In a new interview with Revolver, Ozzy Osbourne recalled when VAN HALEN opened for BLACK SABBATH in 1978 on the European leg of the latter band's "Never Say Die!" tour.

"[Eddie Van Halen] was such a great guy. They came to our local pub and it was good fun," recalled Osbourne. "But David Lee Roth, he's lost a couple of nuts and bolts. When you meet him, it's like, 'What's wrong with him?' He's like somewhere else, you know?"

Ozzy also discussed the supposed cross-town rivalry Randy Rhoads, the first guitarist Osbourne worked with after BLACK SABBATH, had with Eddie Van Halen.

"They were arch enemies," Ozzy remembers. "Randy didn't have a lot to say about Eddie. They were very, very similar guitar players. Eddie took that tapping thing to another level. Randy could do that, but he liked people like Leslie West.

"It amazes me that you get Eddie, you get Randy, and you go, 'No one's ever gonna top that.' But there's a new thing round every corner."

Rhoads's pre-Ozzy band QUIET RIOT had been gigging on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California at the same time as VAN HALEN. Although both Rhoads and Van Halen later became some of the most influential guitarists of the 20th century, playing with a similar flare and incorporating finger-tapping into their fleet-fingered solos, Eddie found commercial success before Rhoads, due in part to the fact that VAN HALEN landed a record deal years before QUIET RIOT did.

The rivalry between Rhoads and Van Halen was explored in the documentary "Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon", which was released this past May. The film contains archive audio of Van Halen discussing Rhoads, saying, "He was one guitarist who was honest, anyway. Because he said everything he did he learned from me.

"He was good," Van Halen continued. "But I don't really think he did anything that I haven't done. And there ain't nothing wrong with it. I've copied some other people, you know?"

In a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, Brazilian-born guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who joined MEGADETH in 2015, spoke about his relationship with the band's leader and founder, Dave Mustaine. Kiko said: "I think there's an understanding. The way I see it is I always try to work for the best of the band, because Dave is MEGADETH. Dave, that's his thing, his passion. Everything he did in his career, his life was always all about MEGADETH. So, for me, that I'm here for seven years, if I dedicate myself to do the best for MEGADETH, then I know I get the respect from Dave, and then we can get along really well, because I'm also caring about his baby. So I'm doing my best to have a great result with MEGADETH on stage, on the albums, promoting the band, so with that, you create a great environment of great communication, a healthy environment, a safe place to discuss ideas. Because in the end, we're discussing ideas. Even if I disagree with Dave, I feel comfortable to come to him and disagree with him, because you don't see people doing this much; people sometimes are afraid of him. But actually I feel that he likes that, that you come with a thoughtful disagreement to the benefit of the band. So I don't have any problems with him; I just have a great relationship with him."

Asked if he thinks MEGADETH has more albums of music left in it, Kiko said: "Yeah. I think this record [the band's latest album, 'The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!'] shows that MEGADETH is alive and creative and powerful. That's one of the most common comments that I hear and read, is like, 'Wow. The band is still putting out great music, aggressive, fast, energetic.' We're not only going back and playing the old songs forever. [We're] showing that there's a lot of energy, creative energy. So, I believe that we can keep doing this for a long time. Some other bands, they don't do that — they just keep playing old songs forever. So, I think this album is here to prove that, and then the response, with the sales and numbers and social media, shows that people get excited to see good new material from legendary bands."

In an October 2015 interview with The Irish Sun, Mustaine was full of praise for Loureiro, saying: "A lot of times guitarists won't know how to add to something — they'll put something in there that's kind of like tits on a bull, unnecessary. Kiko came in and immediately started making some really good suggestions that we applied [to 'Dystopia']. When he first came in, I knew he had the ability but I didn't know if the songwriting technique and talent was going to show up this early on."

He continued: "What was great about the suggestions that Kiko made was that they weren't just guitar ones — he made a bass part in a song called 'Me Hate You' [that made it] really come along. In fact, that was one of the songs where he made a huge melodic contribution in the chorus and I said, 'Man, this sounds like something.'"

According to Dave, Kiko possesses all the elements that are required to become part of a legendary metal act like MEGADETH.

"For me — really simply stated — if you want to be a musician, that's one thing. If you want to be a rock star, that's another," Mustaine said. "But if you want to be legendary, you need to have three very important components: you need to have ability, you need to have appearance, and you need to have attitude. Without all three of those things, it's kind of like trying to have a three-legged milk stool without three legs — it's just not going to work."

He continued: "I found with Kiko, his ability was astronomical, with his attitude he was very confident in what he did — there's a difference between confidence and arrogance. In appearance, he was very classy and very subdued on the street, but up on stage he totally takes command of his performance. When he came up to Nashville to visit with me, I didn't even have him play for the majority of the day he was there. I just wanted to hang out with him and it's been a really long time since I hung out with a guitar player before I hired him. Usually I would listen to how he played and then I'd go, 'Okay, we'll work it out.' I didn't want to do that again. Hanging out with Kiko, and having lunch and kicking back and talking music was all I needed — I knew he was the right guy."

"The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" sold 48,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked MEGADETH's eighth top 10-charting album. Of "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!"'s 48,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprise 45,000, SEA units comprise 3,000 and TEA units comprise a negligible sum.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

In a brand new 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 (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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."

Earlier today, GODSMACK released a brand new single, "Surrender", via BMG. The track marks the first release from the band 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 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.

Ex-KYUSS bassist Nick Oliveri says that he wishes he and some of his former bandmates could go out and tour under the KYUSS moniker. Nick made the comment 10 years since a nasty legal dispute ensued when Oliveri, drummer Brant Bjork and singer John Garcia reunited in 2011 as KYUSS LIVES! While guitarist Josh Homme initially supported his ex-bandmates' decision to tour under that moniker, he and bassist Scott Reeder sued Garcia and Bjork in early 2012 for "trademark infringement and consumer fraud" when Garcia and Bjork allegedly attempted to trademark the KYUSS name. A judge ruled later that year that Garcia and Bjork were not permitted to release any recordings under the name KYUSS LIVES! and warned them that future concerts under the KYUSS LIVES! mark "might continue to subject them to liability for trademark infringement."

Speaking to Jorge Fretes from Spain's GoetiaMedia.com at this past June's Hellfest in Clisson, France, Nick stated about the legal despite over the KYUSS name (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's one of those things. I feel personally that it's a fans' band. When the band existed [from the late 1980s until] '95, with a record company push and all behind it, as a band, it got to this height [raises his hand above the ground]. And the band broke up, and then years later, fans traded MP3s, CDs, cassettes, whatever, and it grew this big [raises his hand much higher] without any label push, without the band existing. So it's a fans' band; they took it further than we ever did."

Oliveri continued: "[The fans] wanted us to play. I wish we were able to play. But I don't have any ownership or stake in the name. Brant came up with the name; he didn't have ownership in it. He left the band at one point. The existing members registered the name. So it's just as simple as that. I kind of feel a lot of different ways about it. I feel like why do you wanna own the name if you wanna kill the band? Let us run with it and have a good time. We're playing [the songs] with all respect to the music that we can, as close to it as we can. And the fans, we owe it to 'em."

A year and a half ago, Bjork revealed that he tried to reach out to Homme about a possible reunion of KYUSS's classic lineup. The former KYUSS drummer said that he attempted to repair his relationship with the group's leader after Homme said in an interview in 2020 that he would be open to playing with his former bandmates again in order to rewrite KYUSS's final chapter.

Speaking to TotalRock's "Hobo On The Radio" podcast, Bjork addressed Homme's remark that he would like to see KYUSS end on a high note. "It's an interesting comment, and I can totally relate to his feeling, because I was really bummed the way that KYUSS broke up in '95; I didn't want it to end that way," Brant said. "So what we should have done is never broke up. Had we known as young dudes — which, let's face it, we were young, and it's hard to do — had we known how to keep a band together, we could have just had that band moving all along and taking breaks from time to time to pursue other things. But, yeah, it has this kind of stop and rebirth and reinvention, and, yeah, I share his frustration. But there's always a way to do it, and it just takes communication. I've always said if you communicate, you can relate, and if you can relate, you can create. That's how it works. And if you're not communicating, then there's gonna be absolutely no creating. And that's where the problem is — is that we're unable to communicate. And over the years, I think Josh and I kind of being the ones who, in a lot of ways, oversaw this band existing, in certain terms, we just have a hard time communicating. Which is interesting, because when we were kids, we were great at communicating. We were great at communicating and relating and creating, and that was what made us have the partnership that we had within the band. And then the communication broke down and we were never able to put it back together."

