Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes took part in a signing session and performance Wednesday night (September 21) at the Rockpile in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Video of Holmes and his band performing a few tracks, including W.A.S.P.'s "Wild Child", "The Devil Made Me Do It" and a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World", can be seen below.

Holmes, who recently completed seven weeks of radiation therapy in his battle with cancer in throat and neck, discussed his illness in a new interview with France's Duke TV. Reflecting on how he was diagnosed, Holmes said: "In November of '21, my throat hurt real bad. I was taking throat lozenges and it just wouldn't go away. [My wife] Sarah goes, 'We're gonna go to a throat specialist,' and I did. And he [inserted] a camera in my nose and it goes down your throat. And he pulled it out, and he said something to my wife. And I go, 'Was it yeast infection?' And he shook his head, 'No.' And then he was talking to Sarah, and she kind of looked down to the ground, and I knew it was cancer. I go, 'Oh, man.'

"One third of everybody gets cancer on this planet, they say, so it just happened to be me," he noted. "And I drank and I smoked all my life. I didn't just smoke light cigarettes. I even asked the doctor if it could be from that. And he said he didn't know. He said, 'I couldn't put a stamp on what it is. It could be hereditary. It could be anything.'"

Chris went on to say that he is trying to stay "positive" in his battle with the disease. "At least the cancer I had was treatable," he said. "God forbid, a lot of people get cancer and they can't treat it. At least mine was treatable."

Holmes also spoke about his treatment, saying: "What happens is seven weeks of radiation — Monday through Friday. And the first you do the radiation, of the treatment, they give you chemo, and then you're supposed to do chemo halfway through and then at the end. My throat starting hurting. I couldn't drink water. I was taking morphine. I'd get the treatment and I'd just come home and just go straight to bed and [go] to sleep. And then Sarah, my wife, would wake me up at dinner time and try to get me to even drink something, and I couldn't drink. And she was almost crying because I was withering down to nothing. They kept telling me they were gonna put a tube in my nose. And that kind of scared me, getting that thing shoved in my nose and my throat, but once they put it in, it didn't bother me. And I got fed by a tube for a while.

"I finished [treatment] in April, so it's been four months, and I'm starting to feel a lot better," he said. "I'm not a hundred percent now. I get a real lot of phlegm in my throat, and it's real thick and gross. So if I sleep at night, it builds up and I wake up and I can't get any air, and I'll have to cough it up. And I have no taste. Everything I taste — I'm not gonna say it tastes like shit, but everything I taste just doesn't taste what it smells like. I just had a banana, and it didn't taste like a banana, but I ate the whole thing 'cause I know I've gotta start eating food."

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, the guitarist returned to W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Chris has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

Earlier this month, Chris told Canada's The Metal Voice that he hasn't heard from W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless since his diagnosis. He said: "Blackie could have helped to pay for some of my treatment, but [he didn't]. But Nikki Sixx [MÖTLEY CRÜE] did. He gave me a lot of money. He was the first one; he forked over 500 bucks, and I love the guy for it. Thank you, Nikki. I love him for that."

He continued: "About the first month I was sick, [I got video messages of support from fellow musicians] and [I got one from JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford]. [In his message, he said], 'Chris, this is your Metal God, Rob Halford.' And it was kind of cool. Rob talked a little bit on there. And then the guitar player that took [Glenn] Tipton's gig [Richie Faulkner] thanked me. A bunch of… tons of people did. But nobody from W.A.S.P. did. It's kind of weird. Nobody. [Blackie] didn't send me a message at all. I thought he would, but he didn't. But that's okay; I didn't expect it. Glenn Hughes did. I met Glenn on the [BLACK] SABBATH tour [in 1986, when W.A.S.P. was the support act]. What's sad is I haven't been able to talk to him since he was fired [from SABBATH]. And we were good drinking buddies [on that tour]. He's got a heart of gold."

A few hours after Chris's diagnosis was made public in February, Lawless released a statement via W.A.S.P.'s social media in which he said: "The entire W.A.S.P. family are all optimistic of a positive outcome concerning the diagnosis for Chris. I certainly wish him the very best."

Last year, Holmes told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that W.A.S.P. was "a group, a band" on the first LP. "And after that, the second album, it wasn't a group — it was a one-man show," he said. "And it's been a one-man show after that ever since. It's the way it is. Look at the records. It's the way it is in that band."

According to Chris, he, guitarist Randy Piper, drummer Tony Richards and Blackie were all part of W.A.S.P. initial management contract, but Blackie was the only one signed to the record label. "Everybody thinks we [all] signed to the label, but it wasn't [like that]," Holmes told "Trunk Nation".

Despite the fact that he only got songwriting credit on a couple of the songs on each of the first four W.A.S.P. records, Holmes was adamant that his input was essential to the band's overall sound.

"If I would have quit after the first album, the way I play guitar, the way I play is really important to writing those songs," he told "Trunk Nation".

"If I hadn't joined in the beginning, it would have never worked. Blackie told me that the first day, when he came and talked to me to play in W.A.S.P. He says, 'I've got this band. It's not gonna work unless you're in it.' He told me that to my face."

This past February, Lawless shot down Holmes's claim that the guitarist was "screwed" out of receiving royalties on the W.A.S.P. albums that he performed on. Lawless discussed Holmes's tenure with W.A.S.P. in an interview with "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Asked to respond to Holmes's assertion in Chris's recently released documentary "Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes" that he was financially taken advantage of during his time in the band, Lawless said: "I don't really know much about… I spoke to [former W.A.S.P. guitarist] Randy Piper a couple of years ago. I don't really know what's going on with the rest of the guys. And I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about with Chris about not being paid.

"Chris, at two different points in his musical career, received settlements from this band; he signed documents as such," Blackie explained. "And he was paid quite well.

"I haven't seen what you're talking about. The answer I'm giving you right now is based on what you just said to me."

The W.A.S.P. frontman went on to confirm that he hasn't seen Chris's documentary and was once again asked about Holmes's claim that there is money and songwriting credits that he didn't get that he's due. Lawless said simply: "That is not true."

During a November 2017 press conference in Moscow, Russia, Lawless was asked what he would say to those W.A.S.P. fans who continue to call for the band to reunite with Holmes. He responded: "People get divorced for certain reasons, and there's times when the kids want the parents to get back together, but sometimes it never happens. And this is one of those [times]. Sorry."



