Former MEGADETH members David Ellefson (bass) and Jeff Young (guitar) recently announced the first four shows of the KINGS OF THRASH "The MEGA Years" tour. They will be joined at the dates by another former MEGADETH member, Chris Poland (guitar).

KINGS OF THRASH, which also includes drummer Fred Aching as well as guitarist/vocalist Chaz Leon, will perform MEGADETH's classic albums "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!" and "So Far, So Good… So What!" in their entirety.

Ellefson, Young, Poland, Leon and Aching commenced rehearsals this week in Los Angeles released rehearsal footage today. Check out the video below.

In a recent interview with Yes! You CAN Play Guitar!, Ellefson stated about how KINGS OF THRASH came together: "[Jeff] and I got along well. We roomed together a lot, 'cause back on the 'So Far, So Good… So What!' tour, band and crew was always shacking up, sharing rooms together. So he and I had spent a lot of time together. I did a lot of guitar playing with him; I learned a lot of stuff from him, which was fun. So now to connect with him all these years later… We connected through the [making of the upcoming] Nick Menza movie [about the late MEGADETH drummer], quite honestly. And I'd stayed in touched with him. We even jammed together once at a Ronnie Montrose tribute thing at NAMM a few years ago. So we've not been completely estranged from each other."

According to Ellefson, the idea for KINGS OF THRASH materialized after he and Young reunited on stage on May 10 at Ultimate Jam Night, the long-running community-oriented show in residency at the famed Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California, as part of a special tribute to the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX. The event marked the first time David and Jeff had played MEGADETH songs together on stage since the U.K.'s Monsters Of Rock festival on August 20, 1988. "That spawned, basically, the KINGS OF THRASH," he said. "It was, like, 'Wow! That was frickin' cool, and that was a lot of fun.'"

David went on to say that he started thinking about a way to perform some of MEGADETH's classic material last year. "This idea had come to me — and it came to me last fall," he explained. "I was at an autograph show on the East Coast, and people were bringing me 'Killing Is My Business' records left and right. And it just reminded me, this record needs to be played; it needs to be performed. Same as 'So Far, So Good… So What!' To me, those are kind of these two really special records that — they never went unnoticed, but they didn't get the big fanfare like 'Peace Sells' and 'Rust In Peace' and all this stuff. So, to me, I made it my mission. I was, like, 'You know what? Let's unearth these things and let's bring these up on the stage and play them.'

"[Jeff] told me, he said, after MEGADETH, I think he said he intentionally forgot how to play MEGADETH songs; he just wanted to move on," Ellefson continued. "'Cause when you come into the band, it is a deep dive and it is a heavy compression. You really have to live that music in and out, day in, day out, all the time in order to really grasp what it is. And he did that. And then when the gig ended for him, he moved on.

"He has been doing a ton of heavy lifting on [the KINGS OF THRASH]. He is really working with our singer Chaz, the drummer Fred to get through this stuff. Even he and Chris Poland are working on this thing."

David clarified that the intention behind KINGS OF THRASH is not to stick it to his former bandmates.

"This is a celebration, not a retaliation," he explained. "This is a good moment. This is a happy moment, to celebrate these songs and these tracks and these records. So we go at it with just fun… It's, like, 'Wow. Wouldn't it be fun if we went out and played these records?' And we're doing it. So it's meant to be this celebration and bringing people together. And honestly, that was kind of always my role in MEGADETH. Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] always called me 'The Ambassador', and I was always that guy, and I am that guy. So it's, like, let me just continue that role in our community and have one of good will."

Asked if there are plans for KINGS OF THRASH to play more shows after the already announced dates in October, Ellefson said: "I think so. That was the whole thing — let's pop four of these up, see if anybody cares. And it seems like everybody… The phone's blowing up — people are calling, the promoters are calling, and people wanna see it. It's interesting. It's cool. This is a deep dive into a very particular period of the band's history and catalog that may not get performed elsewhere. So it's, like, 'Hey, we'll do it.' And we're qualified. Certainly our resume and our pedigree and our history with the group — it's legitimate. And I've gotta say — it's fun, man. I think it's fun."

As for KINGS OF THRASH's approach to performing material that was originally written and recorded more than three decades ago, Ellefson said: "I've gotta say, man, 'Killing Is My Business', there is a lot of deep stuff on that record, but because of the tempos and because of the speed, a lot of that kind of gets a bit glossed over, because the production of the record wasn't super great, because we didn't have a lot of money to do it at the time. Now live, going into it, there are some rhythmic figures and some grooves that I think are coming out in a live setting that are so hip. There's this almost funk, kind of R&B vibe to some of the rhythms that are so cool.

"When we wrote those songs, especially 'The Skull Beneath The Skin' and even 'Looking Down The Cross', these songs were written very slow; the original tempos were [much slower]," he revealed. "So they were really cool. So one of the things we're focusing on is bringing out the sleazy, slinky, greasy groove that's in there — because it really is in there. And I think our drummer Fred is helping a lot with that. I think people are gonna really enjoy what they're gonna hear."

KINGS OF THRASH tour dates:

Oct. 12 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
Oct. 13 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
Oct. 14 - Las Vegas, NV - The Space
Oct. 15 - West Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go

VIP packages are available for all shows.

The Whisky A Go Go concert came four months after Ellefson and Young reunited in Los Angeles for interviews to be included in the upcoming feature-length documentary "This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza". Ellefson has signed on as a co-producer of the film, and also will provide narration to guide the viewer through the exploration of the late MEGADETH drummer's life.

In June, Ellefson told The Neurotic Guitarist that he and Young "have been working on a couple of new songs."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH nearly a year and a half ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

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

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Dave Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH leader shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

Young's entire career with MEGADETH was spent recording and touring in support of the band's 1988 platinum-selling album "So Far, So Good...So What!"

Jeff made headlines in December 2009 for accusing Mustaine of, among other things, "dissing, exaggerating and just plain lying on some level about nearly every talented musician that has passed through his dysfunctional little ensemble." He also disputed Mustaine's claim in an interview that Young's drug problem led to MEGADETH's 1988 Australian tour being called off and the group being "banned" from performing in the country.

Poland was a member of MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, during which time he performed on the band's classic albums "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" and "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" He is also a featured soloist on the group's 2004 album, "The System Has Failed".

Back in 2004, Poland and/or his management and attorney filed a lawsuit against Mustaine regarding the use of the three "Rust In Peace" demos on the album's reissue without Chris's permission. Chris eventually settled for $9,500 and thereby ended a professional relationship with Dave and MEGADETH.

For the past couple of decades, Poland's main musical focus has been the fusion band OHM:, which has released several full-length studio albums to date.

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

LAMB OF GOD guitarist Willie Adler says: "'Grayscale' has just a smack you in the face, bit of hardcore feel to it. We had basically finished writing the record and I wrote this song thinking it won't necessarily be a LAMB song. I sent it to Josh Wilbur, our producer, to check out and he responded with, 'Perfect. This is the last song we need for the record.'"

The heavy "Grayscale" includes Randy Blythe's vibrantly unhinged vocal attack plus Mark Morton and Adler's threatening riffage to challenge and devastate headbangers alike and also features Art Cruz and John Campbell's unstoppable rhythms.

Speaking to Germany's EMP, Campbell stated about "Omens": "It's a fairly dynamic record. There's a few other little surprises and tweaks and things to come in October. But we recorded it differently this time. We went to Los Angeles and all of us in the same room and same time recording, which gave us some leeway to make changes as things happened and just kind of feel it out in a different way than we've done in the past, which would be everybody kind of going in their corner recording and it gets assembled later. So it was a real team effort on this one, in the recording — all the way through it's been a team effort — and in the recording especially, when we were all in the same room doing that stuff, it was great. I got to spend three and a half weeks working on a record instead of four or five days — working on the recording of the record."

Last month, Campbell was asked by Knotfest what led to the decision to record "Omens" live in the studio. John responded: "Well, we've been doing this so fucking long, we had to do something different. I believe that was Josh Wilbur's idea to do that. I know he had a great place worked out to do that in. And we had just kind of been doing it the same way over and over and over again, and we were looking to get a little more excitement into it and maybe see if that couldn't produce a different feel on the record."

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

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

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

"Lamb Of God" was recorded with Wilbur and included special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT).

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Swedish occult rockers GHOST paid tribute to late DEATH mastermind Chuck Schuldiner during their concert in Tampa, Florida.

Before launching into the song "Cirice" at the Yuengling Center on Tuesday (September 6), one of GHOST's Nameless Ghoul guitarists played the opening riff of the DEATH classic "Zombie Ritual" in honor of Schuldiner, who founded his pioneering death metal outfit nearly four decades ago in nearby Orlando. Fan-filmed video of the tribute can be seen below.

Chuck died in December 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

"Zombie Ritual" appeared on DEATH's debut album, "Scream Bloody Gore", which came out in 1987.

