In a new interview with WSOU 89.5 FM, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian spoke about the band's decision to hire legendary producer Eddie Kramer to helm ANTHRAX's classic third album, 1987's "Among The Living". The LP, originally produced by Kramer and ANTHRAX, featured the lineup of singer Joey Belladonna, lead guitarist Dan Spitz, Ian, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante.

"[Eddie] was really able to capture what we sounded like in the room, what we sounded like to ourselves when we were rehearsing; he was able to capture that," Scott said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "That's why we wanted to work with Eddie. We felt like his studio records always sounded really what a band sounded like — stripped down; no B.S.; that's the band in a room playing their songs. And when we would be in our rehearsal room working on stuff, we wanted to capture that, so people could feel that same thing we felt when we were in this small little room and everything's super loud and it's just raging and exciting and we're bouncing off the walls. That's what we wanted on that record, and we definitely captured it with Eddie."

Regarding the enduring impact of "Among The Living", Scott said: "It's safe to say that that record and then all of the touring we did on the back of it, it left such a mark on the world for us. That record basically enabled us to have a career; that album gave us our career. It enabled us to call our own shots and do what we wanted to do and not have anybody get into our business and try and tell us what kind of band to be or how to write our songs or any of that crap that bands go through. 'Among The Living', it opened the door to a world where we just got to be ANTHRAX and everybody just left us alone, and that's a great place to be when you're in a band. And that's why we're sitting here talking about a 40th-anniversary tour, even though we're actually technically 41 now."

Kramer reflected on the experience of working with ANTHRAX during a 2021 appearance on "The Eddie Trunk Podcast". Asked what it was like producing a band that heavy in his career at that time, Kramer said: "It was a big change. I had no idea what I was getting into quite frankly, and I think I learned a lot. I think that there were definitely differences of opinion within the band and myself as to directions, but I do remember having a tremendous amount of fun with them. And I remember the surprise hit that became a top hit in the U.K. — 'I'm The Man'. Who would've thought? The band completely did a whole 180 in the studio. Charlie Benante was playing bass, everybody switched instruments, and I ended up playing piano on it.

"Did I learn a lot? You bet I did — because this was the first time being approached by a heavy metal band. I think in the end, it became a classic because of the intense playing, and that's the thing I learned about it — [it doesn't matter if it's a heavy metal record, a blues record... If the intensity is there, if you pay attention to what they're trying to say, and it took me a while to figure out their message, which was strange and different for me. But I learned a hell of a lot, and I love those guys. That was genius."

Building on an underground following with signature tracks such as "I Am The Law", "Caught In A Mosh" and "Indians", "Among The Living" catapulted ANTHRAX to widespread recognition and earned the group's first gold award. It also marked the height of the band's use of horror and comic book inspirations, with the title track and album cover image based on the Stephen King novel "The Stand", "A Skeleton In The Closet" on King's novella "Apt Pupil", and "I Am The Law" on the comic book character Judge Dredd.

This past July, ANTHRAX revealed that the band's longtime producer Jay Ruston was working on a Dolby Atmos mix of "Among The Living".

"We have the master tapes, which we didn't even know if they survived that fire or not, but apparently they did," Benante said during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", referencing the 2008 blaze at a Universal Studios backlot in Hollywood, California in which the master recordings of an estimated 500,000 songs by many of the past century’s marquee musicians were destroyed. "And Jay has been remixing it and I heard some of it and I was just blown away. Like, 'Wow!' Jay played some [of it for me], and I was just, like, 'Dude, this sounds amazing' — as if we did it yesterday."

According to Benante, the idea to do a Dolby Atmos mix of "Among The Living" came from the record company, Universal. "[They] approached us to do it because they've been doing these," he said. "And, of course, they picked that record first. It's gonna be awesome, though."

Ian added: "They had a list, apparently, of the albums that hadn't been done yet in Dolby Atmos and we were high up on that list; they really were interested in doing that with us."

Charlie went on to say that what he has heard so far of Dolby Atmos mix is impressive. "The tones are so awesome, and it's so heavy," he explained.

"[Jay] sent me some guitar tracks when he first got the tapes," Scott added. "He said, 'I'm putting these masters up.' And he sent me guitar tracks from some of the songs. I was, like, 'Holy shit.' He sent me just my 'Caught In A Mosh', just the guitar, and I was, like, 'Wow!' [Laughs]"

Dolby Atmos lets you precisely place and move sounds in three-dimensional space with the introduction of audio objects — and with much more precision compared to traditional surround. And with the addition of overhead speakers, you can create a fully encompassing soundstage to make listeners feel like they're inside the experience.

Dolby Atmos automatically optimizes content based on the number of speakers in the environment or device, so your mix delivers the best experience it can for mobile devices enabled with Dolby Atmos, home theaters, soundbars and even headphones.

BUSH has released "Heavy Is The Ocean" the second single off their highly anticipated, long-awaited ninth full-length album, "The Art Of Survival", scheduled to drop October 7, 2022 via BMG.

"Heavy Is The Ocean" is a euphoric rock revelation encouraging love and recognizing the bravery behind freely expressing your feelings. As soon as frontman Gavin Rossdale heard the riff, he said: "Oh Lord, this is going to open the record. It really sets the tone and the gravitas of the album. I love the power of the ocean. It's mesmerizing to me. It feeds your soul. The song uses the imagery I love. At this point, I'm chained at the zoo of rock! So, I was, like, 'Fuck it, I'm going to turn that puppy up. This one definitely represents 'The Art Of Survival'."

The track takes a lighter turn compared to their most recent hard-hitting and uncompromising single "More Than Machines", opposing our current government's rule over women's bodies and highlighting the awful destruction of the planet. "More Than Machines" continues its impressive climb up the Active Rock Airplay charts (No. 12 in just five weeks),while "Heavy Is The Ocean" will allow fans a chance to get a taste of the full breath of the album by listening through all streaming platforms.

Both singles set the foundation for what's to come from BUSH's upcoming album "The Art Of Survival". BUSH wrote and recorded what would become "The Art Of Survival" during 2022, reteaming with Erik Ron (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, GODSMACK) who produced "Flowers On A Grave" and the title track for "The Kingdom", and collaborating once again on two tracks with film composer, musician, and producer Tyler Bates ("300", "Guardian Of The Galaxy"). The central theme speaks to both the human spirit's resiliency in the face of trials and tribulations as well as the band's own enduring place as rock outliers.

Rossdale adds: "Instead of being mournful or self-piteous, this is about the success stories of humanity's survival against the odds. People just find a way to push through. We've all obviously suffered in varying degrees. I think the nature of life is the art of survival. Everyone is being tested all of the time, but we find a way. In recent memory, we've made major strides and shown great resilience in the face of war, endless instances of racism, gender politics, a pandemic, and a melting pot of what we've experienced. For me, 'The Art Of Survival' encompasses all of this."

"The Art Of Survival" track listing:

01. Heavy Is The Ocean
02. Slow Me
03. More Than Machines
04. May Your Love Be Pure
05. Shark Bite
06. Human Sand
07. Kiss Me I'm Dead
08. Identity
09. Creatures of the Fire
10. Judas Is A Riot
11. Gunfight
12. 1000 Years

Rossdale recently told Germany's Radio Bob! about the musical direction of the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "The Kingdom" album: "I think I had so much fun to make it heavy that I just stayed heavy and stayed with heavy tuning and strong riffs — stuff [that will go over well at] festivals. I just like it to be exciting and really driving. So it's similar to the last one. If you liked the last one, that level of heavy, then it's like that."

Six months ago, Rossdale told Australia's May The Rock Be With You that he had written 18 songs for BUSH's next album. He also said that he tried to keep the musical direction of the new BUSH music similar to that of "The Kingdom". "It's all like that," he said. "I like that. So I've kept it in that vein. That was the launchpad. That was it. I was, like, 'I'm off.' I've got maybe two ballady, two softer songs, slower songs, but they're weird."