Chris Holmes
The Rockpile
Sept 21 2022

Posted by Brian Greene on Wednesday, September 21, 2022



Chris Holmes
The Rockpile
Sept 21 2022

Posted by Brian Greene on Wednesday, September 21, 2022



It was a great night yesterday in Toronto at the Rockpile ( thank you also Dominic)
Thank you so much Steve Hoeg and Tim Henderson
And everyone who came . It was a precious gift to have all of you
Tonight it will be Ottawa at the Brass monkey

Chris Holmes Official
Chris Holmes & The Mean Men
RIOT MFG
The Metal Voice
Bravewords.com
The Brass Monkey
The Port Theatre

Posted by Cathy-Sarah Holmes on Thursday, September 22, 2022



Chris Holmes Official at The Rockpile

Posted by Steve Hoeg on Wednesday, September 21, 2022



Chris Holmes former W.A.S.P guitarist at the Rockpile "The Devil Made me do it"

Posted by Gordon Enright on Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Ted Nugent has weighed in on the prevalence of U.S. obesity, a chronic disease affecting more than 40% of the country's population with medical costs nearing $175 billion.

The outspoken conservative rocker, who turned 73 last December, made his comments in response to former U.S. secretary of defense Mark Esper's warning about the U.S. military's dismal recruitment numbers. Esper wrote in an op-ed for Fox News that only a small fraction of the U.S. is fit to serve anymore since many are either overweight, on drugs or have a criminal past.

Nugent addressed America's obesity epidemic during the latest edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which he offers his take on the news of our world. Asked by co-host Keith Mark about Esper's comments, Ted said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Hey, America, what the hell are you eating? I've never seen so much blubber on the streets of this country since I was in the Prince Of Wales Island watching pods of whales surface. And if that's offensive to some people, I'll tell you what's offensive to God: you destroying your sacred temple with toxic non-food with ingredients which you can't pronounce in portions that would sink the Bismarck.

"How braindead, how soulless does a human being have to be to put drugs, alcohol and tobacco into your sacred temple?" Ted continued. "And if that's offensive to some people, you're offensive, because that's insane behavior, it's insane misbehavior, and you're costing the rest of us a whole bunch of tax dollars to cover your fat, unhealthy, uncaring, selfish ass. So those are the people that can't qualify to fight for this country, because they'd rather grow blubber than to protect freedom. And if that's offensive to some people, tough shit. Wake up and treat your gift from God with a little respect for a change.

"We need to be a nation of warriors, and right now we're not. And that's shameful."

In his op-ed, Esper wrote: "The U.S. military's all-volunteer force (AVF) is slowly dying. The armed services are struggling to meet their recruiting goals like rarely before.

"The fact is the pool of Americans aged 17-24 who are qualified and interested in serving continues to shrink," he said. In 2018, only 29 percent of young people met the military's entry requirements, the other 71 percent being likely ineligible due mostly to "obesity, drug use, physical and mental health problems, and criminal misconduct," Esper wrote. Today, that number is only 23 percent, one-tenth of whom do not meet academic standards for service.

Two months ago, Ted once again shot down the claim that he dodged the Vietnam draft by vomiting and defecating on himself and failing the physical exam. The legendary rocker said in a 1977 High Times magazine article that he faked symptoms (being unhygienic to appear mentally unfit) and used meth before his military physical to get out of serving. But in a 2006 interview with the U.K. Independent newspaper, he said he made up that story to the High Times reporter.

The musician brought up the accusation of draft dodging during a YouTube livestream on July 31. Addressing one of the points most frequently raised by his critics, Ted said: "They claim I dodged the draft. I didn't dodge the draft. I was Bruce Lee. [They say] 'Well, he got a 4-F' [one of the classifications used by the Selective Service to designate someone who is unfit for military service]. I got a 1-Y [referring to registrants qualified for service only in time of war or national emergency]. I was eligible for the draft. I was in the Oakland Community College as a student for those two years, and I got a 1-Y, which means, I guess, they wouldn't take me as quick as they would take a 1[-A], but in '69 they stopped taking guys.'

He repeated: "I didn't dodge the draft. Get over it. That was a High Times magazine interview where I conveyed the story of my buddy, this great drummer KJ Knight [who played with Nugent in THE AMBOY DUKES]. It was hysterical. He completely ruined his entire life just to get out of the draft, which was cool because the Vietnam war was illegal. If I would have known what I know now then, I would have dodged the draft. Like Muhammad Ali. The Vietnam war was immoral; it was illegal. It was the military industrial congressional complex robbing taxpayers and getting Americans killed for no fucking reason at all. But I didn't dodge the draft. I wasn't smart enough. If I would have gone over there, I might have won the fucking war, okay?"

When High Times writer Glenn O'Brien interviewed Nugent in 1977, Ted said about how he supposedly got out of the draft: "I got my physical notice 30 days prior to [being drafted]. Well, on that day I ceased cleansing my body. No more brushing my teeth, no more washing my hair, no baths, no soap, no water. Thirty days of debris build. I stopped shavin', and I was 18, had a little scraggly beard, really looked like a hippie. I had long hair, and it started getting' kinky, matted up. Then two weeks before, I stopped eating any food with nutritional value. I just had chips, Pepsi, beer — stuff I never touched — buttered poop, little jars of Polish sausages, and I'd drink the syrup, I was this side of death. Then a week before, I stopped going to the bathroom. I did it in my pants. Poop, piss the whole shot. My pants got crusted up."

Nugent also explained that he was typically "extremely anti-drug" but "I snorted some crystal methedrine" in order to avoid the draft.

Perhaps giving some credence to Ted's version is the fact that Kenny Mills, the drummer who goes by the stage name of KJ Knight, claimed in his autobiography that he "used wild antics" at the Selective Service physical and was quickly dismissed from serving.

Fact Checker and the Reno Gazette Journal both obtained military records showing that Nugent got a student deferment, which is not "draft dodging" given that he showed up for the medical exam, according to a recent update from High Times. It was therefore determined that there's not enough evidence to definitively conclude that Nugent actually dodged the draft.

This past May, fellow rocker Joan Jett brought up Nugent's alleged draft dodging while responding to Ted's claim that she did not deserve to be on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists. At the time, she said: "Ted Nugent has to live with being Ted Nugent. He has to be in that body, so that's punishment enough.

"He's not a tough guy. He plays tough guy, but this is the guy who shit his pants — literally — so he didn’t have to go in the Army. So this is the tough guy who's running around America, stirring things up against each other."

From high in the mountains of Transylvania County, NC, October 14 will see horror rockers Bloody Hammers release their sixth studio album, Washed In The Blood, via their own label Sacrificial Records.


The husband/wife duo has not only hit their 10th band anniversary more ambitiously and stronger than ever, but with their forthcoming record, they've created a highly melodic, yet epically heavy masterpiece that perpetuates their authentic sound: melodic menacing vocals, horror drenched lyrics, haunting choirs and heavy metal riffs.


Today, Bloody Hammers is sharing their second single and a brand new video for “Phantasmagoria“, following up on their recently unleashed album opening track, “Black Sunday“.




