SALIVA reunited with its original singer Josey Scott for a one-off appearance earlier today (Sunday, September 11) at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Video of the performance can be seen below.

Scott left SALIVA at the end of 2011 after 15 years with the group, reportedly to pursue a solo Christian music career. He was quickly replaced by Bobby Amaru, who can be heard on SALIVA's last four releases: "In It To Win It" (2013),"Rise Up" (2014),"Love, Lies & Therapy" (2016) and "10 Lives" (2018).

In October 2019, Scott announced that he was returning to SALIVA, explaining at the time that he wanted to get together with his former bandmates and "write a badass record." Less than a year and a half later, in March 2021, SALIVA guitarist Wayne Swinny poured cold water on those plans, saying that the reunion with the singer "never really got off the ground."

Amaru discussed Scott's failed reunion with SALIVA during a recent interview with The Bay Ragni Show. Asked if he feels any "pressure" knowing that there are still ongoing discussions about a possible reunion with Scott, Amaru said: "I'm in those discussions as well, and there's nothing shady going on; it's nothing that I don't know about. It was my idea to actually say, 'Hey, you guys should do a 20-year-reunion deal.' I was an advocate for that. Wayne Swinny will tell you that. I was the one that was, like, 'I think you guys should.' And I think a lot of things just didn't pan out last year with… They couldn't get on the same page, and then Josey lost his son. It was just not a good year for anything like that."

Bobby also addressed BLABBERMOUTH.NET's previous coverage of SALIVA's reunion talks with Scott, saying: "Blabbermouth and all that stuff, that's clickbait, man, and that's stuff that… It's drama. There's too much drama in the world as is. If people wanna be fucking focused on who the fucking singer of SALIVA is — who fucking cares? Whatever. You know what I mean? There's way more shit going on, man. And typically the people that are on there are probably writing, 'Ah, I fucking hate it' or 'Who cares anyway?' They're probably… I don't know what they're doing with their life — fucking working at Subway or whatever. It's all good.

"I know that what we have, this band, we have a business; this is like a business; this is our business," he continued. "And it's also a fun business. And, dude, we're all happy doing this. We're not trying to enter drama into it or whatever. And I'm not saying that that's what would happen, but we're just not looking to change what we have going on."

Amaru also confirmed that both he and Scott would front SALIVA at Blue Ridge Rock Festival. "[It's] gonna be fucking awesome," the singer said. "And I'll be there. We'll both be there. It's gonna be great. It's good for the fans.

"I've always said that I wish the guy would do [solo] records and put out songs and do stuff. There's a lot of guys doing it — Geoff Tate, Scott Stapp. There's a lot of dudes [who were previously in established bands] putting out [solo] records for the fans, and there's nothing wrong with that."

SALIVA's reunion with Scott at Blue Ridge was originally announced on March 18 by festival organizers via Twitter. They wrote: "It is Happening. For years it is has been highly rumored and demanded, now it finally takes place this September." Less than two weeks later, Scott shared the announcement on Twitter for the first time and included a simple two-word comment: "LETS GO!!!!!!" When one fan asked him, "Are u serious???", he responded: "Yes!"

When Swinny spoke to WRIF about SALIVA's failed reunion with Scott, he said that even though there were some initial discussions about Josey's return to the group, there was no follow-up to ensure that the plan was executed.

"If you wanna do something, do it," Wayne said. "But you can't just talk about it and have it magically happen. There's work, there's planning, there's stuff that goes into it, and none of that stuff was done early enough to pull it off.

"Yeah, there was some fan response, saying, 'Wow, yeah, that might be cool.' But it didn't get enough steam to take off," he explained. "All the preliminary stuff kind of got set up, and it just didn't jell.

"It just didn't make sense to stop what we [the current lineup of SALIVA] were doing and do that, because you've got momentum, we've got a groove going, the band's tight live. I didn't feel like we should give that up or give that a rest."

Last December, Josey took to his Twitter to write: "I want 2 apologize 2 my fans because I thought I was gonna reunite w/certain people & make u new music, & that fell through, but, I believe everything happens for a reason. There are no coincidences. A blessing in disguise. Now it's just u, & me, how intimate is that? #SV2022".

SALIVA released six albums with Scott and tasted platinum success and a Grammy nomination for its first big hit, "Your Disease".

In May 2021, SALIVA celebrated the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough major label debut, "Every Six Seconds", with a special project called "Every Twenty Years", an EP of classic songs re-recorded with Amaru.



EXCLUSIVE: Original Singer JOSEY SCOTT reunites with Saliva at Blue Ridge Rock Fest 2022!

Posted by Blue Ridge Rock Festival on Sunday, September 11, 2022



Josey Scott reunited with Saliva at Blue Ridge Rock Festival

#saliva #blueridgerockfestival

Posted by Thunder Underground on Sunday, September 11, 2022



#blueridgerockfestival2022
Saliva

Posted by Chrissy Chafin on Sunday, September 11, 2022

Saliva 👌🎸🤩

Posted by Amanda Wray Joyce on Sunday, September 11, 2022

Who’s ready to rock Blue Ridge Rock Festival ???

#blueridgerockfestival #blueridgerockfest
#salivareunion #saliva #joseyscott #joseyscottdotcom #rock #rockmusic #rockmusician #rocknroll

Posted by Josey Scott on Sunday, September 11, 2022

Minutes before FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's July 3 appearance at the Hills Of Rock festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, singer Ivan Moody was interviewed for an episode of "Elena Roberg Presents: Personalities And Passions!" Asked if he feels a connection to the European mentality and state of mind, Ivan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Absolutely. Especially with what's going on in the world right now. I won't get too political on this, but for me, the idea that you look at music as universal — it's very artistic. It's bigger than religion in some ways; it's bigger than politics; it supersedes all of it. The connection of music between you and the culture out here [in Europe], it's just a different — it's a different world. I love it. In America, it's a lot about, 'What have you done for me lately? Have you put out another single? No? When's the new one coming out? I've heard that one 30 times. I want the next one.' And I hate that shit, because you don't get a chance to love your own stuff."

He continued: "I've seen W.A.S.P. out here, or Alice Cooper — JUDAS PRIEST, of course. Rob Halford — there's one of my favorites. And they're playing music that they wrote 40 years ago. And it's still just as good. And it's looked at that way out here [in Europe], where out there [in America] — not so much. And that's disappointing."

Asked if he is optimistic about the world we're living in, Ivan said: "I have to be. I have children. Listen, before I had kids, I would have been the first one to pour the gas on it and light the match. But the reality is having children has opened my soul to an idea, and that idea is that there's something bigger and better waiting, and we'll eventually get there, no matter how hard the trials may be. But I have to [be optimistic], because if I don't, then I'm giving my kids false hope. And I don't think any parents wants to do that. I know for damn sure I don't."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's ninth album, "AfterLife", was released last month. The "Afterlife" title track, which was made available as a single in April, recently gave FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH the most consecutive No. 1s on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The song was the band's 13th total No. 1 and eighth entry on the chart in a row.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's follow-up to 2020's "F8" was once again recorded at the Hideout Recording Studio, the Las Vegas, Nevada facility owned and operated by Kevin Churko, the Canadian record producer/engineer and songwriter who has worked on all of FIVE FINGER's albums beginning with the band's sophomore release, 2009's "War Is The Answer".

"AfterLife" is FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's first album with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook in 2020. James was previously featured on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction – Volume 2", which came out in the fall of 2020.

Since FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's debut album, "The Way Of The Fist", came out in 2007, the band has released six consecutive albums that were certified gold or platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as well as two chart-topping greatest-hits albums. In addition, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has earned numerous national and international awards and honors over the last decade, such as the prestigious Soldier Appreciation Award by the Association Of The United States Army, an honor bestowed upon only one other recording artist before them: Elvis Presley.

Last month, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH launched a U.S. headlining tour presented by Live Nation. The trek kicked off in Ridgefield, Washington on August 19 and will span over 30 dates, closing out on October 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band is joined on tour by rock icons MEGADETH, with additional support from THE HU and FIRE FROM THE GODS.

Guitarist Dave "Gravy" Felton rejoined MUSHROOMHEAD on stage last night (Saturday, September 10) at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Earlier today, MUSHROOMHEAD shared a photo of Dave on stage with MUSHROOMHEAD at Blue Ridge, and included the following message: "Who saw Gravy's return to the MUSHROOMHEAD stage last night at the @blueridgerockfest? #mushroomhead #heygravy #woahskinny".

When one fan asked in the comments below the post if Gravy is "replacing the latest guitarist," MUSHROOMHEAD responded: "No sir! We had 2 guitarists on stage last night."

Dave, the brother of MUSHROOMHEAD founder and drummer/percussionist Steve "Skinny" Felton, was kicked out of the band in 2012. Four years later, Dave told Rock Music Star about his exit from the group: "The [MUSHROOMHEAD] thing is very strange. If you shine too much, it takes away from other people. I think there's insecurity issues there or something. Who knows? You would think he would want to exploit all of the strengths in the band and not the weaknesses, and that's kind of what it seems like they like to do."

Dave went on to call MUSHROOMHEAD "a dictatorship". He explained: "MUSHROOMHEAD isn't a band. There's one person calling all of the shots, and if you start questioning things, or trying to make your mark in a certain way or whatever, it's kind of frowned upon by the guy in charge. So the more you push or the better musician you are — who knows? — maybe you're considered a threat; I don't know. I was kicked out. I didn't do anything wrong except question things."

He added: "I never had a say in anything. I wasn't an original guy. Me and my brother and Jeff were in a band before MUSHROOMHEAD called HATRIX, and that got blown off. They started [MUSHROOMHEAD], and [MUSHROOMHEAD] took off. I was asked to join later, as a hired guy… I'm not an original guy. Actually, it was probably '99-2000 when I got in as a hired guy. And then, they got the deal with Eclipse, and did the first tour opening for W.A.S.P. They couldn't afford to pay me my hired show rate, so they asked me to join the band. So, it was like feast or famine with the band. Now you're a member. But, of course, after I'm out, it's, like, 'Oh, he was just a hired gun.' So, yeah. I'm in the band when it benefits you, but when you want me out because I'm calling you on your bullshit, then I'm a hired gun. Okay, whatever."