He continued: "I heard his comment. And interestingly, I thought it was really fitting that it was Nick who actually called me and said, 'Hey, you should check this out.' I was, like, 'Oh, yeah. For sure, man. That's pretty trippy.' And so I listened to it. And to be honest, it was really kind of relieving to hear him speak the way he was. I don't talk to him, I don't have a relationship with him anymore, so I don't know who he is and where he is and what he does anymore. But in terms of what we have and did with KYUSS, I thought it was some healthy words and a healthy perspective on things. And it even went to the extent that a friend of mine was, like, 'Hey, you know what? Maybe it's a good time to reach out to him.' And I thought, 'Yeah, it's not a bad idea, man.' I think we're at an age, and after all that we've done and experienced individually, and even collectively when we were younger, I think, there's no reason for us to just kind of say, 'Hey, man…' Not unlike what I'm doing right now with Nick in STÖNER — a kind of way to say, 'Hey, why don't we just go back and kind of try and plug into that time before we were accomplished professional musicians.' 'Cause there's a starting point to everything. Maybe there's the ability where we can go back before all this stuff happened and try and communicate from that place. I don't know. Maybe that's a fantasy. I don't know. But it was an idea. And I reached out to him. And he actually was, like, 'Yeah, let's talk. And I'll get back to you.' And I was, like, 'All right. Cool, man.' And then it never happened. So I don't know what to say about that.

"As far as a KYUSS reunion happening, that was my attempt at not necessarily getting the band back together but at the very least developing some communication with Josh," Brant added. "And it seemed at first that it might be time and [we] actually [might] be able to connect. But it didn't happen. That was months and months and months ago, so it's clear that it's not gonna move forward. And who knows? Maybe he puts KYUSS together and puts his own version together or whatever. I don't know what he's gonna do. We'll have to just see."

Josh discussed a possible KYUSS reunion while being interviewed by Kyuss World Radio about the 25th anniversary of the band's final album, "…And The Circus Leaves Town". The Californian four-piece split three months following the LP's release, resulting in it being less critically and commercially successful when compared to the two KYUSS albums which helped birth the stoner rock movement — 1992's "Blues For The Red Sun" and 1994's "Welcome To Sky Valley".

"My philosophy has always been, never do a reunion, never do a sequel. It's not what it was; it's what it is. And that's kind of how I've felt," Homme said.

He added that he's generally not in favor of reunions.

"A legacy that involves having been at the epicenter of a scene that got created, it's so fragile," he said. "It's like an ice sculpture. And I don't wanna be a blow dryer on that thing."

But he didn't completely rule out the possibility. "That being said, I was in full support of KYUSS LIVES! and I would go to the shows and I told them as much, until what Brant and, unfortunately, what John tried to do. And that was terrible.

"There have been times I thought it cannot end that way, and the only real way to end it correctly now would be to play," Homme continued. "And because they sort of perverted the punctuation and they knocked the wing off this beautiful dragon that's an ice sculpture, and the only way to put the motherfucking wing back on would be to [play again]."

"I have thought about this, especially in the last few years, to do something special, and even to make up for that mistake of Brant and, unfortunately, John, to make up for it. [I thought we should] play and give all the money away. Like, play for the fans — cover your costs and make it five bucks. Figure out a way to be, like, this is how the punctuation will end the sentence of this band. Because it was never about money — it never was about money. It never was about fame, and when it felt like that was the move they were making, I was so sad."

After KYUSS split in 1995, Homme went on to form QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE.

In a May 2012 interview with RolllingStone.com, Bjork stated about Homme and Reeder's lawsuit, "They don't want to mention that they trademarked the name KYUSS after I left the band, assuring that I had no rights in KYUSS's future. They're both accusing John and I of doing something that they actually did themselves. Their inner conflict is this: both Josh and Scott want control and money from KYUSS LIVES!, but they don't want to participate and they ultimately don't want us to exist. The double standard is unbelievable."

He added, "Josh and I were the creative force within the band and after the completion of our second record, 'Blues For The Red Sun', we developed an opposing view on how the band should exist and operate. In 1992, Josh discovered publishing, which is the financial revenue stream for songwriting. After that, he wanted to write all the songs. As a drummer, I couldn't make him play my songs. I wasn't going to compromise my heart and soul and play drums for Josh to make money in a band I started. So I left the band. I was a confused, angry and sad 19-year-old idealist who sacrificed my love of my band for what I believed in. Two and a half years later, Josh would break up the band after John confronted him about the same thing; his need to control the band for personal gain."

Bjork and Oliveri recently formed a new band called STÖNER. They are joined in the trio by Ryan Güt.

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner has opened up about his recent revelation that he underwent a second heart surgery in early August. The latest operation took place nearly a year after the 42-year-old British-born musician suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during a performance at the Louder Than Life festival, just a short distance from Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. It took the hospital's cardiothoracic surgery team, led by Dr. Siddharth Pahwa and also including Drs. Brian Ganzel and Mark Slaughter, approximately 10 hours to complete Richie's first surgery, an aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement with hemiarch replacement.

Speaking to That Fuzzing Rock Show early last week, Richie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've actually just come back from cardiac rehab this morning. I had to go in again for another open-heart surgery about five [or] six weeks ago. They found something just before the European leg [of JUDAS PRIEST's world tour]. And it was basically a hole in the repair and there was a leak — I'd basically sprung a leak in there — and it was causing a sack to form around my heart. So they found it just before the European leg. And the surgeon said it was okay for me to do Europe, [so] I was actually touring Europe, playing Europe with this sack and a leak inside there. What that meant was when I got back from Europe, two days later I was back in the hospital for another open-heart surgery. And I've been recovering since then. So, again, the surgeons and the doctors, they were all saying that it was enough recovery time to be able to recover before the next group of dates mid-October. And I'm doing well. As I said, I was in cardiac rehab this morning. I feel fit; I feel strong. But that's obviously why we had to… There was a festival in Sacramento [Aftershock] that we had to bow out of, 'cause I wouldn't have been able to do it. I needed that eight or nine weeks recovery time. That's why we had to pull that festival. So, yeah, I'm doing well — feeling strong, feeling healthy. But yeah, it was a bit daunting, to be honest, to be touring Europe knowing that that was going on. But you've gotta put your trust in the doctors, and it worked out okay; I'm recovering."

When the interviewer pointed out that it was the first anniversary of Richie's first open-heart surgery at the time of the chat, Faulkner said: "A friend of mine called me up a couple of days ago wishing me a happy birthday, 'cause he's, like, I've got a new… 'Cause they literally turned my brain off and they bypassed the heart, so it's almost like you die. So it's almost like they bring you back to life and you get a new… It's almost like your second life, so half jokingly he wished me a happy birthday 'cause it's almost like I was born again. So, yeah, it's like an anniversary, birthday — whatever you wanna call it. But it's been a tough year. But I've had a great support system, both at home and the surgeons and the doctors and everything. And also the band and everything. And also the fans — the fans have been super supportive, and I can't thank everyone enough."

Two weeks after his first surgery, Faulkner told reporters that he experienced a sharp pain as he was stepping off the stage. "That's when it exploded," he said.

"The more I read about it, the more astonishing it is to me to think that I even made it to the hospital," he added. "The amount of time when I actually go the pain and when I turned up in the hospital and when we were actually operating, it was quite a lot of time. The more I read about it, the more unbelievable — that amount of time — I don't know how I'm still around today."

Pahwha told reporters that the chance of survival for anybody with Faulkner's ailment is about 10%.

"There are about 70% to 80% patients who have their aorta ruptured and never make it to the hospital," said Pahwa.

Faulkner said he had no history of heart complications and that the aliment came completely "out of the blue."

"My point is I don't even have high cholesterol and this could've been the end for me," he said. "If you can get yourselves checked — do it for me, please."

Aortic aneurysms are "balloon-like bulges in the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Dissections happen when the "force of blood pumping can split the layers of the artery wall, allowing blood to leak in between them."

Doctors said Faulkner would continue to be monitored and would receive a CT scan every six months for the first year.

After Louder Than Life, JUDAS PRIEST postponed the remainder of the U.S. dates on its 50th-anniversary tour, dubbed "50 Heavy Metal Years". The shows were rescheduled for March and April 2022.

Faulkner joined PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist K.K. Downing.

Richie was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

Faulkner and his girlfriend Mariah Lynch, daughter of former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch, welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Daisy Mae, in July 2020.

KORN frontman Jonathan Davis has announced the launch of his new pet brand, Freak On A Leash. According to the singer, "These premium products are created for all, paying homage to the horror and rock music we love. This first collection, designed exclusively by me, contains all custom products made with high-quality gunmetal hardware, leather, nylon, and plushies that will set your pet apart from the pack."

Freak On A Leash has partnered exclusively with festival promoter Danny Wimmer Presents and non-profit animal rescue organization Take Me Home to announce the brand and give you a sneak peek and the chance to have it before anyone else.

Merchandise will be available only at the Take Me Home tent on Saturday, October 8 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California. The first 100 fans attending the festival to purchase Freak On A Leash merch will receive a wristband to meet Jonathan in person from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. A portion of proceeds sold at the festival, as well as the webstore launch, will be donated to Take Me Home. The official worldwide launch date is October 28.

Visit www.freakonaleash.com to sign up now for inside information on the product and release time, as well as a chance to win the new collection.

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

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

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

KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu announced in June 2021 that he would sit out the band's touring activities in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits."

Despite the fact that he hasn't performed with his KORN bandmates for more than a year, Fieldy did play on "Requiem".