With “Phantasmagoria”, Bloody Hammers successfully builds upon their previous works. Directed and edited by the couple themselves, the ‘Phantasmagoria’ music video pays an imaginative homage to the ‘Phantasmagoria’ shows of the 1800s. With a catchy heavy metal feel and earworm chorus, Bloody Hammers flexes their best songwriting skills. Watch the "Phantasmagoria" music video below.


Having recently parted ways with their label, the band is going full DIY this time. However, for this vinyl release they’ll need your help.


Vocalist/producer Anders Manga states: “It’s nice to be back in control and release whenever we want. We figured this album wouldn’t see the light of day until sometime in late 2023. We feel this is our best album and the way things worked out, we’re now able to release it just in time for the Halloween season, which is our time of year as well as our fans.”


The band also announced their Bandcamp vinyl crowdfunding campaign will launch today.


Keyboard/bassist Devallia states: “We read about Bandcamp announcing their new vinyl service. Now we’re free and excited about giving it a try. They have multiple warehouses around the world so it should save fans who live outside of the US money for shipping. We’re really looking forward to seeing how it goes. Those who want this album on vinyl will be able to pledge multiple levels of support, from just getting their copy of the record, to getting their name in the special thanks liner notes, test pressings and more.”


Pledge your support to the band and make Washed In The Blood on vinyl a reality here.





Tracklisting:


"Black Sunday"
"Phantasmagoria"
"And Soon The Darkness"
"At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul"
"Water To The Dead"
"The Howling"
"Last Rites Of Lucifer"
"Dead Will Walk"
"Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark"


"Phantasmagoria" video:





"Black Sunday" lyric video:





Bloody Hammers is:


Anders Manga – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keys, Drums
Devallia - Bass, Keys

Swiss multi-talent Seraina Telli has released an official lyric video for "I Dare To", the second single from her forthcoming solo debut, Simple Talk, set for international release on October 21st via Metalville Records. Check it out below. 


The former frontwoman of Burning Witches combines everything that the modern rock world urgently needs: great songwriting, vocal power, musical versatility, artistic depth, and a really strong attitude. Coupled with her authenticity, Seraina Telli is the ideal mixture of power woman and promising artist.


The charismatic Swiss singer leaves a lasting impression, visually and musically. Her music is as colorful and varied as her hair colors, one of her typical distinguishing features. The multi-talent is reluctant to be tied to one style, as her previous musical career shows. As the former frontwoman of the Swiss heavy metal band Burning Witches, she shook the stages of major rock festivals such as Bang your Head and Leyendas del Rock for four years.




Now the time is ripe for her solo project under her own name.


"I am what I am, and that's just right!" This message is very important to Seraina Telli. She wants to motivate other women in particular to believe in themselves, to be completely with themselves and, above all, to stay that way.


Colorful, loud, different, and above all, unique With a style of music that "straight in your face rock" couldn't describe better.





Tracklist:


"Modern Warrior"
"I’m Not Sorry"
"Take Care"
"I Dare To"
"Remedy"
"Soldier Of Fortune"
"G.E.B."
"Dreamer"
"Not One Of Your Kind"
"Fever"
"Remember You"
"Medusa"


"I Dare To"





"Modern Warrior"





Line-up:
Seraina Telli - vocals, guitar
Alice Lane - bass
Rico H. - drums

Lamb Unlimited alongside with the founder of Unsane, Chris Spencer have reissued the band’s critically acclaimed self-titled album (originally released on Matador Records) on September 23. Get it here.

Unsane (2022 Remaster) by Unsane


1989, NYC. Unsane has just recorded their debut “Improvised Munitions” initially intending to release the record on the New York-based label, Circuit Records. “We thought it was our big break as Circuit was putting out up and coming bands like Cop Shoot Cop and Surgery.” –remarks Chris Spencer: “We gave the tapes to Ernie, the guy that ran Circuit, and following our approval of the test pressings Ernie disappeared. We were soon to learn that Ernie had a massive cocaine habit and had owed some drug dealers a shit ton of money. At the time, this was a huge let down.”


Despite the setback with Circuit, Unsane were still a young band and did not let this situation deter them so they continued working and performing. Spencer explains “We we’re doing a ton of touring at that time and the songs developed a lot as we played them so much.”







Looking back, Chris Spencer points out: “That was definitely the “us against the world “- live period of the band. We were together non-stop traveling around the country playing wherever we could for minimal amounts of money.”


Unsane’s growing intensity, combined with their strong DIY touring approach influenced this greatly iconic album: “It seemed important to capture that aspect in recording. I was using a cassette recorder to record the live shows and actually put between song live noise on the album.”


Unsane quickly became a mainstay in New York noise & heavy music scenes. Originating from New York scumrock scene, while still pushing their unique “extreme” sound, Unsane’s relentless, non-stop touring established them as an important part of the Lower East side New York City music scene of the early .


“We got offered a show playing CBGB’s with Sonic Youth, although we were playing the graveyard slot which meant that we were to play after them.” – explains the vocalist and guitarist of Unsane: “Sonic Youth played a crazy, super-long set and then we were to play. Almost everyone had left as it was 2:30 in the morning, but of the 10 or 12 people that were there, Gerard Cosloy from Matador [Records] had stayed. He saw us play and offered us a deal that night.”





(Unsane 2022 / Photo - Cody Cowan)


Decades after the initial release of the self-titled, it’s impossible to deny or underestimate the musical evolution of the 90’s without including Unsane. Combining the abrasive noise-rock with corrosive and powerful distorted vocals, furious pulsations of bass and drums, Unsane had broken down the doors of noise-rock of the 90's.


This will be the first ever vinyl reissue of Unsane’s self-titled album. This remastered edition comes out on vinyl and CD formats and will be available in select cool independent stores as well as available as pre order NOW directly from Lamb Unlimited at Bandcamp.





Unsane will be touring Europe throughout October and November with Maggot Heart, Cassels, Asbest, and San Leo on select dates.


(Top photo - Jens Jurgensen)

Frontiers Music Srl will release the upcoming self-titled debut album from Sweden's Grand, on October 21. Watch a video for the song "Caroline" below, and pre-order/save Grand here.





Grand was formed in 2020 in the southern outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden. Vocalist Mattias Olofsson had always nurtured a dream of releasing his own AOR project one day. Working for almost two decades as a professional singer and songwriter, he kept experimenting with ideas and writing songs, just waiting for the right moment. In the fall of 2020, the stars finally aligned, when he came to know two fellow musicians who shared his passion for the AOR genre: guitarist and producer Jakob Svensson (Wigelius) and drummer Anton Martinez Matz. The trio joined forces soon after and Grand became a reality.