He continued: "I've got a studio in my house now and it's been such an amazing time. You have the tools at your fingertips now to make songs and make music. It's just staggering. It's so much fun."

Meanwhile, BUSH's summer tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN and ALICE IN CHAINS remains the rock juggernaut tour of the summer, having already sold well over 300,000 tickets and counting. The trek kicked off on August 10 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania at The Pavilion at Star Lake and will conclude on October 8 in Mansfield, Massachusetts at Xfinity Center.

Photo credit: Thomas Rabsch

Ronnie Romero has fired back at Joe Lynn Turner over the disparaging comments the former RAINBOW singer made about the most recent lineup of the band.

Earlier this month, Turner slammed Ritchie Blackmore for the guitarist's decision to go out and perform classic DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW material with a new group of musicians instead of reforming RAINBOW with a more "authentic" lineup.

Blackmore stepped away from his Renaissance-inspired brand of music with BLACKMORE'S NIGHT for the first time in 2016 to perform a handful of shows with a brand-new lineup of the band he had formed after quitting DEEP PURPLE.

The current incarnation of RAINBOW includes Romero, originally from Chile but now settled in Romania after living in Madrid, Spain for a number of years, as well as STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT),and backing singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn.

Speaking to the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" podcast, Turner — who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 until 1984 and was a member of PURPLE from 1989 until 1992 — said that he had been in talks with Blackmore for at least a year about a renewed collaboration before he found out from a French newspaper that Ritchie was returning to rock music but excluding Joe from the project.

Asked if he thinks it would be great for RAINBOW to stage a reunion of all the surviving members for a special show or festival appearances, the singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, man, I tried to do that already. Before Blackmore did the reunion — you know, that 'reunion'; call it what you want — we were in discussions about having everybody that was in RAINBOW together for an extravaganza. I mean, anybody who was still alive, and even paying tribute to [Ronnie James] Dio and everything, and trying to get 'em all in one place at one time, do a two-and-a-half-hour show at least, an authentic RAINBOW reunion. And it just got squashed down by his management and everything else. I mean, Live Nation showed up. I had a documentary, a 3D documentary, like the GUNS N' ROSES — same guy, Barry Summers, who did that; he's a good friend of mine — and it just fell on deaf ears. And that reunion became — I don't know what it was, really, because it really wasn't a reunion of anything. There was nobody in RAINBOW before who was there. It was BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, really, with a new singer. That was it."

He continued: "There's a lot of people that loved RAINBOW but they were too young to go to the concerts or they never saw them live, and this would have been the chance for those people — and I have a lot of people in my own family like this — that wanted to go see RAINBOW but really see RAINBOW. And that was not it. That was, in my opinion — I've already said it's a cheap imitation, a weak cheap imitation of… I don't know, man. I don't even know what to call it. It was a trainwreck for me. I think he damaged the legacy that way of RAINBOW. 'Cause RAINBOW was a fabulous band from start to finish."

Earlier today (Friday, September 16),Romero took to his Instagram to share a concert photo of the most recent RAINBOW lineup, and he included the following message: "There is so much power in our words when we are a 'public person', that we must be careful with what we say…

"I don't know and I don't care what's between The Main Man and some old ex members of the band, what happened or whatever. I'm just a normal guy who one day received the call from one of His idols to sing in the band He always dreamed of to sing… that's it. I'm pretty convinced I did my job well, (same for Jens, Bob and David, wonderful musicians) as all the feedback, appreciation and love I'm still getting in every place I go.

"I know as well you cannot be liked by everybody, but I will not tolerate to somebody to call my work 'cheap'… No Sir.

"Maybe for some guy is time to move on, as He did with other issues in His life, and to be careful to not to despise honest people who is here just working hard, as He does. At the end is all about Music, that's the only thing that counts and matter".

Two and a half years ago, Turner told the "80's Glam Metalcast" that he had been "talking to [Ritchie's] so-called 'management,' 'cause it's his mother-in-law, for a good year. I've got all the e-mails to prove it. We were going back and forth talking about what the reunion of RAINBOW would be. And I wanted an authentic RAINBOW reunion; I wanted to get authentic players. I wanted the realRAINBOW — not just the RAINBOW I was in — but I wanted to bring up Doogie White and Graham Bonnet and I had Bob Daisley. Unfortunately, Jimmy Bain had passed and so on and so forth, but Don Airey… I wanted to make it sort of a RAINBOW extravaganza. There would be a core band, whether it was [Bobby] Rondinelli or [Chuck] Burgi on drums or Dave Rosenthal — I spoke to all of them. I was lining all this up."

He continued: "You may or may not know anything about the Blackmore camp, as we call it, but they're very guarded. And the mother-in-law — the story is I had a spy in that camp, and the story is that she was badmouthing me to Ritchie saying that I wanted to take full control of it all. And that couldn't be further from the truth. I was talking to Live Nation, which we had over a hundred and sixty dates promised, either headlining and/or special guests at all the big festivals. Our label, Universal, was gonna release not only an album but a four-song EP. I had Rock Fuel Media out of L.A., which was gonna do a 3D video of the whole thing. It was just gonna be gigantic and enormous — amazing. And she turned around and just dropped it like a hot potato — didn't even give me any reason why. And I found out in a newspaper called Le Parisien that I wasn't gonna be in the band. So I kind of laughed at it — simply because he said that I didn't know about it. But I said, 'Well, he's making a mistake, but he doesn't know about it.' And I know that's my opinion today."

Turner went on to criticize RAINBOW's current incarnation, saying "the RAINBOW [Ritchie] put together is nostalgic, but it is not RAINBOW. They never did an album, and all they do is these spot dates. And anybody who goes to see them, it's all over YouTube. And that's really all I've gotta say about it. If you ask me, he's cheating the public. And that wasn't my intention. So happily I go along. Ritchie is allowed to do whatever he wants to do, and so I am. And I don't need the hassle. So it's great."

According to Joe, had his idea for a RAINBOW reunion come to fruition, "it would have been unbelievable. And even people who haven't seen RAINBOW before — there's a lot of 'em that love the music and grew up on it — are still coming out and seeing RAINBOW, no matter what configuration he put together," he said. "If you look at 'Live Between The Eyes' or any of our live stuff compared to the stuff he's got on YouTube with this particular aggregation, there's no comparison. None. Our band rocked."

Joe sang on the RAINBOW 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.

Joe Lynn Turner photo credit: Agata Nigrovskaya

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 𝕽𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖎𝖊 𝕽𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖗𝖔 𝕺𝖋𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖆𝖑 (@ro_ck_nnie)

On the heels of LIVING COLOUR's incredible performance at Rock In Rio with Steve Vai, the band decided to recreate that energy with a re-recorded version of their classic "Cult Of Personality".

"Cult Of Personality" featuring Vai is out now and is available everywhere you buy and stream music. The song was their finale of LIVING COLOUR's Rock In Rio set, where over 100,000 were in attendance and the entire crowd fixated on the bands performance and sang every word to the bands most iconic song.

LIVING COLOUR guitarist and co-founder Vernon Reid states: "In celebration of 30th anniversary of LIVING COLOUR's first appearance in Brazil, which also was Doug Wimbish's first live appearance with the band, we are releasing a special edition version of 'Cult Of Personality' featuring our special guest in Rio De Janeiro, our dear friend, the extraordinary Mr. Steve Vai on additional guitar. Engineered and mixed by the original producer of the song Mr. Ed Stasium."

"Cult Of Personality" was the opening track and second single from LIVING COLOUR's debut album, "Vivid" (1988). The song was released on July 14, 1988 and reached No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It won the Grammy Award for "Best Hard Rock Performance" at the 32nd annual Grammy Awards. Its music video won the MTV Video Music Award for "Best Group Video" and MTV Video Music Award for "Best New Artist".

