Rock supergroup Dirty O'Keeffe (consisting of members Christian Martucci of Stone Sour, Billy Gould of Faith No More, Dave Raun of Lagwagon, and Steve Shepard of Trash N' Privilege) have dropped their new EP, Heavy Water (with artwork done by The Offspring's Jonah Nimoy). In celebration of the release, the band also released the visualizer for the EP title track "Heavy Water".





Speaking on today's news, guitarist and vocalist Christian Martucci shares: "I’m so glad Dave called me to be a part of this. I had a great time working with everyone. There was no overthinking and no agenda… just friends making noise. I loved every minute of it."




Billy Gould commented: "The pandemic had a few bright spots for me… and this was one. Great bunch of guys who went into this with genuine enthusiasm. What’s not to like?"


Dave Raun said: "Having played with all these guys separately before, I was really excited about us all being a part of the same project. We just made music we wanted to make with zero pressure or expectation and lots of laughs. Everybody just brought their thing to the table and it’s a perfect blend."


Steve Shepard also chimed in: "I have no idea how I fooled these guys to play music with me. Every step of the process, from planning to writing to recording, has been a blast."


Watch the visualizer for "Heavy Water" below, and stream the EP here.





 

Ruby The Hatchet have released the track “Deceiver” as the second single from the forthcoming album Fear Is a Cruel Master. The New Jersey psychedelic heavy rockers will unleash their new full-length on October 21, 2022. Preorder the album here.


Ruby The Hatchet comment: "We are definitely going after our live energy with these singles, because 'Deceiver' immediately follows 'Thruster' in our current set list", singer Jillian Taylor explains. "There is no break, no tuning, it just goes straight into the next punch. The chorus is powerful and personal: 'Deceiver, all is not lost, but wide oceans wait for you to cross'. From a lyrical perspective, 'Deceiver' is written with a hard-learned experience of mine in mind, a common departure on Fear Is a Cruel Master compared to our previous albums. Instead of relating to something medieval or otherworldly, my anger and sadness felt visceral and relatable. The song deals with wanting to forgive someone dear who has betrayed you, and finding strength in forgiving. It is also about leaving the door open rather than slamming it shut and burning down the house that you built together. It is a hopeful song for the wounded."







Tracklisting:


“The Change”
“Deceiver”
“Primitive Man”
“1,000 Years”
“Soothsayer”
“Last Saga”
“Thruster”
“Amor Gravis”


"Deceiver":





“Thruster” video:





Line-up:
Jillian Taylor – vocals
Johnny Scarps – guitar
Lake Muir – bass
Owen Stewart – drums, vocals
Sean Kahn Hur – keyboards, organ


(Photo – Don Vincent Ortega)

Texas hard rock stalwarts DROWNING POOL have released "A Devil More Damned", the third single from "Strike A Nerve", their first new record since 2016. DROWNING POOL's heaviest record to date, "Strike A Nerve" will be released on CD, 180-gram vinyl and digital on September 30 via T-Boy/UMe.

DROWNING POOL have long been hailed as champions of blue-collar hard rock and metal, not just because of their consistently incendiary live shows and vastly impressive catalog, but because of the trials and tribulations that have marked their career. They aren't unique in that regard. What they are is resilient, their everyman, working-class ethos and stubborn perseverance creating a bond few bands ever realize.

"Strike A Nerve" was inspired by wearing life's battle scars on our sleeves. Those bumps and bruises got magnified during the worldwide COVID lockdowns; lockdowns that started mere months after DROWNING POOL completed recording, mixing and mastering "Strike A Nerve", an 11-song tour de force through the torn and battered psyche of a band. Written and recorded before the pandemic that halted the world in its tracks for more than two years, "Strike A Nerve" became more poignant with its time on the shelf.

"This record is so badass, it's perfect. It's the four of us doing what we do to the best of our abilities," said Moreno. "The band is tight in every way. We're firing off on all cylinders. We're at the top of our game. There are all different ways of saying it, but it all amounts to the same thing — the results are just magic. From the way the record sounds, to the writing of it, to the production, to the look of it — it's just a perfect DROWNING POOL record. None of us could ask for anything more..."

"'Strike A Nerve' is the most exciting and intense music from DROWNING POOL to date," added Pierce. "We've stayed true to the core sound people know from us, but we've taken everything we do to another level. We've been writing music together for over twenty years — half of that with Jasen — and this album is more refined and more true to who we are than anything we've done before. Sometimes it's heavier than we've ever been, sometimes it's lighter, and sometimes we go in a direction that surprises even us — but it's always just brutally honest, and that comes through in every track."

"'Mind Right' started with the core DROWNING POOL sound, then really dug into our southern metal roots," continued Pierce about the LP's lead single. "This song was written not long after Vinnie Paul died, as a tribute of sorts to him and Dime and a way for us to honor the impact PANTERA had on our local Dallas scene. It's probably the heaviest song we've recorded, but it's the perfect way to close 'Strike A Nerve'; like the title of the song says, we all need to get our minds right. We need to see what's going on around us, stand up for what we believe in, and always focus on the bigger picture. We can't wait to play this one live!"

"Strike A Nerve" track listing:

01. Doing Time In Hell
02. Hate Against Hate
03. Stay And Bleed
04. Strike A Nerve
05. Racing To A Red Light
06. Choke
07. Everything But You
08. Down In The Dirt
09. Rope
10. A Devil More Damned
11. Mind Right

The title track and "Racing To A Red Light" are mid-tempo burners like we haven't heard from DROWNING POOL before, the band's heightened sense of melody coupling with white hot hooks and irresistible choruses. "Can you hear an empty stage, can you hear tomorrow rage… I can't go forward because I can't be heard," Moreno testifies on "Strike A Nerve" — again, a song written and recorded years before the world careened into its current state. "Stay And Bleed" and "Down In The Dirt" are instant DROWNING POOL classics, their punishing grooves making the jarring and somber ballad "Everything But You" even more impactful: "I hate everyone and everything, but you…" From the softest song the band has ever recorded, to their heaviest in album closer "Mind Right", an homage to their hometown friends and brothers PANTERA.

Formed by Pierce, Stevie Benton (bass) and Mike Luce (drums) in Dallas, Texas in 1996, DROWNING POOL began as an instrumental trio, named after the 1975 film "The Drowning Pool". The group enlisted singer Dave Williams to join their fold three years later and the band signed with Wind-Up Records which released "Sinner" in 2001. Williams died tragically on tour August 14, 2002, stricken by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an undiagnosed heart condition. "Sinner" stands as his only studio album with DROWNING POOL.

"Strike A Nerve" was produced by Shawn McGhee and DROWNING POOL.

Dead Cross, the SoCal band featuring Mike Patton, Dave Lombardo, Justin Pearson and Michael Crain, have released a third single from their forthcoming album, II, with today’s release of “Christian Missile Crisis” and its accompanying video (see below).


Justin Pearson explains the themes behind the song: “’Christian Missile Crisis’ takes an obvious jab at organized religion, NRA-holes who clearly compensate for their lack of masculinity by fixating on gun ownership and gun ‘rights,’ and the fact that a large enough amount of Americans have the inability to negotiate peace and prefer oppressing others.”







Accompanying the release of “Christian Missile Crisis,” is the launch of an online auction, in partnership with Fender, to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (San Diego chapter) and The Satanic Temple’s Religious Reproductive Rights Campaign. The fundraiser, features two custom Fender Player Lead III guitars, one black, and one beige. Both guitars have been modified by The Black Moon Design with clear vehicle wrap grade vinyl decals featuring art from the band’s album.





The band said, collectively: “In light of the recent loss of our ex-bandmate, comrade, brother, and all around amazing person Gabe Serbian, Ipecac Recordings and Three One G will donate all proceeds from the beige guitar to help suicide prevention awareness. All proceeds from the black guitar will go to help fight laws that do not promote the health and safety of individuals in relation to bodily autonomy.”


II, while both a raucous hardcore collection, and at times, a politically-charged opus, has its roots in friendship, with the band rallying together after Crain received a surprise cancer diagnosis.


"Words can’t even begin to describe how much this album means to me. It’s birthed of pain and uncertainty,” explains Crain. “The slow, excruciatingly painful, and nauseating recovery from cancer treatments were the catalyst for every riff and note on this album. However, my will to live and be with my brothers Justin, Dave, Mike, and co-producer Ross Robinson, got me out of bed and running into the studio every day to get it all on tape.”