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jonathan Davis (@officialjonathandavis)

RUSH members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson teamed up with three of modern rock's top drummers Dave Grohl (NIRVANA),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) and Danny Carey (TOOL),at last Tuesday night's (September 27) Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at in Los Angeles to perform three classic RUSH tracks.

After an introduction by Jack Black, the RUSH portion of the evening kicked off with "2112 Part I: Overture", the first movement of the 1976 prog-rock epic, with Grohl on drums and THE BIRD AND THE BEE's Greg Kurstin on keyboards. Grohl was then replaced by Smith behind the kit for a rendition of "Working Man". After that, Lee addressed the crowd, saying, "I'd just like to cast back to a moment in time, 2008, when we were contacted by the FOO FIGHTERS to see if we would go down to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto and play Taylor Hawkins favorite song with him onstage. That was the beginning of quite a beautiful friendship. So in honor of that and in honor of our own lost brother, we'd like to bring out Danny Carey to play 'YYZ'."

Earlier today, RUSH's official social media channels shared professionally filmed video of the "Working Man" performance from the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in Los Angeles. The legendary Canadian rock band, whose drummer Neil Peart, passed away nearly three years ago after a battle with cancer, also included the following message: "For the first time since August 1st, 2015 we returned to the stage at the LA Forum, scene of the very last performance with our lost brother Neil. This time it was for the second Taylor Hawkins Tribute and sitting behind the throne were 3 wonderful human beings, who also happen to be spectacular drummers.. Dave Grohl, Chad Smith and Danny Carey…. Talk about being spoiled… but the best, yet bittersweet part of this whole deal is that no one would have loved witnessing that more Taylor himself. Rest In Peace Hawk, as we keep Alison, Shane, Annabelle and Everleigh Hawkins along with the entire Foos Family in our thoughts."

Lee and Lifeson previously played the same three tracks at the first Hawkins tribute concert on September 3 at London's Wembley Stadium. Grohl and Omar Hakim handled the drums for that performance.

This past April, Lee reflected on Hawkins's passing in an interview with "House Of Strombo", a free-form radio talk program hosted by Canadian television and radio personality George Stroumboulopoulos. Geddy said: "Heartbreaking — just heartbreaking. That really broke my heart, his passing. [He was] so full of file. I remember when he presented the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame award to us in 2013 and we came up on stage, he was literally jumping up and down like a two-year-old — he was jumping up and down, he was so happy — and that was him. He was so full of admiration and rock and roll joy juice. And it just seems wrong that he left us."

Hawkins and FOO FIGHTERS leader Dave Grohl gave the speech for RUSH when the prog-rock legends were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and the FOO FIGHTERS duo then performed "2112" alongside RUSH during the Rock Hall ceremony.

After Stroumboulopoulos asked Lee what Hawkins said to him when he presented him with the Rock Hall award, Geddy said: "He just gave me a big hug. He just sent me an e-mail like a month ago — just checking in. That's what he would do; he would just check in."

When Hawkins's death was first announced in late March, Lee released a statement on social media in which he said: "We are so very shocked and saddened to hear the devastating news of the sudden passing of our musical brother Taylor Hawkins. He was such an incredibly positive source of music, energy and love, and a true artist to his very core…there are simply no words to adequately express just how much he will be missed by all — including Alex, myself and the entire RUSH family. Our hearts, love and sympathy go out to Taylor's family as well the Grohls, and the extended FOOs family…"

In a separate post on his personal Instagram account, Lee reflected on the time he and Lifeson joined the FOO FIGHTERS onstage during a concert in Toronto.

"My heart is truly breaking at the news of Taylor's passing. A sweetheart of a man that radiated good vibes, a love of music, and a total monster on the drums," Lee wrote. "He was so, so happy the night Alex and I came up onstage to play YYZ with him during the FOOs show at the Air Canada Centre on March 23rd, 2008… His excitement was almost impossible for him to contain. Brother, you left us way, way too soon… rest in peace my friend…"

When Peart died in January 2020, Hawkins said in a statement to Rolling Stone: "Neil Peart had the hands of God. End of story."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rush (@rush)

NIGHTWISH's Floor Jansen has explained her decision to cut her hair, saying that she wanted "to make it healthy and natural again".

The 41-year-old Dutch-born singer revealed her new look in a social media post on Monday (October 3),sharing a photo that was taken before a performance of her new solo single "Me Without You" on the Dutch TV show "Humberto Op Zondag".

Although most of the responses from her social media followers to her new hairstyle were positive, some fans expressed their concern that she would no longer be able to do her trademark "windmill headbanging" at NIGHTWISH live concerts. Some others were alarmed by the possibility that Floor's foray into a more pop direction with her solo material, coupled with her new appearance, would signal her decision to leave the band that she has fronted for the past 10 years.

Earlier today (Wednesday, October 5),Jansen posted a fresh photo of her new look, and she included the following message: "I love my shorter hair! Even though I'd rather have it long and healthy. But my hair grew thin, became brittle and wasn't healthy anymore. I started using extensions that made it look beautiful again. I am grateful for the possibility of that, but like my natural me the most. So, if that means shorter hair to make it healthy and natural again, so it is.

"I am excited to 'test drive' my shorter hair for some windmilling on stage with NIGHTWISH next week in Brasil!!! It's still called headbanging haha, not hairbanging.

"I know some of you are concerned that I cannot or won't headbang anymore, and that the choice for shorter hair has somehow something to do with my solo career or a move away from metal. Rest assured, it is nothing more than a search for a natural healthy head of hair from a 40+ mom who is as in love with metal and music as ever, but also…. just human".

This past May, Floor spoke to Metal Rules about her decision to launch a solo career nearly 25 years after she joined her first band. She said: "People need to know that NIGHTWISH and my solo career are not biting each other. I know that voices have been risen with concern — considering the fact that now I have a solo career, people are afraid I might leave NIGHTWISH because of it. And I just wanted to stress out that I will not. NIGHTWISH is forever in my heart; I can't imagine leaving it. And solo is there to be on the side of it. And I find it super exciting and very enjoyable, but I'm not gonna leave NIGHTWISH."

When interviewer Marko Syrjala pointed out that other members of NIGHTWISH have also pursued side projects over the years, Floor concurred. "That's it," she said. "So indeed there's AURI; there's BROTHER FIRETRIBE; Tuomas [Holopainen, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter] has been releasing music on the side for many years, and everybody is liking doing different things and being musically engaged in different projects. And I think that's very healthy. It should not bite each other. But we do need to agree on the fact that NIGHTWISH is always the big brother; [it is] the priority for us all."

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two Number One albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal acts, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member. NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

Last year, Holopainen said in an interview that NIGHTWISH would split up if Jansen ever chose to leave.

I love my shorter hair! Even though I'd rather have it long and healthy. But my hair grew thin, became brittle and…

Posted by Floor Jansen on Wednesday, October 5, 2022

New hair 😘✂️ and dress 👗(by Dolce & Gabbana, styled by Pascalle Koldenhof) 🔥 for my performance of Me Without You at Humberto Op Zondag 😃

Posted by Floor Jansen on Sunday, October 2, 2022

Horror metal band Hell Theater have signed with Wormholedeath a deal for their album, S'Accabadora, which is due for digital release on October 28th via Wormholedeath. CD format will be out in November 2022.


Hell Theater on the new album:


"It’s a concept album, a unique story in 11 tracks (chapters) lasting about 60 minutes. The story is based on a traditional Sardinian figure, the 'female Accabadora' or 'she who ends,' who really existed in the past and perhaps still exists in very rural areas, to whom magical gifts were attributed, a sort of witch dressed in black. Her role was to put an end to the suffering of dying and terminally ill old people, out of pity, at the request of relatives, by striking a blow on the back of the head with a special 'Mazzolu' hammer (see the cover of 'A Strange Death'). Sometimes, however, the relatives for her sake tricked the Accabadora, and then she unleashed her curses. This is the first time that a similar story has been told in a metal album."




Hell Theater is a horror metal band formed in the Venice area in 2009 and has remained active through live shows up to the present day. In recent years they have returned exactly to the most famous line-up that produced their best works with the only introduction of bassist Guh Lu as a guest, the live bassist for Norway's Gorgoroth. Their sound is defined as an influence between thrash, progressive and classic heavy metal.


Their previous work is the aggressive Smell Of Blood EP and the Reincarmnation Of Evil concept album distributed by My Graveyard Records.





Tracklist


"Laughing Doll" (Intro)
"Eyes Painted Blood"
"A Strange Death"
"Church Of Saint Anthony, Pt. 1"
"Church Of Saint Anthony, Pt. 2"
"Mamuthones Dance"
"In The Dark Room"
"Domus De Janas"
"Dressed In Black"
"Morte Be Thy Name"
"The Legend Will Never Die"


"A Strange Death"





Line-up


Victor Solinas - Vocals
Brian Steele - Rhythm & Lead Guitars
Bon Axx - Rhythm & Lead Guitars, Keyboards
Unh Buryan - Drums
Guh Ku - Bass (guest performer)

California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER will release their sixth album, "On The Prowl", on February 24, 2023. The official music video for the LP's first single, "Never Too Late (To Get Some Pussy Tonight)", will make its online debut tomorrow (Thursday, October 6) at 7:00 a.m. PDT / 10:00 a.m. EDT.