Through a combination of old and new ideas, all with influences from their favorite bands such as Starship, Foreigner, Mr. Big, Giant, and the like, four songs were finalized that the band felt best represented who they wanted to be. They started to send the songs to different labels and in 2021, they signed with Frontiers Music Srl.


Grand continues a long tradition of spectacular AOR bands emerging from Sweden. Lovers of all things melodic rock will surely need to add "Grand" to their must-listen list for 2022.





Grand tracklisting:


"Caroline"
"Stone Cold"
"Make It Grand"
"The Price We Pay"
"Johnny On The Spot"
"Those Were The Days"
"Once In A Blue Moon"
"Too Late"
"After We’ve Said Goodbye"
"Ready When You Are"
"Anything For You"


"Caroline" video:





"Stone Cold" video:





"Those Were The Days":





Lineup:


Mattias Olofsson - Lead and Background Vocals
Jakob Svensson - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Anton Martinez Matz - Drums and Bass

German thrash metal legends Sodom have released a new single and video for the song "After The Deluge" today. The song is taken from the bonus CD of the box set version of the 40th anniversary album, 40 Years At War-The Greatest Hell Of Sodom. 


Frontman / founder Tom Angelripper: "We dedicate this lyric video to our recently deceased friend and former guitarist, Uwe Christoffers. With this fantastic song he wrote for Sodom back in 1985, he stays alive for all eternity. We will forever hold him in our restless and blackened hearts."


"After The Deluge" is available on digital platforms found here. Check out the official lyric video below.




 


40 years of Sodom, 40 years of ruthless thrash metal ‘Made in Germany’. What came into being in 1982 in Gelsenkirchen-Buer has lost nothing of its authenticity and rawness, not even four decades later. Tom Angelripper and his men still spearhead a music style that draws its energy from pure determination, intransigence and relentlessness.


What’s more, Sodom never fails to surprise their fans all over the world. 40 Years At War - The Greatest Hell Of Sodom, is a more than worthy anniversary album that - in various formats - sums up the band's history in an unusual and highly ambitious way. “Our goal was to re-record one song from each of our previous albums,” Tom explains. “Not necessarily the most obvious ones, we wanted to go for rarities or tracks we've never or very rarely played live.”


The CD and vinyl double LP with their martial cover artwork penned by Eliran Kantor (Kreator, Testament, GWAR, among others) include 17 tracks, all newly recorded by the current Sodom lineup featuring Frank Blackfire (guitars), Yorck Segatz (guitars) and Toni Merkel (drums). Tom: “We cover the songs unaltered, that’s to say: in exactly the same key and with the original lyrics. We’re better musicians now than we were back then, of course, so the new versions sound tighter and more up-to-date but the arrangements of the songs were deliberately kept unchanged.”


The band's 40th anniversary festivities will be carried over into their concerts in the coming fall. “We’ll not only play the Sodom classics, but also consider fan requests. We're launching a poll about songs we've rarely or never played live on a tour to find out which ones the fans want to hear.”


That's exactly what Sodom is about: being close to their fans, full of ideas, burning for action while keeping their eyes on the goal ahead. Tom: “If you want to draw a summary of the past four decades, it can only be this: 40 years later, and we’re still here!”





40 Years At War - The Greatest Hell Of Sodom will be released on October 28 via Steamhammer/SPV in the following configurations:


- CD DigiPak incl. poster
- 2LP, Gatefold, 140 g, cristallo/black vinyl, printed inner sleeves
- Download / Streaming


Pre-order here.


- Exclusive coloured vinyl editions only at the Napalm shop


Pre-order here


- Exclusive coloured vinyl edition only at the EMP shop


Pre-order here.


- Exclusive CD/LP Bundle with a T-shirt only at the Steamhammer shop


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Sepulchral Voice"
"After The Deluge"
"Electrocution"
"Baptism Of Fire"
"Better Off Dead"
"Body Parts"
"Jabba The Hut"
"Gathering Of Minds"
"That's What An Unknown Killer Diarized"
"Book Burning"
"Genocide"
"City Of God"
"Ashes To Ashes"
"In War And Pieces"
"S.O.D.O.M."
"Caligula"
"Euthanasia"

Haliphron is s collaboration between several well-known Dutch artists delivering ground shaking bombastic metal. The band consists of a powerful and fresh new blend of styles, adding something unique to the genre where theatrical horror meets a bombastic symphonic side. On one hand it's dark and aggressive, on the other it's epic and accessible.





Many bands are said not being able to deliver a mindblowing debut-album, Haliphron proves that wrong in a very brutal and epic manner taking their catchy components and murderous compositions onto their full length debut album to be released in spring 2023.




Guitarist Ramon Ploeg states: “We are beyond proud to announce our signing and collaboration with Listenable Records!


After months of writing, preparing and pre-recordings we finally will hit the studio soon to record this beast of an album which will see the daylight in 2023. The first single, entitled "Unidentified Mass" tells exactly what the band stands for: dark, epic, heavy and bombastic.


The track and video shows you the story of Haliphron, an unidentified mass of death and horror, a tentacled half man, half beast which drags everything in his way deep down into the ocean to destroy and eliminate. Prepare for a very dark, aggressive and heavy album. Haliphron will find you!





Lineup:


Marloes Voskuil - Vocals
Ramon Ploeg - Guitars
Jessica Otten - Bass
Jeroen Wechgelaer - Guitars
David Gutierrez Rojas - Keys & Choirs
Frank Schilperoort – Drums

Lead vocalist Gord Kirchin of the Canadian cult metal band PILEDRIVER has died after a battle with lung cancer. He was 60 years old.

Gord's passing was confirmed by his sister Tina, who took to her social media to write: "Before I got to the hospital he played 2 songs for me on Sirius XM, Home Sweet Home 'I'm on my way please set me free home sweet home' and of course KISS, Rock n Roll All Night. I know for a fact he sent me that message. He passed while I was on my way.

"I'm heartbroken, so so heartbroken, but I know he will be playing music with all his Idols over there. Namely Frank Zappa.

"I will miss him immensely, the laughs, his nickname for me, the silliness, his mind blowing musical talent. He called me his mini me.

"A close friend of his made this PILEDRIVER poster. [See below.] So grateful to every one of his friends and fans, you kept him going for as long as he could.

"Rest in power Gordy, Teener will see you again, please give mom and dad a hug and kiss for me".

Less than three weeks ago, Kirchin took to his social media to say that he had completed the "last round of chemo" following his diagnosis. At the time, he wrote that "it's been a brutal chemical battle," adding that "chemo reeeeally sucks." He said that the plan was to go through "three weeks of horrid yuck from its side effects, then in six weeks we scan to see if we got it all."