A little over two months ago, Skinny said that MUSHROOMHEAD was "stronger than ever" after undergoing its latest round of lineup changes.

Vocalist Jason "J Mann" Popson and samplist Rick "St1tch" Thomas both sat out MUSHROOMHEAD's recent tour, with VENTANA's Scott Beck covering the former's parts live and Aydin Michael filling in for St1tch. Elsewhere, vocalist Jackie LaPonza and guitarist Tom "Tankx" Shaffner have both exited the band, with Joe "Jenkins" Gaal stepping in for the latter.

Skinny addressed the recent personnel shuffles in an interview with Germany's Moshpit Passion. He said: "This is just the current version that we're touring with. COVID came in and changed a lot of people's lives, and some people decided that they didn't wanna do the touring anymore. And we weren't gonna just sit around and wait for people to feel that the world was convenient enough for them.

"We've been trying to put this tour together since we put [the 'A Wonderful Life'] record out — June of 2020," he explained. "So we've been trying to do this for two years. So if people kind of fell off over the course of two years, then that's what happened. So we ended up rebranding the band once again. And it's stronger than ever. And we changed up quite a bit of the material [in the setlist] because of that. We've got abilities now that we simply did not have in the past, as far as touring. So we're totally taking advantage of it."

Vocalist Steve Rauckhorst, who made his recording debut with MUSHROOMHEAD on "A Wonderful Life", stated about how he ended up joining the band: "The funny story about that is the first time I ever came to Europe was with MUSHROOMHEAD. I just wasn't on stage; I was part of the crew. And I have been around the band, one way or another, or at least have heard about it since basically the very beginning. I saw 'em when I was very young.

"It's been really good," he said about his experience singing for MUSHROOMHEAD. "It's felt more like home. It was a really comfortable transition. It went about as well as it possibly could. And it's just kind of a continuance or something, it felt like to me, more than a new beginning or a blatant shift in direction or anything.

"Yeah, [I'm] happy to be here," he added. "[I'm] happy to add whatever I can to it."

MUSHROOMHEAD's eighth album, "A Wonderful Life", was released via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2014's "The Righteous & The Butterfly" was produced by Skinny and was mixed by Matt Wallace (FAITH NO MORE, 3 DOORS DOWN),also recognized for his work on the band's classic offering "XIII".

"A Wonderful Life" was MUSHROOMHEAD's first album since the March 2018 departures of longtime vocalist Jeff "Jeffrey Nothing" Hatrix and guitarist Tommy Church.

LaPonza previously appeared on "The Righteous & The Butterfly" track "We Are The Truth", as well as the 2015 song "Among The Crows", which appeared on the "Game Of Thrones"-inspired HBO promotional album "Catch The Throne".

In a 2020 interview with The Chronicle, Felton said about Jackie's contributions to MUSHROOMHEAD: "We had female vocalists in the past, so it was a very natural progression to add her into the mix. Before she agreed to do 'The Heresy', I could just totally hear her voice all over it. The natural progression of MUSHROOMHEAD has always been to expect the unexpected.

"One thing people overlook is there's never been the same lineup on any two consecutive records ever in the history of MUSHROOMHEAD. It's kind of cool — every album is definitely a new chapter but in the same book."

Who saw Gravy's return to the Mushroomhead stage last night at the @blueridgerockfest? 🤯 #mushroomhead #heygravy #woahskinny

Posted by MUSHROOMHEAD OFFICIAL on Sunday, September 11, 2022

Fan-filmed video of GHOST's entire September 9 concert at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Kaisarion
02. Rats
03. Faith
04. Spillways
05. Devil Church
06. Cirice
07. Hunter's Moon
08. Ritual
09. Call Me Little Sunshine
10. Con Clavi Con Dio
11. Prime Mover
12. Watcher In The Sky
13. Year Zero
14. He Is
15. Miasma
16. Mary On A Cross
17. Mummy Dust
18. Dance Macabre
19. Square Hammer

In a recent interview with AL.com, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge was asked why his band was able to break through commercially at a time when pop, R&B and rap acts dominate. He replied: "I think there are various reasons. And it all combined in alignment, sort of created the sum of our career. But I think our sound and our way of not writing the same record every time, but still having a signature DNA in it has helped. I think it has helped we have consistently tried to bring a show to the people."

He continued: "It defies logic for a lot of bands, I think, to try to expand beyond their means. But that was aided by the fact that I was the only one that invested and everybody else was paid. [Laughs] If we had people voting on everything, it would not have happened this way. Because I was so determined that, yeah, I want to be what METALLICA was in the '80s, on the '…And Justice For All' tour. That sort of band or like 'Powerslave' with IRON MAIDEN. That sort of fucking theater and playing arenas. And I've always been very, very influenced by PINK FLOYD and THE ROLLING STONES. As much as I'm a sucker and grew up listening to really obscure, very extreme death metal, I also have a huge alignment and childhood love with big-ass arena rock. And in this day and age, especially when rock isn't the flavor of the day, I think it has behooved us that we've sort of moved against the pack. When we were debutantes, it was still that like emo-core going on, and we stood out like a sore thumb. Somehow, we were lucky enough people started embracing us as well, even though we weren't part of any major music movement. Maybe there was a murmur about an underground occult rock thing going on at the time. But that was at such a low level that wouldn't have affected people in general. But then a lot of kudos and credit I must give to [GUNS N' ROSES bassist] Duff McKagan, [METALLICA's] James Hetfield, [PANTERA's] Phil Anselmo, Jerry Cantrell from ALICE IN CHAINS and Dave Grohl [FOO FIGHTERS], of course. All those guys took us on tours. They lifted up the band GHOST, onto their stages and put us in front of a lot of people. Without that, this wouldn't have happened."

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

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

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

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

In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the new character who is fronting the act for its "Impera" album phase.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of "Prequelle".

Fan-filmed video of SHADOWS FALL's September 8 performance at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia can be seen below.

SHADOWS FALL played its first reunion show last December at The Palladium in Worcester in the band's native Massachusetts. In an interview with the Podioslave Podcast conducted just days after the gig, SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair stated about the comeback performance: "It was insane, man. It couldn't have gone any better than we could have hoped for. It was a long time coming. We sort of fizzled out as far as we never had a last big show to kind of head off into the sunset. We still all loved making music together, we all still loved playing shows, but life was just getting in the way. I was about to have my second kid; Paul [Romanko, bass] had already had a kid. It was just getting tough, so we sort of fizzled out. So, over the last few years, we would kind of, every now and then, just float the idea of, like, 'Yeah, we should probably play a show.' But then at five years, we were, like, 'All right. It's been long enough. We really wanna do this.' And we had a date, and we were all systems go, and then COVID happened. Literally, we were gonna announce probably three weeks before the world shut down. Thankfully, we didn't, so we could kind of just, like, 'All right…' It's not like we had to announce it and then retract. And it gave us some more time to really think about what we wanted to do.

"The key was for us we weren't trying to do like a quick throw-and-go, make-some-money-and-just-disappear thing," he explained. "We were, like, 'We want a sick bill that makes sense.' So once we got SWORN ENEMY, DARKEST HOUR and UNEARTH to sign on, we were, like, 'All right. That's where we wanna start. We want bands that make sense that are our crew.' And then we also wanted to get some local, kind of younger bands. Matt [Bachand, rhythm guitar] had been working with CARNIVORA forever. And we knew the WITHIN THE RUINS guys. And we were, like, 'All right, we've got our bill.' We knew it was gonna be at The Palladium before. That was like our backyard; that was like our hometown spot. We played so many metal fests and opened so many great shows [at that venue]."

Fair added: "And then we were, like, 'We also want to be razor-sharp prepared.' We were not known for rehearsing very diligently back in the day. We were kind of a lazy band when it came to practicing. We'd always get halfway through the set and be, like, 'We know 'Destroyer Of Senses'. We don't need to play it again.' And then you realize, 'We probably should have dusted it off.' So we really all focused and practiced like crazy, on our own and then together. And, man, that was probably as good as we've ever sounded. We were super ready. The crowd was incredible. We brought in an awesome crew and great production. We brought in the lights; we did the whole deal. We were, like, 'We're not nickel-and-diming this shit. It's gonna be a fucking party.' And it was, man. It was awesome. My family was out. I had the kids up on stage with me at one point. And Paul's kid came out. They got to see their dads being cool at least once, and not just on YouTube. The vibe was very celebratory. [There] was a crazy pit and people were going nuts, but it wasn't an angry vibe in there at all. It was very welcoming and very humbling as well."

SHADOWS FALL released a statement in August 2014 in which the bandmembers explained that financial difficulties made it virtually impossible for the group to continue as a full-time concern.

In August 2015, SHADOWS FALL played a few reunion shows on the U.S. East Coast, one year after completing what was being billed at the time as the band's "final" European tour.

SHADOWS FALL's latest album, "Fire From The Sky", released in May 2012 via Razor & Tie. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart.

SHADOWS FALL members Jon Donais and Matt Bachand recently launched a new project called LIVING WRECKAGE, in which they are joined by guitarist Matt LeBreton (DOWNPOUR),drummer Jon Morency (LET US PREY) and vocalist Jeff GardDEATH RAY VISION.

According to Billboard, MEGADETH's new album, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!", sold 48,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marks the band's eighth top 10-charting album.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.

Of "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!"'s 48,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprise 45,000, SEA units comprise 3,000 and TEA units comprise a neglible sum.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

"The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" arrived on September 2 via UMe. The LP consolidates a furious return to form that began with the Grammy-winning "Dystopia", while pushing forward musically and marking frontman Dave Mustaine's recent triumph over throat cancer. Reuniting Dave with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (DANZIG, PARKWAY DRIVE),who together helmed 2016's "Dystopia", the album was recorded at Mustaine's home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album. With the kick-off of MEGADETH's recent tour, MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo rejoined the MEGADETH family as permanent bass player.