Late last month, STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr spoke to the "Everblack" podcast about his relationship with the band's original bassist Lexxi Foxx who left the band in July 2021. "I just talked to him today," Michael said. "He's doing good, man. He did exactly what he wanted to do. He started a family. He's living in Chicago. Him and his wife just had a baby. So Lexxi Foxx is not gay. I thought he was gay this whole time. It's so weird."

Starr continued: "The party never stops. Just because he's not on tour doesn't mean he's fucking having a good time. And we miss him. I fucking miss him. And we still stay in touch and talk. We talk just about every other day — just stay in touch with one another. I mean, we were together for 27 years, 26 years, and we know each other's moms and dads and all of our cousins. We know everything about one another. So it's been really, really sad not having him in the band, but I understand why he's doing what he's doing. And he was one of the smart guys — he saved up all his money. Not me — I'm still living at my mom's. Let's go."

In September, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.

"Spyder has filled in for Lexxi many times," Starr told "Everblack". "He's a super-close friend of the band. We've known him for years. As a matter of fact, [STEEL PANTHER guitarist] Satchel and I were in a VAN HALEN tribute band for a while, and Spyder was the bass player in that. We have a rich history with him… He did all of Europe with us and he did a great job.

"First of all, I just wanna say this: Lexxi Foxxcannot be replaced," Michael added. "That's just the way it is. It's like trying to replace David Lee Roth, in my opinion. You can't fucking replace Lexxi Foxx. And also trying to find somebody that has the ability to make somebody laugh, do choreography moves from 40 years ago, jump around on stage and know what to wear. And not only that — most people think that STEEL PANTHER's music is super easy to play, and it's not. Satchel's an incredible writer, and the stuff he writes [is] not easy to play. So you've really gotta be able to play bass, you've gotta be able to sing, you've gotta be able to engage the audience, you've gotta be able to talk to 'em. There's a lot that goes into it… Seriously, it's really hard to find someone that has all those qualities and you can hang out with them. 'Cause you think about it — the show is an hour and a half. The other 22 and a half hours we're together either sleeping or hanging out, soundchecking or whatever. So it's a lot of time to spend together offstage. So you'd better be cool with him."

To coincide with the new bassist announcement, STEEL PANTHER announced a U.S. tour, "Claus & Paws Holiday Party". The eight-city trek will kick off in late November after the band wraps up its recently announced Canadian leg of the "Res-Erections" tour 2022.

Just four months ago, Starr and STEEL PANTHER drummer Stix Zadinia discussed their search for a permanent replacement for Foxx in an interview with RAMzine. Michael said: "We tried out over… We had how many video submissions… probably [over 700]. And we went through every single video. And we did some test runs with some people. And when we find the right guy, you guys will know."

Added Stix: "On this tour, we have our friend Spyder with us, who is a great friend and an even better bass player. He's not that great a friend. I'm kidding. He's awesome. We've known him since 1990. He's one of our homies and he's killing it. And we cannot wait to jam with him. But we are still searching for the permanent guy 'cause Spyder's got another gig; he's got a paper route that he works on."

Continued Michael: "We may never find another replacement for Lexxi. We love him. We miss him dearly. And I'm glad he's doing what he wants to do in life. But replacing him, it's like trying to replace Stix or me — it's impossible. So we may never, ever have a bass player. We might just be trying out bass players until I die."

Stix added: "And every time we get a new guy, we just say, 'Hey, come out. There's no money involved. So just try out.' We just keep doing it forever."

A year ago, Lexxi — whose real name is Travis Haley — told Rocking With Jam Man that he hadn't spoken with his former bandmates since his exit. "I still talk to the singer a little bit; I have in the past," he said. "But I think that those scars and I think that the departure, the way that it went down, I think there's some sore spots. But that's tough for me to talk about.

"That was something that I'm very proud of — to be that character for such a long period of time, and to play with those cats," he continued. "They're all amazing musicians. And I just think that it is different to not have that [in my life] — I'd been in character for so long — but I have to say it's a little refreshing as well."

When STEEL PANTHER first announced Lexxi's exit in July 2021, the band jokingly said that Foxx "started his side business, 'Sexy Lexxi's Prettiest Pets,' to bring in money for Botox during the lockdown." After realizing that "his love for making pets pretty was greater than his love for being pretty himself," he chose "to hang up his mirror and focus on his newfound passion: making ugly dogs pretty," the group wrote in a statement.

Back in December 2018, Lexxi sat out a STEEL PANTHER tour after being admitted to "sex rehab." The real reason for his absence was never officially disclosed.

During an appearance on an episode of the "2020'd" podcast, Satchel stated about Lexxi's departure: "We didn't want him to quit. Nobody wanted him to quit, including a lot of fans. I'm sure a lot of fans are very sad that he left. But he's the guy who left the band. I think he's got his own things he's dealing with, and he just wanted to go and do that. So, I don't know… I can't answer for Lexxi Foxx. But we will all miss Lexxi Foxx, and we all wish him the best in everything that he does. But we didn't fire him; he quit the band. So we're gonna have to move on and get somebody else who's younger and foxier and doesn't need as much Botox," referencing the drug doctors have been using for years to treat wrinkles and facial creases.

Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Fourteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

Haley, who was an original member of STEEL PANTHER, recently announced the formation of his new band HOLLYWOOD GODS N' MONSTERS with longtime friend and television celebrity from MTV's "Pimp My Ride", Diggity Dave.

BLOODCLOT (a.k.a. BLOODCLOT!),the American hardcore/punk/crossover band led by former CRO-MAGS frontman John "Bloodclot" Joseph, will release its new album, "Souls", on December 16 via Upstate Records.

BLOODCLOT's origins date back to the early 1980s when its lineup doubled as roadies and provided opening support for the legendary BAD BRAINS. In 2008, BLOODCLOT transformed from an intermittent live act, manifesting itself as a full-force studio entity, and independently released their "Burn Babylon Burn!" debut. Nearly a decade later, Joseph recruited a lineup of scene veterans, including Joey Castillo (formerly of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, DANZIG, and more),Nick Oliveri (formerly of KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, and others),and the late Todd Youth (DANZIG, WARZONE, MURPHY'S LAW) to record the band's second LP, "Up In Arms", which saw the band sign to Metal Blade Records for its release.

Now, 2022 sees BLOODCLOT back with its heaviest lineup yet, with Joseph joined by guitarist Tom Capone (ex-QUICKSAND, BEYOND, BOLD),bassist Craig Setari (SICK OF IT ALL, ex-YOUTH OF TODAY, AGNOSTIC FRONT),and drummer Darren Morgenthaler (MAXIMUM PENALTY, ex-MADBALL). This convergence of long-running New York hardcore culminates on "Souls", the group's third and most powerful record yet.

"Souls" covers a lot of territory throughout its succinct rampage. Not only does BLOODCLOT deliver the expected classic NYHC sound its members have all been elemental in helping create over the past three decades or more, the influence from the early days of thrash pushes its way to the forefront, citing early SLAYER, VENOM, DARK ANGEL, KREATOR, and the like. Other elements of the album showcase a more melodic approach fans of modern metal will flock to, and the band fully embraces its origins and pays homage to the BAD BRAINS on the closing cover of "How Low Can A Punk Get?"

"Souls" is dedicated to Joseph's longtime friend and bandmate Todd Youth. The album was produced by Laz Pina of ILL NIÑO, recorded by Johnny "Pyro" Lafuentes, except for "How Low Can A Punk Get?" which was recorded at Found Soundation NYC, mixed by Kyle McAulay, with the bass for the song tracked by Manuel Carrero. The record was mixed and mastered by Chriss Collier (KORN, PRONG, WHITESNAKE) and its layout/design handled by Kim Cangemi and Darren Morgenthaler.

The lead single from "Souls" is also its opening track, an aggressive and rhythmically styled, socially conscious message to the "manipulated" masses. Joseph stated with the song's premiere, "The events of the last few years really took a toll on a lot of people. I had friends relapse into addiction and sadly some who lost their fight. Thus the chorus, 'Break away, the cosmos calling, your star's been falling/Break away, cut the ropes that bind you, free your mind and find you.' The track also calls out corrupt government shills who twist the truth for their own financial gain and control, creating situations which left people feeling there's no hope. After what we witnessed go on with war after war, perpetrated behind blatant lies, it should always raise red flags when it comes to trusting them on any matter of importance."

A video for the song was premiered by Decibel magazine, which wrote with its unveiling, "'Souls' is a passionately anti-war screed, as evidenced both Joseph's lyrics as well as the visuals in the video. Musically it's a SLAYER-inspired hardcore rampage akin to that band's late '80s output, though Capone's at-times dissonant guitar adds a post-metal tension to the track."

"Souls" will be made available as a limited-edition black and white splatter 12-inch vinyl, CD, and on all digital streaming services.

