Michigan's THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER has just announced a show in Detroit on October 28 at Saint Andrew's Hall, which will be a celebration of the life and legacy of Trevor Strnad. The concert marks the band's return to the stage after the untimely passing of their beloved frontman on May 11. Founding member Brian Eschbach will be putting down his guitar and taking on the role of lead vocalist moving forward — a decision that wasn't made lightly when the band got together to discuss their future after they started to work through the initial shock and grief of losing their best friend. Stepping back into the THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER family is guitarist Ryan Knight. Support for the show will come from DARKEST HOUR and PLAGUE YEARS.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 16 at 10 a.m. ET.

Decibel has interviewed all members of the band for a cover story of the magazine's November 2022 issue, out this month.

Eschbach tells Decibel: "We spent many days thinking things like, 'Is this over?' None of us wanted it to be over. We still feel like there is a lot left to do. I know Trevor would keep this band going if I went down a deep, dark path and weren't here. It's bigger than us. When we finally started talking about it, we thought, 'Let's remake it from within and see if Ryan wants to return. And I'll take a crack on the vocals and see how it goes.' I can't go out there and do Trevor's voice or try to be him. I can only execute the music of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER with respect and try to do it the most justice I can. I've heard Trevor perform more than anyone else alive."

Knight says the decision to return was easy despite the difficult circumstances. "The time I've spent with this band is the best time I've ever had," he says. "Being away has given me a lot of time to reflect, and it always occurred to me that being in THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER is the best use of my time. I've thought a lot about the band while I was away and realized how much value this band has. I almost feel like I let some opportunities slip, being away from the band. So, it feels great to be back and like everything has come full circle. I've realized how much I love being in this band."

A memorial for Strnad was held on July 30 at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit. The private event was attended by Strnad's friends, family members and music industry colleagues, including Brian Slagel and Michael Faley of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's record label, Metal Blade Records, and BROKEN HOPE guitarist Jeremy Wagner.

Strnad's death was announced by his bandmates on social media on May 11. At the time, they wrote: "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Trevor Scott Strnad. Beloved son, brother, and Shepard of good times, he was loved by all that met him. A walking encyclopedia of all things music. He was a hugger, a writer, and truly one of the world’s greatest entertainers. His lyrics provided the world with stories and spells and horror and whimsy. It was his life to be your show." The band also shared the telephone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER guitarist Brandon Ellis wrote in a separate post: "I can not even begin to process this... In total shock and disbelief. It has been my greatest honor to spend the last six and a half years in a band with this absolute icon and legend. A brother. A best friend. One of the funniest and most entertaining people to walk the earth. The life of the party that is THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, as well as any given room he happens to occupy. A lyrical mastermind. A champion of the entire culture of heavy music. Also my biggest supporter. This man changed my life and believed in me more than I do myself. I can not believe there will no more laughs had, songs written together, or stages decimated with Trevor at the helm. I hope he knew how much he was loved the world over."

Last November, Strnad shared on social media that he was having a difficult time dealing with the passing of his mother, who had "died a few weeks" earlier "very abruptly." "Even at 40 years old, it's still hard," he wrote. "We were close. I feel like a lost little kid. Props to the many of you out there who have dealt with this and made it out the other side."

In an April 2021 interview with Metal Injection, Strnad spoke about his battle with depression and alcohol dependence. At the time, he said: "At the rate I drink while we're gone on tour, it's just not sustainable for getting older. Being 40-plus and being able to do what I do well and not look like a shithead, I've gotta be better to myself. So that's really the impetus [for quitting drinking]. That's the heart of it. It's not that… I know I'm no fun [when I'm drinking].

"I did an eight-month stint with no alcohol out there, but at that time it was more to save a relationship; it wasn't something I really, really wanted to do and really invested myself in. I was embittered by having to do it after a while and kind of resentful of my partner. But this is full-on my choice. I want to have the excitement I had before I ever drank. When we started this band, I was a fucking weird straight-edge kid. And now it's become kind of like… it's a lubricant for me to get up on stage and be funny and be kind of carefree and be the wild guy that [fans] expect of us, that they've seen from our DVDs and shit, which is really just a compilation of the good times. So if you expect any band that's just raging full-on like that all the time, they're not — it's just not sustainable. But it's to the point where I'm having 10 drinks a day plus to go on stage. And two weeks into it, I've been hung over every single day. I'm chasing that hangover with just more liquor, until the end of the tour [by which time] I have doubled my intake just to get by, basically. And it's not fun — it's disgusting; it sucks. It starts as fun. The three of us that drink in the band are, like, 'Yeah, bro. Sipping time.' And it is fun, but it's not sustainable. I've seen photos of myself, videos of myself where I'm, like, 'Yeah, you look like shit.' I don't wanna look like shit. From here on out, it's only gonna get harder to meet people's standards physically.

"Even though it's a death metal band, there are so many eyes on us and so much judgment, it's insane," he continued. "We're not a boy band. I'm not supposed to be fucking handsome. Who gives a fuck? But people berate you. I can't tell you how many times I've been called fat on the Internet. It's insane — literally. You've gotta have a thick skin to do what I do. But also it does wear you down over time, man. Doing all the social media myself and taking the brunt of whatever anonymous abuse, it's accumulated in some self-doubt, it's accumulated in more anxiety, for me, as the band has gotten bigger and bigger and there's more eyes and more pressure."

Trevor went on to say that his 40th birthday was a turning point for him. He explained: "I wanted my 40s to be awesome. I wanna look presentable; I wanna be a better frontman; I want to be more physically fit; I want to go into my 40 screaming. I don't want anyone snickering at me. I don't wanna be in W.A.S.P. I want this band to keep going at this tremendous speed, and I wanna segue into being an older metalhead gracefully. Luckily, in metal you can be an older metalhead. It's not like pop music where they just throw you away. Thankfully, this music is just as much about the past as it is about the present and the future. People are always gonna love the classic metal records. And that's one thing I enjoy about it. It's not this disposable music that you like for a week and throw away.

"I see this band going for another 20 years. But to physically be able to do it at this level and not top out at all is gonna take a focus on health and longevity and sanity too. [Laughs]"

He added: "Being left alone with my thoughts all this time [during the pandemic] has just been so dangerous for me."

Strnad also revealed that he was about to undergo ketamine therapy as a way of treating his depression. "It's intravenous," he said. "They pump ketamine into you over the course of two weeks — three days a week for two weeks. And they put you in this euphoric state for a couple of hours. And eventually you've done it enough to where your brain makes new passageways, new synapses, and you stop doing these cyclic kind of thinking — self-defeating. I've been a lot better now, but there was times when shit got pretty fucking dark for me over the last two years.

"You can go there as an emergency if you're ideating suicide really crazily — they can take you in on an emergency basis. You're basically high as fuck and euphoric as fuck, and they just give you all these great chemicals — you release all these happy chemicals and stuff like that. And they just keep doing that to you until you kind of rewrite the way you think.

"Really, this put the nail in the coffin for me about the way I look at the world, and it's been heavy as fuck," he continued, referring to his life during the pandemic. "I feel like there's no happy ending for any of us in the way that we've set everything up — government and just everything. I feel like it's just gonna be darker and darker from here on out. And that's a lot for a person to think about all the time. It basically stole whatever little bit of innocence I had left or any little blinder I had on to the way shit is. It's been heavy, dude. This has been a heavy fucking thing for me… I'm arrested by all of this right now and by my own feelings. It's just brought my anxiety to an ultimate head, basically. It's to the point where I've gotta do something."

Formed in 2000, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER — named after the infamous 1947 unsolved murder of actress Elizabeth Smart — had a number of shows scheduled for later this year, including an appearance at Daytona Beach, Florida's Welcome To Rockville festival.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's latest album, "Verminous", came out in 2020. It was described in a press release as the band's "most dynamic, rousing and emotional release to date."

Canadian rock band NICKELBACK has shared the official music video for its new single, "San Quentin". The clip was filmed on August 30 at the Simon Fraser University Convocation Mall in British Columbia. According to CTV News, hundreds of NICKELBACK fans attended the shoot, including one fan who one fan traveled all the way from Edmonton.

"San Quentin" is taken from NICKELBACK's long-awaited tenth studio album and and first release in five years, "Get Rollin'", which will arrive on November 18 via BMG.

"San Quentin" was inspired after frontman Chad Kroeger met a real-life warden from the notorious high security California prison. The song follows the story as he plots his clever escape. In addition to "San Quentin", the band's forthcoming collection will feature 10 new songs all penned by NICKELBACK.

Regarding why it took so long to produce the follow-up to 2017's "Feed The Machine", Chad told the WRAT radio station: "Well, we should have been making a record a lot sooner, with all that time off [due to the coronavirus pandemic]. But it's weird to say this, but for 25 years it feels like someone's been standing behind us with a cattle prod and telling us, 'Hey, the record's gotta be done at this time. We're gonna tour at this time. We're gonna do Australia and then we're gonna go do Europe and then we're gonna come back. We'll go across Canada. We'll hit America.' Just like every other band that has to do this stuff, you wanna get a chance to see your fans all around the world. But with this, we were, like, 'We'll get to it when we get to it.' [Laughs] And yeah, we took our time with it, which was just a wonderful luxury, to be able to sit back and [go], 'No. I'm gonna play this guitar solo 40 more times for another three days and make sure it's just exactly how we want it as opposed to deadline, deadline, deadline."

Asked about some fans' reaction to a 10-second clip of "San Quentin" that it sounds on initial listen like the heaviest song the band has ever written and unlike anything NICKELBACK has done before, guitarist Ryan Peake said: "It's funny. We've been hearing that quite a bit. It's actually interesting because I think NICKELBACK fans would know for sure [that it's us once they heard the full song]. I don't think it's unusual… It's a heavy rock song, and if you've seen us live, you would definitely get it. But I kind of like that people are feeling like it's a surprise that we can have rock songs like that in the repertoire."

