Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has once again explained why he calls himself a COVID-19 "superspreader", saying that he is still able to infect others with the virus even after being fully vaccinated.

The 54-year-old Owens, who frequently "likes" tweets that amplify Republican talking points and that are derogatory to Democrats, weighed in on the effectiveness of vaccines on the spread of the virus's latest variant while appearing on the latest episode of "The Chuck Shute Podcast".

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You get the vaccine and you get the boosters, but you still can catch COVID. And I have to get the booster up to date to go to Spain in a couple of weeks. But that doesn't mean I don't have COVID coming into the country. Being vaccinated, you can have COVID just as easy — it's a fact — as someone who's not vaccinated. I mean, I might live longer than my 55-year-old buddy, but… But that's what makes me laugh. I call myself a superspreader because if I'm sick — I'm not going and getting tested every time I'm sick. I got vaccinated, so I should be healthy.

"Listen, I'm not mad at unvaccinated people," Owens clarified. "I just hate unvaccinated people getting on the vaccinated people, and the vaccinated people acting like unvaccinated people are the problem. It's, like, no — you guys are all out there dancing around at parties like you're fine 'cause you're vaccinated. I mean, everybody can be spreading it. But we have to live with it now. It sucks, it's serious — you've still gotta take it serious — but you've gotta live."

This past May, Owens accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of not telling the truth and has blasted U.S.'s top infectious disease expert for changing his COVID-19 recommendations as frequently as "people change their underwear."

Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical advisor, has received criticism from Republican leaders throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with some of them asking him to resign over his handling of COVID-19.

In September 2021, Owens, who lives in Akron, Ohio, offered his opinion on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director while responding to a headline from conservative media outlet The Blaze about Fauci's comment that three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were likely needed at that point in time for full protection.

Tim tweeted: "He changes what he says over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. So we find out masks don't work and vaccines don't work. So wear 5 masks and get 5 vaccines. ( just so you know I'm vaccinated and I wore a mask, oh yea and I've had Covid )".

The singer elaborated on his Fauci comments during an interview with Sofa King Cool. When the interviewer said that it's "frustrating" to see official recommendations constantly changing, Owens said: "It is frustrating. But then if you say anything about it changing every day, those people will go, 'Oh, you're anti-science 'cause you bring up that it's changing.' And it's, like, no, it just changes every day. I mean, I understand why it's changing every day: we're dealing with something that we don't know what we're dealing with."

He continued: "My girlfriend's a paramedic and my good friend's a doctor. I understand everything that goes on. But these same people that get mad at people [for pointing out the fact that recommendations are constantly changing]… If you went to [an auto mechanic] and got your car fixed, and they said, 'It's gonna be 95 dollars,' and then they called you and said, 'It's gonna be 150,' and you're, like, 'Okay.' And then you picked it up and they go, 'That's two thousand dollars you owe me.' And you're, like, 'What?' And they're, like, 'Well, we found things along the way that changed, and now it's two thousand.' Would those people be, like, 'Okay, I understand. You're a mechanic and things change'? No, they would be pissed off because it's changing.

"I think it's the way we're told," Tim explained. "We're told that this will work and then it doesn't. But instead of saying, 'This might work.' That's the issue. There was no, 'The vaccines might work.' No. When you got a vaccine originally, it was a hundred percent this was gonna clear everything up. I think it's the way it's worded [that is the problem].

"I understand things change," Owens repeated. "I got vaccinated and I wear masks when I have to, just because I wanna go back to work — I wanna tour. I got COVID last year. I had more effects from Mexican food than I did from getting COVID, but I got COVID. I believe it's there. It doesn't hurt me to wear a mask in a supermarket. But it's just things change and it's what we're told. It's crazy what's being said. So nobody knows what's going on."

Owens went on to say that "people should get vaccinated. I think especially if you're older or you're unhealthy or you have underlying conditions, you should get vaccinated. I want the world to go back to normal.

"It's funny 'cause you can still be pro-vaccine, believe in COVID, pro-mask, but if you say Fauci changes his mind, you get death threats. That's the way the world is now. 'Oh, you're anti-science.' No. I understand why he changes his mind, but the fucker changes his mind. I mean, one mask, two masks, three masks, eight… I mean, what do we get now? Ten vaccines to make it work? I get it why — we don't know what we're dealing with. Ten years from now, we're still gonna be learning what we're dealing with. Pretty soon, we're gonna have to have a flashing light coming out of our assholes to say that we've been vaccinated and [provide] blood samples to go get a Big Mac."

Tim stressed that he is not opposing local mandates. "I say we do anything we can now to fix things," he said. "But I think everybody's so confused. When the doctor tells people out of the gate masks don't work, and then, a month later, he says everybody wear a mask. I mean, that's the issues we have.

"This isn't about politics," he continued. "And that's the other thing: if you don't like Fauci, that means you're a Republican. If you wear a mask and believe in vaccines, that means you're a Democrat. I've got everybody fucking fucked up, because I wear a mask and got vaccinated and I don't like Fauci.

"Again, like I told you, I understand why he changes his mind. It's science. We don't understand it. Everybody's fine with that… I get it. It's science. I get why he changes things. But don't tell us. Don't come out and tell everybody, 'Masks don't work and you don't have to wear a mask.' Be a little more truthful — I think that's the issue. That's why everybody's confused."

In January 2020, Owens told Detroit's WRIF radio station that he is "a middle-of-the-road guy in politics. I don't really talk too much about it," he said. "My Facebook page and my Instagram and Twitter pages aren't filled with it. I don't post about it — I might like something, but I don't post it. I kind of call it common sense — I think whatever is right, I kind of think is right. But, man, when someone thinks you're one way… I'm not joking about it. This never happened in the past. Eight years ago, four years ago, ten years ago, this stuff didn't happen — I get messages wishing death upon my family if I don't believe in their political views. And it's the craziest thing I've ever seen. I've never done that in my life."

Owens weighed in on the U.S. presidential race back in 2016, saying that Trump was perhaps what America needed to move the country forward. Claiming that he wasn't a Democrat or a Republican ("I'm in the middle," he said),Owens explained that he couldn't vote for Hillary Clinton because of "the way they tax people." He went on to say that America "had eight years of really bad" under President Barack Obama and opined that "a lot of American people" were "just trying to figure out something other than what [Obama] was doing."

Back in 2012, Owens revealed in an interview that he was voting for Mitt Romney in that year's election.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band, 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition", before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

Owens is currently in a new band called KK'S PRIEST with ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST's debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", was released last October via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

On August 13, Bay Area thrash legends, Death Angel, 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:


"The Ultra-Violence" / "Mistress Of Pain"
"Voracious Souls"
"Seemingly Endless Time"
"The Dream Calls For Blood"
"Caster Of Shame"
"The Moth"
"Humanicide"
"Thrown To The Wolves"

Brutal death metal purveyors Embryonic Autopsy have just issued a new video for the song “Craving Of The Mutated Fetus” off of their debut album, Prophecies Of The Conjoined, released February 2022 via Massacre Records.





Prophecies Of The Conjoined offers some of the most intense and uncompromising extreme music you can imagine, proving Embryonic Autopsy are eager to bring back the guttural and raw force of early '90s death metal the way it was meant to be.




The band consists of Tim King (Oppressor) on vocals, Scott Roberts (Otep) on guitar, and drummer Arnaud Krakowka. Guest musicians contributing solos include: James Murphy (Death, Obituary, Testament), Terrance Hobbs (Suffocation), Doc Coyle (God Forbid) and Justin James.





Tracklisting:


"Regurgitated And Reprocessed"
"Cauterized Womb Impalement"
"Prophecies Of The Conjoined"
"Craving Of The Mutated Fetus"
"Upon The Mayan Throne"
"Splicing The Alien Gene"
"Telekinetic Insemination"
"Cannibalized By Octuplets"
"Cauterized Womb Impalement (Genetically Altered)"
"Recombination Sequence Complete"


"Cauterized Womb Impalement" lyric video:





"Regurgitated And Reprocessed" video:





 

Copenhagen’s most visceral metal export, Cabal, have released a brand new single titled “Exit Wound” that displays their willingness to tackle deeply sensitive topics whilst drawing from personal experiences. Focusing on the trauma experienced after the death of a loved one without the chance for a final goodbye, Cabal channel those feelings of powerlessness and loneliness into a gut wrenchingly intense track.


Singer Andreas Bjulver states:


"‘Exit Wound’ is a very personal song to me, as it serves as an outlet for the trauma I felt right after my granddads suicide at the beginning of 2021. It deals with the heavy subject of being denied a final goodbye to one of the few people I've ever felt a true connection and real kinship to."




