Kings Of Mercia, the new group formed by acclaimed rock/metal guitarist Jim Matheos (Fates Warning, Arch/Matheos) and powerhouse rock vocalist Steve Overland (FM) have released a guitar playthrough video for "Set The World On Fire", from their self-titled debut album, out now via Metal Blade Records. Watch below:





Accompanying the duo on debut release are Matheos' Fates Warning bandmate Joey Vera on bass, and legendary drummer Simon Philips.




The album is available on CD, LP, and digital formats. Order here, and find a full audio stream below.





Tracklisting:


"Wrecking Ball"
"Humankind"
"Sweet Revenge"
"Set The World On Fire"
"Too Far Gone"
"Liberate Me"
"Nowhere Man"
"Everyday Angels"
"Is It Right?"
"Your Life"


Album stream:





"Humankind" video:





"Liberate Me" video:





"Wrecking Ball" visualizer:





Best known as the founding guitarist for Fates Warning, but with countless other projects under his belt - including Arch / Matheos and most recently Tuesday The Sky - Jim Matheos is incapable of stifling his creativity. In early 2021, he started working on the songs that would become Kings Of Mercia's self-titled debut album, bringing his distinct style yet doing something a little different. "I started writing without any real idea of what direction I wanted to go in or what I was going to do with the material. The first few songs came together quickly and were a bit more straightforward than I'm used to, and I really liked that idea, kind of going back to my early heavy/hard rock roots." Not having any pre-conceived ideas of what the record should or would end up sounding like, at least early on, certainly helped, "as did the fact that it's our first record, so there was nothing to measure it against or expectations to live up to, even if only in my own head."


Churning out songs, Matheos' next concern was to find the musicians who would help him realize the material, and his first priority was a vocalist. It was his friend Jeff Wagner who suggested FM's Steve Overland, and another friend, rock journalist Dave Ling, who put them in touch with each other. "Jim had asked Dave for my contact details, we talked about his idea for mixing the two styles, his heavier background, with my melodic/bluesier direction," says Overland. "We decided to try a collaboration on one song and see how it worked, we came up with the track "Humankind", and we both loved it." Having already settled on this hard rock direction, it was only once Matheos got the first couple of songs back from Overland that it became all the way clear of the shape the record would take, with the vocalist sending over his parts every few weeks, everything gradually coming together.


Behind the kit for the record is the legendary Simon Phillips (ex-Toto, Derek Sherinian), one of Matheos' favorite drummers. "I decided to contact him on a whim, not really expecting that he'd be available or interested in this project. But, to my surprise, he liked the music and was able to fit some recording into his schedule. It's an honor to share a credit with him and I couldn't be happier with what he added to the record." Rounding out the group is bassist Joey Vera - Matheos' Fates Warning bandmate - who brings his trademark style and professionalism to the table. "My old friend and co-worker Joey Vera was a natural choice for bass. Not only did I know he would deliver performance-wise, but it was nice to have a familiar face among the new personalities." With these players involved it was an easy, stress-free process throughout, making music for the love of it, and coming up with something that sounds familiar yet new, expanding the repertoire of all involved. This means songs like the half-acoustic ballad, half-swaggering "Too Far Gone" or the beautiful "Everyday Angels", and the soaring "Wrecking Ball", which opens the record on a high note, all brought to life in dynamic style.


Lineup:


Jim Matheos - Guitars
Steve Overland - Vocals
Joey Vera - Bass
Simon Phillips - Drums


(Photo - Jeremy Saffer/Scott Towns)

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons is the featured guest on "Howie Mandel Does Stuff", the podcast co-hosted by the comedian and his daughter Jackelyn Shultz. You can now watch video of Gene's appearance below.

Simmons, who was born as Chaim Witz in August 1949, at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel, to Jewish immigrants from Hungary, was asked if he ever experienced any of the anti-Semitism that his bandmate Paul Stanley, a fellow Jew, wrote about in his 2014 memoir, "Face The Music: A Life Exposed". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "A little bit. It's not like being black or Hispanic, because sometimes you can hide behind, 'Oh, I'm Italian' or 'I'm Greek'; Jews have that ability. But basically… I was born Chaim Witz, and I understood that that didn't work — I did. I realized for myself that in order to succeed, I've gotta be a chameleon of sorts. Basically, dress British, think Yiddish. Yeah, you're Jewish. That's fine. Shut the fuck up. Nobody's interested.

"For a long time, I never talked about [my family's Jewish origins] because it wasn't the point," he explained. "I'm sharing the planet with everybody else, and all the differences we think we have with each other, when that first alien comes down, they won't have a clue what you're talking about. 'I'm from Serbia.' 'Oh, yeah. Well, I'm from Zimbabwe.' And the alien says, 'Yeah. So? You're all Terrans,' like from Terra Firma. 'You're all Terrans.' Well, and then you die. That's all there is."

In "Face The Music: A Life Exposed", Stanley accused fellow original KISS members Ace Frehley (guitar) and Peter Criss (drums) of anti-Semitism. Paul wrote in the book that Frehley owned a collection of Nazi memorabilia, and that some of his earliest memories of Criss involved the drummer racially mocking waiters at Chinese restaurants. Furthermore, Stanley claimed that Frehley and Criss resented him and Simmons for controlling the band's creative output — which Stanley says stemmed from the fact that Frehley and Criss's songwriting contributions "just didn't amount to much."

"Ace and particularly Peter felt powerless and impotent when faced with the tireless focus, drive and ambition of me and Gene," Stanley wrote. "As a result, the two of them tried to sabotage the band — which, as they saw it, was unfairly manipulated by [us] money-grubbing Jews."

Stanley later reiterated to the New York Post that he did in fact believe that Frehley and Criss are anti-Semitic.

"Yes, I do," Paul said. "It's based on years and years of interactions. It's not pulled out of thin air."

Eight years ago, Stanley was asked by Artisan News if his words in the book were taken out of context by news outlets in reference to Frehley and Criss being anti-Semites. Stanley replied: "Unfortunately, I can't say it's taken out of context."

He continued: "It's very clear that there are a lot of people who are anti-Semites. There are a lot of people who, underneath the surface, have a resentment towards the resiliency or the determination of Jews.

"If you wanna hang your inadequacies or your failures on somebody, it seems that, 'Hey, it's his fault.'

"So, no, I stand behind what I said and I have no agenda and I'm not saying anything to be vindictive, I'm not saying anything to be malicious. I'm just stating the facts."

Criss has denied that he is a raging anti-Semite, telling TMZ.com that he supports all religions and that his favorite aunt was Jewish.

Speaking to VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner, Frehley stated about Stanley's claims: "We say good things about each other and we say bad things about each other [in our memoirs], but it is what it is. It's rock and roll. I mean, if all we did was pat each other on the back for every book, people would say, 'That's a boring book.' They want to hear the dirt. I've got plenty of dirt."

During an appearance on an April 2014 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Frehley responded directly to Stanley's allegations, saying: "They can't call me a drunk or a drug addict anymore, so they're grasping at straws. I mean, Jesus Christ! My fiancée is Jewish. How can I be anti-Semitic? Is he out of his mind. [Laughs] [I've spent] 40 years in the music business [and] I've worked alongside Jewish people my whole life. And I'm anti-Semitic? It's ridiculous. I think he's trying to sell his book, and it's a pretty sad commentary if he has to resort to verbal slurs and innuendo. It's ridiculous."

Helsinki’s longest serving gothic rock vampires, The 69 Eyes, are unstoppable at the moment and have returned with yet another new song, “Gotta Rock”, the first to come off their upcoming, as-yet-untitled new full-length slated to drop in early 2023.


“Gotta Rock” lives up to its name. The 69 Eyes version of the track initially premiered on Vain Elämää, the biggest Finnish TV primetime show, in which you could watch singer Jyrki 69 staying in a castle with seven other artists who performed each other's songs during their time together. “Gotta Rock” is a cover from the famous Finnish hard rock band Boycott that released the rock anthem in the late ‘80s.


For this remake, The 69 Eyes received some famous help, as Jyrki 69 explains, "The Finnish classic rock band Boycott was one of our favorites in the ‘80s when we [started] The 69 Eyes. Due to the Finnish music TV program that I was recently featured in, we finally had a reason to make our own, more gothic rock sounding cover of Boycott’s ultimate classic smash hit 'Gotta Rock.' Die Krupps’ Jürgen Engler helped us to arrange it into this darkened mode!"




Stream or download The 69 Eyes’ rendition of Boycott's "Gotta Rock" here, and below.





Lineup:


Jyrki 69 – vocals
Bazie – guitars
Timo Timo – guitars
Archzie – bass
Jussi 69 – drums


(Photo - Marek Sabogal)

New SKID ROW vocalist Erik Grönwall spoke to The Rock N' Roll & Coffee Show about how he has been accepted by the band's fans since he joined the group earlier this year as the replacement for ZP Theart. He said: "There's so many different types of fans. I've realized that… 'Cause when we did the show in California, [some] people came up to me after the show, and they were, like, 'Sebastian [Bach], you've still got it.' [Laughs] Yeah, that happened. Then you have the fans who still think that Sebastian is in the band, and then you have the fans who know the whole story."

Erik, who made his recording debut with SKID ROW on the just-released new studio album, "The Gang's All Here", went on to say that he isn't bothered by the fact that some fans are still clamoring for a reunion of the band's classic lineup.

"I understand the fan perspective of wanting the original lineup — I understand that — because I'm a Bon Scott guy myself," he explained, referencing AC/DC's late singer. "But I think that people are really excited about this new album, and I feel like even the people who want the original lineup are actually starting to approve."

He added: "When I joined this band, I realized that it's such a privilege to have people so interested in the band, talking about the band, discussing everything. A lot of bands would kill for that, and that's a privilege. You have all these people talking about SKID ROW and they like that singer or they like that song or they like that era, and that's just incredible, having people so excited about it or hating it. [Laughs]"

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT singer Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by Theart, the South African-born, British-based singer who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

"The Gang's All Here" arrived on October 14 via earMUSIC. The group recorded most of the LP in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

Grönwall, who auditioned for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of SKID ROW's "18 And Life", joined SKID ROW in January. Theart, who had been in the group for more than six years, played his final gig with SKID ROW in February before being officially given the boot.

Grönwall was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. with whom he recorded four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020) — before exiting the group in October 2020.

In September 2021, Grönwall announced that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant. "Some anonymous wonderful human being somewhere in the world donated his/her blood cells so that I could get a second chance at life," he told Headbangers Lifestyle in January. "Sometimes I can just get tears in my eyes when I think about it. It's so beautiful that one person who is not connected to me in any way wanted to do that for me. He/she doesn't know that the blood cells were for me. It's completely anonymous."