Four years ago, GHOST leader Tobias Forge said that he wanted his pre-GHOST death metal outfit REPUGNANT "to become a big band" similar to AMON AMARTH but lamented their stalled progress because they were "unfashionable" and "unprofessional."

Forge formed REPUGNANT in 1998 and performed under the name "Mary Goore", eventually releasing a few demos and an EP before recording their lone full-length "Epitome Of Darkness" in 2002. REPUGNANT called it quits in 2004, with Dutch independent Soulseller Records releasing "Epitome Of Darkness" two years later. The album — a veritable concoction of vintage Stockholm death metal with obscure, eerie melodies — had only mild impact upon its release but appears to have preceded the current crop of death metal bands who have parlayed largely the same formula to greater underground metal notoriety.

In an interview with David E. Gehlke, Forge was asked whether his success with GHOST ever made him reflect about his time with REPUGNANT. He said: "The one thing I don't think was very evident just because of how things played out with REPUGNANT, was that, if you asked me in 1999 or 2000 or 2001, I really wanted REPUGNANT to be signed up by a Roadrunner or Nuclear Blast or a big label. I wanted to be super-professional with the band. At the time, we were very unfashionable. It was just not asked for in that sort of realm and had things been played out differently or maybe I played my cards differently, because if I look back on how I did things, it was unprofessional and I didn't really have the foresight, I guess. I had the dream, but I didn't have the foresight. We were picked up by a real label at the time and got a manager and had everyone kept their ducks in a row, I would have loved to have that band, the closest example of a band like that could be comparable is like AMON AMARTH. A real band that was out touring. I always wanted that. I really wanted to become a big band. I wanted that, but I couldn't. I don't know if we were good enough or whatever. Now, knowing a lot of the things that is required, how many stars that need to align and all the decisions you have to make, I can definitely look back on myself as a 21-year-old and quickly see why I didn't achieve that with REPUGNANT. I wasn't mature. I wasn't thinking. I wasn't there yet."

The last-known lineup of REPUGNANT included current and former members of IN SOLITUDE, TRIBULATION and WATAIN, providing a mish-mash of some of Swedish metal's most critically acclaimed bands of the last decade. Forge said that he had repaired the relationship with his former bandmates after the split but warned against the idea of a full-blown REPUGNANT reunion. "I think the band that was REPUGNANT on 'Epitome Of Darkness', I think we are now better friends than we've been over the last ten years, at least, ten, fifteen years," he said. "We had various degrees of falling out for different reasons. It just sputtered out. We've had our disagreements and whatnot, the same shit that everybody goes through. But, nowadays, we don't really have much to do with each other anymore, but we're just friends. We're all, except for one of us, we all have kids, we're all married. We're old dudes. [Laughs] I don't feel very old. We're a little bit wiser now and maybe that alone gives us a reason to not sort of resuscitate that corpse again. Just let it lie."

Earlier today (Wednesday, September 7),QUEEN guitarist Brian May teamed up with SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian, SONS OF APOLLO vocalist Jeff Scott Soto, Graham Gouldman and opera singer Montserrat Martí to perform the QUEEN classic "The Show Must Go On" with the Armenian National Orchestra at the sixth edition of the Starmus festival in Yerevan, Armenia. Video of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of Victims Of A Down).

Starmus festival features presentations by legendary astronauts, Nobel Prize winners, prominent figures of science, technology, culture and arts.

Every edition of the festival is organized around a particular theme related to space exploration, and this year's topic is "50 Years On Mars".

May, who is an astrophysicist and Starmus co-founder, has performed at virtually all previous editions of the festival.

"Starmus VI: 50 Years On Mars" is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first soft landing on Mars by "Mars 3" and the first orbiter "Mariner 9". "Mariner 9" took the first high-quality images of Mars while "Mars 3" brought the first rover, Prop-M, to the surface of Mars.

The Starmus advisory board includes Dr. Brian May, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Jill Tarter, Peter Gabriel, Richard Dawkins and Tony Fadell.

Speakers at Starmus VI include world-renowned astronauts, including social media-sensation Chris Hadfield; Charlie Duke (Apollo 16),the youngest man to walk on the moon; Jim Bagian, a former astronaut of Armenian descent; and Charles Bolden Jr., the former head of NASA. In addition, Starmus features a wide selection of Nobel Laureate scientists such as Kip Thorne, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Donna Strickland, iPod creator Tony Fadell and physicist and science communicator Brian Greene. Other musicians include rock band SONS OF APOLLO, legendary keyboardist Rick Wakeman, revered jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan and Andrey Makarevich, founder of Russia's oldest active rock band, amongst other celebrities and renowned scientists.

Stephen Hawking, one of the most influential scientists of the 20th and early 21st centuries, was a Starmus advisory board member and became the inspiration for an ambitious award in 2016 that recognizes the merit of popular science at an international level. The Stephen Hawking Science Medal awarding ceremony is one of the key events of the festival, aimed at promoting science to everyone. Previous winners of the medal have included Hans Zimmer, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Buzz Aldrin and Brian Eno.

Armenia was selected for its contribution to astronomy, astrophysics and space exploration. For much of the 20th century, it was home to the Soviet space program, and to this day it remains a key location for the international community, housing The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and the Aragatz Station.

Israelian says: "Armenia has played an extraordinary role in the past, present and future of how we understand and explore our universe, and I'm looking forward to welcome this extraordinary range of thinkers and creatives to encounter this special place and share ideas."

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ALTER BRIDGE singer Myles Kennedy, who first collaborated with Slash in 2009 and has fronted the GUNS N' ROSES guitarist's solo band since 2010, was asked in a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio if he thinks Slash will continue to create solo music for years to come. Myles responded: "That's a good question. I honestly don't know. I think that we're all really grateful and to some degree surprised by the run that we've had."

He continued: "When I first signed on to do [the song] 'Starlight' [with Slash] back in 2009, and then we ended up doing 'Back From Cali' [for Slash's self-titled solo album], I thought that would pretty much be it. And then he brought up, 'Well, let's just do a tour together,' and I thought, 'Okay, there'll be a tour and that'll be it.' But if you had told me that 12 years down the road, 13 years down the road we would have had this long run and multiple records and tour the world a number of times, I would have been blown away. So, I guess time will tell how that continues."

Kennedy sang lead vocals on a pair of songs that appeared on Slash's eponymous solo debut album in 2010 before taking a more central role — under the SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS banner — on 2012's "Apocalyptic Love", 2014's "World On Fire", 2018's "Living The Dream" and 2022's "4".

The latest SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS album, the aforementioned "4", was released in February via Gibson Records in partnership with BMG. "4" is Slash's fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Kennedy (vocals),Brent Fitz (drums),Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals).

For "4", Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, Tennessee and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile),revealing a stunning new sound and style all captured live in the studio. Cobb shared the band's desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals — a first for the group.

Since reuniting with GUNS N' ROSES in 2016, Slash has toured regularly with both GUNS and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS.

Michael Monroe, who turned 60 in June, will celebrate the milestone with a bang at the Helsinki Ice Hall on September 23. Now Monroe has revealed the big news: as the grand finale of the concert, the original lineup of HANOI ROCKS, one of Finland's most significant rock bands of all time, will take the stage: Monroe, Andy McCoy, Sami Yaffa, Nasty Suicide and Gyp Casino. The quintet, which started a historic chapter in the world's music scene, was seen on stage for the last time at Helsinki's Tavastia on July 27, 1982.

Internationally acclaimed throughout their career, HANOI ROCKS has had a great impact on the history of rock. Several international bands, such as FOO FIGHTERS, GUNS N' ROSES and SKID ROW, acknowledge the influence of HANOI ROCKS and hold the band in very high regard. For decades there has been an endless amount of requests to reform the original lineup and for the legendary band to perform live. An idea that has previously seemed impossible is now becoming a reality at Monroe's 60th-birthday concert.

"This is the only appropriate time and place for all five original members of HANOI ROCKS to get on stage to play together after a break of over forty years," says Michael. "This is not a HANOI ROCKS reunion, but a unique part of the anniversary concert. At first I planned to keep it a surprise but after giving it some more thought, I realized that it wouldn't be fair, especially to the fans, not to make this public in advance and that everybody should have the chance to be there."

Monroe and McCoy founded HANOI ROCKS in the late 1970s and the band's original lineup was established in 1980. HANOI ROCKS, the first Finnish rock band to make an international breakthrough, recorded their first three albums with the original lineup: "Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks" (1981),"Oriental Beat" (1982) and "Self Destruction Blues" (1982). Casino was replaced in 1982 by Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley who became an integral member of HANOI ROCKS. Razzle died in a tragic accident in 1984. Unfortunately, this led to the band's untimely demise in early 1985.

Another big surprise for the unique 60th-birthday concert is that the "support band" for the show will be the legendary DEMOLITION 23 reunited. Led by Monroe, the band rose to great cult fame, although they only released one album ("Demolition 23") in 1994 and broke up shortly afterwards. This is the first performance of the band since the band's breakup in 1995.