II will be released on October 28 via Ipecac Recordings, available in several limited-edition physical formats:


· CD digipak
· Counterfeit Gold vinyl
· Indie retail exclusive Glass Coffin vinyl
· Ipecac webstore exclusive Pee Tape vinyl (limited to 500)
· Three One G webstore exclusive Ash Wednesday vinyl (limited to 500)
· Revolver exclusive Upper Crust vinyl (limited to 300)
· Black cassette (limited to 400)
· Gold cassette (limited to 100)


Pre-order here.





II tracklisting:


"Love Without Love"
"Animal Espionage"
"Heart Reformer"
"Strong and Wrong"
"Ants and Dragons"
"Nightclub Canary"
"Christian Missile Crisis"
"Reign of Error"
"Imposter Syndrome"


“Heart Reformer” video:





"Reign Of Error" video:





(Photo - Becky DiGiglio)

Avantasia / Edguy mastermind Tobias Sammet posted on social media recalling the first rehearsals of what would become Avantasia and looking forward to the release of the upcoming album A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society.


Sammet said: “Yesterday 23 years ago, we finished rehearsing in Hamburg for what was to become Avantasia! Markus Großkopf, Henjo Richter and Alex Holzwarth along with Bob Catley, Michi Kiske, Kai Hansen, Rob Rock, André Matos (Rest in peace), Eric Singer, Sharon Den Adel David Defeis, Rambi Zdiarstek helped me lay the foundation of what is going to release its ninth chapter on October 21st.


“A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society, the perfect autumn fog album.Come to the avantasia-shop_com and pre-order one of the last super limited book or coloured vinyl editions with poster and autograph card.




“And thanks for 400,000 views of the new video over the weekend! You rock!”


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:

In a new interview with the The Entertainment Outlet, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're getting there. We've been trying to get it done. The first obstacle was the pandemic, because we couldn't get together and do it as a group. And then when the pandemic restrictions were lifted, then we could go out on tour. So the next obstacle, if you wanna call it that, was the tour. So we had to go out and tour and record bits and pieces in between the tour legs. So we've got drums done, we've got guitars done, we've got the bass done. I think the main thing we have to do now is vocals. So we've got the U.S. leg of the tour coming up, so Rob's [Halford, vocals] gotta protect his voice and use his voice sparingly before that. So maybe after that. I mean, we've got [dates in] the U.S. and we've got South America, which takes us into December. So maybe in the New Year we can start working on vocals."

Regarding when fans can expect to see the next PRIEST LP released, Richie said: "It's always tough to talk about timeframes, because, as we know, things change. But Rob always says, 'It's done when it's done.' There's no point in rushing anything at this point in the band's career. But it's getting there — we're working on it and it's getting there. And we're using the time we've got. These days as well, we don't need 18 months in a 10,000-square-foot studio in Fiji to do a record. The way things are these days, we can do it in a lot more economical way. So we're making technology work and we're making all that work for us so we can get it done in the best way we can so we can get it out when we can. But it'll be done when it's done."

As for what the new PRIEST material is sounding like, Faulkner said: "[Producer and touring guitarist] Andy Sneap was texting me this morning, and he was saying it sounded really solid, really confident. He was saying… I know people love this stuff on the socials, but it's not 'Firepower 2'; it's its own thing. Some people might like that; some people might hate that. When you read the socials, people read comments like that and they know what the album sounds like straight away. I don't know how they do that. But it's all good. It means they're invested in PRIEST and they're invested in the new music. But as he said, it sounds confident, it's sounding great and solid. It's always good as well when you've got something like this and no one's heard it. So you're excited to release it to the world — you want the world to hear it, but they haven't heard it yet. So it'll be great for the world to hear it. They might hate it. But it's still exciting."

This past February, Halford was asked by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In if he agreed with Faulkner's recent comment that the band's upcoming album will be more musically "progressive" than "Firepower". He responded: "Yeah, the metal is there. But here's the thing: we've tried our best not to replicate anything that we've done. From 'Rocka Rolla' all the way through to 'Firepower', each record has had a distinctive character. And it's tough because fans go, 'We want another 'Painkiller',' 'We want another 'British Steel'.' And [it's, like], 'Dude, we've already done that.'

"Fans know that we're a band that is always full of adventure and trying new stuff," he continued. "And so, yeah, this has got probably some more progressive elements that we've never really delved into before. And that's exciting, because, again, it gives us and our fans another opportunity to see a different side of PRIEST. But it's still metal. There's just more of it. There are more notes than there were before."

Also in February, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the overall sound of the new PRIEST music: "Whenever you start a record, you never know how it's gonna turn out. So you might start with an idea of what it's gonna be, and as it kind of rolls on, it comes out something different. So you don't quite know. And also it's really hard to sum up your own music, I find, without sounding really pretentious. But I think this one — it's not 'Firepower 2', I don't think. It's its own thing, it's its own animal. If anything, I would say it's a bit more progressive in places, and in places it's got a bit more of that 'Killing Machine' swagger."

Faulkner added: "I know everyone says, 'Oh, is it the next 'Painkiller'?' or 'Is it the next…?' whatever… I don't know if they'd ever done it, but I know we've never done it when I've been in the band; we've never tried to recreate an album. It's always we try to create an album that stands on its own legs. So I think it's definitely a little bit more progressive than 'Firepower' and, as I said, in places it's got a little bit of that 'Killing Machine' angry swagger attitude going on. But again, as I said, we're waiting to see what it turns out like, 'cause it could turn out completely different."

A year and a half ago, Halford confirmed that PRIEST's next album would see the band reuniting with the "Firepower" production team consisting of Andy Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier. Tipton announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower". He was replaced by Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during the band's performance at the Louder Than Life festival in September 2021. He was was rushed to the UofL Health - Jewish Hospital where the cardiothoracic surgery team needed approximately 10 hours to complete a life-saving surgery.

Ronnie James Dio's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio was asked in a new interview with Radio Forrest if she still has a lot of souvenirs from the late heavy metal singer that would be of interest to longtime fans. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have a lot of stuff that I've kept back for a museum. We're working on a museum right now. We're hoping to open a museum on Sunset Boulevard [in Los Angeles]. That's in the works."

Referencing the fact that Ronnie's estate in 2018 auctioned off items from the iconic musician, including rock and roll souvenirs, mementos and a few weird personal possessions, Wendy said: "I had a storage locker full of stuff — it was years and years and years of his stuff there — and I was, like, suddenly, 'What if I pass away? People will just chuck this stuff out. Let's just put it up for auction, sell it' and get the fans or whoever wanted it… Some people bought things. I don't know where it went. A lot of it went to different museums in different countries. But, obviously, I still have [a lot of stuff]. I would never part with the original artwork of [DIO's] 'Holy Diver' [album]; I have that hanging in my office. And a lot of the gold records I wouldn't part with. And then some of the awards he got and things, some of his stage clothes — those are things I kept. And obviously we'll put them in a museum one day."

Back in September 2018, Wendy teamed up with Julien's Auctions and offered 666 items from the rock icon's personal collection, including stage props, instruments used over the years, swords, medieval art and more. The auction took place at Hard Rock Cafe New York. Fans were able to score some unlikely items, including Dio's 1993 passport.

The first-ever career-spanning documentary on the life and times of Ronnie James Dio will be presented in more than 500 cinemas worldwide by Trafalgar Releasing and BMG for two days only on Wednesday, September 28 and Sunday, October 2. Executive-produced by Wendy and fully authorized by the artist's estate, "Dio: Dreamers Never Die" delves deep into the singer's incredible rise from a '50s doo-wop crooner to his early rock days in ELF and Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW, to replacing Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH, and finally cementing his rock star status with his own band, DIO. The film incorporates never-before-seen footage and personal photos, as well as offering intimate scenes with his closest peers, family, and friends, among them Wendy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Glenn Hughes, Vinny Appice, Lita Ford, Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Eddie Trunk and Jack Black, as they bring viewers inside the life of one of rock and roll's true heroes and one of the most beloved figures in rock.

Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Dio's autobiography, titled "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography", was released in July 2021 via Permuted Press.