In September 2021, Grönwall released his cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

Genesis Publications has announced the official pre-order for the first-ever anthology of DEF LEPPARD, "Definitely: The Official Story Of Def Leppard", which begins today (Tuesday, October 18),with a worldwide release date forthcoming in spring 2023. Part memoir, part scrapbook, "Definitely: The Official Story Of Def Leppard" is the ultimate record of DEF LEPPARD's legendary career. It will be made available as both a hardback bookstore version as well as signed, limited collector and deluxe edition.

The wide-ranging account from the band chronicles DEF LEPPARD's incredible story through hundreds of photographs where fans can reminiscence on the band recording in various studios, at promo shoots, on tour in planes, trains, cars and Holiday Inns, backstage and, of course, doing what they are best known for — performing their explosive live shows in front of global audiences from 1978 to the present day. From extensive new text contributions to in-depth archival interviews, every member's voice is present within the book, including Joe Elliott (lead vocals),Rick Savage (bass and vocals),Rick Allen (drums),Phil Collen (guitar and vocals),Vivian Campbell (guitar and vocals),Tony Kenning (drums),Pete Willis (guitar) and Steve Clark (guitar).

With unlimited access to the DEF LEPPARD vault, "Definitely" presents over 1,300 items of memorabilia and photography, spanning four decades of the band's history such as handwritten correspondence, rare vinyl pressings, tour memorabilia, set lists, lyrics, stage clothing, music video storyboards, draft album artwork and press cuttings, including many from the band's early days presented in a wallpaper sample scrapbook compiled by Joe Elliott's mother, Cindy Elliott. Photographs from band members' personal archives and fans across the world are featured alongside those taken by renowned rock photographers such as Ross Halfin, Mick Rock and Anton Corbijn.

For more information on the pre-order and updates on the 2023 release dates, fans can visit defleppardbook.com.

Genesis Publications was founded in 1974 in Britain as an independent publishing house true to the arts of printing and craftsmanship. Today, Genesis creates some of the world's most sought-after books for readers in 90 countries.

With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious diamond awards in the U.S., 2019 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees DEF LEPPARD — Joe Elliott (vocals),Phil Collen (guitar),Rick Savage (bass),Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) — continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group's spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading DEF LEPPARD to be heralded as the world's greatest live rock band.

DEF LEPPARD's influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albums — including two of the best-selling albums of all time, "Pyromania" and "Hysteria", capturing the group's legendary tracks, bringing together classic LEPPARD hits such as "Rock Of Ages", "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Foolin'". For the first time, in January 2018 DEF LEPPARD debuted their full recording catalogue worldwide via streaming and download platforms. As they did with the original release of their records, DEF LEPPARD dominated the worldwide charts again, which found their albums charting in the iTunes Top 10 in more than 30 countries, including "Hysteria" at No. 3 in the U.S., and No. 5 in the U.K. (36 years after the album had charted at No. 1 in the Billboard charts). DEF LEPPARD also had the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 records on the U.S. catalog albums chart. The band have gone on to amass a staggering 5.5 billion streams since 2018, reaching a younger 18-44 demographic that now represents 58% of their fanbase. Additionally, the band have garnered an impressive 15 million followers across their social media platforms.

In May 2022, DEF LEPPARD released their twelfth studio album, "Diamond Star Halos". The LP debuted at No. 1 on the Apple and Amazon Music charts. The album also scored a Top 10 debut on North America's Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, marking the band's eighth Top 10 album of their career, and garnered a No. 1 debut on Billboard's Hard Rock chart. "Diamond Star Halos" had numerous Top 10 chart entries globally including a Top 5 debut in the U.K.

Following the close of their historic 2018 co-headline stadium and arena run in North America, DEF LEPPARD sold in excess of a million tickets and the tour grossed over $100 million, a massive feat in today's touring world. DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE topped that number yet again with another sold-out North American stadium run in 2022, selling over 1.3 million tickets which grossed a staggering $173.5 million. As always, the group keep pushing the boundaries with their electrifying live shows.

The life-size replica of a Spitfire combat plane which IRON MAIDEN has been using as part of its live show during the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour malfunctioned during the band's concert last night (Monday, October 17) in Worcester, Massachusetts.

During "Aces High", the closing song of MAIDEN's set at the DCU Center, the Spitfire was supposed to buzz the stage while singer Bruce Dickinson and his bandmates performed the classic track from their fifth studio album, "1984's "Powerslave". However, the plane appeared to have gotten stuck while making its way to the front of the stage, forcing some of the MAIDEN roadies to frantically scramble to resolve the issue before removing the plane from the stage altogether. At one point, Dickinson could be seen looking back at the plane as it was being lowered behind the stage, apparently unsure what had just happened.

IRON MAIDEN's Spitfire plane, complete with propellers that turn, is a 90-percent-sized replica of an actual Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb registration number AA 853 from 302 Squadron that saw active duty in 1941.

Dickinson, who is also a warplanes enthusiast and a qualified pilot, previously stated about the plane: "We would have made it actual size, but we had to cut it down by 10 percent to fit on some of the festival stages. Otherwise, it's an exact replica of arguably the greatest plane design ever — in fact, one of the best-designed machines ever."

Four years ago, Bruce told the Daily Mail that he wanted to get the details about the real plane MAIDEN's Spitfire was based on to avoid coming under fire from plane-spotters and military historians.

"Being a bit of an aviation geek, I said, 'Okay, is this is a Battle Of Britain Spitfire?' They said, 'What do you mean?' I said, 'Well, it's got 20mm cannons and they didn't fit those on Spits until later, so where is this Spitfire from? They said, 'Does that matter?' I said, 'Yes, it does matter. If we're going to put a Spitfire up there, I want to know the real backstory.

"They had pulled it off the Internet where it was available as a 3-D model. I know people who are into war planes and to put something up unthinkingly and go, 'Well, it's just a Spitfire,' is not good enough."

Dickinson and MAIDEN's management researched the real plane at the archives of the Royal Air Force Museum in London and discovered it saw most of its service with the RAF’s 302 Squadron, which was comprised of Polish pilots. Many Polish airmen made their way to Britain after Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939.

IRON MAIDEN is currently in North America in the final stages of its spectacular "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour, interrupted for two years by COVID-19, with many shows rescheduled twice. The tour actually started in Tallin, Estonia in May 2018, the first of 139 shows in 33 countries. By the last show in Tampa, Florida on October 27, this year the band will have played to over three million fans on this epic world tour.

SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor performed a solo headlining show last night (Monday, October 17) at the Palladium theater in London, England.

Taylor delivered a 20-song setlist in front of 2,000-strong crowd, with thousands more fans watching online via a very special livestream event, "Half Sold Out: CMFT Live At The Palladium".

The sold-out concert, also featuring the dance troupe THE CHERRY BOMBS, led by Corey's wife Alicia, was a benefit event for The Taylor Foundation, Corey's charity that supports and uplifts military veterans, emergency personnel and their families, living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The intimate and special evening was the first date of Corey's first-ever U.K. solo band tour, which also includes sold-out shows in Manchester, Hull and Swansea.

Produced by Driift, Corey's London is available to watch "on demand" for another 48 hours.

Taylor's setlist was as follows:

01. Love Song (THE DAMNED cover)
02. HWY 666
03. Meine Lux
04. Halfway Down
05. Tired (STONE SOUR song)
06. All This And More (DEAD BOYS cover)
07. Samantha's Gone
08. Silverfish
09. Lunatic Fringe (RED RIDER cover)
10. Song #3 (STONE SOUR song)
11. SpongeBob SquarePants Theme (PAINTY THE PIRATE & KIDS cover)
12. Snuff (SLIPKNOT song)
13. Fabuless (STONE SOUR song)
14. Absolute Zero (STONE SOUR song)
15. Wait And Bleed (SLIPKNOT song)
16. Black Eyes Blue
17. Bother (STONE SOUR song)
18. Through Glass (STONE SOUR song)

Encore:

19. On The Dark Side (JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND cover)
20. CMFT Must Be Stopped / Watchin' You (KISS cover)

During an appearance on the August 30 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Taylor revealed that he will enter the studio in January and February 2023 to record his second solo album. "We're gonna go in and bang it out and get it ready," he said. "And then once I'm done touring with SLIPKNOT, I'm gonna throw together a really rad, 'rock is back' kind of tour for the solo stuff and start bringing out some of the younger — maybe not even some of the younger rock bands, but just some of the bands that don't get the chance or just don't get the looks that are afforded to either pop bands and hip-hop bands or people like me who are kind of grandfathered in. So I'm gonna try and really kind of fly the rock flag and give some opportunities to some of the younger bands and maybe even just the mid-level bands that just haven't had a shot. 'Cause there's so many great bands out there."

Taylor went on to confirm that all the material has already been written for his follow-up to 2020's "CMFT". "It's about 15 songs," he said. "And it's one of those cool things where some of it's older stuff that I've written over the years. There's actually a couple of songs that some of the fans know because I debuted them live when I was doing the JBKB [COREY TAYOR & THE JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND] thing. So there's a song like 'Beyond' and a song like 'Breath Of Fresh Smoke' — both of those songs are getting recorded and released finally after… God, how many goddamn years would it be? Probably about 14 years, 16 years. But then a bunch of newer stuff. And there's definitely a darker edge to it. It's still very melodic, but I'm definitely starting to kind of bring together the things that I'm known for. And it's less an homage of the stuff that I grew up on and more of what people are used to hearing from me — but still a solo album. So there's still great rock and roll on it. There's some heavier stuff, but there's some really great slower stuff. It's gonna be really rad."

This past February, Corey released a solo album of covers and acoustic recordings, titled "CMFB…Sides", via Roadrunner Records. The collection comprised nine previously unreleased B-sides, covers of tunes that inspired Taylor, acoustic renditions, and live versions.

"CMFT" made impressive debuts on charts around the world, entering at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Hard Rock Albums chart, while claiming No. 2 on Current Rock Albums, No. 6 on Vinyl Albums, and No. 9 on the Top Albums charts. Furthermore, "CMFT" landed Top 10 on the official album charts in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, with Top 20 debuts in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan (international chart).

"CMFT" was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston and Christian Martucci (guitar),Zach Throne (guitar),Jason Christopher (bass),and Dustin Schoenhofer (drums).

"CMFT" had been a long time coming for Taylor, with newly written tracks alongside some dating back to his teens. The album was highlighted by the singles "Culture Head", "HWY 666", "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (featuring Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie),and the Active Rock radio hit "Black Eyes Blue". Taylor also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Songwriters chart following the unprecedented debut of "Black Eyes Blue" and "CMFT Must Be Stopped".