As for whether "San Quentin" is representative of the musical direction of the rest of the album, Chad said: "All of our records are all over the map. We don't have one record that really sort of sounds the same in terms of songwriting from top to bottom. I mean, they're all all over the map, and I absolutely love that. I don't know how we sort of did that and how we got the acceptance from our fans to be able to do that, but we're very lucky because we don't have to record the same kind of music thinking to ourselves, 'Well, the fans are expecting this, so we've just gotta give 'em a whole album of that.' We can kind of do whatever we want. It's so all over the map, and it's fulfilling as an artist to be able to get in, and as a songwriter, for us to be able to get together and go, 'Let's do something completely left field. Let's try something heavier than we've ever done. Let's try something lighter than we've ever done.' Whatever we're feeling that day, we just do it."

Chad also talked about the lyrical inspiration for "San Quentin", saying: "I met the [San Quentin prison] warden at a party. And I couldn't believe how young he was. I was, like, 'There's just no way that you're the warden of San Quentin,' and everyone was, like, 'Yup. He is.' Guy Fieri's [American restaurateur, author and Emmy Award-winning television presenter] a buddy of mine, and I was at his birthday party a few years back. And the entire time we were talking, I'm, like, [laughs] I'm speaking to this guy, but in my head all I could think about was, 'I'm gonna write a song called 'San Quentin'. That's it.' And I stuck it in my notes in my phone. And then once the riff was down, I think I screamed out this line, 'Can somebody please keep me the hell out of San Quentin?' And we just took it from there."

"Get Rollin'" and "Get Rollin' (Deluxe)" will be available via digital platforms and physical CD format. The deluxe edition includes four bonus tracks — acoustic versions of "High Time", "Just One More", "Does Heaven Even Know You're Missing?" and "Horizon". Standard and exclusive versions of the album will also be released on vinyl in 2023.

"Get Rollin'" track listing:

01. San Quentin
02. Skinny Little Missy
03. Those Days
04. High Time
05. Vegas Bomb
06. Tidal Wave
07. Does Heaven Even Know You're Missing?
08. Steel Still Rusts
09. Horizon
10. Standing In The Dark
11. Just One More
12. High Time (Acoustic) *
13. Does Heaven Even Know You're Missing? (Acoustic) *
14. Just One More (Acoustic) *
15. Horizon (Acoustic) *

* "Get Rollin'" deluxe version

Amassing hits for over two decades, NICKELBACK is the 11th best-selling musical act of all time, counting over 50 million units sold and over 4.7 billion career streams to date. The band has released 23 chart-topping singles, with 19 reaching the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their undeniable success has resulted in over 26 awards, including Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, MuchMusic Video Awards, People's Choice Awards, JUNO Awards, and more. Among their numerous accolades the band has also achieved 12 consecutive sold-out tours, with nearly 10 million tickets sold worldwide.

Named the "most successful rock back of the decade" by Billboard in 2009, NICKELBACK is one of the most commercially viable and important rock acts of the past two decades. The four-piece, comprised of Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Daniel Adair, is globally celebrated for its career-defining and award-winning hits, including "How You Remind Me", "Photograph", "Far Away" and "Rockstar", which all held top spots on the Billboard 100. Their success includes worldwide sales of more than 50 million units, solidifying their status as one of the top-selling acts of all time and the second best-selling foreign act in the USA in the 2000's decade, behind only THE BEATLES. Their inescapable, irresistible smash "How You Remind Me" was named Billboard's "Top Rock Song Of The Decade". It was the number-one most played song on U.S. radio (any format) in the 2000s decade according to Nielsen Soundscan, with over 1.2 million spins.

Amongst all these accolades, they've also been named Billboard's "Top Rock Group Of The Decade" and received nine Grammy Award nominations, three American Music Awards, a World Music Award, a People's Choice Award, twelve JUNO Awards, seven MuchMusic Video Awards, and have been inducted into Canada's Walk Of Fame (2007). With more than 23 chart-topping singles and fans spanning the globe, NICKELBACK boasts twelve consecutive sold-out world tours, playing to well over 10 million diehard and adoring fans.

Ozzy Osbourne spoke to Rock 95.5's "The Klinger Show" about his desire to return to the road after a number of health issues he has dealt with in recent years, including surgeries to treat a staph infection in 2018, the reveal of his Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 2019, a pneumonia battle that was followed by a fall at home in 2020 as well as a major neck surgery in June and a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. "That's what I'm heading for," he said. "I'm hoping I will feel well enough to tour. As soon as I'm finished with [doing] promotion [for my new album], I'm dying to get some physical exercise in and go all out to get myself back on my feet.

"It's different," he explained. "It's awkward right now. If I haven't got the confidence up, I'll lose my balance. So I've gotta get my confidence up. I've overcome drug addiction and alcohol addiction and tobacco. I'm sure I can give it a good effort. I need it; I need to get back on that stage."

Earlier in the month, the 73-year-old BLACK SABBATH frontman told Kerrang! magazine that he is focused on getting his physical health back to the point where he can manage being on tour again. "I am going to put 110 percent into getting myself out there. Time is my most valuable asset now. I'm 73. I don't think that I'll be here in another 25 years. I've got a goal: the goal is to get back onstage. I had my last surgery in June. I can't have any more. So whatever I make of it is entirely up to me now. Even if I manage one show, then fall over, [I'll have done it]. But I know that I'm going to carry on. I know I can beat it. I know that I can get back onstage. It's just that I've got to get off my butt and go for it."

Ozzy added he's working on getting his "rhythm again," admitting that "my balance is all fucked up, but I've got to keep going. I mean, I'll probably always have a limp. But I don't mind, as long as I can fuckin' walk around without falling on my head. I have a goal: that next summer I will be onstage. If I put every effort into it and I still can't, at least I can't say that I haven't tried."

As previously reported, Ozzy performed at halftime of the Los Angeles Rams season opener last Thursday (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".

The performance came on the eve of the release of "Patient Number 9", which arrived on Friday (September 9) on Epic. It marked Osbourne's first stateside performance since he took the stage alongside Post Malone and Travis Scott to perform their "Take What You Want" collaboration at the 2019 American Music Awards. Ozzy has not played a full concert since 2018.

Prior to the the halftime show, 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.

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.

In a new interview with the 105.7 The Point radio station, SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith spoke about the band's current live show, which includes a massive stage complete with moving lights, pyrotechnics and a piano riser that appears and disappears onstage throughout the night. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The goal is to take you on a ride. The goal is to, sonically and visually, give you an experience — everything that you want a show to be, not just even in the rock and roll mindset of that.

"We've always been a band… we've put it back into the show over the years," he explained. "I do remember the very first time, going back 10 years ago, that we told our management that we were gonna bring in pyro, and they were, like, 'You're gonna do what?' Because sometimes people look at pyro and they're, like, 'Money is just going up in flames.' But I'm, like, 'No, it's not.'

"Here's the thing about pyrotechnics: I come from the school of RAMMSTEIN; I come from the school of KISS; I come from the school of those types of shows back in the '80s and the early '90s. I don't look at pyrotechnics as a gag; I actually look at pyrotechnics as an extension of the song live. There's a creative moment for it. Because some artists, if they do pyro, it kind of looks a little off or it doesn't look exactly maybe that's what they should do. But for us, we've always felt like the pyrotechnics, along with the sound and the lighting and the video elements and everything that we do, that it's an extension of the song in a live environment."

SHINEDOWN's new album, "Planet Zero", produced by bassist Eric Bass, is out now via Atlantic Records. The album debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and the official U.K. albums chart, and at No. 1 on six other Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales, Rock, Hard Rock and Alternative Albums.

Three weeks ago, SHINEDOWN released a brand-new Amazon Original of the band's current hit single "Daylight", available now only on Amazon Music. The track is a complete re-imagining of the song that changes up the chord progression and tempo and injects big drums and an aggressive distorted synth guitar tone that balance against the beauty and softness of the verses and chorus.

Fans can hear SHINEDOWN's Amazon Original on the Rock Arena playlist or by simply asking "Alexa, play the new song from SHINEDOWN" in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android, and on Alexa-enabled devices. In addition to the new track, Amazon Music listeners can access hundreds of Amazon Originals, featuring both emerging and established artists across numerous genres, available to stream and purchase only on Amazon Music.

"Daylight" is a meaningful portrait of a vital human connection that reminds us that we are never alone, and reflects on the importance of empathy and the relationships in our lives that help get us through to the next day. The poignant anthem recently became SHINEDOWN's 19th No. 1 at Active Rock and 18th No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart — both all-time records on these charts.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have released the official live video for their song "Stratego" from. The track, which was written by guitarist Janick Gers and founding bassist Steve Harris, is taken from the band's 17th studio album, "Senjutsu", which came out in September 2021 via BMG.

Says IRON MAIDEN: "The U.S. & Canadian leg of the 'Legacy Of The Beast' world tour is now underway! Here is 'Stratego (Live)' — dedicated to you, our incredible fans across the world!"

"Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson told France's La Claque FNAC about the LP: "It's always a big thrill when you get a new IRON MAIDEN album and it comes out. We thought it was a great album when we made it. But it was three years ago now. So we just have to pinch ourselves and go, 'Let's just check.' It's one of my favorite albums. And after 17 albums, it's pretty cool."

Regarding the writing and recording process for "Senjutsu", Bruce said: "I would like to say that everything was very organized, but actually, we're not. We turn up and we sort of go, 'Oh, has anybody got a couple of ideas?' And Steve said, 'I've got one idea. I've got this track 'Senjutsu'. What do we think about having a Samurai Eddie?' And we were, like, 'Oh, yeah. Cool. Why haven't we done that before?' Because we had an Egyptian Eddie and we had a sci-fi Eddie and we had a Mayan Eddie. The album is like the picture that's in the frame. But just because the frame is Japanese doesn't mean every song is organized to be about Japanese themes."

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

MAIDEN's first two Paul Di'Anno-era albums, "Iron Maiden" (1980) and "Killers" (1981),as well as with those recorded with singer Blaze Bayley, "The X Factor" (1995) and "Virtual XI" (1998),all failed to dent the Top 40 in the U.S.

According to Billboard, "Senjutsu" logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales. It trailed only FOO FIGHTERS' "Medicine At Midnight", which debuted on the February 20, 2021 chart with 70,000 units (of which 64,000 were in album sales).

"Senjutsu" topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

Kid Rock has released the official music video for his new single "Never Quit". The track is taken from his latest album, "Bad Reputation", which came out in March.