In a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen was asked what it was like for him and his bandmates to return to the road recently after a two-year break due to the global pandemic. He said: "The experience was legendary. I've gotta tell you how impressed I was with the people, with the fans. We were playing in markets that normally we know we do well, and we did well, but we were playing the markets where we never traditionally really drew a lot or sold a lot of merch or anything like that, and it was just stellar, the entire tour. There was people coming out in places like Denver, Colorado; I couldn't believe how many people were there. And it was like that the whole tour; I was just amazed. The L.A. show was, of course, great; the New York show was great; but it was these off markets, I guess these 'B markets,' you could say — in business terms or whatever… To me, a show is a show; I don't care where it is. But I know the bean counters wanna see progress or whatever, and we definitely delivered on that. So to see all those people there was exciting. And they were really hungry for it — of course, we all are hungry for entertainment — and it made the tour that much better. So we had a great time. And then, of course, in South America, we were down there playing in some of the places where we [previously played when were] at our highest points; we were back in those rooms again. It was pretty cool. I can't say enough how happy I am with the tours that we did do, and [I am] looking forward to doing some more with these guys. I think it was a great turnout, and I wanna definitely keep the ball rolling with the band. I think we've touched on something that — we have that legacy-slash-still-relevant thing; it's really strange. SYMPHONY X has always been sort of like that, though."

As for when fans can expect the follow-up to SYMPHONY X's 2015 "Underworld" LP, Russell said: "We're looking at next year to get [the new album] all out there and done. That seems to be the plan right now."

SYMPHONY X's "25th Anniversary North American tour 2022" kicked off on May 10 at Irving Plaza in New York City and made stops in Montreal, Chicago, and Portland before concluding on June 12 in Montclair, New Jersey. Support on the tour came from HAKEN and TROPE.

SYMPHONY X completed an extensive tour behind "Underworld" in 2016, including a U.S. run of shows with OVERKILL and a pair of headlining performances in Australia.

In July 2017, Russell and his ADRENALINE MOB bandmates were involved in a crash that killed the group's bassist, David Zablidowsky.

In 2019, Allen — who has toured with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA since 2013 — was injured during the rehearsals for TSO's annual winter trek and was unable to make the tour.

SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo released his new solo album, "War Of The Worlds Pt. 2", in March via InsideOut Music. The record features guest vocals by Dino Jelusick (WHITESNAKE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

French underground avant-gardeists, Celeste, have released a new music video for their song "(A)", taken from their sixth studio album Assassine(s), released back in January of this year. The striking video expresses the essence of the song, both visually and emotionally, adding another level of depth to the already charged piece.


"(A)" is Celeste’s most experimental track to date, launching with drony synths written by frontman Johan. With a post-rock edge, this slow-burn instrumental song has a soundtrack-like quality. The cinematic ambiance is emphasized by the two lead guitars, intertwined like two characters in a somber story, enriched by a guest appearance from Katsuta of Heaven In Her Arms.


Johan Girardeau comments on the new video: "We're really glad to complete the triptych of videos that we started a year ago with 'Des Torrents de Coups' and 'Le Coeur Noir Charbon'. This video clip means a lot to us. We've been showcasing it live during the Assassine(s) release tour and we are looking forward to unleashing it online. This piece of artwork reflects our long-built aesthetics. As a song, '(A)' became a very important song to us as well, showing our will to widen our musical influences, with these shoegazy, post-rockish hints which are definitely new ground for Celeste."







Assassine(s) can be ordered at this location.





Tracklisting:


"Des Torrents De Coups"
"De Tes Yeux Bleus Perlés"
"Nonchalantes De Beauté"
"Draguée Tout Au Fond"
"(A)"
"Il A Tant Rêvé D’elles"
"Elle Se Répète Froidement"
"Le Coeur Noir Charbon"


"Le Cœur Noir Charbon" video:





"De Tes Yeux Bleus Perlés" video:





"Des Torrents De Coups" video:

Catalan atmospheric metal band, Foscor, have released a new cover of the song "Would?", originally by Alice In Chains. Listen below.


Says the band: "As promised during the last days, we finally can share the humble homage we wanted to pay to a 90's icon celebrating its 30th Anniversary in a couple of days. Despite not having a direct impact in Foscor's music in its conception, Alice In Chains clearly was a life changing act and soundtrack during our youth days, while black metal was about to cover everything we knew in majestic darkness from then on.


As mentioned months ago, we haven’t had the chance of properly celebrating our 20th anniversary, and in order to face it from another angle, we thought that would be fantastic to work with some classics in order to connect with you all. Working with Jaime D. on drums for this hymn, and another surprise yet to come, is something paying justice to a long time friend and collaborator since his work for 2018’s album Les Irreals Versions, covering ourselves.




Note that this 'Would?' version is not a simple cover as most of you know them, but a work on re-arranging the music and even vocal lines to try showing respect and gratitude from our hearts.


10 years after Dirt was released, Foscor began its own path, and now that Alice In Chains celebrates this album’s 30th anniversary, we feel fair to pay our tribute to one of the most iconic songs from 90's, and a band that easily made us better and deeper in terms of how expressing emotions with our music within the recent years with Season of Mist.


Hope you enjoy the result and share the celebration! To all of us, and for many more years of tragic darkness..."

ANTHRAX recently canceled shows in continental Europe as part of its fall 2022 touring activities, citing "ongoing logistical issues" and "costs that are out of our control." The band just wrapped a U.S. tour with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. HATEBREED served as special guests.

In a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, bassist Frank Bello elaborated on ANTHRAX's decision to scrap the European gigs and forge ahead with only the United Kingdom dates.

"When was the last time we canceled a European tour?" asked Frank. "We've never done it. The god's honest truth: Everything budgeting-wise is insane right now. We budgeted it last year and came back to this year with the gas lines and all the shit that's going on. It was three times the budget. We would have gone into a bad deficit, horrible. And the promoters are saying, 'It doesn't make sense for you guys to do it.' The buses, just life in general. It's horrible. We were able to salvage the U.K. But people know us. They know we'll be back. We love it there. I can't wait to go back. It's just a bummer that life is in the way of metal. [Laughs] What's going on in the world is in the way of metal and making people feel good with our music.

"We've been away," he continued. "We just did the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and HATEBREED tour and we got the taste back. We were looking forward to the next leg, the U.K., then right into Europe. We're used to touring a few months at a time. Then our manager comes, 'We can't do this with the accounting.' It's like, 'What? How did this happen?' Then you read the papers and you understand. It's terrible."

Frank then touched on the inclusion of "Only", a John Bush-era track that hadn't been performed live since 2011. While Bush sang on four ANTHRAX studio albums from 1993 until his initial 2005 departure, "Only" has remained the lone song from that period that current singer Joey Belladonna has played with the band.

"There's always talk about [trying other Bush-era songs]," said Frank. "It's crazy. There are two different bands within ANTHRAX. The way I feel about it: We've been very fortunate to have two separate bands, one with Joey, one with John. They're both to be celebrated. There's such a catalog of Joey, right? It's so hard even to get those songs in the setlist. There's obscure ones. Look, I want to play 'Lone Justice', 'The Enemy'. I don't know how they'd go over. It's hard to mix that in with the John Bush catalog. I think baby steps with that."

ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", which features Belladonna, came out in February 2016 via Nuclear Blast.

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

After signing with international rock and metal empire Napalm Records and the successful subsequent release of their breakout first single, “Wolf Or Lamb”, Germany's League Of Distortion announce the upcoming release of their self-titled debut album, set for release on November 25. Featuring powerhouse members Anna “Ace” Brunner (Exit Eden) and Jim “Arro” Müller (Kissin’ Dynamite), the unit reveals their explosive potential without ever holding back.


Now, they unleash their relentless second single, “My Revenge”, consisting of modern melodic rhythms and technical prowess topped with vocal dynamics poised to drop jaws. Having mercilessly flipped the metal scene upside down, their explosive second single shows exactly that: a defying sound with dashing drums and heavy, prominent guitar riffs crowned by Anna’s unique, war cry vocals.


League Of Distortion on “My Revenge”: “This 2nd song goes out to everyone who can relate to the first lines. We’ve taken too much, but we are not passive anymore. Don’t drown in darkness, be as bright and as different as you can be and set fire to the sun.”




Watch the official video for “My Revenge” below.


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


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


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


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





League Of Distortion will be available in the following formats:


- Digisleeve
- 1 LP Gatefold
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


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


"My Revenge" video:





"Wolf Or Lamb" video:





League Of Distortion are:


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


(Photo - Timo Ehlert)

Former VENOM and VENOM INC. drummer Abaddon (real name: Anthony Bray) revealed earlier this week that he has been diagnosed with lymphoma and has started chemotherapy.