Last year, Taylor made history as he reached No. 1 at Active Rock Radio with his powerful single "Black Eyes Blue". The achievement put Taylor in a class all his own, making him the first artist in the history of the format to reach No. 1 with three separate projects, following chart-topping efforts from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR.

Featured in Rolling Stone's "Fall Album Preview 2020," "CMFT" garnered widespread critical applause, with Forbes affirming, "Corey Taylor's singing is undeniably the best it's ever been. From SLIPKNOT's last album to his new solo material, Taylor is easily among the best-sounding rock singers alive." Kerrang! raved, "Corey Taylor certainly couldn't have predicted how important a sense of uninhibited joy would be on his debut solo effort, it's just what 2020 needs — and, even more importantly, exactly what he delivers." The Daily Beast attested, "'CMFT' finds the singer broadening his horizons and showing off his considerable versatility," while Stereogum noted, "Corey Taylor's lived several lives in the span that it takes most of us to push through just one, and it's clear that he cherishes every experience he's had so far." New York magazine added that "CMFT" "bridges his vast tastes and influences, dabbling in punk rock, metal, reflective acoustic tunes, plaintive piano ballads, and hip-hop, with Taylor's power-house vocals and introspective lyrics acting as a guide."

DOPE leader Edsel Dope, who is widely believed to be Xer0, the masked frontman of STATIC-X, spoke to the "Battleline Podcast" about what it has been like to have spent much of the last three years performing and touring alongside bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When Wayne [Static, STATIC-X frontman] passed away, let's just say that he wasn't on top. Let's just say that when me and him were playing those little club shows, he was struggling. And the fans knew it. And that's why he was playing to small crowds; people, in a lot of ways, had sort of checked out. But after us bringing STATIC-X back and doing that 20-year-anniversary memorial to Wayne Static and making [2020's] 'Project Regeneration' and releasing that album to people, I believe that he's on the minds and in the hearts of the fans more than he's ever been, and he's a legend in a different way. He went out not in the best, but we brought him back and we propped him up and made people remember him for the best of him, which was the work that he did in that nine years of STATIC-X. And then what he left behind for us to then help finish and to go out across the world and celebrate with his spirit and the fans and his family and the original 'Wisconsin Death Trip' band, it's pretty remarkable to think, like, if you were Wayne looking down and going, like, 'Dude, you mean to tell me that I died and three years later, my original band got back together, went on tour, didn't try to replace me with some new singer, didn't try to move on from me, but instead found a way to represent me and keep me involved in it and make the fans celebrate my legacy and remember Wayne Static.' While remembering STATIC-X, of course, because no one person was bigger than STATIC-X; it was an amazing recipe that four guys made, but we all recognize that Wayne was the engine of it. But if he was looking down at that, dude, you couldn't do anything except for be absolutely blown away and honored by the amount of love and admiration and the amount of work that myself and the band and his family put into orchestrating all that. And if you saw those shows, or even if you just find them online, the amount of production and time and money that was invested… Anybody saying, 'Oh, look at these guys with their cash grab,' it's, like, 'Bro, you wanna see the fucking bill from production and from touring?' This was not a bunch of guys going, 'Oh, we found our way to get to the top financially.' No. This was a way for us to go out and do something really fucking cool creatively, artistically that came from all the right places in our hearts. And I, as a huge STATIC-X fan, am grateful that it took place because I miss the band and I know the fans miss the band. And now STATIC-X is on tour with ROB fucking ZOMBIE and MUDVAYNE playing to 20 thousand people a night — right where they would be if Wayne was still here. And that's all you need to say. The music was bigger than everything else; the connection that the band had was bigger than anything else. And I think we found a very unique way to allow STATIC-X to continue to live while not making an attempt to move it into the future and exist on the future without Wayne. It's more about that it's a legacy act, and it always will be. And it's just a very creative way to allow the band to continue to be part of those big, cool experiences."

Back in October 2019, a photo was posted online clearly showing that Dope and Xer0 shared the same neck tattoo. However, Edsel later posted a lengthy statement on his band's Facebook page attempting to quash the rumors, implying Xer0's distinctive body ink was in fact a Photoshop job. Dope even provided a photograph of himself supposedly observing a STATIC-X performance sidestage to prove he and Xer0 were not the same person.

STATIC-X's recent tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of the band's platinum-certified "Wisconsin Death Trip" album and paid homage to Static, who died eight years ago.

Two years ago, Campos discussed STATIC-X's comeback during an appearance on "The SDR Show". Speaking about how the idea of Xer0 wearing a mask in the likeness of Static came about, Tony said: "When we were trying to figure out how we were gonna do this live, the first thing that came up was the hologram thing, and that got shot down pretty quick.

"The thing about the band for us was the energy and the vibe that we all got from the interaction the four of us had on stage, and you just don't get that with a hologram. So that got chucked out the window pretty quickly. So we figured out it had to be somebody. Once we found Xer0 and saw and heard that he could do the job, we were, like, 'Cool. How do we present this in a cool way that doesn't make it about…?' 'Cause we didn't wanna come out and, like, 'Hey, here's STATIC-X with their new singer.' That's not what we were trying to do. It was about remembering Wayne and remembering the good times we had back in the early days and remembering the fun we all had together 20 years ago touring on 'Wisconsin Death Trip'. And so we really wanted to keep the focus on that and not on the new singer. So the idea of a mask came."

Campos continued: "Initially, we came up with a helmet that looked like the robot from the 'Push It' video and even shot some video footage of Xer0 wearing that, and it looked great. Logistically, it wasn't gonna work, though, 'cause you're blind in the thing. And so, what are you gonna do? Have somebody walk him out to the front of the stage, make sure he doesn't fall off the stage? So we were, like, 'Okay, what else can we do?' And so we thought of all these different merchandise items that we had, with skulls, with Wayne's hair and beard, and thought, 'Well, let's try something like that.' So we gave the idea to a friend of ours who designs masks for the SLIPKNOT guys, John 5, various other people, and she came back with that Xer0 mask. And then once we put the hair up, we were, like, 'Oh, yeah. Dude, that's it.' And so we went with that."

Asked if STATIC-X was still keeping Xer0's identity a secret even though "everyone knows" who he is, Tony said: "Yeah, but I still like to keep that distinction, 'cause, again, I'm trying to keep the focus [on remembering Wayne]."

According to Campos, Xer0 wasn't the only singer who was in the mix for the STATIC-X frontman job. "I had a few ideas in my head, but he was the first to come up and actually demonstrate that he could do the job," Tony explained. "So I was, like, 'I don't think I need to look any further.' [Laughs]"

Campos went on to say that he "knew there would be some negativity" on the Internet once STATIC-X had announced its comeback. "It was definitely a talking point, for sure," he said. "But I think once people heard our story and heard that Wayne's family had given us their blessing to do what we were doing, and then once they actually saw it, I think that was the big turning point. Once people came out and experienced the show and saw what we were doing, I think it made most of those people turn around."

"Project Regeneration Vol. 1" came out in July 2020. The first of two volumes, "Project Regeneration Vol. 1" featured 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Static, along with Campos, Jay and Fukuda. Both volumes are being worked on by longtime STATIC-X producer Ulrich Wild.

Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

Fan-filmed video of GODSMACK performing its latest single, "Surrender", live on October 12 at the O2 Birmingham Academy in Birmingham, United Kingdom can be seen below.

"Surrender" came out last month via BMG. The track marks the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Sully Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

In a recent interview with Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X, Sully Erna confirmed that GODSMACK's upcoming album, "Lighting Up The Sky", will likely be the band's final collection of original material. He explained: "It's the most important record, I think, we've ever written and recorded.

"I've never been that artist who says, 'Oh, this record is our newest record. It's our best work ever.' You can read any interview you want over my whole career, and you've never heard me say it," he continued. "I've always loved our records [and] I always knew there would be some good singles on it and hoped it did well, but I was never the guy that said, 'This is our best fucking work ever.' And I'm telling you right now this is our best fucking work ever. And it's because it's emotional, man. This is the last record we're ever gonna do. This is the last run around the mill for us. We put every single ounce of energy and emotion into this album. Especially for me, when I wrote a lot of these songs, it was about my life journey. That's really what the sequence of this album becomes about. Not that it was planned that way, but this really kind of mystical thing happened where I felt like the universe wrote this record.

"We went in there with no plan, no ideas — very minimal ideas, just jamming. And, 'what's gonna be the topic? What am I gonna talk about now? How many times can I talk about a broken relationship?' Blah blah blah. And then it just started happening where song after song that was written, as I'm sequencing it and putting it in the order that I would like people to hear it in… We're still old school and we like an album to have a flow from front to back. I love vinyl — I want people to listen to side A and side B. And this one really told a story. And when I started to realize that, I'm, like, Okay. Let me shuffle these around a little bit more.'"

Erna went on to clarify that GODSMACK does not intend to stop playing live shows anytime soon. "I wanna make sure people are clear about what we're saying here," he said. "I'm not saying that the band may be breaking up. What I'm saying is I think this may be the last body of work you get musically from the band. And it's because we're in this place in our lives right now where we've done a lot of work over the last three decades. Without sounding egotistical, which we're not trying to do, we're at 27 Top 10 singles, 11 Number Ones. We could literally do back-to-back nights in an arena and play 15 songs a night and never play the same single twice, let alone the 'B' cuts. And we started thinking, when we were in that thought process, why are we in here grinding all the time and doing this new music when we wanna just also know that we've never stopped in the 25 years we've been touring. We'd like to be able to enjoy our lives, our family, our houses, the things that we've earned over the years that we've sacrificed. So I think the balance for that, the happy medium, is to be able to just go out there now and continue to do live shows and put the greatest-hits show together.

"I don't know what we're gonna do after this record," he explained. "And it doesn't make sense to continue to do music. It really feels complete in a good way, in a positive way. We feel like we've honored our career, our relationships with our fans, and we're always gonna be there for them; we're gonna do shows. But as far as to continue this, after this [album], unless we just decide one day, 'Yeah, one more for the road,' I think this could be it for us with new music."

According to Erna, the second single from "Lighting Up The Sky" will arrive in February and will coincide with the release of the full-length album. And then GODSMACK plans to hit the road and never stop. "That's forever now. It's forever now," he said. "From the point we start touring, we will always tour. We may take some breaks here and there, but we're now gonna start setting up the greatest-hits show, because we feel like we're able to do that. We can now play the best of the best that the fans have identified as what they've enjoyed the most over the years and why these songs became hit singles."