"Bad Reputation" includes the three songs Kid Rock released in January — "We The People", "The Last Dance" and "Rockin'" — as well as his November 2021 single "Don't Tell Me How To Live", which was recorded with Canadian hard rockers MONSTER TRUCK.

"We The People" features the chorus of "Let's go, Brandon," conservative code for "Fuck Joe Biden" (born when a NASCAR reporter misheard a crowd, reporting that they chanted in support of racer Brandon Brown when they were actually chanting expletives toward the U.S. president),and also takes aim at the mainstream media, CNN, TMZ, Twitter and Facebook, as well as mask mandates and COVID-19 restrictions.

"We the people in all we do reserve the right to scream, 'Fuck you!" Kid shouts in the song. "Wear your mask. Take your pills. Now a whole generation is mentally ill," he adds.

Elsewhere in the song, he raps: "COVID's near. It's coming to town. We gotta act quick, shut our borders down. Joe Biden does, the media embraces. Big Don does it, and they call him racist.

"Inflation's up like the minimum wage. So it's all the same. Not a damn thing changed," he exclaims.

He then calls for politically polarized Americans to come together, saying: "We gotta keep fighting for right to be free. And every human being doesn't have to agree. We all bleed red, brother, listen to me. It's time for love and unity."

The track concludes with sampled crowd chanting, "Let's go, Brandon."

In a Facebook video announcing the three tracks in January, Kid Rock described "We The People" as a "hard rock-rap tune."

"[It's] about, well, all the craziness going on in our world in the last few years and the politics and the polarization and social justice," he said. "You know, constantly for just being a Trump fan attacked in the media day in day out."

He added: "I don't mind taking a punch, but I hit back, motherfucker, and I hit hard."

LAMB OF GOD drummer Art Cruz joined Joshua Toomey and the "Talk Toomey" podcast this week to discuss all things LAMB OF GOD and the band's upcoming album, "Omens". In the video clip below, Art talks about the fill-in musicians that helped out LAMB OF GOD on their recent tours, and the "greatness" of LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe.

"I'm speaking as a fan as well," Art said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Randy Blythe, he's the greatest frontman in heavy metal history, in my opinion — not just on a vocal level; it's more of a performer, you know what I'm saying? Metal bands need a performer and somebody like that that can really take it and lead you through this adventure. So I think between Randy and people like Jamey Jasta [HATEBREED] and obviously Phil Anselmo [PANTERA], these are elite frontmen, in my opinion. That's just in my generation too. You can go back even more and start going deep into the older stuff, the classic metal days and stuff like that. There's a lot more performers happening now, I think. From the hardcore scene and that New Wave Of American Metal that came through, your frontman was kind of everything."

Blythe spoke about what he believes makes a good frontman during a recent appearance on a recent episode of "Stoke The Fire", the alternative lifestyle and culture podcast hosted by musician Jesse Leach (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE) and DJ/presenter Matt Stocks ("Life In The Stocks"). "There are guys in their closet with their YouTube rig or in their garage who can outsing either fucking one of us," Randy said, addressing Leach. "There is no doubt about it, man. They have more talent, natural talent, in their little pinky than either of us. But the difference is… I think one of the main requirements to be a frontman, a good frontman — actually, the only requirement, probably; I mean, you've gotta have some talent — is a willingness to get up in front of people and make an idiot out of yourself and be really bad for a while until you become good. And so these people with all this natural talent, it doesn't fucking matter unless you can get in front of people and do it, and you have to do it with a group of people; you have to feel that bond; you have to deliver."

Two and a half years ago, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton praised Blythe's abilities while discussing the band's appearance at the 2019 Sonic Temple Art + Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio. He said: "That particular Sonic Temple Festival, it was in a stadium, and Randy Blythe, who I think is the best frontman in heavy metal, made that stadium into a theater that day. I remember telling him when we walked off stage, 'Randy, you're the best in the world.' Because he took tens of dozens of thousands of people who were there, and he shrunk that whole stadium into the size of a 2,500-seat theater. That's why he's the best in the world at what he does. I will give him love all day long. He's one of my best friends and I think he's the best frontman in heavy metal. Sometimes when you have a star like that and they're 100 percent on point and the audience is willing, you can actually make that connection even in a monster arena like that."

"Omens" is due out October 7 on Epic. LAMB OF GOD tracked the effort with longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH) live in the room together at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD, RAMONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among others.

The "Omens" album pre-order is live at Lamb-Of-God.com, boasting several exclusive items, including a signed colored vinyl variant, shirt, hoodie, and signed CDs with an alternate color cover. All physical CD and vinyl releases will include a free access code to watch the livestream viewing of "The Making Of Omens" documentary, which will premiere the week of album release.

LAMB OF GOD is supporting the new album with a massive Live Nation-produced U.S. headlining tour featuring special guests KILLSWITCH ENGAGE on all dates. Different legs are also seeing support from BARONESS, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, SPIRITBOX, ANIMALS AS LEADERS as well as SUICIDE SILENCE and FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY. The tour kicked off on September 9 in Brooklyn and will run through October 20.

"Omens" is the follow-up to LAMB OF GOD's self-titled album, which was released in June 2020 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe. That LP marked LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with Cruz, who joined the band in July 2019 as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.

Finnish Love Metal pioneer, Ville Valo (VV), has set January 13 as the release date for his debut solo album, Neon Noir. You can pre-order the set here.


"Neon Noir is a sonic step-by-step guide on how to survive, and perhaps even enjoy, the realm of VV with its abundance of things that go bump in the night," says Valo. "It's a teary mascara marathon between Robert Smith and Ozzy, with a dash of hope."







Tracklisting:


"Echolocate Your Love"
"Run Away From The Sun"
"Neon Noir"
"Loveletting"
"The Foreverlost"
"Baby Lacrimarium"
"Salute the Sanguine"
"In Trenodia"
"Heartful Of Ghosts"
"Saturnine Saturnalia"
"Zener Solitaire"
"Vertigo Eyes"


"Echolocate Your Love" video:





"Loveletting" video:





VV's headline tour, taking place next year across Europe, the UK, and North America - has already sold-out across a number of cities. Get your tickets here to avoid disappointment.





 
(Photo - Joonas Brandt)

The 69 Eyes have released a Vicente Cordero-directed video for "California", featured on their Drive EP, out Friday. Watch the clip below.


On September 16, the strictly limited Drive vinyl EP with 3 brand new tracks from this year and a bonus live song will be released. Pre-order the vinyl EP here.







Side A:
"Drive"
"Call Me Snake"


Side B:
"California"
"Two Horns Up" (live) - exclusively on vinyl, not available digitally


"California" video:





"Call Me Snake":





This fall, the band will go on tour together with the industrial pioneers Ministry and horror rockers Wednesday 13 - see them at one of the following shows.


Dates:


October
30 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
31 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp


November
2 - London, England - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
3 - Glasgow, Scotland - SWG3 TV Studio
4 - Dublin, Ireland - National Stadium
7 - Paris, France - Elysée Montmartre
8 - Rennes, France - Antipode
9 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27   
11 - Madrid, Spain - But
12 - Murcia, Spain - Gamma
13 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
14 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
16 - Zürich, Switzerland - Komplex
17 - München, Germany - Muffathalle
18 - Milan, Italy - Fabrique
19 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Kino Šiška         
21 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
22 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
23 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
24 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys     
26 - Hamburg, Germany - Gruenspan
27 - Roskilde, Denmark - Gimle
28 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
29 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fållan


December
1 - Finland Helsinki, Finland - Black Box

Vio-Lence performed at the 2022 edition of Belgium's Alcatraz Metal Festival on August 13th. Professionally-filmed video from the band's set can be found below.


The complete setlist was as follows:


"Eternal Nightmare"
"Serial Killer"
"Calling in the Coroner"
"Officer Nice"
"Kill on Command"
"Upon Their Cross"
"Phobophobia"
"World in a World"







Back in August, Vio-Lence announced guitarist Ira Black (Bulletboys, Metal Church, I Am Morbid) will be filling in for Phil Demmel for their 2022 dates, including their South American run and winter European tour, kicking off at the Brutal Assault Festival August 9 in the Czech Republic, where Black performed his first show with the band.


Video, courtesy of Aviad Attia, can be viewed below:





Black who grew up in the Bay Area and played with thrash bands Vicious Rumors, Heathen and Metal Church got the Vio-Lence call by Phil in early 2022.





“Vio-Lence is a legendary Bay Area thrash band and I’ve known them for many years. I’ve had a great time learning Phil’s parts, rehearsals are going great, these guys are the real deal! I’m looking forward to slaying it for the Vio-Lence fans around the world. See you out there,” Black previously stated.


“Vio-Lence is a state of mind more than it is a band. It’s an attitude that never asks for forgiveness or to be accepted. Many musicians have represented those principles on stage as Vio-Lence and today is no different. We would like to announce that in place of the Great Philip Demmel we will be joined by a man who has shared the stage with musical legends. Today Vio-Lence is announcing that another attitude will be joining us. We would like all the Vio-Lence lovers and haters to welcome Ira Black who will be joining us on our upcoming performances,” said Killian.


Vio-Lence's tour schedule is as follows:


November
23 - Fluor - Amersfoort, Netherlands        
24 - Kulturpalast - Hamburg, Germany
25 - MS Connexion Complex - Mannheim, Germany           
26 - Masters of Rock - Zlin, Czech Republic
27 - Barba Negra - Budapest, Hungary
28 - Airport Eventhall - Regensburg, Germany                      
29 - LKA Longhorn - Stuttgart, Germany       
30 - Alte Kaserne - Zurich, Switzerland    
31 - La Madeleine - Brussels, Belgium


December
2 - Turock - Essen, Germany                            
3 - Voxhall - Aarhus, Denmark
4 - Slaktkyrkan - Stockholm, Sweden
5 - Trädgarn - Gothenburg, Sweden

Finnish thrash metal band Ceaseless Torment signed a licensing deal with Wormholedeath for their new album Victory Or Death, which is due for release on September 30th, 2022. They have released the new single "Killing Commands"; check out the official video below.





Formed in Helsinki, Finland, Ceaseless Torment has been thrashing the world with their aggression since 2008. The band takes its influence from the '80s and early '90s thrash metal bands, and from the very beginning, it was clear, that brutal and aggressive thrash metal was the way to go.