On Wednesday (September 21),Bray took to his Facebook page to write: "I noticed a mass growing on the side of my neck in July 2022, I thought it was maybe an insect bite as I live near the sea and it was a hot month here. The mass grew bigger and, urged by my wife Rachel, I went to see my GP who reassured me that it was most likely not cancer because cancerous lumps don't come up over night usually, rather they take a longer time to grow. However she referred me to the freeman hospital in Newcastle to a specialist who reiterated her thoughts on the speed of my growth. He did some tests then sent me straight away for a biopsy, I had three samples taken and then went back to see my specialist who said that sadly it was lymphoma a cancer of the blood. He sent me immediately for a CT scan and an MRI scan which showed that I also had cancer in my bowel and lower intestinal tract. He decided therefore to not operate on my neck but to refer me to haematology at wandsbeck hospital in Ashington. They decided on 6 cycles of chemotherapy which I started yesterday. I will also be referred back to freeman hospital for radiotherapy after a few bouts of chemotherapy.

"None of this will break me.

"Fuck cancer."

The following day, Bray issued a short update, saying that he was felling "pretty good" after the first chemo session, but added that his condition could have been aided by the fact that he was on "17 steroids."

Back in 2018, VENOM INC. revealed that it was recruiting Jeramie Kling of the Tampa-based melodic death metal band THE ABSENCE to fill in for Bray on a European tour while Abaddon stayed home to spend time with his newborn daughter. VENOM INC. has since completed several tours with Kling and released a second album, "There's Only Black", without making any announcements about Bray's possible return to the group.

Asked in a 2018 interview with Tinnitus Metal Radio whether Abaddon's absence from VENOM INC. was still related to the drummer's desire to be with his family, VENOM INC. bassist/vocalist Tony Dolan said: "It's kind of become something else now. We toured the U.S., and then he was gonna get married, and then we were setting up to play Asia, and then another European tour. And then he decided he wanted to take… he was gonna have a baby, so he wanted to take March off. But at that point, we had the dates, so we could cancel them and delay them, but if we delayed them, we were due to go to America. So it was kind of, 'I'm not sure what we should be doing.' And so the management said we could use Jeramie, because he was our sound guy in America and he also plays drums, [so we thought], 'Well, then that's okay.' What we [were planning] to do is come back from Australia and New Zealand, Abaddon goes and does the baby thing, Jeramie sits in, we continue that tour, and then Abaddon comes back. But the whole thing went sideways. Abaddon went from saying, 'That's great' — with management; he didn't speak directly to me — said that was a great idea, to then we went and did it, and then he didn't like the idea. I don't know… I guess it's a personal thing. So now it's a bit of a mess. He's spending all his time being very negative about everything, and it's pulled us too far apart — too far apart — which is a shame."

VENOM INC.'s debut album, "Avé", was released in August 2017 via Nuclear Blast. Joining Bray in the recording lineup for the disc and all of the band's initial tours was fellow original VENOM member Jeff "Mantas" Dunn on guitar and Dolan on bass and vocals.

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

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

Posted by Antony Bray on Wednesday, September 21, 2022

"The Cage" EP, the new release from Billy Idol, is out now via Dark Horse Records. This new music follows Idol's 2021 "The Roadside" EP, which received praise from fans and critics alike. As on "The Roadside", Idol is joined on the new project by his longtime collaborator, co-writer and guitarist Steve Stevens.

In conjunction, Idol premieres the Spencer Ramsey-directed video for "Running From The Ghost", showcasing a new song from "The Cage" EP that has been a recent highlight of Idol's first shows in South America in over thirty years.

Today, Idol kicks off a run of shows in the Europe with a performance in Halle, Germany. This arena tour is followed by a five-show residency at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Idol's set of summer dates included a run of sold-out headline shows stateside as well as a performance at Rock In Rio with GREEN DAY.

Last month, Variety broke news of the new music as well as a forthcoming Jonas Åkerlund-directed (Paul McCartney, Madonna) documentary about his life; further details to come soon as the film is currently in the final stages of production.

Building upon the momentum garnered from last year's "The Roadside" EP, Idol has once again flexed his collaborative spirit and called upon a number of contemporary writers and producers to help expand his already vast musical palette, taking the best of the past and gift wrapping it into something brand new.

"The last EP, we were kind of warming up to this," says Idol. "This EP is a lot more coming at you. Loads more guitar. And that's a lot of fun. We were pretty fired up by the fact that we hadn't played for a couple of years, and suddenly we were bursting on stage, and it kind of woke us up to what the next EP could be: That it could be a little more strum und drang, a little more coming at you, a little more rock'n'roll, a little more f*ck you! Well, a tiny bit of f*ck you, anyhow. The bottom line is we had a lot of fun doing it."

Recorded at Studio America and MDDN Studios in Los Angeles, the four-track EP includes production contributions from Tommy English (Kacey Musgraves, BØRNS),Zakk Cervini (BLINK-182, Machine Gun Kelly),Joe Janiak (Ellie Goulding, Adam Lambert) and Butch Walker (GREEN DAY, WEEZER) while English also co-wrote three of the EP's tracks with Idol.

For 46 years, Idol has been one of the faces and voices of rock'n'roll, with an artistic resume to match the brilliant light of the image. First as the camera-ready front man for GENERATION X, between 1977 and 1981 Idol emerged with three albums that made positivity, emotional depth and high pop synonymous with punk rock. In 1982 Idol embarked on a remarkable transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated clubland throb, wide-screen depth and drama, rockabilly desperation, the bold and simple lines of punk and rock'n'roll decadence.

"The Cage" EP is Idol's second release on the relaunched Dark Horse Records, a label initially created in 1974 by George Harrison and now led by Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine. Other Dark Horse artists include George Harrison himself, Joe Strummer and Ravi Shankar.

"The Cage" EP track listing:

01. Cage
02. Running From The Ghost
03. Rebel Like You
04. Miss Nobody

Photo credit: Steven Sebring

MEGADETH's Dirk Verbeuren has shared drum-cam video of the first-ever live performance of the band's song "Soldier On!" on September 20 at Lakeview Amphitheatre in Syracuse, New York. Check it out below.

"Soldier On!" is taken from MEGADETH's sixteenth studio album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", which arrived on September 2 via UMe.

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine previously stated about the lyrical inspiration for "Soldier On!": "Coming to the realization that you need to walk away from a relationship that's very toxic, and how hard it can be to start down that road. But you know you need to, and just taking that first step is the hardest part. Whatever your leaving does to them, you have to block that part out, stay the course and do what's right for you. It will be hard in the beginning, but you have got to live for yourself to be worth a damn to anyone else. You've got to soldier on."

According to Billboard, "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 neglible 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).

"The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" consolidates a furious return to form that began with the Grammy-winning "Dystopia", while pushing forward musically and marking Mustaine's recent triumph over throat cancer. Reuniting Dave with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (DANZIG, PARKWAY DRIVE),who together helmed 2016's "Dystopia", the album was recorded at Mustaine's home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album. With the kick-off of MEGADETH's recent tour, MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo rejoined the MEGADETH family as permanent bass player.

TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy spoke to the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station about what it has been like playing with Dave Lombardo again after the drummer rejoined the San Francisco thrash metal outfit earlier this year. An original member of thrash metal legends SLAYER, Lombardo was the guest drummer on TESTAMENT's 1999 studio album "The Gathering", which also marked the first time the band worked with then-up-and-coming British producer/engineer Andy Sneap. Chuck said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been awesome. It's like getting on and getting right back on that horse, because we have a lot of history, first of all. And when we toured 'The Gathering', we didn't get to tour a lot — it was kind of cut short by my illness and everything — so when we got back together, we all kind of said mutually, 'Hey, this feels right. This feels like it's the place where to be. We all feel like family.' And it didn't take many shows to really say, 'You know what? This feels good. We're having a great time.' And Dave just joined us — yesterday was his first show on the second leg [of 'The Bay Strikes Bay' tour], 'cause he missed the first, I believe, like, eight shows or so, six or eight shows, 'cause he had some MISFITS shows. And yesterday when he gets there, he said he was kind of nervous 'cause he's jumping right in on a tour — no rehearsals — and he said, 'As soon as I heard that intro tape, it was like right back where I was. It was like a time warp. I felt great. Got up there confident; knew the songs.' We finished the first show in St. Pete. It was a great show. We came off so fired up in the dressing room. He was, like, 'You know what? I don't know what I was tripping on. I know these songs. This feels great. The first one's down. Let's go, guys.' So it's been good."