Elaborating on the health issues that he had dealt with as a result of his cancer battle, Gord said: "I'm not without my battle scars to carry for the rest of my days; severe scarring in the lungs from the initial infection on top of the scarring from radiation, and it severely reducing my oxygen uptake leaving me gasping after even light exertion, and the radiation damage to my esophagus, windpipe and throat possibly ending my live singing career... so... gonna have to shift gears and purpose. Anyone need mixing / mastering /turd polishing done? I'm your old school man!" He went on to say: "The crux of the biscuit is I'm alive! I'm still here! I'm vertical and mobile! I still got me some great living to do! Let's get past the next 8-10 weeks of recovery and get back to living!!! Fuuuuuuuuuuuck cancer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Since its original release in 1984, PILEDRIVER's debut album, "Metal Inquisition", has found a legion of fans worldwide over successive generations and spanning all stripes of metal.

In an interview with Metallian in 2008, Kirchin spoke about how the idea for PILEDRIVER came about. He said: "Leslie Howe, I played with him in a bar band at some point back in the '80s. It was called MAINSTREAM and was just a cover band doing bar gigs. I eventually left that band to play in FIST with Ron Chenier, and then I went on to play with Brian Greenway. I was on the road and I got a phone call from Leslie Howe stating that he was working on a heavy metal recording project that would not have a band, but they needed a really heavy voice and he remembered me from being in the band and having the heavy vocals. I said, 'Yes, as soon as I am off this tour, I would be glad to do it.' I got home to Ottawa and in two days sang the vocals. It was just to go out there and make a little bit of money for Leslie and this record weasel. What happened was it got huge. They didn't expect it to get huge."

The music on "Metal Inquisition" was written by Howe (pseudonym: Bud Slaker) and Reny (pseudonym: Sal Gibson),both of whom would go on to work with a young Alanis Morissette.

"When I came into the project and I heard the quality of these songs, I really put one hundred and ten percent into singing it, because I was young," Kirchin remembered. "I was 23 years old. It was my first shot and my first chance on being on an album. What did I care if it wasn't actually gonna be a band or anything? My vocals would be out there, and I thought it would move me on to a more legitimate project like somebody would pluck me if they liked my vocals. But it went out unheralded and accidentally turned into a huge thing basically because of the quality of the music."

In addition to handling lead vocals on the record, Kirchin became "Pile Driver", so eloquently depicted on the album's cover art. PILEDRIVER's physicality could be fiercely felt in the searing-buzzsaw guitars and generous bottom end, making the album one of the heaviest of the era. And, of course, the songs: each one's an anthem, as addicting as the last, with the bangers "Sex With Satan" (later covered by MARDUK),"Pile Driver" and the title track "Metal Inquisition" being stone-cold classics every true metalhead must know.

Milestone day!!!! Last round of chemo!!!
Its been a brutal chemical battle, chemo reeeeally sucks, but we near the end...

Posted by Gord Kirchin on Friday, September 2, 2022

Milestone day!!!! Last radiation treatment done!!!! Just chemo to get through for the next month! Got cancer on the run,...

Posted by Gord Kirchin on Thursday, August 11, 2022

Had meeting with chemo doc this morning. Yeh.
When I was diagnosed with lung cancer I was pretty pissed at cancer and...

Posted by Gord Kirchin on Monday, June 6, 2022

I lost a dear friend today. He was a man of enormous wit and intelligence. He was gifted with an abundance of musical...

Posted by Steven Lederman on Thursday, September 22, 2022

Mötley Crüe have released an HD remastered version of the music video for "Home Sweet Home", featured on the band's 1989 album, Theatre Of Pain. Watch below:





The band previously released remastered videos for "Smoking' In The Boys Room" from Theatre Of Pain, "Live Wire" from 1981's Too Fast For Love, and "Too Young To Fall In Love" and "Looks That Kill", both from 1983's Shout At The Devil. Watch below:

Just two weeks after dropping their sixth full-length album, Survival Of The Sickest, death metal beasts, Bloodbath, massively hail towards the annihilating spirit of old-school death metal with a new music video for thrillingly violent “Putrefying Corpse”. This vicious onslaught is driven by explosive death, thrash and black metal and features a roaring contribution by Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), proving the critically-acclaimed, cult-followed band has no limitations, leaving the scene in shreds.


With Survival Of The Sickest, the legendary wicked force featuring current and former members of Paradise Lost, Opeth, Katatonia and Lik marks an evil comeback, presenting death metal at its ugly best: vicious, unrelenting and irrevocably sworn to the black.


Nick Holmes on “Putrefying Corpse”: "The process of human life with a soul and humility, to eventual death, as nothing but rotting meat for vermin.”




Watch the official video for “Putrefying Corpse” below:





The world is in flames, and Survival Of The Sickest, produced by Bloodbath and co-produced and mixed by Lawrence Mackrory at Rorysound Studios, offers no respite from the horrors of reality. Instead, with the addition of new guitarist Tomas ‘Plytet’ Åkvik (Lik) onboard, Bloodbath’s latest and greatest album gleefully confronts the slavering ghoul lurking in the shadows, and treats him to ten songs of ripping death metal frenzy. Alongside Bloodbath’s official alumni, Survival Of The Sickest boasts a smattering of irresistible cameos from the great, good and ghoulish of the metal underground, including Barney Greenway (Napalm Death), Luc Lemay (Gorguts) and Marc Grewe (Morgoth).


Bloodbath: "If there was a declaration of goods attached to this album, it would say Florida death metal exported from Sweden."


Order the album here.





Survival Of The Sickest tracklisting:


“Zombie Inferno“
“Putrefying Corpse“
“Dead Parade“
“Malignant Maggot Therapy“
“Carved“
“Born Infernal“
“To Die“
“Affliction of Extinction“
“Tales of Melting Flesh“
“Environcide“
“No God Before Me“


“No God Before Me” lyric video”:





“Carved” video:





“Zombie Inferno” video:    





Bloodbath are:


Nick Holmes - vocals
Anders Nyström - guitar
Tomas Åkvik - guitar
Jonas Renkse - bass
Martin ‘Axe’ Axenrot - drums


(Photo - Mathias Blom, The Happy Creative)

Frontiers Music Srl announces the return of Ring Of Fire, who will release their fifth studio album, Gravity, on November 11.


The band's new single and video, "Storm Of The Pawns" is out today. Watch the clip below, and pre-order/save Gravity here.


Founding member/vocalist Mark Boals and long-time keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij are joined by guitarist Aldo Lonobile, bassist Stefano Scola, and drummer Alfonso Mocerino to round out the lineup.







