Swedish occult rockers GHOST have scored their 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.

Crobot and Mascot Records / Mascot Label Group have released the official music video for “Golden” from the band's Feel This album. Watch below.


Singer Brandon Yeagley shares, “’Golden’ is a soaring homage to a God-gone-too soon. When it came to the lyrics, we collectively wanted it to be a tribute to Chris Cornell.  We are so influenced by everything he and Soundgarden have done. We ran with the song in honor of his legacy."







Feel This was released on June 3. With tens of millions of streams, countless shows, and global acclaim, Brandon Yeagley [vocals], Chris Bishop [guitar], Tim Peugh [bass], and Dan Ryan [drums] realize their vision like never before on their fifth full-length studio album. The release follows 2019s Top 10 Heatseekers album Motherbrain, whose cumulative streams have surpassed 30 million. Twenty-one million of which were for the goliath single "Low Life," a Top 10 single at Active Rock radio, with a 29-week run on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.


They made waves with Legend of the Spaceborne Killer [2012], Something Supernatural [2014], and Welcome To Fat City [2016]. However, Motherbrain [2019] represented a high watermark. They've crisscrossed the US, and The World, in road-warrior style, playing with the likes of Anthrax, Black Label Society, Chevelle, Clutch, Volbeat, Halestorm and more. They've lit up festival bills and the annual Shiprocked! Cruise, Rocklahoma, Aftershock, and the Jericho Cruise alongside others. "We tour the pockets off of our pants and sleep in our van for half of the year. To some, that may seem like misery, but to us - it's Heaven baby!" the frontman says.





Tracklisting:


"Electrified"
"Dizzy"
"Set You Free"
"Better Times"
"Golden"
"Without Wings"
"Livin' On The Streets"
"Into The Fire"
"Dance With The Dead"
"Holy Ghost"
"Never Break Me"
"Staring Straight Into The Sun"


"Better Times" video:





Crobot will be getting on the party bus with Airbourne and Blues Pills calling through France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands and finishing in the UK three days before Christmas, with a headline stop off in the Czech Republic along the way.
 
Talking about the tour Brandon Yeagley says: "It’s been a long time coming, but we’re so excited to set fire to foreign stages with the power of the riff. Our pals in Airbourne have put together one ace line-up alongside Blues Pills to ensure we can turn off all of our cares and riff until the sun comes up! Well, at least until the venues kick us out!"
 
Tour Dates :


November
28 - Zenith - Paris, France


December
1 - Vistalegre Arean - Madrid, Spain
2 - Sant Jordi - Barcelona, Spain
3 - Cubec - Bilbao, Spain
5 - Alcatrazz - Milan, Italy
6 - Halle 622 - Zurich, Switzerland
7 - Zenith - Munich, Germany
9 - Gasometer - Berlin, Germany
10 - Columbiahalle - Berlin, Germany
11 - Strahov 007 - Prague, Czech Republic (headline show)
12 - Porche Arena - Stuggart, Germany
14 - Palladium - Cologne, Germany
15 - Stadthalle - Hamburg, Germany
16 - Cirque Royal - Brussels, Belgium
19 - 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands
21 - Victoria Warehouse - Manchester, UK
22 - Brixton Academy - London, UK


(Photo - Wombat Fire)

From the Italian island of Sardinia, proggers Even Flow are unveiling their next single "Revelation Day" with a new lyric video. The track is off their forthcoming EP Mediterraneo due out on October 3rd, 2022. The track has a Catholic inspiration and is a song to be discovered musically in its entirety. Listen as the melodic parts are intertwined with their more progressive songwriting.


Mediterreano sees the band approaching the record with progressive metal in the rhythm with vocal lines oriented towards power metal with AOR eighties influences. Lyrically, the EP speaks of love, hope, sadness, and joy for the future.


Guitarist Pietro Paolo Lunesu explains the record in further detail: "The five songs that make up Mediterraneo are gloriously uplifting anthems that draw you from your world of cares and worries into an exhilarating musical realm of dreams. The songs are concise and finely honed, yet seem to contain an ever-expanding universe to explore within their duration. For example, the title track, ‘Mediterraneo’, is perhaps the EPs crowning glory, building through multiple layers, each more captivating than the last, but in truth every note from the first bombastic chords that usher in opener ‘Ocean Lies’ to the final spiraling guitar solo of ‘Mediterraneo’ is sheer melodic, progressive metal perfection."




The EP was mixed and mastered by Michele Guaitoli (Visions Of Atlantis, Temperance) with artwork by Mickael Briot of Mythrid Art (Nightmare).


Mediterraneo also features Even Flow's new lineup with vocalist Marco Pastorino (Fallen Sanctuary, Temperance) and bassist Luca Negro (Temperance) joining the Lunesu brothers Pietro Paolo (guitar) and Giorgio (drums).


Pre-order the EP here.





Tracklisting:


"Ocean Lies"
"Ray Of Light"
"Leaves"
"Revelation Day"
"Mediterraneo"


"Revelation Day" lyric video:





"Ocean Lies" lyric video:





Even Flow is:


Marco Pastorino: Vocals and Choirs
Pietro Paolo Lunesu: All Electric and Acoustic guitars
Giorgio Lunesu: Drums and Percussion
Luca Negro: Bass


(Photo - Claudia Chiodi)

The Two Minutes To Late Night crew have released the video below, along with the following message:


"Oops! We did it again (yeah that's a 2000s song but whatever). We got most of the gang back together to record a second 90s EDM Medley Metal Cover and our 61st bedroom cover made with the support of Patreon. Become a Patreon patron today and get access to exclusive rewards like patches, t-shirts, even custom songs! Plus, you get to see every cover we make before it publicly premieres."


This cover features: Myrone (First Borne, solo), Alan Cassidy (The Black Dahlia Murder), Nili Brosh (Dethklok, Danny Elfman), Izzy Fontaine (Seal, Glassjaw), Alexis Krauss (Sleigh Bells), Carina Zachary (Husbandry, Monsters On The Horizon), Max Collins (Eve 6), Myke Terry (Volumes, Bury Your Dead), Mat Bruso (Bury Your Dead and Catbite), Jordan Olds aka Gwarsenio Hall.

During a September 13 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy spoke about what it has been like to play with Dave Lombardo again following the ex-SLAYER drummer's return to TESTAMENT earlier this year. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We had a great time. I think he really enjoys playing in the band, enjoys the music. And we're now talking about, 'Let's talk about maybe making a new record.' So hopefully that's in the future."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if there is new material already in the works, Chuck said: "Well, Eric [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist] has a bunch of music. He doesn't really like working, putting his head — he's gotta go all in mentally to create some songs. So after this tour [the second U.S. leg of 'The Bay Strikes Back' with EXODUS, and DEATH ANGEL], we don't have anything in the books till April. So from November till April, it's time to get in there and start working on new songs. So hopefully we'll have a new record out by next year."

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.

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.

Lombardo rejoined TESTAMENT in February following the departure of Gene 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 2020's "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.

UME/Geffen celebrates Guns N’ Roses’ incredible musical legacy with Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II, the ultimate box set for the band’s 1991 multi-platinum releases Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. Set for release on November 1, Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II Super Deluxe feature a total of 97 tracks, 63 are previously unreleased.


Available in multiple configurations including a Super Deluxe Seven-CD + Blu-ray, a Super Deluxe Twelve-LP + Blu-ray, Two-CD Deluxe Editions of Use Your Illusion I & II separately, standard 1CD and 2LP versions of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II separately. In all formats, the original studio albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II have been fully remastered for the first-time ever, from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog masters. All versions will be available to stream and as digital downloads, with all configurations available to pre-order and pre-save, here.


Guns N’ Roses’ highly anticipated third and fourth studio albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II were originally released simultaneously on September 17, 1991. With the massive success of GN’R Lies and Appetite For Destruction, the band had the daunting task of a follow up album. Not only did the band deliver, Guns N’ Roses surprised the world by releasing not one but two new, full length studio albums. Upon release, Use Your Illusion I reached No. 2 and Use Your Illusion II took the No. 1 position on the Billboard 200 chart concurrently, selling over 500k in the first two hours of release, with an estimated sales of over 685k and 770k respectively within the first week of release.




Use Your Illusion I features the band’s bombastic cover of Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die,” the Top Ten hit “Don’t Cry,” and what NPR described as “one of the ultimate hard-rock power ballads,” the band’s ‘90s anthem and MTV staple “November Rain,” which hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100, spending a total of 30 weeks on the chart, and holds the title of the first video from the ‘90s to hit the 1 billion views mark on YouTube – now nearing 2 billion views. “November Rain” will now include a real 50-piece orchestra for the first-time ever newly recorded, conducted & arranged in 2021 by Grammy Award winning & Emmy Award nominated composer Christopher Lennertz.


Use Your Illusion II features the band’s Top 50 single “You Could Be Mine,” “Civil War,” which reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, Bob Dylan’s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door,” plus an alternate version of “Don’t Cry” featuring different lyrics.





Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II Super Deluxe Seven-CD + Blu-ray and Super Deluxe Twelve-LP + Blu-ray box sets feature a whopping 97 songs, 63 of which are unreleased audio and video tracks. The original studio albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II are both remastered for the first-time from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog master tapes. The box set features an impressive, anamorphic illusion showcasing each of the two covers at different angles. The Twelve-LP box is pressed on 180-gram heavy weight audiophile black vinyl with six premium tip-on gatefold jackets. Both Super Deluxe Editions also include the complete live audio recording Live In New York, taped at the Ritz Theatre on May 16, 1991, with sound newly mixed from original multi-track tapes. This legendary show is one of three warmup shows for the Use Your Illusion Tour and features Izzy Stradlin on guitar, the original version of "Don't Cry” and a special performance of “You Ain’t The First” both of which features the late Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon on guest vocals. Also included is the complete audio recording of Live In Las Vegas taped at Thomas & Mack Center on January 25, 1992, newly mixed from the original multi-track tapes and features the band’s new guitarist Gilby Clarke. The bonus Disc is a Blu-ray Video of the complete Live In New York concert film, newly transferred from 35mm film prints to 4K UHD and presented in 1080p 24fps HD, in its entirety, along with audio mixed in Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround, and PCM 48kHz 24-bit stereo. The Blu-ray menu features the brand-new live music video “You Could Be Mine.” This is the first-time release of any complete audio and video concerts from the Use Your Illusion era GN’R.


The Super Deluxe box sets are housed with a 100-page hardcover book with unreleased photos, memorabilia & archival documents, Conspiracy Inc. replica fan club folder with membership card, four Conspiracy Inc. 1991/1992 Use Your Illusion era replica fan club newsletters, 10 Double-design lithos that reveals 1 of 2 unique images when inserted into the supplied red & blue reveal sleeves, seven band 8”x10” photo prints, four Use Your Illusion tour replica cloth sticky backstage passes, a Ritz Theatre 5/16/1991 replica concert ticket (with the original misprinted date of 5/15/1991) and a brand new 24”x36” band poster.


Use Your Illusion I & II: Limited Edition 4LP Color Vinyl + Zoetrope Turntable Mat:


Both Use Your Illusion I & II are packaged together in a limited edition 4LP set, each housed in a premium tip-on gatefold jacket with a 12″x12″ insert and feature both original studio albums fully remastered for the first-time ever from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog master tapes. Use Your Illusion I includes the debut of the newly recorded “November Rain (2022 Version)” with a first-ever real 50-piece orchestra conducted and arranged by Grammy® Award winner and Emmy Award nominated composer Christopher Lennertz. Both albums are housed in an exclusive foil-art slipcase showcasing both Use Your Illusion I & II covers. Use Your Illusion I LP 1 is pressed on yellow vinyl and LP 2 is pressed on red vinyl, Use Your Illusion II LP 1 is pressed on blue vinyl and LP 2 is pressed on purple vinyl. As an added bonus, exclusive to this set is a zoetrope turntable mat that when combined with a strobing light effect animates the mat’s artwork while spinning on a turntable.


Use Your Illusion I: 2CD Deluxe Edition:


Disc one features the original studio album Use Your Illusion I, fully remastered for the first-time ever from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog master tapes onto 44.1kHz 16-bit CD, and now includes the debut of the newly recorded “November Rain (2022 Version)” featuring a real 50-piece orchestra for the first-time conducted and arranged by Grammy® Award winner and Emmy Award nominated composer Christopher Lennertz.


Disc two features 13 unreleased, newly mixed live tracks from London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, New York, and Las Vegas recorded during the Use Your Illusion 1991/1992 tour including the track “Always On The Run (Live in Paris – 6/6/92)” featuring Lenny Kravitz, complete with a 24-page booklet with expanded artwork and unreleased photos and images.


Use Your Illusion II: 2CD Deluxe Edition:


Disc one is the original studio album Use Your Illusion II fully remastered for the first-time ever from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog master tapes onto 44.1kHz 16-bit CD. Disc two features 13 newly mixed, unreleased live tracks from London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, New York & Las Vegas recorded during the Use Your Illusion 1991/1992 tour including special guest appearances by Steven Tyler & Joe Perry of Aerosmith for live renditions of “Mama Kin & Train Kept A Rollin’ (Live in Paris – 6/6/92).” Included is a 24-page booklet with expanded artwork and unreleased photos and images.


Use Your Illusion I: 2LP 180g Vinyl / Use Your Illusion II: 2LP 180g Vinyl:


Each pressed on 180g heavy-weight audiophile black vinyl as a 2LP set, both Use Your Illusion I & II are available separately and each housed in a gatefold jacket with a 12″x12″ insert and feature the original studio album fully remastered for the first-time ever from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog master tapes. Use Your Illusion I includes the debut of the newly recorded “November Rain (2022 Version)” with a first-ever real 50-piece orchestra conducted and arranged by Grammy® Award winner and Emmy Award nominated composer Christopher Lennertz.


Use Your Illusion I: 1CD & Digital / Use Your Illusion II: 1CD & Digital:


For the first-time ever, the 1CD versions of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, both available separately, have been remastered from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog master tapes onto 44.1kHz 16-bit CD. Use Your Illusion I includes the newly recorded “November Rain (2022 Version)” with a first-ever real 50-piece orchestra conducted and arranged by Grammy® Award winner and Emmy Award nominated composer Christopher Lennertz and each housed in a jewel case with 16-page booklet.


Find the complete tracklistings, and pre-order the Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion I & II box set here.


"You Could Be Mine" (Live In New York, Ritz Theatre - May 16, 1991):

There’s a “1st Time For Everything”. German rockers, The New Roses, have released a second single from their upcoming fifth studio album, Sweet Poison, out October 21 via Napalm Records. The band delivers with “1st Time For Everything” - a smooth sing-along hymn with catchy hooks that would make the likes of Bon Jovi proud.


After their previous record, Nothing But Wild, hit the Top 10 on the German album charts, the quartet went on to share stages with rock legends like the Scorpions, Saxon and Accept. This summer, they even had the chance to tour with genre giants KISS and were the first German band invited on the KISS Kruise. Sweet Poison bottles this potent energy on record, convincing with authentic hard rock and enormous hit density. The New Roses are on the way to the top of rock.


The New Roses on the new song: “’1st Time For Everything’ isn’t just a love song about two people. It’s a love song to Rock’n’Roll and to all the people that love this music. And we can’t wait to see you all and sing it together.“




Watch the lyric video for “1st Time For Everything”:





Their latest effort, Sweet Poison, opens with the guitar-driven anthem "My Kinda Crazy," which kicks off the album in a worthy manner. In addition to rousing anthems, Sweet Poison features authentically rocking Americana tracks like "Playing With Fire" and "Sweet Gloria." "Warpaint" is undoubtedly a massive track in which the band unleashes its intangible energy with hard guitar riffs and powerful drums, while "The Usual Suspects" and "1st Time For Everything" impress with their catchy choruses. Tracks like "Dead Of Night" build on a distinct melody and develop into strong stadium rock anthems. With songs like "All I Ever Needed", The New Roses also show their softer side. The strong mid-tempo rock ballad revives the atmosphere of Guns N' Roses' moving ballads, while front man Timmy Rough passionately presents the full range of his voice, which can also be heard impressively on the touching acoustic track "True Love".


Sweet Poison is an outstanding rock album with an impressive hit density, seeing the band outdo themselves again and again, reviving true 80s rock. Hold on tight, because The New Roses shift up a gear and take you on a journey to the horizon of American rock grandeur.


Timmy Rough on the new album: “When we recorded Sweet Poison, we took all the bad vibes, all our struggle and disappointments of the last two years and turned them into this incredibly positive, high energy Rock n' Roll album. We don’t bitch at all, we wanna move forward and take our audience along with us. We stayed on our musical path, in fact I’d say we even went back closer to our roots and added some more of our Blues and Southern spirit while still keeping the catchy melodies of our last records. But hey, talk is cheap, so turn it up and have some fun.“





Sweet Poison is available to pre-order in the following formats:


- 1 LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
- 1 LP Gatefold Marbled Red Black (limited to 300 copies)
- CD Digipak + Wristband
- CD Digipak
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"My Kinda Crazy"
"Playing With Fire"
"All I Ever Needed"
"The Usual Suspects"
"Warpaint"
"Dead Of Night"
"True Love"
"1st Time For Everything"
"Sweet Gloria"
"The Lion In You"
"Veins Of This Town"
 
"The Usual Suspects" video:





Lineup:


Timmy Rough - vocals, guitar
Dizzy Daniels - guitar
Hardy - bass
Urban Berz - drums


(Photo - Vera Friederich)

Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH have released the official music video for "Versvs Christvs" — a riveting extended track featuring piano and clean vocals. The song is taken from the band's twelfth studio album, "Opvs Contra Natvram", which came out on September 16.

BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski comments on the track: "Legions! Thank you for the amazing response to the new record! Wow! It feels extremely validating and liberating to have you with us. And now we present the crown jewel 'Versvs Christvs'. This video was our first time working the amazing director Agata Alexander, an L.A.-dwelling Pole whose vision and execution created this spectacular result. A special shout-out to our friends at Grupa 13 who assisted on the production. Feast your eyes on this, Legions!"

The band's latest studio album is a stark reminder of the rebellion, individuality, and unflinching self-expression that BEHEMOTH's phenomenal work imbues, shaped by a literary worldview. It also reflects a musical evolution, as there's little doubt that "Opvs Contra Natvram" is BEHEMOTH's strongest and most sophisticated musical collection to date.

As with previous studio outings, "Opvs Contra Natvram" was produced by BEHEMOTH, with mixing by studio legend Joe Barresi (NINE INCH NAILS, TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, ALICE IN CHAINS).

"Opvs Contra Natvram" features twin cover art available in both black and white and will be released in an array of physical formats designed by Bartek Rogalewicz (Lodge.Black),certain to thrill collectors of limited editions.

Alongside the album release, BEHEMOTH dropped a wretched-yet-addictive pocket game together with Spotify, operable on mobile or desktop, that you can explore here. Users must endeavor to keep the virtual cross balanced for as long as possible. Take your eyes off the game for a second — and it's "game over." Top-scoring participants have the chance to win a pair of tickets for BEHEMOTH's upcoming "The European Siege" tour with ARCH ENEMY, CARCASS and UNTO OTHERS in a city of their choice.

Nergal recently admitted to Australia's Wall Of Sound that he was feeling a degree of trepidation and repetition before the release of this new album.

"In the first place, I always do things for myself, but I do think about the reception and stuff — of course," he said. "Recognition is important to me; maintaining the status is important to me; it's all very important to me.

"I deeply hope that people will dig this new album. Of course, it's the twelfth record; I've been there and done that.

"I have no problems talking freely to people about music, about the content, about everything — I've learned that to perfection, really," he added. "A lot of that stuff is repetitive, okay? So don't get me wrong — I don't want to sound like I'm a bored musician talking to another interviewer; every interview is always different. It's like having sex with multiple partners — every time is different. But you need interaction, you need a fanbase, you need a following, you need a reaction from the people for this — and it's worse and worse to get that these days."

British heavy metal legends SAXON have released the official music video for the song "Black Is The Night". The clip was directed by Ted Lindén of Bullsize Production. The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Carpe Diem", which came out in February 2022 via Silver Lining Music.

Produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) at Backstage Recording Studios in Derbyshire with singer Biff Byford and Sneap mixing and mastering, "Carpe Diem" strikes the ear as one of the most essential British metal statements of the last few years and not lacking in pace or bite, an album which will ignite the joy in stalwart supporters and attract a whole new legion to the SAXON fold.

Sneap, himself a guitarist and producer of some metal repute, ensures that "Carpe Diem" does not lack one ounce of grit or sharpness. "Andy's obviously a very good guitarist," says Biff, "but he's not a blues-based guitarist like our guys are; he's more of a modern-style player. And that means the boys (Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt) love working with him because, again, it's all about the intensity. Andy's always pushing the envelope; he doesn't let them get away with anything. They have to play it for real, full speed. He gets great sound, and we want that Gibson/Marshall '80s sound even if they’re not Gibsons and Marshalls. We try and retain that British metal guitar sound that we created for SAXON, and he's definitely an '80s child."

The genesis of "Carpe Diem"'s fierce intensity lies in two extremely significant life events.

"It's been a difficult two years," offers Biff with considerable understatement, "because I had the heart attack back in September 2019, so things went a bit pear-shaped for the band. And then COVID hit two or three months later, but luckily, we started writing and recording this album before COVID. We did the drums in Germany and we did the guitars in various places. I was doing a lot of writing while I was in the hospital bed, and we spent quite a long time writing and arranging the ideas that we all had. I do think it's a very intense album, and maybe some of that intensity comes from the frustration of not being able to do anything in the COVID period."

"Carpe Diem" track listing:

01. Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)
02. Age Of Steam
03. The Pilgrimage
04. Dambusters
05. Remember The Fallen
06. Super Nova
07. Lady In Gray
08. All For One
09. Black Is The Night
10. Living On The Limit

"We want every album we make to go platinum," says Biff defiantly. "We never make an album that we don't expect to be fantastic because there are no laurels around here, and as a band, we're always trying to do something a little bit new, a little bit daring. I love fast metal like 'Princess Of The Night' and '20,000 Feet', and I try and bring that style of SAXON into the music now, but in a more modern style. We don't sound like an old band on records because we're not sitting back on our past success, we're always trying to make a great album."

Produced by Andy Sneap and Biff Byford
Album mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap

Guitars recorded by Andy Sneap at Backstage Recording Studios, Derbyshire (U.K.); vocals recorded by Seb Byford at Big Silver Barn, York (U.K.); drums recorded by Jacky Lehmann (Audiosound) at Velbyproductions, Grünenplan (Germany).

All lyrics by Biff Byford. Backing vocals by Seb Byford

The legendary King’s X, comprised of dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, recently released their long-awaited 13th studio album, Three Sides Of One, their first new music in 14 years.


The album has been receiving incredible reviews, and reached the following chart positions:
 
#10 - USA Current Album Sales
#2 - USA Current Hard Music Albums
#3 - USA Current Rock Albums
#21 - UK Vinyl Chart
#15 - UK Physical Albums Chart
#21 - German Albums Chart


To celebrate, they are releasing a brand new lyric video for the albums lead single, "Let It Rain". Watch below:







Three Sides Of One is available as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet & as Digital Album. There is also a Limited Deluxe 180g Orange/Red Marble 2LP+CD+LP-booklet that also includes a poster and a hand-numbered print, as well as an exclusive variant of the front cover artwork. Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Let It Rain"
"Flood Pt. 1"
"Nothing But The Truth"
"Give It Up"
"All God’s Children"
"Take The Time"
"Festival"
"Swipe Up"
"Holidays"
"Watcher"
"She Called Me Home"
"Every Everywhere"


"All God’s Children" video:





"Give It Up" lyric video:





Band Interview Series:


Part 1:





Part 2:





Part 3:





(Photo - Mark Weiss)

The Dead Daisies, who are currently on tour in the United States, have released a recap video for week two, stating: "From Nashville to Los Angeles it's been a big week on our US Fall dates!🚀🚀 Check out what's been happening!🤘🤘 There's only three shows left, make sure you don't miss out!😎 See you there!"⚡⚡





Remaining US dates:




September
21 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post
23 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
24 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile


The Dead Daisies will release their sixth studio album, Radiance, on September 30. Radiance will be available as a Digipak CD with sticker, Gatefold black vinyl with printed inner sleeves and digitally. Pre-orders can be placed here.





Tracklisting:


"Face Your Fear"
"Hypnotize Yourself"
"Shine On"
"Radiance"
"Born To Fly"
"Kiss The Sun"
"Courageous"
"Cascade"
"Not Human"
"Roll On"


"Hypnotize Yourself" lyric video:





"Shine On" video:





"Radiance" video:





"Face Your Fear":

According to Billboard, MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD's "The Stadium Tour" sold 1.3 million tickets and earned $173.5 million, making it the biggest tour of either band's career.

The biggest market on the tour, which featured support from POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, was Boston, where the four acts performed two concerts at Fenway Park on August 5-6 and sold 64,000 tickets for total earnings of $9.3 million. Four individual shows broke the $6 million threshold: Charlotte, North Carolina; Denver, Colorado; Glendale, Arizona; and Inglewood, California. Average nightly earnings hit $4.96 million.

"The Stadium Tour" averaged 37,520 tickets each night, drawing more than three times the audience that each band previously reached on their own.

MÖTLEY CRÜE announced "The Stadium Tour" in 2019, just months after the band supposedly noticed a massive surge in interest following the huge success of the CRÜE's Netflix biopic "The Dirt".

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx told Entertainment Tonight that returning to the road with his bandmates has been "unbelievable. I'm so grateful to be doing this, and it started, like, three years ago when the movie came out — two and a half years ago," he said. "We kind of, we broke up the band. We just decided to quit touring. We've been doing it for, god, 35 years at that point."

According to Sixx, he was initially opposed to the idea of touring again with MÖTLEY CRÜE, especially since CRÜE fans who shelled out for the band's 2014/2015 "farewell" tour were led to believe that the group would never return after playing its final show on December 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band touted the signing of a pre-tour "cessation of touring" agreement as cementing the fact it truly was the end of CRÜE's life on the road.

"Tommy [Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer] does other stuff, and I do other stuff, and I remember getting the phone call from management, and I was, like, 'No,'" Sixx said. "And they go, 'You haven't even heard what I have to say.' And we were friends, and we were fine and everything's good. We're just like, 'No, it's a lot of work.' When you see the show out there, you're gonna go, 'Wow.' I mean, it's years of work putting it together, and then they were like, 'No, not eight arenas, eight stadiums,' and I was like, 'Let me call Tommy.'"