Sully said that the decision to stop releasing new albums was influenced by the fact that too many people these days don't care about new music from bands who have been around as long as GODSMACK.

"As a music lover and a fan of live shows and bands in general, that when you go see your favorite bands, there's a certain point in their career where you just go, 'I don't really give a shit about a new record anymore. I'm sorry, but I wanna hear 'Dream On' and 'Train Kept A Rollin'' and 'Same Old Song And Dance'. I don't wanna hear any of this new shit. I don't know it and I don't care. But these other songs have lived with me for two, three, four decades,'", he said. "And I just feel like we're getting to that place where… If we get out there and we don't play 'I Stand Alone' or 'Keep Away' or 'Voodoo' or whatever these songs have been for these people over the years, they ream us for it. So we know we're stuck with that. We're always gonna play the hits. But we have so many singles now that it's time, I think, to try to pull as many as we can off this record, add it to that list and then go out there and play the best of the best. And then maybe throw a few surprises every show, whether it's the drum battle or some fun cover."

Erna concluded by saying that "Lighting Up The Sky" does not represent "an ending" but is rather "a new beginning. This is a new beginning of an era — it's the beginning of our sunset years," he explained. "And in our sunset years we wanna create something really special for the fans live where we can take every cool moment that we've ever done in every album cycle — the 'Awake' album had certain things we featured in the live show; the 'Faceless' record had certain things we featured from the live show; and so on — now we can create a montage of all those special things in each tour and just do a 'holy crap' show. That's what I wanna create. We're gonna try to make it big and special and important, filled with all special moments that people have enjoyed over the years. And I think that's gonna be really satisfying to us as well, 'cause it takes a lot of pressure off of us to know now we can just go out and enjoy what we do. Playing music is what we love the most — live. And it gives us more time to connect with the fans, connect with the live show and just enjoy the best part of why we do this for a living."

In September 2021, GODSMACK's latest album, "When Legends Rise", was certified gold on by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies. In addition, two more of the LP's singles (the title track and "Under Your Scars") were also officially certified gold by the RIAA. The album's first single "Bulletproof" earned a platinum digital single award in September 2020 and was previously certified gold in the U.S.

"When Legends Rise" was the seventh studio album from GODSMACK. Produced by Erik Ron and Erna, it was the band's first release in four years and was recorded at their now-former headquarters (GSHQ) in Derry, New Hampshire. The album went on to garner a multitude of career milestones for the group: four No. 1 rock tracks (an accomplishment that makes GODSMACK one of only four rock acts to achieve this),and a record 11 No. 1 singles in the band's career with the album's fourth single, "Unforgettable". "When Legends Rise" entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart in the top ten (No. 8),with four No. 1 placements on other charts: Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Music Albums, Top Independent Albums and Top Alternative Albums.

BIRMINGHAM! You were AWESOME!! What a special show! Thank you so much for coming to see us!
🤘🙌🙏🤩

📷 Paris Visone Photography

Posted by Godsmack on Saturday, October 15, 2022

Former Xandria vocalist Dianne van Giersbergen has checked in with the following update:


"A few weeks ago, I announced that I am working on my first solo album. Today, I am proud to announce that my co-writer and producer is non-other than: Joost van den Broek.


Over the past 8 years, I've worked together with Joost on all of my releases with Xandria, but also on the latest Ex Libris album. It is fair to say that he has been a steady, trustworthy and most of all mind-blowing creative factor in my career. Therefore, I could not imagine writing this album with anyone else than with him. Haven't heard of him yet? Then you might want to check out his work with Epica, Powerwolf, Blind Guardian, Ayreon and many others.




In the upcoming 5 years I will release various singles and take you on the journey I've been through in the past 5 years. I will tell you about my obstacles, fears, victories and heartfelt will to continue my quest.


Join me and walk my path together with me to whatever lies beyond!"





Back in 2017, Dianne Van Giersbergen announced her departure from Xandria with the following message (audio below):


“The moment I promised you and me that would never come is here: I am leaving Xandria. And the reason is simple: staying in the band would cause further damage to the health problems the band has caused me.


“For nearly two years now I’ve been trying to put band and management issues on the table, with the sole reason to keep this band healthy, together and ready for the future. Today I am sad to say that my attempts failed and have been ignored, that my cries for help have been met with financial threats and emotional extortion and that my persistence to keep on going, ignoring all the warning signs, has left me with uncontrollable stress symptoms (confirmed by doctors). I am a fighter, but I’ve come to see that this is one I cannot win. I don’t want to leave, I love the music that I got to write for you - which is 100% me - but I can’t live, can’t perform, can simply not exist in an environment that harms me. This environment does not care for me nor for the fans (even proposed me to playback in order to do more shows in a row) and somehow miraculously never generated any financial outcome and therefore no stability for any of its band members.


“Yesterday evening the last hope I had of ever reconciling with the boys was shattered when they made a statement announcing that ‘I’ could not perform with the band anymore, forgetting to mention that I am in this unhealthy position because of Xandria and management. Not surprisingly they also already have a replacement for me and kicked me out of every Xandria social media page. With that they’ve sent me one last clear message: they are not interested in fixing the situation nor are they willing to support me if that means (partly) stepping away from the business perspective (quote: ‘we are not friends’) which leads me to conclude what I know now: it is time for me to close this chapter and wish them the best of luck in continuing the band I loved so much.


“Now, I don’t know where we will meet again, but I didn’t follow my passion, study all those hours and travel all those roads to simply give up. I’m sad to close this chapter, but I’m sure there will be another one to write. In the meantime I will be focussing on what does make me happy and I will be posting my daily business and updates on my Precious Metal Jewelry and Ex Libris stuff as usual. I very much hope to see you online so we can stay in touch and who knows, maybe one day in an audience again.


“Thank you all for understanding, for your love and support! I am forever grateful.”

In the video below, Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti of Alter Bridge perform an acoustic version of "Silver Tongue" from their new album, Pawns & Kings, at the Planet Rock Studios in London, England for a handful of listeners.


As Myles and Mark explain, this was only the second time they'd ever attempted to play "Silver Tongue" acoustically: "These songs are not acoustic songs!"







During the same visit to Planet Rock Studios, Myles and Mark performed an acoustic version of their anthem, "Before Tomorrow Comes", from the 2007 Alter Bridge album, Blackbird.


Myles explained for the first time to the audience (and Mark!) the origin and meaning of the lyrics: "When it came time to do the lyrics, your goal is to tie a real good musical melodic idea to a lyric that really means something to you. And that's what I was kinda struggling with, I was trying to find that inspiration. So interestingly enough, unfortunately we had this hurricane back in the United States, it was Hurricane Katrina, when it hit New Orleans. It was just heartbreaking watching all of this stuff unfold. So I remember I stayed up, watching the news and I couldn't sleep. I don't think I've ever talked about this! I couldn't sleep, at all, cause all those images were kinda weighing on me, which is where the 'I couldn't sleep I had to listen' - that's where that comes from. So this whole song - lyrically - it was written pretty much that entire night. I don't think I went to bed, I think I finally fell asleep about 10am."





The new Alter Bridge album, Pawns & Kings, is comprised of ten all-new epic tracks that are sure to garner the band new fans around the globe while satiating their fervent supporters that have been patiently waiting for new music from the band. Pawns & Kings found Alter Bridge reuniting with long-time collaborator and producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette to create a collection of memorable new additions to band’s impressive catalogue.


From the opening riffs of “This Is War” to the title track album closer “Pawns & Kings”, Alter Bridge returns with an album of intense tracks that were born after the cycle for their last album was cut short by the global pandemic. Songs like “Dead Among The Living”, “Silver Tongue” and “Holiday” showcase the signature songwriting the band is known for. The album offers numerous epic adventures, with three songs clocking in over six minutes each. The opus “Fable Of The Silent Son” clocks in 8:29 and is the longest recorded song in the band’s catalogue - a distinction held by “Blackbird” until now. Mark Tremonti steps out of his backing vocal role to take the lead on “Stay”, an introspective ballad that is sure to become a fan favourite live.


Order your copy of Pawns & Kings here.





Tracklisting:


"This Is War"                                               
"Dead Among The Living"
"Silver Tongue"
"Sin After Sin"
"Stay"
"Holiday"
"Fable Of The Silent Son"
"Season Of Promise"
"Last Man Standing"
"Pawns & Kings"


“This Is War” lyric video:





"Sin After Sin" lyric video:





“Silver Tongue” video:





"Pawns & Kings" lyric video:





 

Look up to the sky to see the "Burning Horizon", the next music video for the third single from Italian progressive avant-garde metal MindAheaD in support of their sophomore story album 6119 Part 1 being released via Rockshots Records on October 28.


The band adds about the track:


"'Burning Horizon' is direct and catchy both melodically and structurally; it focuses on the voices that intersect and duet, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes aggressively opposing each other. The instrumental part is articulate, but always keeping an eye on melody and easy assimilation. The orchestrations also play an important role, providing a backdrop to the burned horizon that will turn into a desert very soon."




6119 Part 1 follows their 2017 debut Reflections released on Roman label Revalve Records. Just like its predecessor, the band's new offering is once again a concept album with a complex, personal and unusual sound to test the limits of their songwriting. "6119 Part 1" is a continuation of the previous work on Reflections, which will tell us the story of 6119, the main character, through a surreal, oneiric journey, always poised between physical space and the realm of the mind. Trapped in this dreamlike kaleidoscope, he proceeds heedless of the consequences, hoping to find at the end of the journey (the "Part II," currently in production) the reason why all this is happening to him.


Merging different aspects, sometimes opposite, of human feeling, bringing them together in a colorful and personal musical proposal, which has its roots in influences ranging from prog ‘70s to death metal, the band explains the new album in further detail:


"This album is a concept realized with the aim of telling a story that straddles the line between dystopian science fiction and the psychological investigation of the human mind, so the music and lyrics were created in order to reach these goals. We would like the listening experience to be completely immersive. We would like the listener to be able to take a break from the real world and step into another dimension, one that is distant but at the same time well known, not alien, but almost familiar. The listener should passionately follow the events of 6119 in its inner and outer search for reality, in a story that began in the previous album Reflections and will end in the band's next release, so as to complete a narrative trilogy."


Having shared the stage with bands such as Jinjer, Vision Divine, Deathless Legacy, Domine, Pino Scotto, MindAhead is recommended for fans of Opeth, Ayreon, Haken, Katatonia and Pink Floyd. 6119 Part 1 is due out October 28, 2022 via Rockshots Records.


