brunner’s powerful voice and a heavy-hitting sound, and features extra power from guest vocalist Christoph Wieczorek of post-hardcore heroes Annisokay. “It Hurts So Good” reveals another glimpse of the band’s hard-hitting self-titled debut album, set for release on November 25.


League Of Distortion on “It Hurts So Good”: “With this unconventional lullaby, we are sharing a dirty little secret with you. Writing and creating this song with Christoph Wieczorek and Julian Breucker was an absolute pleasure and blast. Now we cannot wait to be on the road with Annisokay, Caliban and Resolve! Meet us on Tour and join the league!”







A new force, League Of Distortion unite to defeat the shadows cast upon the music scene with their fresh sound and style. Back in 2017, Anna Brunner celebrated remarkable international success with her symphonic metal band Exit Eden, and now, has teamed up with notorious guitarist Jim Müller of renowned heavy metal band Kissin’ Dynamite. Together, they’ve formed one of the hottest new modern metal bands of the year, combining their signature sounds to create a powerful soundscape. Now, they are ready to fight the darkness yet again with their 2022 full-length, self-titled debut album, League Of Distortion.


Lifting the dark veil of stagnation caused by the pandemic, League Of Distortion introduce a new sound that resonates with the uncertainty of this period. “Wolf or Lamb” - the addictive first stand-alone single that introduced the band as a force to be reckoned with - ignites the fire of the full album. “Rebel By Choice” and “The Bitter End” show the band’s burning passion and dedication to the genre, while “My Revenge” convinces with a catchy hook and bashing guitar riffs. The elemental force of Anna “Ace” Brunner’s distorted, powerful voice merged with chunky riffs played by Jim “Arro” Müller, steady and strong beats delivered by Tino “Aeon” Calmbach and edgy bass by Felix “Ax” Rehmann unifies them, forming a strong blast of an album that cannot be missed. League Of Distortion showcase the individual musical expertise of its members without ever becoming stagnant or pretentious - unabashedly distorting the order and launching a new age of metal. Songs like “I’m A Bitch” and “It Hurts So Good” abandon all rules, while catchy hooks like in “L.O.D.” mark anthems to claim their new reign. With songs like “Solitary Confinement” and “Sin”, the band shows their lyrical depth by turning their sadness into a powerful war cry, providing expressive pieces and hymns for the lost.


League Of Distortion convince with classic pieces featuring strong instrumentals, on-the-nose lyrics and energetic vocals, proving their penchant to stand out from the pack. They’ve transformed their frustration into a musical statement beyond comparison. With “Do You Really Think I Fucking Care”, the band lands the final punch of the album to make the message clear: League Of Distortion are here to set the scene ablaze.


The band on their debut album: "With this debut album, we lay the cornerstone of League Of Distortion. Processing the cruel and capricious reality, with straight-forward, provocative and very personal topics, we are distorting perspective and creating tremendously powerful music. League Of Distortion is here to stay and we welcome you to be a part of this from the very beginning."





League Of Distortion will be available in the following formats:


- Digisleeve
- 1 LP Gatefold
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Wolf Or Lamb"
"My Revenge"
"It Hurts So Good" (feat. Annisokay)
"L.O.D."
"I'm A Bitch"
"Rebel By Choice"
"Solitary Confinement"
"SIN"
"The Bitter End"
"Do You Really Think I Fuckin' Care"


"My Revenge" video:





"Wolf Or Lamb" video:





League Of Distortion are:


Anna Brunner - Vocals
Jim Müller - Guitar
Felix Rehmann - Bass
Tino Calmbach – Drums


(Photo - Timo Ehlert)

Freedom Call performed the song "Warriors" at the 2022 edition of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. The track is featured on 2015's Eternity: 666 Weeks Beyond Eternity album, the re-release of 2002's Eternity, remastered with bonus material. Watch the performance below:





Freedom Call perform next on Saturday, November 12 at Underworld in London, England. Find the band's live itinerary here.

Highway Sentinels - the supergroup featuring vocalsit David Reece (Bangalore Choir, Accept), drummer Mark Zonder (Fates Warning, Warlord), keyboardist Jimmy Waldo (Alcatrazz), bassist Donnie Van Stavern (Riot V) and guitarist Steven Rosen - have released two new music videos which pay tribute to late guitarist (and former bandmate of Jimmy Waldo), Bob Kulick.


The songs "We Won't Be Forgotten" and "Afterlife" were originally recorded by Highway Sentinels keyboard player Jimmy Waldo when he was part of the band Blackthorne, which also featured Bob Kulick and vocalist Graham Bonnet. Here they have been re-recorded by the Highway Sentinels group featuring David Reece on vocals.


"Bob was a good friend and bandmate" says Jimmy, We recorded a lot of music together and this was a way to give these songs a fresh approach and perhaps even remind people they exist!"




Both tracks are taken from the group's debut album, The Waiting Fire, which was released via Louder Than Loud Records on July 22. Watch the videos below.





"I'm A Loser"
"Face In The Crowd"
"Afterlife"
"Love And Hate"
"Victim Of The Night"
"Tortured Soul"
"We Won't Be Forgotten"
"All Comes Crashing Down"
"I Don't Care Anymore"
"Not Too Late"
"How To Be Real"
"Hell In A Handbasket"


"We Won't Be Forgotten" video:





"Afterlife" video:





"How To Be Real" video:





"I'm A Loser" video:

Helsinki, Finland-based melodic death metal force, Brymir, released their Napalm Records debut, Voices In The Sky, back in August. Today, the band reveal a brand new lyric video for their epic, hard-hitting track, “Forged In War”.


With thousands of views on their videos and more than hundred thousand streams on their latest tracks, the band has established their befitting position on top. Culminating with their European tour with Finntroll and Skalmöld kicking off in Stockholm on November 3, the band stirs up the scene on records and stages alike.


Brymir vocalist Viktor Gullichsen: “Ever since forming the band in 2006, we’ve endlessly talked and dreamed about getting a chance to tour Europe. Also, we’ve been big fans of Finntroll since forever and you can just imagine the excitement and gratitude we feel for this opportunity to join them and Skalmöld on this wild crusade across the European continent. We could not have hoped for a better tour at a better time to promote our new album Voices In The Sky and finally show what we’ve got to both old fans and completely new audiences. We hope many of you will come to witness the fitness of our melodic death metal heaviness - as it is live that we thrive! See you all soon.”




The lyric video for “Forged in War” continues the driving sound of the album with incredible vocals and astounding riffs that can only be surpassed by their electrifying live performances. Striking once again with full force, this hymnic piece leaves no stone unturned and matches the heavy and electrifying tone of the album perfectly.


Says the band: ”We wanted to see how far we could push the contrast between death & thrash metal mayhem and a power metal chorus - and the result was 'Forged In War'. When we wrote this song, it felt like we unlocked a new dimension of guitar chugging heaviness that will surely influence our songs far into the future. The track has already sealed its place in our new, crushing live set, so get ready to bang your heads off at your next Brymir show!”





Walking the line between melodic death metal and traditional genres like folk and classical music Brymir continuously pioneer the limits of the genre, dashing ahead with their notorious sound. Mixing endless riffs, with catchy choruses, blistering solos and a flawless production, the unit creates skillful soundscapes of pure epicness.





Tracklisting:


"Voices In The Sky"
"Forged In War"
"Fly With Me"
"Herald Of Aegir"
"Rift Between Us"
"Landfall"
"Borderland"
"Far From Home"
"Seeds Of Downfall"
"All As One"
"Diabolis Interium" (Bonus)


“Fly With Me” video:





“Herald Of Aegir” lyric video:





"Voices In The Sky" video:





Lineup:


Viktor Gullichsen - vocals
Joona Björkroth - guitars, backing vocals
Sean Haslam - guitars
Jarkko Niemi – bass, backing vocals
Patrik Fält - drums


(Photo - Janica Lönn)

Juno Award-winning, powerhouse rock duo Crown Lands - Cody Bowles (vocals and drums) and Kevin Comeau (guitar, bass, and keys) - reveal a raw rendition of The Beatles’ quintessential rally song, “Come Together”, released in partnership with TSN as part of a campaign for the Canadian Men’s National Team as they gear up for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ starting November 20.





Starting today, expect to hear Crown Lands’ version of “Come Together” across TSN platforms, including national broadcasts, throughout the tournament in support of Canada’s team. A teaser has been shared today with the full campaign rolling out over the next few weeks, watch the teaser below:






 

 
 

 


View this post on Instagram

 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by Crown Lands (@crownlandsmusic)







This is the first time since 1986 that Canada’s men’s team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup™ and Crown Lands’ version of the song captures the spirit of this historic occasion.


Listen to Crown Lands' cover of The Beatles' "Come Together" here, and below.


Crown Lands infuse the 1969 original with a jolt of their distinct style. Bowels chants the familiar lyrics over pummelling guitars and cascading drums creating palpable energy. Crown Lands describe, “We specifically recorded ‘Come Together’ for the purpose of a partnership opportunity and it has worked out beautifully, we’re honoured for the song to be a part of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. There is no disputing the magic that The Beatles created together and it’s nice for us to have ‘Come Together’ to add our little twist to it. In other words, we cranked the vocals up an octave, added a metric-ton of Leslie guitars and threw in some fat Taurus synth bass bombs into an already great song.”      


“Thanks to ongoing collaborations with TSN, when the opportunity to soundtrack a pivotal moment for Canadian sports came up, we knew Crown Lands had the ability to create something that would resonate with that energy and captivate fans," said JP Boucher, Senior Vice President, Marketing, at Universal Music Canada.  “Crown Lands have consistently come to the table with powerful, sophisticated original music that’s deeply rooted in the past while evolving for the future and we’re proud to say they delivered with a track that will support Team Canada through the tournament.”





Crown Lands continue to introduce themselves to the rest of the world through their high energy live shows. This month, they join Greta Van Fleet on the final leg of their Dreams In Gold world tour as it wraps up in the US. Early next year, they will head out with fellow Canadian rock outfit, July Talk, playing iconic venues across their home country on The Never Remember Tour.


(Photo - Andy Ford)

Musical mastermind, Devin Townsend, recently announced a new release date for his forthcoming new album, Lightwork, now due out on November 4 via InsideOut Music. Following months of hard work finishing the album, as well as an extensive European touring schedule that included two nights at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Devin is releasing another song  for the fans who now have to wait another week for the album.