Featuring some of Mustaine's strongest songwriting while also incorporating writing from the rest of the band, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" brings together everything that's exhilarating and distinctive about MEGADETH. From the blistering throwback fury of "Night Stalkers" and first single "We'll Be Back", to the more mid-tempo and melodic "Soldier On!" and the very personal title track, with its enthralling twists and turns. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" also features a cover of DEAD KENNEDYS' "Police Truck" and Sammy Hagar's "This Planet's On Fire", the latter of which includes vocals from Hagar himself.

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" melds the ultra-frenetic riffing, fiercely intricate solos, and adventurous spirit the quartet are known for, all laced with signature virtuosity and precision and Mustaine's singular sardonic snarl. This album combines all the crushing musical motifs that have made MEGADETH both repeat metal disruptors and revered genre flagbearers.

Regarding Hagar's contribution to "This Planet's On Fire", Mustaine told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "It's a super-heavy song. And the good thing about this [is] we didn't just do the song; [Sammy] played on it too. So we've got a little bit of some guitar; we've got a lot of bit of singing. I think it's super badass."

As for MEGADETH's decision to cover "Police Truck", Mustaine said: "It's no secret I'm a big DEAD KENNEDYS fan, and I had wanted to do 'Holiday In Cambodia', but my friends in LÄÄZ ROCKIT had done that, and I felt that [I would] just let them have their glory off of that rendition of that song, and if the time comes, I'm sure there's another song that'll stick out to me. And there was — it was the song 'Police Truck'. So we recorded that one."

Earlier this year, Mustaine confirmed that DiGiorgio laid down the bass tracks on "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!"

There had been speculation about DiGiorgio's involvement in the new MEGADETH LP since July 2021, based on a Cameo video Mustaine recorded in which he offered the first glimpse of the bassist that re-recorded David Ellefson's bass tracks on the latest MEGADETH effort.

DiGiorgio is widely renowned as a pioneer on the fretless bass in heavy metal music, having played with TESTAMENT, DEATH and SADUS, among others. Within his genre, Steve is respected for his playing skills, versatility and incredible technique. He has more than 40 studio album recordings and over 20 years of touring the world.

In May, MEGADETH announced LoMenzo 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".

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 returning original MEGADETH bassist Ellefson.

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

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

Ellefson laid down his bass tracks on MEGADETH's sixteenth LP in May 2020 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

In June 2021, Mustaine announced during an episode of his Gimme Radio program "The Dave Mustaine Show" that Ellefson's bass tracks would not be used on the new MEGADETH LP.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest departure.
Billboard 200: #3(new) @Megadeth, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! 48,000 [3.6 million on-demand streams | 45,000 pure sales].

— chart data (@chartdata) September 11, 2022

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife, Toyah Willcox, have shared a special video in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8th at the age of 96. They perform a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes". Watch below.


"Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp wish to extend condolences to the Royal Family, and respect the dedication HRH Elizabeth II showed her country during her unprecedented reign. The Sunday Lunch series is paused to play "Heroes" in acknowledgement of the passing of Her Majesty the Queen."







A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below:

Germany’s cult thrashers Necronomicon are currently busy recording their 11th as-yet-untitled studio album. Freddy, the band's frontman and vocalist, has issued the following update:


"Rhythm guitars are now recorded and last Friday we started with the drum recording before we'll prepare for our European tour. The cover artwork is also in progress and will be finished by the end of September, as will the album. Glen will join us next week so we will be all together then. Can‘t wait to be on stage with the  guys again."


The album is produced by Necronomicon. Mixing and mastering will be handled by Achim Köhler.




Freddy's previous update was as follows:


"The album includes 13 songs full of power and hardness. A wide spectrum from typical thrash metal versions over punk-heavy versions to driving midtempo songs. As the world is becoming to resemble the H.P. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon (Book of Dead) we have decided to deal with the current situation in Ukraine and in general with the topic of war and violence against children and women. Musically, I would like to tie in with The Final Chapter and deliver a wide range of song material which also means a new beginning, a new chapter of the band with Rik and Glen at the same time. Stay tuned!"


Necronomicon recently announced their The Final Chapter Tour 2022 over Europe, kicking off on September 23rd in Berlin, Germany. The main support for the duration of the tour comes from 3000AD, and on select dates Strident and Stonecast. See the confirmed shows and details below along with a tour trailer.

Former EXODUS vocalist Rob Dukes rejoined his bandmates on stage this past Friday (September 9) at Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona to perform the group's classic song "The Toxic Waltz". Dukes shared lead vocals with current EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza on the track, which originally appeared on EXODUS's third album, 1989's "Fabulous Disaster". Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

The San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal legends in June 2014 announced the departure of Dukes and the return of Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Dukes addressed his current relationship with EXODUS in a June 2022 interview with Scott Penfold of the "Loaded Radio" podcast. He said: "When EXODUS fired me, it took me about a year to not be angry about it. It was unexpected — I didn't see it coming — and it was a hard time in life. I'd just moved; I'd just gotten married. It was a heavy burden. And it took me a while. And about a year later, after Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] called me and we spoke, they flew me up to San Francisco and I sat down with them. And we laid it out on the table. And it made it better — just to clear the wreckage of that. And I moved on with my life, and they moved on with their life. I did one show with them — I did a few songs up in San Francisco — and then I just started living my life."

Dukes went on to say that he no longer dwells on the negative circumstances surrounding his departure from EXODUS.

"[EXODUS] was definitely a part of my life, but I don't rely on it," he said. "So I just move forward. But our friendship is good, man. I went up there to see… After Tom [Hunting, EXODUS drummer] got sick [with cancer in early 2021], we were talking the entire time and I was aware of his situation. And then when the time was right, after he had done some chemo sessions and was feeling a little better, I flew up and spent a couple of days with Tom. And I saw Gary, and I went and had lunch with Lee [Altus, EXODUS guitarist].

"Look, man, we lived together for 10 years. That bond is very difficult to break," Rob explained. "Especially when the reason I got fired, it wasn't personal; it was business. I took it personally in the beginning. But this is a harsh business, man, and there's a lot of fucking snakes out there and there's a lot of weird people who want their little piece. And it's kind of what happened. It was just business. Looking back on it, it was all for the best."

Three years after he was fired from EXODUS, Dukes performed with the band during a July 2017 concert in San Francisco, California. He sang several songs with the group on the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the band's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013.

Dukes joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

Rob previously discussed his split with EXODUS during a December 2020 pay-per-view video conversation with Souza, recorded earlier that month at Zetro's studio in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of Souza's "Zetro's Toxic Vault" YouTube interview series. At the time, Dukes said that the seed for his exit from EXODUS was planted during the songwriting and pre-production sessions for the band's 2014 album "Blood In Blood Out". "One night, before a show, me, Lee, Tom and Jack [Gibson, drums] were sitting, and we said, 'You know, we should do this [album] different. We should do this one where we actually rehearse together and we go through the songs like a band would do 'em in the old days' — go through 'em and maybe pick apart parts, maybe make 'em better, do it that way," he said. "[I thought it was] a great plan; I agreed. I come home, fly back out a couple of weeks later and everything is done. They're doing the drums, but Jack is doing the engineering, and [longtime British producer] Andy [Sneap] is not doing the vocals. And at that time, nothing against Jack — I love Jack — but the difference was, working with Andy, I didn't have to sing the whole line all the way through over and over again. Jack wasn't able to, at this time, edit in a word if I fucked up; I had to start all over. And the dissent had started with me. I felt a lot of the songs were very repetitious.

"Now, I could have just kept my mouth shut and just went along with it if I wanted to keep my job, even though it wouldn't have mattered, because the business decisions, I think, were being made behind the scenes with Metal Maria and Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer]. I, actually, in front of everyone, challenged Chuck. 'Cause Chuck was now managing the band. We're halfway through the record, and they said, 'Well, Chuck's gonna manage the band.' I go, 'You don't see that as a conflict of interest — a little bit?' And I said this to Chuck, to his face. I said, 'You're telling me, if you get an opportunity, you're not gonna have TESTAMENT [take the gig]; you're gonna give EXODUS the gig? Get the fuck outta here, dude! I wouldn't do that, so I know you're not gonna do that.' He's, like, 'I wouldn't do that.' I go, 'You're not being honest with me. You're not being honest with yourself.' And it caused, like, a thing. And everyone was mad at me, 'cause the boys don't like confrontation. And it wasn't the songs. The songs were the songs. I thought 'BTK' was killer. Dude, you did 'BTK' awesome," he said, complimenting Zetro. "There were certain things about it. I don't wanna shit on it, but some of it just seemed regurgitated. I was, like, 'This song sounds like that song,' and, 'This song sounds like this song,' and it started to weigh on me. Like I said, I could have just kept my mouth shut and just played the game and not rocked the boat, but it wasn't my nature. My nature was, 'No, man. We're better than this. We need to top ourselves over the last thing we did,' and I didn't feel like it was doing that — I felt like it was actually declining a little bit, in my eyes, from my position. But it didn't mean that I didn't give everything I had — I gave everything I had on vocals — but Jack was beating me up, because I was constantly not able to… Especially with some of the timing stuff — you've never done it before, and now you're expected to do it forever. This is the CD, man — this is forever."

Explaining why he was angry for such a long time about his dismissal from EXODUS, Dukes said: "Look, man, [I was] 47 years old [at the time]. I got married five days before. And you fucking fire me. If I was by myself, if I was just me, I would have been okay with it. I was responsible for another human being. I just moved my entire life from my comfortable New York upbringing to a place [in Arizona] where I know one person, and I don't even know him that well; I know him from touring and watching him when I was a kid. I knew Roger Miret from AGNOSTIC FRONT; it's the only guy I knew [in Arizona].

"I remember telling my wife, 'We're gonna be okay. It's fine. We're fine. I'll sell my car. And that'll get us, like, a year rent, and we'll be okay. I'll figure it out. We'll be okay.' But in my head, I was fucking terrified," he admitted. "And I felt like [the EXODUS guys] took something from me that I earned, that I deserved. But I was looking at it wrong. I didn't deserve anything. I didn't earn anything. I was grateful to be there. And I tried to do the right thing. I remember writing a statement and putting it out there. I was grateful — I was grateful for going to over a hundred countries in my lifetime, playing in front of the millions of people that I got to play over 10 years. I was grateful for every opportunity that was given to me; I was honestly grateful. But also, I was angry, and I had every right to be angry. But I wasn't able to see it for what it was until a year later — it took me a year."