Preorder at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Prologue”
“Burning Horizon”
“Dancing In The Desert”
“What You Are”
“The Last Tide”
“Beautiful Mistake”
“Innocence”
“At The Gates Of Night Part I (The Old Poet) & II (At The Gates)”
“At The Gates Of Night Part III (Lost In The Loop)”


"Burning Horizon" video:





"The Last Tide" video:





“What You Are”:

THE BLACK CROWES guitarist Rich Robinson spoke to Australia's The Rockpit about his reunion with his brother Chris for a tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band's classic debut album, 1990's "Shake Your Money Maker". Joining Chris and Rich in the new BLACK CROWES lineup are returning bassist Sven Pipien, who played with the band live from 1997 up until the band's hiatus in 2015, along with Brian Griffin on drums, Joel Robinow on keyboards and Isaiah Mitchell on guitar.

Asked if he and Chris gave any consideration to the idea of bringing some of the other members of the classic THE BLACK CROWES lineup for the current tour, Rich said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. We have Sven, and Sven's been with us for 25 years. I met Sven when I was 14; he was in a rival Atlanta band. And Chris and Steve [Gorman, drums] lived with Sven when Chris first moved out, when he was 18 or whatever. So Sven's been in our life for longer than Johnny Colt [bass] was, or even Steve for that matter. But he didn't join till later… And Sven's great.

"Chris and I decided… A family dynamic is difficult enough as it is, and a band becomes a second family," he explained. "Some dynamics are really good and some dynamics can be really toxic. And with Steve in particular, but also Marc Ford [guitar] going back to his old ways, so to speak… which was the reason why I just put an end to [THE] MAGPIE [SALUTE, Rich's project with Marc], because I'm, like, 'Look, I'm not doing this again,' with going down that road. And then Steve, with his… He's always been that way — manipulative and really trying to keep Chris and I apart. One time Steve told me the scariest thing to him was when Chris and I worked together and got along, and his quote was, 'Because no one can stop you guys from what you wanted to do if you were together.' And he just flat out said that one day. I'm, like, 'Wow. That's really kind of a weird thing to say. Why would you…?'

"We can account for ourselves and how Chris and I deal with each other and deal with our own triggers as brothers, but we can't account for other people with negative agendas that bring their negativity to us," Rich added. "And so if we got everyone back, it would be just a money grab and it would be just, like, 'Let's do this for one record and go away,' because it would [inevitably] just fall apart because of everyone with their little petty bullshit."

Rich added that the decision to bring in mostly new members was influenced in part by his and Chris's plans to create fresh BLACK CROWES music, saying: "The reason we didn't bring anyone back like that was because we want this to be something greater than that. We wanna do this right. I mean, not only do we wanna be in each other's lives as brothers and we don't wanna go down that negative road and we don't wanna fall apart and do all this shit, but we also love playing this music together and we love writing together and we love being in a band together. And we're good at it. I mean, this is what we do. We've been doing this for 32 years, off and on, with each other and with our other bands. So this is something that we really wanted to do. We wanted to do it right and the best way to do that right is to start with a clean slate and get in and start doing it and then hence writing these songs and going in the studio.

"I've sent Chris 30 [new] songs to date to work on," he revealed. "He's singing amazing. Lyrically and melodically, it's really cool. And we're honing all the stuff in. We're working with [producer] George Drakoulias again. And we're hoping to go into the studio in February."

Regarding what the new BLACK CROWES music sounds like, Rich said: "I can't write specifically for something; I just write. I feel like if I was to try to write something, it would be insincere and I don't think that it would translate or come across. So I never filter myself and I never push myself in any direction. So I just write music. And whatever moves me is what I go with. And so that's ultimately what I do. So I've got 40 songs to date. We've kind of pulled back nine of them that maybe would work in a different scenario, like an acoustic record or whatever it may be. So I just write all the time. Chris writes all the time. This is how we do it. And then at the end of the day, you put all the cards on the table and it's gonna show itself in what the best record's gonna be."

Gorman, who penned 2019's memoir "Hard To Handle: The Life And Death Of The Black Crowes", is notably excluded from THE BLACK CROWES' current reunion, which launched a lengthy U.S. tour late year.

In August 2021, Rich told the Los Angeles Times that he had no reaction to the release of Gorman's memoir. "It didn't really affect me or make me sad," he said. "No one really takes Steve that seriously. He was our drummer for a long time, and a long time ago, he was our friend. But he was also the one who kind of schemed the most and was more willing to allow a division between me and Chris."

In a February 2020 interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Gorman said that he was not surprised to see Chris and Rich teaming up with new musicians for a tour. "To me, it's been an inevitability for years," Steve said. "I think they both made serious efforts to establish themselves in solo careers that could sustain them, that could provide a living, and I guess that neither one of those really worked out. And so they were always gonna need to be THE BLACK CROWES again. And this tour is an indication of the fact that, to them, they always wereTHE BLACK CROWES. And to me, THE BLACK CROWES was a band. It wasn't about their band; it was our band. It was six people, or it was five people, or it was four people, depending on the year, but it was always a much greater thing than two brothers who wrote the songs. The success of that band had a lot to do with a lot more than just them, is my point. And the thing that was most special about that band, as I said before, was what six people were able to do when we were on the same page."

Gorman went on to say that he doesn't necessarily fault the Robinson brothers for wanting to keep THE BLACK CROWES brand alive.

"This tour has nothing to do with me — it never did; it never would have," he explained. "THE BLACK CROWES are my past. Now, the music is still around. And if anybody goes to see this tour and decides that they love THE BLACK CROWES now, I think that's fantastic. I'm all for preserving the legacy of the band I was in. I think this tour has nothing to do with that. I think this tour is the two of them needing money. And to that I say — and that's fine. I know what it's like to be concerned about my finances; everybody does. And if you're in your 50s and you can make a living playing music, then, by God, you should be playing music, if that's what you wanna do. So, they're fully within their rights to do it — legally and ethically and morally; whatever. It's fine. It's got nothing to do with me. So, live and let live."

When THE BLACK CROWES announced their split in 2014, Rich issued a statement saying that he loved his brother and respected his talent but that "his present demand that I must give up my equal share of the band and that our drummer for 28 years and original partner, Steve Gorman, relinquish 100 percent of his share … is not something I could agree to."

"Shake Your Money Maker" was re-released in multi-formats sets in February 2021 through UMe/American Recordings. The album, fueled by singles "Jealous Again", "Twice As Hard", "She Talks To Angels" and a cover of fellow Georgian Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle", has sold over five million copies.

Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of their third studio album, "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert this past Saturday, October 15 at Fabrique in Milano. Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

On Sunday, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia shared a few photos from the gig on her social media, and she included the following message: "My ears are still ringing, my heart feels fuller than ever and I have absolutely loved to see each one of you all in a packed home show… even from VERY up close… I've never felt more protected than when I stood in between my people in the crowd. Entwined, forever. On behalf of Maki, Andi, Dd, Richard and myself… THANK YOU, we mean it".

"Comalies XX", a "deconstructed" and "transported" version of "Comalies", was made available on October 14 via Century Media Records.

Back in 2002, LACUNA COIL released an album which is now undeniably an anthem-laden millennial classic that established them as a band with the stamina to go the distance. Now, 20 years later, the current lineup of LACUNA COIL decided to revisit the songs, but not to just re-record them as they were but deconstruct and transport them into 2022.

When asked in a new interview with Rock Sound how reworking "Comalies" for the LP's 20th anniversary influenced LACUNA COIL's plans for new music, Scabbia said: "I think that writing a record that is not new but it is new because the approach was new and most of the music is very new was a very cool step for LACUNA COIL to start working again on music. Because during the pandemic, I have to say that we felt uninspired. The fact that we had to stay in our homes didn't really nourish our inspiration because we were feeling very sad; we were feeling that we didn't know when everything would start again. So we didn't feel that we wanted to write a record that would bring all the negativity from the pandemic. So I think that 'Comalies XX', for us, is not only a celebration of a record that was born 20 years ago but it's also a celebration of the present and the future, because we are starting with a renewed energy and we know that from now on we're not gonna take anything for granted in life and in music, that it's always worth it to experiment and to try new ways, always, of course, being happy with yourself and your art."

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

Regarding the "Comalies" title, Scabbia said: "[During the album's recording], we had a sort of creative explosion. We were working in a coma, sort of like in a different dimension. First of all we just wanted to use the word 'coma' but there was something missing so we played with the two words 'coma' and 'lies'."

The "Comalies" song "Swamped" is available as a downloadable track for the music video game series "Rock Band" and also appeared in the 2004 video game "Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines".

LACUNA COIL played its first show in front of an audience in more than two years in April as the support act for APOCALYPTICA at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia.

Prior to the Atlanta concert, the last time LACUNA COIL played together was at the group's special September 2020 livestream event where the bandmembers performed their latest album, "Black Anima", in its entirety with no audience in attendance at the Alcatraz Club in Milan, Italy. That show was released as a live album, "Live From The Apocalypse", via Century Media.

LACUNA COIL hadn't played in front of a crowd since the completion of the band's South American tour in February 2020.

My ears are still ringing, my heart feels fuller than ever and I have absolutely loved to see each one of you all in a...

Posted by Cristina Scabbia on Sunday, October 16, 2022

International metal supergroup Firstborne, featuring Chris Adler (drums), James Lomenzo (bass), Myrone (guitar) and vocalist Girish Pradhan, have released a new single, entitled "Dead Rats".





Get the single via Bandcamp here, and watch a visualizer for the track below:







The band previously released two singles, "Bad Things" and "One Of A Kind". Both songs were self produced by the band with mixing / mastering by longtime collaborator Machine. Both singles, including a new lyric video for "One Of A Kind", below.

Norwegian black metal pioneers DARKTHRONE will release their new album, "Astral Fortress", on October 28 via Peaceville Records.

The official lyric video for the song "Caravan Of Broken Ghosts", filmed by DARKTHRONE's Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell and created by Matthew Vickerstaff, can be seen below.

Fenriz states about the track: "There is a revisit vibe of 'Quintessence' at first, which is a total coincidence as it is Ted's [Ted 'Nocturno Culto' Skjellum] song and I wrote 'Q'. The song then explodes into fiercer metal, pounding and catching there as well, with clever riff shifts. And then the classic doom ending. Thank you, Ted."

"Caravan Of Broken Ghosts" will be available on all major streaming platforms from Thursday, October 20.

The ever-productive duo of Nocturno and Fenriz continue their own metallic saga with a new selection of fine, vintage sounding headbanging classics in the making. "Astral Fortress", DARKTHRONE's 20th album, is a swift follow-up to 2021's "Eternal Hails" opus, which comes from DARKTHRONE's consistent and ongoing writing process.