LIVING COLOUR is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Led by Reid, the band's lineup solidified in the mid-1980s with Corey Glover (vocals),Will Calhoun (drums) and Muzz Skillings (bass). Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, hard rock and heavy metal. Their lyrics range from the personal to the political, in some of the latter cases attacking Eurocentrism and racism in America.

"Vivid" was released on Epic Records. The album reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and was later certified double platinum by the RIAA. It also featured the Top 40 hit "Glamour Boys".

Vai has dedicated his talents to creatively advance the language of music. While many artists fit easily into a single category, Steve remains unclassifiable. He is a musical alchemist of the highest order, leaving fans in awe with his exceptional guitar skills and musicianship. At age 12, he started taking guitar lessons from Joe Satriani. At 18, he began his professional music career transcribing for, and then playing with, the legendary Frank Zappa. For Vai, virtuosity and versatility are not mutually exclusive. He has created music for blockbuster films, bestselling video games, national sports franchises, and corporate brand initiatives.

Vai's work has been recognized with a long list of awards and honors, including over 15 from Guitar Player magazine alone. His career accomplishments have earned him honorary doctorates from Berklee College Of Music and Musicians Institute. The 2016 Long Island Music Hall Of Fame inductee was voted the 10th "Greatest Guitarist" by Guitar World magazine and consistently lands among the best in various lists of the top guitarists of all time.

Photo credit: Marco S. Hermes

MEGADETH's Dirk Verbeuren has joined The Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation as an ambassador for their Shark Free campaign.

More than 100 million sharks are fished each year to meet the human demand for shark products — shark fin soup, cosmetic and personal care products, pet food, livestock feed, aquaculture feed, fertilizer and popular seafood choices like sushi and fish and chips. Shark squalene is used as a moisturizer in cosmetics and personal care products. Many of the shark species targeted for the shark oil and squalene market are highly endangered or threatened.

Shark populations have dropped over 90% in the past 30 years, threatening the balance of life on earth upon which we depend.

The Shark Free initiative works to protect sharks by advocating for the removal of shark ingredients from consumer products.

Says Dirk: "The plight of sharks is one we should all be touched by. These wonderful apex predators, incredibly vital to our oceans, are being hurled towards extinction by humans in the most disgraceful ways.

"Rob Stewart's eye-opening documentary affected me deeply, and today I am proud to join The Sharkwater Foundation as an ambassador. I want to help spread a message of conservation and care toward sharks and all the other sentient creatures we share our planet with. We need them around.

"Humanity can do much better, and if we all work together, I firmly believe we will succeed in creating a better future for Mother Earth and its inhabitants."

The Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation is committed to protecting sharks, our ecosystems and our oceans. The Foundation's Fin-Free and Shark Free campaigns bring awareness to issues facing sharks and oceans and inspire action.

The organization was named in honor of Rob Stewart, the late Canadian documentary filmmaker, biologist, activist and conservationist best known for his three films about sharks and ocean acidification.

Stewart's third film, "Sharkwater: Extinction", was released after his death in 2017. The Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation was created in 2019.

Rob believed that one person can make a difference and together we can bring positive change.

"Conservation is the preservation of human life on earth," he said. "And that, above all else is worth fighting for."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dirk Verbeuren (@dirkverbeuren)

Knoxville, Tennessee alt-rockers 10 YEARS have shared the music video for their brand-new song "The Optimist". The track is a three-minute hook-fest of crunching riffs and earworm chorus with the 10 YEARS DNA running through it. The video shows the band's life on the road, from euphoric club shows and enormous festival stages to the band hanging around on off days, to give you a behind-the-curtain view to life on the road.

Talking about the track, guitarist Brian Vodinh says: "'The Optimist' riff first began as an improvised jam in between songs at a live show. Sometimes the band would randomly improvise on stage, and the song's main riff happened by a happy accident one night, and then we decided to turn that little moment into a proper song. The lyrics are about how life can beat you down, but you must keep searching for ways to push on and not let it make you too cynical. It's about the fight to keep a good perspective on things."

Tonight 10 YEARS will kick off a 21-show European tour with Canadian rockers THREE DAYS GRACE. The trek will see the two bands play shows in the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic, Poland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and The Netherlands. The tour will mark the first time 10 YEARS has played in Europe since 2018, and it gives European fans the chance to hear songs from their most recent studio album, 2020's "Violent Allies", live for the first time. Written in Woodland Hills, California, the LP was recorded over a five-week period with Grammy Award-winning producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, HALESTORM, PAPA ROACH). "Violent Allies" has amassed over 30 million streams, with the lead single "The Shift" smashing through the 10 million Spotify stream barrier alone.

Talking about the upcoming tour, Vodinh says: "THREE DAYS GRACE has always been a band that we have admired. Being able to not only share the stage with them but to have the opportunity to play in front of the amazing, music-hungry fans of Europe again is a dream come true for us. The fans in Europe are so passionate, and they dig deeper than the surface with our music which is always something we have loved about them."

10 YEARS' wall-of-sound hooks and high-octane live shows have seen them build a phenomenally loyal U.S. following. They've sold out countless headline shows and toured with giants such as KORN, DEFTONES, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, A PERFECT CIRCLE and LINKIN PARK.

10 YEARS is currently working on new material for a 2023 release.

10 YEARS is: Jesse Hasek (lead vocals),Brian Vodinh (guitar, backing vocals),Matt Wantland (guitar),Chad Grennor (bass) and Luke Narey (drums).

Multi-instrumentalist Denis Pauna has made a career out of mixing and matching artists with different styles of music. Check out his southern metal version of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" below. Go to Pauna's YouTube channel here for his extensive catalogue of work.





Guesting on the Jeremy White Podcast back in 2020, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford reflected on the band's legendary Painkiller album, which was celebrating its 30th Anniversary at the time.




Halford on Painkiller's title track:


"Sometimes the title track doesn't necessarily have to lead the record off, but it just felt such a potent statement. In all of the songs that we'd written, we felt that this had so much to say and that because it needed this kind of extraordinary opening - the drums instead of a screaming voice or wailing guitars - we thought, 'Let's go for it.' And what a great way to introduce Scott (Travis / drums) for the first time as it was then, with Priest, with that particular record. It still lights up the room. Whenever we play 'Painkiller' live and Scott's there by himself on the stage doing that opening thing, fans go absolutely nuts. It's a bit of metal iconography right there. It's a glorious statement."

Finnish melodic death/black metal band Arctora has signed a licensing deal with Wormholedeath for their album The Storm Is Over, due for release on September 30, 2022.


"Hearts Ever Restless" is the first single from the album. Check out the official lyric video below.







From the cold north, the storm arrives. Combining all genres of northern metal, Arctora will take you on a journey through a landscape of the soul. Through summer storms and raging blizzards, from the quiet woodlands to vast forests of snow. A promise of hope and the inevitable feeling of melancholy.


"I wrote the album by myself during difficult times, both personally and globally. I do hope the songs bring joy to someone else who is struggling," says guitarist/vocalist Joel Notkonen. "We are extremely proud to be taken in by Wormholedeath to aid us in our journey. May the storm soon be over."


The Storm Is Over artwork and tracklisting:





"Hearts Ever Restless"
"Arbiter Of Fate"
"The Last Winter"
"I Am Human"
"A Pale Image Of What You See"
"Wings Of Wax"
"The Storm Is Over"
"Haaksi"


An album teaser is available to view below.





For further details, visit Arctora on Facebook.

The clip below is Baest's official live video for "Ecclesia", shot at Copenhell 2022 in Copenhagen, Denmark on June 17th. The song is taken from the band's Justitia EP, out now.