As for what it has been like to play the songs from TESTAMENT's latest album, "Titans Of Creation", more than two years after the LP's release, Chuck said: "Well, it's totally different because, of course, we recorded the record with [former drummer] Gene [Hoglan], and Gene played when we first came out. We only could play, I believe, two songs before the pandemic hit. And with Dave, we threw in two more songs off of the record. And Dave just adds a different style. Him and Gene are two different players. And also just the way their drum tones are. Dave likes a real natural, big drum sound where Gene had more of triggered sounds, and it's just a tighter sound. So there's two different styles. I think they're both great. But the right now is looser, but it feels even different. He adds another dimension to the song, I guess another gear. Because we're used to the way they were written for the record and recorded and Gene playing 'em and now Dave does his Dave [thing] to those songs. So it's been cool."

Asked if it took some time to get used to playing with Dave again after sharing the stage with Gene for so long, Chuck said: "It sure did, 'cause we came right in… especially for the soundman. We've been using the same soundman for years, and he has a certain technique and style for mixing us. And when Dave had come in, Dave was, like, 'No. I'm not using triggers. And I tune my drums a lot deeper. I want a really raw, real drum sound.' So at first it was challenging for him to really find a good blend to make us sound like TESTAMENT. And it took a little time. I think now he's got it down. And it just sounds powerful because the drums are real and big where Gene's had, like I said, the triggers, so it was a lot tighter. So it just makes the songs even heavier, I think."

Earlier this month, TESTAMENT recruited drummer Chris Dovas (SEVEN SPIRES) to play the first six dates of the summer/fall leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour". He was filling in for Lombardo, who was unable to make the gigs due to a scheduling conflict with the MISFITS.

"The Bay Strikes Back Tour" will conclude on October 15 in San Jose, California.

Lombardo officially rejoined TESTAMENT in February following the departure of Hoglan.

"The Gathering" was widely considered to be an improvement over 1997's "Demonic", an album that saw Billy employ a more guttural style of vocals and was released at a time when thrash acts as TESTAMENT had fallen out of favor.

Hoglan originally played drums on "Demonic", but didn't stick around long enough to do any touring with the band. He officially joined TESTAMENT in 2011 and played on the group's last three albums: 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", 2016's "Brotherhood Of The Snake" and "Titans Of Creation".

TESTAMENT released a "Titans Of Creation" video album on September 9 via Nuclear Blast. The limited-edition collectible features performance videos of all the tracks on the record. The footage was compiled at a soundstage in San Francisco and was edited into music video-style clips that were made available on Blu-ray accompanying the CD with bonus photos and liner notes plus a button and sticker in a longbox. Staying true to the record, the performances feature Gene Hoglan behind the kit. This version is limited to 6,500 units worldwide.

"Titans Of Creation" was produced by Billy and Peterson while Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios handled co-producing, recording and engineering. Andy Sneap was responsible for the mixing and mastering of the album. Eliran Kantor stepped up once again to create a new masterpiece of artwork for the cover of this release.

UGLY KID JOE will release a new studio album, "Rad Wings Of Destiny", on October 21. The official music video for the LP's fourth single, "Failure", can be seen below.

"Rad Wings Of Destiny" sees UGLY KID JOE re-teaming producer Mark Dodson who was behind the desk for the band's debut album, "America's Least Wanted", which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

Speaking to France's Loud TV about the "Rad Wings Of Destiny" album title, UGLY KID JOE frontman Whitfield Crane said: "I love JUDAS PRIEST. UGLY KID JOE has a penchant for poking a little humor into the universe — the universe needs a little humor — and also giving respect to things that we love. So we love JUDAS PRIEST. We're from California. We say 'rad' all day long. So 'Rad Wings Of Destiny'."

Regarding how "That Ain't Livin'" came together, Crane said: "I wrote the riff in Greece. We worked on the song as a band in Mallorca, Spain. We tracked the song in El Paso, Texas. And then we couldn't finish all the vocals in El Paso. So then I found myself living in Lisbon, Portugal. And I flew to London to meet the producer and I tracked the vocals in London."

Asked if the rest of "Rad Wings Of Destiny" is musically similar to "That Ain't Livin'", Whitfield said: "Well, it's hard for me to describe it, 'cause I'm so close to it; I'm really close to it. But yeah, the first track, 'That Ain't Livin''… Also we love old-school AC/DC; I mean, I love for AC/DC. I wrote the riff for 'That Ain't Livin'' on an island in Greece and I had the riff. And so we wrote that song. And it's really an homage to 'Powerage'[-era] AC/DC. So that's that song. But there's nine other songs, and there's a lot of different frequencies that we're embracing."

As for the lyrical themes covered on "Rad Wings Of Destiny", Crane said: "'That Ain't Livin'' is just — if you feel stuck in a nine-to-five rut, stop. Embrace life… We cover a version of THE KINKS' 'Lola', which is really cool; we did great on it. But I'll let the thematic structure of the album, I'll let that remain a mystery for someone to figure out themselves. I think if I project what I think it is, sometimes that takes away from somebody feeling what it is for them."

"Rad Wings Of Destiny" track listing:

01. That Ain't Livin'
02. Not Like The Other
03. Everything's Changing
04. Kill The Pain
05. Lola
06. Dead Friends Play
07. Up in the City
08. Drinkin' And Drivin'
09. Failure
10. Long Road

After a 15-year hiatus, UGLY KID JOE reformed in 2012 and has toured extensively throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

The band released the EP "Stairway To Hell" in 2012 and the full-length "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be" in 2015.

Two years ago, Crane told Eonmusic about UGLY KID JOE's huge success on the back of single "Everything About You" in 1991: "'Eye of the storm' is a good way to put it, because it just was all happening at a deadly fast gait. And it was a lot — it was beautiful and also very challenging, because there's a lot of people that surround the business of music that are full of shit. But when you're 23 [or] 24, you don't know how to negotiate that, so on one hand, it was super fun and we did all the things you should do at that age, and on the other hand, it was too much for me. But we survived it, and I can deal with it all now."

Finnish rockers THE RASMUS have just released their tenth studio album, "Rise", via Playground Music. To celebrate, the band has shared a video for the jubilant opening track "Live And Never Die". The clip is made up of live footage showcasing the band's high energy stage show and connection with fans.

"Even though it's the last track we wrote, 'Live And Never Die' ended up being the perfect opening track," explains singer Lauri Ylönen. "I don't think I've ever written anything with so many positive words and major chords. There's a lot of motion and energy to it."

The last year has been particularly eventful for THE RASMUS — from once again partnering with renowned songwriter/producer Desmond Child (KISS, BON JOVI, AEROSMITH) to enlisting new guitarist Emilia "Emppu" Suhonen and representing Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest finals back in May.

Speaking about the album, Lauri says: "The new album 'Rise' took us three long years to finish. We went from our lowest low to the new glorious condition we are in today. We had plans to record the album in Eastbourne, in England, in 2020. But the COVID screwed everything up. We live in different countries, so we were stuck on different continents trying to record the album over the internet, on the laptop screen. And that really sucked. It was bad. But we tried and got some stuff done. It was a very difficult way to work, and time consuming trying to send the files across the globe to the other side of the world and put songs together like that. That finally ended up almost breaking up the band until the guitarist left us.

"So COVID took its toll but maybe it was supposed to happen, because right after that, many good things started to happen. We wrote 'Jezebel', that became a huge success. We met Emppu who became the new guitarist in the band and her appearance in the group, it's just amazing. She's so talented and she really fits the band perfectly. She brings new energy and takes the whole band to a new level."

"The album was first titled 'Nightdivision' due to the existing conditions of COVID separating us from each other. But after all these positive things happened, we wanted to rename the album to fit the mood better. The Rasmus have always been a mix of melancholy and hope and now, more than ever that is what we are."

With songs like "Jezebel" and title track "Rise" launching THE RASMUS into a bold new chapter of their career, supported by a European tour in the fall and worldwide dates through the following year, more great things are to be expected. The band have never felt more primed for glory, believes Lauri, and given the quality of their new music, few would dare doubt him.

"Honestly, this is the strongest this band has been in ages," he summarizes. "Eurovision was an experience from another dimension, Emppu helped heal us and 'Jezebel' got us back together as a team. We're a band who dare to dream again."