At the 60th-birthday show, Monroe will mostly be accompanied by his longtime band consisting of Sami Yaffa, Karl Rockfist, Rich Jones and Steve Conte. In addition to the original HANOI ROCKS lineup and DEMOLITION 23, several top musicians and artists who have collaborated with Monroe over the years will take the stage. The almost-three-hour-long concert allows fans to hear many Monroe classics throughout evening. To top the event, the lights and visuals are designed by the internationally acclaimed worldwide phenomenon Mikki Kunttu.

HANOI ROCKS did reform once before in 2002, albeit with only Monroe and McCoy from the band's classic lineup, and released a comeback album, "Twelve Shots On The Rocks". The reunion lasted until 2009.

In a 2019 interview with Duke TV, Monroe stated about the band's "rebirth" two decades ago: "It was not planned. It just happened. I would never do a reunion to cash in on the reunion, so to speak, to cash in on the old name. It was interesting for me to see what we could accomplish with Andy because he had learned to respect my songwriting abilities, which he didn't in the past. It was cool to see what we could do. We had some old ideas, like from 1984, that we had left over, that I remembered, that we reworked and made into songs. Then it started slipping into the same old 'you'd be nothing without me' and all that shit. I was, like, 'Are you sure you want to start this? Let's do some farewell tours.' I was ready to commit to that for the rest of my life if it had continued being fun, but it came to a point where it wasn't fun anymore, so I called Andy and said, 'Let's put this thing to bed.'"

He continued: "After that, I haven't seen him. We haven't had much to do with him, unless it was business with HANOI or something that has to be taking care of, our name in the paper — fine; we'll deal with that. Obviously, we're not the best of friend-friends, not like with Sami. Sami, Nasty and me had this bond that was created in the first half of a year of HANOI ROCKS when we started living in the streets of Stockholm homeless. That made us had this street gang kind of vibe. Us against the world, looking out for each other."



Hanoi Rocks announcing a reunion with the original lineup…
#hanoirocks

Posted by Jyrki Hamalainen on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Hanoi Rocks reunion press onference in Helsinki 2022. #hanoirocks #hanoirocksband #andymaccoy #michaelmonroe #samiyaffa…

Posted by Marko Syrjälä's Media and Photography on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Hanoi Rocks!!!!!!!!’n reunion!!!!!!!!!! #hanoirocks #hanoirocksreunion

Posted by Kimmo Pulli Concert Pictures on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Posted by Kasari & ysäri on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Posted by Leena Keinänen Os Hård on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Hanoi Rocks! The original line-up with Gyp Casino, Sami Yaffa, Nasty Suicide, Andy McCoy and Michael Monroe is back for...

Posted by Vesa Sirén on Wednesday, September 7, 2022

A previously unreleased Black ‘N Blue song, “Give Em The Old 1, 2, 3”, offers a new preview of the extensively researched, graphically-rich early ‘80s glam metal collection, Bound For Hell: On The Sunset Strip. The track can be heard via the visualizer below.


“’Give Em The Old 1, 2, 3’ is the very first song written and recorded by Black ‘N Blue in 1981, explains vocalist Jaime St. James. “This is also the year I went from drummer to singer. I’m looking forward to the release of this awesome box set as The Numero Group have done a great job with gathering killer, almost lost music from back in the day with fantastic packaging. Enjoy!”


Black ‘N Blue, originally from Portland, Ore., were influenced in part by the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, proving too heavy and too loud for Portland and leading to the band setting up camp in Los Angeles. In 1982, the band landed a coveted slot on Brian Slagel’s inaugural Metal Massacre comp alongside other newbies including Metallica, Ratt and Bitch. Signed by the legendary Geffen A&R man, Jeff Kalodner, the band released four major label albums between 1984 and 1988. Gene Simmons produced the band’s 1985 album, Nasty Nasty, and probably uncoincidentally, guitar player Tommy Thayer went on to replace Ace Frehley in KISS.







Bound For Hell: On The Sunset Strip features 21-songs, spread across 2LPs, a collection that transports listeners to the era of excess, with music critic and co-author of Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal, Katherine Turman, providing the road map via a 144-page, full color book. Amidst those pages, the story of how the scene unfurled, and eventually imploded, is told via first-hand testimonials, show flyers, and hundreds of photos, which come from the lens of acclaimed rock photographer Kevin Estrada. Estrada also serves as co-producer of the boxset.


Artists featured include scene heavyweights Armored Saint, Black ‘N Blue and Lizzy Borden, alongside long lost tracks from Reddi Killowatt, Angeles, Max Havoc, SIN, and Romeo. Bound For Hell: On The Sunset Strip also pays particular attention to the female musicians who challenged the testosterone-laden world of the Strip, with entries and recollections from Lisa Baker, Jaded Lady, Leather Angel, Hellion, and Bitch. “We were not pop girls, we really loved the aggression and the passion of hard rock music,” explains Leather Angel and Jaded Lady’s Terry O’Leary. “As a band, and especially as an all-girl band, you know, we came to conquer.”


“The infamous Sunset Strip glam metal scene of the ‘80s is one that’s been covered excessively, and for a good reason. But usually, the analysis never goes too far past bands like Mötley Crüe, Poison, Quiet Riot, etc.,” explains Adam Luksetich, producer, and researcher behind the collection. “Our goal with Bound For Hell was to narrow in on the equally impressive independent or unsigned bands that thrived in that same scene but in most cases, never benefitted from the major label feeding frenzy. With a bounty of unseen photos, pages and pages of flyers, and detailed liner notes, these bands get more time in the spotlight.”


Pre-orders and digital pre-saves, for both Bound For Hell: On The Sunset Strip box set (2LPs and the accompanying book), as well as the Sheer Savage edition featuring a CD wallet with 12-panel, double-sided poster, without the book, and the streaming edition are available now, here. The Numero Group website will have an exclusive Poser Proof Die Hard color vinyl edition of the LP-based set, limited to 500 copies, which will include a bonus cassette featuring five additional tracks from Black ‘N Blue, Lisa Baker, Stormer, Odin and Leather Angel.





Bound For Hell: On The Sunset Strip tracklisting:


Side A


Stormer - "Going To The City" *
L.A. Rocks - "Cocaine"
Max Havoc - "Bound For Hell"
Jaded Lady - "Rock N Roll Ain’t Pretty" *
Steeler - "Ready To Explode"
Lizzy Borden - "No Time To Lose"


Side B


SIN - "On The Run" *
Black ‘N Blue - "Give Em The Old 1, 2, 3" *
Bitch - "Damnation Alley"
Romeo - "Feelin To Rock"
V.V.S.I. - "Savage Kind of Girl" *


Side C


Hellion - "Up From The Depths"
Angeles - "Blade Of Steel"
Knightmare II - "Cold Reception"
Witch - "Cinderella (In Black Leather)"
Reddi Killowatt - "Liquid Lady"


Side D


Armored Saint - "Lesson Well Learned"
Leather Angel - "We Came To Kill"
Rough Cutt - "Take It Or Leave It" *
Lisa Baker - "Fool Of Lies"
Odin - "Judgement Day"


Bonus Cassette:


Black ‘N Blue - "Rules Were Made To Be Broken" *
Lisa Baker - "Every Girl’s Got A Fantasy"
Stormer - "Driving" *
Odin - "Midnight Flight"
Leather Angel - "Need Your Love"


* previously unreleased

OTEP, the band led by singer, poet, illustrator, author and activist Otep Shamaya, is putting the finishing touches on its ninth album for a tentative early 2023 release. In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Otep stated about the upcoming effort (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've just finished mixing, and we're about to go into mastering. And then it's really up to the label to decide when they're gonna release it, what they're gonna release, which single they're gonna release. I have some say as to, you know, what I recommend, but ultimately it lies on them. So I'm hoping for… I always want a Christmas release; labels always fight me on that. But I always think that's when people have money."

She continued: "Most of my fans are working-class people, and I grew up poverty class, working class. I never forgot my roots, and I always try to think about that. So hopefully I'm gonna try again pushing for if not a late 2022 release, then maybe something early next year. … We're definitely pushing for that — me and the producer of the record, who I worked with him on 'Generation Doom', which was my seventh record, I believe."

Regarding the songwriting process for OTEP's new album, Shamaya said: "This record actually was written with a couple of different songwriters, which I was really excited to work with. 'Kult 45' was my last album, which is four years old now. It's insane to believe that it's been four years, but it has. When I went back in the studio, the band had sort of dispersed at that point — everybody was trying to make a living and trying to find other jobs — and so I just went to the producer and we sat down and we found some really, really talented, creative people. And even though I've been doing this for a long time and have accomplished a lot — at least I think I have — I really work best with mentors. I like people that are, I feel, creatively better than I am so that I can have this sort of spiritual intercourse between all of us where we're sort of sharing ideas and I'm inspiring them and they're inspiring me."