As a fierce squad full of hate, Ceaseless Torment has played live in over 15 countries and toured with bands such as Nervosa and Evil Invaders. The group have released two full-length albums, The End They Bring (2014) and Forces Of Evil (2017). Their third album Victory Or Death, was recorded in 2021 and will be released next month. The artwork and tracklisting can be seen below.





"Final Sacrifice" 
"Beyond The Boundaries Of Sanity" 
"All Be Dead" 
"Killing Commands" 
"Funeral Pyre" 
"Only Victory Or Death" 
"Sons Of Sodom" 
"Obsession Possession" 
"Slaves Of Hell"


Check out an album teaser:

Philadelphia hardcore punk legends R.A.M.B.O. return and sign to Relapse for the release of Defy Extinction, out November 4. Defy Extinction is R.A.M.B.O.’s first full-length album since 2006. Check out the title track below.


R.A.M.B.O. vocalist Tony Croasdale comments:


"R.A.M.B.O. is stoked to announce that our new album will be released, excuse me, UNLEASHED, on Relapse records on Nov 4th. With a local connection and global reach, Relapse makes perfect sense R.A.M.B.O.. We have known folks at Relapse for a long time, starting when Bull and Tony put on Brutal Truth shows in West Philly warehouses 25 years ago and it continues with our friends on staff and in active bands in the label now. 




“Defy Extinction is a love letter to people and wildlife. The beauty of humanity and nature is worth fighting for."


Physical Defy Extinction LP/CD/CS pre-orders are available via relapse.com. Digital Downloads/Streaming/Pre-Save available at orcd.co.


To say that R.A.M.B.O. occupies a singular space in punk history is an understatement. During their initial run from 1999 to 2007 the Philadelphia band took influences from thrash, anarcho-punk, d-beat, crust, and hardcore and combined that with intelligent but very fun – and at times downright ridiculous – lyrics to create what was very much a DIY powerhouse. In those eight years they released two albums, 7" splits with Crucial Unit and Caustic Christ, and played thousands of gigs across the country and across the world. They might have gone out at the top of their game but now, 15 years later, R.A.M.B.O. is back with their aptly titled new album, Defy Extinction. 





Tracklisting:


“River Of Birds”
“Who Let The Sheepdogs Out?”
“Authorities > Authority”
“The End Is Nye”
“Imperialist Pigs In Space”
“Cattle Tyrant”
“Q: And Children A: Real Children”
“Love And Science 1”
“Judas Goat”
“Defy Extinction”
“Outlive The Bastard”
“Ch@d”
“Blizzard Brigade”
“Love And Science 2”
“New World Vultures”
“Biomass”
“YouTube Disaster” 


“Defy Extinction” video:

Canadian instrumental progressive metal quintet Cydemind is back with a new song, "Hoax", out now on all digital platforms. It is also the band's first music video since their acclaimed prog metal version of Vivaldi’s "Winter" concerto.


The Montreal-based band is ecstatic to finally reveal some new music in preview to their forthcoming sophomore album The Descent to follow their 2017 debut Erosion.


"‘Hoax’ is one of the first songs we wrote for the new album, so it’s been finished for a while!" says violinist Olivier Allard. "I think it took us 3 or 4 days to write that one (it usually takes 3 or 4 months to finish one!), so it all came up pretty instinctively."




"It’s the most fun, summeresque song of the album, so we hope our fans enjoy it!" adds bassist Nico Damoulianos. "We’re also very proud of the music video; it fits the song perfectly and demonstrates very well how much fun we have playing it!"


As the name implies, "Hoax" is not the typical prog metal song you’re used to hearing. "There are funk elements all over the place in this one," explains drummer Alexandre Dagenais. "We like to brand Hoax as a Funk Metal song because it really is borrowing vibes from both genres. We always liked funk bands like Vulfpeck or Snarky Puppy, and we always felt like their music would sound well with a little metal injection. So it’s basically what we did!"


The music video was filmed in March 2022 in the Studios Frisson, Montréal, which is also where Cydemind recorded the grand piano tracks for its upcoming installment. The video was entirely produced, directed, and edited by Vincent Allard, Olivier’s brother.


Sheet music for “Hoax” can be purchased on Bandcamp.


The Descent will showcase seven new tracks lasting just under 60 minutes. "With The Descent, we delved into the concept of obsessions and the abysses into which they can plunge the human mind," says Olivier Allard, violinist.


"The album takes us along one’s descent into hell,'' explains guitarist Kevin Paquet. “The first track, Obsessions, acts as an opening. The song contains rhythmic and melodic motifs from each of the tracks on the album. The opening melody acts a bit like the leitmotif of the obsession (whichever it is), returning several times throughout the course of the album. We follow this up with Hoax, a song that incorporates several elements of funk. As hinted by the name of the track, you should not expect the album to respect that tone; on the contrary, the music gradually shifts into something much more sinister and complex."


The band’s lineup remains the same for this second release: Olivier Allard (violin), Nico Damoulianos (bass guitar), Alexander Dagenais (drums), Camille Delage (piano and keyboards), and Kevin Paquet (guitars)


The album was mixed by Simon L’Espérance (Karcius) and mastered by Tony Lindgren (Fascination Street Studios). The cover art for the album was created by Alexander Dagenais.





Tracklisting:


“Obsessions”
“Hoax”
“Breach”
“Call Of The Void”
“Hemlock”
“Slumber”
“The Last Stone”


"Hoax" video:

Hamilton, ON, Canada's Aquila marked their return in 2022, with their new EP The Great Fire unleashed this past June. The EP follows their two 2020 EPs Valle Mortalitatis (Feb) and Jewel Of The Empire’s Crown (July).


Historical buffs for the Roman Empire, the four-track concept record speaks of the Roman Emperor Nero who was known for the killing of the Christian population, and The Great Fire of Rome (Jul 18, 64 AD – Jul 23, 64 AD). This recording is musically the most brutal and progressive material the band has written emphasizing the METAL into METALcore once again.


"We write about Roman events and themes like battles and certain emperors. It was brutal times back then, so the listener gets a little history lesson as well. I write my own twists and spice things up for the story in the song." adds vocalist Mark Arruda.




Today, in support of the new recording, vocalist Mark Arruda is sharing his vocal playthrough for "A City Risen". He explains the song in further detail:


"The song is at a slower pace, but hits heavy with many hooks. I think it's my best vocal performance ever. I used my singing range for this one, not just straight death metal vocals for this one."





The opening and title track "The Great Fire" starts off slow and then it explodes. It is the band's traditional straightforward in-your-face track with a Power Trip style breakdown in the middle of the song. The lyrics are about Nero causing the fire and that he wanted it to happen. From there you enter the "Emperor's Curse". This song starts off brutal and it is a rollercoaster of a track, traveling into Tool-like drumming and guitars with a catchy hook at the end of it. It's the most progressive song Aquila has ever written and was inspired by their own song, "Bound For Glory", from their 2009 debut album "Imperium". After a very brutal beheading and crucifixion of Christians to Nero taking his own life, track 3 "A City Risen" is about what Nero is thinking before he takes his life or even after his death. The song is at a slower pace, but hits heavy with many hooks. "I think it's my best vocal performance ever. I used my singing range for this one, not just straight death metal vocals for this one," says Arruda.





EP closer, "The Plague of Galen" was written when vocalist Mark Arruda and drummer Mark McGuire reconnected just before the Covid pandemic and felt it was fitting to write a song about a plague that happened in Rome many centuries ago. The song has a melodic death metal feel to it that you can certainly headbang to. The breakdown in the middle is crushing, ending with Iron Maiden-influenced guitar playing.


With all its fury and melodic groove, "The Great Fire" is just the next taster for fans old and new alike, as the band continues writing for a full-length album to be released in the near future. The band adds:


"We want our listeners to experience the emotions on this EP, there are elements to headbang to and elements of anger and sadness as well. Each track is different from one another with a lot of hills and valleys."


And local fans in Hamilton, ON will be able to experience them live for the first time since 2014. The band will be performing on September 2 at Doors pub alongside Kings In Graves, With Fists Open, and Demise of Ourselves.


The band's new music video for the EP's title track can be seen below:





The Great Fire is available on Bandcamp.

Swedish metallers SOILWORK have announced the passing of their guitarist David Andersson. He was 47 years old.

Earlier today (Wednesday, September 14),the band released the following statement via social media: "We are deeply saddened today, as we bring the terrible news of David Andersson's passing. He was one of a kind and a brilliant man in so many ways. He was our guitarist for more than 10 years and had a big impact on SOILWORK's musical journey forward. Sadly alcohol and mental illness took you away from us. We will miss him dearly and will continue to carry the musical legacy that he was a part of. Our deepest condolences goes out to his family. Forever grateful for the time we spent with you and all the good laughs.

"Thank you Dr. Dave. See you on the other side.

"We encourage everyone to respect the privacy of David's family and friends in these tragic times."

In addition to being a longtime member of SOILWORK, David played in THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA alongside SOILWORK singer Björn Strid.

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA said in a separate statement: "Goodnight sweet doctor. We all hope you've finally found peace. We will miss you so much. You were one of a kind and a brilliant musician. Sadly alcohol and mental illness took you away from us. It hurts so much. Our deepest condolences goes out to David Andersson's family on this difficult day. He's music will live on forever. Thank you for all the unforgettable times together. See you on the other side."

Andersson officially joined SOILWORK in 2012 as the replacement for Peter Wichers. Prior to becoming a member of SOILWORK, Andersson had toured on and off with the band since 2006.

In a 2020 interview with Hardrock Haven, Andersson stated about his musical evolution: "I tried to have a career as a rock musician and a songwriter when I was 20 and made a few records with a band on an American label, but it just didn't go anywhere and we split. I gave up on music for a while then and became a doctor, but back in 2006 I got the chance to start playing with SOILWORK and that was when my career sort of restarted. I didn't see that coming 'cause when I first gave up on my rock-star game I was, like, 22 or 23 so it's all been my surprise. I've been on this level for around 14 years now and it just keeps getting better, I think… I hope. [Laughs] I'm still surprised and also extremely grateful that I got the chance to do this eventually, 'cause that's what I always wanted to do growing up."