"Souls" track listing:

01. Souls
02. Unhinged
03. War Castles
04. Save The Robots
05. Infectious
06. Relentless
07. How Low Can A Punk Get? (BAD BRAINS cover)

BLOODCLOT 2022 is:

John Joseph – vocals
Tom Capone – guitar
Craig Setari – bass
Darren Morgenthaler – drums

Photo by Steven J. Messina

Rock And Roll Beauty has announce the release of its Ozzy Osbourne limited-edition beauty collection.

Through a unique collaboration with Ozzy, the licensing agent Global Merchandising and the design team at Rock And Roll Beauty comes an exclusive collection celebrating the spirit of Ozzy's distinctive look and style. The 21-piece collection exudes a rock and roll vibe and commemorates Ozzy with product and shadows named after his signature songs, "iron man", "zombie stomp", and "crazy train" featured in the 14-pan eye shadow palettes. The collection also features candles to conjure the spirit of the rock gods, Ozzy-styled body tattoos, dark "metal", lipsticks, cosmetic bags, and a gothic mirror. These highly pigmented products are designed to give you a bold, precise look, inspired by the Prince Of Darkness himself. It is available exclusively in select Ulta Beauty stores nationwide, www.ulta.com and www.rockandrollbeauty.com.

Ozzy joins DEF LEPPARD and Jimi Hendrix in Rock And Roll Beauty's collection.

A pioneering heavy metal icon, Grammy Award winner and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, Ozzy has sold over 100 million records, is a founder of Ozzfest and just released his thirteenth solo album, "Patient Number 9".

Rock And Roll Beauty marries nostalgia with the artistry of today's finest beauty products and accessories. The company's talented designers create limited-edition collections working with your favorite blasts from the past. Each collection is skillfully curated to encompass the uniqueness of each reminiscence and combine it with the latest in cruelty free cosmetics and accessories. From the company's unique one of kind collectible palettes, to the gothic bullet lipsticks and skull brush set, Rock And Roll Beauty will rock your world.

Nita Strauss rejoined Alice Cooper on stage Tuesday night (October 4) during the legendary rocker's concert at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado.

The 35-year-old musician, who left Alice's touring band earlier this year to join the backing group of pop star Demi Lovato, came up during the encore of Cooper's set to play guitar on his classic song "School's Out".

After being introduced by Alice as "Her Majesty, Queen Of The Guitar", Nita took the stage alongside Cooper's three guitarists, including the returning Kane Roberts, who stepped back into the lineup following Nita's exit.

After last night's show, Nita shared a few photos of the performance on Twitter and included the following message: "Hurricane meets Hurri-Kane @Kane_Roberts

"Such a treat getting to not only see the amazing @alicecooper show from the audience for the first time, but hop up and join the boys for the encore last night. Thank you all for the warm welcome!"

She added in a separate tweet: "I had the best time!"

Nita, who spent eight years playing with Alice before joining Demi's band, was asked in a recent interview with Metal Injection if it was a "nerve-racking" experience telling the legendary rocker that she wanted to step back from performing with him. The guitarist responded: "I wouldn't even say nerve-racking, because… I mean, it was a big decision, of course, but it definitely wasn't as dramatic as it has seemed online, if that makes sense. We had just started the U.K. tour when I got the offer to come and play with Demi. And I just went into Coop's room — I went to his hotel room and I talked with him and his wife. And I said, 'Look, I have this opportunity.' He asked, 'Would it conflict with anything on this tour?' I said, 'No, but it would conflict with the fall dates, so I'd have to step back from the fall tour.' And he said, 'Go and do it.' He gave his blessing. He gave me a big hug and said, 'Go and have fun. Shine your light, and let us know what next year looks like and we'll work it out.' So it was a lovely and loving conversation — no big blowup; no drama; no one got fired; no one stormed out. And I took a step back and I'm trying something different. And we'll see what happens in the future."

According to Nita, "it didn't help" that the news of her joining Demi's touring band "got leaked before anybody had a chance to really say anything. I don't really know how that news got out, 'cause it was all pretty close to the vest," she said. "But somebody found out, somebody decided to put it out before anybody really could make a proper statement about it, and I think that's how these things get twisted around into something that it's not.

"We had a — Alice literally called it a 'hiatus dinner,'" Nita added. "One of our last shows in Greece, we had a couple of days off, and we had a big 'hiatus dinner' and we all laughed and cried and hugged and they gave me a little parting gift. And if that was the last show at the end of the tour, it'll be okay. But there was no big dramatic exit that people were speculating. And now that I'm clearing it up, there is also no backtracking. [Laughs] I think people just love to speculate without really knowing the actual workings of what's going on."

Nita played her first full live show with Demi on August 13 at the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.

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

Nita's new gig was first reported as a rumor on July 11 on the Metal Sludge web site.

Nita told Louder about how she ended up playing with Lovato: "So I actually got a text from Demi's musical director when I was on the road with my solo band on the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY tour, and essentially what it said was what we all know now: Demi is a huge rock and metal fan. And Demi wants to go back to her routes and wants to put together an all-female rock band. She's really one of the biggest stars in the world and she wants to take a step into our genre and this style of music that we love so much. When you get that text, that somebody wants to bring that type of music to the forefront, how do you say no? How do you turn down this opportunity to bring this style of music to so many more people? So I was thrilled to hear about it and I jumped at the opportunity. This was all way back in May. It's been in the works for a really long time."

She continued: "I've seen a lot of stuff out there saying, 'She jumped ship really fast'. There was nothing that happened fast, I think people just found out about it all at once. First and foremost, I went to Alice and [his wife] Sheryl for their blessing which they were so happy to give. Then I went to Alice's management and started rehearsal with Demi. I did my first TV appearance with Demi, I believe it was three days after the last Alice show, so it was really out of the frying pan and into the fire. But her team has been really fun to work with, the band is incredible, the musical director, Demi herself, it's just been a really good experience overall."

On July 11, Nita announced that she would sit out Cooper's fall 2022 tour. She has also scrapped the festival dates her solo band had planned for the rest of the year. The 35-year-old said in a statement that her "touring year" was "still VERY full" and revealed that she was "on a flight straight into the next adventure," adding cryptically that she would "be on stage again much sooner than you think."

A couple of Nita's Cooper bandmates commented on her post, with guitarist Ryan Roxie writing: "No words — just notes... and lord knows we harmonized a lot of them over the years... nothing but love and respect." Drummer Glen Sobel added: "You're super pro and prepared no matter what the situation. We're gonna miss you but we're also proud to be associated with Hurricane."

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

Last October, Nita shared "Dead Inside", her first new solo music since the release of her debut album, 2018's "Controlled Chaos". The track was her first-ever solo collaboration with a vocalist, David Draiman, frontman of Grammy-nominated rock icons DISTURBED. Her new instrumental solo track, "Summer Storm", arrived on August 30.

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

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

In April 2020, Nita launched "Rock Guitar Fundamentals" — a three-module online guitar teaching program suitable for learners of all levels. The course is available at www.iwanttoplayguitar.com.
I had the best time! Thanks for the warm welcome. https://t.co/wtIGZOlIUM

— Nita Strauss (@hurricanenita) October 5, 2022


Hurricane meets Hurri-Kane 😝🌪️ @Kane_Roberts

Such a treat getting to not only see the amazing @alicecooper show from the audience for the first time, but hop up and join the boys for the encore last night 🥰 thank you all for the warm welcome!@cerealkylerpic.twitter.com/Q64dYFVX6Z

— Nita Strauss (@hurricanenita) October 5, 2022

While Swedish melodic death metal pioneers AT THE GATES continue to promote their acclaimed latest studio album, "The Nightmare Of Being", they have now checked in after a North American tour as well as an intense run of summer festivals across Europe and in Japan with the news that founding member and guitarist Anders Björler is returning to the band's lineup after a handful of years of absence.

AT THE GATES vocalist Tomas Lindberg comments the news: "It is with great pleasure we welcome Anders Björler, one of the founding members, back into the band. We are excited to tell you that we are already starting the work on the follow up to 'The Nightmare Of Being', with the same lineup that wrote 'Terminal Spirit Disease', 'Slaughter Of The Soul' and 'At War with Reality'. Anders's first show back in the band will be Damnation Fest in the U.K., and he will join us on the European tour together with IN FLAMES later this year. Great times! It really feels like a second rebirth of the band, and we are looking forward to this new chapter!"

Anders Björler added the following comment: "It feels like coming home for sure. I have been missing the guys, of course, but also playing the guitar, writing music and the artistic creativity in general. I've been watching from the sidelines for a number of years, and I've been very proud of what they have created in my absence. I am really looking forward to writing a new album and getting back to playing live shows again."

Next up, AT THE GATES will appear at U.K.'s Damnation festival before embarking on a massive tour across Europe featuring IN FLAMES, IMMINENCE and ORBIT CULTURE between November 12 and December 17.

AT THE GATES recruited Daniel Martinez (ATHEIST) to play second guitar for the band on its recent North American tour.

AT THE GATES' special "Slaughter Of The Soul" North American tour was originally planned for the 25th anniversary of the album in 2020, the COVID-19 situation forced the band to postpone the trek until 2022.