"Rise" is available in digital format as well as CD, LP and a special limited and numbered box set (limited to 1000 copies) with LP, CD, logo pin, signed card and 48-page 12-inch-sized booklet including photos, lyrics and liner notes.

"Rise" track listing:

01. Live And Never Die
02. Rise
03. Fireflies
04. Be Somebody
05. Odyssey
06. Jezebel
07. Endless Horizon
08. Clouds
09. Written In Blood
10. Evil

Photo credit: Venla Shalin

Following the release of "Patient Number 9", Ozzy Osbourne is providing an inside look into the making of the album with a three-part video series featuring interviews and in-studio clips with some of featured performers. The series includes exclusive interviews with Ozzy and the album's producer Andrew Watt. Sharon Osbourne, Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH),Ozzy's longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) and Mike McCready (PEARL JAM) also offer insight into the making of the album. The series was created and produced by Jack Osbourne with interviews conducted by renowned British journalist Phil Alexander. Watch the second part, "The Sabbath Connection", below.

Released September 9 and marking Ozzy's 13th solo studio album, "Patient Number 9" triumphantly sets new career highs for Ozzy. In the U.S., the album debuted at No. 1 on multiple charts: Top Album Sales (Ozzy's first No. 1 ever on this chart),Top Current Album Sales (another first),Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Vinyl Albums and Tastemaker Albums charts; and at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart. Globally, the album charted at No. 1 in Canada (Ozzy's first-ever No. 1 there); career-high No. 2 entries in the U.K., Australia, Finland and Italy; No. 6 in the Netherlands and New Zealand; No. 8 in Belgium; and No. 14 France. Other highlights include No. 2 Austria, Germany and Sweden; No. 3 in Switzerland; and No. 4 in Norway.

Produced by Watt (who handled the same duties on 2020's "Ordinary Man") and released on Epic, "Patient Number 9" boasts guitarists Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready of PEARL JAM, and longstanding righthand man and six-string beast Zakk Wylde who plays on the majority of the tracks. For the bulk of the album, Chad Smith held down drums, while the late Taylor Hawkins of FOO FIGHTERS made an appearance. Old friend and one-time Ozzy bandmember Robert Trujillo plays bass on most of the album's tracks, with Duff McKagan of GUNS N' ROSES and Chris Chaney of JANE'S ADDICTION supplying bass on a few songs. For the first time ever, BLACK SABBATH co-founder, guitarist and riff lord Tony Iommi appears on an Ozzy solo album.

The "Patient Number 9" title track was written by Ozzy, Watt, Trujillo, Smith and Ali Tamposi and features a riveting solo from Beck. The accompanying music video marked the first collaboration from the project with artist and comic book creator Todd McFarlane. It was highlighted by McFarlane's signature illustrations interspersed with live Ozzy vignettes in the role of "Patient Number 9," which the revolutionary creative force in the world of comics and toys also filmed. In addition, this was the first-ever video to incorporate Ozzy's artwork: his hand-drawn demons were animated and could be seen during the Jeff Beck solo in the song.

"Patient Number 9" track listing:

01. Patient Number 9 (feat. Jeff Beck)
02. Immortal (feat. Mike McCready)
03. Parasite (feat. Zakk Wylde)
04. Mr. Darkness (feat. Zakk Wylde)
05. One Of Those Days (feat. Eric Clapton)
06. A Thousand Shades (feat. Jeff Beck)
07. No Escape From Now (feat. Tony Iommi)
08. Nothing Feels Right (feat. Zakk Wylde)
09. Evil Shuffle (feat. Zakk Wylde)
10. Degradation Rules (feat. Tony Iommi)
11. Dead And Gone
12. God Only Knows
13. Darkside Blues

As previously reported, Ozzy performed at halftime of the Los Angeles Rams season opener on September 8 at SoFi Stadium. Fans in the stadium were treated to a multi-song medley from Osbourne while viewers at home saw a portion of the performance on NBC and Peacock during halftime.Ozzy opened with the title track of his new album, "Patient Number 9", backed by Andrew Watt on guitar, Chris Chaney on bass and Tommy Clufetos on drums. Longtime Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde then joined them onstage to play the singer's classic track "Crazy Train".

Prior to the halftime show, the 73-year-old Ozzy last performed in August when he made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in his former hometown of Birmingham, England.

Earlier in the month, Ozzy and his wife/manager Sharon announced their return to TV with a 10-part reality series called "Home To Roost". Set to air on BBC One and iPlayer, the show will document the Osbournes' journey back to Britain, alongside daughter Kelly and son Jack's efforts to support them.

Ozzy has sold over 100 million records, is one of a handful of artists who has had Top 10 albums in last six decades, received induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a co-founder of BLACK SABBATH, won three Grammy Awards, earned the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors, set a Guinness World Record, and claimed real estate on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and Birmingham Walk Of Stars. He's played for royalty (even the Queen of England) and dignitaries around the world, interacted with presidents and performed to millions of devoted fans on five continents. Earlier this year, Ozzy's CrytoBatz NFT launched as one the biggest Celebrity NFT project ever created; it's currently ranked in the top 100 biggest NFT projects ever and is valued at over $40 million.

Swedish metallers AVATAR have released a new song, "Valley Of Disease". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album which was recently recorded and mixed for an early 2023 release.

AVATAR vocalist Johannes Eckerström comments on "Valley Of Disease": "There is a sickness, a stranger, and a harmful way. A twisted landscape untouched by the sun. I leave the rest up to either you or me, but never both at the same time. You can only enter this place alone, and my path isn't yours. Your secret is safe with me, but so is mine."

Last year, AVATAR announced its signing to Thirty Tigers and the launch of its own Black Waltz Records imprint. In addition, Eckerström and his bandmates unleashed four new songs which, according to the group, represent a taste of things to come.

AVATAR's ninth studio album was once again produced by Jay Ruston, who previously mixed 2014's "Hail The Apocalypse" and produced 2018's "Avatar Country" and 2020's "Hunter Gatherer".

Last month, Eckerström told TotalRock about AVATAR's upcoming LP: "The short version is we will make you see the devil, and we will make you dance. You've heard every band say it's their best album yet. This is our best album yet.

"My best thing to liken it to is [JUDAS PRIEST's] 'British Steel' in the sense of that… JUDAS PRIEST were always great, and before 'British Steel' you had 'Killing Machine', you had 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' and all this, but they were a great heavy metal band, a great rock and roll band, a great prog band at times and kind of eclectic. And then with 'British Steel' I find they really got laser focused, cut off the fat. And we're focused on what we feel right now metal needs — this very pompous but yet…

"Honestly, I feel like we have to save heavy metal," he continued. "Because either people are lost in the past… They did it better than we will ever do what they do. Don't do that. What's next? What's next for us? And do that without disappearing up your own asses completely.

"When people end up doing metal that is best enjoyed while sitting down and shutting up, you miss the point," Johannes added. "Metal is the music that you move to — in the pit, banging your head, dancing around, whatever, lifting weights, drinking too much, getting pregnant, impregnating someone, doing things. It's music to move with. You have drums in the band; why would you have drums if you don't move?

"We look a lot to the masters — that is wisdom from MOTÖRHEAD, from JUDAS PRIEST, from a lot of things — but then just… yeah, that, but not that. They did that. We're now and what's next with that. Where can we try to help bring it? And that is this album."

AVATAR enjoyed quite a productive summer, traipsing North America on a successful headline tour. They next embarked on some of the biggest shows of the career — a trek with IRON MAIDEN, supporting the band in stadiums in Brazil. AVATAR also played arenas supporting SABATON. They secured slots at major festivals globally — Inkcarceration, Summer Breeze and Bloodstock Open Air, among others.

DISTURBED will release its eighth full-length album, "Divisive", on November 18 via Reprise. The official lyric video for the LP's second single, "Unstoppable", can be seen below.

About "Divisive", DISTURBED singer David Draiman noted: "Partisan tribal warfare has become a part of our regular existence nowadays. It's one big battle of the cliques. The whole idea of the record is to be a wakeup call for everyone. Our society has become addicted to outrage. Music is the best cure for what ails us though. If only everyone reached out and used it. There's no better environment to forget about all of this shit than live music. We can be together and realize we have more in common than not. Recognize what's happening and let's make a change for the better."

Guitarist Dan Donegan added: "Whatever it takes, we've got to pull it together. We've always tried to take negative topics and spin them in a positive light. From touring around the world, we've seen the power of music as the universal language to bring everyone together from all walks of life. We can still play songs to unite people, and it's a pretty powerful feeling."