Last year, Andersson spoke to Metal Insider about how he has been personally affected by the coronavirus pandemic. He said: "I'm a doctor myself, a medical doctor; that's my day job. I've been working with COVID patients and I have good friends who are doing quite highly esteemed research on COVID, and so I'm quite well-read when it comes to the whole pandemic thing. And even the top researchers and experts in the world, they're still a little bit unsure and it sort of pisses me off. When everyone has gone out on social media and thinking that they know the truth, when there are people that have devoted their entire lives to virology and epidemiology still being a bit unsure on what's right, it's a shame that."

He continued: "If you have a bunch of doctors and professors and scientists saying that you should be careful, then you have some random dude saying, 'I heard that it's safe and we can just do whatever the fuck we want and drink beers and go to a rock festival,' of course, if you've lived with this pandemic for years of course you want to believe that dude, who says it's safe and it's all fake news and everyone's lying to you. I can totally understand why you would choose that alternative if you're not willing to listen to facts, that's just the way it is, that's human nature."

SOILWORK released its first studio album in three years, "Övergivenheten", on August 19 via Nuclear Blast Records.

SOILWORK was formed in Helsingborg in 1995. Following two highly acclaimed albums, "Steel Bath Suicide" (1998) and "The Chainheart Machine" (1999) on Listenable Records, SOILWORK joined the Nuclear Blast roster in 2001. The band's unique blend of melodic metal developed at a staggering rate as they released a new bombshell each year, touring aggressively throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Some of the highlights included Ozzfest alongside headliners BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN and an arena tour with LAMB OF GOD and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.

Posted by Soilwork on Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Goodnight sweet doctor.
We all hope you’ve finally found peace. We will miss you so much. You were one of a kind and a...

Posted by The Night Flight Orchestra on Wednesday, September 14, 2022

James LoMenzo says that he could not have foreseen his return to MEGADETH as a permanent member of the band.

LoMenzo was MEGADETH's bass player in the mid-2000s and recently stepped back in as a touring member for "The Metal Tour Of The Year". James officially rejoined the MEGADETH family in May.

LoMenzo played his first show with MEGADETH in nearly 12 years in August 2021 in Austin, Texas. The concert took place three months following David Ellefson's dismissal from MEGADETH after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving him were posted on Twitter.

Asked in a new interview with Andrew DiCecco of Vinyl Writer Music how his return to MEGADETH came about, James said: "Well, you know, here's the thing; It's funny because the other day I was backstage, and I go, 'You know, I'm goin' on two years [back in MEGADETH] here.' I didn't see that coming again. It was a total — not a complete surprise, but a surprise."

Referencing the sex video scandal that led to Ellefson's exit from MEGADETH, LoMenzo said: "When I saw the stuff that was going on with MEGADETH, it was all over the Internet — we're all connected — I looked at it and I thought to myself, 'Hmm. I wonder if I'll get a phone call.' But at that time I kind of thought, 'You know what? They're gonna resolve this, or whatever is goin' on is gonna fix itself.' So I kind of went that way. Anyway, it did not fix itself, and so suddenly, MEGADETH was in need of a bass player, and my phone blew up. I mean, everybody I knew would go, 'Well, did you get the call? Do you know anything yet?'"

He continued: "I had been doin' all kinds of gigs for years since the last time I was in MEGADETH in 2007, so at that time, I was playing with John Fogerty. And that was like, you know, long weekend gigs, and I was diggin' the hell out of it. I was playing next to [drummer] Kenny Aronoff, and we'd play all these great places and stuff. So, I was fine; I wasn't looking for a gig. But I did consider that I might get a phone call sometime or I might not. So, then when it was discovered that [MEGADETH] was recording with another bass player, oddly enough — I know this may sound strange to some people — I was like, 'Whew.' And the reason being is not that I don't ever wanna play with MEGADETH again — as you can see, I am — but that was gonna be another big change in my life, just like joining MEGADETH for the first time was a big change in my life. And going from what my life had become to what it could become had I joined MEGADETH again, I had some trepidation."

James added: "So, I did finally get a phone call one morning. And I was actually playing a gig — I can't remember exactly where — but it was odd because it was the management team. They called up, and they said, 'Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] would love you to consider helping out and getting us through the tour that's coming up.' And I thought, 'That's kind of perfect because we can get our feet wet and I can kind of cozy into it.' But I would have had to leave some commitments that I had, so I needed to work that out first, which I did. And everyone was very gracious about it on the other end. So, taking that into account, then I spoke to Dave about it, and he was really very, very excited and cool about it. He was very, like, 'Dude, it'll be great. If you wanna do it, this would really help out. We've got 'The Metal Tour Of The Year' coming up.' Like I said, I had trepidation, but the trepidation was this: I could play the MEGADETH songs — I knew it would take me a week or so to kind of bone up and get my fingers around it again — but the stage thing, man. Four guys on stage, filling that stage and entertaining the headbangers. Becoming that again, you know? That was the only thing. So, I immediately went to YouTube, as you do these days, and [MEGADETH] had a video that we put out called 'Blood On The Water'. It was in San Diego, and it was after I had been in the band for a year or so — maybe a couple of years — but by that time, I was firmly entrenched as a band member. So I said, 'Let me see where we left off.' And I was looking at this thing, and I was going, 'Yeah, okay. So, I'm gonna have to take this thing by storm.' We were pretty active back then. So, yeah, I put all that into my head, and I factored it in. You know, that was it — three weeks and a half of intensive, at-home reminiscing. It came to me a lot quicker than I thought it would because I hadn't really thought about the songs too much since. I've played in a lot of bands, right? So, if I were to hold on to each and every catalog and play them every day, I wouldn't have time to practice them, first of all. And secondly, there just isn't enough space in this noggin' of mine to do it. And that's always been my M.O.: move on to the next thing and get really focused on that. So, now, it was time to refocus on MEGADETH.

"I got out to Nashville, and man, when I showed up at that rehearsal place… I met Dirk [Verbeuren, MEGADETH drummer] on the plane — we have a mutual friend, so we were kind of bonding on that and talking on the plane. And so the first day we go in there, Dave was tied up doing something, so he didn't come down that day, and Kiko [Loureiro, MEGADETH guitarist] wasn't in from [his home in] Finland yet. So, it was [Dirk] and I and the crew putting all the gear together, so it was a perfect time for us to get to know each other musically. So, there was Dirk, and we have this enormous platform that he's been on now since last year — he's, like, nine feet in the air, if anybody's seen it. It's pretty exciting; it reminds me of old JUDAS PRIEST, you know? And so, this is gonna kinda be weird, 'cause we're gonna play together, and he's all the way up there, and I'm all the way down there. I'm old school; I like to be in the John Paul Jones position to John Bonham. I like to be eyeball-to-eyeball with the drummer; that's the most fun. But anyway, this was not to be. So, we started going through some of the songs, and my God, as soon as he hit the bass drum and the snare, it was more solid than I ever remember the music. And I think that's a tribute to his personal style. We ran through practically the whole set, just him and I — no cue music, nothing; just out of motor memory. It was astounding, and I was, like, 'This is gonna be great.' So, that's kind of the way it all started up. Dave came by the next day, Kiko showed up the next day, and we just ran through music. It was almost like we were ready to go."

Read the entire interview at Vinyl Writer Music.

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with a returning Ellefson.

In addition to MEGADETH, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION. For nine years, LoMenzo also performed with iconic rocker John Fogerty.

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

MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", arrived on September 2 via UMe. The bass tracks on the LP were laid down by TESTAMENT's Steve DiGiorgio.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

In a new interview with Metal Injection, MACHINE HEAD founder Robb Flynn spoke about how he has been able to keep the band going for 30 years, having weathered a number of lineup changes and the fickleness of the music business. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think one of the hardest things, when you're in a band, is it's very easy to get caught up in the music business. You can get competitive. And there's nothing wrong with a little bit of competitive spirit, but you can get focused on your career — you know, 'My career.' I've never agreed with that. I think that you've gotta just focus on the music, and you've gotta just explore the music. And as long as you can kind of never lose track of that and always kind of stay on sight… I mean, it's easy to get kind of… I'm an artist. I can be emotional. I get bored doing the same thing twice. I wanna go into the wilderness and get lost [laughs], and I like that.

"I've never focused on my career," he explained. "To me, it's always been about the music — just writing music. I heard a quote a long time ago from [legendary basketball player] Michael Jordan that really has stuck with me, and it's kind of been a guiding light, if you will, for me in times when I wasn't certain if we should do something or where we should go. And basically the quote was, 'You don't have to love the NBA. You just have to love the game of basketball.' And the way I interpret that for my situation is I don't have to love the music business and all the politics and all the bullshit that goes along with it; I just have to love music. And as long as that's where my heart is and that's where my guiding force is, then I'll be good."

Flynn went on to say that he considers himself "lucky" to be able to do what he does. "I'm in Vienna, Austria right now doing pre-production for my arena tour that I'm about to do," he said. "It's crazy and it blows my mind. You can't take it for granted, and you've gotta appreciate it. And I've been very lucky. Sure, I've got some talent, and I'm a really good songwriter, but a lot of things had to align for all of that to work. And so, yeah, you've just gotta be grateful. And put it out to the world, like, 'I'm fucking grateful.' I think people sometimes feel that way, but you've gotta put it out into the world. And I'm not saying that I was always like that. There was plenty of times when I couldn't even say 'thank you' for something that people did. Over the time, that's what I've learned. And the more you put it out into the world, the more it comes back to you. It's wild to think that that's the way that it is, but it is. You get back what you put out to the world."

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)".

New Jersey melodic thrash-metal warriors GOD FORBID performed at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival last night (Saturday, September 10) at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. The show marked GOD FORBID's first live appearance in over nine years.

GOD FORBID's lineup for the concert included Doc Coyle (guitar),Byron Davis (vocals),Corey Pierce (drums) and John "Beeker" Outcalt (bass),along with Nick Hipa (guitar; ex-AS I LAY DYING),who joined the group in July.

GOD FORBID officially called it quits in August 2013 following Doc's departure.

This past May, Doc told the "Drinks With Johnny" podcast that he didn't rule out putting out new music with GOD FORBID.

"I was kind of the main kind of riff writer [and] songwriter for the band for a good portion of those last few records," he explained. "So me as a writer, there's always stuff [I'm working on that] I'm, like, 'That sounds like a GOD FORBID thing.' So there's always stuff that I'll just kind of put to the side or kind of [have] in the back of my [head] that theoretically could be that. So there's definitely some material that definitely could exist, but I am very much taking it one step at a time.