AT THE GATES played the whole "Slaughter Of The Soul" LP from start to finish, and also a mix of other tracks from its 30-plus-year career.

In August, AT THE GATES enlisted Patrik Jensen (THE HAUNTED) to play second guitar for the band at several shows, including at this year's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

The Wacken gig took place less than two weeks after AT THE GATES parted ways with its guitarist of the past five years, Jonas Stålhammar.

Stålhammar joined the band in September 2017 as the replacement for Anders Björler, who left AT THE GATES in March of that year.

In addition to AT THE GATES, Stålhammar had previously played with THE LURKING FEAR, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, BOMBS OF HADES, GOD MACABRE, ABHOTH, UTUMNO and MACABRE END.

AT THE GATES' latest studio album, "The Nightmare Of Being", came out last year.

While main parts for "The Nightmare Of Being" were recorded in several different Swedish studios — drums at Studio Gröndal with Jens Bogren, guitars and bass with Andy La Rocque at Sonic Train Studio and vocals at Welfare Sounds with Per Stålberg — the LP was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios (AMON AMARTH, OPETH, KREATOR) by Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with AT THE GATES on the "At War With Reality" comeback album in 2014. The album's visual concept was developed by artist Eva Nahon.

2018's "To Drink From The Night Itself" was the first AT THE GATES album written and recorded without Anders Björler.

Photo credit: Ester Segarra

Heavy hardcore legends, Lionheart, release their second banger, 'Live By The Gun' featuring legendary Ice-T of Body Count, taken from their upcoming new album, Welcome To The West Coast III, set for release on December 9th via Arising Empire.


Welcome To The West Coast III is 11 tracks of crushing riffs and violence-inciting grooves, which boasts a star-studded guest feature line-up including Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed), Alex Taylor (Malevolence) and more, joining frontman Rob Watson for a maximum vocal assault.


Their third chapter was produced by Jamey Jasta and mixed and mastered by Will Putney. The photography for their artwork is done by renowned California street photographer Angel Macias.




The album will be available as CD, limited colored vinyl and a limited special box together with exclusive merch options.





Tracklist:


"The Trilogy Intro"
"Death Comes In 3's" feat. Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed)
"Hell On Earth"
"Live By The Gun" feat. Ice-T (Body Count)
"Cold Water Farewell"
"Stories From The Gutter Pt. II" feat. Antmoney (E-Town Concrete)
"New Money / Old Pain"
"Deathbed Confession" feat. Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed)
"At War With The Gods" feat. Los (Desmadre)
"Bonnie & Clyde '05"
"Exit Wounds" feat. Alex (Malevolence)


"Live By The Gun"

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





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




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


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


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


Fan Club Pre-sales begin Tuesday, October 11. Details to be added shortly. Support for The Future Past Tour will be announced at a later date. Trooper VIP will be available at selected UK and European dates.


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


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

In a new interview with Andrew Daly of Vinyl Writer Music, Irish guitarist Simon McBride, who recently joined DEEP PURPLE as the permanent replacement for Steve Morse, was asked what sort of emotions he was experiencing when he was asked to become a member of the group. He responded: "It's been an amazing year, and honestly, it's been life-changing. If somebody had mentioned to me last year and said, 'Simon, you will be the new guitar player for DEEP PURPLE,' I would have laughed in their face and said, 'Yeah, that's never gonna happen.' [Laughs]. But here we are. And now we've just started our third tour together, and it's all been going fantastic. The guys are brilliant, everybody's very happy, and everything is going great, which is a good thing. But nobody is happier than me, though, because it's DEEP PURPLE. I've joined one of the most iconic rock bands in the field; that's dream-come-true stuff. I'm very happy."

Simon also recounted the initial call he received to fill in for Morse. He said: "Well, there was talk of me stepping in for Steve temporarily towards the end of last year in 2021, but I never really thought much of it. I never thought much of it because it was always a case of, 'It may happen or it may not happen,' because it depended on Steve's wife's condition as to whether he would be able to tour. But it just got to the stage where Steve decided enough was enough, and he needed to look after his wife, which is an amazing thing he's doing. So, I knew it was possible, but I didn't know for sure; I only really found out recently that I was being confirmed as a permanent replacement."

McBride went on to say that the chemistry was "immediate" between him and the other members of DEEP PURPLE. "We had a few days of rehearsal in May, and that's all we needed. And then we did a few shows in Israel, and places like that, which were my first shows, and all we had was those few days of rehearsal. I know Don [Airey, keyboards] very well, and I've played with Ian [Gillan, vocals] and Roger [Glover, bass] for a long time, so it clicked quickly. But yeah, it was a funny thing — we did the three or four days of rehearsals, but we really only needed one. After the first day, we all looked at each other and said, 'Well, we think it sounds pretty good. We don't really need two extra days.' We got to work straight away, and everybody was very happy. It helps that I'm a very easygoing person, and I get on well with everybody, I think. So, there was never an issue or a thought about if I would get on with them or not. And as I said, I've met them before, knew their personalities, and knew what to expect, so it's been a great atmosphere."

Two months ago, McBride spoke to the "Scars And Guitars" podcast about what it has been like for me him to step into the shoes previously filled by Ritchie Blackmore, Tommy Bolin, Joe Satriani and Steve Morse. Regarding his approach to playing DEEP PURPLE's classic songs, Simon said: "At the end of the day, for me, with this gig, there's been lots of people saying, or asking me will I play like Ritchie or will I play like Steve or will I do this like Tommy or Satriani or whatever. So that thing initially kind of confused me a little bit; I didn't know what to do. It was only when I was talking to [DEEP PURPLE keyboardist] Don Airey about it, and he just said, 'Forget about it all. Just be you. Play your own thing.' That's it. Which I did. And I kind of started to relax a little bit and just be myself.

"When you start to think about who else has been in the band, you get a little bit confused what to play or when to play or what to do or 'should I play this like Ritchie?' or 'should I play it like Steve?'" he continued.

"Everybody has their own opinion on the guitar players in DEEP PURPLE and which ones worked better or whatnot. I [am] respectful to everybody who's played there, because they're all good players — every single one of 'em — so whether it's Ritchie or Tommy or Steve, I just kind of [am] respectful to what they've done in the past, and I just do my own thing most of the time.

"There's certain things you have to play. Like 'Highway Star', for example, I'm not gonna play anything different to what's there in the original, because why the hell would I? [Laughs] That's my attitude. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

McBride, who had previously toured with both PURPLE singer Ian Gillan and Airey, among others, added: "I learned a lot from Don Airey over the years, playing with him, because when he plays some of the Jon Lord parts, he's, like, 'Well, have you heard the keyboard solo?' I was, like, 'Yeah.' And he said, 'Well, why in the hell would you change it?'

"Some people can be, like, 'Oh, I need to do my own thing.' And I go, 'Well, I'm sorry. But these guys spent a lot of time in the studio, or wherever it is, creating these pieces of music that fit the song. So why would I be so arrogant to say, 'I'm gonna change that just because I wanna play my own thing'? 'Cause I know, really, I wouldn't come up with anything better.

"It's case of just… I just go on and do my thing and I don't really think about it too much, what people say. People will either like me or hate me. I don't know."

As for the response he has gotten from the DEEP PURPLE fans, the Irish blues-rock guitarist said: "To be honest, everybody's been so nice and so cool and so kind, especially on the social media stuff where it's all been very positive. You get the odd negative one, but I don't read a lot of it anyway. But it's really cool that people accept me, because it is a legacy band and they've been around a long time. I really appreciate that people are digging what I do, and I feel it every night onstage. Some of the shows we've done, some of the audience reaction has been incredible.

"We played a show in Macedonia. We came off. We did an encore and stuff. And then 20 minutes later, the audience are still shouting," he recalled. "I'd never heard this my entire life — 15, 20 minutes of 10 thousand people shouting for more, just constantly, and they wouldn't leave. Even Don Airey and Roger Glover were standing there in shock, going, 'We haven't heard this in a long, long time.' I'm not saying that's all for me; I'm just saying that's just for the band.

"I'm very [happy] that people like what I'm doing because it is always hard stepping into a band where you've had [laughs] Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Morse, Joe Satriani and Tommy Bolin. They're not small names by any means, so it's always very… I think if you just play and have fun, that comes across and people respect that and people will really see.

"I'm 43, so I kind of grew up in that old-school playing method anyway. 'Cause I grew up in the '80s and '90s, so I guess I'm still part of that older generation, if you wanna call it. So the way that I play would still fit very well, whereas maybe some of the new, modern players wouldn't fit. I don't know.

"Yeah, the response has been brilliant. I can't complain at all. And I thank every single person that has said a nice thing about me."

In July, Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who is battling cancer.

Morse's announcement came four months after the guitarist said that he would be taking a hiatus from the band, in the hope of rejoining his bandmates once his wife's health improved. He was then replaced on the road by McBride.

Morse effectively took over Ritchie Blackmore's DEEP PURPLE slot in 1994 and had since been in the group longer than Ritchie.