Now available everywhere globally, the video for "Lightworker" is the third track taken from the upcoming album. Continuing the story that started in the clip for “Moonpeople” and continued in “Call Of The Void”, “Lightworker” is the third in a trilogy of clips reflecting the journey of his new album. Watch the video, directed by iCode, below.


Devin checks in with this comment:




“Hey folks :) track three from Lightwork is now up to bat… and this one is called ‘Lightworker’ (ta da!)


This album is interesting to me in many ways, but mostly because of how unexpected it was. I’ve been doing interviews and there’s a lot of folks who are surprised at how it turned out, somehow they were expecting brutal music from me or something (frankly, I couldn’t imagine having the energy to go down that road after that last few years, but I can understand the desire for it) it’s just that Lightwork and The Puzzle were both completely unexpected for me, but as I am committed to following where it leads, I simply went as far into them both as I was able.


I just follow the creative flow where it leads, and I’m quite happy with that. To be honest, having started writing again it seems like it was a unique moment in time for me, so I hope you can see it for what it is and appreciate the energy for what it was meant to be.


'Lightworker' is a song based loosely around Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) who died a few years ago. His book ‘Be Here Now’ was influential to me as a kid, and when I saw the documentary they made about him on Netflix (Going Home) I felt inspired to write a track in his memory. I reached out to the Ram Dass foundation and they allowed me to use the sample of his voice in the mid section. (Thank you :)


The video was made by the same team who did Spirits Will Collide, and they yet again pulled off a huge feat in limited time (Thanks guys :) I wanted a story about a guy who is so attached to his past, and the pain of loss, that any time the ‘monsters’ of his past appear, he runs from it. As a result, he has to live the same dramas over and over again. It’s not until he stands and faces his fear that he can move past it. In this case he can help others by facing the monster and then Finally rest.


I hope you enjoy it, and I really appreciate the support. I hope your week is good, and I hope to see you at the Lightwork Streaming event on November 5th :)


Be well my friends, Devin :)”





Devin is also pleased to announce a special album release streaming event to take place on the November 5 at 8 PM, UK time / 9 PM, CEST / 3 PM, EST / 12 PM, PST. This will premiere on Devin’s YouTube channel and feature a specially recorded acoustic performance, as well as a Q&A. Fans can submit their questions to Devin here. Deadline for question submission is Friday, October 28.


After a few exceptionally long years full of personal change and near manic levels of creative activity, Canadian musician Devin Townsend releases his follow up to 2019’s well received Empath in the form of his new release, Lightwork. Assembled from a barrage of material written during the pandemic, Lightwork (and its companion album of B-sides and demos; Nightwork) represents Devin at this stage of his life, post pandemic, and his reflections on what he (and many of us) have all gone through.


For Lightwork, Devin decided to see what would happen if he included a producer (an experiment he has been excited to attempt for some time) to help guide this selection of material. He chose long-time friend Garth “GGGarth” Richardson to help bring this idea to fruition, and through a difficult (but wonderful) process, the next Devin album have been delivered. The name Lightwork represents the music, as well as the act of creating music, as a kind of ‘light in the dark’ while trying to navigate the seemingly endless challenges that life can often present. When things seem like there’s “no way out” or that a situation becomes seemingly insurmountable, the connection to music, family, and creativity became a light in the dark that is the bedrock of this wonderful album.


Featuring artwork by frequent collaborator Travis Smith, Lightwork arrives in several editions including a Limited Deluxe Orange 3LP+2CD+Blu-ray boxset that includes both Lightwork & its companion album Nightwork on both CD & Vinyl, as well as a Blu-ray including 5.1 surround sound, album commentary & visuals, art-cards & extensive perfect-bound booklet, all contained in a lift-off lid box. There will also be a Limited 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, Limited 2CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD, Standard CD Jewelcase and Digital Album.


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Moonpeople"
"Lightworker"
"Equinox"
"Call Of The Void"
"Heartbreaker"
"Dimensions"
"Celestial Signals"
"Heavy Burden"
"Vacation"
"Children Of God"


"Call Of The Void" video:





"Moonpeople" video:





(Photo - Paul Harries)

All-star project, Feelingless, recently announced the release of the band's upcoming studio album, entitled Metal Against Animal Cruelty, which will be coming out on December 2 via Noble Demon.


Brought to life by Hugo Markaida, member of Spanish melodic death metal band Rise to Fall, Feelingless is a project to support animal rights and to give a voice to the voiceless. Featuring top notch guest appearances by the likes of Björn Strid (Soilwork), Jon Howard (Threat Signal), Christian Älvestam (Solution .45, Miseration) and Ettore Rigotti & Claudio (Disarmonia Mundi) - just to name a few - Metal Against Animal Cruelty offers eleven tracks and the proceeds raised from this release will be donated to an international animal welfare organization and to local animal shelters in Spain.


Following the release of the first single and album opener "Feelingless" (feat. Björn "Speed" Strid), the second single "Nostalgia" has been released today, featuring stellar guest appearances from Jake E (Cyhra) and Rachel Aspe of Cage Fight.




Hugo Markaida about the song: "This track is sung by Jake E of Cyhra and ex-Amaranthe and Rachel ex ETHS and currently in Cage Fight. It's a track I composed in the middle of confinement, which is partly the fault of Ola Englund (Youtuber and guitarist in The Haunted) who every week would post a drum kit for musicians to put to music and riff on his bases. It pushed me to make different music than what I usually create. The lyrics of this track talk about covid and confinement. It's a track with a brutal mix as Rachel screams and Jake provides the melodic vocals, accompanied by some brutal guitar solos from Pedro with a keyboard solo from Diego. Lawrence's drumming takes this track to another level from what I had written."





Feelingless itself was born in the middle of the pandemic, although the idea had been in the germ for a long time, as Hugo Markaida explains: "My taste for this kind of projects began when I discovered, a few years before picking up the guitar, 'The metal opera Pt. 1' by Avantasia in a local music store. An album that brought together many of my favorite heavy and power metal singers that, wrapped in a medieval fantasy concept, was for a teenager like me an object of devotion. If we jump in time to the moment when I was composing the material that would make up the fifth album of my band Rise To Fall, just moments before the pandemic, many of the ideas and compositions that I liked the most did not specifically fit to the band and, as in every album, I had to put them aside. Still thinking about that Avantasia album that impacted me when I was a teenager, to bring out a project of that magnitude myself with my favorite singers must have had a sense of importance for the person I am today. Something special that would draw attention to one of the causes I am most committed to. And, incidentally, to support it with the profits resulting from the project. Both my partner and I are animal lovers, and we live surrounded by rescued animals. That is why it seemed important to me that, at a time when the whole of humanity was suffering from a global crisis and its consequences, we could not forget the most vulnerable. Thus, I began to outline the concept of the album around the exploitation and mistreatment of animals. I was willing to work with the best and most favorite of my artists, so I started composing the songs thinking beforehand about who was going to interpret them. I told the participating artists all about the project and its charitable nature, with no profit for the artists involved in favor of associations that help animals in need. It was touching to see how my idols sympathized with the cause and joined the project selflessly."


The result is Metal Against Animal Cruelty, a diverse metal album with twenty magnificent singers and musicians supporting the good cause on eleven tracks!


The album was produced, recorded and mastered at Chromaticity Studios by Pedro J Monge. Music and lyrics by Hugo Markaida (Except Anxiety Lyrics and music by Iñigo Lopez and music in Fear & Guilt by Iñigo & Hugo and Lyrics by Hugo). Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Feelingless" feat. Björn "Speed" Strid(Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra) & Lawrence Dinamarca
"Anguish" feat. Jon Howard (Threat Signal, Imonolith) & Gavin Iedema, NeroArgento, Lawrence Dinamarca
"Peace" feat. Mikael Sehlin (Degradead, Engel) & Lawrence Dinamarca
"Love" feat. Ettore Riggoti & Claudio Ravinale (Disarmonia Mundi)
"Hope" feat. Christian Älvestam (Solution .45, Miseration)
"Nostalgia" feat. Rachel Aspe (Cage Fight, ex-Eths) & Jake E (Cyhra, ex-Amaranthe) & Lawrence Dinamarca, Diego Zapatero
"Guit" feat. Björn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra)
"Pride" feat. Daniel Heiman (Harmony, Heed, ex-Lost Horizon)
"Fear" feat. Ville Viljanen (Mors Principium Est) & Dann Hoyos (Rise To Fall, The Space Octopus)
"Rage" feat. Mikael Sehlin (Degradead & Engel) & Marios Iliopoulos (Nightrage)
"Anxiety" feat. Dalay Tarda (Rise To Fall)


"Feelingless" visualizer:





Feelingless lineup:


Hugo (Rise To Fall) - Guitars
Pedro J Monge (Vhäldemar) - Guitars
Iñigo Lopez (The Descent) - Bass
Lawrence Dinamarca - Drums

HATEBREED's Jamey Jasta has called out Bruce Dickinson for berating fans for smoking weed during an IRON MAIDEN concert.

At MAIDEN's September 21 show at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, the 64-year-old Dickinson took a few minutes to excoriate a handful of people who were allegedly smoking weed right in front of him and his bandmates while they were playing.

"I don't know what it is," the singer told the crowd, as seen in a viral video on YouTube. "There's so many fucking people smoking so much fucking dope down here, I'm amazed you can even see. Poor old Steve [Harris, MAIDEN bassist]. I don't know if you know, but he absolutely fucking hates marijuana and the smell of it, all right? So when he's trying to play bass, it fucks him up. It fucks me up. I'm a singer, all right? So duh.

"I would just ask for a tiny bit of respect," he added. "If you want to go get completely stoned out of your fucking mind, go out the back and do it. All right? Otherwise you're going to end up like this fucking knucklehead here going 'uhhhh.'"

A week later, at MAIDEN's concert at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, Dickinson similarly blasted the pot-smoking fans in the audience, saying: "The smell of the crowd. Oh, I love the smell of sweaty human fucking bodies. It's the weird shit that you smoke that fucks me up. And the bass player. We fucking hate it. Please, if you're gonna go get fucking wrecked, fucking wreck yourself out the back and then come back, all right? 'Cause we are having a fucking great time up here and I wanna enjoy every minute of it. I don't wanna do [adopts stoner drawl], 'Where the fuck am I, dude?'"

This is not the first time Bruce has called out fans for smoking marijuana at MAIDEN's concerts. Back in 2008, Dickinson shouted at a pot smoker in the crowd, saying: "Would you please put that fucking shit out?" Bruce then identified the person in the crowd and added "I really hate the stink of that," explaining that "My lungs are trying to work up here, dude."