Justitia was released on May 27th. The EP includes five brand-new tracks as the band picks up on where they left off with Necro Sapiens and present another old school death metal masterpiece.




Baest also get notable support from death metal scene greats Trevor Strnad (The Black Dahlia Murder) and Sven de Caluwe (Aborted) for a hard-hitting vocal feature on the EP.


Watch a video for "Gargoyles" featuring Trevor Strnad below.





Tracklisting:


"Ecclesia"
"Justitia" (feat. Sven de Caluwe)
"Gargoyles" (feat. Trevor Strnad)
"Creature"
"Second To None"
"Genesis" (instrumental version - bonus track)


"Gargoyles" video:





"Ecclesia" video:

Six Feet Under frontman Chris Barnes posted the following message to social media earlier today:


"People can criticize me or make fun of me all they want for doing these Cameo videos or what ever, I’m an entertainer so any way I can entertain someone is a win to me. But the truth is... I enjoy making these little videos and connecting with the people who need a pep talk or well wishes for their wedding or birthday or whatever I can do to put a smile on someone’s face. It truly makes me happy to be there in some way for the folks that have been there for me over the years.


Although I miss connecting with our fans from the stage and on tour, Cameo has been a blessing to me and the true fans of my music. I do hope to get back on the road and see you all soon from the stage. We are working hard on that goal, and are in the preliminary writing stages for the next Six Feet Under album. Until then, if you want to join me on Cameo - send me a request or a dm if you have any questions for yours truly! Or if you want a good chuckle check out some of the public videos I’ve done on there... guaranteed to put a smile on your face.




See you all soon - CB"


A sampling of the Cameo videos Chris Barnes has filmed can be enjoyed below.











Six Feet Under released their last album, Nightmares Of The Decomposed, in 2020 via Metal Blade Records. The cover art and tracklisting are as follows:





Nightmares Of The Decomposed tracklisting:


"Amputator"
"Zodiac"
"The Rotting"
"Death Will Follow"
"Migraine"
"The Noose"
"Blood Of The Zombie"
"Self Imposed Death Sentence"
"Dead Girls Don't Scream"
"Drink Blood Get High"
"Labyrinth Of Insanity"
"Without Your Life"


"Blood Of The Zombie" video:





"Zodiac" lyric video:





"Amputator" lyric video:





 

Hailing from Quebec City, Canada, Upon Your Grave are a solid melodic death metal outfit that has a savage new EP coming out this year and a second music video to compliment it. This new video is a lyric video for the song “Transcend”, the final song on the album that rounds out five tracks, which offers a new perspective on the band that has been around since 2009. Vocalist Jordan Jolicoeur is a huge sci-fi geek and that lends to a lot of the lyrical themes on the EP, exemplified on the single.


He explains in his own words:


“‘Transcend’ talks about a dystopian future where we put our bodies on warranty with cybernetic enhancements and augmented brains. Searching for a way to ascend with technology and bring the next step in evolution. Heavily inspired by Ghost in the Shell and cyberpunk elements, this one might interest listeners who like these aesthetics or know them. It's a big song that begins with a slap in the face, brutal riffs, and relentless drumming bringing you in deep waters all along until it lets you breathe with a shredding solo. We really like this one as it is an experience to play it as a band.”




The band continues to say that fans who are familiar with their previous material will likely see them from a new angle, that they come across as much more aggressive and authentic sounding, more experienced, and with a change of sound. In terms of lyrics on the release, Jolicoeur details that he went for something brutal and grandiose to fit the tones of the instrumental compositions. The aggressive, vivid lyrics are inspired by the epic soundscapes that drive the feeling of each track.


Mixed and mastered by Chris Donaldson (Cryptopsy), Gold & Decay is 18 minutes in total, short and sweet, straight to the point, diverse death metal. Initially, they intended to release a full length, but decided to reduce it down to an EP, to gauge the reaction of their new sound. They have plenty of material ready to go, and LP is likely in their future.


Upon Your Grave is ready to show fans what they got through this new record and on the stage. Those that get to see them will be greeted by full-on energy, a tight performance, and incredible blasting double pedal drums hitting you hard. They are recommended for fans of Lamb Of God, The Black Dahlia Murder, and The Absence.


Gold & Decay is out on October 7. Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Revived”
“From Beyond”
“Pandora”
“Supremacy”
“Transcend”


"Transcend":





"Pandora" video:





“Supremacy” video:





(Photo – Etienne Dionne / Mute Drummer)

Finnish heavy metal legends, Spiritus Mortis has unveiled a grand–scale epic of antique doom via Svart Records. New video “Feast Of The Lord” is out now.


Erecting a new monolith in the halls of doom metal history with their fifth album The Great Seal, Spiritus Mortis certify true classic status as one of the scene’s modern greats.


There are few modern-day bands that can be uttered under the same breath as the giants of traditional doom and heavy metal like Spiritus Mortis. Formed in 1987 as Rigor Mortis they can firmly attest to having been “the first Finnish Doom Metal band”, uncovering hallowed ground before the later imitators. Carrying the banner of powerful true Metal, the likes of which stands proudly next to the masters such as Dio era Sabbath, Solitude Aeturnus and Trouble, Spiritus Mortis have established a tradition of catchy song-writing and consummate knowledge of sacred riff-craft. The Great Seal is a collosal album which Spiritus Mortis describes as “a rite of collective suicide and an orgy of self-immolation” and plumbs the depths of epic sorrow with gargantuan slabs of igneous riffs and emotional vocals.







Synonymous with classic Finnish doom bands like Reverend Bizarre, whose singer Albert Witchfinder intoned previous albums’ vocals, Spiritus Mortis continue to define and cement their formidable legacy. Albert’s replacement, Kimmo Perämäki is more than worthy of the consecrated robes he inherits, delivering a performance which is flawlessly dominating and instantly gratifying. Tracks like Martyrdom Operation and Visions Of Immortality see Perämäki boldly carving his own name in the stone tablets of future history, marrying the riffs of the Maijala brothers and guitarist Kari Lavila with the splendor of magnificent melancholy that Spiritus Mortis is so known and admired for.


Not only will true devotees of the Spiritus Mortis Doom church be raising their fists with full hearts, but those who seek knowledge of the faithful spirit of real metal can surely look no further than within The Great Seal. Preorder at spiritusmortis.bigcartel.com.

Melbourne’s alt metal titans Circles deliver the pinnacle of Australian progressive metal with their new single “Dig”. Illustrating this next chapter via Wild Thing Records on September 14, they are also announcing and starting pre-orders for their long-awaited EP – The Stories We Are Afraid Of | Vol. 1. Preorder here.





The Stories We Are Afraid Of | Vol. 1 is the first installment of an epic two-part EP, following Circles sophomore record, The Last One, which garnered international recognition and domestic success (#4 TheMusic’s Album of the Year 2018, #3 AIR Independent Albums). The progressive giants continue to lead the path of the international djent movement with their upcoming release, furthering the incorporation of shimmering wavering pads, belting breakdowns and propelling percussion. 




The next installment of The Stories We Are Afraid Of continues on where “Sleepwalking” left off, portraying the process of piecing together existentialism and identity to rekindle a strong connection with oneself, which had previously dwindled to a flicker. “Sleepwalking” encompasses the realization of the cathartic state and “Dig” marks the first steps towards change, leaving four more tracks to shape the meaning of the EP. 


Frontman Ben Rechter states:


“The overarching theme of Vol.1 is one of a loss of identity and purpose, and trying to recapture a sense of wonder and passion for life that was once a core part of you. Musically, we went into these writing sessions with a focus on being more direct than on previous albums, steering away from crowding songs with heaps of different riffs for the sake of having more riffs that we personally like in there.”