"I have a tendency to have a lot of big ideas and go [down] a lot of rabbit holes [in] my head, but unfortunately — not even unfortunately — you want to make sure everyone's a part of that, not just it's my little kind of… Sometimes I get all hyped up in my head, but it's. like, it takes a village, and everyone has to be on board," he continued. "It's important to make sure everyone is excited about anything you're doing; that's just very, very important to me.

"I really enjoy the band dynamic and having everyone be involved and be excited about stuff because I really believe in the synergy of that. I think GOD FORBID was one of those bands where the sum was better than the parts, that everyone together made something that outpaced our actual talent and ability, you know, because of the chemistry."

GOD FORBID's latest album, "Equilibrium", was released in March 2012 via Victory Records. The bulk of the CD was recorded by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM),with Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER) stepping in during the the vocal-tracking stage. The effort was mixed by acclaimed Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who previously worked with such acts as KATATONIA, OPETH, PARADISE LOST and AMON AMARTH.

"Equilibrium" sold 3,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 156 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort landed at No. 7 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.



God Forbid what an amazing show. Thank you so much for blessing us with your talent once again. I hope to see more of you in the future. And special thanks to #blueridgerockfestival for bringing us amazing talent like these guys. Having a blast this weekend.

Posted by Ashley Taylor on Saturday, September 10, 2022
@DocCoyle Finally seen @godforbidmusic live and I was only disappointed that they ran out of time,still didn't see empire of the gun or end of the world but I hope to see you guys again in the future, and as promised, I bought all your shit pic.twitter.com/MX3qWxCtYI

— Justin Silva (@AkoKumainTAE) September 11, 2022


Wow. What a night. I’m kinda speechless. pic.twitter.com/faDIh4d7DJ

— Doc Coyle (@DocCoyle) September 11, 2022



God Forbid 2022. Today is the day.

Photo by Subharmonic City Productions

Posted by God Forbid on Saturday, September 10, 2022



First full God Forbid rehearsal in 9 years. Getting these tunes tiiiiiight for Blue Ridge Rock Festival on Saturday. We hope you are all ready for this reunion. We are making history 🤘🤘🤘🤘

Posted by God Forbid on Thursday, September 8, 2022



Bad Wolves rolled through El Paso, TX last night and Doc Coyle and Byron got to catch up. We figured we’d give a little update before this reunion show.

Posted by God Forbid on Sunday, August 28, 2022



Doc Coyle and Nick Hipa ripping some “Anti-Hero”. Practice makes perfect.

Posted by God Forbid on Friday, July 22, 2022



Doc Coyle and Nick Hipa getting these riffs tight for Blue Ridge Rock Festival.

#GodForbid #reunionshow #asilaydying #doccoyle #nickhipa

Posted by God Forbid on Friday, August 19, 2022



Byron Davis is putting In work to get that voice ready for Blue Ridge Rock Festival 🤘

Posted by God Forbid on Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Philip Anselmo paid tribute to his late PANTERA bandmates "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and Vincent "Vinnie Paul" Abbott during DOWN's concert Friday night (September 9) at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Prior to launching into the DOWN track "Lifer", Anselmo told the crowd: "This next song goes out to Dimebag and Vince. I want you all to throw down. If you know these motherfucking lyrics, sing this shit with me. This is one called 'Lifer'."

In July, it was announced that PANTERA's surviving members 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, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag, 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.

Last month, it was announced that the influential heavy metal group 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.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Vinnie and his brother 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.

This past February, at least two months after he first approached Benante about taking part in a new PANTERA tour, Anselmo spoke to The Pit about what he thought Dimebag and Vinnie Paul would say about PANTERA's legacy. He said: "Dimebag and Vince always wanted this band to be a legacy band, to be massive, to be our own conduit to success, simply put. I think Dime and Vince — I know Dime and Vince — would want the legacy and the name of PANTERA to go on and on and on and in everybody's damn face. I know that for sure. Abso-fucking-utely, dude. That would be their biggest dream."

MÖTLEY CRÜE played the final show of the 2022 leg of "The Stadium Tour" Friday night (September 9) at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. But singer Vince Neil said MÖTLEY CRÜE 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.

"We're far from being over," Neil told John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal in an interview that was conducted on Thursday (September 8). "When we come back in '24, we're going to do it all over again."

Neil also confirmed that there are talks of CRÜE returning for a third residency in Vegas, where they previously played a series of shows at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in 2012 and again in 2013.

"We have definitely talked about doing it, and everybody loves to do the residencies, so I say, 'Yeah, we're gonna do it,'" Neil said. "We just have to look at sometime in '24, to be back in Vegas. But we will be back."

Vince went on to say that CRÜE is focusing on playing shows, with no plans to return to the studio.

"We are strictly a touring band," he said. "When you see this show at Allegiant, you’ll see why. You're going to see something that’s unbelievable, lights and lasers, three dancers. There are a lot of cool special effects, and a cool band putting on a rock show."

On Saturday (September 10),MÖTLEY CRÜE shared a message on social media thanking fans for their support and saying that the bandmembers were "excited about the future".

"Nothing as big as this comes from any one person alone," the group wrote. "Yes, you see us onstage and sometimes it seems as if it's all about us but it’s really not. It's about you the fans and who makes that happen? It’s a whole massive team. Hundreds of people behind the scenes everyday day and night. Every single element that you see was worked on for months and months.

"Our production team and crew are top of the top. Every light, every laser move, video content, video crew, bus and truck drivers, background dancers and choreographers, audio team, video team, back line team, programming, wardrobe, security, tour managers, agents and management.

"For now we take a final bow for these US and Canadian shows. Everybody is tired and yet excited about the future #TheFutureIsOurs

"SEE YOU IN FEBRUARY.

"special thanks to @defleppard for being the most bad ass tour partners and @poison @joanjett and @classlessact for support on the tour. Extra kick ass thank you to @samshapiromedia for documenting this tour."

"The Stadium Tour" kicked off on June 16 in Atlanta, Georgia.

CRÜE's long-delayed North American trek was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022.

Three months ago, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen told Chile's Radio Futuro that there are plans to bring the tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE to other parts of the world. "Definitely next summer is gonna be Europe," he said. "And then South America, Australia [and] Japan — next year, hopefully at some point, we'll be playing all of those markets."

When asked to clarify that the same package that is touring the U.S. will be hitting all the other markets as well, Phil said: "That's what they're talking about. Obviously, I can say, 'Yeah, let's do that,' but we've gotta ask them as well. But I think MÖTLEY CRÜE have signed up. So hopefully that's all gonna come, and Joan Jett and POISON. That would be amazing."

Last month, "The Stadium Tour" landed at No. 4 on Pollstar's LIVE75 chart, which ranks worldwide active tours by the average tickets sold for reported shows taken place over the previous 30 days. According to Pollstar, "The Stadium Tour" moved 98.5% of the available tickets from concerts at 17 venues in North American cities to average 36,763 sold seats per show. The bands also earned a $4.88 million gross average.

"The Stadium Tour" marked the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017, but this jaunt was the first time all four acts hit the road together for an extended tour.

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.

In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, CRÜE bassist Nikki 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 Netflix biopic "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.

MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for its 2019 soundtrack to "The Dirt", the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

CRÜE's last full-length collection of new material, "Saints Of Los Angeles", came out in 2008.

Nothing as big as this comes from any one person alone.
Yes, you see us onstage and sometimes it seems as if it’s all...

Posted by Motley Crue on Saturday, September 10, 2022

In a new interview with Rauta, ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott was asked if he gets any inspiration to listening to newer metal bands. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't really listen to current metal deeply. I've had a very wide taste of music. I grew up in a kind of eclectic home. My mother is a big fan of classical music and jazz, so I kind of grew up on that first. But I'm into everything, man. If it's got a good melody…

"When you're a musician for so many years, you become a little bit jaded maybe," he continued. "If you've heard it before, you don't really connect with it. You can quickly figure out what they're doing and it's maybe not that interesting. But if somebody comes out with something that's just, 'Oh, I've never heard that…' Nowadays it's more about fusion — taking one idea, mixing it with another and adding something else. That's kind of what you have to do now.

"I grew up in a time when metal was very pure and hardcore punk was very pure," Amott added. "It was very scene based. You stayed in your lane. And I did that; I grew up with that. And if bands got a little bit more melodic, I just dropped them: 'Fuck this band. They've got melodic vocals.' I just wanted the hard, fast, heavy shit. I was like that; I was that teenager. But then you grew up a little bit, and I improved on my instrument; I became more interested in [incorporating other styles into the music]."

When the interviewer pointed out that even Amott's former band CARCASS went from playing "gore grind" in the early years to pursuing a "more melodic" sound, Michael said: "Yeah, I was a part of that a little bit, with the '[Necroticism – ]Descanting [The Insalubrious]' album and the 'Heartwork' album in the early '90s. So that was a breaking point as well, of course — melody in the death metal sound.

"With ARCH ENEMY, I'm really interested in melody, I'm really interested in riffs," he explained. "I'm very much still into classic metal — a lot of the more obscure stuff. I've listened so much to IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST and all those kind of bands that I'm kind of done with that. I'm a record collector, a vinyl collector, I'm into all that obscure stuff that nobody's ever really heard of on a large scale. But I find some inspiration in that. And I really kind of like bad metal from the '80s. I like, basically, kids making noise, and that kind of gives me the energy. 'Cause I'm always trying to find my way back to that 15-year-old Michael Amott that's excited about metal. I surround myself in my music room with just artifacts of metal culture and punk culture and the stuff I grew up on, and I just get into that zone. And that's how I try to keep it fresh. I don't really hear something new that's out there now and go, 'Oh, that's cool. I wanna put a bit of that in ARCH ENEMY.' That never happens. It's more like everything that we've listened to, it's all inside of us and it's just a mix. And I've always been interested in this blend between aggression and heaviness with the melody and the catchiness, but not going too much on the pop side, but staying metal. It's just like a balance. It's difficult. [Laughs] It's always a challenge."

ARCH ENEMY's 11th studio album, "Deceivers", arrived on August 12 via Century Media Records.