“Exit Wound” comes with a breathtaking video highlighting the band's explosive performance skills whilst underlining the intense message of the track. 





“Exit Wound” is the fourth single that the band has released from their upcoming album Magno Interitus. The band’s Nuclear Blast debut will be released on October 21.


The album will be available as Digipak [limited edition], Black Single LP, Crystal Clear with Gold + Black Splatter Single LP [limited to 500 units, Mailorder + Wholesale exclusive], Crystal Clear with Red + Black Splatter Single LP [limited to 500 units, USA exclusive], Gold + Black Marble Single LP [limited to 300 units, bandshop exclusives] and on all streaming platforms.


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"If I Hang, Let Me Swing"
"Insidious"
"Magno Interitus"
"Existence Ensnared"
"Insatiable"
"Blod af Mit"
"Exit Wound"
"Violent Ends"
"Like Vultures"
"Exsanguination"
"Plague Bringer"


"Exsanguination" video:





"Magno Interitus" video:





Cabal is:


Andreas Bjulver Paarup – Vocals
Christian Hammer Mattesen - Guitars
Chris Kreutzfeldt - Guitars
Malthe Strøyer Sørensen - Bass
Nikolaj Kaae Kirk - Drums

In a new interview with HardDrive Radio's Lou Brutus, Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro was asked if joining MEGADETH in 2015 was an instantly life-changing experience for him. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It [was]. Yeah, I would say so. Although when you joined, you don't know what to expect. It's just like this legendary band. And then I was already in the studio, so I was already, 'Man, I need to know those ideas. I need to learn those parts. I need to understand better who is who here' — the producer, the owner of the studio. And I was having a lot of talks with Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader], and Chris Adler [then-LAMB OF GOD drummer, who played on MEGADETH's 2016 album 'Dystopia'] was there already kind of rehearsing the drum parts. So there was a lot of stuff going on already. So I couldn't really think, 'Oh, my life's gonna change,' or stuff like that. I was already, like, 'Okay, let's start working here.'

"I tried to understand the whole dynamics so I could bring my musicality, my ideas as soon as possible without interfering… understanding the concept of the band, because I knew MEGADETH has fans, as you know, and from the outside," he explained. "I remember the first thing I bought was the Dave Mustaine biography, to know everything in the personal life as well. Because making music is very intimate in a way — sharing your ideas. You have to feel like you're free to share your ideas. You cannot feel like you're an impostor; you cannot feel like you don't belong to that place. You have to feel that you deserve to be there. You have your place now, and you have to feel free to give your ideas, even if they suck. So it's very hard — to feel confident with strangers, strangers in this sense. So I was, like, thinking a lot about those kinds of things when I was there because it was pretty challenging. It's a great thing, but also if I suck — recording 'Dystopia', if I suck or if I don't give my best, this is not gonna last without that."

Mustaine autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir", which came out in August 2010, landed at position No. 15 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. The book was released in the U.S. via HarperCollins's It Books imprint (focusing on pop culture, sports, style and content derived from the Internet). The U.K. edition, "Mustaine: A Life In Metal", hit bookstores in the U.K. in September 2010.

Mustaine discussed his relationship with Loureiro during a recent appearance on the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast hosted by Chris Jericho. He said: "Kiko has a very playful nature. He's very much like a cat, with the way that he kind of plays around with certain things. I think the differences between dogs and cats are pretty obvious. Kiko is very cerebral with his thoughts; they're very calculated. And he's very much in his — I don't wanna say 'his own world' because that sounds disrespectful. But Kiko is very happy with his life and where he's going.

"We all face challenges at every stage in our life, and this is no different than anybody else," Dave continued. "Going out on a two-month tour when you have a set of five-year-old twins [as Kiko does] is challenging. But I think that the success of the record right now is setting the stage. As things change for us with our careers, as we start to learn how to conduct ourselves as businessmen, start to put a little bit of money in the bank, start to get a car, get a house, start to save some money and plan for the future, those are things that are all happening right now with Kiko and Dirk [Verbeuren, MEGADETH drummer]. [Kiko's] been at this a long time.

"This is really great now 'cause I told [Kiko] when I first met him, I said, 'Your life's gonna change. I don't care how big you think [your former band] ANGRA is' — 'cause I like ANGRA too — but I said, 'You're gonna go from being in ANGRA to being a star in MEGADETH.' And I said, 'If you play your cards right, you'll end up being a superstar.'"

MEGADETH's new album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", arrived on September 2 via UMe.

Finnish avant-garde metal band, Wyrmwoods, have released a new single, "Year Of Dearth". The track is taken from the band's upcoming fourth album, No Sun Nor Moon, which is set to be released on November 4th by Inverse Records. 


The band's sole member Nuurag-Vaarn comments: "Wyrmwoods' fourth album, No Sun Nor Moon, is a continuation of the last album's progressive avant-garde metal in a more focused and polished package of nine tracks.


There are plenty of the familiar ambient and progressive rock influences heard on the album, which can be heard for example with some mixed meter time signatures and more use of the saxophone in the tracks. There's still plenty of room for more straight-forward and intense black metal parts on the album as well. The production is cleaner and less chaotic when comparing to the previous releases. There are also more death metal influences heard this time, most so on the single release 'Year Of Dearth'; for example, the vocals are now primarily low growls."




Listen to "Year Of Dearth" single via streaming services found here. 





Wyrmwoods is a single man project from Oulu, northern Finland. Started in 2014 by a mysterious figure known as Nuurag-Vaarn. Since the first album released in 2017 Wyrmwoods has experimented with Black Metal mixed with various uncommon influences, like Ambient, Progressive Rock and Jazz, the last of which is highlighted by saxophone featured in many songs. The result is an atmospheric and still intense avant-garde metal with a lot of variation of styles and sounds.





Tracklist:


"Where Was a Worm Before"
"Year of Dearth"
"Raged With Curses and Sparkles of Fury"
"Mother of Maladies"
"Woe and Wailing"
"Oberon's Forests"
"Over the Disorganized Immortal"
"Deeper Labyrinths of the Mind"
"Shadows of Our Past and Future"

Three former members of CHILDREN OF BODOM — Jaska Raatikainen (drums),Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä (bass) and Janne Wirman (keyboards) — have announced plans to open their own bar and a band museum. In addition to serving as an "unholy concoction of a hard rock café and a dive bar," Bodom Bar & Sauna will offer visitors a chance to experience the Finnish sauna culture, which is considered an integral part of the lives of the majority of the Finnish population.

Earlier today, Raatikainen, Seppälä and Wirman released the following statement via the CHILDREN OF BODOM social media: "We toured actively from 1998 until 2019. We have visited a bar in almost every town we ever played in. From Hard Rock Café Tokyo to a dive bar in the outskirts of Milwaukee. Everything from the legendary Rainbow Bar and Grill in West Hollywood to the Crobar in London UK.

"Almost everyone in our profession dreams of opening their own bar at some point and we were no exception. When the active career of COB was already coming to an end we started looking into it a bit more seriously. We had a warehouse full of memorabilia and we thought that a lot of people would want to see some of this stuff that used to be and still was very meaningful to us and the career of the band.

"A thought of a museum felt a bit foreign but an idea of a bar that works as a museum displaying our gear and memorabilia seemed quite natural at this point. We had almost given up on this dream when the power duo of Jykä Peltonen and Kimmo Helistö emerged and were ready to provide us with their know how in the matter. Together we will build this unholy concoction of hard rock café and dive bar with a lot of BODOM in it. The new HQ of COB will combine a museum and a bar but also include the possibility to experience the Finnish sauna culture. Situated naturally in Espoo only a stone's throw away where the band started their career.

"Bodom Bar & Sauna is being built in Espoo into a location with easy access to a Metro station. The establishment will also include three saunas. There will be no entry fee to the Bar and no age limit. There will be a fee for the sauna experience. We will open the Bar on 10.11.22".

Former CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi passed away on December 29, 2020 in his home in Helsinki, Finland. He died of alcohol-induced degeneration of the liver and pancreas connective tissue. Furthermore, Laiho had a cocktail of painkillers, opioids and insomnia medication in his system. He had suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.

Alexi and Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019. In 2020, Alexi put together BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT, which recorded three songs and shot one music video, all of which were released posthumously.

Earlier this year, Raatikainen, Seppälä and Wirman (keyboards) discussed publicly for the first time the circumstances that led to CHILDREN OF BODOM's split and ultimately Laiho's death. In an interview with Finland's Helsingin Sanomat, the three surviving members of CHILDREN OF BODOM said the real reason for the band's breakup was not that they wanted to stop touring in order to spend more time with their families, which is how Laiho explained it to Helsingin Sanomat in November 2019. Instead, what caused the group to split was Laiho's substance abuse, and that is also what eventually killed him a year after they went their separate ways.