OTEP will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band's 2002 debut studio album, "Sevas Tra", will a special concert on September 15 at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, California. It will mark OTEP's first live performance in over three years.

Throughout the span of her career, Shamaya has been an undeniable force in bringing awareness via various acclaimed mediums to social and political injustices felt by various communities and subcultures. For years, publications such as Revolver magazine have lauded Shamaya for "following in the footsteps of outspoken musicians from folk singer Woody Guthrie to RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Zach de la Rocha, dubbing her "one of music's catalysts for social change".

OTEP's latest album, the aforementioned "Kult 45", was released in 2018. The LP was recorded at The Lair in Los Angeles, completely utilizing the same equipment used for OTEP's first album, "Sevas Tra" (down to Shamaya's vocal microphone, a SHURE Beta 58),in order to create a sound reminiscent of their roots. "Kult 45" was produced by the band, with assistant engineering from Larry Goetz, Nicolas Schilke and Lizzy Ostro.

British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST have parted ways with Finnish drummer Waltteri Väyrynen and have replaced him with Guido Montanarini (STRIGOI).

Waltteri has released the following statement regarding his decision to exit PARADISE LOST: "Dear fans and friends, I'm sad to announce that I'm leaving my position as the drummer of PARADISE LOST. It's been an incredible journey and I'm insanely proud to have been a part of this legendary band's history, playing hundreds of shows across the globe and recording the last two studio albums.

"It needs to be emphasized that my decision involves absolutely no bad blood or drama whatsoever and I will forever consider the guys in the band my friends and I'm gonna miss them all dearly.

"I'd like to express my gratitude to Nick, Greg, Steve, Aaron, the management and the crew for everything and making me feel like home for the past 7 and a half years. Last but not least; thanks to all the fans around the world for your support over the years, it means everything to me!

"I wish the band all the best in their future endeavours and I'm looking forward to hearing which direction they are heading next. As for myself, I guess you'll hear from me soon so this is not a goodbye.

"Cheers everyone!"

PARADISE LOST will kick off a European headlining tour on October 5 in Utrecht, Netherlands. The trek will conclude on November 13 in Lublin, Poland.

PARADISE LOST's latest album, "Obsidian", was released in May 2020 via Nuclear Blast.

In a 2017 interview with The Rockpit, PARADISE LOST guitarist Greg Mackintosh stated about the band's drummer changes: "Yeah, it's like a classic SPINAL TAP. The four of us are together the whole time, and if we haven't lost the first drummer, he would probably still be in the band, and then we just keep changing drummers. But it's all for natural reasons. It's all over a long period of time; it's not overnight."

He explained: "The first drummer left because the gigs were getting bigger and he wasn't handling the pressure too well. And the second drummer left because he went insane and turned to God. And then the next drummer left because he didn't have a family when he joined the band then he had loads of kids all close together and needed to go and be a family man."

Greg added: "It's all very natural reasons; none of it is contemptuous or anything like that or anything clandestine. It's just life gets in the way. You get to a certain age and you're a touring band, it's hard for people to just switch off life while on tour."

Photo credit: Anne C. Swallow
- ANNOUNCEMENT - Our drummer Waltteri has parted ways with Paradise Lost and we wish him all the best for the future 🤘

We welcome Guido Montanarini from Strigoi who will be taking up the drum stool for our upcoming European tour.

Waltteri has this message for our fans: pic.twitter.com/D0xB0eGW1g

— Paradise Lost (@OfficialPL) September 7, 2022

Swedish melodic death metallers AMON AMARTH played a surprise set at this year's Wacken Open Air festival on August 4 in Wacken, Germany. An official video recap of the performance is available below.

In a recent interview with Ireland's Overdrive, AMON AMARTH guitarist Olavi Makkonen spoke about the surprise set, saying: "We knew about it for about six months. And you know what? It was kept as a pretty solid secret for the best part of five and a half months or so. Which is not bad, considering how many people are involved in events like that."

According to Makkonen, the stripped-down performance was "more stressful" than a regular AMON AMARTH show because "there is a lot of pyro and lights that hides me [at a proper AMON AMARTH gig] if I want to be hidden for a while. But this was just us and the instruments and it was an intense feeling that so many eyes were on us in the sunlight."

He continued: "The original plan was that we wanted to play the smallest stage they had but there was a lot of concern for the safety of people, so it was decided that would put a small stage in the middle of the main two stages in the arena. It was a really awesome experience and we all had such a good time. We really didn't know how people were going to react but now looking back… it was incredible."

A few days before AMON AMARTH's appearance at Wacken Open Air, the Swedish death metallers teased the show as an appearance from a band called GUARDIANS OF ASGAARD, which, they said, would make "a brief appearance at Wacken on Thursday to play some of your favorite AMON AMARTH hits."

Wacken Open Air takes place annually in the village of Wacken, which has a population of just about 2,000.

Up to 85,000 people attend the event, which is 32 years old.

200 bands performed at this year's Wacken Open Air, including headliners SLIPKNOT, POWERWOLF and JUDAS PRIEST.

Wacken Open Air was forced to take a break for two years due to coronavirus restrictions.

AMON AMARTH has just released its twelfth studio album, "The Great Heathen Army", via Metal Blade Records. The LP was recorded with acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap, who previously worked with the band on 2013's "Deceiver Of The Gods" and 2016's "Jomsviking" albums.

AMON AMARTH will team up with MACHINE HEAD for the "Vikings And Lionhearts" co-headlining European arena tour in September and October. A North American tour with CARCASS, OBITUARY and CATTLE DECAPITATION will follow in November and December.

AMON AMARTH stands tall and unassailable: 30 years into a career that has seen them evolve from humble origins in the dark, dank rehearsal rooms of their native Tumba to their current status as explosive festival headliners and one of the metal world's most widely adored bands.

Formed in 1992, AMON AMARTH became modern metal greats the hard way. Ruthlessly dedicated to creating new music and taking it out on the road, the Swedes steadily built a formidable reputation as a ferocious live band and, as the years passed, were increasingly recognized for their recorded achievements too. Since the dawn of the millennium, AMON AMARTH has been unstoppable.

Breakthrough releases like 2006's "With Oden On Our Side" and its now-legendary follow-up, 2008's "Twilight Of The Thunder God" further cemented their popularity throughout the metal world, while the band's stage show evolved with each successive tour, transforming into one of modern metal's truly great spectacles. "Berserker" brought with it an epic, history-making trek across North America with fellow Swedes ARCH ENEMY, AT THE GATES and GRAND MAGUS and saw multiple sell-outs.
Heathens! Thank you for joining us today on the glorious battle ground of @Wacken for a surprise set. Until next time! - Amon Amarth (Guardians of Asgaard) ⚔️🛡 pic.twitter.com/paLw4dC1ib

— Amon Amarth (@AmonAmarthBand) August 5, 2022


Our raid on Wacken Open Air was a success! Thank you for helping us celebrate the release of ‘The Great Heathen Army’. Stream our latest album now at https://t.co/cVsJAelZMv ⚔️🛡 pic.twitter.com/vraeQr8lyg

— Amon Amarth (@AmonAmarthBand) August 5, 2022

The new BLACK STAR RIDERS album, titled "Wrong Side Of Paradise", will be released on Friday, January 20, 2023 via Earache Records. The LP's latest single, "Pay Dirt", can be streamed below.

BLACK STAR RIDERS frontman Ricky Warwick states: "We are overjoyed to be able to give you another track from our upcoming album 'Wrong Side Of Paradise'. 'Pay Dirt' is available for your listening pleasure on your favorite streaming service now. Christian Martucci and the late Todd Youth wrote the music for this. And when I heard it, it stank with defiance and attitude. It didn't need changing, just some words to echo the power of the chords. It's an ode to rock 'n' roll... but also a dig at those that don't learn their art and don't play from the heart!! Rock 'n' roll is my lover, friend, enemy, ally, religion and savior. Rock 'n' roll is my life. We hope you love it."

"Wrong Side Of Paradise", featuring 11 tracks, was recorded in the fall of 2021 at Studio 606 in Northridge, California and Toochtoon Sound in Redmond, Oregon with producer and longtime BLACK STAR RIDERS associate Jay Ruston.

Plenty of formats are available for pre-order, including limited colored vinyl (green, blue, red and black/white split),black vinyl, signed CD, cassette and digital download. A special edition of the album containing two bonus tracks can be found on CD (which comes with a 24-page booklet) and USB stick formats. Various collector bundles are also available.

The official music video for the LP's first single, "Better Than Saturday Night", featuring backing vocals from DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott, can be seen below.

Warwick previously said about "Better Than Saturday Night": "'Better Than Saturday Night' is a feel-good, uplifting tune about staying strong in the face of adversity, being true to yourself, and the power of positivity. I wrote it for my kids, but subliminally I think I also wrote it for myself and everyone for those days when we need to find a little bit of extra strength. We wanted to reflect the positivity, power, attitude and strength to endure sentiment in the lyrics of the song. And no better way to do that than BLACK STAR RIDERS rockin' out with the Los Angeles Roller Derby Dolls."