Carried on the brisk wind of eager rock, with foundations in black, thrash, doom and heavy metal, "Astral Fortress" is the latest album of stellar, eclectic old metal in the DARKTHRONE odyssey. With a seemingly endless dungeon full of heavy metal influences channeled through DARKTHRONE's dynamic riff-machine, plus also with many increasing inspirations taken from their own past catalogue. Even though sprinkled with atmospheric touches such as synthesizers and mellotron on "Astral Fortress" to great effect, the DARKTHRONE sound remains stripped down to the core; always primitive and organic.

"Astral Fortress" was recorded at Chaka Khan Studios in Oslo, Norway, the same location used for the "Eternal Hails" album, with Ole Øvstedal and Silje Høgevold. The LP was mastered by Jack Control.

"Astral Fortress" track listing:

01. Caravan Of Broken Ghosts [07:53]
02. Impeccable Caverns Of Satan [05:34]
03. Stalagmite Necklace [05:22]
04. The Sea Beneath The Seas Of The Sea [10:10]
05. Kevorkian Times [04:27]
06. Kolbotn, West Of The Vast Forests [01:54]
07. Eon 2 [04:40]

Former GREAT WHITE singers Jack Russell and Terry Iloushave teamed up to record a semi-acoustic version of "I Won't Back Down", one of the most iconic classic rock songs by TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS. A Tim Sheridan-directed music video for the track can be seen below.

"I Won't Back Down" recording credits:

Terry Ilous - Vocals
Jack Russell - Vocals
Greg D'Angelo - Drums
Sean McNabb - Bass / Backing Vocals
Mark Murtha - Guitar / Backing Vocals
Lisa Murtha - Backing Vocals
Barb Ely - Backing Vocals
Adriana Ely - Backing Vocals

Russell and Ilous will come together for one night, on one stage, for an acoustic storytelling show on Saturday, October 29 at Rockefellas bar in Corona, California. Russell and Ilous will share stories about their long rock and roll careers. Fans will get a chance to hear about the inspiration behind some of GREAT WHITE's biggest hits and learn how the songs came to be.

All proceeds from this show will benefit the Warrior Built Foundation which works to honor the service and sacrifice of combat veterans and wounded service members through vocational and recreational opportunities. The Foundation provides new motivation, camaraderie and sparks veterans' imaginations while most importantly offering a release to cope with similar difficulties in a positive and therapeutic way. Warrior Built does this in a safe, fun, and supportive environment all while providing much-needed different forms of therapy.

Tickets are $16.95 in advance and $25.00 day of show. This is a general admission show with limited table seating on a first-come-first-served basis.

Back in July 2018, Russell slammed his former bandmates in GREAT WHITE for the "deceitful" way Ilous was kicked out of the group.

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

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was shown the door and replaced with Mitch Malloy.

Ilous later released a statement in which he claimed he was blindsided by his dismissal from GREAT WHITE, saying that he "proudly invested" all of his energy and focus "into the GREAT WHITE brand."

Russell, who was himself fired from GREAT WHITE in December 2011 (after being on hiatus from the group since 2009),took to his Facebook page to offer his thoughts on Terry's departure from the band, writing: "I just wanted to express my condolences to Terry Ilous for the deceitful way my X band members dealt with the situation of his termination kind of reminds me of something else. Huh? In the last few months Terry and I have gotten to know each other through Linkedin have become what I would say friends. As far as I'm concerned, he's a great guy and he had an opportunity and he took it. The fact is it was my fault that it all happened to begin with. I was unreliable, unhealthy and my addiction ruled my world. I wouldn't have wanted to play with me either if I were them. The only thing I was very upset about was the way they went about it. But at least Terry got an e-mail where I received nothing not even a phone call or a return message. But this is not about me this is about Terry. I'm sure he will find his way to a better place as he is a great singer and has a lot of talent and I have a lot of respect for him. I wish him well and I hope you will all support him in his future efforts."

Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after the singer had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by guitarist Mark Kendall, keyboardist/guitarist Michael Lardie and drummer Audie Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell now performing with a new lineup as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.

Back in June 2020, Russell teamed up with Ilous, along with guitarists Robby Lochner and Phil Woodward, for a special acoustic concert on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise Facebook page. The set included acoustic renditions of songs from GREAT WHITE, XYZ and LED ZEPPELIN.

VENOM INC., the band featuring original VENOM guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and ex-VENOM bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, has postponed its previously announced U.S. tour which was scheduled to kick off at the end of October.

Earlier today (Tuesday, October 18),VENOM INC. released the following statement: "It is with great frustration and regret that we must announce that our planned East Coast U.S. run must be pushed into 2023. In the meantime, we will plan the West Coast dates to happen earlier in 2023.

"Due to the backlog caused by the Covid-19 situation, the US Embassy in Portugal [where Dunn resides] is unable to schedule an appointment interview for a visa before mid-November.

"Although we have been pushing for weeks and have been passed with all paperwork required and fees paid, the government is the one who holds the wand over us and has refused to expedite us in this instance so we are left with no choice but to postpone.

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

Tickets purchased for the tour will be refunded by the venue.

VENOM INC. released its sophomore album, "There's Only Black", on September 23 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The follow-up to 2017's "Avé", "There's Only Black" marks the second recording under the name VENOM INC., while Dunn and Dolan have a long history as recording artists together in VENOM, M:PIRE OF EVIL and Mantas solo projects. It also marks the VENOM INC. recording debut of drummer Jeramie Kling (formerly of MASSACRE),who joined the band in 2018.

Back in 2018, VENOM INC. recruited Kling to fill in for drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray on a European tour while Abaddon stayed home to spend time with his newborn daughter. VENOM INC. has since completed several tours with Kling without making any official announcements about Bray's possible return to the group.

Dunn, Bray and Dolan released three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — "Prime Evil" (1989),"Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Wednesday 13 was asked which METALLICA song he would cover if he had to. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My favorite METALLICA record is '…And Justice For All'. I'm not a giant METALLICA fan. I definitely respect 'em and I know a lot of their stuff, but the '…And Justice For All' record was one of my favorites. I like 'The Shortest Straw' song. I thought that was a cool song. That would probably be the one I would pick, if I could cover it, and I'd put some real bass in it. [Laughs]"

Addressing some of the criticism that has been leveled at "…And Justice For All" over its production, Wednesday 13 added: "To me, it had that same production almost… The drums on that record kind of sounded like ANTHRAX to me. But I [was] playing these cassettes and stuff through a little tiny boombox that didn't even have bass on it. So I never really paid attention to it like that. I don't think I really even noticed it till people started talking about it — for me."

While "…And Justice For All" is considered one of METALLICA's classics, it has been criticized almost since the day it was released in 1988 for the lack of any bass guitar on the record. Jason Newsted's playing is virtually buried in the mix — and many fans feel that drummer Lars Ulrich, who had very specific ideas for how he wanted his drums to sound, is to blame.

Three years ago, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield defended the sound of "…And Justice For All" album, saying that he and his bandmates simply "wanted the best-sounding record" they could make. Asked in an interview with the METALLICA fan magazine So What! if Jason ever approached him and Lars to say that the bass was lower in the mix than he had expected, Hetfield said: "He probably did. I don't know what my answer was then, but it was kinda done. I mean, I will say, it was not all about, 'Fuck him. Let's turn him down.' That's for sure. We wanted the best-sounding record we could make. That was our goal. We were burnt. We were frigging fried. Going back and forth [between touring and mixing the album]. Playing a gig. No earplugs, no nothing. You go back into the studio, your hearing is shot. If your ears can't hear any high end anymore, you're gonna turn it up. So we're turning the high end up more and more and more and all of a sudden, low end's gone. So I know that played a bigger part than any hazing or any ill feelings towards Jason, for sure. We were fried. We were burnt."

Hetfield also addressed some of the criticism leveled at METALLICA by one of the "…And Justice For All" album mixers, Steve Thompson. In a 2015 interview with Ultimate Guitar, Thompson suggested that Ulrich was the culprit for the lack of any bass guitar on the record, claiming that Lars wanted his drums to sound a certain way — even if it meant cutting out the bass.

"We wanted it tight," James explained. "We wanted it fucking tight. That's what we wanted. We wanted the snare, we wanted the guitar, we wanted everything up front and in your face and really tight. And we thought we got it. And, you know, we kinda know what we want to sound like. Can we sit behind a desk and make it happen? No. We ask people to do it, and they do it. So [Thompson] did his job. He's got nothing to apologize for or point fingers at. No one's to blame for 'something.' It is a piece of art. It happened and it ended up the way it is for a reason. And for reasons we were just talking about. We were burnt. We're traveling, we're playing a gig, our ears were fried. We were not sleeping. He doesn't need to defend himself. He was a part of an awesome album in history, so I think he should be maybe be a little easier on himself."

James also once again dismissed calls for METALLICA to remix "…And Justice For All" so that Newsted's contributions are more audible.

"All this [bass discussion] is after the fact, and it's, like, who gives a shit, man, really?" Hetfield said. "And why would you change that? Why would you change history? Why would you all of a sudden put bass on it? There is bass on it, but why would you remix an album? You can remaster it, yes, but why would you remix something and make it different? It'd be like… I don't know. Not that I'm comparing us to the Mona Lisa, but it's, like, 'Uh, can we make her smile a little better?!' You know?! Why?"

In a 2008 interview with Decibel magazine, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett attempted to explain the lack of bass on "…And Justice For All", saying that "the reason you can't hear the bass so well is because the bass frequencies in Jason's tone kinda interfered with the tone that James was trying to shoot for with his rhythm guitar sound, and every time the two blended together, it just wasn't happening. So the only thing left to do was turn the bass down in the mix. It was unfortunate, but for some reason or another, that album is known for the low end being there without the bass being very high up in the mix. It was an experiment, too — we were totally going for a dry, in-your-face sound, and some people really like that sound. A lot of the newer-generation bands, especially, think that album sounds great. But at the end of the day, it was an experiment. I'm not really sure it was 100 percent successful, but it is a unique sound that that album has."

In the Ultimate Guitar interview, Thompson said that he spoke out because he was tired of being blamed for the lack of bass. He remarked: "They flew us out [to METALLICA's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2009] and I'm sitting with Lars. He goes, 'Hey, what happened to the bass in 'Justice'?' He actually asked me that. I wanted to cold cock him right there. It was a shame because I'm the one getting the shit for the lack of bass."

Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that fans were extremely vocal about the sound of the album at the time of its release. "I mean, it was unbelievable, you know, '…And Justice For All', " he said. "People were saying, 'That's the worst-sounding record, where's the bass, and it sounds like it was recorded in a garage, and…' But, you know, listen, you do the best you can in the moment and then you move on."

Photo credit: Stephen Jensen at F3 Studios for Napalm Records

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach joined Canadian rockers KILLER DWARFS on stage last night (Friday, October 14) at the Rockstar Bar in Las Vegas, Nevada to perform the song "Heavy Mental Breakdown". Video of his appearance can be seen below (courtesy of Izzy Presley).

KILLER DWARFS formed in 1981 and quickly gained international success, first in Canada with the band's self-titled debut album in 1983. The breakthrough in the United States came when San Antonio-based radio personality Joe Anthony started spinning their album on a regular basis, much to the delight of hard-rocking Texans. This planted the seeds for what would result in KILLER DWARFS receiving a lot of attention south of Canada's border. A worldwide recording contract with Epic Records eventually landed them an opening spot for IRON MAIDEN's sold-out tour of Great Britain and sharing stages with such acts as DIO and MICHAEL SCHENKER across North America. The band soon received a nomination for Canada's prestigious Juno Award as "Heavy Metal Album Of The Year".

KILLER DWARFS came to an end in 1995, save for a reunion tour in 2001. In 2002, the KILLER DWARFS released a live album called "Reunion Of Scribes: Live 2001" before disbanding once again. The band reformed one more time in 2013 for the release of the "Start @ One" album featuring the lineup of Russell Dwarf, Darrell Dwarf, Gerry Dwarf and new bassist Johnny "Dwarf" Fenton.

In 2018 KILLER DWARFS signed a record deal with David Ellefson's EMP Label Group. A live record, "Live No Guff!", was released in April of that year.

Fan-filmed video footage of Geoff Tate's October 14 performance at Gagarin 205 club in Athens, Greece can be seen below. The show saw Tate playing many of QUEENSRŸCHE's biggest songs, including early classic "Queen Of The Reich", which originally appeared on the band's debut EP.

Tate had previously expressed his reluctance to perform "Queen Of The Reich" at his live concerts, telling Rock Show Critique in a 2012 interview: "It's funny, actually — a lot of people don't know about that song. A lot of people don't care about that song. It's an early song that was written and it shows. It's funny the reaction you get, because it's a lot of blank stares. In fact, it's the same stare you get when you play a new song that nobody's heard before. People just aren't that familiar with it. Given there are a few hardcore fans that might know that song, or like that song, and know what it is, but the majority of the people there don't. So it's not really a song that I enjoy singing, strictly because, lyrically, it's pretty adolescent. It was the first song written thirty-some-odd years ago and obviously I cannot relate to it anymore. I think, for performance, it's always best for the performer to really believe in the material they're singing or playing. If you don't believe in it, it's really difficult to get behind a song, do it well and do it at a level that comes across with any kind of believability. For me, I honestly can't relate to the whole dungeons-and-dragons lyrical content of that song; it's really cartoonish and juvenile to me."

Tate's current tour is celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Empire" and "Rage For Order" albums.

1986's "Rage For Order" introduced a much more polished look and sound for QUEENSRŸCHE. The album featured keyboards as prominently as guitars, and the group adopted an image more closely associated with glam rock or glam metal than with heavy metal (of which glam metal was a subgenre). A video was filmed for the song "Gonna Get Close to You", originally recorded in 1984 by DALBELLO.

Released in 1990, "Empire" included the hit ballad "Silent Lucidity", which reached No. 9 on the Billboard singles chart, helped propel "Empire" to No. 7 on the album chart and earned two Grammy Award nominations.

Prior to the launch of the trek in early 2020, Tate told MisplacedStraws.com that he would take the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour" to "as many countries as I can and playing the album in its entirety, which I've never done before. So that'll be real fun. In fact, I think there's some songs on that album that I've never, ever played live before, so it'll be a treat — for me, as well, I think, for the audience too," the former QUEENSRŸCHE singer said. "I'm really looking forward to that."

Tate told Eonmusic that one song from "Empire" that was rarely performed live is "Anybody Listening?" "When QUEENSRŸCHE was together, we never really put that song in our set," he said. "We just had a hard time playing it, for some reason; it just never jelled or felt right. And I'd really like to play that song again, and play it right."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Original QUEENSRŸCHE members Michael Wilton (guitar),Scott Rockenfield (drums) and Eddie Jackson (bass) responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform the albums "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

Geoff previously celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Operation: Mindcrime" on European and U.S. tours.

I will remember, you will remember, the star that came last night.

𝗚𝗘𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀. 𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗥𝗘 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆...

Posted by 𝗚𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗠 𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗟 on Saturday, October 15, 2022

𝙁𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚.
𝙄'𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮.

Σε 2 μέρες!
𝗚𝗘𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀. 𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗥𝗘 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆...

Posted by 𝗚𝗜𝗠𝗠𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗠 𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗟 on Wednesday, October 12, 2022

In a new interview with Dig Boston, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked how he feels about the band's upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He responded: "These things come along every now and then and it's very flattering when they do. If you've been recognized by your peers, this is going to sound terrible but it means more than being recognized by other people because they're your peers and they've gone down similar paths you have. It's very flattering and it's always nice when it comes along, especially at this late stage in the game. I don't think it'll make that big of a difference to our career now one way or another, but we're there and it's another proud moment. I think we'll all be proud to be part of it and I'm looking forward to seeing what it's all about, I don't have the slightest idea of what to expect. I have to get there at a certain time, I know that."

JUDAS PRIEST will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next month. PRIEST will receive the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which will honor Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the JUDAS PRIEST members that will get inducted include current members Rob Halford (vocals),Ian Hill (bass),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members K.K. Downing (guitar),Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.

The 2022 Rock Hall induction ceremony will be held on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It will air at a later date on HBO and stream on HBO Max. There will also be a radio simulcast on SiriusXM's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Radio channel 310.

Earlier in the month, JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis told the "Rocker Morning Show"'s Mark Frankhouse of the 107.7 RKR radio station that he and his bandmates will perform "a medley" of PRIEST classics at the Rock Hall induction ceremony.

JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year's class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

This past May, just days after it was announced that PRIEST would be inducted into the Rock Hall this year, Downing was asked which song or songs he would like to perform with PRIEST at the induction ceremony. He responded: "Oh, wow. I don't really know what the setup would or could be — whether Glenn" — who's battling Parkinson's disease but was on the road playing during the encores of PRIEST's latest North American tour, performing "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight" — "would be there and we all would… I know Glenn is just playing some of the more shorter kind of songs. And if that's the situation, then I'm sure the songs would be whatever Glenn would be able to feel comfortable with. And that's okay, and that's fine. But I don't think it's about, really, what the repertoire would be; I think it's just about would this and could this happen in the way that people want to and expect it to happen. We'll have to see. But it's [early days], and it's over six months away, so anything could happen between now and then. And it depends what people want to happen, myself included. I'm gonna have a good think."

Downing reiterated that there were still a lot of unknowns about how the induction ceremony will go down and whether PRIEST will be expected to perform at the event.

"I don't know what's gonna happen, mate," he said. "The ceremony's some time in November. I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know how everybody feels. Like I said, up until [last week], it was just a thought in the back of the memory. But now the hurdle of being inducted has been jumped, so we're on the other side of that now. Obviously, it remains feasible and possible, but I don't know. Anything could happen between now and then. We'll see what happens. But it is, I suppose, for all intents and purposes, a kind of celebration of everything that's been achieved over many, many decades, and do we all wanna be a part of that celebration just for one night. We'll see how everybody feels about that. But certainly, like with the Grammy achievement and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, once we get into those rocking chairs, whenever that might be [laughs], at some point in the future, it'll certainly help us to rock a bit faster than everybody else around us, I think, really."

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

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

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

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

In February, Hill and Halford told Billboard that they would be happy to stand alongside Downing at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction later this year. "It's not a problem to us, no," Hill said. "Ken was an integral part of this band for a very, very long time. He deserves to be there along with the rest of us." Halford predicted that, "It won't be as awkward as Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss with KISS's Rock Hall induction]. I don't think it'll be awkward at all. I think you have to let all of that go because it's the night that matters. It's the moment that matters — but, again, the proverbial saying, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Fan-filmed video of HELLOWEEN's October 13 concert at Arena Armeec Sofia in Sofia, Bulgaria can be seen below (courtesy of Bernd J. Schuster's YouTube channel).

As previously reported, HELLOWEEN will embark on the "United Forces" tour of North America in May 2023. Support on the 13-date trek will come from Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL.

June 2021 saw the release of HELLOWEEN's self-titled studio album. Adored by fans and critics alike, the record catapulted straight to the charts, earning the No. 1 position in Germany and Spain, the Top 5 of seven countries, and the Top 15 multiple times worldwide.

The cover artwork for "Helloween" was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

The "Pumpkins United" lineup features returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen alongside frontman Andi Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the new HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

HELLOWEEN's new album saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analogue and Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

Mezzrow are back after 30 years! Mezzrow built themselves a name in the thrash metal scene during the late eighties with their critically acclaimed demo tapes, Frozen Soul and Cross Of Tormention. In 1990 they released their classic debut album, Then Came The Killing, through Active Records, a subsidiary of Music For Nations. The album is still today considered as one of the best, if not the best, thrash metal releases from Sweden and Scandinavia. This classic album was re-mastered together with all their demos, and released through Hammerheart Records in May 2022.


During 2021 Mezzrow rose from the ashes, when bass player Conny Welén (ex-Hexenhaus) and singer Uffe Pettersson (ex-Rosicrucian) decided to make a new mark in the thrash metal world of today and have together with new guitarists Magnus Söderman (Nightrage) and Ronnie Björnström (ex-Defiatory, ex-Aeon) written new killer songs, which have pure thrash metal top-class written all over them.


”Of course we have a bit of a new and updated sound, more mature and dark, but it’s still old school thrash metal from the Bay Area that lays the foundation. We refuse to downtune the guitars and you can definitely hear what Uffe sings! Some of the songs are actually a bit melodic, but in a thrashy kind of way. So don’t worry, we don’t do any ballads”, comments Conny Welén.




The lineup was completed by excellent drummer Jon Skäre (Defiatory, Hulkoff) and the band is currently laying the finishing touches on the recordings, which will be released in spring 2023 on Fireflash Records, a new sublabel of Atomic Fire Records.