McBride, who is guitar player, singer, songwriter and a band leader all in one, hails from Belfast in Northern Ireland —a place that resonates of the best music traditions like Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher, as well as bands such as THIN LIZZY, STIFF LITTLE FINGERS and obviously U2. His biography tells many stories — from his band touring with no sound engineer, driver, or roadie, playing 30 shows in 35 days, to him regularly sharing stages with Gillan and Airey.

DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "Turning To Crime", came out last November via earMUSIC. The LP contains DEEP PURPLE's versions of great rock classics and musical jewels — including songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan, FLEETWOOD MAC, Bob Seger, CREAM and THE YARDBIRDS — carefully chosen by each member of the band.

Photo credit: Ueli Frey

Thornhill have shared a live video for "The Hellfire Club." The footage was taken from their recent U.S. headline show in West Palm Beach, Florida.





These Melbourne rockers have enjoyed a huge year thus far — with no plans on slowing down anytime soon.




Thornhill's epic sophomore full-length record Heroine stormed up the charts, debuting at #3 on the ARIA Album Chart. Not only that, it debuted at #1 on the Australian album chart and has tallied more than 8.5 million streams to date. Critics and fans have been praising the record across the globe.


In July, the band played its biggest Australian headline shows to date, slapping sold out signs on most dates along the way. The band has just returned home from a North American tour with ERRA and Alpha Wolf, which also saw them play their first U.S. headline shows on the East Coast.


Thornhill will also be performing at the Good Things Festival in Australia, headlined by Bring Me The Horizon, in December.

Rockshots Records has announced their latest signing Black Hole for the release of their new album Whirlwind Of Mad Men due out on November 11, 2022.


Presenting anthemic guitar riffs, powerful rhythms, frenzied solos, and enlightening vocals, brace yourself for a power metal band that's progressive, symphonic, and strongly influenced by masters of the genre such as Stratovarius, Kamelot, Powerwolf, Nightwish, and Iron Maiden.


Today, in preview of the album, Black Hole is unveiling the first single "Never Surrender" off the forthcoming album. The track offers up a Celtic atmosphere that is inspired by the character of "Braveheart" William Wallace who fought to save his land.




"It is a message to all those who have fought, are fighting, and will fight for their country and their freedom," adds the band.


Formed in the East of France, Black Hole is a collective of musicians who play and perform for the pleasure and passion of metal above all. Their new album Whirlwind Of Mad Men follows their two EPs Victim Of Illusion (2000), Children Of The Sun (2006), and their first full-length 2018's Lost World (Via Nocturna). Since their inception Black Hole has supported bands like Nightwish, Rage, Evergrey, John Oliva's Pain, Firewind, Circle II Circle, Jeff Scott Soto, Nightmare, Vulcan, Killers, Shakra, Tankard along with performing on multiple festivals in France (Foire aux Vins, Festival Fracass), Germany (Regio Jam), and Belgium (Devil's Rock for an Angel).


Their sophomore full-length Whirlwind Of Mad Men navigates between heavy and power metal with melodies carried between the vocals and guitar solos along with being supported by solid rhythmic parts and great orchestral pieces which give intensity to the compositions. The diversity of all the songs allows listeners to travel through various atmospheres and contexts. The album's goal is to give feelings of power while mastering strong emotional moments.


The new album also features new member Christophe (keyboards/orchestrations), adding more epic and orchestrated tracks. A collaboration that promises to be more interesting than their previous record Lost World. Mixing and mastering were helmed by Roland Grapow (ex-Helloween, Masterplan) who also added a guitar solo on the album's cover track of Iron Maiden's "Fear Of The Dark".


"We are very happy to be releasing this powerful symphonic metal album. We have worked hard to deliver a high-quality product. The lyrics, the moods, the symphonic arrangements, and the performances of each individual give a special resonance to this record. The overall sound and the sound of each instrument has been an essential point throughout the genesis and we are proud of the finished product. The visual side is not to be outdone. The high-quality artwork represents well the universe of the themes and the general atmosphere of the album. We hope that fans will take as much pleasure to listen to it as we did to conceive it," adds the band.


Preorder at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Chasing The Kraken”
“Walking With The Devil”
“Dark Horizon”
“Whirlwind Of Mad Men”
“Legend Of Justine”
“My Precious Dream”
“Never Surrender”
“Breaking The Rules”
“Line Of Sight”
“My Friend”
“Deliverance”
“No Return”
“Fear Of The Dark” (Iron Maiden cover)
“Dream On” (Aerosmith cover)


“Never Surrender”:

Avantasia / Edguy mastermind Tobias Sammet has revealed that Avantasia’s 2019 album Moonglow in now gold in the Czech Republic. International releases in the Czech Republic need to earn 1,500 sales to achieve gold status.





Sammet says, “Moonglow album went gold! Just opened the mail that came yesterday and check this out! I ain't worthy! Thank you all so much, I am blessed to have the greatest fans in the world, and believe me - I do not take your support for granted!




“Thanks to my whole Avantasia family around the globe, we've achieved this together!”


The ninth studio album from Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia, A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society, will be released on October 21 via Nuclear Blast. Today, Avantasia release the new single, "The Inmost Light", featuring Helloween singer, Michael Kiske.


Listen to the single here, and watch the official lyric video, below.


Tobias Sammet comments: “Michi Kiske is not only a good friend of more than 20 years, he has been with Avantasia right from the beginning. His singing inspires me when I compose songs, and while finalizing the writing for a duet with him it always ends up in a very powerful missile like 'The Inmost Light'. The sound is in my DNA, it always was an important component of my songwriting and maybe that is the reason our voices form a strong unit together. It is always a challenge to work and sing with this kind of expert. You have to put a lot of effort into it in order to not secede. Michi‘s singing and the sound of early Helloween influenced my career. I wrote 'The Inmost Light' in the wake of just throwing everything overboard which would not be essential. I wanted to deliver a short and tight rocket."





A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society is presenting eleven magical and powerful songs featuring numerous prestigious guest stars. An adventure that captivates the audience with freshness, briskness, sophistication and enchantment. The album was produced by Tobias Sammet with Avantasia guitarist, Sascha Paeth. The cover art was created by Swedish illustrator Alexander Jansson.





Available formats:


- Jewelcase CD
- CD Digibook
- Earbook (ltd. to 5,000 copies)
- 2LP - Black Vinyl
- 2 Picture LP (ltd. to 2,000 copies)
- Vinyl Box (Mailorder Edition, ltd. to 1,800 copies)
- 2LP- Moonstone Vinyl (ltd. to 3,500 copies)
- 2LP - Fluorescent Green Vinyl (ltd. to 500 copies)
- 2LP - Baltic Blue/Ocean Green Cloudy Vinyl (ltd. to 300 copies)
- 2LP - Inca Gold Vinyl (US only, ltd. to 700 copies)
- 2LP - Marine Blue Vinyl (Band exclusive, ltd. to 300 copies)
- 2LP - Cardinal Red/Graphite Splatter Vinyl (Band exclusive, ltd. to 500 copies)
- 2LP - Fluorescent Orange Vinyl (EMP exclusive, ltd. to 300 copies)
- 2LP – Silver Vinyl (FNAC exclusive, ltd. to 300 copies)


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Welcome To The Shadows"
"The Wicked Rule The Night"
"Kill The Pain Away"
"The Inmost Light"
"Misplaced Among The Angels"
"I Tame The Storm"
"Paper Plane"
"The Moonflower Society"
"Rhyme And Reason"
"Scars"
"Arabesque"


"Misplaced Among The Angels" lyric video:





"The Moonflower Society" video:





"The Wicked Rule The Night" lyric video:

Frontiers Music Srl announces the signing of Sabu to the label and the subsequent release of a new album, Banshee, on December 9.


Sabu is the namesake of singer/guitarist/producer Paul Sabu, whose outstanding contributions to the genre over the past three decades have made him a legendary figure in the world of AOR. This will be the first Sabu album since 1998's Between The Light and the sixth Sabu album overall.


Banshee was created in collaboration with Barry Sparks (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Schenker Group, UFO, Dokken, and Ted Nugent), who, along with Paul, provides all the instrumentation on the album, as well as background vocals. Fans who are familiar with Sabu's work will find that the sound and vibe of Banshee is in line with Paul's classic releases under the band moniker Only Child, so, needless to say, something for AOR aficionados to truly look forward to.




The first single and video, "Kandi", is out now. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Banshee here.


Paul Sabu is a rock legend. For over 30 years he has done it all, from singer and songwriter to coveted guitarist, producer, and recording engineer. He has created smash hits, chart-topping albums, and an arsenal of top artists, and his numerous awards and accomplishments make him one of the most influential and best-selling artists in AOR history.


Sabu’s career is what dreams are made of. He got his break at only 22, when the young singer-songwriter auditioned and beat out hundreds of rock artists to become Motown Records’ official “Rock Dude”. He immediately got to work recording the classic self-titled Kidd Glove album, released to great anticipation and success in 1984 with the Motown-owned Morocco label. From there, history was made; he re-formed his own band, Sabu, in 1985 to release the outstanding Heartbreak album, which included the hit single “Angeline” and helped him realize his talent as a recording and mixing engineer. Producing his own music, Sabu soon created a new band, AOR gods and rock superstars Only Child, which found huge success with their 1988 self-titled album released through Capitol Records, and widely considered to be Sabu’s best and one of the top AOR albums of all time.