Tracklisting:


"The Beginning"
"Storm Of The Pawns"
"Melancholia"
"Gravity"
"King Of Fools"
"Sky Blue"
"21St Century Fate Unknown"
"Another Night"
"Run For Your Life"
"Sideways"


"Storm Of The Pawns" video:





Lineup:


Mark Boals - Vocals
Vitalij Kuprij - Keyboards, Piano
Aldo Lonobile - Guitars
Stefano Scola - Bass
Alfonso Mocerino – Drums

In a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules, SABATON bassist Pär Sundström was asked about his band's "plans for world domination" once legendary heavy metal acts like IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST have officially retired. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we will see. First of all, I don't wanna see them retire, even if eventually all things will have to do that, including us as well someday — a hopefully a long time in the future.

"We don't focus so much on what others are doing," he explained. "We focus on what SABATON is doing, and we are doing pretty well at the moment — we are growing and growing and growing, playing for as much people as possible. And let's see who is gonna be… I just have a hope that there will be somebody to take over when some of these bands retire; I hope that there's some new bands taking over. If we are one of them, I'll be happy. And I'll do what we can to make sure that we are. But we will see. It's also up to the audience to decide that."

SABATON has just kicked off "The Tour To End All Tours - North America 2022", a 25-date U.S. trek that will include a special headline show at Montreal's Place Bell, the band's first-ever arena headline concert in Canada. The tour, produced by FPC Live, launched on Thursday, September 15 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington, and will wrap up at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on October 23. Supporting SABATON on all dates is special guest EPICA, the renowned Dutch symphonic metal band.

SABATON is considered to be one the most important bands to emerge from the Swedish modern metal scene, having been honored with five Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards (including "Best Live Band" three different years) and nominated several times for the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards, the Grammis. In 2016, SABATON's "The Last Stand" album debuted at No. 1 in three different European countries and cracked the Top 3 in four others. Sundström, Joakim Brodén (vocals),Chris Rörland (guitar),Hannes Van Dahl (drums) and Tommy Johansson (guitar) curate a festival of their own, Sabaton Open Air, that started back in 2008, as well as their own forward-thinking Sabaton Cruise which has been held since 2009.

SABATON's latest album, "The War To End All Wars", was released in March via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2019's "The Great War" features 11 brand-new tracks talking about the tragedies and miracles that happened during World War I.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

Charlie Griffiths, guitarist with British progressive metal heavyweights Haken, recently released his debut solo album, Tiktaalika. With musical roots still firmly in the progressive realm, Charlie draws from his love of old-school 80s thrash, 90s tech-metal and alternative rock. Running the gamut from melodic to avant-garde to straight-up heavy, you might say Tiktaalika bridges the gap between King Crimson and King Diamond.


Today, Charlie has launched a video for the track "Digging Deeper", a song that features vocals from none other than Charlie himself. Watch below.


Charlie comments: “In the context of Tiktaalika, this song is a conversation between a fossilised ancestor and a modern day human, digging down though the rock strata, peeling back the layers of time. Both are connected, but are separated by hundreds of millions of years - until that point of discovery and reconnection. On a purely human level, we all have friends or family members we wish we could talk to again, but physically cannot and I was very much conscious of that feeling when writing and singing these words.”







The album includes stunning artwork from Dan Goldsworthy, and is available as a Ltd CD Edition, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD & as Digital Album. Order here.





This concept album was 375 million years in the making, with the 9 tracks drawing inspiration from themes of geological time, fossilisation, transformation and humanity’s connections with each other and the planet we inhabit. The Griffiths-penned lyrics are given voice by some of the best vocalists in the business: Tommy Rogers (Between the Buried And Me), Danïel De Jongh (Textures), Vladimir Lalić (Organised Chaos) and Neil Purdy (Luna’s Call).


As well as handling guitar duties, Charlie also takes care of bass, keyboards and on one track, makes his debut lead vocal performance. Of the creative process Charlie explains, “I picked up the 6 string guitar again, which ironically has become the more unusual option for me, after 10 or so years writing with an 8-string guitar for Haken. It definitely sent me into a different creative headspace, with riff after riff seemingly falling out of the guitar. I naturally began forming those riffs into song structures, while simultaneously writing vocal melodies and building the lyrical concept. It was a great form of escapism from my usual environment and I had a lot of fun doing it”.


The album also features a host of guest musicians: Drummer Darby Todd (Martin Barre, Frost, Devin Townsend), Keyboard wizard Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Saxophonist Rob Townsend (Steve Hackett). “All of the guest musicians took the songs to another level” Charlie explains, “I had everything written and demoed, so the guys could quickly learn the parts, but I gave free rein for them to bring their personality to the party. Darby’s drumming style, is so beautifully improvised and more jazz-fusion influenced, when paired with my riffs, it resulted in something unexpected. It blows my mind that the synth solo Jordan played was the very first take! Capturing that spirit of spontaneity within a structured piece is always very special”.


The album was mixed by Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood and mastered by Ermin Hamidovic.











(Photo - Ross Jennings)

In a new interview with "Elliot In The Morning", GHOST leader Tobias Forge was asked if he gets angry at times or if it makes him laugh at times when people try to figure out exactly what little area to put his band into. Tobias responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, definitely not angry. That is not my problem, really. I don't have a problem with people having a problem with it.

"If I wanna be the most super-positive person ever and just see everything from a half-full perspective, it's, like, a lot of… Most things today [are] measured by activity — Spotify activity, online activity, whatever — as opposed to 30 years ago when it was sales; one record sold was one unit and that was counted," he continued. "But nowadays everything is about content and activity.

"One thing that people — especially those who aren't really chatting about how good they think we are but how bad they think we are, that adds to the activity. So it's actually a good thing. [Laughs] So keep on talking. It's all good. It's all fun."

Earlier this month, GHOST scored its first-ever Top 40 single in the U.K. with the 2019 song "Mary On A Cross" after a TikTok user used a slowed down version of the song to soundtrack a short video about the Netflix show "Stranger Things". Since then, the "Mary On The Cross" hashtag has amassed over one billion TikTok views and the song was used to soundtrack tens of thousands of videos on the platform. GHOST later released the official slowed down version of "Mary On A Cross" with added reverb.

GHOST's fifth album, "Impera" sold 70,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the third top 10 album — and fifth top 40-charting set — for the Swedish act.

"Impera" landed at position No. 1 in Germany and Sweden, No. 2 in the U.K., Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, No. 3 in Australia, No. 5 in France and Ireland, and No. 20 in Italy.

"Impera" was released on March 11. The 12-song effort was produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace.

Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

In a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the third album from THE WINERY DOGS, his power trio with guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen and drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD). He said: "New record is done. I even saw the cover for it. It's moving along. It takes a while to get it mixed and mastered. All the cover art is coming. We don't have a release date yet, but it's coming.