We toured actively from 1998 until 2019. We have visited a bar in almost every town we ever played in. From Hard Rock...

Posted by Children Of Bodom on Thursday, September 8, 2022

DEEP PURPLE has just released "Extras: The Now What?! B-Sides And Bonus Songs". This digital compilation is available on all streaming platforms as well as a specially priced digital download via earMUSIC.

The idea of this compilation started after sharing previously released "rare tracks" on a private playlist. earMUSIC believes it is a very interesting listen for all the fans that like to go deeper into the band's production process.

"Now What?!" was a very important album for DEEP PURPLE, bringing them back to the top of the charts in Germany and many other countries. It is packed full of songs that have become modern hits and highlights in their history. It is an album that brings back many special memories of joy and well-deserved success.

Here is a short description of what you can find on the compilation:

1. "Hell To Pay (Radio Edit)":

This edit was the first single released before the album came out. It was available as CD single and 7", together with "All The Time In The World". A great rock song, played live nearly every night during the "Now What?!" and "Infinite" tours.

2. "It'll Be Me":

This cover version of a Jerry Lee Lewis classic was added as bonus track on many editions of the "Now What?!" CD. Compared to other songs on this compilation it will be an easy one to find on physical formats.

3. "All The Time In The World (Radio Mix Edit)":

This version was a mix that became ready before the full album was finished. It is a little shorter than the album version and it features extra percussions and less guitar. The song obtained some radio airplay in various countries, paving the way for the album's success. Listening back to it, we still believe that it is a PURPLE classic, and was played live occasionally during the "Now What?!" tour. This version was released as B-side on the "Hell To Pay" CD single and 7" vinyl.

4. "First Sign Of Madness":

This studio song did not make it to the final album but it is a fantastic rock track; previously included on the gold edition of "Now What?!" as well as the "Vincent Price" single on CD-maxi and 7".

5+6. "Uncommon Man" and "Above and Beyond" – instrumentals:

These two songs were inspired by the late, great Jon Lord, who sadly passed away during the recording of the album. While the lyrics are a very important part of both songs, these instrumental versions show the beauty and the finesse of the instrumental parts.

7+8. "Après Vous" and "Hell To Pay" – instrumentals:

Previously released only as digital downloads and B-side of the "Out Of Hand" 10" vinyl single. The vinyl 10" is not an easy one to find and the songs are available to stream for the first time.

9. "Green Onions / Hush (Live in Gaevle)" :

This great live version was mixed specifically to be released as B-Side of the "Above And Beyond" CD-single (also available as purple 7" vinyl, with a different B-side). It shows the joy and energy that the band brought to the "Now What?!" tour and gives a taste of the atmosphere on-stage and in the audience.

This past July, DEEP PURPLE guitarist Steve Morse officially left the band to care for his wife, Janine, who is battling cancer.

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

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

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

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT, the musical meeting of minds between Grammy-nominated STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand and PARALANDRA vocalist/guitarist Casandra Carson, has released a new single, "Dying Of The Light". The official music video for the song can be seen below.

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT recently completed a run of U.S. dates as the support act for ALICE IN CHAINS, BREAKING BENJAMIN and BUSH.

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT made its live debut on April 30 at The Riff in Springfield, Missouri. Joining Rand and Carson in the group are keyboardist/backing vocalist Diana Weishaar, bassist Jaron Gulino and drummer Danny Piselli.

Several days prior to the show, Carson commented on social media: "It's crazy to think that Josh and I started writing songs together 2 YEARS ago and we're finally taking taking it to the stage! I couldn't be happier with the people we've chosen to join us on this journey. Absolutely incredible musicians and all around great human beings (one of which I might be a little biased towards)."

In a recent interview with HardDrive Radio's Lou Brutus, Rand stated about THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT: "In a sense, it was just something that I started doing a couple of years ago, just writing music myself. And then I just decided I wanted to get a female vocalist, basically, to work on these songs and sing on them. And I found Casandra through a mutual friend — actually, STONE SOUR's A&R person, Dave Rath — and we hit it off. And then we've just been working on stuff for the last two years kind of just here and there. Obviously, with COVID and all that stuff going on in the world, it really restricted going out, so there's really not been a desire to do that up until recently. So now we're gonna end up being a full band and actually play our first show, which I'm really excited about finally getting back out there. 'Cause for me, it's been a bit, I guess — like, three years — since I've been on a stage.

"So, that's really what it's about," he continued. "It's just me musically trying different stuff, but also getting back to where I originally came from, as far as my musical journey. So it's kind of getting back to my roots and just having fun with it. That's what THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT is for me — it's a different vehicle to express myself, I guess, artistically with truly no boundaries, but leaning more towards, musically, I think, coming at it as an educated teenager. What I mean by that is it's the fire of that teenager — that drive, that style of music that I was playing 30 years ago — but now doing it with the experience, the knowledge and all that. So it's kind of like revisiting the past, in a way, or going home in some ways."

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT released a new four-song EP, titled "Big F.O.U.R.", in March via Bloodblast. The collection featured a clutch of cover versions, one each from heavy music's pioneering icons METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX.

Rand previously stated about the EP: "Recording a 'Big F.O.U.R.' cover EP is something that I have wanted to do for a very very long time, and last fall I decided to finally do it with THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT.

"Without these four bands (METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER),my musical career wouldn't be where it is today. In some ways, you could say this project is paying homage to them or, how I see it, a return to where it all started in my parents' house as a teenager trying to learn just a piece of the music.

"Each of the four songs that I picked were pivotal in my development as a musician, whether it was learning the intro to 'One' on guitar, drums on 'Symphony [Of Destruction]' or bass lines in 'Caught In A Mosh'.

"This EP was a true love and passion project for myself. I feel I captured the vibe and the spirit of the original but with THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT sound. Hopefully you hear it too!"

Stylistically, THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT is a fluid combination of classic metal sensibility and Rand's penchant for pushing the boundaries of contemporary heavy.

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT's debut self-titled EP came out in the summer of 2021 and was made available exclusively through the band's webstore or via the Nuclear Blast store.

Josh and Casandra's debut single, "The Nothingness", was featured on several major playlists across streaming platforms, including Rock Hard on Spotify, Breaking Metal on Apple Music, Break Through Rock on Amazon and Metal Radar on Deezer. "The Nothingness" was also included on SiriusXM Octane's "Test Drive" show on release.

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Ozzy Osbourne has released the official music video for "One Of Those Days". The track, which features a guest guitar solo from Eric Clapton, is taken from on Ozzy's latest album, "Patient Number 9", which was made available today (Friday, September 9).

To celebrate "Patient Number 9" album, Ozzy has confirmed a special in-store appearance and signing at Fingerprints Music in Long Beach, California on Saturday, September 10. Attendees will need to pre-order a copy of "Patient Number 9" to attend the event as Ozzy will only be signing copies of the new album. In order to sign as many copies as possible, the new album will be the only item signed. Masks will be required for all attendees and no photos with Ozzy will be permitted. Click here to reserve your copy.

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

"Patient Number 9" was written by Ozzy, Watt, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) and Ali Tamposi and features a riveting solo from legendary guitarist Jeff Beck (one of the notable guest stars on the album; additional details below). The video marks the first collaboration from the project with McFarlane. It is highlighted by McFarlane's signature illustrations interspersed with live Ozzy vignettes in the role of "Patient Number 9," which the revolutionary creative force in the world of comics and toys also filmed. In addition, this is the first-ever video to incorporate Ozzy's artwork: his hand-drawn demons were animated and can be seen during the Jeff Beck solo in the song.

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

An exclusive version of "Patient Number 9" with a limited-edition special McFarlane-designed comic book is available for preorder; a limited-edition comic with foil cover is also available with a special deluxe box.

"Patient Number 9" track listing:

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

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

Swedish progressive metallers OPETH have announced Waltteri Väyrynen (PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH, BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT) as their new drummer. Väyrynen will make his live debut with OPETH on September 14 in Tallinn, Estonia. He will replace stand-in drummer Sami Karppinen who has been the temporary replacement for Martin "Axe" Axenrot since the fall of 2021.

OPETH leader Mikael Åkerfeldt comments: "We just had our first rehearsal with Walt yesterday and it went incredibly well! We were all very nervous beforehand, but Waltteri completely killed it! Pure delivery! We went through 16 songs (!) from start to finish and didn't have a single correctional comment. It's quite remarkable! I was astounded, and so were the rest of the band. He has everything, really. From the required laid-back sensitivity an OPETH drummer needs, via the classic rock, prog rock, metal grooves and onwards to downright mega-intricate technical virtuosity. On top of that, he knows the songs extremely well (already) both from the recorded versions as well as the sometimes modified live versions. We were hearing drum rolls and beats that we hadn't heard since the songs were recorded. The audience is certainly up for plenty of air-drum moments connected to their favourite OPETH songs. Walt has got it down, to put it mildly. On top of everything, Waltteri is an awesome bloke. Genuine. Super nice. Funny. And young! He was born the same year we recorded our debut album, 'Orchid'. Imagine that!"