He continued: "I was like, 'Hey, dude, they're talking about us touring,' and he's like, 'No.' Because we wanted to be — stand by what we said, and then it was 16 and 36, which we just entered our 36th stadium, and there's, what, another 120 next year and the year after that, so, we're grateful we said yes."

CRÜE's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022.

Earlier this month, MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil said the band will continue touring internationally with DEF LEPPARD in 2023, through Mexico and South America in the spring and soccer stadiums in Europe next summer. Plans are for MÖTLEY CRÜE to return to U.S. for more shows in 2024.

In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Sixx said "the most important thing about a farewell tour is that the band doesn't lie to the fans, and the band doesn't tour and then come back years later. That's what's important for us, planning what's the right time to go out."

Three years ago, Sixx said that "The Dirt", about MÖTLEY CRÜE's formative years, sparked a renewed interest from younger fans who wanted to see them live, contributing to the band's decision to renege on its infamous "cessation of touring" contract.

EYEHATEGOD's Jimmy Bower and Mike IX Williams have weighed in on the news that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) will unite with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

Anselmo and Brown, along with Wylde and Benante, will headline a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and stage some of their own headline concerts.

According to Billboard, the lineup has been given a green light by the estates of the band's founders, drummer Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, as well as Brown, who last year said Wylde wouldn't tour with PANTERA if a reunion were to happen. It's unclear what changed his mind.

Bower and Williams discussed their views on the PANTERA comeback in an interview at last month's Bloodstock Open Air festival. Speaking to Hayley Leggs of TotalRock, Jimmy, who plays drums for Anselmo's DOWN project, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's fucking awesome. I think it's beautiful. I think there's a lot of fans that have never had a chance to see it, and I think it's a great way to tribute the band. A hundred percent blessing from me, man."

Added Williams: "Phil's a friend, so, yeah, I'm happy to see it happen… It's great. I think it's great. Everybody's saying it's gonna be a little strange without the Abbott brothers, but it is what it is."

Bower concurred, saying: "Of course it will [be strange without the Abbott brothers]. [But] I think the Abbott brothers would a hundred percent have blessed it."

PANTERA will play its first shows in over 20 years in December 2022, starting with a co-headlining slot at Mexico's Hell & Heaven Metal Fest, followed by appearances at three Knotfest festivals in South America.

PANTERA will perform at Hell & Heaven Metal Fest on Friday, December 2 at Foro Pegaso in Toluca. Knotfest Colombia is scheduled for Friday, December 9 at Campin Circuit of Bogotá. Knotfest Chile is slated to take place on Sunday, December 11 at Estadio Monumental in Santiago. Knotfest Brasil will follow on Sunday, December 18 at Sambódromo do Anhembi in São Paulo.

While he was alive, Vinnie Paul had repeatedly dismissed talks of a PANTERA reunion, telling Germany's EMP Rock Invasion in 2014: "People are selfish, man. They want what they want; they don't care what you want. And it's unfortunate that people go, 'Oh, wow, man, they can get Zakk Wylde to jump up there on stage and it's PANTERA again.' No, it's not, you know. It's not that simple. If Eddie Van Halen was to get shot in the head four times next week, would everybody be going, 'Hey, man, Zakk, go play for VAN HALEN. Just call it VAN HALEN.' You see what I'm saying? I mean, it's really selfish for people to think that, and it's stupid. It's not right at all."

He continued: "They call it a reunion for a reason. It's called bringing the original members back to what it was. So there's a lot of these things that they call reunions that aren't really reunions. They've got one dude from the band floating around in them, you know. That's not a true reunion. With PANTERA, it'll never be possible."

He repeated those same sentiments a few months later, telling PlanetMosh in a separate interview: "Without Dimebag Darrell, there is no [PANTERA] reunion. And that's all there is to it. We were a very influential band, and we touched millions and millions of people with that band, but it's over. People really have to come to grips with that, and that's all there is to it. If all of us were still here, then the possibility would truly be there, but since it's not, you know… It's selfish of the fans to want something that they can't have. And they don't ever understand that, and I get it. There's things I want in this world too. You know, people in fucking hell want ice water, but they're not gonna get it. So… Anyways, I'm glad that the people who have decided to follow me in HELLYEAH do, and hopefully more of them will. And the ones that wanna live in the past are gonna live in the past."

Up until his passing in June 2018, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Dimebag's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney in 2011 called on Vinnie and Philip to settle their differences in honor of Dimebag.

Vinnie, who is Dimebag's brother, and Anselmo had not spoken since PANTERA split in 2003. But the relationship got even more acrimonious when Vinnie suggested that some remarks the vocalist had made about Dimebag in print just weeks earlier might have incited Dimebag's killer.

Haney told the producers of "Behind The Music Remastered: Pantera" that she forgave the singer after they found themselves unexpectedly face to face at a concert in California.

SMASHING PUMPKINS have released a new single, "Beguiled". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Atum: A Rock Opera In Three Acts". The 33-track collection, whose title is pronounced "autumn," is being billed as a sequel to 1995's "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" and 2000's "Machina/The Machine of God". The LP will be released as three 11-track "acts", eventually culminating in a three-act rock opera. Act 1 of "Atum" will arrive on November 15 2022, Act 2 on January 31 2023, and Act 3 will be made available, along with a special-edition box set featuring all 33 album tracks plus 10 additional unreleased songs, on April 21, 2023.

"Beguiled" was performed live for the first time in a TikTok video, and SMASHING PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan will premiere a new track every week for the next 33 weeks on his new podcast, "Thirty-Three With William Patrick Corgan". The first two episodes, featuring the songs "Atum" and "Butterfly Suite", are out now.

"Atum: A Rock Opera In Three Acts" was written and recorded over a four-year period by Corgan and the rest of the current SMASHING PUMPKINS lineup: guitarists James Iha and Jeff Schroeder, plus drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.

SMASHING PUMPKINS have also announced two intimate show, at Chicago's Metro and New York City's Irving Plaza, as well as a performance this Friday of "Beguiled" on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon".

Next month, SMASHING PUMPKINS will embark on a fall 2022 North American tour, dubbed "Spirits On Fire", with JANE'S ADDICTION.

When SMASHING PUMPKINS first emerged out of Chicago in 1988, the world had never heard a band quite like them. They spun together rock, pop, shoe-gaze, metal, goth, psychedelia, and electronic into a kaleidoscope of saccharine melodies, fuzzy distortion, bombastic orchestration, incendiary fretwork, eloquent songcraft, and unshakable hooks. Upon their formation, their sound was different, iconoclastic, and wholly new — and it still is today. As a result, they've sold over 30 million albums worldwide and collected two Grammy Awards, two MTV VMAs and an American Music Award. Their catalog is highlighted by the platinum "Gish" (1991),the quadruple-platinum "Siamese Dream" (1993),diamond-certified "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" (1995),platinum "Adore" (1998) and gold "Machina/The Machines Of God" (2000). In 2018, they embarked on one of their most successful tours ever, the "Shiny And Oh So Bright" tour, followed by "Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun." Meanwhile, 2020 saw the release of the band's eleventh full-length and latest double album, "Cyr".

LACUNA COIL's Cristina Scabbia joined LIONS AT GATE on stage this past Saturday (September 17) at the The Gramercy Theatre in New York City to perform the song "Find My Way". Fan-filmed video of her appearance can be seen below.

LIONS AT THE GATE is the new band featuring former ILL NIÑO members Cristian Machado (vocals),Ahrue "Luster" Ilustre (guitar) and Diego Verduzco (guitar),alongside bassist Stephen Brewer (WESTFIELD MASSACRE) and drummer Fern Lemus.

LIONS AT GATE is the support act for LACUNA COIL's summer/fall 2022 U.S. tour which kicked off on September 8 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

This past April, LIONS AT THE GATE released the official music video for "Find My Way", featuring Tatiana Shmayluk of JINJER.

LIONS AT THE GATE issued its debut single, "Not Even Human", back in June 2021.

"Find My Way", along with previously released singles "Bed Of Nails", "Scapegoat" and "Not Even Human", are expected to appear on LIONS AT THE GATE's upcoming debut album, which was produced by Kile Odell, who has previously worked with FOZZY and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE.

"Comalies XX", a "deconstructed" and "transported" version of LACUNA COIL's third album, "Comalies", will be made available on October 14 via Century Media Records.

As previously reported, LACUNA COIL will celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on Saturday, October 15 at Fabrique in Milano.

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

LACUNA COIL played its first show in front of an audience in more than two years on April 7 as the support act for APOCALYPTICA at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia.

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

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



A huge thank you to Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil for joining us on stage last night to help out with “Find My Way”!

Posted by Lions At The Gate on Sunday, September 18, 2022

Former RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE singer Joe Lynn Turner joined the Bulgarian rock band AXAT on stage this past Wednesday (September 14) in Vratsa, Bulgaria to perform several classic songs. Video of his appearance can be seen below.

Earlier this month, Turner said that it has been "absolutely liberating" to finally drop the hairpiece he has worn since the age of 14 after being diagnosed with alopecia at three years old.