"I had dinner with Richie last night; he's here in Nashville today," Billy continued. "I'm gonna go out and see him play tonight. [He's] just a wonderful talent and a wonderful guy. And we hung a lot together as well — me, Richie and Pat Torpey [late MR. BIG drummer] jammed together a lot. Pat and I played on a couple of songs of his over the years. And I played with him on some of his solo stuff. We went to Japan one time and opened for THE [ROLLING] STONES for five shows — me and Richie and another drummer. That was quite an adventure a few years ago. And he played briefly in MR. BIG as well; when Paul [Gilbert] left the band, we brought him in. [He] did an amazing job too; it was really great. Mike Portnoy, again, there's a guy was just an incredible history, a track record. And I really enjoy playing with him very, very much. Bass and drums — that's where it's at. So playing with Mike is a riot.

"So we're looking forward," Sheehan added. "They're booking all the shows for next year now. Usually they do that around a year in advance, if not more. So that's been an ongoing thing for our manager, putting all that together. So we'll be out playing like crazy next year, which I'm very, very pleased about, and with a new record. And we're all very excited about it."

This past February, Kotzen told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that THE WINERY DOGS recorded 10 songs for their third album. "But we did actually talk about maybe getting together again, just 'cause we like spending time together," he said. "So I don't know if there's gonna be more. But there's 10 that I'm very happy with, and I think people that like the band will be happy with it as well."

In January, Richie told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the musical direction of the new WINERY DOGS material and how it compares to the band's first two albums: "Well, you know, we never discuss direction; we just go and write and see what comes out. But in sitting back and listening to it, as it is now in its current state, it reminds me more of the first album than the second album, only because on the second album, I think, the production, we went into a few different directions. Some of the songs — I don't know — I think we explored some territory on the second record that didn't exist on the first record. And this stuff, to me, sounds a little more raw, I guess you'd say — maybe more true to what the band sounds like live, like a trio. It might be 'cause I didn't really do a lot of overdubs — it's really just guitar, bass and drums. Like I said, I don't know where it's gonna end up, 'cause there's still plenty of opportunity for me to totally fuck this thing up. Nah, I think it's gonna be good; I think people are gonna like it. I play it in my car here and there, and I like it. Like I said, it's just a matter of getting their voices on there — some harmonies — and some percussion. Maybe a couple of little guitar [bits] — maybe I'll double a couple of lines here or there; that sort of thing. But I'm trying to keep it pretty raw, pretty power trio-sounding."

THE WINERY DOGS were founded in 2012 after Portnoy and Sheehan — who initially aimed to collaborate with former WHITESNAKE and BLUE MURDER guitarist John Sykes — reached out to Kotzen, who played with Sheehan in MR. BIG from 1997 to 2002. The group's self-titled debut reached No. 27 on the Billboard 200 after selling more than 10,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week of availability. The initial sales of follow-up effort "Hot Streak" were even better, as the album debuted at No. 30 in late 2015 after shifting 13,000 equivalent album units in America during its first week of availability.

In September 2021, Mike told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the new WINERY OGS music: "I would say somewhere [between the first and the second albums]. It's hard for me to have that real perspective that anybody listening does 'cause when you're writing and recording it, it all becomes important to you. It's hard to tell; it's hard to have that perspective.

"The first album is just song after song after song — there's no moments of weakness at any point — whereas 'Hot Streak', I guess, we did some more experimental stuff, songs like 'Spiral' or 'War Machine', songs on the back end that were more kind of experimental things," he explained. "So I would say, if I had to compare it, it's probably more like the first album because we also consciously decided to stop at around 10 or 11 songs. 'Cause both the first album and 'Hot Streak', I think, had 13 or 14 songs. People like you and I, we love everything, we love music and we dig in, but for a lot of people, the attention span for a 14-song album could be a bit much. So when writing this album, we decided, let's just come up with 10 or 11 that are really super strong. Nothing too experimental, nothing too off the beaten path from what people expect from THE WINERY DOGS. So I think everything on this album is super strong from top to bottom."

Swedish occult rockers GHOST have released the official "live" video for the song "Mary On A Cross". The performance footage for the Ryan Chang-directed clip was filmed on September 6 at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida during the summer 2022 leg of the band's "Imperatour".

In a message accompanying the YouTube release of the new "Mary On A Cross" video, GHOST said: "We wish to inform you that all good things must come to an end. Although the US Imperatour will wrap this weekend we wanted to leave you with this token of our appreciation for your continued support. Watch 'Mary on a Cross – Live from Tampa 2022'."

Earlier this week, GHOST scored its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Mary On A Cross". The song, which was originally released as a two-track single in 2019 via Loma Vista/Concord (alongside "Kiss The Go-Goat"),debuted at No. 90 on the chart with six million U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold, according to Billboard.

"Mary On A Cross" has been gaining traction after a TikTok user used a slowed down version of the song to soundtrack a short video about the Netflix show "Stranger Things". Since then, the "Mary On The Cross" hashtag has amassed over one billion TikTok views and the song was used to soundtrack tens of thousands of videos on the platform. GHOST later released the official slowed down version of "Mary On A Cross" with added reverb.

Six of GHOST's albums have charted on the Billboard 200: "Infestissumam" (No. 28, 2013); "If You Have Ghost" EP (No. 87, 2013); "Meliora" (No. 8, 2015); "Popestar" EP (No. 16, 2016); "Prequelle" (No. 3, 2018); and "Impera" (No. 2, 2022). Nine GHOST songs have charted on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, with five reaching No. 1: "Square Hammer" in 2017; "Rats" in 2018; "Dance Macabre" in 2019; and "Hunter's Moon" and "Call Me Little Sunshine" in 2022.

Earlier this month, GHOST scored its first-ever Top 40 single in the U.K. with "Mary On A Cross".

GHOST's fifth album, "Impera" sold 70,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the third top 10 album — and fifth top 40-charting set — for the Swedish act.

"Impera" landed at position No. 1 in Germany and Sweden, No. 2 in the U.K., Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, No. 3 in Australia, No. 5 in France and Ireland, and No. 20 in Italy.

"Impera" was released on March 11. The 12-song effort was produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace.

GHOST leader Tobias Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

The HeavyMetalPowerslaveYouTube channel has uploaded video of RAMMSTEIN's September 17 concert at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Check out the clips below.

RAMMSTEIN's North American stadium run kicked off on August 21 in Montreal and will end on October 4 in Mexico City.

One of the most revered metal groups of all time, RAMMSTEIN is renowned for its electrifying live shows often involving spectacular pyrotechnics.

Last fall, RAMMSTEIN's pyrotechnician revealed how much fuel it takes to bring the band's flaming stage show to life. Speaking with Ultimate Guitar, Nikolai Sabottka said RAMMSTEIN's current stadium setup, "uses roughly 1000 liters [about 265 gallons]."