Mikael added: "We very much look forward to going on the road together with him. Create new music together. Play all over the world. And to provide a musical future together with us. This is no small feat for a band 32 years of age. I'm very, very excited about him joining us, and I hope that our audience will embrace him with open arms.

"I'd also want to take this opportunity to thank Sami for saving our asses when we most needed saving. If it hadn't been for his efforts, friendship and care we'd probably been 'on ice' as we speak. We're furthermore happy to keep Sami as part of the OPETH family. His contribution to OPETH is beyond words, and he'll continue to help make our performances as good as possible. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Sami!"

Last month, one of Axenrot's BLOODBATH bandmates told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the drummer's refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 led to his exit from OPETH, Axenrot is still a member of BLOODBATH but has not appeared in that band's recent promotional pictures and live shows.

BLOODBATH vocalist Nick Holmes (also of PARADISE LOST) said about Martin's status with the death metal supergroup: "He's still in the band as far as I'm aware. I haven't seen him for three years, maybe more. Waltteri's [Väyrynen, PARADISE LOST] been playing drums with BLOODBATH more than Axe has in the last couple of years."

Nick continued: "I mean, [Martin] was working with OPETH prior to the pandemic, so he decided to take a backseat to the live shows and Waltteri did the [BLOODBATH] live shows ever since. He's still in [BLOODBATH]. The whole pandemic — he didn't want to get the vaccine, so that caused issues with travel and touring with OPETH when they started to go out again six months ago. That caused them issues there. It's come over to BLOODBATH for sure."

Representatives for OPETH declined to comment when approached by BLABBERMOUTH.NET regarding Holmes's claim. Both OPETH and PARADISE LOST are managed by Northern Music Co. Ltd.

Axenrot has not publicly commented on his exit from OPETH and it is not clear if his vaccination status is the only reason he is no longer playing with the band.

When OPETH announced Axenrot's departure last November, Åkerfeldt said: "However sad it is to not have Axe in the band anymore, we're not in a position to linger on anything that is going to hold us back. We need to soldier on.

"Needless to say, we're incredibly thankful that Sami is helping us out, making this tour possible and all. On top of that, he's quite outstanding, really!

"All of us wish the best for Axe in all and any of his future endeavors. He has been a incredibly important part of the band for many years now, and we're all heartbroken it didn't work out in the end. But that's life, I guess…"

Axenrot officially joined OPETH more than a decade and a half ago as the replacement for Martin Lopez, who left the band in May 2006 after being plagued by illness and anxiety attacks, which forced him to miss several of OPETH's tours.

OPETH ANNOUNCE NEW DRUMMER!

We are pleased to announce that the new drummer in Opeth is no other than Waltteri Väyrynen...

Posted by Opeth on Friday, September 9, 2022

During a recent chat with Jaxon of the 93.3 WMMR radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith spoke about the lyrical inspiration for the band's new album, "Planet Zero". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Part of 'Planet Zero' and what's inside of this record is there's a lot of warnings on this album of what could potentially happen and what the future could be. There's an element inside of the record of how close of AI does the human race really need to be concerned with, because the dynamic of social media and having these devices can be extraordinary and they can be used as great tools — they can be. They can also be used to be quite devastating and quite destructive. So there's a balance inside of all of this."

He continued: "I've often told people you have to be able to make your own decisions through educating yourself and also common sense and really looking at the big picture. The device does not need to be in control of you; you need to be in control of the device. They forget that sometimes, man, because the world is moving so fast and it's an instant level of gratification through these endorphins that are firing off and the lack of an attention span, in a lot of ways, that people have now because they're used to a different kind of way of interacting with each other.

"I've been talking about mental health for the better part of 20 years — even before there were articles written about it and papers and studies that have been [conducted]… It's good that it's being brought to the forefront, but everybody's different and everybody has a different way with how they handle themselves and their livelihood and how they navigate this planet.

"I want people to understand that there's always gonna be a balance in anything you do and you're not always going to agree with everybody, but you should be able to have a constructive conversation, because I don't believe in censorship and I don't believe that freedom of speech should be stifled," Smith added. "I wanna know what you think, I wanna know where you're coming from, because I want you to teach me something, and maybe I can teach you something, but you have to have a dialogue with each other.

"Watching what occurred in the last two years, but also seeing how quickly — once we understood the virus, once we understood what was really going on, people were so ready to come back together. People weren't testing the waters; it was, like, 'No, no, no. I want my life back. I want to be able to be around people again.'

"So, questioning authority is a topic on this record, not losing your empathy for your fellow man, woman, child and just everybody on this planet," Brent said. "You've gotta remember, man, we all come from different walks of life, but I still believe in human beings and I still believe that human beings are inherently good and that we do wanna take care of each other.

"So, there's a lot of psychology on this record; we went really deep inside of that. There's a lot of intensity, but there's also a lot of triumph on the record as well."

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

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

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

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

German metal queen Doro Pesch has released a very unique single — a soulful adaptation of her classic metal anthem "Raise Your Fist In The Air". The track was made possible by the new ZDF (national German TV channel) music show "Music Impossible". In a new episode premiering today, viewers can watch Doro competing against German pop singer Mike Singer. Both artists were faced with the difficult task of arranging and performing their own songs in the other artist's genre. This meant that Doro had to transform one of her heavy hits into her opponent's trendy pop sound.

Impossible? Yes, almost. But Doro mastered the challenge with flying colors and won the competition. Together with her producer Andreas Bruhn (ex-SISTERS OF MERCY),the metal queen dared to take a unique excursion into the pop genre, creating an electrifying and soulful new version of "Raise Your Fist In The Air", which the audience in the Berlin TV studio enthusiastically celebrated.

Doro is so enamored with this new version of the song that "Raise Your Fist in The Air... In Heaven Mix" has been released as a digital single via Nuclear Blast today — just in time for the television broadcast of "Music Impossible".

Doro comments: "It was incredibly difficult to find the right song for this format. Making a metal anthem sound pop yet cool was even harder. A real balancing act, which I think we managed very well."

Doro is currently working on material for a new studio album, tentatively due next year. The LP will be the follow-up to "Forever Warriors, Forever United", which came out in 2018. That double album featured 19 regular tracks and six bonus songs.

In celebration of 35 years of the "Triumph And Agony" album from her former band WARLOCK, Doro released "Triumph And Agony Live" in various formats, including CD, vinyl, cassette, DVD, Blu-ray, and a huge box set, in September 2021 through her own label, Rare Diamonds Productions. The "Triumph And Agony" artwork centered on Geoffrey Gillespie's famous original drawing of the "Warlock" embracing the blonde rock star.

Dutch powerhouse singer Floor Jansen has just released her third solo single, "Me Without You". The track is the follow-up to "Storm", which came out in March via ADA, the division of Warner Music Group dedicated to independent label and artist distribution.

Four months ago, Floor was asked in an interview with FaceCulture if she is planning to eventually release a full-length solo album. She said: "There are a lot more songs ready. There's not an album ready, but also because it would make no sense to have one. Due to the pandemic, there's an entire NIGHTWISH still not done and still yet to be done; as it looks like, we actually are gonna do that now. So before that, I cannot say, 'Okay, I come [out] with a solo album.' 'Cause then you also would like to do some more [solo] shows and do the right promotion and all of that, so there's no time for that — which is a luxury problem on itself. But it's fun. And that's also a big difference with this pop music thing — you can release singles. It's not an album-based world; it's completely different."

Jansen went on to call "Fire" "a statement and "the kick-off of everything. And from there I'll keep releasing singles. And the aim is to release the album in '23," she explained before clarifying that there are a lot of variables involved that could affect the timeline of the LP's arrival. "But the ambition is there. And everything is geared up to do that."

Jansen is best known as the frontwoman in the multi-million selling and internationally successful symphonic metal band NIGHTWISH. As part of the band, Jansen has landed two number one albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member. NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

Experience Hendrix L.L.C. in partnership with Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE "Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969" this November 18 on 2LP vinyl, CD and all digital platforms. Recorded in the spring of 1969 before a raucous, sold-out audience, the captivating performance of the original lineup (singer/guitarist Jimi Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell, bassist Noel Redding) has never before been released in its entirety. This album comes out in time for the 80th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's birth (November 27). An advance track from the album, "I Don't Live Today", is now available below.