Earlier today, Jasta, whose band toured with RISE TO REMAIN, the group once fronted by Bruce's son Austin, more than a decade ago, took to his Twitter to write the following: "Bruce Dickinson if you read this. Hi. You're a great vocalist/frontman. We took your son's band on tour. Hope you are well. Just so ya know. Lots of people like to smoke weed at outdoor concerts. WHAT DOESN'T ANNOY YOU BRO?!?! Besides flying planes? Lol you might need a puff or 2".

Dickinson has a history of publicly admonishing fans and security at MAIDEN's concerts if he feels like they are out of line. At the band's September 22 show in Anaheim, he grabbed an uninvited stage invader by the shirt and dragged him to the side where he was escorted off by the MAIDEN stage security. In July, the singer made headlines when he blasted a MAIDEN fan as a "Greek cunt" and a "fucking cocksucker" for lighting a flare during the band's concert in Athens, Greece. Back in 2019, he stopped a MAIDEN show midway through to slam a Tacoma, Washington venue for a violent and bloody incident in the crowd for which he claimed the venue's security was to blame. In 2012, Bruce called out a fan at a Indianapolis show who had been texting for three straight songs.

Prior to the kick-off concert of the 2022 leg of MAIDEN's "Legacy Of The Beast" tour on May 22 in Zagreb, Croatia, the band hadn't performed live in two and a half years — since the completion of its South American tour in October 2019.

MAIDEN is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Senjutsu", which came out in September 2021. It marks MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.
Bruce Dickinson if you read this. Hi. You’re a great vocalist/frontman. We took your son’s band on tour. Hope you are well. Just so ya know. Lots of people like to smoke weed at outdoor concerts. WHAT DOESN’T ANNOY YOU BRO?!?! Besides flying planes? lol you might need a puff or 2

— Jamey Jasta (@jameyjasta) October 24, 2022


you smokin crack? lol read the tweet bro

— Jamey Jasta (@jameyjasta) October 24, 2022

A-Z, the new band formed by Fates Warning icons Ray Alder and Mark Zonder, have released a new music video for the track, "At The Waters Edge", off of the band's self-titled, debut album that came out in August 2022.


Drummer and founding member Mark Zonder had this to say about "At The Waters Edge": "[This is] one of the earlier songs that Viv and I wrote. I always envisioned that the heavy driving part would be the chorus and the kind of reggae softer groove would be the verse. But part of the specialness of this album is that Ray did what he thought sounded best on his own without getting instruction from anyone and kind of flipped the parts around thus creating a very magical special song. The consistent theme and motto of the band is to have everyone contribute creatively with their own style."







In early 2020, famed former drummer for Fates Warning and Warlord, Mark Zonder, began working on new material with the vision of beginning a new, full-time band that would offer something different from his current catalog. The mission was to deliver straightforward, no-frills hard rock that speaks to a broader audience. The end result, which sees Zonder reunite with Fates Warning lead vocalist Ray Alder, along with bassist Philip Bynoe (Steve Vai, Warlord), guitarist Joop Wolters, and keyboardist Vivien Lalu, is A-Z.


Order the album here.





A-Z tracklisting:


"Trial By Fire"
"The Far Side Of The Horizon"
"The Machine Gunner"
"Rise Again"
"Window Panes"
"Run Away"
"Stranded"
"At The Waters Edge"
"Borrowed Time"
"Sometimes"
"The Silence Broken" (Bonus Track)


Album sampler:





"The Far Side Of The Horizon" lyric video:





"Stranded" video:





"Trial By Fire" video:





"The Machine Gunner" video:





When Mark Zonder, famed former Fates Warning and Warlord drummer, started working on material in early 2020 he had a very clear vision for the band he wanted to put together. "I was thinking beer commercials, car commercials, and Cobra Kai. I wanted to have a very accessible band that would appeal to the masses and would lead to the ability to tour larger venues and build a second and third record off the success of the first. I did not want to hear things like, 'I don't hear a single, it is too proggy, I just don't get it, let me listen to it a few more times'. I knew from myself and the others that I would recruit, it would have some sophisticated music parts but the big hook was the main priority." The result was A-Z, and while Zonder is adamant it is not a supergroup that is doing a 'one and done' record it has a stellar lineup, reuniting him with Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder, Warlord/Steve Vai/Ring of Fire bassist Philip Bynoe, guitarist Joop Wolters and keyboardist Vivien Lalu, the combination of these players stirring up a very specific kind of magic that could not be replicated.


Things came together smoothly from the start, Zonder sending drum patterns and grooves to first recruit Lalu, and he would write songs using guitar sounds so between the two of them they had basic song structures pretty quickly. Zonder knew Bynoe would jump on board as they have a long history and mutual respect and Lalu had worked with Wolters for years, recruiting him for the band. Both Wolters and Lalu brought in great musical ideas that were turned into songs. The goal was always the same: shorter songs and getting right to the chorus, no twelve-minute songs, and everyone found it easy working to this remit. With everything else coming together nicely, finding the right singer was the hardest aspect of the whole process.


"I had sent out a basic song to over 20 different singers, some popular named singers and some unknown, but completely struck out," says Zonder. "Then I just decided to call Ray as I was not sure what he was up to. I figured it could not hurt to get in touch. I do remember speaking with him back in the day and him talking about how he loved this kind of music. I sent him a track or two and he just killed it." Adds Alder, "I found this a chance to do something completely different than what I am used to, being in a prog metal band for 30 years. I find the blend of the 80s, 90s and a touch of 70s style of music very cool, and it is great to work with Mark after all of these years." Thrilled to have him on board, Zonder did not have a list of demands. "My only words to him were 'do whatever you want.' I was not going to tell him what to do. Same for all of the others guys. Yes, there has to be some editing and making decisions, but when it came to the music I just wanted everyone to do what they do best." The results are undeniable, from the high octane stomper "The Machine Gunner", to the gorgeous sway of "Rise Again" or the towering "Stranded", every track an anthem that sounds like only the biggest venues could contain them.


The band's name came courtesy of Alder - A-Z = Alder thru Zonder - and it fit straight away. "What I liked is that it did not limit what someone would think of the band. If we named the band Scary Serpent it would give a certain direction and I did not want people to prejudge the band and record," Zonder says. Likewise, self-titling the record made sense. "I did not want to give a direction idea to the audience. If we named the album Far Side of the Horizon, people would probably think 'prog band'. But if you named it The Machine Gunner, it would give a totally different direction for thought." For artwork, wanting to again get the best possible contributor, they turned to the famed Hugh Syme (Rush, Fates Warning), who delivered the vivid image of a zebra eating an apple, encompassing the band name in a sly way. "Again, hire the best people you can find and just let them do what they do. The artwork is absolutely fantastic and really fits the whole concept. He is truly the best. Just a great guy to work with."





A-Z lineup:


Ray Alder - Lead and Backing Vocals
Philip Bynoe - Bass Guitar
Vivien Lalu - Keyboards
Joop Wolters - Guitars
Mark Zonder - Drums

Swiss metal trio Rage Of Light reveals a new lineup in their metalized version of "Running Up That Hill", originally written by Kate Bush. The single features the band’s new guitarist, Simon Burri, and is accompanied by a music video inspired by Netflix heavy hitter Stranger Things.


Singer Martyna Halas comments: “I’m a huge Stranger Things fan, and Kate Bush is one of those influential artists that you can’t help but adore. I’ve always loved the iconic 'Running Up That Hill',’ so watching *that scene* in Season 4 of Stranger Things gave me instant goosebumps. I suggested to Jonathan (Pellet) and Simon (Burri) that we should create our version of this song, and I was so happy that they agreed! Music saves us from our deepest nightmares. I hope you enjoy this video as much as we enjoyed making it."







 

Canada's Sword will release their new album, III, on November 25 via Massacre Records. Pre-order the album here.


The band have released a video for the new single, "Dirty Pig". Watch below, and stream the track here.


Who is aggressive, melodic, loud and sometimes a bit rude? The Canadian metal outfit Sword. The band is back with its classic lineup, its new studio album III, and a lot of heavy metal right from the heart.







Tracklisting:


"Bad Blood"
"(I Am) In Kommand"
"Dirty Pig"
"Surfacing"
"Unleashing Hell"
"Spread The Pain"
"Took My Chances"
"Not Me, No Way"


"Dirty Pig" video:





"(I Am) In Kommand" video:

Swedish death metallers Demonical have launched the music video for "Wrathspawn", a song taken from their new album Mass Destroyer, which is out now via Agonia Records. 





Developed in less than two years, Mass Destroyer reflects the energy that spawned its creation, promising a few twists along the way. Adorned in old fashioned attire courtesy of artist Mark Riddick (Absu, Arsis), Mass Destroyer packs a gruesome punch, embodies organic sounds, and delivers a truly fiendish experience. Registered at Glashuset and Sellnoise Studios with Johan Hjelm and Jonas Arnberg behind the helm, Karl Daniel Liden mixed and mastered the album at Tri-Lamb Studio (Cult Of Luna, Bloodbath).







Tracklisting:


"We Conquer The Throne"
"Sun Blackened"
"Fallen Mountain"
"Wrathspawn"
"Dödsmarsch"
"Lifeslave"
"Cemented In Ire"
"By Hatred Bound"


"We Conquer The Throne" music video:





"Fallen Mountain" lyric video:





Last week, Demonical released a free sampler titled  In League With Death, which includes new, old, and rare material. It's available on all streaming platforms and downloadable for free on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


"Fallen Mountain" 
"Death Metal" 
"Revel In Misanthropia"
"The Order" (Live) 
"World Serpent" (Live) 


(Photo credit: Jens Ryden)


 

"The new video for 'Daylight' is dedicated to the people in our lives that make sure we see the Daylight: Our audience. The video features some of our most memorable moments from the Planet Zero World Tour over the course of 61 days. Watch now, to see the daylight. We hope you enjoy it," says Shinedown.





Shinedown first shared "Daylight" on June 1st, as an advance single and lyric video from their new album, Planet Zero, which was released on July 1st via Atlantic Records. A soaring and poignant anthem, "Daylight" offers an assurance that you are never alone. The single’s meaningful portrait of a vital human connection reflects the importance of our relationships and the people in our lives whose support and empathy help get us through to the next day.