The band played the first show of its "The North American Siege 2022" tour with BEHEMOTH and NAPALM DEATH on April 16 at The Marquee in Tempe, Arizona.

ARCH ENEMY is appearing at select summer festivals before embarking on the rescheduled "European Siege 2022" trek (with BEHEMOTH, CARCASS, UNTO OTHERS) in the fall.

This past July, former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens released the official music video for his new solo song "Embattled". The track, which will appear on Owens's upcoming EP, was produced by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Nick Bellmore (JASTA, DEE SNIDER). Players on the effort, which will contain Owens's "heaviest songs yet," include Nick Bellmore, Charlie Bellmore (DEE SNIDER, ex-TOXIC HOLOCAUST) on guitar, and Chris Beaudette (JASTA, ENTEIRRO) on bass.

In a new interview with Australia's Metal-Roos, Owens stated about the RIPPER EP (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Jamey Jasta and I have been talking about this for probably 10 years; he's been putting it in my ear: 'Let's redo this. Let's do this. Let's get closer to a 'Jugulator', BEYOND FEAR kind of stuff… I only did one BEYOND FEAR record, and that was a long time ago. And I get asked that the most. But probably this will appease — the new solo RIPPER album will end up appeasing the people who like BEYOND FEAR, I think. It's not any screaming high notes throughout the whole thing; it's just pretty much balls out… I mean, the first single that came out, people were, like, 'Man, this is heavy. I wonder if there's gonna be a ballad.' I'm, like, 'There's no ballads.' This one pretty much gets heavier as it goes on. So what you just heard is the second… There's only six songs on the EP, and it's the second mellowest song, this one that I just released, the 'Embattled' song."

As for a possible release date for the EP, Owens said: "I think we're shooting for the EP to come out end of October. We'll keep building it and doing some teasers and doing a couple of singles along the way. I know we're gonna do one more at least. So we're gonna keep pushing it."

When the collaboration was first announced, Jasta said: "Ripper has been one of my favorite voices in metal since [JUDAS PRIEST's] 'Jugulator' arrived 25 years ago. His power, range, and work ethic inspire me daily and I cannot wait for the world to hear the crushing new metal tracks we are creating!"

Released in May 2009, Owens's first solo album, "Play My Game", landed at position No. 66 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. The CD was released via SPV/Steamhammer. The offering consisted of around a dozen brand-new tracks that Owens composed himself or together with renowned friends, such as Bob Kulick, Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA),Mike Callahan (ex-EARSHOT) and John Comprix (BEYOND FEAR, RINGWORM).

Owens is without doubt among the most important metal vocalists of the past 25 years. When he succeeded Rob Halford, joining JUDAS PRIEST in May 1996, the press rubbed their eyes, surprised as well as impressed: Owens had previously been a fairly unknown quantity to international music journalists and only a few new of him from the band WINTERS BANE, but he recorded his first PRIEST album, the Grammy-nominated "Jugulator" (1997) with more aplomb than even insiders had expected. Following successful tours with the British metal legends, the strong studio recording "Demolition" (2001) and the live recordings "Meltdown - 98 Live" (1998) and "Live In London" (2003),and the movie "Rock Star" that was loosely based on Tim's experience with JUDAS PRIEST, Halford's return put an end to Owens's stint with PRIEST. More or less immediately, he was enlisted by Jon Schaffer to team up with ICED EARTH and sang on "The Glorious Burden" in spring 2004. Three years later, Owens followed suit with the ICED EARTH album "Framing Armageddon (Something Wicked Pt. I)", which succeeded the self-titled highly praised debut by his own band BEYOND FEAR. Spring 2008 saw Owens move on to join one of the world's best guitar players Yngwie Malmsteen, debuting with a sensational vocal performance on "Perpetual Flame".

Owens is currently the frontman of KK'S PRIEST, featuring fellow former JUDAS PRIEST member K.K. Downing.

David Lee Roth has shared a new solo version of the VAN HALEN classic "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". The track, like the previously released "Panama", was laid down on May 3, 2022 during a session at Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Joining Roth in the studio were Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass and Francis Valentino on drums. A total of 14 songs were recorded in two hours. The music and the vocals were tracked live with "no samples" and without the pitch-correction technology Auto-Tune.

Roth's versions of "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and "Panama" come more than a month after he shared a previously unheard solo recording from 2007, "Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway", in which he looked back nostalgically on his days in VAN HALEN. The latter song was recorded in 2007 with guitarist John 5 and drummer Gregg Bissonette for an album that never came out.

Back in 2020, Roth included five previously unreleased songs in The Roth Project, an online comic narrated by the legendary VAN HALEN singer, with music from John 5 on guitar and bass, Bissonette on drums, Brett Tuggle on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. The tracks "Giddy-Up!", "Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill", "Alligator Pants", "Lo-Rez Sunset" and "Manda Bala" were recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.

Three years ago, Roth was asked by Meltdown of the Detroit radio station WRIF if his LP with John 5 will be made available at some point. He responded: "It will. There's been a revision of things, and I can start making real plans and start marching into the future. And, of course, you'll start hearing that material. This is material that we wrote variously for me solo and for VAN HALEN, and it's quite a bank of stuff."

Roth, who was promoting his Las Vegas residency at the time, didn't offer a possible time frame for the release of the record, explaining that his priority was "getting out on the road first. Let's see the band, let's show ourselves off, let's travel all over the world."

Roth canceled a series of Las Vegas residency shows in January because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Three months earlier, he had announced in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was planning to retire after the residency.

In July, Roth released a new solo song titled "Pointing At The Moon". The acoustic-based, Americana-flavored tune was accompanied by a new abstract painting from Roth.

Ever the creative innovators, Poland's extreme metal overlords BEHEMOTH have revealed their latest visual feast, "Opvs Contra Cvltvram", a streaming event shot on the roof of Warsaw's renowned Palace of Culture & Science and premiering at 18.00 CET on Thursday, September 15 on the band's YouTube channel. This landmark event heralds the arrival this Friday, September 16 of the band's epic 12th studio album, "Opvs Contra Natvram".

BEHEMOTH's leader and artistic alchemist Adam 'Nergal' Darski comments: "Legions! We have gathered atop Poland's infamous Palace of Culture to perform four brand new tracks from our record 'Opvs Contra Natvram', released this Friday!

"For a long time, BEHEMOTH have been censored and pursued by the Catholic Church at the behest of our fascist government. This performance, with the backdrop of this building, represents a monumentous middle finger to those pigs and another for Joseph Stalin and his Soviet circle jerk. Viva Freedom!"

The band's upcoming 12th 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.

BEHEMOTH are not only the creators of Poland's extreme metal scene, but they are masters of their vision and showcase what a band can achieve when the brakes are off. With "Opvs Contra Natvram" they have created 10 fresh chapters, created at a very strange time for the world. Their goal to create something new, something that doesn't sound like anything that has gone before, was an ambitious one.

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.

Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, who recently completed seven weeks of radiation therapy in his battle with cancer in throat and neck, was asked in a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice if he has heard from W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless since his diagnosis. He said: "Blackie could have helped to pay for some of my treatment, but [he didn't]. But Nikki Sixx [MÖTLEY CRÜE] did. He gave me a lot of money. He was the first one; he forked over 500 bucks, and I love the guy for it. Thank you, Nikki. I love him for that."

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

This past July, Holmes said that he was told by his doctor that he was cancer free. At the time he noted, "I'm glad the kind of cancer I had is treatable. A lot of cancer isn't." But he added that he was "still suffering from all the radiation that was done to my neck… It'll probably take six months from right now till my neck's back to normal."

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

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

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

"W.A.S.P. never played any shows until I was in the band, so where does a band start — when they record or when they do their first show?" he continued. "I came in before the first show, and it was 'one for all, all for one.' But then when money came into it and fame, people changed — they change real bad. And I never changed. I don't change. I haven't changed the way I think, the way I am. I'm not gonna change. I am what I am."

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

"I never learned about the business till about 10 years ago," he explained. "How do you learn about the business? You've gotta be in there with the manager and all that stuff, so I was always kept from that… I put my trust into somebody, and [I found out later that he was] sticking a knife in my back. I didn't find that out until 2010 or '11.

"Once [W.A.S.P.] became [all about] one person, [my attitude was] 'Hey, I'll just do my thing, and leave me alone. I'll play my guitar.'"

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

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

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

In October 2020, Chris said that he would never consider returning to W.A.S.P. unless Lawless agreed to pay him the publishing royalties that he allegedly owes him. He told The Metal Voice: "A lot of people think I made money from W.A.S.P. I've never gotten my royalties, or even my songwriting. All the stuff that I wrote, I've never gotten paid one penny. And you know whose fault it is? It's my my fault for not knowing the business, how it is. I trusted somebody.

"After every album, when the album is done, how they split up the publishing with the publishing contracts, the publishing companies — that's where the money comes from," he continued. "I was never told about when that meeting was. Because the other guys in the band never wrote — I was the only one [other than Blackie]. So I'm the only one that they have to screw over to get all the publishing. So I was never told. Then when I dug into it in about 2006 or [2007], I went into Sanctuary Music, had a lawyer go in to find out where all my publishing is, and I was written in as a session player into all the records. And if you don't know about it, and you're not told, and you don't see, you don't know. So I trusted Blackie Lawless about that. And when I found out, it really kind of yanked me wrong. It yanks me wrong — it makes me see he was sticking a knife in my back from the first day, from the first album, and not telling me, and being my best friend."

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

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

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

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

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

Ozzy Osbourne has released professionally filmed video of his full performance 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 the LP's producer 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".

The performance came on the eve of the release of "Patient Number 9", which arrived on Friday, September 9 on Epic. It marked Osbourne's first stateside performance since he took the stage alongside Post Malone and Travis Scott to perform their "Take What You Want" collaboration at the 2019 American Music Awards. Ozzy has not played a full concert since 2018.

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.

Osbourne and his BLACK SABBATH bandmate Tony Iommi (guitar),along with Adam Wakeman on bass and Tommy Clufetos on drums, performed the SABBATH classic "Paranoid" in front of a capacity crowd of 30,000 at Alexander Stadium. The special appearance was the first time Osbourne and Iommi had performed on stage together since the final BLACK SABBATH show in February 2017 in Birmingham.

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.