About the album, Ricky added: "I am very proud of this record, BLACK STAR RIDERS' fifth release and the first with our new and exciting relationship with Earache Records. As with all BSR albums, 'Wrong Side Of Paradise' is an anthemic statement of intent, driven by ferocious guitars and thundering drums. I can only write about my own personal experiences, my families, my friends and how I see a world that is unraveling and changing faster than we can comprehend. That being said, I'm a firm believer in the power of positivity, something that echoes throughout this album."

"Wrong Side Of Paradise" track listing:

01. Wrong Side Of Paradise
02. Hustle
03. Better Than Saturday Night
04. Riding Out The Storm
05. Pay Dirt
06. Catch Yourself On
07. Crazy Horses
08. Burning Rome
09. Don't Let The World
10. Green And Troubled Land
11. This Life Will Be The Death Of Me

In addition to releasing the new record, BLACK STAR RIDERS have some special plans to celebrate their 10th anniversary next year.

"Can you believe 2023 is 10 years of BLACK STAR RIDERS?" Warwick said. "How time flies while you are having fun! We decided to do something special to commemorate this occasion. For the U.K. tour only, to coincide with the album's release, we will be bringing back the legendary Scott Gorham (guitar) and Jimmy DeGrasso (drums) for the dates to make them extra special!"

“As we all know, the worldwide pandemic has changed so many things in all our lives, and when we brought Christian Martucci into the fold in 2018, we had planned to work the BSR cycle in rotation with Christian's Corey Taylor / STONE SOUR gig so he could do both. The two-year break in live music has unfortunately put paid to this plan and Christian has had to leave BLACK STAR RIDERS to concentrate on his work with Corey. We wish him all the best and he will forever remain part of the BSR family."

BLACK STAR RIDERS start their U.K. tour in Nottingham on February 13, 2023 in a tour package that includes very special guests Michael Monroe and PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS.

DIAMOND HEAD influenced a slew of early '80s thrash metal bands, in particular METALLICA, which recorded "Am I Evil?" as a B-side to their 1984 "Creeping Death" single and again included on the band's multi-platinum 1998 covers album "Garage Inc." METALLICA would record three additional DIAMOND HEAD songs: "Helpless" ("Garage Days", 1987),"The Prince" ("One" single B-side, 1989) and "It's Electric" ("Garage Inc.", 1998).

In a new interview with Metal Pilgrim, DIAMOND HEAD guitarist Brian Tatler was asked if he thinks his band would not have been able to continue as a viable business entity had METALLICA covered any of his songs. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think if METALLICA hadn't covered DIAMOND HEAD — the first cover was '84 when they did 'Am I Evil?' on the B-side of 'Creeping Death' — so I think if they hadn't, I may have looked elsewhere for employment. I think it would have been harder to keep DIAMOND HEAD going without that introduction to their fanbase. 'Cause that record sold millions of copies — versions of 'Am I Evil?' have sold millions of copies through METALLICA — and so so many more people know DIAMOND HEAD thanks to Lars [Ulrich] and Co. And it may be that a lot of the opportunities that we get now would not be there without that METALLICA connection. So I'm eternally grateful. Obviously, myself and Sean [Harris, original DIAMOND HEAD singer] still get writers' royalties, but even so, I just think it's helped DIAMOND HEAD as a name and a brand to get on more and more opportunities — get festivals and supports. Because they link it with METALLICA; they think, 'Okay, well, you're potentially tapping into a huge market.'"

Two years ago, Tatler said during an episode of "Tatler's Tales" about METALLICA's cover versions of his band's classic songs: "They're great. They're always more powerful and a little faster than the DIAMOND HEAD versions. I mean, they're a great band. They [have] their own sound. Of course, it was very flattering. The first song they covered was 'Am I Evil' They were the first band that ever covered a DIAMOND HEAD song. And it came out in 1984; it was on the 'Creeping Death' 12-inch single, which was on Music For Nations. And I was just really flattered that 'Lars's band' had covered one of our songs and done such a respectful job and worked out the guitar solo. Everything was really good — really close to our version, but a bit more modern, a bit tougher, [with] more attitude."

He added: "More power to them. Fantastic. It's done the band a huge favor."

According to Brian, the royalties that he receives from the DIAMOND HEAD back catalog, including the METALLICA recordings of his songs, are enough for him to live on. "It's my biggest source of income," he revealed in a 2019 interview. "It's great and I don't know what I would do without it. It gives me the freedom to do what I like. I'm very grateful."

A reimagined and re-recorded version of DIAMOND HEAD's "Lightning To The Nations" album was released in 2020 via Silver Lining Music. "Lightning To The Nations 2020" included four cover tracks, including METALLICA's "No Remorse".

"I wanted to cover a song from METALLICA's debut album, 'Kill 'Em All'," Tatler explained, "partly because METALLICA covered songs from DIAMOND HEAD's debut album 'Lightning To The Nations' and it felt like things have come full circle to me. None of the band members knew how to play any of the songs from 'Kill 'Em All', and I eventually decided we should all learn 'No Remorse'. Then when we got into the rehearsal room, we played 'No Remorse' and immediately it just sounded great; it was very 'DIAMOND HEAD' and it really suited us as a band. Of the four covers we ended up doing, 'No Remorse' sounded the best straight away. I've seen METALLICA live over twenty times and they don't play 'No Remorse' very often, but it's always great when they do!"

DIAMOND HEAD's latest collection of all-new material, "The Coffin Train", was released in May 2019 via Silver Lining Music. The album was recorded at Vigo Studios in Walsall, Circle Studios in Birmingham and Raw Sound Studio in London.

HELLOWEEN frontman Andi Deris spoke to Ecuador's Telón De Acero radio about how he and his bandmates have managed to pull off the seemingly impossible by uniting returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen with Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I may say [Michael and Kai] are friends now. I didn't know them, actually [before we got together to discuss their return to HELLOWEEN]. [Laughs] In the beginning, it was… To be honest, I did not know what to expect. I didn't know Kai, I didn't know Michael, and we just sat around the big round table and everybody was sniffing at each other's ass, like dogs. But, hey, we liked each other. So we just were scared that this is something like in the beginning you feel it's a cool guy and after you work with him, you think it's an asshole, or something like that. So you never know. So with the time, we learned to very much respect each other and like each other. And I can say with Michael Kiske, I found a definitely long-, long-, long-missed friend for my life. And we just are both a bit angry that we didn't get to know each other way earlier, because two singers who tick in the same rhythm could have been quite a great thing in my life the last 20 years. So I'm happy to have him now. And I may say that because you guys, you all know I'm not gay. [Laughs]"

Deris elaborated on the interpersonal chemistry between all the members of the reunited expanded classic lineup of the German power metal band. He said: "There are seven pumpkins, and each and every pumpkin is a character. And each and every day is different. Because we are so, I think, super-crazy characters that each and every day there's another story going on. So it's something you may be thrilled about and you wait what's happening next; you never know in this band. But because I think everybody at least likes each other and respects each other, I think this is something that you… When we're not making music anymore, you'll probably looking back into that time and say this was the greatest time of my life, because it was thrilling and every day something different was going on.

"One month touring with HELLOWEEN is like a year [laughs] — so many things happen and so many talks we have," Andi added. "So, yeah, it's super great being together with the guys because of that. It's no boring thing going on. I mean, look at Markus [Grosskopf] — Markus is a party animal, our bass player. There's not one day you're not laughing your ass off because he's so crazy. Then you've got our drug lord Kai. He's always in for a surprise. And you go, like, 'Oh my God.' Or you go, like, 'Woo hoo hoo,' or whatever. There's a lot of crazy people in the band. I just wonder that it works. [Laughs]"

Upon its release in June 2021, HELLOWEEN's latest, self-titled album landed in the Top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Germany, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. The cover artwork for the LP was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, "Helloween" was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

"Helloween" saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analogue and Daniel Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

Earlier this year, Deris told the "Metal Command" podcast that he "strongly" hoped the reunited expanded classic lineup of HELLOWEEN would eventually make another album to follow up "Helloween". "I mean, as long as the vibe is great, chemistry is great and everybody's having fun with each other, it would be a crime not to do so and not to plan for a future together," he said.

"'Pumpkins United' is not only the name for the last tour, I think that's something like a brand," he continued. "HELLOWEEN 'Pumpkins United', that's something like a band — a new or something like [that] growing from the old band."