Following the massive success of THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's 1967-68 studio album trifecta ("Are You Experienced", "Axis: Bold As Love", "Electric Ladyland"),the trio had developed into the most popular international touring attraction in rock music. This widescale public interest coincided with the construction of new arenas for sporting events, among them the Forum in Inglewood, California. Designed by famed architect Charles Luckman (who also designed New York's rebuilt Madison Square Garden),this multi-purpose venue opened in 1967 as the home of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, but also began to serve as a music venue. Among the earliest concerts held there was Aretha Franklin in January 1968 and the CREAM farewell tour with opening act DEEP PURPLE in October of that year. THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE were booked to perform on April 26, 1969 with opening acts CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY (soon-to-be renamed CHICAGO) and CAT MOTHER & THE ALL NIGHT NEWSBOYS, the latter of whom shared management with the headliners. Floor seats cost $6.50 ($51.20 adjusted for inflation).

By the time THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE took the stage to blaze through a spirited set, live concert sound had drastically improved from the time of THE BEATLES baseball stadium tours, but crowd control was still a major concern. Between songs, Jimi pled with audience members to stop rushing the stage. A heavy police presence is felt; lyrics for their hit "Purple Haze" are altered ("'Scuse me while I kiss that policeman!") and Jimi dedicates "Spanish Castle Magic" to "the plain clothes police out there and other goofballs." Hendrix treated each performance as a unique event. He never relied on a standard set list comprised only of his biggest commercial hits. This approach was on full display at the Forum performance, blending more familiar tunes such as "Foxey Lady" with "I Don't Live Today" from "Are You Experienced" and his signature blues original "Red House" ("Everybody want to know what America's soul is; everybody think it's Motown . . . America's soul is something more like this here") which had still not yet been released in the U.S. at this time. Furthermore, the group opened their set with a cover of "Tax Free" — an obscure 1967 instrumental by Swedish duo HANSSON & KARLSSON (consisting of Bo Hansson and Janne Karlsson),with whom the EXPERIENCE had previously shared bills in Stockholm. Another unique highlight featured within the Forum performance was an early reimagining of "The Star Spangled Banner", which Jimi would canonize four months later at Woodstock. "Here's a song we was all brainwashed with," Jimi trenchantly declares, at a time when the nation was in a state of great political unrest. The group closed their performance with a unique, extraordinary medley of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and CREAM's "Sunshine Of Your Love". The song was an EXPERIENCE favorite and a perfect live vehicle for the trio's unparalleled improvisational skill.

"Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969" was recorded by Wally Heider and Bill Halverson contemporaneously, and recently remixed by longtime Hendrix producer/engineer Eddie Kramer for maximum audio fidelity. It was produced by Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and the sister of Jimi Hendrix, Kramer and John McDermott, who manages the Hendrix music catalog on behalf of Experience Hendrix. The package's liner notes are by former Los Angeles Times staff writer/critic Randy Lewis with a preface by ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons who attended the Hendrix Forum show, having toured with the EXPERIENCE, as part of the MOVING SIDEWALKS, his pre-ZZ band.

Also coming out during the month of Hendrix's 80th birthday is the book "Jimi". Published by Chronicle Books imprint Chroma for a November 15 release, this comprehensive visual celebration is an official collaboration with Janie Hendrix and John McDermott. "Jimi" significantly expands on the authors' previously published titles, including "An Illustrated Experience", and features a new introduction by Janie, extensive biographical texts, and a trove of lesser known and never-before-published photographs, personal memorabilia, lyrics, and more. Additionally, "Jimi" includes quotations by legendary musicians such as Paul McCartney, Ron Wood, Jeff Beck, Lenny Kravitz, Eric Clapton, Drake, Dave Grohl and others who have spoken about Hendrix's lasting influence.

"Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Tax Free
03. Foxey Lady
04. Red House
05. Spanish Castle Magic
06. Star Spangled Banner
07. Purple Haze
08. I Don't Live Today
09. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
10. Sunshine of Your Love
11. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Founded by James "Al" Hendrix, Jimi's father, in 1995, Experience Hendrix, has been managed since its inception by the family members handpicked by Al during his tenure as chairman. It is the official family company charged with managing the music, name, image and likeness of Jimi Hendrix. As a part of their daily operations, Experience Hendrix and Authentic Hendrix oversee Jimi's timeless legacy on a worldwide basis.

After recently releasing three remastered Led Zeppelin classics - "Rock and Roll", "Immigrant Song" and "Ramble On" - in the lead up, Vanilla Fudge will release the remastered album Vanilla Zeppelin digitally on September 30th via Golden Robot Records.


This is Led Zeppelin done ‘’Fudge’’ style and fully remastered. Vanilla Fudge roll these classics out in their own way, with some amazing and soaring organ interludes and adding their soul and funked up influence giving these songs a new life and identity of their own.


Pre-order / pre-save the album here.







Tracklist:


"Rock and Roll" 
"Immigrant Song" 
"Ramble On"
"Dancing Days"  
"Black Mountain Way" 
"Your Time is Gonna Come" 
"Dazed and Confused" 
"Trampled Under Foot" 
"Moby Dick" 
"All of My Love"  
"Babe I’m Gonna Leave You"  
"Fool in the Rain"  





Vanilla Fudge was one of the first American groups to infuse psychedelia into heavy rock sound to create “psychedelic symphonic rock” an eclectic genre which would, among its many off shoots, eventually morph into heavy metal.


Although, at first, the band did not record original material, they were best known for their dramatic heavy, slowed-down arrangements of contemporary pop songs which they developed into works of epic proportion.


Originally, Vanilla Fudge was a blue-eyed soul cover band called The Pigeons, formed in New Jersey in 1965 with organist, Mark Stein, bassist, Tim Bogert, drummer, Joey Brennan, and guitarist, vocalist and US Navy veteran, Vince Martell. They built a following by gigging extensively up and down the East Coast and earned extra money by providing free lance in-concert backing for hit-record girl groups. In early 1966, the group recorded a set of eight demos that were released several years later as "While the World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge".


The East Coast, in particular, New York, and New Jersey, created a sound all its own. Inspired by groups such as The Rascals and The Vagrants (fronted by guitarist, Leslie West of “Mountain” fame).The Pigeons reworked many of their own existing arrangements of covers to reflect their unique interpretation of this “East  Coast Sound”.


In late 1966, drummer, Joey Brennan, moved out to the West Coast; The Pigeons immediately drafted drummer and vocalist, Carmine Appice, a disciple of the renowned Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck Band) and a seasoned veteran of the club scene. In early 1967, The Pigeons manager, Phil Basile, convinced producer, George "Shadow" Morton (producer for The Shangri-Las and Janis Ian), to catch their live act. Impressed by their heavy-rocking, trippy and psychedelic version of The Supremes' 'You Keep Me Hangin' On', Morton offered to record the song as a single. This resulted in a deal with the atlantic subsidiary Atco, which requested a name change.


The band settled on Vanilla Fudge. Vanilla Fudge celebrated their 50-Year Anniversary in 2017 and is still rocking the world as hard as ever.

Midwest death machine Casket Robbery will unleash their second full-length album, Rituals Of Death, on November 11th via Blood Blast Distribution. The cover art and tracklisting can be seen below.


The album's first single, "Worm Food," will hit streaming platforms on September 22nd. Pre-save the song on Spotify and your favorite platforms now at this location.







"Worm Food"
"Don’t Forget The Eyes"
"Death’s Dance"
"Post-Mortem"
"Beautiful Death"
"Bone Mother"
"The Hidden… The Hideous"
"Old Ones"
"Reanimate"
"Return To The Sky"
"From Hell" (Bonus song only on physical release)


In November 2021, Casket Robbey released a claymation video for the track "Bone Mother". The clip, which can be seen below, was directed and created by Shayne Minott of Budget Blood Productions.


Vocalist Megan Orvold comments on the song, "Everything about this song was so much fun for us. From the twisted spooky folklore of Baba Yaga and our lyrical interpretation to the way she was brought to life in the amazing claymation video. ‘All knowing, all seeing, all revealing, all being.’ We hope you enjoy 'Bone Mother'!"


The song is dedicated to the memory of Eric Orvold, father of Casket Robbery vocalist Megan Orvold.