Sabottka went on to say that he and the members of RAMMSTEIN are continuously in search of new technologies that can take their fiery stage show to new heights. He explained: "In the prep of a tour, we sit and exchange all the different ideas before we go and actually test what has been prototyped and built beforehand. After the initial test, there are endless changes to be implemented, and sometimes it simply does not work the way we imagined it and effects get pushed back to research and development while others get approved and are produced on a larger scale."

RAMMSTEIN is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Zeit", which arrived on April 29.

Till Lindemann (vocals),Paul Landers (guitar),Richard Z. Kruspe (guitar),Flake (keyboards),Oliver Riedel (bass) and Christoph Schneider (drums) spent two years working on the eleven songs on the new album. They were once again assisted by Berlin producer Olsen Involtini. "Zeit" was recorded at La Fabrique Studios in St. Rémy de Provence, France.

Bryan Adams managed to get a special scoop for the cover of the new album. The Canadian musician and photographer took the shot of RAMMSTEIN on the steps of the Trudelturm in Berlin Adlershof, an imposing monument to aerial research in the city's Aerodynamic Park.

Over the course of a career spanning almost 30 years, RAMMSTEIN has sold more than 20 million albums around the world and played countless spectacular, groundbreaking tours. When the band's sold-out stadium tour had to be postponed due to the pandemic, RAMMSTEIN used the time to work on their new album.

Reunited Canadian metallers KITTIE performed on September 8 at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert is available below.

Joining guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander and her sister, drummer Mercedes Lander, at the show were guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

Prior to Blue Ridge, KITTIE had not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

Morgan and her sister held their first rehearsal together since 2017 in April. A month earlier, Morgan confirmed to Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that KITTIE will play more shows beyond the already announced appearances at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival and at the When We Were Young festival in October. "That's it for this year," Morgan said. "But next year, we definitely will. But I think those opportunities will come later on.

"We don't have anything set in stone, but I think it's something that, like I said before, once these doors are open, I think we can expect to feel comfortable doing a few more little things here and there and hopefully we'll be able to do some more one-offs in the States and Europe and that type of thing," she explained. "So the possibilities are endless."

Asked in a recent interview with the "Talk Toomey" podcast what led to Vujic returning to KITTIE for the current dates, Lander said: "Ivy played on two of our albums, the last two albums that we did. She left the band right before the very last big tour that we ended up doing; she did the Soundwave Festival [in Australia] with us in 2012, and those were the last shows that we did with her. And she just kind of settled into her life, started a family, got married, and so that's sort of been what she's been up to. But Ivy's a metal girl at heart and she's always been super, super easygoing about stuff. I just sent her a message and I was, like, 'Hey, can we talk?' And we had a really, really great phone call and I just sort of explained the situation, explained what was going on. I asked her if she'd be into doing it, and she was, like, 'Yeah. Sounds great.' … It's very much one of those things where you don't talk that often anymore, you don't see each other that often, but then, when you all get together again, that chemistry and that vibe is always there."

Morgan continued: "I feel like that lineup of KITTIE in particular was always very super pro, super chill — no stress, no drama. Just, like, 'You know what? We're gonna go out there and we're gonna sound amazing.'

"She's an incredible bass player. I don't think that Ivy gets enough credit. She is absolutely incredible. So it's gonna be great."

Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".

When We Were Young will be held on the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on the Strip on October 22, October 23 and October 29.

In January, the original lineup of KITTIE — Morgan, Mercedes, Fallon Bowman (guitar) and Tanya Candler (bass) — reunited for an online chat to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of its gold-certified 2000 debut album, "Spit".

Candler left KITTIE after the release of "Spit" in order to finish high school and was replaced by Talena Atfield.

Bowman exited KITTIE in 2001 and started her own industrial/electronic project, AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT.

After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for 2011's "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Leaves' Eyes, featuring Angel Nation singer Elina Siirala, have checekd in with the following update:


"A warm welcome to Luc Gebhardt, who’s joining Leaves’ Eyes and Atrocity on guitar. We’re looking forward to working in the studio and touring together. See you all on the road soon!"


Gebhardt has shared the following message:




"It’s finally time for me to tell you about my upcoming adventure: I have officially joined Leaves' Eyes and Atrocity as a guitarist! I’ve been instantly hooked ever since I heard Atrocity’s killer riffs and the epic songs of Leaves' Eyes. Combined, both bands offer an amazing range of songs – a guitar player's dream.


I’d like to thank everyone who encouraged me to follow my path and helped me pave the road to my dream. What we have already created together is beyond words. Being a part of this journey means the world to me. I’ll see you on the road."


Leaves' Eyes have released a piano version of "Dark Love Empress". Check it out below and pick it up here.


Elina: "'Dark Love Empress' is one of my favourite songs to play live! It’s such a dynamic song with powerful lyrics and this combination gave a perfect canvas for creating a more delicate version of it. It felt very natural to play the piano arrangement as the song gives me so many visual images alongside the musical inspiration. This piano version brings out a whole different side of the song also vocally and that’s one of the reasons I love making acoustic versions of our songs."


The original version of the song appears on the band's 2020 album, The Last Viking.

Canadian duo Greber - Steve Vargas (drums/vocals; The Great Sabatini, BIIPIIGWAN) and Marc Bourgon (bass, vocals; ex-F*ck The Facts, Cancelled) - recently released the new album, Fright Without, their fourth full-length. They now have a video for the track “Nosebleed”, an honest look at reality, which will throw listeners directly into the fray that is their low-end dominant, noise-encrusted, hardcore grind.


They explain in their own words: “This one is a bit all over the place. Maybe TOO all over the place perhaps. We dig it nonetheless. Topically… and orally… this one is just a reckoning with the fact that we are all closer to death than we can ever imagine. Either that or further than we can imagine. The nug of bullshit that I’m getting at is that few people are ever aware of the fact that they are doing something for the last time. The last time is just the last time and then whatever it is you were doing, ends. Life. Your car. Your hair. Your friends. Just love the shit out of as much as you can throughout the duration of the current nightmare you’re experiencing. There I go pontificating again.”







Order the Fright Without album on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Form”
“Aging Debt”
“Fabricated Purpose”
“Into Silence”
“Bush Cord Of Entrails”
“Larkinitis”
“Dark Corners”
“Rats Of Subversion”
“Nosebleed”
“Tree Carving”


"Tree Carving":





"Fabricated Purpose":





“Into Silence”:





Tour dates:


October
7 - Windsor, ON - Crafts Head Brewing
14 - Hamilton, ON - Doors Pub
15 - Guelph, ON - Onyx


(Photo - Austin Gibson / Editing - Youth and Rust)