Breaking through the glass cage of locked-down Melbourne, Circles continue their push into a new era, with their dynamic driving single “Dig”. Delegating their energy into their return, Circles follow up on their latest single, “Sleepwalking”, and an Australian tour presented by Destroy All Lines and Wild Thing Presents. As one of Australia’s most successful international prog experts, Circles demonstrates their decade of experience in “Dig” with textured guitar riffs, high-octane drumming and potent, powerful vocals.


Shining through the sandstorm of modern metal, “Dig” delivers dreamy delayed guitars, dynamic ancillary percussion and a massive metal spine built on the imperishableness of Rechter’s lead vocals. The culmination of powerful breakdowns, serrated guitar riffs and surreal pads leaves you choking on every breath before the final breakdown–the apex of “Dig”.


“Sleepwalking” narrated the feelings of regret and hopelessness in time wasted, unable to action the changes to move out of the negative-feedback loop towards what you’re searching for. “Dig” marks the first steps taken to enforce this change in your life. Instead of living in the hole of complacency and familiar surroundings, “Dig” is about battling the mind to muster up the strength and rise through the grit of one's metaphorical grave, even if this is only finding motivation to leave the house.


Rechter speaks on the theme behind “Dig”:


“This is all about those first steps out of that dark hole. Your mind fights against you, and everything feels like it’s not going to work, but it’s not necessarily about success, at least not in the beginning. It’s about starting to change what you need to change, even if on the first day, all you can do is make sure you step outside and see the sun."


“Dig” was mastered by Luke Cinacotta (Karnivool) and mixed and produced by Circle’s own Ted Furuhashi, showcasing his prior experience on Twelve Foot Ninja’s debut album – Silent Machine.


Concluding their successful Australian Sleepwalking Tour (Destroy All Lines and Wild Thing Presents) in early September, Circles have already reignited their loyal Australian fanbase and left their international community cut and craving. Prior touring history across Australia and Europe with TesseracT, Periphery, Opeth, Fear Factory, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Twelve Foot Ninja cement the veterans' place as one of Australia’s quintessential prog/alt metal mainstays.

During an interview with The CMS Network, guitarist Doug Aldrich (The Dead Daisies) revealed that he’s left Revolution Saints and that he’s been replaced by Whitesnake guitarist Joel Hoekstra. Revolution Saints featured Aldrich on guitars along with Deen Castronovo (ex-Journey, Bad English) on drums and bassist, vocalist Jack Blades (Night Ranger, Damn Yankees). The band’s last album, Rise, was released in 2020 via Frontiers Music srl.





"Our US fall dates are in full swing and we're lovin' every minute of it," says The Dead Daisies. "Check out what's been happening over the last week."







The Dead Daisies kicked off their current tour of The United States on September 7th at The Landis Theater in Vineland, NJ.


As if seeing Glenn Hughes, Doug Aldrich, David Lowy, and Brian Tichy deliver an explosive performance, jam-packed with a set full of big hitters including the best of the Holy Ground album, along with a couple of gems from the new album Radiance, out September 30th via SPV, wasn't incentive enough to attend a show, the band is selling a collectible CD EP only available at the merch booth!


"We thought we’d put together a Tour EP so you can get all the singles currently released on one disc along with a bonus track of a rockin’ cover of the Fleetwood Mac classic ‘Oh Well’, not available anywhere else! We’ve also thrown in a cool sticker," says The Dead Daisies. 





Tracklisting:


"Radiance"
"Shine On"
"Hypnotize Yourself"
"Face Your Fear"
"Oh Well"


Remaining dates on The Dead Daisies US Fall Tour:


September
14 - Nashville, TN - Eastside Bowl
15 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre
18 - Los Angeles, CA - The Vermont Hollywood
21 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post
23 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
24 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile


Enuff Z’Nuff are special guests of The Dead Daisies on all the US shows with singer, songwriter Gilby Clarke, also known for his years as guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, joining for one show at The Vermont Hollywood.


A specially priced “Have A Drink On Us” ticket bundle for fans includes a drink and an exclusive Daisies T-shirt. The bundle is limited to 100 tickets per show, so get yours now. Get your tickets here.


The Dead Daisies will release their sixth studio album, Radiance, on September 30th. 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":





 


 

On October 14, Lorna Shore will unleash their fourth full-length, Pain Remains, via Century Media Records. For a preview of the record, the new single, "Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames", can be streamed here; the video for the track, directed by David Brodsky, can be viewed below.


Lorna Shore comments on the upcoming "Pain Trilogy": "The Pain Trilogy is a three-part tale focusing on the stages of grief and vulnerability and exemplifying it through a love story. The first song, 'Pain Remains I: Dancing like Flames' begins with the main character becoming enamored by the person within his dreams. He decides to turn to this reality as a sense of purpose despite knowing that the closer he gets to his goal, the further it seems to drift away."







Pre-orders for Pain Remains are available in various formats, with the CD Digipak and all initial runs of the Gatefold 2LP coming with a special matte/glossy varnish. Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Welcome Back, O' Sleeping Dreamer"
"Into The Earth"
"Sun//Eater"
"Cursed To Die"
"Soulless Existence"
"Apotheosis"
"Wrath"
"Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames"
"Pain Remains II: After All I've Done, I'll Disappear"
"Pain Remains III: In A Sea Of Fire"


"Into The Earth" video:





"Sun//Eater" video:





Lorna Shore has announced The Pain Remains North American headline tour. The band will be joined by Aborted, Ingested, AngelMaker and Ov Sulfur starting on October 21 in Philly and wrapping on November 20 in Montreal. VIP ticket packages will be available to purchase for each show, which will include a ticket to the show, meet and greet with Lorna Shore, an exclusive VIP t-shirt, a souvenir laminate with a lanyard, a signed poster, a tote bag, an enamel pin and early entry.


“We are excited to celebrate the release our new album Pain Remains across the US alongside some of our favorite bands. This tour allows us to put on a performance we feel this record deserves while giving fans an experience to remember,” states Lorna Shore guitarist Adam De Micco.





The Pain Remains Tour:


October
21 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
22 - New York, NY - The Gramercy Theatre
23 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium 
24 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
25 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre 
26 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl Nashville 
27 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Heaven)
28 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
29 - Orlando, FL - The Abbey
31 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall


November
1 - San Antonio, TX - Vibes Event Center 
2 - Fort Worth, TX - Ridglea Theater
4 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
5 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
6 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post
8 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
9 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre 
11 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
12 - Denver, CO - Summit
13 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
15 - Chicago, IL - The Bottom Lounge 
16 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew’s Hall
17 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
18 - Mckees Rocks, PA - Roxian Theatre 
19 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
20 - Montreal, QC - L’astral


(Photo - Mike Elliot)

Professionally filmed video of MERCYFUL FATE's August 4 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany can be seen below.

Featured songs:

00:00 Evil
05:46 Come To The Sabbath
12:03 Satan's Fall

Earlier this month, MERCYFUL FATE announced its first North American headlining tour in over two decades. The journey, which will feature support from by KREATOR and MIDNIGHT, will commence on October 25 in Dallas, Texas and weave its way through fourteen cities, closing on November 16 in Atlanta, Georgia. The tour follows the band's stunning headlining performance at this year's edition of Psycho Las Vegas.

Vocalist King Diamond comments: "These will be the first MERCYFUL FATE concerts in North American theaters in over twenty years. Memories of a lifetime. Your special chance to see MERCYFUL FATE with the full European festival production, but up close and personal. You cannot miss this… I hereby respectfully invite you to Come To The Sabbath by which you may free your soul and feast with us in the dark of Night. Witches and Demons, you may come as you are! Satanic Regards - King Diamond 666."