Dukes said that he wishes he had been more vocal in the earlier stages of the making of "Blood In Blood Out", particularly as it relates to EXODUS's choice of producer for the sessions.

"The truth was that my part in it, had I been honest from the beginning and I had said — 'cause there were times when I didn't wanna rock the boat — 'We are making fucking mistakes. And if you guys all wanna go to this next level that you all talk about, then let's put our fucking money where our mouth is and change it the way we're doing it,'" he said. "You've done it this way all this time and you've always gotten what you got. But if you change the game… Nothing against Andy, but if we bring in Colin Richardson, bring in fucking Zeuss [Chris Harris], bring in somebody [from] outside the game who had his own ideas of looking at things and maybe corral some of the chaotic stuff that was going on. And maybe go, 'You know what? The song does sound like that song. Maybe we should fucking take this riff…' Let producers do what they do… I thought it would have been awesome for somebody like Colin Richardson or Zeuss to come in and take Gary Holt [EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter] and sit him down and go, 'This is awesome. But we can make this better. Let's try this and try that.' And that's what the plan originally was."

Looking back on how his split with EXODUS went down, Rob said during the "Zetro's Toxic Vault" chat that he was "glad that everything worked out the way it did. And I was glad that Gary called me a year later and I spoke with him," he said. "And he was legitimately sorry; I knew he was. And he said, 'I want you to come to San Francisco.' And then I was, like, 'Well, how does Zet feel?' And he goes, 'It was Zet's idea.'"

Dukes also addressed the speculation that his substandard vocals on an early version of "Blood In Blood Out" were proof that he wasn't sufficiently inspired to deliver the goods on the album. "That assumption has been said to me a bunch of times," he said. "Even Lee has said, he goes, 'Your heart wasn't in it.' And my ego, which I don't have a big ego — it's not like I'm an egotistical dick — but I can tell you that when I was on the microphone, I was giving my best, I was giving all I had. What I felt inside was that the songs weren't as good. To me, they felt rushed. I felt some of the lyrics felt rushed.

"Me and Gary look at music very differently, and I think that's why we kind of worked," he continued. "Gary will write the lyrics before he writes the music, and he fits it in, where I write the music, write the melody and then fill in the words to the melody.

"It's hard to say it without sounding like a dick, but it was very… I remember singing one song and going, 'Dude, this is that other song.' And then, hearing the lead, going, 'That's the lead from that other song.' And I think that alone, trying to take my ego out of it, maybe my heart wasn't it. I wish that it was.

"At the moment, I knew I was giving all I could, but the factors against me was I didn't think the material was as strong as what we had already done," Dukes added. "I wanted it to be better. It's like setting bar for yourself and then not giving at least that measure. And then I thought that, as much as I love Jack, he wasn't Andy Sneap. And working with Andy, there was something to working with Andy that pulls it out of me.

"I remember talking to [Rob] Halford about it, 'cause [Andy recorded] Halford with PRIEST. He made me do fucking 10 fucking takes of each line. When you do 10 takes of each line, and then he fucking pieces them together. And then you get back something and you're, like, 'Wow, that's the way I sang that, huh? Cool.' No, it wasn't. It was the way Andy put it together. And then, all of a sudden, now you have a template. 'Well, now I'm gonna do that live, 'cause that's better.' 'Cause Andy knew what the fuck he was doing. But now you're just leaving it to me raw. And I thought not having Andy there for the vocals made me mad — not mad; it just made me a little disheartened, I guess. Because working for two albums with Andy, I knew what to expect. No matter what template I was given, I knew that Andy was gonna make me do it the right way. And when we were doing it, it wasn't that."

Dukes still resides in Arizona, where he works as a mechanic specializing in car restoration.

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Drummer Phil Varone (Saigon Kick, Skid Row, Vince Neil, Red Dragon Cartel) introduces his new band, Panic Boom, with the following message:


"Well, well, well... It's been a while...


It's been a busy few months, to say the least, but I'm excited to report that my new band Panic Boom - debut album release titled Twenty Eight - comes out on October 28th.




The album was produced & mixed by my Saigon Kick, Panic Boom bandmate Chris McLernon.


I just finished directing and editing the video for the new single 'Keep It To Myself', coming September 28th. ( are you feeling the 28 themes yet? )


On a personal note: I couldn't be more proud of this record. The songs, the sound, the playing, and most importantly, the friendship. I formed this band in 1994 with my best friends, and 28 years later the band is made up of the same best friends. Chris McLernon, Randy Christopher Bates, Sean Martin, and Tony Cortese.


I think you guys are going to dig it... For all info on the band, and to get a sneak peek at songs and videos, go to PanicBoomBand.com.


No matter what we argue about, no matter the differences we have, the common bond will always be music! And there's nothing like some good new music to bond over... Peace, Love, and Mucho Respect."


Listen to "Revolution" by Panic Boom:








 



 

Former ACCEPT bassist Peter Baltes is playing bass for U.D.O., the band fronted by original ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider, on the group's ongoing European tour. Baltes is filling in for U.D.O.'s regular bassist Tilen Hudrap who was hospitalized after the band's show in Munich, Germany on Sunday, September 4.

Baltes made his live debut with U.D.O. earlier tonight (Friday, September 9) in Berlin, Germany. Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

On Monday (September 5),U.D.O. released the following statement via social media: "Dear Fans, As you may already have heard, last night Tilen Hudrap, our Bass Player & invaluable member of the U.D.O. Family, had to be rushed to Hospital after nearly collapsing on stage. Tilen is a guy who would walk barefoot over burning coals to play a show, but his body, after Months of stress of every kind, just could not take it any longer. He is in excellent hands at a great hospital in Munich, where doctors are continuing to run tests on him to ascertain the quickest way to bring him back to full health. But for right now, the best medicine is rest.

"U.D.O. will continue the Tour without Tilen until he has fully recovered. The next two shows in Pratteln and Stuttgart will be performed without a Bass Player, then Peter Baltes will join us as temporary replacement from Berlin onwards.

"Of course we will all be devastated to not have Tilen on stage with us, but his health comes first, and as soon as he is able, you can be sure he will be up there, Rocking the World, stronger than before.

"We love you Tilen! Get well soon!"

Tilen added in a separate statement: "This is the hardest thing I ever wrote publicly.

"As a public person I feel compelled to write what I will write, especially because I owe it to the fans: the fans of the band, my own fans'n'supporters from all the years of touring and to everyone involved in this touring commitment going on at the moment.

"Yesterday my body gave in on stage.

"In twenty years I never cancelled one single show and in all my professional years I never cancelled a tour or a concert. Not with a broken finger, not with 40C body temperature, not while barely standing, after I haven't slept for 52 hours, not ever.

"At the beginning of the world tour this was the last thing I wanted to do (to cancel ANYTHING, let alone a 3 month tour) so despite my burnout condition that I never talked publicly about and against the advice of my doctors and my family I went on tour to not let down my brothers in the band and the hardworking crew and management/booking agency. I always prided myself in being a road warrior and went through way crazier situations in my career so I thought this would not be a big deal (to do a nice 3 month tour). It turned out it was.

"(Un)Fortunately!!! My body gave in during the last two songs yesterday.
Respiratory alkalosis, total hyperventilation, uncontrollable tremors, momentary collapse of body functions and complete burnout. The doctors in the emergency room in München said I should never went on stage for the last week, let alone during the whole summer. My body was running on fumes. They basically saved me.

"I'm in the hospital now, writing this and thinking about everyone involved.
Sorry to everyone and all the fans, but I need to take some time to get back to 100%.

"Please know I would never not go play if it wasn't serious as it is. Most of this was caused by unreal amounts of no sleep, stress, e. rollercoasters and on top corona period. All this, plus decades of work that took me to where I am, put a price on my body.

"Yes, I remain in the band, the new album is in the works and someone nice will come to replace me indefinitely until I get back in shape for which you always known me for. You know I always gave 200% and always will!

"I will make a few updates in the following days to keep everyone in the loop. Got many worried msgs, I wanna assure everyone that I will be fine and come back stronger than ever. A metal heart is hard to tear apart!

"Last, but not least and most important: indescribable gratitude to my band brothers and crew for their support in the most dire situation yesterday and in general. I love you guys!

"METAL Lives!"

Two years ago, Baltes and former ACCEPT drummer Stefan Kaufmann were part of the songwriting team for U.D.O.'s album called "We Are One", a collaboration with Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr, the military band of the German federal armed forces. Speaking to Canada's The Metal Voice about how Baltes came to be involved with the project, Udo said: "This was not planned. [Getting] Stefan Kaufmann [involved] was planned from the beginning on. He was helping us out on the last concerts, on the guitar. And he was sitting also with us together when we were talking about that we maybe wanna do an album. And he said, 'I wanna be the sound engineer. I have some ideas.' And then I said, 'Okay, no problem.' I mean, I never had any problems with Stefan Kaufmann. And then, one day, I was in Germany, and he said, 'Yeah, you have to do some demo vocals in the studio.' Then I said, 'Okay, I'll come then.' Then I came into the studio, but he didn't tell me this before, and Peter Baltes was staying there. Peter was there; he was doing some stuff with Stefan about his projects. Peter, after he left ACCEPT, he's doing so many things. And we were talking a lot of things. Then Peter said, 'You're doing a very interesting project. I have also some ideas, if you don't mind.' I said, 'Hey, Peter, no problem.' I mean, I never had a problem with Peter. Then Stefan and Peter, they came up with really good ideas."

He continued: "I'm not a guy to say, 'No. Nobody can come up with some ideas.' I mean, for this project, the most important thing was that we have really, really good stuff, and for me, it doesn't matter who was writing the songs or whatever. And [Peter] was really happy to do something like this. And also Stefan, I think, was really happy. Stefan did a great job. He was mixing in the end."