“This is about the human condition. We’ve got to live, and we’ve got to live with one another. And that should be something that is celebrated and not tolerated. That's what ‘Daylight’ really represents. It's our humanity. It’s an understanding that we're all on this planet together, and we've got to figure out ways to take care of one another. A lot of times, it may just be asking someone 'are you okay?’ because you could potentially save someone's life just by asking. We can’t lose our empathy and courage towards each other, or our willingness to pick someone up if you see them on their knees, because there's gonna be a moment in time when you need someone to pick you up,” says Shinedown vocalist Brent Smtih.





“Daylight” is the latest addition to a catalog that has earned Shinedown recognition for their timely and relevant messages behind their chart-topping hits that resonate with not only their global audience and the rock community, but the greater public and our culture at large. With more than 6.5 billion global streams, the record for the most mainstream rock #1 hits ever, platinum or gold certification for all their albums, and major media praise, Shinedown has cemented their status as one of the most vital and forward-thinking powerhouses in music.


Planet Zero, which already spawned the band’s record-breaking 18th #1 hit with "Planet Zero", is available to order here.





"2184"
"No Sleep Tonight"
"Planet Zero"
"Welcome"
"Dysfunctional You"
"Dead Don’t Die"
"Standardized Experiences"
"America Burning"
"Do Not Panic"
"A Symptom Of Being Human"
"Hope"
"A More Utopian Future"
"Clueless And Dramatic"
"Sure Is Fun"
"Daylight"
"This Is A Warning"
"The Saints Of Violence And Innuendo"
"Army Of The Underappreciated"
"Delete"
"What You Wanted"


“The Saints Of Violence And Innuendo” lyric video:





"Planet Zero" video:





"Planet Zero" lyric video:





 

Trivium have shared footage of "Shogun" live from the Deadmen And Dragons tour, performed in front of a sold out Orlando hometown show at the House Of Blues on October 16th. The clip below was directed, filmed and edited by Black Card Films. Additional footage was filmed by Onward Productions.





Remaining tour dates are as follows:




October
25 - Toronto, ON - Rebel
26 - Montreal, QC - MTELUS
28 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
29 - New York, NY - Palladium Times Square
30 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
31 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore


November
2 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
4 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
5 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theatre
6 - Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom
8 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
9 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
10 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern

New GREAT WHITE singer Brett Carlisle spoke to Kevin McKay of the 99 Rock WKSM FM radio station about how he landed the gig after the departure of GREAT WHITE's vocalist of only four months, Andrew Freeman (LAST IN LINE). He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "From what I understand, [Andrew] was just really busy with LAST IN LINE and everything. So he is doing his thing, and I told [the GREAT WHITE guys] I'm down to help whenever."

The 25-year-old musician added: "I grew up listening to [GREAT WHITE] — I'm a huge fan — so if they want me to be the guy to do it, then I'm here for it."

Carlisle made his live debut with GREAT WHITE on September 24 at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. He also performed with the group on October 14 in Waterloo, New York.

According to Brett, he felt welcomed by his new bandmates and the GREAT WHITE fans from the get-go.

"After meeting [the GREAT WHITE guys], they're all super-cool dudes," he said. "In Vegas, we had a rehearsal the day before, and I already knew half the songs well enough to be able to do it. So I wanted to do the best that I could on 'em. But after we hung out, everybody was cool and stuff. I mean, it's a big crowd. I love big crowds; they're fun."

On Thursday (October 20),GREAT WHITE issued the following statement via social media: "Exciting GREAT WHITE News to Share. You might have noticed a new face and a new voice in some recent press clips and videos. Please welcome Brett Carlisle as the new GREAT WHITE lead singer. Brett hails from Alabama and is already showcasing a monster voice and stage presence. Many of the fans have shared their opinions – and we agree – that Brett is an amazing addition to the GREAT WHITE sound.

"You might also be asking what happened to Andrew Freeman on vocals? Andrew is fully committed to making records and touring with his band LAST IN LINE. We wish him nothing but the best of luck in all his future endeavors. While our time with Andrew was shorter than we expected, he's a wonderful, highly-respected person and a great singer.

"It's a very exciting time for GREAT WHITE. We never set out to be perfect – it's rock and roll. We're here for the music and for the fans. We will see you on the road soon – all confirmed concert dates are still happening.

"Keep rocking and thank you fans, Mark, Michael, Audie, Scott & Brett".

GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall spoke about Brett's addition to the band last week in an interview with Tulsa Music Stream. He said: "As much as we love Andrew and respect him — and I still do respect him — he's just loyal to his band [LAST IN LINE]. And with our brand, we can't really have a singer that's in multiple bands; it just doesn't work. It's not really good for our brand. It makes it hard to schedule things when somebody else is busy doing something else. So we're more into somebody that sings great, is totally dedicated, loyal to us, loves to be in the band.

"We did a show with Brett, and it was world news," Mark continued. "And I didn't even wanna do the show. We auditioned, like, three singers, just to do one show. So it's extra work; you've gotta see if somebody can pull it off. And he sounded the best. A friend of ours turned us on to him. He's in a band called ALL OR NOTHING [out of Birmingham, Alabama]; I think they do maybe covers. I don't know a lot about it. But anyways, so I didn't even wanna do the show. They talked me into it. I heard his voice. He sang on a couple of our songs, put vocals on a tape. And I go, 'Well, he sounds closer than anybody so far. So, okay.' So we went and rehearsed in Las Vegas. And I was real nervous about doing the show; I [thought], 'This could be career ending.' And sure enough, it was completely the opposite. It was world news. There was press in Italy, the U.K., Germany, the U.S.A. A lot of the online magazines that normally are just dirt-seeking and they just want to pull dirt out of everything and just kind of bag on everybody, really, even they had good things to say. So he just nailed our songs. People loved him at the gig itself; not just the press. And he's a wonderful guy. He's 25 years old, so quite a bit younger than us. But he's very humble. He really loves the idea of being in the band, and he really throws down on stage. I was really surprised about that. And he asked a lot of questions. He's just a good guy."

Kendall also addressed Freeman's recent Facebook comment that the singer "wouldn't give a fuck if" GREAT WHITE threatened to fire him over his touring commitments with LAST IN LINE. Mark said: "That's okay. I still have respect for him because of his loyalty to his band. There's gotta be something to say about that. If he made a comment that was kind of rude, I'm sure it was just to kind of save face or something. He's a great guy, and man, he can sing too. He was a joy to be around. I was really sad that he did multiple projects.

"If we were a different situation that we were used to just having random singers every gig… It's just too much work to do that, because when somebody has to cancel a show, then we've gotta audition people," Kendall added. "And we don't wanna go out there with a different singer every time. But I thought Andrew was really gonna work out, and then, all of a sudden [LAST IN LINE] get this tour. And then I don't know what's gonna happen in the future. We were really in a tough spot. And we're really happy that things worked out with Brett, 'cause he's dynamite, man."

Asked about GREAT WHITE's approach when making changes in the singer department, Mark said: "I'd like to say that we always kind of settled. People would just get the songs close, and we'd go, 'It's probably not gonna get better than that.' Then there was… I won't go into any details because I have nothing bad to say about any of [the singers we've worked with in the past], but there were some other issues, like things that today, to me, are… We're so past any kind of ego trips or whatever; we're just happy to wake up in the morning and start a new day and say, 'Woah. Everything's great.' That's good enough for us. And try to make the best music we can. But when there's some kind of a — I don't know if it's insecurity or ego or what, when there's anything drama-related, it just turns me off personally. So I'd rather just concentrate on the music, make that the most important thing, and just have fun and enjoy ourselves. And Brett really seems like he's that type; he's very enjoyable to be around. He's just at ease. He loves singing. And he sings our songs perfect; it's quite incredible. And his range is from A to Z. This guy has a full voice in every note. So it's pretty incredible to find somebody like that; they don't grow on trees."

Carlisle has been playing guitar and singing since the age of eight and counts bands like VAN HALEN, SKID ROW and METALLICA as his main influences.

This past May, GREAT WHITE announced that it had parted ways with singer Mitch Malloy and had replaced him with Freeman. Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

In June, Freeman discussed his GREAT WHITE gig during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Regarding how he approached singing the classic GREAT WHITE songs originally recorded by the band's founding vocalist Jack Russell, Freeman said: "When I'm playing with GREAT WHITE, that's their thing, and I'm just there to try to do the songs like Jack. If we do original material, great. We're talking about it.

"I wanna make that band tough again, like it was when Jack was in it," he explained. "Jack would do a show and then bust a bottle over your head off the side of the stage."

Andrew went on to say that he was a GREAT WHITE fan from the early 1980s. "I really loved the first album," he said. "I got the first album when I was young, alongside with MÖTLEY CRÜE's 'Too Fast For Love'."

In a recent interview with Dr. Music, Mark stated about Mitch's departure: "We were going in separate ways in the sense that he was always by himself; he didn't really talk to us much. He just kind of showed up… That's just not the way a band works, as far as we're concerned. He's a wonderful singer. I don't think he's used to him not being in full control of everything because he's been a solo artist for so many years. He's a sweet guy. I really liked him. I think a few of our songs are a little out of his range, so it's a little bit of a struggle. But nothing real heavy — no big, huge fights. Nothing ever came to fisticuffs, if you will. [Laughs] So it wasn't a case of that."

Asked if he and his bandmates had given any thought at all to the idea of reuniting with original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell, Mark told Dr. Music: "That's the other thing. [People say,] 'Why don't you patch things up with Jack?' What people don't understand is we never even got in fights [with Jack]. In 25 years together, we might have gotten in two arguments. The thing that took him out is the horrible demons of addiction, and it's really affected his health. I just saw a video the other day where he's not even standing — he's using wheelchairs and he's sitting in a stool. So for us to go back to that, it just feels dark. I'd rather remember him… 'Cause I'm very proud of our career — I'm very proud of the past. I'm so lucky to be a part of it. And I wanna remember it like that, where he's flying around on stage and getting the crowds pumped and singing his heart out — not a sick person. So going to that…

"My goal has always been to deliver the best show we can possibly deliver and have the fans be beyond impressed," Kendall explained. "And the way Andrew sings, I really like the way he delivers the songs, because it's what you wanna hear. So that's important to me, just to have the songs — the big songs, especially — be sung right and with full power. It just makes everything — it makes us play better, believe it or not. So that's the whole thing with me."

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features Russell alongside Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar, Dan McNay on bass, Tony Montana on guitar and Dicki Fliszar on drums.