MERCYFUL FATE with KREATOR and MIDNIGHT tour dates:

Oct. 25 - Dallas, TX - The Factory
Oct. 27 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre
Oct. 29 - Inglewood, CA - Youtube Theater
Oct. 30 - Wheatland, CA - Hard Rock Live Sacramento
Nov. 01 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
Nov. 03 - Gary, IN - Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
Nov. 04 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
Nov. 05 - Detroit, MI - Masonic
Nov. 08 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
Nov. 10 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theater
Nov. 11 - Laval, QC - Place Bell
Nov. 13 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall At Fenway
Nov. 14 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
Nov. 16 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle

MERCYFUL FATE is currently working on a new album and recently gave fans a taste of the new material when they debuted a song called "The Jackal Of Salzburg" in Germany this past June as well as at Psycho Las Vegas. The band's current lineup is King Diamond on vocals, Hank Shermann and Mike Wead on guitars, Bjarne T. Holm on drums and Joey Vera on bass.

MERCYFUL FATE was formed in early 1981 in Copenhagen, Denmark by vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Hank Shermann. They were later joined by guitarist Michael Denner and bassist Timi Hansen, and soon thereafter drummer Kim Ruzz would join to complete the band lineup. The band recorded two demos in 1981 and later signed with Rave On Records in Holland for the recording of their successful self-titled EP, released in November of 1982. The "Mercyful Fate" EP was soon in heavy rotation around core metal radio stations, launching a new breed of heavy metal with their unique sound.

The band joined Roadrunner Records in 1983 and their debut full-length, "Melissa", was recorded and released that same year. The following year, MERCYFUL FATE returned to the studio to record their now legendary "Don't Break The Oath" full-length, released in September of 1984.

MERCYFUL FATE embarked upon a two-month U.S. tour in support of the record, which took them across the States several times sharing the stage with the likes of MOTÖRHEAD and EXCITER. The shows had created a brush fire within the metal community. The band reaped recognition globally, closing the year with a five-date tour in Germany with MOTÖRHEAD, GIRLSCHOOL, HELIX and TALON.

MERCYFUL FATE's first concert of 1985 was in their hometown of Copenhagen at an old movie theater with a large capacity. The show sold out and their stage show exhibited a new level of distinction. The night was a huge victory and a new highlight for the band. By April of 1985, however, MERCYFUL FATE decided to part ways for each to pursue new challenges. The KING DIAMOND band was born and reaped critical acclaim the following years with five studio albums on Roadrunner Records. KING DIAMOND has since signed with Metal Blade Records and is going stronger than ever before.

In the summer of 1992, MERCYFUL FATE decided to reunite and penned a new deal with Brian Slagel and his label, Metal Blade Records. "In The Shadows" was released in 1993 and was an instant triumph furthered by a sold-out U.S. tour.

MERCYFUL FATE has gone on to release another five studio albums and have toured Europe, the U.S. and South America multiple times. The highlight of 1999 was their critically acclaimed album "9" which was followed by a European tour with METALLICA, where King Diamond and Hank Shermann joined the band onstage several times for the medley "Mercyful Fate" which METALLICA had recorded on their "Garage Inc." double tribute album the year prior. Tours in the U.S. and in South America followed, marking the band's last live performances for over a decade. MERCYFUL FATE then went on hiatus, but made a brief appearance when members joined METALLICA onstage in 2011 for their 30th-anniversary show in San Francisco, California.

Following the release of "Patient Number 9", Ozzy Osbourne is providing an inside look into the making of the album with a three-part video series featuring interviews and in-studio clips with some of featured performers. Set to debut today (Friday, September 16) and for the next two consecutive Fridays, the series includes exclusive interviews with Ozzy and the album's producer Andrew Watt. Sharon Osbourne, Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH),Ozzy's longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) and Mike McCready (PEARL JAM) also offer insight into the making of the album. The series was created and produced by Jack Osbourne with interviews conducted by renowned British journalist Phil Alexander. Watch the first part below.

Produced by Watt (who handled the same duties on 2020's "Ordinary Man") and released on Epic, the new LP marks Osbourne's 13th solo studio album. It's heavy, it's hard-hitting, it's historic — it's everything you'd want from an Ozzy Osbourne record and maybe more.

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

Working with producer Watt for the second time, Ozzy welcomed a dynamic A-list supporting cast. The record boasts guitarists Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready of PEARL JAM, and longstanding righthand man and six-string beast Zakk Wylde who plays on the majority of the tracks. For the bulk of the album, Chad Smith held down drums, while the late Taylor Hawkins of FOO FIGHTERS made an appearance. Old friend and one-time Ozzy bandmember Trujillo plays bass on most of the album's tracks, with McKagan and Chris Chaney of JANE'S ADDICTION supplying bass on a few songs. For the first time ever, BLACK SABBATH co-founder, guitarist and riff lord Tony Iommi appears on an Ozzy solo album.

"Patient Number 9" track listing:

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

As previously reported, Ozzy performed at halftime of the Los Angeles Rams season opener on September 8 at SoFi Stadium. Fans in the stadium were treated to a multi-song medley from Osbourne while viewers at home saw a portion of the performance on NBC and Peacock during halftime.

Ozzy opened with the title track of his new album, "Patient Number 9", backed by Andrew Watt on guitar, Chris Chaney on bass and Tommy Clufetos on drums. Longtime Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde then joined them onstage to play the singer's classic track "Crazy Train".

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

Ozzy publicly revealed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis in January 2020. And although he still struggles with walking, his symptoms are said to be quite mild.

In 2019, Ozzy suffered a fall at his Los Angeles home while he was battling pneumonia.

Ozzy recently said that he believes he has one final tour left in him.

"I'm saying to you I'll give it the best shot I can for another tour," he told the Observer last month. "You have not seen the end of Ozzy Osbourne, I promise you. If I have to go up there and die on the first song, I'll still be back the next day."

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

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

STILLWELL, the band featuring KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, vocalist/guitarist Anthony "Q-Unique" Quiles and P.O.D. drummer Noah "Wuv" Bernardo, has released the official music video for its new single, "Can't Stop Now". The track marks STILLWELL's first new music since the release of the group's third album, "Supernatural Miracle", which came out in September 2020. The follow-up to STILLWELL's past albums — "Raise It Up" (2015) and "Dirtbag" (2011) — was described in a press release as "the culmination of years' worth" of the individual members "finding their voice."

Earlier this month, Fieldy issued a statement saying that STILLWELL "has nothing to do with KORN". On September 6),he wrote on his social media: "Some clarity about STILLWELL. I've been doing STILLWELL for about 16 years, this isn't something new, although to some of you it is, that's cool. Along with my bros Wuv (POD) and Q (ARSONISTS, RADAMUS),we've put out 3 albums, we're about to drop our 4th.

"It has nothing to do with KORN or my status with KORN or anything else. It isn't Heavy music, it's alternative rock.

"We've always wrote STILLWELL music while on tour with KORN or at home. We've actually opened for KORN back in 2011, and to add one more little fact, the 1st STILLWELL video 'Killing Myself to Live' was during a KORN concert (2006),back when David [Silveria, drums] was in KORN, he's in the video, that's how far back STILLWELL goes. Again, it isn't metal or nu metal or heavy music, and that was my way of being respectful to the integrity of KORN, I knew STILLWELL had to be different.

"Thank you to those who have shown love and support and to those that aren't into STILLWELL, there's plenty of heavy bands out there to fulfill your needs.

"Thank you, Fieldy".

"We intentionally made sure to not sound like the other bands we're a part of, out of respect, integrity and just wanting to push ourselves creatively," Arvizu stated at the time. "If people want to hear KORN, P.O.D. or the 10 bands Q works with, they can just listen to those, STILLWELL is its own thing. We put together what I think is our best work yet."

Fieldy announced in June 2021 that he would sit out KORN's ongoing tour in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits." He has since been replaced on the road by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz.