Asked how it was to reconnect with Peter and if there is any chance of Baltes joining U.D.O., Udo said: "It was a lot of fun to talk to him. I never had any problems with Peter. It was like we saw each other just yesterday, [meeting up for the first time] after 15 years, and also talking to him after 15 years.

"Peter in the band, to be the bass player in U.D.O.?" he continued. "He's doing so many projects; he's really busy. And we were not really talking about this. 'It would be great to have you now as the bass player in U.D.O.' [We'll] leave it like it is. If he does some stuff and maybe asks me to sing a song on his album — I think I heard he's doing a solo album — no problem, but to play in a band together again, I don't think so."

Udo's son Sven, who plays drums for U.D.O., added: "It would be strange as well, as we formed a very strong five-piece band. This is a very strong team, and everybody's getting along very well. So that would be a bit strange to now just say, 'Hey, but Peter's playing now, because he's Peter.' You would rip apart something we built up. And as you might know, we were looking for the right people for some time now, and now it works perfectly. And everybody's doing an amazing job — everybody's so good on their instruments — and we just found a good band. That would be strange."

U.D.O. - Princess of the Dawn

Das ich das nochmal erleben darf: Udo DIRKSCHNEIDER + Peter Baltes zusammen auf einer Bühne!

Posted by Rock City Radio Show Berlin on Friday, September 9, 2022



U.D.O. Live in Berlin

Posted by Obi Zabka on Friday, September 9, 2022

Dear Fans,

As you may already have heard, last night Tilen Hudrap, our Bass Player & invaluable member of the U.D.O….

Posted by U.D.O. on Monday, September 5, 2022

Posted by U.D.O. on Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Unfortunately, U.D.O.'s bass player Tilen Hudrap can't continue to play on the group's current "Game Over" tour. GET...

Posted by Atomic Fire Records on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

On August 14th, British death metal legends Benediction performed at the 2022 edition of Belgium's Alcatraz Metal Festival. Professionally-filmed video of the band's full set can be found below.


Setlist:


"Divine Ultimatum" (instrumental)
"Iterations of I"
"Scriptures in Scarlet"
"Nightfear"
"Progenitors of a New Paradigm"
"Unfound Mortality"
"The Dreams You Dread"
"Stormcrow"
"Magnificat"

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his epic power metal rendition of the Blondie classic "Call Me" from 1980. Check it out below.





Johansson previously shared his solo performance of Journey's 1982 classic, "Separate Ways".

Texas brutal death thrashers I Am today unleash a video for “The Primal Wave.” The latest bruiser comes off the band’s punishing Eternal Steel full-length, out today on MNRK Heavy.


Brandishing a unique fusion of ferocious thrash and death metal like a weapon of mass destruction, I Am is purely no-nonsense in their patented “Texas Death” assault. Armed with riffs, speed, and overwhelming power, the band channels discontent and anger into empowering anthems, as likely to inspire a grueling workout as to incite the pit.


Tracks like “Iron Gate,” “Infernal Panther,” “Queen Incarnate,” and Eternal Steel’s title track are demonstrative of the diverse extremes on offer as menacing moods, blistering thrash, and crushing death collide all over the record. The lyrics harness the power of dark subject matter in ways that serve and inspire the listener. “The topic of ‘fear’ is addressed in [latest single] ‘The Primal Wave,’” notes vocalist Andrew Hileman, “but in a way where that fear is used to fuel you to overcome obstacles.”




Hileman further elaborates of the track, "If I could describe this song into a few words I’d use 'furious power.' It’s very unrelenting and in your face the whole time leaving an uneasy feeling. Getting with Kevyn [Reece] to make this video happen brought our vision of filth to life."





Across three full-length slabs of bludgeoning intensity and snarling rage, I Am puts a Southern stamp and revitalized swagger into deathcore, a subgenre rarely as raw, energized, and diverse as this band. In the spirit of fellow Southern icons Pantera and newer Texan heroes Power Trip, I Am channels discontent and anger into empowering anthems, as likely to inspire a grueling workout as to incite the pit. Reminiscent of the combination of death metal heaviness and thrash metal speed found in the early catalog of Sepultura, I Am mines the heaviness of Morbid Angel and the dexterity of the Big 4 to create something groundbreaking of their own. Vocalist Andrew Hileman -- who started the band in 2011 -- guitarists Tom Reyes and Chris Burgess, bassist Erik Rodriguez, and drummer Ian Scott deliver their Texas Death in clubs, theaters, and festivals, with bands like The Acacia Strain and Kublai Khan.


Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Randy Leboeuf (Kublai Khan, Sentinels, The Acacia Strain), Eternal Steel, the quintet’s debut for MNRK Heavy, combines the onslaught of the band’s well-received Hard 2 Kill (2018) with the primal bite of Life Through Torment (2017) into a singular statement of intent.


“We took what we did well on Hard 2 Kill to new extremes on Eternal Steel,” notes Reyes. “It’s faster than the last album, it’s heavier than the last album, and it expands on every other aspect of our sound. ‘Heavy’ doesn’t always have to mean ‘slow.’ Frequently for us, the faster parts are equally as heavy.”


Eternal Steel is available on CD, LP, cassette, and digitally. Order at iam-eternalsteel.com.





Tracklisting:


“The Primal Wave”
“Surrender To The Blade”
“The Iron Gate”
“Eternal Steel”
“Vicious Instinct”
“Infernal Panther”
“Queen Incarnate”
“Heaven On Earth”
“Price Of Pain”
“Eye Candy”
“Manic Cure”


“Surrender To The Blade” video:





“The Iron Gate” video:





(Photo – Kevyn Reece)

Arch Enemy drummer Daniel Erlandsson has shared a live playthrough video of the song "The Watcher", filmed at Reload Festival in August 2022. Filmed by Justin Bauer, audio recorded by Paavo Kurkela.





A collection of 11 tracks that are ruthlessly catchy and mercilessly violent, Deceivers stands toe-to-toe with the highlights of the band's storied catalogue. Roaring to life with "Handshake With Hell", Arch Enemy make it clear they are out for blood, and every track is a hit, from the moody "Poisoned Arrow" to the titanically anthemic "One Last Time". Sounding more energized than ever, the quintet is operating at the highest level, delivering a maelstrom of diamond-hard riffing wrapped around cinematic melodies, thunderous drumming and towering vocals. Arch Enemy has proved, yet again, that they are unstoppable.




Deceivers can be ordered in various formats here.





Deceivers tracklisting:


"Handshake With Hell"
"Deceiver, Deceiver"
"In The Eye Of The Storm"
"The Watcher"
"Poisoned Arrow"
"Sunset Over The Empire"
"House Of Mirrors"
"Spreading Black Wings"
"Mourning Star"
"One Last Time"
"Exiled From Earth"


"Deceiver, Deceiver" video:





"House Of Mirrors" video:





"Handshake With Hell" video:





"Sunset Over The Empire" video:





"The Watcher" video:





Catch Arch Enemy on The European Siege 2022 alongside Behemoth, Carcass, and Unto Others. Dates for the 30-date tour, which begins September 27th in Dublin, Ireland, and concludes November 6th in Oslo, Norway, can be seen in the official poster below.

X – Wild has announced the reissue of their second album Monster Effect.


After the success of their debut album, X - Wild entered the studio again in 1995 to record their second album called Monster Effect” It was again in Studio M which in the meantime had changed to Celle / Germany. The recordings were made with the same people involved like on the first record (Engineered and mixed by Jan Nemec) .After the release of Monster Effect, the band went on an European Tour as special guest of German band Grave Digger to promote the album.


Monster Effect will be reissued on October 14, 2022 as CD, limited Yellow Transparent 180g Vinyl (300 copies worldwide) and digital streaming and download format via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records. Preorder at rockworld24.com.







Tracklisting:


“Wild Knight”
“Souls Of Sin”
“Theater Of Blood”
“Heads Held High”
“Dr. Sardonicus”
“Sinners Are Winners”
“Monster Effect”
“Serpents Kiss”
“Sons Of Darkness”
“D.Y.T.W.A.C.”
“King Of Speed”


X - Wild:
Jens Becker (ex-Running Wild, currently in Grave Digger) - Bass
Axel Morgan (ex-Running Wild) - Guitars
Stefan Schwarzmann (ex-Running Wild, ex-U.D.O., ex-Accept) - Drums
Frank Knight – Vocals

Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL kicked off their summer/fall 2022 North American tour last night (Thursday, September 8) at HMAC in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video of the performance is available below.

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

Back in 2002, LACUNA COIL released an album which is now undeniably an anthem-laden millennial classic that established them as a band with the stamina to go the distance. Now, 20 years later, the current lineup of LACUNA COIL decided to revisit the songs, but not to just re-record them as they were but deconstruct and transport them into 2022.

"This is not a reboot or a spin-off or anything like that," said LACUNA COIL vocalist Cristina Scabbia. "We just wanted to give these songs a 2022 dress and see how this guy or girl who was born 20 years ago would still look fucking slick in 2022."

"Comalies XX" track listing:

CD 1:

01. Swamped XX
02. Heaven's A Lie XX
03. Daylight Dancer XX
04. Humane XX
05. Self Deception XX
06. Aeon XX
07. Tight Rope XX
08. The Ghost Woman And The Hunter XX
09. Unspoken XX
10. Entwined XX
11. The Prophet Said XX
12. Angel's Punishment XX
13. Comalies XX

CD 2:

01. Swamped
02. Heaven's A Lie
03. Daylight Dancer
04. Humane
05. Self Deception
06. Aeon
07. Tight Rope
08. The Ghost Woman And The Hunter
09. Unspoken
10. Entwined
11. The Prophet Said
12. Angel's Punishment
13. Comalies

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

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

Regarding the "Comalies" title, Scabbia said: "[During the album's recording], we had a sort of creative explosion. We were working in a coma, sort of like in a different dimension. First of all we just wanted to use the word 'coma' but there was something missing so we played with the two words coma and lies."

The "Comalies" song "Swamped" is available as a downloadable track for the music video game series "Rock Band" and also appeared in the 2004 video game "Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines".