"Unstoppable" storms out of the gate on a jackhammer guitar riff, pummeling drums, and the band's signature staccato vocal phrasing in lockstep with a pulsating rhythm. This barrage crashes into a skyscraping stadium-ready refrain, "There's no escape. I am unstoppable." The accompanying lyric video seamlessly translates this frenetic anthem into fiery on-screen action befitting of the track's uncontainable momentum.

Draiman elaborated: "'Unstoppable' is definitely one of the heavier tracks on the record. The groove builds into a bombastic animal. It's truly the fight song."

"We always have a big rock anthem on every album," Donegan commented. "We love to write empowering songs for motivation. We're avid sports fans, and that's definitely part of it. It's an in-your-face track, for sure."

"Divisive" pulls no punches as a precise, pummeling, and powerful hard rock opus. Over the last year, the quartet cut these ten tracks with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, LIL PEEP, HIGHLY SUSPECT) in Nashville, Tennessee. After Donegan shared initial ideas with the rest of the group, they locked in like never before with the groove as the backbone. Drummer Mike Wengren bolted down some of the strongest and boldest rhythms of their career punctuated by John Moyer's punchy bass. Together, the musicians collectively conjured the focus and fire of their seminal early output augmented by airtight songcraft and a heightened level of musical chemistry that could only be forged by years of writing and touring together.

As a result, "Divisive" finds DISTURBED at their most dynamic, defiant, and dangerous. Breaking ground, it also notably marks the first time the band included a guest feature on an album, boasting the epic emotionally charged duet "Don't Tell Me" with HEART's Ann Wilson. Meanwhile, the likes of "Bad Man" and "Divisive" rank amongst the band's heaviest material. At the same time, they infuse the likes of "Won't Back Down" with uplifting melodies.

DISTURBED initially set the stage for the record with "Hey You", which came out in July. The song spread like wildfire across airwaves, emerging as their 15th No. 1 single at rock radio. At the same time, it has already gathered 10 million-plus streams and counting, only increasing anticipation for "Divisive".

"Divisive" track listing:

01. Hey You
02. Bad Man
03. Divisive
04. Unstoppable
05. Love To Hate
06. Feeding The Fire
07. Don't Tell Me (feat. Ann Wilson)
08. Take Back Your Life
09. Part Of Me
10. Won't Back Down

The DISTURBED members subconsciously rallied around a shared vision for what would become "Divisive". After a period of dormancy in the midst of the global pandemic, the group finally congregated in early 2022. Dealing with the same frustrations for nearly two years, the guys followed a collective muse without question.

"We wanted to get heavy again," exclaimed Dan. "We'll always be melodic, but there's more attitude now. We're showcasing David's animalistic side again. It touches on our early days with modern elements."

David added: "After 25 years, we've begun to anticipate each other's direction. We were all hankering to get back to chunky goodness," he laughed.

In order to do so, the band tapped Fulk as producer. With members based around the country, they chose Nashville to record, cutting ten tracks in spring 2022.

"Once we finally did get in a room together, it felt so good," Dan recalled. "It was nice to get the ball rolling and have that outlet in the studio again. Throughout our lives, music has been our therapy — as it is for most people."

Fittingly, the group kicked off this phase with the opener "Hey You". Powered by menacing electronics, a bone-crushing riff, and undeniable chorus, it marked their 15th No. 1 hit at radio, completing their quickest rise to the top and setting the tone for what was to come.

"It's the quintessential rallying cry," noted David. "It's like, 'Hey you, do you realize what you're doing? Do you see you're your own worst enemy? How are we making mountains out of mole hills everywhere we go and looking for enemies where there are none?' It was the perfect way to start."

Then, there's "Bad Man". Ominous string orchestration echoes around a jagged riff as the verses snake into an incisively infectious chant. Pressing down on the whammy pedal, Dan rips a screeching cinematic guitar lead rife with razor-sharp shredding.

"From a lyrical perspective, says David. "There's no shortage of evil maniacs on the planet who take advantage of their positions of power and have unchecked narcissism and egomania that fuels their decisions though. There was damn sure plenty of inspiration in current world events."

On "Don't Tell Me", DISTURBED joins forces with none other than Wilson for an epic duet. In two decades, it breaks ground as the first-ever guest collaboration on a DISTURBED record. Clean guitar soundtracks the story of a long-term relationship in the middle of its last gasp. David and Ann engage in a call-and-response before locking into a skyscraping harmony as the solo reaches for the heavens.

"It was very personal to me," admitted Dan. "I was going through my divorce, and I wanted to touch on the fact I was in a very long marriage to a wonderful woman. She's a great mother to my kids. We were together for 18 years. Even though the marriage was in a tough spot, it was hard to leg go, because we'd invested so much into each other. I felt like listeners could relate to it."

"In my humble opinion, I think Ann is probably the greatest female rock voice of all time," David stated. "She's untouchable. We had connected on Twitter, and I sent her the song. She agreed to jump on it, and it was humbling to work with her. She was totally pro. Her vocals are mind-blowing. It was a gift. Out of ten tracks, we needed to take at least one left turn," he smiled.

The album reaches its cathartic conclusion with a final knockout blow on "Won't Back Down". As the guitars toss and turn, the chorus assures, "I won't back down from this fight."

They've never backed down though. Instead, DISTURBED has dominated hard rock on its own terms. Thus far, they have notched five consecutive No. 1 debuts on the Billboard 200, occupying rarified air alongside METALLICA — the only other hard rock group to accomplish this feat. Since their influential five-times-platinum debut "The Sickness" in 2000, they have built a bulletproof catalog highlighted by a procession of smashes, including the platinum "Stupify", "Inside The Fire" and "Land Of Confusion", two-times-platinum "Stricken", six-times-platinum "Down With The Sickness" and seven-times-platinum "The Sound Of Silence", to name a few. The latter notably received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Performance" as the band earned "Best Rock Artist" at the 2017 iHeartRadioMusic Awards.

In the end, DISTURBED still wields the power to unite.

"We have a lot left in us," concluded Dan. "I know for certain I'm not done. We're always going to need an outlet for our personal sanity. I feel inspired every time we do a record. We bring the best out of one another. I'm just excited for what the future holds."

David left off: "When audiences hear the album, I hope the reaction is, 'After the last three years, this is exactly what I wanted to get out the frustration, anger, and addiction to outrage'. There are better ways. I hope you use it as an outlet and a means of exorcising the demons once again."

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

THE PRETTY RECKLESS will release a new collection of music, "Other Worlds", on November 4 via Fearless Records. The effort sees the group delivering its first proper acoustic recordings, unexpected covers and other reimaginings.

Today, the band has shared the visualizer for the acoustic version of "Harley Darling". Watch it below.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS dressed down this favorite from the band's latest album, "Death By Rock And Roll", to its bare essence with a stirring and striking acoustic performance.

"'Harley Darling' is a love letter to [late THE PRETTY RECKLESS producer] Kato Khandwala," says singer Taylor Momsen. "It's as simple as that. So many of us have stories of losing loved ones, especially now, and I hope this song can be used in other's healing as it was in my own."

"Other Worlds" collates striking acoustic renditions of personal favorites accompanied by some very special guests. The recording of Elvis Costello's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding" served as Momsen's first cover originally performed for the "Fearless At Home" livestream in the midst of COVID. As another pandemic-era cover, Matt Cameron played guitar and sang as Taylor powered an airy and lithe reimagining of SOUNDGARDEN's "Halfway There" from "King Animal", generating hundreds of thousands of views on its initial post. Iconic multi-instrumentalist, producer and artist Alain Johannes handled guitar on THE PRETTY RECKLESS' pensive and poetic interpretation of "The Keeper", originally by Chris Cornell, while David Bowie pianist Mike Garson performed a stirring piano movement for THE THIN WHITE DUKE's "Quicksand".

"For a long time, we've been trying to figure out an alternative way of releasing music, including songs we love that didn't make our records, covers, and alternate versions," explains Momsen. "We found a way to do this coherently and consistently with 'Other Worlds'. We're a rock band, so there are lots of electric guitars on our records. However, we've gotten incredible feedback from fans about our acoustic performances, and we'd never put those out in any real format. So, this is a different take on the traditional format of a record and a stripped back version of us that our fans haven't really heard before, but it's still us."