During an appearance on the "My Planet Rocks" show on Planet Rock, Gene Simmons spoke about how he plans to stay busy once KISS has completed its "End Of The Road" farewell tour. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I have the GENE SIMMONS BAND which has played all over the place when KISS wasn't touring and been lucky enough to headline festivals and all kinds of stuff. And we just fool around — there's no production or nothing. We get up there and invite people from the audience to jump up and just have a great time. But we also have a restaurant chain, Rock & Brews; they're all over America. And now we have three Rock & Brews casinos, and more to come, that are opening up. … I have my Gene Simmons MoneyBag sodas which are in stores across America. An awful lot of stuff. Now, that doesn't mean that I've had as much fun doing that. There's nothing that compares to being in KISS. But there's nothing that compares to you being — I don't know — 13 or 14 and getting your first kiss. Your heart pumps like it's never pumped before. It's just, like, [feigns shortness of breath]. You can't even catch your breath."

Simmons previously touched upon his post-KISS plans in a May 2022 interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie. He said: "The reason for stopping touring is because of pride and self-respect and a love and admiration for the fans. The last thing you wanna be is to be a world-champion boxer and stay in the ring too long. It's only a matter of time until your legs are not gonna be able to hold you up, and you're gonna lose. We've also seen boxers who've stayed in the ring too long and bands who continue touring too long. And they forget lyrics and you can see the deep wrinkles in their faces. I mean, it's just the nature of life as we know it on earth. So we're doing the right thing. We're gonna quit while we're on top, do the best we can, and it'll be sad, but it's also gonna be happy. On the last show we ever do as a touring band, I'll be crying like a 12-year-old kid whose foot you're stepping on. On the other hand, it's gonna be happy because it's the next chapter. Same thing will happen to you, if you're lucky to have a mom and dad, you live under their roof and you have food and safety, at some point you've gotta go out on your own and start the next chapter. So it's gonna be a different kind of a thing. It won't be as exciting as touring and putting on more makeup and higher heels than you ever wore, but life continues."

Earlier that same month, Gene told SPIN that there is no shortage of things to keep him occupied after KISS has called it quites. "Well, we have [the rock-inspired restaurant] Rock & Brews, which is becoming more successful — and quite a few other businesses, which has no relation to sticking my tongue out," he said. "And at some point, after the band stops touring, I may go out with the GENE SIMMONS BAND. Did about 50 shows. It's a lot of fun, a totally different experience. It's like being in the RAMONES or U2 or something. You put on sneakers and a t-shirt, and that's all the work. So your heart doesn't have to go 'boom, boom, boom, boom,' like it's going to thump out of your chest, like at KISS shows. If you are a blues artist, you can do that until you're in your mid-80s, the way B.B. King did at 88. Are you kidding me? Me walking around on stage with dragon boots and all that, even past 75, I can't imagine it. The physical wear and tear, your heart just is not going to be able to take it. I defy these guys half my age to get into my outfit, see how long you'll last on stage."

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last through early 2023.

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

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (guitar),KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

In its 49-year career, KISS has accumulated 23 gold and platinum albums — more than any other U.S. band.

PAPA ROACH's Jerry Horton has revealed to Premier Guitar that METALLICA's "…And Justice For All" was the song that got him into playing guitar. He recalled (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I remember I was in Indiana — in a small town in Indiana — visiting my grandparents. And I had an acoustic guitar and I had just picked it up. And I was into METALLICA. Everyone around me was more into, like, AC/DC and more classic rock. But METALLICA was new for me at [the] '…And Justice For All' [album]. And I was just learning. And I had my acoustic guitar. And that riff was simple enough in the beginning — the intro riff — and sound enough like an acoustic that I worked on trying to figure it out. And I remember that 'aha' moment. I was at the park down the street and started playing it and then along with it; I had my Walkman. And even with the acoustic, just still riffing the loud parts, I was just feeling like I could be up on that stage and rocking out like that. I'll never forget it. It was a blast. And it really just set me on that path to really try and figure out as many of the songs that I loved and try to do my own thing."

Horton previously discussed METALLICA's influence on his playing in an interview last month with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire". At the time, he said about METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield: "It's crazy how powerful his hands are. We did a festival with [METALLICA] in 2014. We were lucky enough to be on the side of the stage kind of hovering above it. And even though we were behind the P.A., you could hear his guitar over almost everything else. And I know that it's not a mix thing because that's not how mixers work. But it's so powerful that it just cuts through everything. And his writing abilities are just insane."

Two months ago, PAPA ROACH and FALLING IN REVERSE kicked off a co-headlining U.S. tour. Dubbed the "Rockzilla Summer Tour", the bill also included HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and BAD WOLVES. The trek launched on July 27 in East Providence, Rhode Island, with dates booked in 24 cities across the U.S. before a final show on August 31 in Nashville, Tennessee.

After two years of work and nearly 10 months of building up excitement with fans, PAPA ROACH recently celebrated the release of its 11th studio album, "Ego Trip". An album that sprouted almost by mistake in the throes of a global lockdown, its seeds were planted when the quartet entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temecula, California, in the summer of 2020.

"Ego Trip" came out in April via New Noize Records in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm).

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest".

PAPA ROACH is completed by bassist Tobin Esperance, singer Jacoby Shaddix and drummer Tony Palermo.

"Ego Trip" is the follow-up to "Who Do You Trust?", which came out in January 2019.

Cathartic black metal titans, Gaerea, will release their new album, Mirage, on September 23 via Season Of Mist. Pre-order the album here, and watch a guitar playthrough video for the single, "Mirage", below:





Behind black shrouds of obscurity and desolation, the men of Gaerea deliver their odes in cascading maelstroms of aggression and beauty with full-length number three, Mirage.




Emerging from the age of pandemic to whatever awaits humanity next, the Portuguese horde remains on the frontlines of the next generation of extreme metal. The beauty of Gaerea lies in the directness and simplicity found within their florid tapestry of extremity and aggression.
With talons dipped in the inky blood of black metal and scraped across the flesh of human suffering, Gaerea is leading a charge into the future of darkness, and all those who find beauty and power in the dark side of existence would do well to take heed.


Cover by Saros Collective.





Tracklisting:


"Memoir"
"Salve"
"Deluge"
"Arson"
"Ebb"
"Mirage"
"Mantle"
"Laude"
"Dormant" (Deluxe media book bonus track)


"Mirage" video:





"Mantle" video:





"Salve" video:

During an appearance on the latest episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation L.A. Invasion", MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine spoke about the fact that the band's lead guitarist Kiko Loureiro received songwriting credit on eight of the 12 tracks that are featured on MEGADETH's new album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

"I think a lot of that had to do with my being willing to open up my songwriting process to allow another player to get inside that circle," Mustaine as (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "There's my songwriting process and then there's his and then what we do together. And sometimes I don't want anybody coming into my songwriting process and changing a riff.

"I came in on the record that [producer] Johnny K did — it was before 'Dystopia'; I think it was 'Super Collider' — I came in one morning and Johnny K was in there [working on] a song named 'Kingmaker'," Mustaine continued. "'Kingmaker' was done and I came in there, and I heard [then-MEGADETH bassist David] Ellefson and Johnny K in there recording a part at the beginning of the song. And it was nothing to do with the song; it had nothing… the riff wasn't in the record anywhere. And I came in and I said, 'What are you two doing?' [Makes sound of someone struggling to come up with the right words] You know, trying to explain, 'I'm gonna fucking poach your song and I'm going to put one of my riffs in front of the song.' And it was so pathetic. I just felt so sorry for the two of them. I just said, 'Go ahead. Leave it in there.' But if you listen to 'Kingmaker' tonight when you go home, you're gonna hear the beginning of the song, there's a really dumbass part in there. And that's it."

In a recent interview with the "Mike Nelson Show", Ellefson said that he "started sending ideas over" to Mustaine for "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" during the early stages of the songwriting process for the LP but that Dave was "very resistant to 'em; he didn't wanna use 'em. So I was, like, 'Okay. That's fine. Whatever,'" Ellefson said.

David went on to say that the making of "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was "a bit of a journey. We finally had some collaboration on it, and I was okay with it either way. My mindset was, 'You know what? Just show up and play bass. Be that guy. That seemed to have worked, and just do that.' But there always seemed to kind of be rubs over that kind of stuff. So then I was, like, 'Look, I make other records. I have other creative outlets and things that I do.' So I was okay with that. If I didn't participate on a MEGADETH record, it was okay; I could do other things. And that was kind of how I found my peace with it."

Last month, Mustaine told the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast that "there is no set formula" for the songwriting process in MEGADETH. "It depends," he said. "With Kiko and Dirk [Verbeuren, drums] writing music for MEGADETH now, it's been a breath of fresh air to have songwriting approaches from other bandmembers now that is similar to MEGADETH music instead of getting music that wasn't MEGADETH music and having to try and make that work, and it doesn't."

Ellefson, who has lived in Scottsdale, Arizona since 1994, was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist 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 July 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.

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will be released on September 2 via UMe. Just months after TESTAMENT bassist Steve DiGiorgio recorded his parts for the effort, former MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo rejoined the band in time for the summer 2021 leg of "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 Ellefson, who was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest departure.