In live news, Casket Robbery will hit the road next month with Summoner's Circle for The Blood And Blasphemy US Tour in support of the release. Confirmed dates are as listed:


October
8 - Lexington, TN - Tennessee Metal Devastation Music Fest
10 - Haltom City, TX - Haltom Theater 
12 - San Antonio, TX - Fitzgerald's 
13 - Houston, TX - Acadia Bar & Grill  
14 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa 
15 - Fort Walton Beach, FL - Downtown Music Hall 
16 - Tampa, FL - Brass Mug 
17 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits 
19 - Charlotte, NC - The Milestone Club 
20 - Turtle Creek, PA - Sub Alpine Society 
21 - Akron, OH - The Vortex 





(Photo by Shatter Imagery)


 


 

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


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


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







Tracklisting:


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


Remaining dates on The Dead Daisies US Fall Tour:


September
10 - Danville, VA - Blue Ridge Rock Festival
11 - Fall Church, VA - State Theatre
14 - Nashville, TN - Eastside Bowl
15 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre
18 - Los Angeles, CA - The Vermont Hollywood
21 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post
23 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
24 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile


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


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


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





Tracklisting:


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


"Hypnotize Yourself" lyric video:





"Shine On" video:





"Radiance" video:





"Face Your Fear":





 

Canadian progressive symphonic metal band, Osyron, has announced their brand new album Momentous, out November 4th and shared a new single and music video for "Beyond The Sun".


Momentous, bound to take the metallers to a whole new level, is the fourth full-length from Osyron. Full of raging guitar riffs, grandiose vocals and mesmerizing technical skill, "Beyond The Sun" is the second single to be released from the album. Watch the video below, stream the song here, and pre-order the album now at this location. 







Osyron comments on announcing the release of the album: "We're all very excited, and proud to announce Momentous. It's been over a year of hard work on this record, and we're all overjoyed with how it's turned out. It represents where we are as artists and what we can bring to the table (and stage!). We are stoked to share the album announcement, and we can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of it." 


Mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More, Dream Theater, Voivod, Armored Saint), the album is nothing short of a musical masterpiece. It boasts the group's technical prowess, fantastical storytelling and outstanding vocal performances that metal fans everywhere have come to know and love from Osyron. Sure to leave listeners in awe, it deals with the many emotions, trials, personal battles, losses and victories that humanity faced during the pandemic. The biggest struggle faced by the band during this time was the struggle of looking inwards at themselves. Many had to relearn to love one another, and even turned against each other. A truly momentous moment in their career, not only for them as people, but for everyone. The album was mixed by Tyler Corbett (bassist). Drums were recorded by Josh Rob Gwilliam at OCL Studios in Chestermere, Alberta. All other instruments were recorded by Cody Anstey (drums) at his studio CRM Sound. 


Momentous artwork and tracklisting:





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


"Dominion Day" video:





For further details, visit Osyron on Facebook.


 

Brazilian rockers, Electric Mob, have released an official live video for "Devil You Know". The original track is featured on the band's debut album, Discharge, available via Frontiers Music Srl. The footage was filmed live at Nico's Studio in Curitiba, Brazil on May 22, 2022.





Watch an official live video for "Higher Than Your Heels", also filmed at Nico's Studio:







Order the Discharge album here.





Tracklisting:


"Awaken"
"Devil You Know"
"King’s Ale"
"Got Me Runnin’"
"Far Off"
"Your Ghost"
"Gypsy Touch"
"123 Burn"
"Upside Down"
"Higher Than Your Heels"
"Brand New Rope"
"We Are Wrong"


"Your Ghost" video:





"Higher Than Your Heels" video:





"Far Off" video:





"King’s Ale":





"Devil You Know" video:





Lineup:


Renan Zonta - Vocals
Ben Hur Auwarter - Guitar
Yuri Elero - Bass
André Leister - Drums

Jam rockers, Crazy Swedes, have released their music video for "Key Lime", which can be found below. The video was shot by Emmy-winning cinematographer Taylor Morrison, chopped by celebrated editor Hue Hughes, and directed by Swedes guitarist Will Severin, who shares, “A lot of the record is an homage to our music heroes, and 'Key Lime' is no different. A fellow guitar player I know took a few lessons from Allan Holdsworth (one of Van Halen’s idols) and told me a story about making Allan a key lime pie. I thought that was so random. So, that’s where the name came from. The track is definitely inspired by Holdsworth. He was a superhuman guitarist to be sure!"


Severin adds: "A lot of the other cuts on the Deluxe Edition are tips of the hat to our musical influences. All the guys in the band are killer players and bring a lot musically to the table. For me, it was a great change of pace to get back to just playing guitar again after a few years of lead vocal duties for Infinite Spectrum. With Crazy Swedes we all challenge each other, and it's the perfect band to stretch out and just play. There’s a lot of variety on the new release, catchy hooks, and a very healthy dose of shredding!"


Originally released on August 20, 2021, the band is back with three new tracks to add to an already outstanding first entry. In addition to the ten tracks found on the standard version, the deluxe edition includes live covers of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Stratus" by Billy Cobham, along with an original acoustic track, "Indigo Chrome".




The deluxe edition of Crazy Swedes will be released on September 23.





Tracklisting:


“Key Lime”
“Flight #4”
“Dark Matters”
“Big Trouble”
“Mr. V”
“What’s On Tap”
“Wavelength”
“Now Or Never”
“Southern Fried”
“Distant Shores”
“Shine On You Diamond (Live)” (Pink Floyd cover)
“Stratus (Live)” (Billy Cobham cover)
“Indigo Chrome”


“Key Lime” video:

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee and Grammy®-winning singer and songwriter, Ozzy Osbourne, has released his new album, Patient Number 9. Visualizer videos for each song on the album are now available. Watch below.


To celebrate his new album, Ozzy has confirmed a special in-store appearance and signing at Fingerprints in Long Beach, California on Saturday, September 10. Attendees will need to order a copy of Patient Number 9 to attend the event as Ozzy will only be signing copies of the new album. In order to sign as many copies as possible, the new album will be the only item signed. Masks will be required for all attendees and no photos with Ozzy will be permitted. Click here to reserve your copy.







Produced by Andrew Watt (who handled the same duties on 2020's Ordinary Man), Patient Number 9 marks Osbourne's 13th solo studio album. It’s heavy, it’s hard-hitting, it’s historic - it’s everything you’d want from an Ozzy Osbourne record and maybe more.


Working with producer Watt for the second time, Ozzy welcomed a dynamic A-list featured guests. The record boasts guitarists Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mike McCready of Pearl Jam, and longstanding righthand man and six-string beast Zakk Wylde who plays on the majority of the tracks. For the bulk of the album, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers held down drums, while the late Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters appears on three songs. Old friend and one-time Ozzy band member Robert Trujillo of Metallica plays bass on most of the album’s tracks, with Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses and Chris Chaney of Jane’s Addiction supplying bass on a few songs.


Order Patient Number 9 here.





Tracklisting:


"Patient Number 9" (feat. Jeff Beck)
"Immortal" (feat. Mike McCready)
"Parasite" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"No Escape From Now" (feat. Tony Iommi)
"One Of Those Days" (feat. Eric Clapton)
"A Thousand Shades" (feat. Jeff Beck)
"Mr. Darkness" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"Nothing Feels Right" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"Evil Shuffle" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"Degradation Rules" (feat. Tony Iommi)
"Dead And Gone"
"God Only Knows"
"Darkside Blues"


"Patient Number 9" video:





"Patient Number 9" visualizer:





"Immortal" visualizer:





"Parasite" visualizer:





"No Escape From Now" visualizer:





"One Of Those Days" visualizer:





"A Thousand Shades" visualizer:





"Mr. Darkness" visualizer:





"Nothing Feels Right" visualizer:





"Evil Shuffle" visualizer:





"Degradation Rules" visualizer:





"Dead and Gone" visualizer:





"God Only Knows" visualizer:





"Darkside Blues" visualizer:

Isafjørd, meaning literally fjord of ice, is a shining new ethereal post-rock band from Iceland. Named after the town that both of their fathers came from, Ísafjörður, Aðalbjörn Addi Tryggvason (Sólstafir) and Ragnar Zolberg (Sign/ex-Pain Of Salvation) sculpt beautiful and desolate pop, as bright and dark as the sub-arctic seasons.


Isafjørd’s new album, Hjartastjak, is an infectious rush of euphoric melancholy, quiet-loud dynamism, lush instrumentation and unforgettable atmospheric landscapes of song.


Meeting on the road, night creatures of the same renowned Reykjavik music scene, Ragnar playing live session bass for Sólstafir, Addi and Ragnar’s musical paths finally intersect in Isafjørd with a sound that reaches like a stalactite from the past into a gleaming future. Holed up in the middle of winter, in an old house with a broken piano in the freezing cold, Hjartastjaki is an album of songs that were written straight from the heart, sometimes in a single day.