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

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

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

Last June, Scabbia told Revolver that she and her bandmates didn't use the coronavirus downtime to work on new music. "We didn't want to force the fact that because we were home, we had to write music," she explained. "We always thought that to write music, you need to be inspired. And inspiration comes from the outside, comes from experiences that you have, things that you live. At least this is valid for us.

"Everything we do in a regular life, in a normal life enriches us and gives us input that we can put in our music," she said. "And also we like to write together. So, if Marco [Coti Zelati, bass] creates the basis of the music together with the other musicians in the band, then Andrea [Ferro, vocals] and I jump in with the lyrics and vocal lines. But we do that together. We need to enter in songwriting mode. So we didn't really like the fact that we had to write separately just because we have to put a record [together] because it's quarantine. Now we are starting to collect ideas 'cause we feel a little bit happier."

Scabbia continued: "We didn't want anything connected to the negativity of the pandemic… That's why I used my time to do something completely different. Because I know that what I did that it's completely different from what I usually do will make me start again to do what I did before with passion — with the same passion. I was just afraid that if I would have used all the downtime making music when I didn't really want to, it would have had a negative influence on me. And it would have been, like, 'I really don't want to do that.' And I also wanted to prove to myself that, yeah, music is main passion. I love what I do for a living, and I hope that I can do it until the day I die. But I also wanted to show myself that I can be capable of doing something else as well."

Damn The Machine featuring former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland has issued album entitled The Last Man, which holds ten previously unreleased songs from their demo years. The Last Man is available on CD, vinyl, and digital. Order The Last Man at damnthemachine.com.


There is a very special place in downtown Los Angeles, where so many roads crossed, musicians from all over the world that locked themselves into these concrete rooms on Santa Fe Avenue, known as Downtown Rehearsal. Chris had released his solo masterpiece Return To Metalopolis featuring Mark Poland, and later with Dave Randi (on bass and some live vocals). It was in late 1990 that Ross Robinson heard from Chris that he was on the lookout for someone who could possibly join the trio as a vocalist and guitarist/writer, and Ross got in touch with DJC (living in Pittsburgh at the time) and after a short chat an audition was set up in LA. David learned the material from the Return To Metalopolis album in preparation for the meeting, and as the DTM story unfolds the meeting was an inspiring success, with the quartet effortlessly coming to full swing within minutes.







In the beginning months, the band wrote “Legend Maker”, “Heaven's Gate”, “The Prize”, “The Final Amendment”, “Man vs. So Much More”, and “Welcome The Red”. The songs featured on the debut album were written shortly thereafter, and the other six tracks (four of which featured on this release) were written after the extensive touring the band did in 1992 & 1993 with Voivod, Flotsam & Jetsam, Clutch, Excel and Dream Theater. The story of DTM is definitely extremely unique, a band far ahead of the times, full of desire and talent however after this somewhat short period of active existence found it necessary to close the doors. 


They hope this was the best path to take, as explained in a recent interview with DJC and Steev Riccardo (ex-A&M DTM Promotion Agent): “We are lucky that we made this decision, by doing so we froze the legend that is Damn The Machine right in its steps, rather than dragging it down the road for years with different formations and attempts to keep something going just for the sake of it.”


“Now after 30 years of pondering over this great collection of people and music, and being recently burdened and strangely enlightened with the weight of a pandemic and multiple other hardships, it was so clear to that it was needed to find a way to bring this all together and get the music to the fans, which there seem to be so many of! Enjoy this piece of musical history!”


Artwork and design by Chris Corrado:





Tracklisting:


“The Final Amendment”
“Welcome The Red”
“Heaven’s Gate”
“Legend Maker”
“Menial War”
“A Brighter Day”
“The Prize”
“Man vs. So Much More”
“All That We’ll Ignore”
“This Fading Rhyme” 


Lineup:
Chris Poland - Guitars
Mark Poland - Drums
Dave Randi - Bass & Backing Vocals
David Judson Clemmons - Guitars & Vocals

Salt Lake City's Chelsea Grin have teamed up with OneRPM and will release a career-altering double-LP: Suffer In Hell and Suffer In Heaven.


Suffer In Hell will be released globally on November 11, 2022, while Suffer In Heaven will arrive on March 17, 2023. Preorder here. Preorder bundles include limited edition vinyl variants (only 500 produced) and a new merch line. 


New singe, "The Isnis", is available below.







"We are stoked to be releasing this one — Track 6 on Suffer In Hell," Stephen Rutishauser says. "'The Isnis' is about an all-encompassing energy that surrounds us and drives us to explore our limitless consciousness."





Suffer In Hell tracklisting:


“Origin Of Sin”
“Forever Bloom” (feat. Trevor Strnad)
“Deathbed Companion”
“Crystal Casket”
“Flood Lungs”
“The Isnis”
“Mourning Hymn”
“Suffer In Hell, Suffer In Heaven”





Suffer In Heaven tracklisting:


“Leave With Us”
“Orc March”
“Fathomless Maw”
“Soul Slave”
“The Mind Of God”
“Yhorm The Giant”
“Sing To The Grave”
“The Path Of Suffering”


"Origin Of Sin":





Chelsea Grin on tour with Kaonashi and Filth:


September
9 — Jacksonville, NC — Hooligans 
10 — Alton, VA ­­— Blue Ridge Rock Fest 
11 — Louisville, KY — Headliners Music Hall
13 — Grand Rapids, MI — Stache
14 ­— Indianapolis, IN — Emerson Theater
15 — Nashville, TN —The End
16 — Spartanburg, SC — Ground Zero
17 — Orlando, FL — Central Florida Metal Fest

Progressive/symphonic power metal quintet Induction will release their sophomore full length, Born From Fire, on November 25 via Atomic Fire Records.


Notes guitarist and band mastermind Tim Kanoa Hansen. “We tried to deliver a good mix of big hits, great melodies, emotions, brutal anger, intricate riffs, and arrangements as well as making it a ton of fun while listening. We are sure this album will convince old and new fans alike of what Induction means. We sincerely hope that everyone finds themselves in some of the songs.”


The record, which boasts twelve metal anthems in 58 minutes, was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen and is graced by the cover artwork of Peter Sallai (Sabaton, Jinjer, Powerwolf).




Born From Fire will be available on CD, 2LP vinyl, and digitally. Find special preorder bundles at induction.afr.link.


Keep up with Induction’s upcoming European live dates at their official website.





Tracklisting:


“Born From Fire”
“Scorched”
“Fallen Angel”
“Go To Hell”
“Embers”
“Order & Chaos”
“The Beauty Of Monstrance”
“Queen Of Light”
“I Am Alive”
“Ghost Of Silence”
“Eternal Silence”
“Sacrifice” (Bonus Track)


“Queen Of Light”:





Induction:
Craig Cairns – vocals
Tim Kanoa Hansen – guitars
Marcos Rodriguez – guitars
Dominik Gusch – bass
Dominik "Dome" Zester – session drums


(Photo – Franz Schepers)

Modern symphonic metal outfit Ad Infinitum will pay homage to their beginnings by releasing their spellbinding debut album, Chapter I - Monarchy (2020), on 2LP gatefold black vinyl for the first time! Under the banner of Echoes of Monarchy, this collection will also feature the debut's stunning acoustic versions, set to drop on October 7, 2022 via Napalm Records.


Evoking the sounds of their debut in 2020, followed by their second full-length in 2021, Ad Infinitum's success undoubtedly echoes throughout the scene, commencing their unstoppable ascent. Charging instrumentals, pounding drums, chunky riffs, mind-boggling solos and enchanting orchestrations build the band's unique soundscapes as frontwoman Melissa Bonny’s soul-stirring cleans and haunting growls put her incredible vocal range on display - dropping jaws with each line. Effortlessly blending various genres without losing their true metal origins, Ad Infinitum proves their versatility while fanning the flames of their symphonic roots with Echoes of Monarchy.


Vocalist Melissa Bonny says:     




“We are thrilled to release, for the very first time, our first album Chapter I - Monarchy and its acoustic version Chapter I Revisited on vinyl. This special edition represents a very particular debut year for the band, in the middle of a global pandemic. But nonetheless the support that we received and the metal family that joined our journey despite those circumstances made this experience a heartwarming one. Thank you!”


Order a copy at the Napalm Records webshop.


Ad Infinitum sets the stage for your darkest nightmares with their smashing debut Chapter I - Monarchy. The album grabs your demons by the horns, boasting energetic and uncompromising symphonic metal set atop a rousing journey throughout history. Escaping the Black Death and transporting you to another era, standout track “Marching On Versailles” breaks in with smashing drums and forceful guitar riffs. Melissa Bonny’s multi- faceted vocals fill every fiber of the anthemic “Demon ” — from powerful, fragile highs to deep growls, the track will send shivers down your spine. The energetic and equally melodic soundscapes of the vigorous ballad “Fire and Ice” perfectly illustrate  the heart-wrenching tones of Ad Infinitum. With Chapter I - Monarchy, Ad Infinitum puts a spell on the world and surges right into the heart of epic symphonic metal with full force.





Tracklisting:


Side A
“Infected Monarchy”
“Marching On Versailles”
“Maleficent”
“See You In Hell”
“I Am The Storm”


Side B
“Fire And Ice”
“Live Before You Die”
“Revenge”
“Demons”
“Tell Me Why”


Side C
“Infected Monarchy” (Acoustic)
“Marching On Versailles” (Acoustic)
“Maleficent” (Acoustic)
“See You In Hell” (Acoustic)
“I Am The Storm” (Acoustic)


Side D
“Fire And Ice” (Acoustic)
“Live Before You Die” (Acoustic)
“Revenge” (Acoustic)
“Demons” (Acoustic)
“Tell Me Why” (Acoustic)


(Photo - Nat Enemede - Fine Art)

Australian metal juggernauts, Parkway Drive - Winston McCall (vocals), Luke Kilpatrick (guitar), Jeff Ling (guitar), Jia O'Connor (bass), and Ben Gordon (drums) - have released their seventh album, Darker Still, via Epitaph Records. Darker Still, their first full-length since 2018's Reverence, can be ordered here.