📸 Nitainnashville Photography

Exciting Great White News to Share 📢

You might have noticed a new face and a new voice…

Posted by Great White [Band] on Thursday, October 20, 2022

Posted by Great White [Band] on Thursday, October 20, 2022

Joe Lynn Turner says that says that he has found a new sense of "freedom" following his decision to finally drop the hairpiece he has worn since the age of 14 after being diagnosed with alopecia at three years old.

The former RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE singer, who turned 71 in August, went public with his new look that same month in a series publicity images released to promote his latest solo album, "Belly Of The Beast". In a press release for the LP, Joe said that he started wearing the wig to deal with "emotional and psychological damage from cruel bullying in school."

In a new interview with WESU's syndicated "Noize In The Attic" show, Joe spoke about what it has been like finally ditching the wig after all these years. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This is an autoimmune disease, alopecia. And what that means is that your body is shocked by something — it goes into a shock. And it closed down the follicles. Although my follicles are still alive, and I can grow hair if I wanted to take these drugs, but the side effects aren't worth it. And they think that was… Back then in the '50s — I was born in '51 — they were giving babies, and they're still doing it, which I'm totally against, is inoculating babies too early. Because the blood barrier in the brain is not formed. You have to wait to at least two years before your blood barrier in your brain is formed. Therefore whatever is [injected] doesn't go into your brain and shuts off different systems. So they feel that it was probably that that shocked my body. And I was treated several times by different doctors, with steroids and whatever, and hair came back and then it left, and it came back and then it left, and I just finally gave up and said, 'Whatever.' And I started wearing the hairpiece, the wigs, when I was about 12 to 14, because I wanted to do rock and roll, and at that point it was all about hair… I was being bullied as a kid, things like that, which is a really cruel type of situation — especially kids can be very cruel when you're young. I think it really helped me become stronger, more motivated, more disciplined to achieve higher ground. Because I would always wanna be the best at whatever it was I did, and in a way, the curse was a blessing. I guess it's [German philosopher] Nietzsche [who said] — what does not destroy me makes me stronger.

"So to make a long story short, I decided with the love of my family and the support of my family and friends, they said, 'Come on, man. Just update yourself.' And I said, 'Yeah, okay. You know what? I'm gonna do it.' And now this liberation, this freedom, gives me the freedom that when I'm singing old Joe Lynn Turner songs, I put the hair on… And when I do [songs from] 'Belly Of The Beast', I'm [without the wig].

Turner added: "This is show business… [Fellow legendary singer] Glenn [Hughes] wrote me, and he said, 'Everybody wears a costume.' And I said, 'It's Shakespeare. We're all actors on a stage.' KISS has been doing it for years — with makeup and wigs, no makeup and wigs. You've got bands like SLIPKNOT and GHOST and all of these configurations… So I never thought it was a big deal. But it's funny how a medical condition like this, which you have no control over, people, even as adults, they're still making fun of you. It says a lot more about them than it does me."

Joe previously discussed his decision to stop wearing a wig in public and for some of his live shows in a September 2022 interview with the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" podcast. At the time he said: "It was an open secret. It wasn't like I was trying to fool people or ever denied it or anything. In fact, I never thought it was that important, but certain, shall we say haters, or whatever, these bigots, these bullies, they would always take a shot at me, which I always thought they were just pretty jealous, really, to be honest with you. And then it said more about them than it does me. That's not my kind of people. What about the music? That's what's important."

He continued: "I knew this was on my so-called bucket list before I was gonna leave this planet. And while we were making this record, I started to feel, 'Something has to happen.' And my partner, wife, co-manager — she's amazing — she just said, 'Now's the time, man.' And I said, 'You know, you're right.' Even though I was trepidatious about it — of course, she would know naturally I would be a little fearful, because you're putting your foot in an unknown territory — she said, 'You know what? Once you're yourself, people love you more.' And she was damn well right. Once you're yourself, people love you more, because you come out and say, 'This is me. I've got nothing to hide. I've got nothing to prove. Take your shots. Do what you've gotta do. And hey, by the way, here's the record. Now what?'"

Alopecia areata is a disease that happens when the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss. Hair follicles are the structures in skin that form hair. While hair can be lost from any part of the body, alopecia areata usually affects the head and face. Hair typically falls out in small, round patches about the size of a quarter, but in some cases, hair loss is more extensive. Most people with the disease are healthy and have no other symptoms.

Alopecia became a topic of discussion in the mainstream media in March when actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony. Will's wife, the 50-year-old actress Jade Pinkett Smith, experienced hair loss due to alopecia and has always openly shared her struggle. The confrontation took place after Rock made a joke, calling Pinkett Smith "G.I. Jane" in reference to her bald head, which she has previously explained is due to alopecia. The shocking incident saw Will storm on stage to hit Chris following the offending comment before returning to his seat and yelling "keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth" shortly before he collected his best actor gong for his role in "King Richard".

A few hours after Joe first posted his new photos on social media, fellow ex-RAINBOW singer Graham Bonnet took to his Facebook page to share one of the images and he wrote in an accompanying message: "Hi all. Graham here. I'm posting this photo of my friend Joe Lynn Turner because I was moved to tears today when I saw it.

"Joe exemplifies the meaning of rockstar. His bravery is staggering. This industry is ruthless (especially in our genre),particularly when it comes to hair. I still hear the tale about Ritchie Blackmore posting a guard at my hotel door to keep me from getting a haircut. BTW, that never happened, although he was so pissed when I did visit the barber.

"But I digress...... I don't know if Joe will see this but I want him to know how proud I am of him and how moved I was at his honesty.

"You have blazed a trail today, Joe. If you are reading this, I want you to know that I never realized what a beautiful man you were until I saw this photo."

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

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

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

Photo credit: Agata Nigrovskaya

During a new appearance on "Piers Morgan Uncensored", KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was asked if he thinks Jewish people should accept Kanye West's apology for his string of anti-Semitic comments throughout the past few weeks. The 73-year-old rocker, who is Jewish, responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you've certainly put me in an awkward position. I'm not here to speak for Jews or the Jewish people or anything, although by birth I happen to be one — in fact, an Israeli. I have no choice in the matter; that's just the luck of the draw.

"Let me state in the interest of full disclosure: Ye-slash-Kanye and I have never met; we have never e-mailed each other," Gene continued. "I have no idea what's in his mind. All I know is what the media has shown me of him. And Ye [or] Kanye sounds, from everything I've heard, it's erratic behavior, from my point of view, respectfully, he sounds really wounded, he sounds hurt, so he's lashing out. I get it.

"Let's be clear about this: African-Americans have been tortured physically, mentally, culturally for decades, centuries, but you're talking to a people who've heard this story and have been tortured mentally, physically for thousands of years; it goes back to the Bible, which our people wrote and gave to the rest of you guys. So, you have to go back in history and get a sense of what all this means. You're talking about African-Americans and Jews. Jews have done well, let's be clear, because they worked for it. But don't kid yourself — racism, anti-Semitism exists right next to each other, and we're all victims in some way or the other by the ruling establishment, whoever and whatever they are; the consensus of the public. But look back at Martin Luther King. Do a little research — Google and Schmoogle. Who's standing right beside Martin Luther King in a dangerous march in Birmingham, along with Jesse Jackson and everybody else? You've got a rabbi holding a Torah. He's right there in the front, knowing full well when he goes back up north or on East Coast, he's gonna get tortured by people who have different points of views.

"First of all, African-Americans should understand that Jews understand the torture and the racism because [we've] been there [and] continue to be there," Simmons added. "Jews are not the most popular people on the face of the planet, but there are many other peoples, races and other peoples who get racism.

"So the only piece of advice that I have, as somebody in the peanut gallery… I'm not a doctor. I'm not a physician. I don't know much about Ye or Kanye. I've heard, I've got friends who are close enough and so on… If there's medication, I respectfully urge for the gentleman to take the medication. If he's surrounded by the wrong people, get some nicer people, because the most important thing, you have to realize is, when you're a billionaire — and God bless him for that. It's the majesty, the miracle of the American capitalist system. There we go — in a country full of racism, the capitalist system allowed you to become a billionaire."

This past Monday (October 17),West appeared virtually on NewsNation's "Cuomo" show to discuss the recent stances he's gotten backlash for, purchasing conservative social media app Parler and his mental health. During the 20-minute chat, the rapper, who now goes by the mononym Ye, made more anti-Semitic comments claiming that the "Jewish underground media mafia" has it out for him and that he doesn't "believe in" the term anti-Semitic.

In response to Kanye's "Jewish underground media mafia" claim, Cuomo fired back: "Look, there is no Jewish media, cabal, mafia. That is a figment of either your imagination or a projection of a prejudice. You may have had bad business dealings with people — it's about those people. It's not about their religion or faith. And I know that you're intelligent and understand that when you target people because of their faith, other people may do so the same."

West responded bluntly: "And I don't tolerate it as a black person. What you just said was that you're trying to say that there isn't a collective — over 50 percent of the executives and CEOs in Hollywood are Jewish. You can't tell me what to do or feel."

During his October 15 appearance on the "Drink Champs" podcast, West blamed "Jewish media" and "Jewish Zionists" for numerous alleged wrongdoings, saying that "Jewish people have owned the black voice" and that "the Jewish community, especially in the music industry… they'll take us and milk us till we die."

Earlier in the month, Kanye sparked criticism for wearing a "White Lives Matter" t-shirt to the showing of his collection at Paris Fashion Week. He wore the same shirt while attending 9-year-old daughter North West's basketball game.

This past March, Simmons said Kanye could use a "good bitch slap" because he was being an "a–hole" to his then-wife Kim Kardashian and her then-boyfriend Pete Davidson.

"At a certain point, if anybody misbehaves, a good bitch slap [works]," Simmons said.

Gene noted that he thinks Kanye is "a talented guy," but added that the rapper is also "out of his mind."

"It's serious stuff. This is your wife, the mother of your children," Simmons continued. "It's not childish. There's something clinically wrong with him, as he's admitted. It's a psychological problem."

Joe Badolato, vocalist for New Jersey deathcore outfit FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, joined LAMB OF GOD on stage this past Thursday night (October 20) at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas to perform the song "Laid To Rest". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Irving was the final show of LAMB OF GOD's summer/fall 2022 North American tour, which kicked off on September 9 in Brooklyn, New York. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY provided support on the trek, which also featured KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, for the last three weeks of the run.