The BLACK SABBATH legend described his health issues as "walking around in lead boots". He said: "You think you’re lifting your feet, but your foot doesn't move. I feel like I'm walking around in lead boots."

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."

"Patient Number 9", Osbourne's 11th solo album, features guest appearances by Iommi, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and late FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins, among others.

Last week, Ozzy and his wife, 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.

Fan-filmed video of SCORPIONS' entire September 12 performance at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida can be seen below.

Featured songs:

01. Gas In The Tank 00:00
02. Make It Real 03:48
03. The Zoo 07:55
04. Coast To Coast 14:08
05. Seventh Sun 19:21
06. Peacemaker 25:21
07. Bad Boys Running Wild 28:43
08. Delicate Dance 32:54
09. Send Me An Angel 38:01
10. Wind Of Change 42:30
11. Tease Me Please Me 48:03
12. Rock Believer 53:35
13. New Vision 57:40
14. Blackout 01:04:24
15. Big City Nights 01:08:40

Encore:

16. No One Like You 01:17:11
17. Rock You Like A Hurricane 01:21:58

Last month, WHITESNAKE pulled out of the North American tour with SCORPIONS due to singer David Coverdale's "continued treatment for a persistent upper respiratory infection."

The SCORPIONS tour is scheduled to end on October 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

SCORPIONS's latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February. The LP was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

SCORPIONS' new album marks their first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS' previous full-length collection of new recordings was "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

Scorpions live at the Hard Rock – Hollywood. An amazing show. GM Atomic all the way…

Posted by Gus Martinez on Monday, September 12, 2022

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA will release its eighth album, "Color Decay", on September 16 via Solid State. The official music video for the LP's latest single, "Broken", can be seen below.

"Writing 'Broken' started by drawing on a specific memory of a panic attack, but slowly evolved into something more broad," the band explains. "The song aims to capture that feeling of desperately not wanting to talk about your problems, but at the same time, just wanting everyone to already understand."

"Color Decay" track listing:

01. Exhibition
02. Salt
03. Watchtower
04. Noise
05. Broken
06. Sacrifice
07. Trapped
08. Time
09. Twenty-Five
10. Fire
11. Hallucinate
12. Cancer

"Color Decay" follows 2019's "The Act". As Revolver stated when selecting the record as one of the "50 Most Anticipated Albums Of 2022," "THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA have proven time and time again that it's possible to never stop sonically experimenting — with screamo, with spoken word, with atmospheric electronica, with sludge — and never lose their own crushing identity. Anticipating their next successful risk is one of the things that makes being a TDWP fan so rewarding."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA have been consistently delivering since forming in 2005. Fans voted 2009's seminal "With Roots Above And Branches Below" one of the "5 Greatest Metalcore Albums" in a Revolver poll, with the magazine christening it "a true metalcore landmark." The group has notched six consecutive Top 5 debuts on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums chart, including "Dead Throne" (2011),"8:18" (2013),"Space" EP (2015),"Transit Blues" (2016),"The Act" (2019) and "ZII" EP (2021). The latter served as a sequel to one of their most beloved projects — 2010's "Zombie" EP. In the wake of the EP, the group exceeded a quarter of a billion cumulative streams and views. During 2021, the musicians decamped to remote hideaways together in Wisconsin and Desert Hot Springs, California. This time around, keyboardist/programmer Jonathan Gering took the reins as producer, collaborating closely to assemble a rich sonic architecture for what would become "Color Decay".

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA has just completed a summer 2022 headline tour. The trek kicked off on August 4 in Milwaukee and ran through September 10 in Columbia, South Carolina. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA performed the "Zombie" EP and the "ZII" EP in full, along with a selection of greatest hits, making each show a special night for TDWP fans both new and old.

Photo credit: Imani Givertz

Ted Nugent has blasted The Walt Disney Company for releasing an animated series called "Little Demon". The late-night series, which Disney made available through its FXX network, features the voice of Danny DeVito as Satan, and Lucy DeVito as his teenage daughter, Chrissy. The program, which was made for and marketed to adults, also features Aubrey Plaza as Chrissy's mother, who strives for her daughter to live an everyday life although she's the Antichrist.

In recent days, "Little Demon" has drawn scathing criticism from a U.S. congressman who has warned families to protect their children from it. In a Facebook post made last week, Republican Louisiana congressional representative Mike Johnson decried The Walt Disney Company because FXX aired a commercial for "Little Demon" during the second quarter of a Louisiana State University football game. Johnson wrote: "I couldn't get to the remote fast enough to shield my 11-year-old from the preview, and I wonder how many other children were exposed to it—and how many millions more will tune in to the new series, owned and marketed by DISNEY."

Nugent weighed in on the controversy during a new episode of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which Ted offers his take on the news of our world every night. The 73-year-old conservative rocker said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This culture war has now morphed into a spiritual war. Clearly, what Donald Trump, his reference to the Bible, his reference to God, family, country… Joe Biden will never do that; when he does, it's usually in a snide, condemning way. So now that Disney, which I was raised by Disney. Every Sunday night, the family got together with real butter on the popcorn and we'd watch Walt Disney and see these fun little cartoons… And now with Disney producing a celebration of Satan — Disney celebrating the gender confusion and gender dysphoria and gender mutilation and thinking that somehow binary and non-gender and grooming children and promoting organizations like NAMBLA, the North American Man Boy Love cult, and teachers in our schools changing the word 'pedophile' to 'minor attracted'— I mean, this is pure demonacy. [Editor's note: Nugent is apparently referring to a Virginia professor who was forced to step down after backlash to research on 'minor-attracted' people] And now Disney is representing the left with a new movie, a new special where they literally celebrate a woman giving birth to the seed of Satan."

He continued: "And you don't have to look any further — look at Joe Biden's recent hate speech. The red lighting — I expected a gargoyle to show up at any moment. It really is a movement.

"So here's the answer. Put your heart and soul into thanking God for his miracle of creation and this precious gift of life. Let everybody you know that we stand up for the American Dream that was based on divine intervention by the hand of God away from kings and tyrants and emperors."

Nugent added: "Disney has gone to the dark side. Never take your children to Disney. That has turned into evil. And Walt is crying tears of blood at the side of the Lord because the Disney organization has become pure rot."

According to Filter Free Parents, while "Little Demon" "may be owned by Disney (thanks to the company’s purchase of FX Networks and Hulu back in 2017),the late-night series is obviously not for children. It has a TV-MA (for Mature Audiences only) rating for graphic violence, nudity, sex, and crude language."

New episodes of "Little Demon", which debuted in August, are broadcast Thursdays on FXX at 10 p.m., when "kids should be asleep," according to some people who have defended the program.

Nugent is an avid supporter of Donald Trump, who was white Christians' preferred candidate for the 2020 presidential election despite the fact that Trump is twice divorced and has faced over two dozen accusations of sexual misconduct. Some Trump supporters have even insisted that the former president is a Christian hero who is standing up for religious rights.

Nugent previously spoke about his admiration for America's 45th president in an October 2020 interview with InfoWars' "The Alex Jones Show", hosted by noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. At the time, he said: "I genuflect at the altar of this great man. He is just pulling off miracle after miracle. He's really touching the heart and soul and representing the heart and soul of the best American families out there. Just praise God for that. This is one of those divine intervention moments, like the founding fathers. Believe me when I tell you that."

A former board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has drawn intense criticism for his controversial past remarks, including telling then-president Barack Obama to "suck on my machine gun." He also made inflammatory remarks about Hillary Clinton, calling her a "devilbitch" who "hates everything good about America."

In 2019, Nugent defended Trump after the then-U.S. president was accused of making racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

In a new interview with Artists On Record Starring ADIKA Live!, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan spoke about Swedish vocalist Erik Grönwall, who joined the band earlier this year as the replacement for ZP Theart. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "He just blew us away, and he continues to blow us away. Not only is he a great singer, but his talents go further. He's the first singer we ever had that plays guitar, and he plays it well. And he writes — he's a really good songwriter — which is awesome. We love it. It's just more creativity within the five of us."

Referencing the fact that Erik was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, Bolan went on to praise the singer's "outlook on life, because he has a different outlook now than the rest of us have. He probably appreciates it — I'm not even gonna say 'probably'; he definitely appreciates it more than we do, doesn't take anything for granted," he said. "His work ethic is just like ours where it's, like, 'Well, we're not gonna stop until it's done right or the way that we think is exactly how we want it.'

"As you could tell, I'm very excited about it, and we all share the same excitement," Bolan added. "I hear people say this one line a lot since he joined the band, and it couldn't make me feel any better. But people are saying, 'SKID ROW is back.' And when I hear that, it's comforting, one, and two, it's just such a powerful statement to hear when you're in the band, because you're, like, 'Well, we didn't really go anywhere,' but then you realize, 'Okay, now we hit the jackpot.' We got a guy that works as hard as we do, wants it as bad as we do and takes pride in his work like we do. … We dig working together and we have a lot of laughs, which, as you know, being in a band, is so important. And having five like-minded people is super important, especially at our age. Everyone has to have the same goal in mind, whether it's a huge goal or a smaller goal. And it helps — it really helps — with just moving on and moving forward."

SKID ROW's new studio album, "The Gang's All Here", will arrive on October 14 via earMUSIC. The group recorded most of the LP in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

Theart had been in SKID ROW for more than six years. He played his final gig with SKID ROW in February before being officially given the boot.

Grönwall was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. with whom he recorded four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020) — before exiting the group in October 2020.

In September 2021, Grönwall announced that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant one month earlier. "Some anonymous wonderful human being somewhere in the world donated his/her blood cells so that I could get a second chance at life," he told Headbangers Lifestyle in January. "Sometimes I can just get tears in my eyes when I think about it. It's so beautiful that one person who is not connected to me in any way wanted to do that for me. He/she doesn't know that the blood cells were for me. It's completely anonymous."

In September 2021, Grönwall released his cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

Bolan reflected on SKID ROW's first live performance with Grönwall in a recent interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, saying: "Honestly, dude, from the minute he opened his mouth… His timing is impeccable. We knew it was gonna be cool. And each show has gotten even better, 'cause we're learning each other's rhythm on stage. When I walked away from that show, I said to Erik, I go, 'This was show one. I cannot wait for show one hundred. It's gonna be amazing.'"