"You get to hear a different side of Taylor's vocals," adds guitarist Ben Phillips. "It was a chance for us to see what she would sound like singing songs by people who have inspired us. It also gave us some perspective of where we need to go and what we need to be if we want to be that good."

"Other Worlds" track listing:

01. Got So High (remix)
02. Loud Love
03. The Keeper (feat. Alain Johannes)
04. Quicksand (feat. Mike Garson)
05. 25 (acoustic)
06. Only Love Can Save Me Now (acoustic)
07. Death By Rock And Roll (acoustic)
08. Halfway There (feat. Matt Cameron)
09. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding
10. Harley Darling (acoustic)
11. Got So High (album version)

"Death By Rock And Roll" was made available in February 2021 via Fearless Records in the U.S. and Century Media Records in the rest of the world.

Upon release, "Death By Rock And Roll" topped multiple sales charts — including Billboard's Top Albums, Rock, Hard Music, and Digital charts. The record also yielded three back-to-back No. 1 singles — "Death By Rock And Roll", "And So It Went" (featuring Tom Morello of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and "Only Love Can Save Me Now" (featuring Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron of SOUNDGARDEN). The band has tallied seven No. 1 singles at the rock format throughout its career.

"Death By Rock And Roll" is THE PRETTY RECKLESS's first album to be made without longtime producer Kato Khandwala, who died in April 2018 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS formed in 2009 and is rounded out by bassist Mark Damon and drummer Jamie Perkins.

Last year, Momsen — who rose to fame portraying the character of edgy little sister Jenny Humphrey on The CW's "Gossip Girl" — described "Death By Rock And Roll" in an interview with ABC Audio as a "battle cry for life and for hope."

"I think that that's something that we can all use a little bit more of, especially right now," she said. "We could always use a little more hope, and we could always use a little more rock and roll."

After emerging as one of the most quietly disruptive forces in culture, Grammy Award-nominated alternative insurgent Poppy will unleash her new "Stagger" EP on October 14. It notably marks her debut for Lava/Republic.

She comes out of the gate swinging with the new single "FYB". Powered by a thrash-and-burn punk riff, a barrage of distortion grinds up against her insidiously melodic delivery. It cycles through a hypnotic hook as she repeats "Fuck the world, it'll just fuck you back." A fittingly captivating visual accompanies the track. In the clip, Poppy walks on a spinning animated globe under the glow of lively hand-drawn planets.

"FYB" stands out as something of a clarion call for the multi-faceted maverick as it sets the stage for a whole lot more to come this year and in 2023.

Next up, Poppy will support SMASHING PUMPKINS and JANE'S ADDICTION on one of the fall's hottest alternative rock tours, beginning October 2 through November 19. She will also appear at the When We Were Young Festivals in Las Vegas, Nevada October 22-23 and October 29. Finally, she will launch the "Never Find My Place" across Europe November 26 through December 21.

Poppy has no regard for convention, genres, labels, assumptions, or expectations. Instead, she eclipses all of them in the flames of an intensely uncompromising creative spirit with no rival. By burning everything down and building a vision of her own out of the ashes, she represents a future where high art and high fashion equal subversion of the highest order. Following a quiet grind, she reached critical mass with "I Disagree". Beyond tallying 100 million-plus streams, it concluded 2020 on year-end lists by Upset, Revolver, Popbuzz, Kerrang! and more as she graced the covers of NME, Revolver, Upset, Kerrang! and Tush. Standout "Bloodmoney" even garnered a Grammy nod for "Best Metal Performance," lifting her to rarified air as the "first-ever solo female artist nominated in the category." At the same time, she electrified the stage at the Grammy Awards. Throughout 2021, Poppy only maintained her momentum with the "EAT (NXT Soundtrack)" EP, "Flux" and "So Mean" EP. She steered the vision entirely — from the aesthetic to personally directing multiple videos. Infiltrating the mainstream, she has notably collaborated with Victor and Rolf on the Flowerbomb fragrance with L'Oreal and with KOI Footwear on two pairs of signature shoes. Casting a shadow over multiple forms of media, she has also penned two graphic novels, "Genesis One" and "Poppy's Inferno", and her short film "I'm Poppy" premiered at Sundance Film Festival during 2019.

Portuguese all-female metal band Black Widows have released a new single and music video from their upcoming second studio album, Among the Brave Ones, which is set to be released on October 21st 2022 via Finland's Inverse Records.


Check out the official lyric video for "Schizo" below.







Vocalist/guitarist Rute Fevereiro comments: "'Schizo' was chosen to be our third single. It's a more complex song that honestly represents well the darkest side of our album. This song is all about hypocrisy, the need of showing positive thinking and smiles regardless of what you're going through, to the extend of worsening our mental health. This song is specially focused on someone I used to know who is described in these lyrics. The music is the perfect marriage with the words professed. There are lots of clowns in the real world, showing smily faces and yet they feel miserable. I'm sure you all know someone like this."





Tracklist:


"Black Orchid"
"Schizo"
"Among The Brave Ones"
"Philosophy Of Fools"
"Electrify Me"
"I'm A Monster"
"Drowning"
"Dead Heaven's Vibe"
"Forgive To Forget"
"Eden Denied"


"Among The Brave Ones"





"Black Orchid"

Order Of Minerva was born during the dark era of lockdown with the aim of bringing a new light of hope to melodic metal.


They are characterized by the presence of a charming but aggressive front woman Elisabetta Furlanetto, and a team of skilled musicians dedicated to power / progressive metal, although influenced by many other genres.







The whole project is a concept based on all the contradictions of modern society: the loneliness of mankind caused by social networks and other tools of isolation, exploitation of the earth's resources, lack of goals for the younger generations. And to do this, the project sets all the events narrated in the songs in the not too distant future, where water has become the most precious and expensive thing for humanity.


Cities are small strongholds in endless sandy deserts where large multinationals manage everything with violence, indifference and injustice and the poor try to survive. Order Of Minerva is a secret group of insurgent anarchists who aim to share resources equally with everyone, but violence brings violence.


Order Of Minerva will release a series of singles, beginning with "Army Of The Lost", that will then compose an entire work that will see the light in the form of a full-length album.








For further details, visit Order Of Minerva on Facebook.


 

With Eranaës, former Second Reign vocalist Stephan Lipp kicked off his solo project to create extraordinary sound cosmos with top-class guest musicians, each bringing their character and playing style to the table.


For the release of the first single, “After The Rain”, on October 10, the Swiss musician signed with Dr. Music Records and has gained the support of Edge Of Paradise vocalist Margarita Monet and keyboard wizard Derek Sherinian. But the other members with Eluveitie drummer Alain Ackermann and guitarist Simon Burri (Rage Of Light, Vorax, Sinverse) are also quite impressive.


Producer Mack Schildknecht (China, The Three Sum, Fueled By Grace) was not only twisting the knobs but also contributing bass. Chris Beyerlein from Stem Masters (Schandmaul, Fiddler’s Green, Stahlmann) subsequently provided the finishing touches to the mastering with his tight, tidy and powerful, imposing sound.




With the single “After The Rain” (feat. Margarita Monet & Derek Sherinian) accompanied by a music video with subtle visuals, Eranaës have created a remarkable mix of melodic and progressive metal, bringing the serious topic of child abuse to the fore with profound lyrics. The following teasers provide a first poignant impression, foreshadowing the suffering of the young protagonists without making the two children in the video clip morally vulnerable:








Today, Eranaës also present the single cover for “After The Rain”, showing a painting by Swiss artist Christophe Terraz, tackling the oppressive subject with his very own imagery. Despite the severe background, all players’ particular interaction makes this single a unique musical experience. Thanks to its strong catchiness, the song immediately gets stuck in the head and more than deserves massive attention from fans and media.





The single, including a second version recorded only by Stephan Lipp and his Swiss musicians, is now available for pre-save or pre-order here, or via Amazon (Germany). Amazon (US), Apple Music & iTunes.


After the release of this remarkable yet thematically oppressive debut single, “After The Rain” (Piano Version) will be released as a single on December 8, another softer but no less intense version of the song, which also includes an additional orchestral version, followed by more music in the coming year. Let’s be surprised who will be involved in the upcoming songs.


For the moment, let’s enjoy the outstanding musical quality of “After The Rain” (feat. Margarita Monet & Derek Sherinian) and give due attention to the very first Eranaës chapter.

Brazilian metallers, Angra, have released Ep. 01 of tour report video series from their Rebirth 20th Anniversary Tour. This episode focuses on Angra in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on July 1. Watch below:





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