This past April, Badolato filled in for Blythe at LAMB OF GOD's concert in Green Bay, Wisconsin after Randy tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Blythe spoke about what he believes makes a good frontman during a recent appearance on a recent episode of "Stoke The Fire", the alternative lifestyle and culture podcast hosted by musician Jesse Leach (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE) and DJ/presenter Matt Stocks ("Life In The Stocks"). "There are guys in their closet with their YouTube rig or in their garage who can outsing either fucking one of us," Randy said, addressing Leach. "There is no doubt about it, man. They have more talent, natural talent, in their little pinky than either of us. But the difference is… I think one of the main requirements to be a frontman, a good frontman — actually, the only requirement, probably; I mean, you've gotta have some talent — is a willingness to get up in front of people and make an idiot out of yourself and be really bad for a while until you become good. And so these people with all this natural talent, it doesn't fucking matter unless you can get in front of people and do it, and you have to do it with a group of people; you have to feel that bond; you have to deliver."

Two and a half years ago, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton praised Blythe's abilities while discussing the band's appearance at the 2019 Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio. He said: "That particular Sonic Temple Festival, it was in a stadium, and Randy Blythe, who I think is the best frontman in heavy metal, made that stadium into a theater that day. I remember telling him when we walked off stage, 'Randy, you're the best in the world.' Because he took tens of dozens of thousands of people who were there, and he shrunk that whole stadium into the size of a 2,500-seat theater. That's why he's the best in the world at what he does. I will give him love all day long. He's one of my best friends and I think he's the best frontman in heavy metal. Sometimes when you have a star like that and they're 100 percent on point and the audience is willing, you can actually make that connection even in a monster arena like that."

LAMB OF GOD's latest album, "Omens", was released on October 7. LAMB OF GOD tracked the effort with longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH) live in the room together at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD, RAMONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among others.

Former Alice Cooper and current Demi Lovato guitarist Nita Strauss has dropped brand new single and accompanying music video, "The Wolf You Feed". The epic, headbanger of a track features huge, chunky, metallic riffs and the insane vocal talent of Alissa White-Gluz of ARCH ENEMY.

Nita comments: "If you look back at old interviews from the last ten years, any time I was asked about collaborating with a vocalist in the future, Alissa White-Gluz was always the first name out of my mouth. She is truly one of my favorite vocalists and performers in the industry and creating this track together was everything I hoped it would be.

"I'm very proud to release this track, especially now with everything else that's going on. This time in history, whether in politics, music, social media, or our personal lives, has been an eye-opening look into the two wolves of a lot of people out there, and maybe this song will be a reminder that we all have the ability to choose how we respond to things."

The lyrics of this song were inspired by "The Story Of The Two Wolves", a legend widely attributed to Native American storytellers. An old grandfather was teaching his grandson about life: "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil — he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued: "The other is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you–and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf will win?" The grandfather simply replied: "The one you feed."

Alissa adds: "Nita and I finally got to collaborate — something we have both wanted to do for years! 'The Wolf You Feed' is a kickass, catchy metal track with a really cool vibe. I kept the 'two wolves' analogy as a foundation throughout the song while playing up the dichotomy of the two sides of the tug of war we all have inside us. I recorded my parts in my home studio and it was an absolute pleasure to build this song with Nita. I am honored to be a part of it! Can't wait to do this again!"

"The Wolf You Feed" is the second song Nita has released featuring a star guest vocalist, the first being the enormously successful "Dead Inside" which featured guest vocals from DISTURBED's David Draiman and saw Nita become the first ever solo female to have a No. 1 hit at Active Rock radio. She also returned to her instrumental roots earlier this year with the release of single "Summer Storm", a fast-paced, emotive shred-fest. Combined, the two singles have had 3.5 million YouTube views and over 10 million streams on Spotify alone.

Nita made her live debut with Demi on July 14 with a performance of Lovato's single "Substance" on ABC's Emmy Award-winning late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!".

Strauss had been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

Back in February, Nita told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about her upcoming LP: "It's gonna be half and half — six tracks with vocalists and six tracks of instrumental [music]. We've been doing ['Dead Inside'] live on the solo tour and it's been getting a super-good reaction from our crowds."

In early December, Nita told "The Mistress Carrie Podcast" about her decision to make the upcoming LP half vocal songs and half instrumental: "I did feel, and the label and everybody agreed, it's still important for me to keep my identity as a guitar player and not just branch off too much and go, 'Okay, well, now it's just guests.' Let me still have a little of what makes me me, which is the instrumental shred stuff. And the instrumental pieces that I've written on this record are, I think, better than anything I did on the first one — definitely more… I don't know if it could be more emotional but they're very emotional pieces of music and I think a little better crafted this time around. So I think all the songs in general are more well thought out, better put together this time around. And I do have some of my absolute favorite [singers guesting on it]. I have three amazing powerhouse female vocalists on this album so far."

Nita released "Controlled Chaos" to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths".

As well as performing with Cooper, Nita has also played with R&B star Jermaine Jackson, early MTV darlings FEMME FATALE, video game supergroup CRITICAL HIT and popular tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS.

In April 2020, Nita launched "Rock Guitar Fundamentals" — a three-module online guitar teaching program suitable for learners of all levels. The course is available at www.iwanttoplayguitar.com.

During a recent appearance on the "Bibledingers" podcast, John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock group SKILLET, was asked what he would say to those who feel that SKILLET's art contains "demonic imagery." John responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't really mind… If there are people that are, like, 'That's demonic,' I don't bother with those people. I don't even mean it in a mean way. I've talked to enough of them that I know their hearts are in the right place. And funny enough, we probably would agree on 98 percent of theology and things like that. So I usually go, 'I know their hearts are in the right place. And they just don't understand it.'

"I don't wanna use one scripture out of context, so I am aware that this is not… I'm not about to win a theological argument with this passage of scripture. [But maybe it will help you] understand what I'm getting at. You know the passage of scripture that says, 'To the pure, all things are pure.' And, of course, that's said in the instance of people eating meat that were sacrificed to idols. I think of that sometimes in terms of this. There are things that we go through in life that you liked. For instance, I've always loved comic books. I don't know. I've loved Spider-Man since I was a kid; my older brother loved Spider-Man. And I just was, like, 'Oh, these comic books are… They're so cool.' It just looked so great. And it never would have crossed my mind ever that it would be idolatrous in any way. I looked at the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin never looked like an actual goblin to me; it was a comic book character. So, to me, it was make-believe; it was 'good versus evil' and it was just something that I liked.

"One time I posted a picture on my social media… I collect toys and statues, and I've got an amazing statue of Venom. Venom is a Spider-Man villain. Venom is an alien. If you didn't know who Venom was, I guess you could think he looks kind of like a demon. But it never crossed my mind that Venom looked like a demon; he was an alien. I don't know. And so [some people were] really offended. And I understand why they were offended. That never meant that to me, and I'm not trying to dishonor the Lord.

"So I think that once you get into comic books, or if you collected rock albums when we were kids and these huge vinyl albums and they had all these awesome, I would call it 'fantastical' artwork. 'Fantastical', meaning Conan The Barbarian-type artwork of other worlds. And some of it was futuristic, and some of it was more like dragons and things like that. It's almost kind of like it's a world of its own that I think a lot of people never looked at, and it never meant something pagan to them or something like that. So a lot of the times I will just that's kind of what I was raised in. It never meant anything bad to me. So when I meet people that have a problem with it, I don't mind it at all. I just say, 'Hey, I understand where you're coming from. I want to honor God with this, and I don't believe it dishonors God any more than I would believe that 'The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe' would dishonor God. And I do realize there are Christians that do think that dishonors God. But for me, I think it's a great story of good and evil.

"My ideas usually come from, what do I think…? I mean, art is supposed to be provocative. I don't wanna sin; I don't wanna dishonor God; but I like the idea of saying something 'demon defiant' that might get somebody going, 'Oh, what is that? That's kind of cool. What does that mean?' Even if you're not a Christian, that sounds kind of cool. You defy demons in your spare time? Yes, I do. So let's have a talk about what that means. And it's a great conversation starter.

"Our album covers, I would say, usually try to reflect some sort of spiritual principle. Our album 'Awake' was me wrapped up in bandages, almost like a mummy, like I'd just come out of a coma from a wreck or something, and all you can see my eyeball. And it says 'Awake'. Somebody once said it was The Illuminati, because you could see my eye, but the bandages went like this and it made a triangle. [Laughs] At the time I didn't know what The Illuminati was, so I had to look it up. And I was, like, 'No, it's not illuminati.' But it's a great conversation starter. What is this about? Well, what this means is that I was dead to sin but I have been made alive to Christ. I was dead in my trespasses, but I have been made alive through the death of Jesus Christ. It's a great conversation starter, and I think that's what great art does, in my opinion."

In various interviews over the years, Cooper has said that he "always had faith in God" and that his mother was a "Jesus fanatic." He also claimed that he was willing to put his career on the line to take a stand for Christ.

SKILLET's latest album, "Dominion", was released in January via Atlantic.

Earlier this month, Cooper spoke to the "Idleman Unplugged" podcast about the criticism he and his bandmates have faced for playing "hard music", which is often viewed by some people as demonic or anti-religious. He said: "I just love loud music. I've always loved it since I was a kid. I just related to it. It probably was playing sports. There's something about the energy of playing a competitive basketball game or running track or wrestling or getting ready for that football game — whatever it was, there was something about that energy.

"I really don't want to use scripture cavalierly, but I will throw some scriptures out there that I think they mean something to me, and maybe it's applicable, maybe it's not," he continued. "But I think about this scripture that says, 'To the pure, all things are pure.' And one of the things that that scripture, as I've understood it to mean, is that sometimes there's going to be something, it may be attached to something that's really negative for someone, but maybe it's not negative for someone else. Maybe that could be that meat that was sacrificed to idols, as we see in the scriptures, and somebody's, like, 'Hey, that's not me anymore. I gave my life to Jesus. I don't want nothing to do with that meat.' Then you may have somebody else that's a Christian that's, like, 'I didn't even know this was sacrificed to idols. I just thought it was meat, and I was thankful that God gave it to me. I didn't know anything.' Music was a little like that for me.