Only Child later reformed and took back the old name, Sabu. The new material was much heavier and rougher than Sabu’s past hits, evolving with musical sounds and finding new legions of fans with the self-titled album (1996) and Between the Light (1998). Along with Strange Messiah (2007) and Bangkok Rules (2012), these albums showcase big sounds, lots of depth, blistering guitars, and out-of-this-world vocals. Sabu’s music is easily recognizable and shows why he is considered an AOR god.


As he continued to work on his own music, Sabu also became a sought-after producer and engineer. Over the past quarter-century Sabu has worked with such artists as David Bowie, Alice Cooper, Little Caesar, Sheena Easton, Glass Tiger, Lee Aaron, Little America, Madonna, Malice, Motels, Robbie Neville, Only Child, Silent Rage, The Nelsons, Shania Twain, John Waite, Fatal Smile, and many more. To date these artists have earned Sabu 14 Platinum and 11 Gold Records as well as a permanent place in rock history.


Sabu has also worked on music for a number of movies and TV series, including Accused, American Drive-In, Assault Of The Killer Bimbos, Baywatch, Beverly Hill 90210, Diving In, Ghost Town, Goulies II, Hard Rock Zombies, Meatballs 4, Million Dollar Mystery, Sex And The City, To Die For, Trick Or Treat, Twin Sitters, Vice Versa, and many more. His credits extend to a huge variety of media and continue to reach new fans and masses.


Paul Sabu is considered one of the top AOR musicians of all time. Sabu continues to be sought after as a musician, producer and engineer and his reputation as an AOR god is permanently etched in rock history. So, get ready to rock again with Sabu on Banshee in 2022.





Banshee tracklisting:


"Blinded Me"
"Banshee"
"Kandi"
"Love Don’t Shatter"
"Back Side Of Water"
"Skin To Skin"
"Rock"
"Turn The Radio On"
"Dirty Money"
"Midnight Road To Madness"
"Rock The House"


"Kandi" video:





Lineup:


Paul Sabu: Vocals, All Instruments
Barry Sparks: Background Vocals, All Instruments

Today, unique Swedish rock band, Guapa, share the third single from their forthcoming album, Myriad, which will be released on November 18 via Nuclear Blast Records.


Hauntingly atmospheric tune "Moloken" emerges disguised as an innocent ballad, before it  ultimately reveals its dark, heavy core. This is Gaupa at their most introverted, striking in their unpredictability, yet they always find the right moment to let loose and simply let the guitars do the talking.


The song comes with a lyric video, which you can watch below:







Pre-order the album here.





Myriad tracklisting:


"Exoskeleton"
"Diametrical Enchantress"
"Moloken"
"RA"
"Elden"
"My Sister Is A Very Angry Man"
"Sömnen"
"Mammon"


"Diametrical Enchantress" video:





"RA" video:





Lineup:


Jimmy Hurtig - Drums
Daniel Nygren - Guitars
Erik Sävström - Bass
Emma Näslund - Vocals
David Rosberg - Guitars


(Photo - George Grigoriadis)

Brazilian metallers, Angra, have released Ep. 03 of tour report video series from their Rebirth 20th Anniversary Tour. This episode focuses on Angra in Santos, Brazil on July 3. Watch below:





Watch previous episodes below:










Angra perform next on October 22 at Expo Palha in Sales Oliveira, Brazil. Find the band's live itinerary here.

Ingested will release their new album, Ashes Lie Still, on November 4 via Metal Blade. Today, the band has shared the video for "From Hollow Words." Watch below.


"You ever know one of those pricks that constantly say they'll do things differently, or say they're sorry for fucking you about, but then they always just do the same things over and over again? Well, our new single is about those types of arseholes," says vocalist Jason Evans. "Allow us to present to you 'From Hollow Words," featuring our good friend Sven de Caluwé of death metal monsters Aborted. We've wanted to work with Sven for a very long time and we couldn't be happier to show you the result of Ingested and Aborted smashing heads!"


He continues, "This beast of a song is no-nonsense, heavy, aggressive, and is exactly what fans of both bands want to hear! The fast-paced, back and forth, call-and-response style delivery between myself and Sven keeps the energy up to max from start to finish and the blend of our styles compliment each other ferociously."




Regarding the visual, he states, "As always, Loki Films provides the visuals and has done a fantastic job. So what are you waiting for? Stream the song, watch the video, and blast it until your neighbors are banging on your front door!"


Sven de Caluwé weighed in, saying, “Beyond stoked to have taken part in the new Ingested record, I've known the guys for years now and we have toured together a few times; they're a machine that just hits like a wrecking ball — not the pop type of 'Wrecking Ball,' mind you. This new record will turn many heads, I'm sure, and is their heaviest-sounding to date. Check it out and remember what Jack Burton always says: It's all in the slams."





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


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


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


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


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





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


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


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


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


"Tides Of Glass" video:





"Ashes Lie Still" video:





"Shadows In Time" video:





LIneup:


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

The Duke of Spook, Wednesday 13, will finally drop his new album, Horrifier, this Friday, October 7, via Napalm Records.


Today, following addictive first single "You're So Hideous", and one of his heaviest outputs yet, the lauded "Insides Out", Wednesday 13 has revealed his latest concoction - surefire future fan-favorite "Good Day To Be A Bad Guy". The track aces the pure horror punk spirit of Murderdolls as a downright blissful tongue-in-cheek earworm that’ll seep into the listener’s head on repeat.


Wednesday 13 says about "Good Day To Be A Bad Guy": "'Good Day To Be a Bad Guy' is one of my favorite tracks off the new album. This track definitely has an earlier Wednesday 13 sound to it, with the horror punk hammer in full swing and excessive use of the “F” word. The video carries on with the horror movie theme with another tribute to one of my favorite films from the '80s, Halloween III: Season Of The Witch.”







Showcasing a blend of styles plucked from the band’s 20-year career, Horrifier weaves an underlying sonic thread reminiscent of Wednesday 13’s roots – a raucous blend of ballistic metal and macabre heavy rock that’ll have new and diehard fans alike ascending from the depths. As always, various tracks on the album are inspired by classic horror flicks, this time circling cult-favorite slasher John Carpenter’s Halloween and the iconic Christine supernatural thrillers.


Horrifier was produced and recorded by Wednesday 13 with mixing and mastering by Brent Clawson, and features stunning album artwork by Jonny Bush. A dynamic journey into the 20-year career-spanning sound of Wednesday 13, Horrifier revitalizes with something for every listener to latch onto – boasting intensely fun horror punk energy with gruesome metallic attitude.


Wednesday 13 offers about Horrifier: "The last three releases have seen the band explore new ground with heavier songs, drums, and vocals. Coming out of the Covid crisis, I promised I would not release a sad, depressing record. I wanted to make a fun, horror themed rock record that would be reminiscent of the first few Wednesday 13 records. The new album is a fun, fast-paced, thriller."





Horrifier will be released on October 7th via Napalm Records in the following formats:


- 1CD Digisleeve
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- 1CD Digisleeve + Shirt - Napalm RoW Mailorder Only
- 1LP Gatefold Splatter Red/White/Black w/ Ouija Board incl. Planchette - Napalm Mailorder Only, limited to 500 worldwide
- Digital Album


Pre-order Horrifier here.





Horrifier tracklisting:


"Severed"
"Insides Out"
"Exhume And Devour"
"You're So Hideous"
"Good Day To Be A Bad Guy"
"Return To Haddonfield"
"Horrifier"
"Hell Is Coming"
"Halfway To The Grave"
"Christine: Fury IN The Night"
"The Other Side"


"Insides Out" video:





"You're So Hideous" video:





Wednesday 13 is currently thrilling audiences across North America on his “20 Years Of Fear” tour, featuring a career spanning setlist. The trek has just been extended with the addition of shows in Reno, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Tickets and VIP experiences are on sale now. Remaining dates on the newly updated itinerary are listed below.





October
5 - Quebec City, QC - L’anti Bar & Spectacles
6 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
7 - Toronto, ON - Rockpile
8 - Toronto, ON - Rockpile
9 - Westland, MI - Token Lounge
11 - Cleveland, OH - Masonic Asylum Room
12 - Chicago, IL - Wc Social Club
14 - Des Moines, IA - Lefty’s
15 - Lincoln, NE - Royal Grove
16 - Wichita, KS - Temple Live Annex
17 - Fort Worth, TX - Rail Club
18 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
20 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
21 - Las Vegas, NV - Count’s Vamp’d
22 - Palmdale, CA - Transplant Brewing Co
23 - Anaheim, CA - The Parish at House Of Blues
25 - Reno, NV - Virginia St Brewhouse
27 - Portland, OR - Dante’s
28 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
29 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou’s


(Photo - Stephen Jensen at F3 Studios)