The singer, who turned 71 last month, went public with his new look on August 25 in a series publicity images released to promote his upcoming solo album, "Belly Of The Beast". In a press release for the LP, Joe said that he started wearing the wig to deal with "emotional and psychological damage from cruel bullying in school."

"In a way, it's a blessing and a curse," Joe admitted. "I have nothing to prove, and I can wear a wig — or not. I am free to do what I want. I'm a grown man, and I'm getting to be an older man.

"Many men in this business eventually come to the decision to continue to 'wear hair' or shave their head which is very fashionable today. Either way, it takes a lot of personal courage. Assholes in high school trying to kick me around made me stronger and gave me the necessary motivation and strength to rise above the rest. Anger and pain are a great tool. If applied correctly, it could develop you to become the best version of yourself. Instead of running away, I was 'hiding in plain sight.'"

In a new interview with the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" podcast, Joe spoke about what it has been like finally ditching the wig after all these years. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's absolutely liberating. First of all, I'll give a little background. It was an open secret. It wasn't like I was trying to fool people or ever denied it or anything. In fact, I never thought it was that important, but certain, shall we say haters, or whatever, these bigots, these bullies, they would always take a shot at me, which I always thought they were just pretty jealous, really, to be honest with you. And then it said more about them than it does me. That's not my kind of people. What about the music? That's what's important."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gene Simmons has admitted that he doesn't have any friends.

The 73-year-old KISS bassist/vocalist, whose band is in the middle of its "End Of The Road" farewell tour, opened up about his lack of pals in the October/November 2022 issue of Goldmine magazine, on stands now.

"Even today as I sit here, other than Paul [Stanley, KISS co-founder], and we only get together when we do stuff for the band… How do I say this without sounding inhuman? I don't have friends," Simmons told Goldmine.

He continued: "Yeah, if friends means, 'Gee, I don't know what I'm going to do this afternoon. Hey, you want to come over and hang out?' I'm more interested in what I want to do, and I don't want to pretend that I'm interested in what you want to do because I am not."

Simmons previously touched upon his lack of friendships in a 2006 interview with KISS's official web site, KissOnline.com. At the time, he stated about his relationship with Stanley: "Quite honestly, Paul and I don't always agree on musical changes, or choice of songs, but intrinsically and at the heart of it, Paul is simply the brother I never had. I feel closer to Paul than anyone I know. I have almost no friends. On purpose. I prefer acquaintances. I don't expect anything from anyone and I don't want anyone coming to me with their problems. Everyone is a grown up. But I digress. Paul and I live very close to each other and we don't see each other often. But at the end, he knows I will always be in his corner, simply because I respect him."

A year and a half ago, Stanley stated about his continued partnership with Simmons, this despite their seeming like extremely different types of people: "He's my brother. His family is my family. I think of Shannon, his wife, as my sister-in-law. We've never been closer than we are now. We've come so far and done so many great things for each other, it would be ungrateful if we were anything less. We're there to cheer each other on and text each other. We're more than good."

In July 2020, Stanley admitted to "Live From Nerdville With Joe Bonamassa" that he "didn't particularly like" Simmons the first time they met. "But there was pragmatism involved," he said. "You have to prioritize and figure what's most important to you to reach your goal. And I knew that Gene and I were much stronger together than me alone. I'm not really sure that he knew that, but that became irrelevant. It was, 'How do I get where I wanna go? How do I achieve what I want?' And Gene was essential to it. And here we are 50-plus years later. It's astounding. We've created something that seems like it will outlast us."

In 2019, Stanley told Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast his relationship with Gene wasn't affected by the release of Stanley's 2014 memoir, "Face The Music: A Life Exposed".

"Gene's always been very accepting," Paul said. "And we've only gotten closer and closer over time, which is just terrific. I said things in the book that I felt were true, and I would stand by what I said. But it doesn't negate that in the scheme of things, he's been a terrific partner, he's a brother, and he's family. Certainly there were things that I spoke about in the book that aren't true anymore, but they were, to me, at some point. And that book was really my overview of my life. And I really didn't say anything to hurt anyone, and I didn't wanna throw anybody under the bus. There were a few people who walked under the bus — I didn't have to throw 'em. I think Gene has always respected that I have my own perspective. And, again, I couldn't be closer to him than I am now. Totally. I speak to him often.

"It would be crazy and sad to go through what we've done together and what we've accomplished and have ill will or animosity," he continued. "If anything, the two of us look at each other and go, 'Wow!' In those moments of candor, or when we're just talking to each other, or texting each other, there are those texts where it's, like, 'Wow! Look what we've done.' So, yeah, anybody who thinks otherwise is sadly mistaken. His family is my family. Shannon, I've known Shannon probably 35-plus years. [Gene's kids] Nick and Sophie, I feel like their uncle.

"Look, when [my son] Evan was born, the first person in the room to see him was Gene," Paul added. "Even when things have been tough, or there's been tensions in the past — and not in the near past — we always were family. When we had our big earthquake in the '90s, basically I wasn't talking to Gene at the time, and as soon as the ground stopped shaking, I called him. I said, 'Are you okay?' He said, 'Yeah.' And then we kept not talking to each other. But the most important thing was making sure he was okay.

"I'm very, very lucky to have him. And I don't necessarily agree with everything he does. But does anybody?"

In "Face The Music: A Life Exposed", Stanley insisted that his relationship with Simmons has slowly improved over time. But Paul also wrote: "[Gene] chose to ignore his underlying issues and instead committed himself to creating an external façade and persona that, unfortunately, he felt required to knock down anyone who threatened his singularity in the spotlight." He also dismissed the notion that Simmons is some kind of financial genius. "Gene's most successful venture in business was promoting the perception that he was a savvy businessman," Paul wrote.

A few years back, Paul admitted that he "read a little bit of" Gene Simmons's book when it first came out but that he had a different recollection of some of their shared history. While reading Gene's book, Stanley felt, "Gee, I thought I did that. I thought that was me. You thought you were me," he said.

KISS's farewell trek was launched in January 2019 and was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last through at least early 2023.

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

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen spoke to Rauta about what fans can expect from the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I feel it's gonna be the third part of a trilogy started by 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful' [2015] followed by 'Human. :II: Nature.' and then finished by this upcoming album."

According to Tuomas, NIGHTWISH's next LP will cover previously uncharted ground while continuing in the more cinematic style that has characterized some of the band's recent efforts.

"There's always something new," he explained. "It's important for my own mental health, when it comes to writing music, that you need to search for some new territories and try not to repeat yourself. And that can be heard on the upcoming album, for sure, already on the demo that we've done."

Asked if NIGHTWISH's upcoming LP will once again be an exploration of evolutionary science, as was the case with the previous two releases, Tuomas said: "Yes and no. It sails on the same waters, but there's some new surprises there as well."

Holopainen went on to say that NIGHTWISH fans will have to wait a while before hearing new music from the band. "We'll enter the studio next year and the album is gonna come out maybe early 2024," he said.

Last month, Holopainen told Knotfest that he and his bandmates had spent "the past few weeks" listening to a demo of the next NIGHTWISH album. "Because of COVID, lots of free time, I decided to use that well, so I wrote all the songs for the next album, demoed it, wrote the lyrics, and now we have been brainstorming over it with these guys," he said, referring to drummer Kai Hahto and the rest of NIGHTWISH.

Added Kai: "Yeah, it's been great. The six of us, in the same room, listening to fresh demos for the upcoming album, checking the lyrics and the vocal parts and stuff like that. So it's been wonderful. This man [Tuomas] has been really productive."

Earlier in the month, Tuomas told Rock Sverige that he spent "about a year" working on the music and lyrics for the next NIGHTWISH album, "and then we finished the demos about two months ago. We're hitting the studio next summer, so in about a year from now," he revealed. "Like I said, might as well use the time for something."

Asked if he got any kind of inspiration from the pandemic, Tuomas said: "Yeah, lyrically there's a couple of things that reflects the pandemic, but not in the way you would expect."

"Human. :II: Nature." was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In August, NIGHTWISH announced the addition of bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN) as an official member of the band. Koskinen, who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences, had spent the last year touring with NIGHTWISH as a session musician.

In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global, MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was asked what it was like to tour with SLAYER back in 1994 and 1995 when he and his bandmates had just released their debut album, "Burn My Eyes". "It was a dream come true," Robb responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It launched MACHINE HEAD into the stratosphere. And I've gotta give [SLAYER guitarist] Kerry King a lot of credit for that, man. He really believed in us and took a shot on us.

"I had seen SLAYER more than any other band in thrash metal," Flynn continued. "I used to drive to L.A., to Sacramento, to Fresno. Me and my friends would take road trips to go see [SLAYER]. We fucking lovedSLAYER. And so when we finally got the gig, it was, like, 'Holy fuck. This is amazing.' They took us all over Europe; they took us to America. We did five months with SLAYER. I got to see 88 free SLAYER shows. [Laughs] And I watched every night; there was not a night that I didn't catch at least even part of the show. And I felt very fortunate for that."

Last year King said that MACHINE HEAD was "the only band" he ever "demanded to open for SLAYER." He made the comment while recording a video message congratulating the San Francisco Bay Area act on its 30th anniversary.