"I never understood the roots of rebellion in rock and roll — sex, drugs and rock and roll," Cooper added. "That didn't mean anything to me. I just liked the way it sounded, man. And I understood God created music. The Devil doesn't create stuff; he distorts, right? So the devil comes in to steal — and kill and destroy, of course. But he wants to steal something that God made that was good and he wants to mess with it and change it to where he tries to get glory. And I always felt that music glorifies God. So some of this comes from an aspect that, to me, I was pure and I didn't know anything about rebellion. And I never got ready for that basketball game and was, like, 'Man, I feel like this is making me love the Devil.' It was just loud music, and it was cool. So some of it was for that. But I will say, on a deeper level, for me, I absolutely believe music belongs to God. There's something of eternity with music. The Bible doesn't talk about music a lot. But there is something eternal. We know that the angels were singing before we were ever created. We know that music is singing and worship. We know that's gonna be for eternity — it's one of the few things we have here that in some form is going to exist before the throne for always and always and always, when time has ended. So there's something about it that belongs to God. And my aim is, 'Hey, we're not letting the Devil…' It's like that great old Christian song, 'Why should the Devil have all the good music?' Of course, that's way back in the day. But we're not gonna let the enemy steal something that God created. He may have distorted it, but we're bringing that back under the Lordship of Christ, where music and art belongs, because everything is the Lord. The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof — everything in it is his. So that's kind of the way that I view it."

Last year, Cooper was asked by the "Undaunted.Life: A Man's Podcast" what he would say to someone who says that Satan works through rock music, and thus Christians shouldn't play rock music. He responded: "I would say Satan can work through just about anything. I would say that music is created not by the Devil; [it is] created by the Lord. All things were created by God. So instead of thinking that the Devil owns a genre of music, I would say capture that music and bring it back into subjection under the lordship of Christ."

As for what he would say to someone who says it is sinful for Christians to have tattoos, Cooper said: "I understand why Christians think that, because of the Old Testament. I would say it probably takes a little bit of a longer explanation of Old Testament law and what it meant. But a short version would be there are some things in the Old Testament that were a picture of something in the New Testament. There are some things that are not pictures, like murder — we don't murder, we don't steal, so and so forth. Dietary restrictions, things like that, were a picture of something.

"Here's what God wanted: God wants to make his people set apart and holy unto his name," he continued. "And I don't think that God does that any longer from the way that we look; he does that now because of Christ's work on the cross, his resurrection, and he sanctifies us, which sets us apart from the sinner and the pagan."

According to MichaelCavacini.com, KISS played a secret show for Philip Morris International, the largest tobacco company in the world, on Saturday, October 22.

This private concert was not open to the public, and it took place at Vulcan Gas Company, a small club in downtown Austin. No more than 100 people attended the concert.

A video showing the majority of the performance can be found at MichaelCavacini.com.

Three years ago, Simmons told the "Three Sides Of The Coin" podcast that none of the KISS members smoke cigarettes. "Nobody drinks," he said. "Not because there's some kind of rule. If you wanna drink off to the side, sure, help yourself — as long as you're professional on stage. But nobody goes to the bars — there's no pub stuff. It's not part of the culture. And literally nobody in the band uses drugs. And maybe that has a lot to do with showing up on time and getting up on that stage and making the words true. 'You wanted the best' — not the second best or kind of good — 'you wanted the best. You've got the best. The hottest motherfucking band on the planet.' And the words have to mean that, or get off the stage and give — I don't know — GRETA VAN FLEET a chance."

KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour launched in 2019 and is scheduled to end sometime in 2023, 50 years after the band's formation.

In an interview, KISS frontman Paul Stanley stated about the band's live shows: "There's nothing really that can compete or come close to the combustive emotional nature of what we do on stage and the connection to the fans. That's something that's irreplaceable. That's something that there's nothing to compare it to."

Regarding KISS's decision to complete one last tour before calling it quits, Stanley said: "This is really a time of joy and for us to be up there and celebrate what we've done together. It's much better than finishing a tour, let's say, and then a year later deciding you don't want to go out and two years later you decide you don't want to go out. In that sense, you've called it quits, but this is so much better for us and better for the fans to go out there with the highest of spirits and the greatest of shows."

Speaking about the "End Of The Road" stage production, Stanley said: "The show this time really is the ultimate KISS show. With that in mind, we wanted to put together something that really raised the bar, not just for us, but as happened over the years, raises the bar for every act out there. That's a good thing because the fans win because of it. This show is more bombastic. There's more pyro. The lights are stunning. The automation involved, the computer synchronization is unlike anything we've ever done, and yet it doesn't lose, we don't wind up with something that's technical and sterile over something that's passionate and gritty. So it's a marvel, I've got to tell you. It left us speechless when we first saw the finished stage. And for us to be silent is a miracle in itself."

KISS was forced to put its farewell trek on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2021, Stanley said that the final concert of the "End Of The Road" tour will likely happen by early 2023.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but has since been extended. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Stanley and Simmons, alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS's first "farewell" tour in 2000 was the last to feature the group's original lineup.

To know that kiss was across the street last night @ Vulcan Gas Company is crazy !!!!!!!!🤘

Posted by Kewl Kris Vasquez on Sunday, October 23, 2022

Super secret KISS show at The Vulcan in Austin tonight. We made a hell of a mess. Rockin my @tonyhinchcliffe @killtonyshow TShirt!! Sorry about the confetti!!

Posted by Prairie Guitars on Saturday, October 22, 2022

KISS played at a private event at Vulcan and I got to help with load out for them :’)

Posted by Cristian Gonzalez on Sunday, October 23, 2022

In a new interview with Australia's Serpent Tongue, HALESTORM drummer Arejay Hale spoke about the physical preparation that goes into the touring and performing aspect of being in a high-energy rock band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "As a drummer, I try to think like an athlete. I try to have a very high-protein diet. I try to keep it very plant-heavy and nutrient-heavy. And that's been another factor of keeping me not only physically able to continue to do the physically taxing task of playing a 90-minute show every night behind the drums and slam wood into metal repeatedly. But it also helps my mental state, 'cause touring also can be grueling. You have every strike against you. You've got lack of sleep. You've got constantly flying from city to city. It's so easy to neglect your physical health, which then can affect your mental health.

"Just to keep myself balanced… The one thing I know I have really good control over is my diet and exercise," he continued. "I try to really make sure that I stay mobile, stay loose, stay healthy as much as possible, and I try to pass that on to my younger musicians out there.

"If you're young and you're touring, you should party; you should have fun," he clarified. "Get it out of your system, because when you hit your 30s, you're gonna have to tighten it up. [Laughs] And I get more joy out of touring knowing that I'm not getting wasted every night. I'm eating healthy. I'm exercising. I'm stretching. I'm meditating. I'm doing everything I possibly can to keep myself balanced. And it's been working. It's been keeping me maintained. And I also have the pandemic to thank for that, 'cause that was the first time I actually had time to really focus on rehabbing my body and my joints to be able to withstand the punishment I give them every night."

HALESTORM's latest studio album, "Back From The Dead", was released in May via Atlantic. The follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, MASTODON, ALICE IN CHAINS) with co-production by Scott Stevens (SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, NEW YEARS DAY).

Earlier this month, Arejay told the "Thunder Underground" podcast that he and his bandmates "kind of already have started" on a follow-up to their third covers EP, "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP", which came out in January 2017.

This past summer, HALESTORM shared rehearsal footage of its covers of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and Adele's "Hello" via social media.

In 2011, HALESTORM released the six-track "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP", which saw them take on tracks by SKID ROW, Lady Gaga, TEMPLE OF THE DOG, GUNS N' ROSES, HEART and THE BEATLES. Two years later, the "ReAniMate 2.0: The CoVeRs eP" featured covers of JUDAS PRIEST, DAFT PUNK, AC/DC, Pat Benatar, FLEETWOOD MAC and Marilyn Manson.

The aforementioned "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP" saw HALESTORM covering classic songs by WHITESNAKE, Sophie B. Hawkins, JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, TWENTY ONE PILOTS, SOUNDGARDEN and METALLICA.

Arejay and his sister Lzzy (guitar, vocals) formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

Michael Sweet says that he doesn't believe that STRYPER will get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during his lifetime.

Even though STRYPER's third album, 1986's "To Hell With The Devil", made Sweet and his bandmates the first contemporary Christian act to score a platinum album, the group was never fully embraced by the heavy metal and hard rock communities, largely because of the band's Christian lyrics. They were mocked by the mainstream media, knocked by the religious press, and even picketed by church groups.

Asked by Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com if he thinks about whether STRYPER should have a place in the Rock Hall, Sweet responded: "Well, it does cross my mind, but whenever it does, it always feels a little self-centered and — I don't know; it makes me feel a little off, like, 'Man, maybe I shouldn't be thinking that.' Egotistical, big-headed, whatever catchphrase you wanna put to that. It makes me feel, like, 'Eh, who are we to think that way?' Because there's so many other great bands [who have yet to be inducted]. But at the same time, there is something to be said for the longevity, there is something to be said for how many albums we've put out, and the fact that I really think a lot of people would agree that we're putting out our best [music] lately in recent years. And beating the odds. We're the band that many people have laughed at and mocked and said, 'Haha. Those guys will never do that. 'And we've done it. So we've kind of beaten the odds and won many battles. And I think for that reason alone, maybe [we will get inducted into the Rock Hall], justifiably so, but I doubt it will ever happen, at least while I'm alive on earth… That'd be amazing to see. I tell you, if that day ever came, I think you'd have half of the world partying about it and half of the world probably protesting. [Laughs]"

Michael previously discussed STRYPER's chances of getting into the Rock Hall in a 2019 interview with MisplacedStraws.com. At the time, he said: "Yeah, I think STRYPER deserves a place in there at some point in time just as much as any other band, as much as BON JOVI.

"See, I don't view the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame based on numbers," he explained. "That's not what, in my opinion, should get you into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. What should get you into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is longevity and legacy and quality. It has nothing to do with, 'Oh, yeah, they sold 50 million albums instead of 10, or they packed out arenas to a hundred thousand people instead of 10.' That's got nothing to do with it. At least that's my opinion.

"Do we deserve to be in there? No," he clarified. "Because we're no more special than any other band. But at the same time, flipping that coin, if this band makes it in, then STRYPER should make it in. You know what I'm saying? We've done just as much and put in just as much time and gone through the school of hard knocks just as long as any other band."

Formed 39 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil" and the band's latest effort, "The Final Battle", which came out this past Friday (October 21).

According to Arab News, Saudi melodic death metal band IMMORTAL PAIN became the first group to perform heavy metal at a large public event when it played at Comic Con Arabia on Friday (October 21).

IMMORTAL PAIN, which sings original songs in English, performed on the second day of the multi-genre pop-culture convention at the Jeddah International Exhibition And Convention Center in Jeddah.

IMMORTAL PAIN rhythm guitarist and vocalist Emad Ashoor told Arab News about the Saudi metal scene: "The heavy metal scene is huge. It's kind of an underground scene, but we have a lot of great bands around such as WASTED LAND, KAIZER, and it's still growing."