Today, the band has shared the song "Ground Zero", which opens the album in an anthemic way. The track erupts with galloping guitar solos, stadium-sized riffs, and the thunderous roar of McCall. It's a fist-in-the-air tour de force that will send adrenaline coursing through your veins from start to finish.


Listen here, and below:







About Parkway Drive + Darker Still:


In the kitchen of the Byron Bay home of Winston McCall stands a refrigerator, adorned on one side by a quote from Tom Waits: "I want beautiful melodies telling me terrible things."


This, the Parkway Drive vocalist says, is a pretty good summation of himself. It holds true, too, as one of the guiding principles behind Darker Still, the seventh full-length album to be born of this picturesque and serene corner of north-eastern NSW, Australia, and the defining musical statement to date from one of modern metal's most revered bands.


Darker Still, McCall says, is the vision he and his bandmates have held in their mind's eye since a misfit group of friends first convened in their parents' basements and backyards in 2003. The journey to reach this moment has seen Parkway evolve from metal underdogs to festival-headlining behemoth, off the back of close to 20 gruelling years, six critically and commercially acclaimed studio albums (all of which achieving Gold status in their home nation), three documentaries, one live album, and many, many thousands of shows.


"When Parkway originally started out, we all were trying to push ourselves to do more than we possibly could," is how McCall explains it. "What you hear on Darker Still is the final fulfillment of our ability to learn and grow catching up with the imagination that we have always had."


To understand that growth is to understand Darker Still, both musically and thematically. Those who thought they had Parkway Drive figured out - the unrivaled energy, the high-octane breakdowns, McCall's trademark bark - need reconsider everything they know about Australia's masters of heavy. Darker Still stands as the culmination of a transformative time that has seen Parkway reach new heights of creativity and success by eschewing the restrictive, safe conventions of genre and abandoning their own self-imposed rules in favor of a wide-eyed appreciation of bold new horizons. "There are compositions and songs that we'd never attempted before - or, to be more accurate, which we have attempted in the past, but not had the courage, time or understanding to pull off," McCall reveals.


And so while Darker Still remains irrefutably Parkway Drive, it finds the band sonically standing shoulder to shoulder with rock and metal's greats - Metallica, Pantera, Machine Head, Guns N' Roses - as much as it does their metalcore contemporaries. The album explores the concept of the "dark night of the soul," which is "the idea of reaching a point in your life where you are faced with a reckoning of your structure of beliefs, your sense of self and your place in the world, to a point where it's irreconcilable with the way that you are as a person," as McCall describes. Darker Still unfurls like the great rock concept albums, from Pink Floyd to, most comparably, Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, its 11 tracks taking in ruminations on society's fear of death, isolation, and a loss of humanity in its journey to redemptive enlightenment.


This is the Parkway Drive the band have been striving to be for two decades. Guitarist Jeff Ling says it best: "I'm really proud of what we have achieved together, and feel that as musicians, we have really ascended to new realms of class and ability."


Emerging from the darkness of the past few years, this is the true face of Parkway - redefined and resolute, focused in mind, and defiant in spirit.





Tracklisting:


"Ground Zero"
"Like Napalm"
"Glitch"
"The Greatest Fear"
"Darker Still"
"Imperial Heretic"
"If A God Can Bleed"
"Soul Bleach"
"Stranger"
"Land Of The Lost"
"From The Heart Of The Darkness"


"Darker Still" video:





"The Greatest Fear" video:





"Glitch" video:





Lineup:


Winston McCall - Vocals
Luke Kilpatrick - Guitar
Jeff Ling - Guitar
Jia O'Connor - Bass
Ben Gordon - Drums

San Francisco-based atmospheric technical death metal giants, Fallujah, have released their new studio album, Empyrean, via Nuclear Blast. The band have also debuted a visualizer for the song "Mindless Omnipotent Master". Watch below.


Primary songwriter and guitarist Scott Carstairs says of the song: “'Mindless Omnipotent Master' is about the massive, globally-linked systems of technology and society that were created for humankind’s own benefit, but have now grown into self-sustained forces beyond our control. The music sets an appropriately dark tone with four minutes of relentlessly brutal riffs and mechanically sharp precision."







Carstairs adds about the album's release: "It feels surreal to finally share our new album Empyrean with the world! We can hardly describe the amount of effort, determination and patience it took to arrive at this point, but now that the day is here we can finally say that everything was worth it. Special shoutouts to the fans who have stuck with us for all these years. We hope Empyrean can take you on an immersive journey with enough detail to warrant many repeated listens."


Order Empyrean here.





Tracklisting:


“The Bitter Taste Of Clarity”
“Radiant Ascension”
“Embrace Oblivion”
“Into The Eventide”
“Eden’s Lament”
“Soulbreaker”
“Duality Of Intent”
“Mindless Omnipotent Master”
“Celestial Resonance”
“Artifacts”


"Soulbreaker" visualizer:





"Embrace Oblivion" lyric video:





"Embrace Oblivion" visualizer:





“Radiant Ascension” video:





Fallujah will return to the road this coming fall for The Divine Ascension Tour with Australian tech-death co-headliners, Psycroptic, Additional support will be provided by Interloper and Cognitive. Tickets are available now.


Commenting on the tour, Scott Carstairs states: "This fall, Fallujah will return to unleash an atmospheric onslaught upon the masses. To say that we are excited to headline with Psycroptic would be an understatement. We have never been more ready to tear up North America…not only to bring you one of the most extreme tech death lineups of the year but also to perform for you NEW music from our record Empyrean!! Let's rage!"





Tour dates:


September
11 - West Hollywood, CA - Whisky-A-Go-Go
12 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Underground
13 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
14 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
15 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
16 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
17 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
18 - Houston, TX - Acadia
20 - Orlando, FL - The Haven
21 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Purgatory)
22 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
23 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
24 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
26 - Providence, RI - Alchemy
27 - Quebec City, QC - Source de la Martiniere
28 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques
29 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
30 - Albany, NY - Empire Underground


October
1 - Pittsburgh, PA - Preserving Underground
2 - Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Masonic (Asylum)
3 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
4 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
5 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theater
6 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
7 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
8 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
10 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
11 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
12 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
13 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
14 - Fresno, CA - Full Circle Brewery District
15 - Santa Ana, CA - Stages


(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)

Canadian rockers, Headstones, will release their new full-length album, Flight Risk, on October 14 via Known Accomplice. Today, the band led by vocalist Hugh Dillon, have released a video for the song, "Psychotropic". Watch below.


Flight Risk is pre-apocalyptic rock and roll at its finest, following up Headstones' 2019 release PeopleSkills, which garnered two Top 10 radio hits with “Leave It All Behind” and “Horses”.


This is one of the most subversive Headstones rock and roll records to date. Flight Risk is the result of years of relentless work ethic and dedication, a testament to the long-standing relationships within the band and their team. The album features a surprise co-write on the track "Ashes", between Hugh Dillon and long-time friend and collaborator Taylor Sheridan; one of the most prolific, premier storytellers of his time, and architect of hit series’ Yellowstone and 1883, Oscar-nominated films Sicario and Hell Or High Water.




The album is available to pre-order / pre-save here.





Tracklisting:


"Headlight Holds A Deer"
"Everything Or Nothing At All"
"Flight Risk"
"When It Goes Badly"
"Tangled"
"Hotel Room"
"Neon Rome"
"Ashes"
"Psychotropic"
"Pilot Light"
"Rink"


"Psychotropic" video:





"Flight Risk" video:





"Tangled" video:





The Flight Risk Tour is coming to you this fall. Get your tickets here.


Tour dates:


November
22 - Thunder Bay, ON - Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
24 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
25 - Regina, SK - Casino Regina
26 - Saskatoon, SK - Coors Event Centre27 - Red Deer, AB - Bo’s Bar
29 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre
30 - Grande Prairie, AB - Better Than Fred’s


December
1 - Edmonton, AB - Midway
3 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
8 - Waterloo, ON - Maxwell’s
10 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
14 - London, ON - London Music Hall
15 - Oshawa, ON - Oshawa Music Hall
16 - Ottawa, ON - Bronson Centre
22 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre


Headstones lineup:


Hugh Dillon – vocals, harmonica
Trent Carr – guitar, vocals
Tim White – bass, vocals
Steve Carr – keys
Jesse Labovitz – drums

In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked about a comment he made in his 2010 autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir", where he referred to himself as "the leader of the band" when he was in METALLICA in the early 1980s. After the interviewer, Paul Elliott, said that the statement was "a bit strange" because the guys who founded that band, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, are "such alpha males," Mustaine replied: "Oh no. I am clearly the alpha male between the three of us. Why did I have to do everything when I was in the band? Why did they always ask me talk to the promoters and collect the cash? Why was I the one who had to do the fighting? Why did I have to talk in between songs?"

Mustaine went on to say that it's not difficult for him to talk about METALLICA. "I really don't give a fuck," he insisted. "And you know what? I love those guys. I sent a text message to James just a couple of days ago after he'd said that he was insecure about his playing. I said: 'James, I love you and I really like your playing.' He didn't answer. Of course not. Why would he? The point is I wanted him to know that I've had those feelings too, but I don't now.

"I must remind you that when I joined METALLICA, James did not play guitar. He just picked it up and started playing when I was in the band. But let's be honest, James is one of the best metal guitar players in the world. So for him to have those feelings, that's a lie, because he's a mind-blowingly talented guy. So I just felt I needed to say something to him. I didn't tweet it. I didn't want anybody to know what I said. But I'm telling you because, hey, you brought it up."

Last month, Mustaine reflected on his 1983 dismissal from METALLICA and the formation of MEGADETH while speaking to podcaster Joe Rogan of "The Joe Rogan Experience". When asked if went "right into" MEGADETH after his exit from METALLICA or if it took him some time to plot his next move, Dave said: "I think in my mind I went right into MEGADETH, but at the time I was still kind of trying to digest everything that took place.