Two decades ago, Flynn and King engaged in a public war of words over the latter's incessant public criticisms of some of MACHINE HEAD's recorded output and attacks on the group's integrity. (Flynn famously wrote in a 2002 online post that Kerry was "a lard ass" who's "eaten so many cheeseburgers lately his brain is starting to clog up, and he can't think straight anymore.") In 2008, after the release of MACHINE HEAD's "The Blackening", King and Flynn patched up their relationship, with Kerry telling Midwest Metal in an interview: "When that whole thing went down I essentially blackballed him and his band for, like ten years. And one day it was, like, enough is enough. You guys are making killer records, and if I ever want to have a tour with them, I want to be able to talk with them. [Laughs] That new record ['The Blackening'] is kick-ass."

MACHINE HEAD's European tour with AMON AMARTH, "Vikings & Lionhearts", kicked off on September 8 at Nottingham, United Kingdom's Motorpoint Arena. Support on the trek is coming from THE HALO EFFECT, the new band featuring five former members of IN FLAMES: Peter Iwers, Daniel Svensson, Jesper Strömblad, Niclas Engelin and Mikael Stanne.

MACHINE HEAD is touring in support of its latest album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which was released on August 26 via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings. The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis", "Of Kingdom And Crown" includes the three songs that were featured on last year's "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Later this fall, MACHINE HEAD will embark on an intimate venue tour through small-town America as part of its "Electric Happy Hour (Live)".

The MacH3VideosYouTube channel has uploaded video of JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE's August 26 performance at the Wild Goose Event Center in Parker, Colorado. Check it out below.

JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE features ex-GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell alongside former GREAT WHITE bassist-turned-guitarist Tony Montana (as a guitar player and keyboardist),Dan McNay (MONTROSE) on bass, Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar and Dicki Fliszar (BRUCE DICKINSON) on drums.

JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE's debut album, "He Saw it Comin'", was released in January 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl.

JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with the current touring version of GREAT WHITE, which features Mark Kendall, Scott Snyder (bass),Audie Desbrow (drums),Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards) and Andrew Freeman (lead vocals).

Russell exited GREAT WHITE in December 2011 after he was unable to tour with the group due a series of injuries, including a perforated bowel and a shattered pelvis. Jack largely blamed these injuries on his alcohol and painkiller addictions as well as the prednisone drug he was prescribed.

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

"America's Deadliest Concert: The Guest List", a documentary about the infamous GREAT WHITE concert fire nearly two decades ago that killed a hundred people and injured hundreds more, received its premiere on Reelz in February.

The 61-year-old Russell, whose pyrotechnics ignited the deadly blaze on February 20, 2003 in Rhode Island, told "The SDR Show" about the making of the documentary: "It was tough. 'Cause I wear my heart on my sleeve. And I didn't wanna do anything but be really honest and upfront and open about everything that I know and my knowledge about the fire and about what happened and about what it did to me personally and how it affected my friends and my family.

"It's a beautifully done movie," he continued. "It's really, really well done. The producer, he was real sensitive about how he approached it and how he did it. You have to cover both sides of the story. There's people that like Jack and there's the people that hateJack, and there's the people in between. So you've gotta kind of put both sides up there. And some of the stuff was really difficult for me to hear. When people call you a murderer or they wish you were dead, it's hard to hear that stuff. But I do understand it. People grieve in different ways, and if that's what it takes for them to grieve and feel better, more power to 'em."

British heavy metal icons, Diamond Head, have unveiled a video for the single, "Sweet And Innocent" (Lost Original Mix), taken from the upcoming release, Lightning To The Nations (The White Album) [Remastered 2021], set for release via Silver Lining Music on September 30.


The video is a historical and fascinating watch, incorporating photos, videos, and magnificent material-gems from the vaults of co-founding member Brian Tatler himself. “I think it’s great for the fans to see the old photos and videos from the early Eighties.” comments Tatler. “According to my notes, Sweet and Innocent was written on the 18th of June 1978 and was first released on the Lightning To The Nations album in June 1980. It never had a video back in the day, so it’s great to have this now.”


Few could have predicted the importance that Diamond Head’s debut album, Lightning To The Nations would have on the heavy metal genre. “We had an undeniably unique sound,” reflects Tatler “four young lads each with an element that, when combined, produced an alloy that was our own heavy metal sound.”




"Sweet and Innocent" (Lost Original Mix) is the second single taken from Lightning To The Nations (The White Album) [Remastered 2021], the ultimate version of this ultimate album. The release features not only the original album from ¼ inch master tapes which Lars Ulrich helped Brian Tatler retrieve back in 1990, but also alternative mixes of classic cuts “Lightning To The Nations”, “The Prince”, “Sucking My Love”, “Am I Evil?” and “Sweet And Innocent” never publicly released (or heard) before. There is also brand-new cover artwork based on an idea Brian Tatler had, to show a character referred to as ‘The Lightning God’.


The original tapes were first quite literally baked (a process which allows degraded tape to be returned to playable quality), then restored and digitized before Diamond Head frontman Rasmus ‘Ras’ Bom Andersen remastered the tracks, ending up with a pristine edition of the original recordings and the recently discovered alternative mixes.  Pure treasure for all fans of both Diamond Head and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the restored masters are supplemented by a set of bonus tracks originally recorded in 1980s. Rounding-out this ultimate edition are a set of deep and detailed notes on both the era and each song by Brian Tatler.


“‘Sweet And Innocent’ has a shuffle groove and was our attempt at a hit single.”’ says Tatler in his notes. “It was under four-minutes long and had a big chorus. We re-recorded it about six-months later for a 7” single for Pete Winkelman’s newly formed label Media Records but it was nothing like a hit!”





Lightning To The Nations (The White Album) [Remastered 2021], will be released as a double CD, a deluxe 180 gms gatefold triple-vinyl edition containing the original album remastered, the lost mixes and the bonus tracks.





There will also be a single vinyl edition of just the remastered album, also on 180 gms. The complete recordings will also be available to stream and download. Pre-order here.





Lightning To The Nations (The White Album) [Remastered 2021] tracklisting:


"Lightning To The Nations"
"The Prince"
"Sucking My Love"
"Am I Evil?"
"Sweet And Innocent"
"It’s Electric"
"Helpless"
"Lightning To The Nations" (Lost Original Mix)
"The Prince" (Lost Original Mix)
"Sucking My Love" (Lost Original Mix)
"Am I Evil?" (Lost Original Mix)
"Sweet And Innocent" (Lost Original Mix)


Bonus tracks:


"Shoot Out The Lights"
"Streets Of Gold"
"Play It Loud"
"Waited Too long"
"Diamond Lights"
"We Won’t Be Back"
"I Don’t Got"


"Lightning To The Nations" (Lost Original Mix) video:





Beginning in October, Diamond Head will embark on a string of shows when they will be joining Saxon as special guests for the European and UK dates on their Seize The Day world tour.


Dates:


October
2 - Paris, France - Trianon
3 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
4 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol
6 - Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast
7 - Munich, Germany - Muffathalle
8 -  Offenbach, Germany - Capitol
10 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
11 -  Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
12 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
13 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
15 - Aarhus, Denmark - Train
17 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
18 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
19 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
21 - Zwolle, Netherlands - Hedon
22 - France - La Bam
23 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks


November
11 - Ipswich, UK - Regent Theatre
12 - Southampton, UK - O2 Guildhall
13 - Bexhill, UK - De La Warr Pavilion
14 - Cardiff, UK - St. David’s Hall
15 - Bath, UK - Forum
16 - Cambridge, UK - Corn Exchange
18 - Newcastle, UK - O2 City Hall
19 - Blackburn, UK - King George's Hall
20 - Aberdeen, UK - Music Hall
21 - Glasgow, UK - Barrowland
22 - Hull, UK - City Hall
23 - York, UK - Barbican
25 - Leicester, UK - De Montfort Hall
26 - London, UK - Roundhouse


Diamond Head are:


Rasmus Bom Andersen: Vocals
Brian Tatler: Lead, Rhythm Guitars
Karl Wilcox: Drums
Andrew “Abbz” Abberley: Rhythm, Lead Guitars


Diamond Head 1980 Lineup:


Sean Harris: Vocals
Brian Tatler: Guitar
Duncan Scott: Drums
Colin Kimberley: Bass

Trailight mastermind Omer Cordell has checked in with a new update:


"We didn't quite make it happen on Chasing Daylight due to conflicting schedules, but I am very happy to announce that my good friend and prolific musician Devin Townsend has contributed some lead guitar parts to the song 'The One You Feed' for the upcoming album, entitled Mirrors. Thank you Dev!"


Check out a teaser below.







Back in August, Cordell revealed another guest musician  appearing on Mirrors:


"Pre-production for the new Trailight album entitled Mirrors is done and at this point I would like to introduce one of the guest musicians who will take over drumming duties for this album:


Ladies and gents, the great Mr. Daniel Cardoso.