IMMORTAL PAIN drummer Moayad Al-Shammari added: "It's been quiet for a while, but now practicing music is supported by the country. IMMORTAL PAIN are actually one of the pioneers in the metal scene in Saudi Arabia, and I'm so thankful to see the growing number of bands.

He added: "It feels so welcoming. People cannot believe that we posted on social media that we are playing at Comic Con Arabia; they said it's like a dream come true."

Back in October 2019, Saudi Arabia's grindcore band CREATIVE WASTE played what is believed to have been the first public metal concert in the kingdom's history. At the time, CREATIVE WASTE frontman Fawaz Al Shawaf told Metal Injection: "Leading up to the show, people, especially bands, were skeptical for the longest time, because they existed in the old generation. A lot of them were being conservative. They were worried. No one's ready to take the risk. But, I mean, the ones who organized the show are actually basically newcomers and young. They didn't even know what grindcore or death metal was. So they weren't into extreme music, but they asked us, and I thought the idea was so crazy that I accepted it because it's a part of the change."

Earlier this year, Saudi metal artist Meshari Sangora, who goes by the name "Dusk", told Mille about the metal scene in the kingdom: "Yes, there was and still is a metal scene all over the kingdom — from bands that were formed in the late '90s to the early 2000s and even up to today. Recently, places like Syrup in Riyadh and The Music Space in Jeddah have given the opportunity for indie musicians, including metal artists like myself, to express themselves. With all the changes that are happening and the continuous engagement on social media, more people are getting exposed to the genre. Which makes me see a great future for the metal scene and metal music in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia."

Comic-Con Arabia got underway on Thursday. The event, which was described as "a must for all fans of comic books, superheroes and anime," follows the staging of Super-Con and K-Con in Saudi Arabia earlier in the year.

This coming Friday (October 21) we will be taking over the Comic Con Arabia main stage to bring Metal to the forefront...

Posted by Immortal Pain on Saturday, October 15, 2022

KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu says that he has "no problem" with the other members of the band, nearly a year and a half after he announced he would sit out KORN's ongoing tour in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits." He has since been replaced on the road by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz.

The 52-year-old musician offered an update on his health on the day that his long-running STILLWELL project — in which he is joined by vocalist/guitarist Anthony "Q-Unique" Quiles and P.O.D. drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo — released a new single, "Rock The House", the title track of STILLWELL's upcoming fourth album.

In a video message posted to his Facebook page on Friday (October 21),Fieldy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hey, I'm gonna give you an update on my life. Things are great. I'm having a blast. I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life, and I'm enjoying reaching out to you fans more and more. The support you've given me, I've gotta give it back to you guys. I've always taken my time with fans; I love you, guys. Every time I see you, I'll do a photo with you and do pictures. Don't even rush; I'll do two with you. I've always been that way. Just show my appreciation and my love to you, guys.

"Giving you an update on where I'm at in my life, I still am exactly where I was my whole life, actually," he continued. "Sometimes I don't have any bad habits; sometimes I have bad habits. But to clarify, when I made the statement about my 'bad habits,' they weren't drugs. It's just… at the end of the day — I don't condone this, but when I'm done with all my responsibilities, I have a Bud Light [beer], or as many as I want, to tell you the truth. I'm a grown man. But I know I've gotta get up at five in the morning, 'cause I'm responsible and I've got a job to do. And I've got people that love me, and I've got people that depend on me. So I'm gonna be there for them no matter what.

"I love the guys in KORN. I've known 'em since seventh grade. We have no beef; I've got no problem with those guys. You guys should support 'em. They're ripping right now. They just got off tour. They're killing it.

"I'm always gonna be Fieldy from KORN for the rest of my life, because that's part of my legacy," he added. "Those are my homies; those are my brothers, man. We're just in different places right now. We're not even mad at each other; we're all cool.

"To clarify the [bad] habits, I've never tried cocaine; I've never tried heroin. I don't do… I drink Bud Light, man. It's clear. I mean, if Bud Light wants to give us a sponsorship, I wouldn't be mad.

"I've got lots of projects. If you look on my history, you see me dressing crazy. It's not 'cause I'm losing my mind. I'm an entertainer and I'm a musician. That's just what I do. I've done it since [my pre-KORN band] L.A.P.D. I've done it since I was a kid, man. I've always dressed… I'm a clown. I've called myself a clown. I was talking to Nikki Sixx [of MÖTLEY CRÜE]. He's, like, 'I'm gonna go get ready to turn into a clown.' I'm, like, 'That's me.' [Laughs] I started laughing. I was, like, 'Man, we're a lot alike except for you O.D.-ed, like, nine times and you're still living.' And Nikki, you're looking good these days, homie. Just a shoutout to him, 'cause he sent me his book. I appreciate it. I've got a book too. I've got projects. I have FIELDY'S DREAMS. I've got a book. I've got 'Bassically', a solo bass album. STILLWELL is not new; we've been around for, like, 15 years. And speaking of projects, we've got STILLWELL 'Rock The House' video that just dropped today, if you wanna check it out… It's our second single. The first one is already out. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

"Again, thank you for your support. I love you. Fieldy. KORN."

When Fieldy broke the news of his absence from KORN's summer 2021 trek, he wrote in a social media update: "To all KORN fans worldwide. The past 6 years I've been dealing with some personal issues that at times have caused me to fall back on some of my bad habits and has caused some tension with the people around me. It's been suggested to me to take some time off to heal. I'm going to respect what was asked of me and take that time. Unfortunately you will not see me on stage with my band. I will be working towards getting the bad habits out of my system. In the meantime I will be staying creative to keep my mind & soul in a good place.

"I'm thankful for all of your support, patience & understanding as we all have something that we deal with.

"Jonathan, Munky, Ray and Head, I love you and I don't want to bring any tension or bad vibes to the circle."

A short time later, KORN's official social media shared Fieldy's statement, along with the following message: "We love and support our brother, Fieldy. Health and family always comes first."

During a press conference at this year's Hellfest in Clisson, France, KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer was asked about Fieldy's current status. He said: "[Fieldy] needed a little time at home with his family to kind of regroup. We decided we were gonna make a record during the pandemic and use that time constructively. And once the pandemic was over and we were ready to go back on the road, he wasn't quite ready to do that yet. So the rest of us were anxious to get back in front of our fans and play for everybody."

Earlier in June, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch told Kerrang! Radio that he had "been in contact" with Fieldy. "I just e-mailed him the other day," he said. "So we're gonna get together and talk to him, see how he's doing, see where his head is at, after this tour. Me and Munk were just talking about it. We love him, we've been in communication with him, and we'll see."

KORN drummer Ray Luzier told Germany's MoreCore that Fieldy is "doing good. He's our brother. We love him. We support him 110 percent," he said. "Bands are like marriages. Sometimes you need to step away a little bit to look at the picture and see what's going on with your individual life, and I think that's where we're all at now with Reggie. He's such a great dude and he's one of my best buds, so we support him in everything he does. No one has a crystal ball — I don't know what's gonna happen in the future — but we definitely miss him out here."

According to Luzier, Díaz is "doing a great job. He's doing a hell of a job. But there's a sound about Fieldy that isKORN," he said. "There's that signature thing that not many bass players can say that. Just that sound — you pop a KORN album on, and you're, like, 'Woah.' That bass, you take that out and it wouldn't sound normal, because Munky and Head [Brian Welch] don't sound normal, and neither does Jon [singer Jonathan Davis]. But that bass, man, it's just leading a lot of those older records."

This past February, Welch told Spotlight Report that Fieldy was "just taking a little time to be with his family. He is a great dad," Welch said. "He has so many kids. He has adult kids, teenagers and young kids. He is just taking time, and we are giving him the time. We want everyone to be healthy and happy.

"I guess we will go and tour this record," Head continued, referencing KORN's recently released album "Requiem". "I don't know a lot more other than that. We love him very much and we hope to communicate with him during the year at some stage, to see where everyone is at."

Welch previously addressed Fieldy's position in KORN during a November 2021 interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine. At the time, he stated: "The best thing to do is stay at home, be with your family, and start processing. He's got to find that healing. I still struggle with it. I had a few slip-ups with my 'bad habits' three to four years ago, so I understand it, but I dealt with it by hitting it head-on and stopping it from becoming a problem. I'm not concerned because I know he's going to be okay."

Davis expressed a more worried outlook on Fieldy's predicament, saying: "I love him; he's my brother. But I watched somebody I care about die and I'm not going to fucking do that again. I refuse to. I will feel guilt for the rest of my fucking life because of that. I tried my hardest but perhaps if I'd been a little bit tougher there'd have been a different outcome. I pray that he can figure it out and get better and come back and be a huge part of this band again."

Despite the fact that he is not joining his KORN bandmates on their current tour, Fieldy did play on "Requiem".

Earlier in November 2021, Shaffer told "Loudwire Nights" host Toni Gonzalez about Fieldy: "Right now he's just taking some time to kinda figure out what makes him happy and figure out his happiness and what he wants to do with his life, I guess is the best way to put it. And make sure his mental health is at its best, because if your mental health isn't good, or you're not clear, you're gonna make bad choices.

"I make an example," he continued. "I had my own challenges through the years, and once you get clarity, your life becomes a lot easier to manage. We're just giving him time to, like, no pressure, just figure out what you want to do because we can still work and we can still go out and tour. But we miss him. We love the guy, and we want him to just be healthy."

Regarding how KORN ended up recruiting Díaz to fill in for Fieldy, Welch told 97.9 GRD: "Well, there's COVID and everything, so when we started talking about it, it was a thing where we wanted to be careful still and whatnot. So we just started brainstorming and hitting up friends and whatnot. We need the slap — we need the slap bass, we need the finger playing, we need someone, 'cause Fieldy is unique — very unique. So it just kind of happened that way, man, where Ra, he was open because SUICIDAL [was] not going out [on tour] until [the following] year. So it just worked out, man. He came down, we jammed. He's a really humble guy, and just very talented. He can play anything — from jazz to slap to anything. He played all the songs with, like, three mistakes out of 10 songs or something — little mistakes. I mean, not even mistakes — it was just, like, 'I thought I heard it that way.' They weren't even mistakes. So we were, like, 'Okay. You got it down.'"



Lil update. Just checking in.
Thanks for watching and thanks for watching the new STILLWELL vid “Rock the House”
👊🏽❤️

Posted by Fieldy on Friday, October 21, 2022