"The thing that bothered me the most was I had all my music, and I left it behind and I said, 'Don't use my music.' And of course they did. They used it on the first record [1983's 'Kill 'Em All'], on the second record [1984's 'Ride The Lightning']. There's parts of my music on a song on the third record [1986's 'Master Of Puppets']. All the solos on the first record are mine, except that they're just performed by Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA's current guitarist]. And [they're] close but not the same. And he's not a bad guitar player."

When asked if he got royalties for that, Mustaine said: "Well, most of 'em, yeah, but Kirk got my royalties for [the song] 'Metal Militia' [from 'Kill 'Em All'] for many, many years. And he has to see the check, so I know somebody saw that I wasn't getting paid.

After Rogan noted that Mustaine feels both "sadness and bitterness" over his departure from METALLICA, Dave said: "Not bitterness — I'm over it. It's just money. At the end of the day, my happiness and my family and my wife and my children are more important to me than anything in this world. I love our fans. I have so many things in this life that I'm happy about. But, man, it's my family. And obviously my relationship with God. I take that very, very personal. And I don't talk to people about it; I don't push it on 'em at all. It's my thing. And I just look at it like where I'm at right now… Yeah, [I was] 20 [years old] in METALLICA, and now, look at me, I'm 60 [years old] in MEGADETH. And I'm a Grammy winner. I'm a New York Times best-selling author — all these things."

In a 2009 interview with Norway's Lydverket, Mustaine said that he was "so hurt" by getting kicked out of METALLICA for allegedly drinking too much. "I said, 'What?! No second chance, no warning? C'mon, we all drink. C'mon.'" he recalled. "And [they were like], 'No, that's it. You're gone.' And I was like, 'All right.'"

Mustaine also went on to claim that an altercation with Hetfield led to his being fired from the band.

"I was selling pot," Dave said. "When I would go play in concert, people knew that my pot was sitting in my apartment just saying, 'Go ahead and keep me company.' So I was broken in on. People stole everything that I had; all my stash. And I figured, screw this. I'm gonna get some dogs to stay in the apartment when I leave. So I got two dogs and I took one of them up to a rehearsal one time and she put her paws up on Ron's [McGovney, METALLICA's then-bassist] car. And James kicked it right in the side. And I was like, 'What did you do?' [And I was like] 'It's a dog, it's what they do. You don't kick animals.' So we went into the house, and we started arguing some more. And I ended up punching him in the face and I think that was the root of why I lost my job."

In a 2009 interview with the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas radio station 97.1 The Eagle Rocks, Hetfield said that it was "so odd" to hear Mustaine still talking about his exit from METALLICA. "It is very Dave, and that's him," James said. "And no matter what band he was in or whatever... I mean, Dave is not in this band for a reason, and this is the reason. It's super-simple. He was in the band for 11 months and it goes on and on and on and on and on. I don't know any other band on this planet that there was a member in the band for a short amount of time and they've still got this big chip on his shoulder. It's insane.... You know what?! He's in love, and that's fine, 'cause we love him back."

Back in 2016, Hammett told the "Word Of Wheeler" podcast that he understood Dave's continued resentment toward his former bandmates over the way he was dismissed from the group. "I've always seen Dave as someone who was just really, really sad, really angry, really frustrated about his situation with METALLICA, and he never could let that go," he said. "And, you know, I've always shown a lot of empathy for him, understanding that he was just pissed off. It's the equivalent of the woman of your life leaving you. I mean, really. When your band kicks you out… I've never been kicked out, but I can imagine it's a horrible experience, especially if it's a band that you feel really passionately about. So I can understand Dave's plight over all these years. But I will also say that when we did these 30th-anniversary shows at the Fillmore [in San Francisco], and we invited Dave to play on all those 'Kill 'Em All' songs, man, it felt so good to have him playing on stage. It felt perfectly fine for me to, while Dave was playing the guitar solos, for me to go over to James and play the rhythm parts with James, and it wasn't a big deal at all. And I could see from the look on Dave's face and just from his whole attitude that it was super-cathartic for him. And I could see how it was helping him. And so I just took it all in stride. And it's interesting, because since then, I think, Dave's relationship with us is a little bit better now. I'd like to think that that whole thing just kind of healed some scars that needed to be healed."

After Hammett's comments about Mustaine were reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET and other music sites, Dave took to his Twitter to respond. He wrote: "I have tremendous respect for @KirkHammett and I appreciate his take on this. he is almost 100% accurate...almost. I wish him the best."

In a September 2011 interview with Artisan News, Mustaine appeared to concur that his onstage reunion with METALLICA went a long way toward healing the wounds from the way his tenure in the band ended. Dave said: "When we [played a cover of DIAMOND HEAD's] 'Helpless' [as part of a 'Big Four' jam] one night, I walked over to say hello to Kirk on the stage and he said, 'Do you wanna take the solo?" and I said, 'Yeah.' [Laughs] But we forgot to tell anybody on the stage or [running] the sound out front that I was gonna do the solo, so the song's playing along and Kirk's playing rhythm full blast, and I'm sitting there going you can't hear what I'm doing. At least we knew what had happened. It was kind of a symbolic passing of the torch back to me and it was a nice gesture. I think that that helped Kirk and my relationship improve a bit."

In a September 2004 interview, Mustaine famously stated, "I really don't care about Kirk — he stole my job, but at least I got to bang his girlfriend before he took my job. How do I taste, Kirk?"

Mustaine did not play on any METALLICA albums and did not attend their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2009.

Ulrich later explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine was not included because "you've got to kind of cap it somewhere. Dave Mustaine never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought . . . the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record." He added: "Dave Mustaine was in the band for 11 months, predominantly in 1982... I'm not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since."

Ted Nugent has compared Joe Biden to Adolf Hitler following a speech the U.S. president made earlier in the month.

During his September 1 address, Biden attacked former president Donald Trump and his Make American Great Again (MAGA) supporters, saying that both posed an ongoing threat to America and the future of the country.

But MAGA world was focusing less on Biden's warning than they were on the red lights that lit up Philadelphia's Independence Hall behind the president.

Nugent addressed Biden's speech during the latest edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which he offers his take on the news of our world. Asked by co-host Keith Mark what he made of the "overall look and feel of what America saw" in Biden's speech, Ted said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I paid attention to history, in spite of the fact that I went to an American anti-education system. Because when I graduated in 1967, I knew nothing. I knew how to sneak up on a deer and a squirrel with my bow and arrow. I knew how to do chores perfectly; my mom and dad trained me that. I knew how to be polite, how to be productive, how to get up early and put my heart and soul into being the best that I can be. But I didn't know anything about history. I couldn't have told you what Auschwitz was. I couldn't have told you what the Rape Of Nanking was. I couldn't have told you who Karl Marx was, or Che Guevara, but I know now. And I'm gonna [share with you] an image of Hitler, Joe Biden, the evil tyrant of China, Karl Marx — evil, evil forces in history that also used a red glowing background in their hate speeches."

Nugent continued: "There is an evil force controlling this mindless, soulless zombie named Joe Biden that is so confident that Americans can be so stupid and uneducated and clueless about history that they won't see the confluence of imagery, gestures — I mean, the clenched fist like Adolf Hitler, like Mao Tse-tung, like Lenin and Marx. Joe Biden is evil unto himself, but he is so mindless, so soulless, so filled with hate and rage that he doesn't even know he's doing the bidding of Satanic, evil forces."

Asked who he thinks those forces are, Ted said: "I think they're Klaus Schwab [founder of the World Economic Forum] and they're Bill Gates [Microsoft founder] and they're the Chinese forces, the communist forces. Nancy Pelosi's bank account, Joe Biden's bank account, Hunter Biden's bank account tell all the information that we need to know. They didn't earn that money; they scammed that from working-hard, playing-hard American families to support evil forces around the globe to control our land, our farming, our agriculture, our food productivity, our energy productivity, our infrastructure. I mean, in Detroit, their number one steel mill is owned by the Russians [laughs], and all this farm land is being gobbled up by Bill Gates and the communist Chinese because there's really no difference between the evil mindset of those kind of globalists."

Ted's comments echoed descriptions of Biden on right-win media outlet Fox News where the network's highest-rated anchor Tucker Carlson — whom Nugent has previously praised as "a brave, ass-kicking, wall-destroying, lie-crushing guy" — came out and described the visuals as "a blood-red Nazi background." On another Fox News show, Monica Crowley, a former Trump administration official, said the imagery was "almost satanic with the blood red lighting." Others characterized Biden's address as a demagogic, divisive, and authoritarian attack on his fellow citizens, suggesting the president and Democrats, as opposed to Trump and his allies and supporters, were the real American would-be fascists.

This is not the first time Nugent has been publicly critical of Biden. Last year he declared Biden a "rotten" human being and railed against Democrats who support the president's "ugly policies." He said during an appearance on "The Wild Initiative" podcast: "You say that some of the liberals have good intentions. I haven't met one. And I meet an awful lot of people. Because if you are on the side of Joe Biden, you're just plain a rotten human being. You support a man with a liberal agenda that renegotiated all the contracts with the globe that Trump finally negotiated on behalf of our country. That's not my hunch; that's not a guess; that's not an opinion. Trump renegotiated global contracts for the first time in my lifetime to actually benefit America, and Joe Biden reversed them to hurt America. So if you're a liberal and a Democrat, you're the enemy of freedom. And if you don't believe in those ugly, ugly policies, then you have to quit."

He continued: "If you don't agree with forcing Americans to get vaccination passports, but people are flooding in through the borders without any vetting whatsoever, then you have no soul, and you can't be on that team. If you disagree with these toxic, dangerous, tyrannical policies, you've gotta quit that gang. That gang is the Democrats. Their agenda is extreme liberal Marxism. And if you're part of that team, you're as rotten as that man who's searching for a syllable in the White House."

Nugent has repeatedly said that the 2020 presidential election was a fraud, insisting that "hundreds of thousands of dead people" voted and claiming that machines were "rigged" to give a Donald Trump vote to Joe Biden. Trump lost the election by more than 7 million in the popular vote and by 306-232 in the Electoral College.

There is no evidence of any widespread fraud or manipulation of voting machines in the 2020 election, as has been underscored by audits, court cases and the conclusions of Trump's own Department Of Justice.