Their chemistry as immediate as the climate they survive in, Isafjørd is a real meeting of spirits, with Ragnar’s sleek and cherubim voice a brilliant counterpoint to Addi’s dusty and aching cries, over orchestrated build-ups of soaring piano and sliding guitars. The catchy and haunting music that Addi and Ragnar create in Isafjørd is at once familiar in that lived-in, well-worn way a great song can touch your soul. Having both lived in Norway and speaking Norwegian, Addi and Ragnar speak the same language of the heart, as their Nordic melancholy makes for deep and mountainous music. Isafjørd’s songs are sincere icebergs of tundra-anthems that bring to mind Fields Of The Nephilim and Duran Duran jamming in a frozen valley, where the creative 80s New Wave meets GodSpeed You Black Emperor. With influences that range from Cardigans, Beatles, early Judas Priest and Neil Young, Addi and Ragnar have struck a vein of gold that crystallizes their own heritage of wide-screen Metal gloom into something new.


Now coming of age, matured into a shimmering diamond of Icelandic pop at its finest, Isafjørd is on another plain from Addi’s own Sólstafir, where their cinematic metal roots have been re-traced into sweeping glacial song-craft. A country known for their honest and heart–wrenching emotional take on pop music with Björk and Sigur Rós, Isafjørd gives a new definition of “landscape music”. When an album feels like a place you want to inhabit and experience, “Hjartastjaki” is a journey that you’re going to want to take.


Pre-save Hjartastjaki here. Pre-order on CD and 2LP here.





Tracklisting:


"Falin Skemmd"
"Mín Svarta Hlið"
"Hjartastjaki"
"Heiðin"
"Kuldaró"
"Fjord Of Hope"
"Njálssaga"
"Andvök"


"Falin Skemmd":





(Photo - Ásgeir Helgi Þrastarson)

Sumerlands have returned from the astral plane with another powerful collection of timeless, hooked filled hits: Dreamkiller. In the driver’s seat is renowned producer and guitarist Arthur Rizk who polished these eight metallic gems at Philadelphia’s Redwood Studios with his brothers in Sumerlands. Coming off of recent production credits with Kreator, Soulfly, and Show Me The Body, Rizk needs no introduction. His past work and expertise behind the boards with Power Trip, Ghostemane, Code Orange’s Grammy nominated album, Forever, Sacred Reich and many others have blown minds for over a decade. But it’s Sumerlands that truly fulfills his dream of melancholic chug.


The Sabbath-inspired haze of their 2016 S/T debut has been turbocharged with bigger riffs, distinct, Jan Hammer worthy synths, and forays into Badlands gone doom. But although doom crackles at the edges of Dreamkiller, this is classic, melodic metal forged with the melodrama of the Scorpions, the emotional heft of Foreigner, with an extra dose of depression.    


The band have released a video for the track, "Force Of A Storm", which you can find below.




The band’s alchemy is on full display throughout Dreamkiller as bassist Brad Raub (Eternal Champion) smirks behind his P-Bass while drummer Justin DeTore (Innumerable Forms, Dream Unending) stares you dead in the face, swinging. New vocalist Brendan Radigan (Pagan Altar, Magic Circle) sings strikingly of lost souls in a world gone mad. Rizk and guitarist John Powers (Eternal Champion) keep their “Strats only” policy intact while wheeling in the full Marshall stacks to douse the record in glorious solos (witness the album closing duel of “Death to Mercy”).


Make no mistake, Dreamkiller is full of traditional metal fuel. After an amicable split with original vocalist Phil Swanson, Sumerlands have dug deeper into their secret well of cathartic riffage to soundtrack a planet “Running in circles as the bells, they chime.” Sing along, dream along, Dreamkiller kills ‘em all!    


Dreamkiller sees its release on September 16 via Relapse Records. The physical pre-order is available here, and to pre-save or listen on digital platforms, go here.





Tracklisting:


"Twilight Points The Way"
"Heavens Above"
"Dreamkiller"
"Night Ride"
"Edge Of The Knife"
"Force Of A Storm"
"The Savior’s Lie"
"Death To Mercy"


"Force Of A Storm" video:





"Edge Of The Knife" visualizer:





"Dreamkiller" video:





Sumerlands is:


Brendan Radigan (Vocals)
Justin DeTore (Drums)
John Powers (Guitar)
Brad Raub (Bass)
Arthur Rizk (Guitar/Synth)


(Photo - Jaclyn Woollard)

Jari Behm is a Finnish musician who is known especially among friends of heavier music. He was the bassist for Stratovarius in early 90's. Later on for Finnish bands like Tunnelvision and STUD.


The new album, Mind Adventures, is Jari's type of music which represents a really broad selection of music. "I promise that I will not repeat myself on the album as the music genre of my music varies from metal, funk, classical, hard rock to blues, but still heavier music shows the biggest role", says Jari.


Jari managed to gather vocalists who fits perfectly to the dedicated tracks. Brazilian Gus Monsanto (ex-Adagio, ex-Revolution Renaissance), Finnish Peter James Goodman (Conquest), Turkish Berzan Önen and Italian Alessandro Granato. Toni Paananen (Malpractice) played drums on five tracks. All tracks and lyrics are written by Jari. Also he played bass, guitars and synths.




He was two decades away from music business until he started to put more effort on music again a few years ago. It was finally time to release his own music as he has been composing songs since the middle of 80's when he started his music career. There are many unreleased tracks in his drawer waiting to be released.


"Break from music gave me perspective how I would like to produce the music and I felt it is the time to finally release my own music without any musical limitations. Distinctiveness of instruments and sound quality without too much of compression are very important part of the whole picture and I put special attention into this", says Jari who has mixed, produced and mastered the music by himself.





Tracklisting:


"Fight For A Victory"
"Neon Gravity"
"Fading"
"Gratitude"
"Leave Me If You Don't Feel"
"Dusty Canyon"
"Coming Back To The Point"
"Bass Rogue"
"Tuuliajolla"
"Odotus"


"Coming Back To The Point" video:





"Fight For A Victory" video:





(Photo - Jade Behm)

Those Damn Crows have released their new single, “Wake Up (Sleepwalker)”, taken from their upcoming album, Inhale/Exhale, out February 17 via Earache Records. A heavy-hitting tempest of a track that boasts the arena-filling sound of the likes of Alter Bridge or Shinedown, “Wake Up (Sleepwalker)” urges listeners to rouse from the slumber of modern society's puppet strings.


Frontman Shane Greenhall explains, "It's meant to be upfront and personal. It’s supposed to make you sit up and think about how we are all living in today's society, where the rich are getting richer, and where tech giants are moulding us into whatever and however THEY see fit via technology and social media. Get your heads out of your phones. Look up, WAKE UP!”


The official video for “Wake Up (Sleepwalker)”, created by Shaun Hodson of Loki Films (Volbeat, Skindred, Architects) and David Provan of 12 Inch Media (Alice Cooper, Stereophonics, Alter Bridge), underlines this message.




Shane elaborates, “When coming up with ideas on how to tell the story of ‘Wake Up’, I remembered the scene in 'The Matrix' where Neo and Morpheus were in between worlds and talking in the white rooms, similar to the scene in 'Willy Wonka' where they zap the little boy into the TV. In the video we are in between the two worlds, "The Real World" and "The Tech World”. We hack the system as our message is transmitted to interrupt the algorithms that cleverly influence us while being led by the corporate and tech giants, fuelled by greed and false news, via the portals that they use on us – our smartphones, TVs, tablets, billboards - anything with a screen.”


Watch the video below.


In between their main stage slot at Download Festival 2022 and selling out headline shows at the likes of Cardiff Castle, Those Damn Crows have created a new album that elevates their signature hard-hitting rock to dizzying new heights. Inhale/Exhale whips up a storm of atmospheric hard rock that sees Shane's trademark rousing lyricism delivered with molten-smooth melodies and ever-passionate emotion, backed by drummer Ronnie Huxford's earth-quaking percussion, guitarists Ian “Shiner” Thomas and David Winchurch's twin-attack of rampaging riffs and glacial auras, and bassist Lloyd Wood's juddering bass thunder.


Inhale/Exhale was recorded at the picturesque Vada Studios (built within a 13th Century chapel amongst 20 acres of rural Warwickshire) and in the beating heart of their Welsh homeland at Giant Wafer Studios, with producer Dan Weller (Enter Shikari, Monster Truck, Bury Tomorrow) and mixer Phil Gornell (Bring Me The Horizon, 5 Seconds Of Summer, You Me At Six) capturing this next evolution of the band.


Shane shines a light on the concept from which the album grew: “The album is talking openly and honestly about how we react as individuals to our life's surroundings and experiences. Have you ever noticed when you experience an emotion that your breath changes? We all must learn how to breathe in certain scenarios.”


He continues, “How we respond is sometimes more important than how we react in those unpredictable scenarios. We can all breathe, but how we breathe and the manner in which we inhale, exhale can literally change how we feel in that moment.”