”This is aabsolutely awesome! It's an honor to get signed to a totally new label with that kind of “muscles”. Markus Wosgien is a legend in the business and with his knowledge and experience, and with the backup power from Atomic Fire, this is without doubt the right decision for Mezzrow”, says the band and Markus adds: "Joacim Cans from HammerFall gave the guys the tip to contact me, I was surprised to read the name Mezzrow again after such a long time, my curiosity was aroused. When I heard their first five new tracks, they blew me away completely! We got in touch immediately and within a short time the right chemistry for a successful collaboration developed. Thrash Metal fans can look forward to an absolute gem."


The album was produced by Conny Welén, Ronnie Björnström and Magnus Söderman. The excellent mixing and mastering were done by sound wizard Ronnie Björnström(Sorcerer, Meshuggah, 220 Volt a.o.). The artwork for the cover must of course suit the music and therefore it was handled by the great Pär Olofsson who, among tons of other cool covers, recently did the cover for Exodus latest release, Persona Non Grata. Things fell into place, and the time is right for Mezzrow to leave another exclamation mark on the metal map.


”You will be hearing from us in 2022 as we're releasing a single and a video before Christmas. In 2023 there will be more singles/videos and finally the long awaited successor to our debut album Then Came The Killing from 1990. We also hope to be playing live during 2023! In other words: The future's so bright, we’ve gotta wear shades.”

California sludge veterans, -(16)-, return with their heaviest and most devastating record to date, Into Dust. The new album, a collection of cautionary tales of survival and redemption, is set to an amalgamation of sludge, punk, metal, hardcore, and stoner riffs that could only be built through thirty years of commitment to their dark sonic craft, which -(16)- continues to improve upon.


Today, -(16)- share the official video for “Scrape The Rocks” off Into Dust. Watch below.


Guitarist/vocalist Bobby Ferry comments: "'Scrape The Rocks' is our ‘doom metal’ attempt to convey the all too familiar sense of foreboding and impending catastrophe when your ship has run aground."







Into Dust is out November 18 on CD, LP, and digital formats. Find physical pre-orders via Relapse.com here, and digital downloads/streaming services here.





Into Dust trackisting:


"Misfortune Teller"
"Dead Eyes"
"Ash In The Hourglass"
"The Deep"
"Scrape The Rocks"
"Null And Eternal Void"
"The Floor Wins"
"Lane Splitter"
"Never Paid Back"
"Dirt In Your Mouth"
"Dressed Up To Get Messed Up"
"Born On A Barstool"


"Misfortune Teller" video:





In conjunction with the release of Into Dust, -(16)- has announced a US headlining tour this November. Main support will be provided by Doc Hammer.





-(16)- lineup:


Bobby Ferry - guitar, vocals
Alex Shuster - lead guitar
Barney Firks - bass
Dion Thurman – drums


(Photo - Chad Kelco)

Lamb Of God have released a studio session video for "Vanishing", featured on the band's new album, Omens, out now via Nuclear Blast Records, and available for download and streaming as well as on CD, Vinyl and Cassette, here. Watch the new clip below:





Produced by long-time collaborator Josh Wilbur (Korn, Megadeth), Omens is a vicious new testament for the Richmond, Virginia-based band, a furious entry in their beloved catalogue. "The world is crazy and keeps changing. Omens is a reaction to the state of the world,” Blythe explains. "It’s a very pissed-off record.” He pauses for emphasis. “It is extremely pissed-off.”




The New Wave Of American Heavy Metal architects tracked Omens at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from The Doors, The Ramones, and Soundgarden, among others. "The inner workings of the band have never been better,” explains guitarist Mark Morton. “You can hear it in Omens. You can see it in our performances, and if you're around us for five minutes, you can feel it."





Tracklisting:


"Nevermore"
"Vanishing"
"To The Grave"
"Ditch"
"Omens"
"Gomorrah"
"Ill Designs"
"Grayscale"
"Denial Mechanism"
"September Song"


"Ditch" video:





"Grayscale" lyric video:





“Omens” video:





"Omens" lyric video:





"Nevermore" video:





The Making Of: Omens, a short film documenting the recording of Lamb Of God's forthcoming album, is available to watch on-demand throughout the month of October, here.

In 2021, renowned multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Snowy Shaw took upon himself to record and release one single song per month digitally through all streaming services, and then after Christmas of that year came the whole collection on full-length double LP & CD under the moniker of This Is Heavy Metal, Plain & Simple, plus several bonus tracks.


Every song was done separately in Snowy's Hellhaus Studio and each song featured a special guest-star appearance (or more). This album was in essence a tribute to the music that formed and shaped our lives and therefore he took upon himself to invite an array of his teenage heroes, living legends, former bandmates and friends to participate on specifically selected tracks on vocals, duets or with a guest guitar solo, etc.


Anyhow, now it's been a while and he thought it'd be a good idea to also put out the aforementioned bonus tracks as a digital EP, slightly modified and remixed, but after some consideration he opted to repeat a similar method as with the 12 songs. So here we’re looking at five separate single releases roughly every three weeks until Christmas 2022.




All music & lyrics written, produced, recorded and performed by Snowy Shaw. Mixed by Fredrik Nordström, Johan Forsman and himself. As usual all the designs and artwork were done by Snowy himself.


This week we have "Devil's Child". Says Snowy: "'Devil’s Child' is a song I've had lying around since 2006 intended for one of my many other former bands, and that I now finalized during the pandemic where I also invited one of my childhood heroes, the female rocker Suzi Quatro for a guest appearance duet. One of the main lyrical lines is "Can't you see - the Devil in Me" which coincidentally was the title of her new album which may have caused confusion and conflict of interest according to her label. Instead the female counterpart in the duet landed on the impressive German rising star Elli Berlin, who did an amazing job. Happy ending!"


Devil's Child is available on all streaming platforms right now. Listen below:

German/American heavy metal legends ACCEPT have canceled their concert in Vineland, New Jersey due to a "virus infection" suffered by lead singer Mark Tornillo.

The decision to call off the show comes two days after ACCEPT performed without Tornillo in Toronto, Ontario, Canada while Mark was recovering from his illness.

Earlier today (Tuesday, October 18),ACCEPT released the following statement via social media: "Dear fans, as you might have heard, we had to modify our show in Toronto, Canada on Oct. 16th. Our singer Mark had developed severe vocal strain over the last week due to a virus infection (not Covid!). Being the trooper that he is, he pushed through three shows in a row, but the doctors now insist he take a break , otherwise the entire rest of the tour would be in jeopardy, as would his voice and health.

"This morning, with the heaviest of hearts we had to make the difficult decision to call off the concert on Oct. 18th in Vineland, NJ. This is so Mark has time to rest and recover, and we can make sure we can finish the rest of the tour in full force.

"We understand the disappointment for our fans in Vineland , and we share this too. We apologise from the bottom of our hearts.

"We strive to put on the best show possible , for every show and want to give you all we can.

"Thank you for understanding, and we’ll see you soon at a later date!

"Stay metal, ACCEPT".

It was announced prior to the Toronto concert that the 68-year-old Tornillo, who joined ACCEPT in 2009, would be unable to play the gig because he was having vocal issues and could have risked losing his voice had he gone ahead with the performance.

ACCEPT played an hour-long set in Toronto, with drummer Christopher Williams, bassist Martin Motnik and some of the other members handling the vocal parts.

On Monday, Williams shared a statement below The Metal Voice's Facebook post regarding the Toronto gig, writing: "Look: we could have cancelled the show, then there would have been nothing. That's it, good night, go home. Rather than that, we wanted to at least do SOMETHING for the fans, especially since it's been so long since the band has performed in Canada.

"I don't sing the ACCEPT songs, I play drums and sing backing vocals. During a show I'm not thinking about the lyrics for the full song, I'm performing. Same with Motnik.

"We tried to do something for the people that were there. We could have bailed out and done nothing. The situation was a major bummer but we did what we could.

"I can say this 1000% on record: Replacing Mark isn't an easy task. We still play in the original album key, tuned to standard. We don't drop tune like a lot of vocalists prefer which makes it 'easier' to hit the notes. We don't use backing tracks, it's all live. It's not like Mark can change a set of strings or sticks… We took a shitty situation and did what we could.

"Mark will be back up there in no time kicking ass like he always does."

Tornillo joined ACCEPT as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last five studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017) and "Too Mean To Die" (2021).

ACCEPT's North American tour, featuring support from NARCOTIC WASTELAND, kicked off on September 29 in Nashville, Tennessee and is scheduled to conclude on October 29 in Columbus, Ohio.

In a 2018 interview with Metal Shock Finland, Tornillo stated about what it was like to first join ACCEPT: "It was frightening. When we first announced what was going to happen, there was really not many people on board with it. Online, there was a lot of naysayers, a lot of badmouthing. It was very disheartening. We all sat down and said, 'Look, we have to make an amazing record, or else we're gonna die here. This is going to be a swansong. We have to make an amazing record.' And that's what we did. We spent a lot of time writing 'Blood Of The Nations' and a lot of time recording it, and I think in retrospect, it paid off. If that album wasn't what it was, we wouldn't be here."

Asked about fans who have yet to "accept" him, Mark said: "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. I'm a purist too with certain things. I get it. But I think we've moved on. We're almost a different band at this point. We really are a different band at this point. We still pay tribute to the old ACCEPT by playing the old songs — I mean, we have the two people that wrote most of the songs, [so] we have to. That's always going to be part of ACCEPT's history. You can't change it. All we can change is the future. But everyone's entitled to their opinion, and I get it. I wish them all well, and I wish Udo well, and his band, you know. No hard feelings on my part, that's for sure."

Asked about ACCEPT's overall approach since he came into the group, Tornillo told "That Jamieson Show": "Basically, [we went] back to what we did in the '80s — what everybody did back in the day. The whole thing was, when I joined the band, Wolf [Hoffmann, guitar] did not want the band to rest on its laurels and only go out and play the classics. He wanted a real band. So we've been album-tour, album-tour — like it always was."

Mark also talked about his musical personal chemistry with Hoffmann, who is the sole remaining member from ACCEPT's classic lineup.

"It's grown quite a bit, actually," he said. "We've got a great mutual respect for each other and for our talents. This album ['Too Mean To Die'] was a total collaboration. This is the first ACCEPT album without Peter, so that was a big gap to fill. But everybody stepped up. Our [new] bass player Martin Motnik contributed quite a bit to this album."

Dear fans,
As you might have heard, we had to modify our show in Toronto, Canada on Oct. 16th.

Our singer Mark had...

Posted by ACCEPT on Tuesday, October 18, 2022

TOO MEAN TO DIE 🐍 🔥 Accept (band) is demolishing New Jersey this Rocktober! 🤘🏼 With Opener Narcotic Wasteland!

🗓...

Posted by The Landis Theater on Thursday, September 29, 2022