Daniel is an incredible drummer and overall extremely talented musician with an amazing musical vision. As some of you may know he is the drummer and keyboardist for the band Anathema. Daniel is currently sifting through the tracks and will start recording in his home studio very soon!"


Trailight's latest album Chasing Daylight - released in February 2022 - features guest performances by Archetype guitarist Toño Tejeda, The Astral Light drummer Steven Parent, cellist Anna Kuchkova (Alchemy Chamber), and Cyanotic guitarist Cory McBain.

Emerging blackened death metal quartet Black Lava will release their debut full-length album, Soul Furnace, on November 25, 2022 via Season Of Mist. The band is now sharing an epic music video for their brand new single, "Eye Of The Moon". 





Black Lava comments: "'Eye Of The Moon' tells a story of a man embarking on a journey through harsh landscapes - such as snow, forests and mountains - in search of a witches lair, looking for strength and guidance. The clip was shot in the beautiful scenes of Mt Buffalo, in Victoria, Australia. With its stunning landscape, dramatic cliffs and peaks, it was the perfect location for the story to take place. Filmed in the heart of winter over three days, the conditions were extremely difficult with temperatures dropping from -1 to -7 Celsius, which proved especially hard on camera equipment and the crews, with the constant snow, rain, and wind, made it near impossible to capture the artistic vision. Our hands were freezing at times and could hardly move,  but with an amazing dedicated team we persevered with its creation, and what you see is the result. We are extremely proud to present 'Eye Of The Moon'."




Pre-orders for Soul Furnace are now live here, and can be saved on all digital streaming services at this location.


The cover artwork for Soul Furnace was painted by Paolo Girardi, and can be found below along, with the tracklisting.





"Origins" 
"Aurora" 
"Black Blizzard" 
"Baptised In Ice"
"Eye Of The Moon" 
"Northern Dawn" 
"Necrocatacomb" 
"Nightshade"
"Soul Furnace" 





(Photo by Joe Ritson)


 

On Sunday, September 18th Calgary's own up-and-coming metallers Osyron took home the coveted award for "Metal Recording of the Year" at the 7th annual YYCMAs for Kingsbane Deluxe (2021). Presented by Loud As Hell Metal Fest, the group was nominated alongside Every Hour Kills, Illyrian, Syryn, and Tomhet. Past winners of this category include Hammerdrone, Red Cain, Divinity and more. This year's music awards gala recognized artists and industry leaders in 25 categories and serves as a celebration of Calgary's incredible roster of musical talent. View the full list of winners and nominees here.


"We are thankful and humbled to be able to receive this award amongst our peers in our local music community. Special thanks to everyone at the YYC Music Awards for putting on such an incredible event, Geoff Bourrie of Loud as Hell Festival, and Celestia Scarlet of The Celestial Agency," says the band. 


On November 4th, Osyron will be releasing their fourth studio album Momentous. Pre-orders are available now at this location. Mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More, Dream Theater, Voivod, Armored Saint), the album is nothing short of a musical masterpiece. It boasts the group's technical prowess, fantastical storytelling and outstanding vocal performances that metal fans everywhere have come to know and love from Osyron. Sure to leave listeners in awe, it deals with the many emotions, trials, personal battles, losses and victories that humanity faced during the pandemic.




The biggest struggle faced by the band during this time was the struggle of looking inwards at themselves. Many had to relearn to love one another, and even turned against each other. A truly momentous moment in their career, not only for them as people, but for everyone. The album was mixed by Tyler Corbett (bassist). Drums were recorded by Josh Rob Gwilliam at OCL Studios in Chestermere, Alberta. All other instruments were recorded by Cody Anstey (drums) at his studio, CRM Sound. 


Momentous artwork and tracklisting:





"Anunnaki"
"Dominion Day" 
"The Deafening"
"Landslide"
"Sorrow And Extinction"
"Beyond The Sun" 
"Awake"
"Momentous"
"Prairie Sailor"
"Beacons"


"Dominion Day" video:





"Beyond The Sun" video:





 

New Jersey-based Ground will unveil their fifth LP, Habitual Self-Abuse, through Hibernation Release in October, today issuing its cover art, tracklisting, pre-orders, and a video for the lead single, “Indurated Juvenescence”.


False grind godfathers Ground formed in 2012 and have since released a plethora of recordings including four prior albums, a split with Bandit, and more. Now a decade in, the band returns with a vengeance on their most violent and ambitious offering, Habitual Self-Abuse. Seamlessly blending their signature brand of searing grindcore, punk, powerviolence and slam, Ground funnels the futile rage and anxiety associated with modern existence into eleven tracks of pure, adrenaline-fueled auditory assault. With Habitual Self-Abuse, the band cements themselves as a key component of the thriving East Coast metal scene and further their legacy as torch bearers of the underGround. False Grind Forever.


Habitual Self-Abuse was engineered in March 2022 by AJ Viana at AJ Viana Productions in Hulmeville, Pennsylvania, with additional editing by Tiago “Canadas” Carvalho. The album was mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Obituary, 200 Stab Wounds, R.A.M.B.O.) and completed with cover art by Tom Maher/Skull Bastard Art and photography by Albert Rende.




The video for the album’s first single can be found below. The band’s Mike Mayo states, “‘Indurated Juvenescence’ is about missing out on your youth because you’re too wrapped up in trying to work through undiagnosed/misunderstood mental health issues. The older you get, the more you realize how much you missed out on, and it could’ve all been avoided if seeking access to mental health care was made easier, more affordable, and didn’t have such a stigma attached to it. Frank Haung (Max Volume Silence) did an excellent job creating a visual representation of how governments and society intentionally mislead our troubled youth for their own agenda. Putting a firearm in the hands of someone with untreated mental health issues, whether they’re in the military, law enforcement, or they’re a civilian, can have catastrophic effects as we all unfortunately already know.”


Hibernation Release will issue Habitual Self-Abuse on CD, cassette, and all digital platforms on October 28, with a deluxe vinyl edition to follow in early 2023. Pre-orders for all formats can be found at the label webshop here, and Bandcamp here.





Tracklisting:


"Injustice Collector"
"Couch Potato"
"Virtual Signal Boost"
"Shafted"
"Tastemaker"
"Stand-Up Guy"
"Habitual Self-Abuse"
"Mental Health Matters"
"Indurated Juvenescence"
"Digital Pacifier"
"Conscious Denial"


"Indurated Juvenescence" video:





Lineup:


Michael Thomas - bass/vocals
Mike Mayo - guitars/vocals
Phil Parenti - vocals
Zak Costello - drums/vocals


(Photo - Albert Rende)

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the upcoming release of Killer Kings' debut album, Burn For Love, on October 14. Pre-order/save the album here, and watch a lyric video for the song "Higher" below.


Killer Kings first came about when Frontiers Records President, Serafino Perugino, thought of bringing Gregory Lynn Hall, the former singer of 101 South, an AOR band who released three albums between 2000 and 2009, and Tristan Avakian, a very gifted guitarist who made his name in the '90s with the melodic hard rock band Red Dawn, together. Musically, Killer Kings mixes the AOR approach of both Red Dawn and 101 South with some interesting twists.


Gregory Lynn Hall has had a long history in the music industry, in all areas from studio work to live performances. Gregory pounded the pavement in the thriving '80s Hollywood rock scene, playing at all the rock venues from Gazzaris to the Troubadour to The Country Club. He eventually left L.A. after the '80s hard rock scene died down and became a session vocalist, singing on many well known Christian artists' albums. In the late '90s, he returned to California and in 1999, while doing a session in Malibu, he met Roger Scott Craig (ex-Fortune) and thus 101 South was born. Shortly after the first 101 South album (2000) was finished, Gregory was asked to join the band Heaven & Earth as their bass player and toured with them to support the Windows To The World album. He would then go on to record two more acclaimed 101 South albums and one solo record in 2014.




Tristan Avakian is a professional musician of many years with extensive experience in theater, touring, writing, and producing. Cirque du Soleil, Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Biohazard are just some of the names from the varied genres and artists he has immersed himself in. He has also worked with producers such as Steve Thompson and Rob Thomas and joined the Queen Extravaganza show in the USA. He is also known for being the guitarist of '90s melodic hard rockers Red Dawn, a band formed by former Rainbow keyboardist David Rosenthal, together with other two Rainbow alumni Chuck Burgi and Greg Smith, which released a critically acclaimed album for EMI Toshiba in Japan in 1993.





Burn For Love tracklisting:


"Burn For Love"
"I Will Be Stronger"
"Higher"
"In A Different World"
"Another Night, Another Fight"
"Phoenix"
"Two Ships"
"Losing Me"
"Do Or Die"
"The Pains Of Yesterday"
"Ain’t No End In Sight"


"Higher" lyric video:





"I Will Be Stronger" video:





"Burn For Love":





Lineup:


Gregory Lynn Hall - Vocals
Tristan Avakian - Guitars
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Bass, Keyboards
Nicholas Papapicco - Drums


Additional Musicians:


Tommy Denander - Keyboards on "Burn For Love"

California glam metal jokersters STEEL PANTHER have welcomed Spyder as their new bassist.