The album's artwork embodies this concept and the title's duality, presenting a ribcage with one desolate, blackened side and one side brimming with life. Shane explains the thought behind the cover: “The rib cage is the protector of our respiratory system. When we were talking about the album name it seemed the perfect visual representation, where we could portray life and death starting and finishing via the artwork.”


Inhale/Exhale is available for pre-order worldwide now at earache.com/thosedamncrows on an immense number of formats including: a collector's edition bundle (which will house a burnt orange and black splatter vinyl with alternate fire carousel cover, exclusive to this edition); limited edition coloured vinyl with an exclusive 12-page booklet (clear with black smoke, purple, yellow), plus blue and white splatter vinyl with alternate blue sky carousel cover; signed CD with exclusive 12-page booklet and alternate fire carousel cover; a cassette collection of the band's full discography; USB; and digital download. HMV carry two more exclusive formats: CD with alternate blue sky carousel cover and black vinyl with alternate fire carousel cover. A green vinyl format exclusive to indie stores is also available.





Inhale/Exhale tracklisting:


"Fill The Void"
"Takedown"
"Man On Fire"
"Wake Up (Sleepwalker)"
"This Time I'm Ready"
"I Am"
"See You Again"
"Lay It All On Me"
"Find A Way"
"Waiting For Me"


"Wake Up (Sleepwalker)" video:





Those Damn Crows will join Monster Truck on their UK tour in September/October 2022. Tickets are on sale now for all dates. A turquoise vinyl version of Inhale/Exhale will be sold exclusively on this tour via a special edition tour laminate available at Those Damn Crows' merch desk.





(Photo - Dean Chalkley)

AS I LAY DYING has just completed the U.S. and European legs of its 2022 tour. The trek marked the band's first with its new touring lineup, featuring founding vocalist Tim Lambesis and longtime guitarist Phil Sgrosso alongside drummer Nick Pierce (ex-UNEARTH),bassist vocalist Ryan Neff (MISS MAY I) and guitarist Ken Susi (UNEARTH).

In a new interview with Metalshop TV, Lambesis stated about AS I LAY DYING's recent lineup changes (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think for our fans, they think that the changes happened all in a very short period of time, but they actually happened over the last two years. The first change was on guitar we invited Ken Susi to fill in for us. And that was about two years ago that we invited him. But then, of course, the pandemic happened and so we had a lot of breaks until we had a tour again. So Ken's been rehearsing with us, or talking about rehearsing with us, for the last couple of years. And on drums we have Nick Pierce, who joined us. Nick Pierce was previously in UNEARTH; Ken is from UNEARTH as well. And Nick stopped playing with UNEARTH and coincidentally at the same time we needed a drummer, because our previous drummer hadn't been communicating with us; he went very isolated once the pandemic hit. And so there wasn't an argument or anything like that; it was just a situation where when the pandemic hit, he decided to take a new direction in life and kind of cut himself off from the rest of us. And we decided we wanted to keep going forward. Phil and I had been the ones writing the songs all these years, so when Nick Pierce left UNEARTH, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to have him perform with us. And then Ryan came from MISS MAY I. He was the last guy to come in. And he didn't come in until a couple of months ago. Our bass player, Josh, previously left, and he's with SPIRITBOX now. And when he decided to go perform with SPIRITBOX, we called up Ryan, who was with MISS MAY I. And Ryan Neff was on tour at the time. And then we asked him, 'Can you start touring with us as soon as this tour is over?' And he said, 'Well, I'm only gonna have three days off to rehearse in between tours.' He said, 'If you guys want me to do it, I'll make sure I come prepared.' And he had a lot to learn in three days, but he pulled it together. He's a very, very hard-working guy."

Lambesis also talked about AS I LAY DYING's plans for a new studio album as a follow-up to "Shaped By Fire", which came out in September 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

"Well, we have demos going back and forth between Phil and I," he said. "The two of us have been writing songs for 20 years, and so we have a very, I guess, refined method of writing where we exchange demos early on so that they have room to be pulled apart. And then once there's a full instrumental, then I start writing lyrics. And I typically don't write lyrics until after we have all the instrumentals together. So pretty shortly after this tour we'll finish the demo process and then I can start writing lyrics. And hopefully by the end of the year we'll finish recording so we can have an album next year."

This past June, longtime AS I LAY DYING drummer Jordan Mancino announced that he would sit out the band's tour due to "a number of ongoing internal issues" that "have not yet been resolved."

Mancino's announcement came less than a month after AS I LAY DYING's longtime bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert revealed that he was leaving the band. In a statement, the remaining members of AS I LAY DYING said that Gilbert "decided to exit" the group "to pursue other musical opportunities."

Josh was the second AS I LAY DYING member to leave the band in less than a year. In August 2021, guitarist Nick Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING, explaining that he could no longer justify being part of "a superficial pursuit" of the "story and meaning" that the band's 2018 reunion was built upon.

Lambesis was famously convicted in 2014 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his estranged wife.

In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released a new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band's Facebook page after his release.

The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014.

In September 2021, AS I LAY DYING released a new song called "Roots Below" which was originally a B-side leftover from when the sessions for "Shaped By Fire".

Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen's project SMITH/KOTZEN will release "Better Days …And Nights" on September 16 via BMG. The effort comprises five previously unreleased live tracks, plus for the first time ever on CD, the four studio tracks featured on their sold-out, limited-edition 12-inch vinyl EP, "Better Days", released in conjunction with Record Store Day in November 2021.

The live video for second singe "Got A Hold On Me" was directed by Ryan Titley and can be seen below.

The full track listing for "Better Days ...And Nights" is:

Days:

01. Better Days
02. Got A Hold On Me
03. Hate And Love
04. Rise Again

Nights:

05. Hate And Love (Live)
06. Got A Hold On Me (Live)
07. Scars (Live)
08. You Don't Know Me (Live)
09. Running (Live)

The live songs were recorded during SMITH/KOTZEN's inaugural whistle-stop tour of the U.S. and U.K. at the start of 2022, which attracted unanimously rave reviews from fans and media alike, celebrating the duo's debut on stage together with stellar back-up from Richie's wife, internationally acclaimed bass player Julia Lage, and drummer Bruno Valverde of ANGRA.

Japan's metal bible Burrn! magazine reviewing the Whisky A Go Go show in Los Angeles pronounced it, "An amazing night….this rock n' roll band is very different from any other…totally unique …and bringing you great songs!". U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine said the show was a, "masterclass in guitar playing and performance".

Smith comments: "I think everyone in the band was extremely happy with how our very first tour turned out. We were all naturally a little anxious as we'd never played live together before but once we got out there, everything fell into place really easily and we all had a tremendous amount of fun. I can't wait until we can do it again and get to play in many more places next time round."

Kotzen adds: "We spent a lot of time discussing which of the songs from the live show to include on this CD. We wanted to capture an accurate snapshot of the special vibe we all felt on the tour and I think we've achieved this in the songs we've selected, and hope our fans will agree. We're looking forward to seeing everybody again on future tours."

"Better Days….And Nights" will be released globally on CD and digital formats.

The original EP tracks were produced by Kotzen and Smith and mixed by Kevin Shirley. The live tracks were produced and mixed by Kotzen and Smith.

In a recent interview with Metal Edge magazine's "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley", Richie stated about how the short tour came together: "What happened was it was all just by timing. Nathalie [Dufresne-Smith, Adrian's wife] and Adrian came into town, and Adrian said, 'Hey, we're gonna be there for a couple of months. You wanna write some more songs?' And we did get together and we did about seven things that are in the works; we have some demo stuff that are in the works. And then we started thinking, 'Man, we're here. Why don't we play?' Julia was in the house and we were talking about it. And it just kind of — boom. It just made sense. 'Let's go. Call Bruno.' And we put it together. It was real easy."

Adrian added that fans can definitely expect to hear more music from SMITH/KOTZEN, which released a full-length album and an EP during 2021.

"We started writing with a view to doing another album, and then we got sidetracked on dates," Smith said. "Like Richie said, we've got six or seven things. It's just taking where we left off with the EP — just writing as we do.

"I don't wanna change the world," he added. "I just wanna make good rock music. It's n there, and you've just gotta do it. You just have to do it, really. It's one of those things."

SMITH/KOTZEN's eponymous debut album was released globally through BMG in March 2021 to media and fan acclaim, charting No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart in the U.S., Top 20 in the U.K. as well as in other major markets such as Germany, Japan and Canada.

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist. Kotzen is the frontman for THE WINERY DOGS as well as having been the guitarist for both MR. BIG and POISON during his long and acclaimed career, which has to date seen him release more than 20 solo albums. Both artists are also prolific songwriters.