After THE CULT recorded 2001's "Beyond Good And Evil" album, the band broke up and singer Ian Astbury performed with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger in THE DOORS OF THE 21ST CENTURY, which was later renamed RIDERS ON THE STORM. Ian reflected on the experience in a recent interview with Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, New York's classic rock station. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did a hundred and fifty shows with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger. It was an honor, a privilege. It was a 12-year courtship — the audition was 12 years. I did a hundred and fifty shows with those guys, and I learned so much from them. They were my teachers, my benefactors, my mentors. I love them dearly. God bless you, Ray. It was a profound experience to do that. I mean, I did as many shows as [original THE DOORS singer Jim] Morrison.

"The beauty of that was it was very much Ray and Robby, at that moment… [People] said, 'Why now? Why are you doing this now?' And they said, 'Well, if not now, then when? When can we play our music again.' And initially [original THE DOORS drummer] John Densmorewas involved. But it descended into fraternal spats — very painful — a familial thing that had to be sorted out and sadly was done in public. I got dragged into court. It was a whole to-do. I was even speaking with Andy Morrison, [Jim's] brother, and he said, 'Thank you so much for representing my brother's music.' Which was profound, to have that. And meeting people like Michael McClure, who was a mentor for Morrison. And people were giving us their blessing.

"I had to learn 40 songs in six weeks. By show 30, it was integrated; I mean, it really was integrated. We had Phil Chen on bass. We had Ty Dennis on drums, who played with Robby. And of course Ray and Robby. But it was an integrated thing. And we were playing soccer stadiums in Buenos Aires which were being burnt down — 60 thousand people jumping up and down. They broke the foundations of the stadium. Or playing in Athens where young people were weeping in front of Ray and Robby and reaching out to them, these old gods, with such emotion. And the emotion around THE DOORS and the youth that were coming and the energy and the community? That was intoxicating. It meant so much to people. And it's done — you'll never see it again.

"I stood at Jim's grave with Ray and Robby," Ian continued. "And I went to walk away and they grabbed me and said, 'No, you stand here with us. You belong here with us.' That was one of the most profound, powerful moments. For me, it was so moving. And Robby was very upset, and Ray was very upset. And it was incredibly intimate.

"There was a lot of DOORS fans who were skeptical about me doing it," Astbury admitted. "And they chose me for a reason, 'cause I was a certain archetype. Ray said, 'You're the archetype. You're Afro-pagan, Celtic, shamanic Buddhist — you have all of that.' Ray saw that. They knew that I was cut. 'Cause there was other individuals considered but Ray didn't feel that they had the layers of character or experience. 'Cause I had been in Tibet. I had traveled. I had played in South Africa. I'd traveled worldly and they needed a mature, integrated individual to do it. And also, forget the fact that Morrison and I had the same haircut. It really was about delivering his performance. So that was blessing. A baritone — Morrison was a baritone."

Last November, Krieger was asked in an interview with Tigman of the WPDH radio station in Poughkeepsie, New York if there is a chance he might work with Astbury again. He said: "I'd like to. I've actually recorded some stuff with him, and we haven't put it out yet, but we're thinking about it.

"[Ian] was really great to work with — except every night, we're at the show, we're ready to go on, and there's Ian ironing his clothes before the show," Robby added. "He was late every show. 'Wait, I have to iron my shirt.'"

In a 2016 interview with Newsweek, Astbury stated about his collaboration with THE DOORS: "Working with them was huge. Ray Manzarek is grounded in classically trained piano and jazz. With them, you see the influence of jazz and space. They weren't really working for a radio format [in THE DOORS]. A lot of artists coming up write the work for the format available. They were free to express themselves on a much broader canvas, and space is very important for that. I think when you create space, you create more dynamics, more awareness."

Three years ago, THE DOORS drummer John Densmore told Daily Camera that balked at Krieger and Manzarek touring with Astbury and THE POLICE drummer Stewart Copeland as THE DOORS OF THE 21ST CENTURY and using late DOORS singer Jim Morrison's image to promote shows.

"That's when," Densmore said, "I made the very difficult decision to sue my bandmates for running off with the name. My premise was, THE DOORS without Jim is ludicrous, just as ludicrous as THE POLICE without Sting, THE [ROLLING] STONES without Mick [Jagger]."

The court eventually sided with Densmore, and Manzarek and Krieger adopted the name D21C.

Densmore's case against his fellow surviving members of THE DOORS — and their $40-million counter-suit against him — was the basis of Densmore's 2013 book "The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison's Legacy Goes On Trial".

Last October, Krieger published his memoir, "Set The Night On Fire: Living, Dying, And Playing Guitar With The Doors". It followed two previous tomes from Densmore (1991's "Riders On The Storm" and the aforementioned "The Doors Unhinged") and another by Manzarek (1998's "Light My Fire").

Manzarek died in 2013 of cancer of the bile duct. Densmore later revealed that he and the iconic keyboard player had a chance to reconcile before his death. Since Manzarek's passing, Densmore and Krieger have also reconciled, and they've even performed together.

"A Cut Inside", the new single from THE CULT, can be streamed below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Under The Midnight Sun", which will arrive on October 7 via Black Hill Records. The LP was produced by Tom Dalgety (PIXIES, GHOST, ROYAL BLOOD).

"Under The Midnight Sun" track listing:

01. Mirror
02. A Cut Inside
03. Vendetta X
04. Give Me Mercy
05. Outer Heaven
06. Knife Through Butterfly Heart
07. Impermanence
08. Under The Midnight Sun

This past July, THE CULT released the Juan Azulay-directed music video for the first single, "Give Me Mercy", which can be seen below.

When the sun just wouldn't leave the sky one evening in Finland, THE CULT singer Ian Astbury took notice. Walking the grounds of the Provinssirock festival, Astbury found himself revelling in the surreal, almost occult moment that comes with the "midnight sun," the summer stretch where the sun doesn't go down north of the Arctic Circle.

"It's three in the morning, the sun's up, and there's all these beautiful people in this halcyon moment," Astbury remembered. "People are laying on the grass, making out, drinking, smoking. There were rows of flowers at the front of the stage from the performances earlier that evening. It was an incredible moment." While reviewing archival footage of the performance, Astbury found new mysticism in that moment and imbued it into the forthcoming "Under The Midnight Sun".

Leading to 2020, THE CULT had been on a rolling cycle of releasing albums, touring, and recording. As the world shut down, everyone was forced to reprioritize the way they approached life and work.

"When the world stopped, I had this moment to write in real time, to calculate," said Astbury. When lockdown lifted and the group could meet to record, they teamed up with Dalgety. "I was compelled by this vision, this anomaly, this memory, of being under the midnight sun. Tom helped us bring a new musical shape and frequency to our process."

Lyrically, "Under The Midnight Sun" bolsters that new musical dexterity by building out from the idyllic and surreal vision at its title. Throughout, Astbury pulls in influences from Brian Jones, Brion Gysin, William Burroughs, Buddhism, the Beats, and the Age of Aquarius, all shaded with the lingering threat of the present and the timeless CULT color palette.

As THE CULT is now returning to performing live and sharing "Under The Midnight Sun", Astbury hopes that the record connects to something deep within and subconscious in their listeners — something Astbury found within himself when given the moment to look for it.

"At the core of it all, music contains the vibrational frequency of how we once communicated before we could even speak," he said. "Bird songs, animal calls, string theory, quantum physics, psychedelics. The record ultimately is about finding and uniting beauty in those strangely natural moments."

Astbury praised Dalgety's contributions to "Under The Midnight Sun" in a recent interview with Dayton Daily News, saying: "There are very few guys doing guitar-based music in the U.K. There are a lot of great digital producers, electronic producers, hip-hop producers and pop producers, but when it comes to guitars and vocals, it's a very particular animal. You really have to be in the room. You really have to be present. Sometimes you become a member of the band. Tom Dalgety immersed himself into the infrastructure and ecosystem of the band. He became like another member. He did some dope work on this record."

Astbury added that having a break from touring during the coronavirus pandemic gave the members of THE CULT more time to work on the material with Dalgety.

"We got the opportunity to really let songs be fully realized," Astbury said. "Usually, pre-pandemic, you're on a cycle of tour, record, tour, record, tour, record, but with this album, we had a lot more time for introspection. A lot went into this record. I believe the subject matter and the sound of it will resonate with people. True to form, we're not repeating ourselves. There will be some familiar stuff, but it's not like people will be able to access it very quickly. It's very strong on content. There are strong guitars. It's quite visceral, very emotional, because it's channeling the moment. I guess it's our take on that."

Image courtesy of Very Live Music

PUDDLE OF MUDD has released the official music video for the song "My Kind Of Crazy". The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Welcome To Galvania", which came out in 2019 via Pavement Entertainment. It marked PUDDLE OF MUDD's first full-length collection of new material since "Volume 4: Songs In The Key Of Love And Hate".