Spyder and the STEEL PANTHER guys have known each other for decades. But it was in 2018 that Spyder did his first live show with the band. Little did they know that those shows would be a foreshadowing of what destiny had in store for their collective futures. In 2021, the band found themselves in a pickle; they needed a bass player. An exhaustive search brought many submissions and fans were treated to a variety of bassists on different tours. The band had even considered a few well-known bassists to fill the void. Throughout the five-week European tour in summer of 2022, it became quite evident to all four guys that this lineup was unstoppable. A few more months of touring together perfected the new lineup and now anyone that has seen the band recently knows that Spyder is the perfect addition to STEEL PANTHER.

STEEL PANTHER said in a statement: "We wanted it to be you. We wanted it to be you so badly. So, it's not gonna be easy. It's gonna be really hard. We're gonna have to work at this every day, but we want to do that because we want you. We want all of you, forever, you and us, every day. To us, you are perfect. You had us at hello. You complete us. We're gonna need a bigger boat."

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

New York’s Streetlight Circus will release their third full-length album, Super Fine Sugar, on September 23 via UK-based label, Escape Music. A new music video for the title track can be found below.


The album features 12 songs written by singer/bassist David Shaw and arranged by Shaw, along with guitarists George Giannoulis and Alex Rude and drummer Erik Fehrenbach.


Recorded at Snake Mountain Studios in New York, Super Fine Sugar was mixed and mastered by Grammy-winning producer Bob St. John. The album features guest appearances by Tony Harnell (TNT), Brian Forsythe (Kix), Berton Averre (The Knack), Jon Auer (The Posies), and Jesper and Jacob Binzer (D-A-D).




The album will be available for streaming on all major platforms. In addition, CDs can be purchased at either Escape-Music.com or at StreetlightCircus.com. The band has designs on a vinyl release of Super Fine Sugar at a later date.


Streetlight Circus will celebrate the release of Super Fine Sugar with a party and show at The Mercury Lounge in New York City on Friday, September 23 from 6 - 8:30 PM. Opening the show will be The Blues Vultures featuring Ronnie Younkins of Kix.





Tracklisting:


"Super Fine Sugar"
"Drive It Like I Stole It"
"Cherry Cola"
"Ex Machina"
"Pay My Rent"
"Dirty Earth"
"Take Me To The River"
"This Means War"
"Trouble"
"Clown Parade"
"Zero At The Bone"
"Rattle The Cage"


"Super Fine Sugar" video:





"Dirty Earth" visualizer:





Streetlight Circus has established itself as a force among the new wave of classic hard rock bands. The band has toured the United States and the United Kingdom, having independently released two acclaimed full-length albums and one EP. Streetlight Circus has rocked the stages at major U.S. festivals such as Rock Fest (Wisconsin), M3 Rock Festival (Maryland), Rock N Derby (New York), Rock Carnival (New Jersey), and Wolf Fest (Colorado). The band has shared bills with countless venerated artists as heavy as Megadeth, Anthrax, and Avatar and as accessible as Night Ranger, The Doobie Brothers, and Bret Michaels. Super Fine Sugar represents an exciting step forward for Streetlight Circus and the band looks forward to touring and supporting this electrifying new release.

Alice In Chains have shared more rare video below from their performance on Later...With Jools Holland on May 7, 1993. "Them Bones" joins the previously released "Would?", and you can watch both clips below:










To commemorate the upcoming 30th anniversary of Dirt, Alice In Chains have created a special limited edition deluxe box set that is now up for pre-order. Set for release on September 23, only 3,000 will be available.


Dirt, the critically acclaimed and 5x Platinum certified studio album by Alice In Chains, celebrates 30 years on September 29. This Dirt 30th anniversary deluxe box set is limited to 3,000 units, exclusive to the official artist store.


Revisit the history of the album with a custom-sculpted Dirt girl from the album cover as a vinyl topper and magnet, orange 2LP Dirt vinyl with remastered audio, four show posters, a 24" square poster featuring the album cover and band photo, four reimagined Dirt album art prints, a Dirt hardcover book with never before seen photos, CD with remastered audio, and the album's five singles on 7" vinyl ( "Them Bones," "Down In A Hole," "Rooster," "Angry Chair" and "Would?”).





Box includes:


- Box with lid filled with metal shavings, Move shavings around to create your own dirt design using magnetic cover figurine
- Resin cover figurine fits atop vinyl records on your record player
- Dirt on Orange 2LP for the first time with remastered audio
- Dirt on CD with remastered audio
- Five 7” singles with brand new artwork on various colored vinyl: "Them Bones," "Down in a Hole," "Rooster," "Angry Chair" and "Would?"
- 80 page hardbound book
- Exclusive Dirt-inspired art prints by Cody Melick, Victor Melendez, Brent McKee, and Eric Wolfe Sahlsten
- 2-sided foldout poster
- 8x10 band photo glossy
- Four reprinted show posters
- Reprinted set list
- Dirt Tour laminate


Pre-order here.

Previously unreleased drum-cam footage of late Megadeth drummer, Nick Menza, playing along to the band's song "She-Wolf" can be seen below.


Filmed in March 2014 at Uberbeatz Studios in Seattle, Washington, the drum audio was mixed by Richard Easterling / KRM Studios and is believed to be some of the final studio drum recordings of Menza before he passed away more than two years later.


The footage was supposed to be used for the late drummer's first-ever instructional DVD, Intense Mega Drumming, that was to feature 10 re-recorded classic Megadeth drum tracks with tons of tips and tricks from Menza's arsenal to help teach anybody out there become a better player. The DVD, which was produced and directed by Kari Pearson and edited by Menza's manager, Robert Bolger, has since been shelved.




The unreleased video footage from the session will be a featured highlight in the recently announced official Menza documentary film This Was My Life - The Story of Nick Menza. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family.





From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic 'Rust In Peace' lineup." "This Was My Life - The Story of Nick Menza" is being produced/directed and edited by Holly Mollohan from Screaming Butterfly Entertainment.


David Ellefson has signed on as a co-producer of the film, and also will provide narration to guide the viewer through the exploration of the late Megadeth drummer's life.


Mollohan said: "'This Was My Life: The Story of Nick Menza' is now deep into the production phase of the film. The generous support of the fans during our Indiegogo campaign, as well as the amazing participation of the interviewees has enabled us to gather some truly unique memories and stories. For this, we are truly grateful.


The recent Los Angeles / Seattle portion of interviews went extremely well and we look forward to traveling to NYC, September 5th for the final set of interviews. This project is proving to be an interesting and rewarding one, and we look forward to sharing Nick's story."


Ellefson previously added: "The making of the Nick Menza documentary has been such a joy for all of us, like a sort of MEGA family reunion where we share stories, laughs and even a few tears around Nick and what he meant to so many of us. I think this film and Soundtrack will touch the hearts of the fans and viewers in the same way, as we remember his larger-than-life character behind the drum kit, but also his lovable charm and warmth that made him the beloved one of a treasured musical legacy."


The Menza family previously said: "We are excited for the fans to see the life Nick lived before, during, and after Megadeth, it was quite the journey. Stay tuned for an epic documentary. As Nick would say, 'It's gonna be RAD, Thank you everyone for the continued support in keeping Nick's legacy alive."'


Menza's longtime personal manager Robert Bolger previously said: "Nick loved his fans and always said without the fans none this would be possible. I really think Nick's fans will enjoy this journey through his life".





"This Was My Life" will be the first-ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life Including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic 'Rust In Peace' lineup."


"This Was My Life" will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with.


The cover photo for the film was shot by Los Angeles music photographer Alex Solca and designed by Brazilian artwork designer Alcides Burn of Burn Artworks.


Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.


Nick rightfully earned his place as one of heavy metal's fiercest drummers during Megadeth's 10-year commercial peak. The highlight of his career, Nick said, was playing Rock In Rio before more than 100,000 people. The lowest point was being fired by Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine while he was still in a hospital bed after surgery to remove what doctors feared was a cancerous growth.





Available for streaming below is the "Nick Menza Memorial Remembrance Reel" created by one of Nick's best friends, Juan Alvarez, who was also Megadeth’s videographer for a few years.


The reel features music from Nick's solo album, Menza - Life After Deth. Taking from Nick's book, MegaLife, Juan Alvarez (high school friend): "I was out on tour as Megadeth’s videographer for a couple of years; a gig Nick got me. I’ll never forget going to Brazil for the first time. Our first night, we got one of the handlers to take us out, and we lit that town on fire, bar hopping and clubbing all night long. It was a blur. The next day we were completely exhausted. We were backstage before the show, and Mustaine comes in and is really pissed off at Nick. He unfolds this newspaper he’s carrying, and there’s this picture of Nick and me and the headline, “Megadeth Has Landed!” Mustaine was so pissed that it was Nick in the paper and not him. It was hilarious, that’s the kind of shit we got into. There was a lot of chemistry between us. If he wasn’t making music or sculpting or painting, Nick was getting into trouble just the right amount to keep it interesting!"