When Fieldy broke the news of his absence from KORN's summer 2021 trek, he wrote in a social media update: "To all KORN fans worldwide. The past 6 years I've been dealing with some personal issues that at times have caused me to fall back on some of my bad habits and has caused some tension with the people around me. It's been suggested to me to take some time off to heal. I'm going to respect what was asked of me and take that time. Unfortunately you will not see me on stage with my band. I will be working towards getting the bad habits out of my system. In the meantime I will be staying creative to keep my mind & soul in a good place.

"I'm thankful for all of your support, patience & understanding as we all have something that we deal with.

"Jonathan, Munky, Ray and Head, I love you and I don't want to bring any tension or bad vibes to the circle."

A short time later, KORN's official social media shared Fieldy's statement, along with the following message: "We love and support our brother, Fieldy. Health and family always comes first."

During a press conference at this year's Hellfest in Clisson, France, KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer was asked about Fieldy's current status. He said: "[Fieldy] needed a little time at home with his family to kind of regroup. We decided we were gonna make a record during the pandemic and use that time constructively. And once the pandemic was over and we were ready to go back on the road, he wasn't quite ready to do that yet. So the rest of us were anxious to get back in front of our fans and play for everybody."

Earlier in June, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch told Kerrang! Radio that he had "been in contact" with Fieldy. "I just e-mailed him the other day," he said. "So we're gonna get together and talk to him, see how he's doing, see where his head is at, after this tour. Me and Munk were just talking about it. We love him, we've been in communication with him, and we'll see."

KORN drummer Ray Luzier told Germany's MoreCore that Fieldy is "doing good. He's our brother. We love him. We support him 110 percent," he said. "Bands are like marriages. Sometimes you need to step away a little bit to look at the picture and see what's going on with your individual life, and I think that's where we're all at now with Reggie. He's such a great dude and he's one of my best buds, so we support him in everything he does. No one has a crystal ball — I don't know what's gonna happen in the future — but we definitely miss him out here."

According to Luzier, Díaz is "doing a great job. He's doing a hell of a job. But there's a sound about Fieldy that isKORN," he said. "There's that signature thing that not many bass players can say that. Just that sound — you pop a KORN album on, and you're, like, 'Woah.' That bass, you take that out and it wouldn't sound normal, because Munky and Head [Brian Welch] don't sound normal, and neither does Jon [singer Jonathan Davis]. But that bass, man, it's just leading a lot of those older records."

This past February, Welch told Spotlight Report that Fieldy was "just taking a little time to be with his family. He is a great dad," Welch said. "He has so many kids. He has adult kids, teenagers and young kids. He is just taking time, and we are giving him the time. We want everyone to be healthy and happy.

"I guess we will go and tour this record," Head continued, referencing KORN's recently released album "Requiem". "I don't know a lot more other than that. We love him very much and we hope to communicate with him during the year at some stage, to see where everyone is at."

Welch previously addressed Fieldy's position in KORN during a November 2021 interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine. At the time, he stated: "The best thing to do is stay at home, be with your family, and start processing. He's got to find that healing. I still struggle with it. I had a few slip-ups with my 'bad habits' three to four years ago, so I understand it, but I dealt with it by hitting it head-on and stopping it from becoming a problem. I'm not concerned because I know he's going to be okay."

Davis expressed a more worried outlook on Fieldy's predicament, saying: "I love him; he's my brother. But I watched somebody I care about die and I'm not going to fucking do that again. I refuse to. I will feel guilt for the rest of my fucking life because of that. I tried my hardest but perhaps if I'd been a little bit tougher there'd have been a different outcome. I pray that he can figure it out and get better and come back and be a huge part of this band again."

Despite the fact that he is not joining his KORN bandmates on their current tour, Fieldy did play on "Requiem".

Earlier in November, Shaffer told "Loudwire Nights" host Toni Gonzalez about Fieldy: "Right now he's just taking some time to kinda figure out what makes him happy and figure out his happiness and what he wants to do with his life, I guess is the best way to put it. And make sure his mental health is at its best, because if your mental health isn't good, or you're not clear, you're gonna make bad choices.

"I make an example," he continued. "I had my own challenges through the years, and once you get clarity, your life becomes a lot easier to manage. We're just giving him time to, like, no pressure, just figure out what you want to do because we can still work and we can still go out and tour. But we miss him. We love the guy, and we want him to just be healthy."

Regarding how KORN ended up recruiting Díaz to fill in for Fieldy, Welch told 97.9 GRD: "Well, there's COVID and everything, so when we started talking about it, it was a thing where we wanted to be careful still and whatnot. So we just started brainstorming and hitting up friends and whatnot. We need the slap — we need the slap bass, we need the finger playing, we need someone, 'cause Fieldy is unique — very unique. So it just kind of happened that way, man, where Ra, he was open because SUICIDAL [was] not going out [on tour] until [the following] year. So it just worked out, man. He came down, we jammed. He's a really humble guy, and just very talented. He can play anything — from jazz to slap to anything. He played all the songs with, like, three mistakes out of 10 songs or something — little mistakes. I mean, not even mistakes — it was just, like, 'I thought I heard it that way.' They weren't even mistakes. So we were, like, 'Okay. You got it down.'"

Following the news in July that guitarist Steve Morse will be stepping back from the legendary hard rock band DEEP PURPLE, after more than a quarter of a century, his former bandmates have announced that, after an abundant summer of touring, Simon McBride will join the band permanently.

Collectively, DEEP PURPLE stated: "We are thrilled that Simon has agreed to join. Simon's playing is up there with the greats. Of course, Steve can't be replaced, the same as Ritchie [Blackmore], and Steve has a long legacy with DEEP PURPLE. In Simon we have not found a replacement, but an extraordinarily talented and exciting guitarist in his own right. The reception from audiences over the summer has already been great and we are looking forward to the forthcoming dates in the U.K. and Europe across the rest of the year. It is clear that Simon also holds great respect for those before him. We are all excited for what the years to come hold for the band."

Simon stated: "I'm very happy to be asked to join the band, at the start of the pandemic if someone would have said to me that I was going to be the new guitarist in DEEP PURPLE, I would have just laughed, but here we are and it's happening. DEEP PURPLE has a history of great guitarists so I'm very honored to be asked to be part of that. They are all amazing musicians and more importantly, I have become very good friends with the guys so I can't wait to continue touring and even perhaps some writing and recording."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Ueli Frey

ELLEFSON-SOTO, David Ellefson's collaboration with Jeff Scott Soto, played its first concert ever last night (Thursday, September 15) at Blah Blah in Turin, Italy.

Ellefson and Soto performed some of the music from their upcoming album, "Vacation In The Underworld", as well as ran through various catalog highlights, including selections from MEGADETH and Yngwie Malmsteen. They were joined by guitarist Andy Martongelli as the musical director, as well as Paulo Caridi on drums and Valerio De Rosa on rhythm guitar.

Fan-filmed video of the entire show is available below.

Featured songs (with time stamps in video):

01. Vacation In The Underworld (Ellefson - Soto) 0:01
02. Sharpen The Sword (Ellefson - Soto) 5:37
03. Like A Bullet (Ellefson - Soto) 10:40
04. The Reason (Ellefson - Soto) 16:22
05. Celebrity Trash (Ellefson - Soto) 26:18
06. If You Were God (SLEEPING GIANT song) 30:07
07. The Day Before Tomorrow (Ellefson - Soto) 34:55
08. S.T.N. (Ellefson - Soto) 39:43
09. Swords & Tequila (RIOT song)/ Guest on vocals: Alessandro Del Vecchio 44:20
10. Rebel Yell (BILLY IDOL song) 48:02
11. Medley: Hellion, Breaking The Law, Paranoid, Crazy Train, Enter Sandman, Run To The Hills, I'll See The Light Tonight, Peace Sells… But Who's Buying 53:25

"Vacation In The Underworld" will arrive on October 7 via Rat Pak Records. The LP was produced by Chris Collier and features eleven tracks and three bonus recordings.