This past May, PUDDLE OF MUDD frontman Wes Scantlin told Reno's Rock 104.5 radio station that the follow-up to "Welcome To Galvania" was "basically pretty much done. I've just gotta polish it a little bit up and revise a couple of things," he said. "I did a lot of work with [former PUDDLE OF MUDD bassist] Doug Ardito [and former PUDDLE OF MUDD guitarist] Christian Stone that used to be playing with me and stuff like that. And they had basically saved a bunch of songs that were recorded. And I'm really happy about it. It was a little funky, but I'm glad that it was put into a musical vault. So it takes a lot of weight off my shoulders."

Last November, Scantlinnmade headlines for on onstage meltdown at the EPIC Event Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin where he seemed to barely get the words out to the band's hits, complained that the lighting was blinding him and abruptly ended the show after just a few songs.

Wes had almost non-stop problems with the law, alcohol, finances and other issues, before claiming to have gotten sober in 2017. Scantlin said that he ended up going back to rehab and receiving treatment "because there's really nowhere else to go." He also credited his family and fans for giving him the strength to try to get better.

Scantlin was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in September 2017 after he attempted to board a plane with a BB gun. He pleaded no contest and was banned from LAX unless it involved traveling for work.

Before that, there have been a few tumultuous years for the singer and guitarist. In January of 2016, he was arrested on suspicion of breaking into his former home and vandalizing some of the property.

He skipped two court dates related to the charges later that spring, which led to another arrest.

Prior to that, Scantlin was arrested in December 2015 for possession of a controlled substance and had several previous busts that same year for driving under the influence.

Additionally, he was arrested at a Denver airport in 2015 for taking a joyride on a baggage carousel and taken into custody as far back as 2012 for an altercation with a flight attendant.

He also ended a number of PUDDLE OF MUDD shows in 2016 early with various meltdowns, including one in which he accused a fan of stealing his house

PUDDLE OF MUDD was formed in 1991 in Kansas City by Scantlin, the only original member still with the band. The group into the mainstream with 2001's "Come Clean", which yielded three hits — "Control", "Blurry" and "She Hates Me".

Dave Sherman, bassist of SPIRIT CARAVAN and KING VALLEY and frontman of EARTHRIDE, WRETCHED, WEED IS WEED and GALACTIC CROSS, among others, has died. He was 55 years old. No official cause of death has been revealed, although there are unconfirmed reports that it was a cardiac event.

Sherman's death was confirmed by the SPIRIT CARAVAN Facebook page, which shared a photo of the musician and wrote: "REST IN PEACE DAVE SHERMAN. RIDE THE CARAVAN TO THE SKY!"

Sherman's former SPIRIT CARAVAN and THE OBSESSED bandmate Scott "Wino" Weinrich also weighed in on his passing, writing: "R.I.P DAVE SHERMAN. He was a great person with a big heart. I am grateful for the time we shared and the music we created. We are stunned and saddened beyond belief. He will be sorely missed."

Sherman and Weinrich worked together on SPIRIT CARAVAN's two full-length albums, an EP and other releases.

In a 2016 interview with Outlaws Of The Sun, Sherman stated about being part of the doom metal scene history: "It is an honor to be recognized by my peers, but I have done a lot of work to get this far. the The war is never over and you have to keep battling on. It never becomes boring because there are new songs to be written and new riffs to come up with. It is an endless journey. I don't feel pressure anymore, because, like a fine wine, you only improve with age."

As for what keeps him inspired, Sherman said: "My inspiration for my music comes from living it with my heart and soul. To me, music is the breath of my life."

REST IN PEACE DAVE SHERMAN
RIDE THE CARAVAN TO THE SKY!

Posted by Spirit Caravan Official on Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Swedish bashers Amaranthe performed at the  Alcatraz Metal Festival 2022 in Kortrijk, Belgium on August 13th. Pro-shot video of their full show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Fearless" 
"Viral"
"Digital World"
"Hunger"
"Strong"
"Helix"
"Maximize"
"Amaranthine"
"The Nexus"
"Call Out My Name"
"Archangel"
"Drop Dead Cynical"







In October and November of 2022, Amaranthe will be on tour together with Beyond The Black. Since the tour had to be postponed, both bands can't wait to hit the road again and spend unforgettable nights with their fans all around Europe! Furthermore, both Butcher Babies and Ad Infinitum will join the tour as special guests.


Tour dates:


October
6 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
7 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
8 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - MHP Arena
9 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
11 - Manchester, UK - O2 Ritz
12 - London, UK - Forum Kentish Town
14 - Lyon, France - Ninkasi Kao
15 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra
16 - Madrid, Spain - Mon Live
18 - Bordeaux, France - Rock School Barbey
19 - Paris, France - Elysée Montmartre
21 - Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
22 - Offenbach, Germany - Stadthalle
23 - Zürich, Switzerland - X-Tra*
25 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
26 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Metropole
28 - Geiselwind, Germany - Event Hall
29 - Zlin, Czech Republic MOR Cafe
30 - Budapest, Barba Negra
31 - Munich, Germany - Zenith


November
2 - Warsaw, Polabnd - Progresja
4 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
5 - Hamburg, Germany - Zeltphilharmonie*
6 - Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Ronda<
8 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
9 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
11 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
12 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klubben Fryshuset


The tickets remain valid for the new dates above. For refunds, please contact your ticket seller.


Lineup:


Elize Ryd - vocals
Olof Mörck - guitars, keyboards
Johan Andreassen - bass
Morten Løwe Sørensen - drums
Nils Molin - vocals

Canadian sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD will release a new EP, "Ultraman", on November 4 via Century Media Records. The effort features a highly original tribute to the "Ultraman" TV series theme as well as previously unreleased bonus live cuts, available both as a 12-inch vinyl EP or as a digital EP.

"Ultraman" EP vinyl track listing (running time: 20:21):

Side A (08:45):

01. Ultraman - Opening Theme (Japanese & French [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (01:30)
02. Ultraman - Victory Theme (URUTORAMAN BGM) (00:39)
03. Ultraman - Closing Theme (English [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (00:47)
04. Ultraman - Opening Theme (Japanese [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (01:30)
05. Ultraman - Victory Theme (URUTORAMAN BGM) (00:39)
06. Ultraman - Closing Theme (Japanese [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (00:47)
07. Ultraman - Opening Theme (Instrumental [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (01:30)
08. Ultraman - Victory Theme (URUTORAMAN BGM) (00:39)
09. Ultraman - Closing Theme (Instrumental [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (00:47)

Side B (11:36):

01. Overreaction (Return To Morgöth - Live 2018) (05:26)
02. Voïvod (Return To Morgöth - Live 2018) (06:09)

Ultraman - EP / Digital (14:31) track listing:

01. Ultraman - Opening Theme (Japanese & French [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (01:30)
02. Ultraman - Victory Theme (URUTORAMAN BGM (00:39)
03. Ultraman - Closing Theme (English [URUTORAMANNO UTA]) (00:47)
04. Overreaction (Return To Morgöth - Live 2018) (05:26)
05. Voïvod (Return To Morgöth - Live 2018) (06:09)

VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin states: "As a kid I often dreamed of finding a Beta Capsule, so I could transform into Ultraman, keep the city from being destroyed by a giant fire spitting monster and hopefully save Akiko Fuji in the process. I'm pretty sure many people had the same dream… We sure did in VOÏVOD, and that's why we decided to cover the main and battle TV themes for this EP. The recordings were done during the 'Synchro Anarchy' sessions and Chewy sings the Japanese parts. For the B side, we tracked down the lost encore from the 35th-anniversary show, 'Return To Morgöth - Live 2018'. Enjoy!"

The "Ultraman" EP will be released in perfect timing for VOIVOD's return to European stages as special guests for Swedish progressive metal/rock group OPETH on their "Evolution XXX" tour in November.

VOIVOD's 15th studio album, "Synchro Anarchy" was released in February via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2018's "The Wake" was produced by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio and features cover artwork created by Langevin.

Regarding the release of "Synchro Anarchy", VOIVOD vocalist and lyricist Denis "Snake" Bélanger said: "It is one of a kind, a very unique and distinctive album. It was made with all the passion we have for music under particular conditions. Driven by a nuclear brainstorm between the four of us in a state of emergency. Written, recorded, and delivered, and not necessarily in that order, we managed to do it all in a few months."

Langevin previously stated about "Synchro Anarchy": "The new album represents countless hours of writing, demoing, recording, mixing and so on. The band and Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio gave their very best to make it happen under unusual circumstances, which led us to call it 'Synchro Anarchy'. We feel that the sound and music are 100% VOIVOD, and we hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we had fun making it."

VOIVOD released a new live album, "Lost Machine - Live", in November 2020 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for "The Wake".

In the summer of 2020, VOIVOD released a new three-track 12-inch vinyl and digital EP titled "The End Of Dormancy" via Century Media Records. The EP is centered around a special "Metal Section" version of the title track (off VOIVOD's latest album, "The Wake") with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones. The complementary songs on this release are exclusive live versions of "The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section)" and the group's classic "The Unknown Knows", recorded at Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.

Photo credit: Catherine Deslauriers