From the fiery guitar lead of the album opener "Vacation In The Underworld" to the prog-metal fury of closer "Rise To Win", ELLEFSON-SOTO's debut showcases the various influences David and Jeff have picked up over their four decades in music. Giada Jade Etro from the Italian power metal band FROZEN CROWN makes a guest appearance on "The Day Before Tomorrow". Steve Conley and Ken Mary from FLOTSAM AND JETSAM perform on the title track, "Vacation In The Underworld".

"Vacation In The Underworld" track listing:

01. Vacation In The Underworld
02. Like A Bullet
03. Sharpen The Sword
04. The Reason
05. S.T.N.
06. The Revolution
07. Celebrity Trash
08. Live To Die Another Day
09. The Day Before Tomorrow
10. Hercules
11. Rise To Win
12. Out Of The Blue (Bonus Track)
13. Lone Star (Bonus Track)
14. Writing On The Wall (Bonus Track)

In March 2021 — two months before the former MEGADETH bassist found himself embroiled in a sex video scandal — Ellefson and Soto announced that they had been collaborating on some new material under the moniker ELLEFSON-SOTO. The ELLEFSON-SOTO version of the RIOT classic "Swords & Tequila" was simultaneously released across all digital streaming outlets via Ellefson's Combat Records.

In a May 2022 interview with KNAC.COM, Soto offered an update on his collaboration with Ellefson, saying: "I can confirm that it's actually happening. I can confirm that it's gonna be released this year. And I can confirm that it's a full-fledged album, it's a full-fledged commitment that we both put into it. We will be doing shows and dates, et cetera. But that's about all I can give you right now."

Jeff's comments came seven months after he was asked in an interview with Dr. Music if the rest of the material he recorded with Ellefson would eventually see the light of day. At the time, Soto said: "I'm hoping it will at some point. I've given David, as many people have, the space and the time to kind of deal with his own things.

"We were full-on getting that thing ready to bounce and to drop, et cetera, and, obviously, things were put on hold for that reason," he explained. "And it's just better for things to just kind of go away and kind of calm down, because we don't need the kind of press that comes with it, especially the comments [from] the Internet cowboys out there. Let it go away, let it just kind of slip under the rug, and I'm sure that stuff is gonna resurface. And the idea of it will resurface and get us out there… I'm sure we'll revisit it when the time is right."

This past January, Soto shared an Instagram photo of him with Ellefson and he captioned it: "Something brewing in Los Angeles today....#davidellefson".

When Ellefson's collaboration with Soto was first announced, David said in a statement: "Jeff and I have been friends for so many years that it's great to finally collaborate on some material together. He has such a distinctive voice and perfect style for some new ideas my guitarist Andy Martongelli and I have been composing. We are excited about the progress of it all and thought this would be a perfect time to give a little sneak preview."

At the time, Jeff added: "As COVID-19 became a big negative around the globe, it actually offered many artists a chance to finally collaborate with one another that might have never happened otherwise… As I have known David for many years, I knew from our other efforts outside of our day jobs that we could come up with some badass jams…and here we are, letting you in on our cool little secret."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021 after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson was accused of grooming an underage girl through videos and online messages. David has denied the allegation and has repeatedly said the woman in question had been a willing, consenting adult at the time of their virtual sexual encounter. Ellefson accompanied his denial with an alleged screenshot of a statement from the woman with whom he was supposedly involved at the time. In it, the woman admitted to recording the alleged intimate communications she had with Ellefson and called herself "naïve" for sharing them with a friend without the musician's permission.

David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

Blah blah Ellefson Soto

Posted by Ferdinando Bove on Thursday, September 15, 2022

John Lydon, known as Johnny Rotten when the SEX PISTOLS sneered their 1977 anti-monarch anthem "God Save The Queen", has blasted his bandmates for cashing in on Queen Elizabeth II's death.

Roughly 45 years after Rotten penned the words "God save the Queen / the fascist regime" and "God save the Queen / she ain't no human being," he issued the following statement via social media: "John Lydon wishes to distance himself from any SEX PISTOLS activity which aims to cash in on Queen Elizabeth II's death. The musicians in the band and their management have approved a number of requests against John's wishes on the basis of the majority court-ruling agreement.

"In John's view, the timing for endorsing any SEX PISTOLS requests for commercial gain in connection with 'God Save The Queen' in particular is tasteless and disrespectful to the Queen and her family at this moment in time.

"John wrote the lyrics to this historical song, and while he has never supported the monarchy, he feels that the family deserves some respect in this difficult time, as would be expected for any other person or family when someone close to them has died."

After Queen Elizabeth II's death a week ago, Lydon shared a short tribute on Twitter, writing: "Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II. Send her victorious." ("Send her victorious" is a line from "God Save The Queen".) The short statement was accompanied by a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the same image featured on the cover of the SEX PISTOLS' single.

This past June, to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Lydon penned an op-ed in which he wrote: "God save the Queen. She's put up with a lot. I've got no animosity against any one of the royal family. Never did. It's the institution of it that bothers me and the assumption that I'm to pay for that. There's where I draw the line. It's like, 'No, you're not getting ski holidays on my tax.'"

Lydon also reflected on the SEX PISTOLS' anthem "Anarchy In The U.K.", saying: "Anarchy is a terrible idea. Let's get that clear. I'm not an anarchist. And I'm amazed that there are websites out there — .org anarchist sites — funded fully by the corporate hand and yet ranting on about being outside the shitstorm. It's preposterous."

At the time of "God Save The Queen"'s original release, the song was criticized for being anti-monarchy and was even banned by the BBC's radio stations for its lyrical content.

SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones previously spoke about the song's connection to the Royal Family.

Jones said: "I've never had any connection to the monarchy, to be honest. It meant nothing to me, still doesn't."

He said of the lyrical content: "To me, it was just a laugh, it was a giggle. I didn't realize it would offend a lot of English people. They took it personally. It was a stab against the Queen."

Lydon said in a May 2022 interview with Piers Morgan that he was "actually really, really proud of the Queen for surviving and doing so well." He told TalkTV that "God Save The Queen" was "anti-royalist, but it's not anti-human.

"I've got to tell the world this," he added. "Everyone presumes that I'm against the royal family as human beings. I'm not. I'm actually really, really proud of the Queen for surviving and doing so well. I applaud her for that, and that's a fantastic achievement. I'm not a curmudgeon about that."

More than a year ago, Jones and SEX PISTOLS drummer Paul Cook blasted Lydon for his disparaging comments after he lost a legal battle over the right to use the band's songs in "Pistol", a six-episode limited series about Jones,

Jones and Cook argued in court that an agreement they signed with Lydon meant decisions regarding licensing requests could be determined on a "majority rules basis."

Lydon, for his part, claimed that the bandmember agreement had not been applied since it was signed more than 20 years ago and that "all decisions" about the use of SEX PISTOLS music and imagery had been made with "unanimous" agreement. However, a judge ruled that the contract was valid and active, and that the majority of the band could overrule any individual member's veto.
John Lydon wishes to distance himself from any Sex Pistols activity which aims to cash in on Queen Elizabeth II's death. The musicians in the band and their management have approved a number of requests against John's wishes on the basis of the majority court-ruling agreement. pic.twitter.com/LfD4wrOzjw

— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) September 15, 2022


In John's view, the timing for endorsing any Sex Pistols requests for commercial gain in connection with 'God Save The Queen' in particular is tasteless and disrespectful to the Queen and her family at this moment in time.

— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) September 15, 2022


John wrote the lyrics to this historical song, and while he has never supported the monarchy, he feels that the family deserves some respect in this difficult time, as would be expected for any other person or family when someone close to them has died.

— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) September 15, 2022