Germany's self-styled "porno metal" icons Electric Callboy performed at Summer Breeze 2022 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany on August 18th. Pro-shot livestream footage of the band's entire show can be viewed below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Pump It"
"My Own Summer"
"Hate / Love"
"Wahnsinn"
"The Scene"
"Castrop X Spandau"
"Supernova"
"Mc Thunder || (Dancing like a Ninja)"
"Back in the Bizz"
"Best Day"
"Hypa Hypa"
"Crystals"
"Fuckboy"
"Spaceman"
"MC Thunder"
"We Got The Moves"







Electric Callboy officially will release their brand new studio album, Tekkno, out on September 9 via Century Media Records. This announcement comes after the band hits the Top 40 of the German single charts with their newest single “Spaceman” (#31 single charts).


After the band released their previous album in 2019, it's time again for an energy-charged musical firework. The ten track album includes the previously released fan favorite tracks "We Got The Moves", "Pump It" and Electric Callboy's current single, "Spaceman".


Electric Callboy vocalist and keyboardist, Kevin, states, “It feels so unbelievably good to finally present our new album Tekkno to the world. Created in a time without any live shows we put all our passion, energy and craziness into this one record. Never felt it more intense to write new music. With this announcement we celebrate the liberation from our daily studio routine back to many awesome live shows with you guys! We can’t wait to see you again soon!”





Tekkno will be released on September 9 in several formats such as Ltd. CD Digipak, Deluxe CD Box Set, 180-gram LP+CD incl. poster in various vinyl colors and on all digital platforms. The Deluxe Box Set will come along with the CD Digipak, bottle opener with different sounds, signature card game and 6-piece coaster set.


Tekkno is available to pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Pump It"
"We Got The Moves"
"Fuckboi" (feat. Conquer Divide)
"Spaceman" (feat. Finch)
"Mindreader"
"Arrow Of Love"
"Parasite"
"Tekkno Train"
"Hurrikan"
"Neon"


"Spaceman" video:





Electric Callboy is:


David (drums)
Daniel (bass)
Kevin (vocals, keys)
Nico (vocals)
Daniel (guitar)
Pascal (guitar)

On May 28th, 2021 Nightwish announced Jukka Koskinen (Wintersun, ex-Norther - pictured left) as the replacement for bassist Marko Hietala, who left the band in January 2021. Koskinen was tapped as the band's session bass player for their Human. :||: Nature. world tour. 


On August 21st, Koskinen was made an official member of Nightwish. The band issued the following statement: 


"We're delighted to announce our dear friend Jukka Koskinen is officially inaugurated as a member of the band. We've been incredibly thankful to have him on our side while touring and it only feels natural to have him join the band officially."




Koskinen has since checked in with the following message:


"It was a little more than year ago that I had the honour to join as a session bass player and start playing the amazing music of Nightwish with the wonderful people. Everything felt natural from the start and I couldn’t be happier for this journey that we are in now together!


And not the least, thank you guys all over the world for officially welcoming me now into the Nightwish family! Looking forward for the future shows and the Nightwish album #10!"


Nightwish performed at the 2022 edition of Hellfest in Clisson, France on June 23rd. You can watch professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Noise"
"Planet Hell"
"Tribal"
"Élan"
"Storytime"
"How's the Heart?"
"Dark Chest Of Wonders"
"I Want My Tears Back"
"Nemo"
"Sleeping Sun"
"Shoemaker"
"Last Ride of the Day"
"Ghost Love Score"
"The Greatest Show On Earth"
"Ad Astra"

Norway’s Kampfar has released a music video for their new single “Flammen fra Nord”. The single is taken from their album Til Klovers Takt, out November 11 via Indie Recordings. CD and vinyl preorders are available at the Indie Recordings webshop.





A video synopsis: A horse in the distance, rider atop in lavishly colored garb, enters the valley. He calls himself a shepherd, a collector for the ones above. Singing to himself in a foreign tongue, the calm melody betrays the fire beneath his words. He is here to save and to be saved; he is the word, and the word is him.




"Flammen fra Nord" tells this story through two voices, a story depicting the alchemic reaction that arises when the one true flame tries to replace nature's ancient fire.





Til Klovers Takt is an album that stands on the shoulders of everything that came before it in Kampfar's catalogue. It draws inspiration from the first song written 28 years ago as much as it leans on any other period in the band's past.


The result is a finely tuned album where each piece has its own voice and its own atmosphere, where nothing is accidental and where the band, having taken control of all aspects of the recording process, were able to create exactly the album they set out to release.

From their destructive 2013 debut In The Wake Of Pestilence, on through to their crushing 2016 follow-up Malediction and into the vortex of insanity from their 2021 masterpiece Inversion Of The Unseen Horizon, Deformatory unrelentingly summon their creative darkness to deliver another slab of ferocious Canadian death metal. Without acquiescing to the weakness of modern metal, they reach deep into the abyss of infernal intensity to deliver a new offering of blistering madness entitled “Harbinger”.


For Deformatory, all audio and visual content is carefully crafted with the utmost care, ensuring that listeners are given only the best experience, a punishing onslaught of riffs, devastating vocals, and chest-pounding drums - all delivered with no frills, no bullshit, just pure death metal. The production was handled by Topon Das of F*ck The Facts at his studio Apartment 2 Recording in Ottawa, ON, which the band explains in further detail:


“Das impeccably captured the essence and intensity of Deformatory’s vision. Every nuance has been brought to light, mixed, and mastered without sacrificing integrity in order to fit into the modern standards of extreme music. All instruments are real fucking instruments and each can be discerned without the overproduced wall of plugins and tone packs we have unfortunately grown accustomed to hearing today. There is an eerie atmosphere that lurks throughout this EP and it can be heard clearly through every string, growl, and cymbal.”




Deformatory keeps it simple and traditional, their writing process is organic, with no click tracks or guitar pro files - they just jam until a sickening track reveals itself. Sometimes it just takes an hour or two for them to discover a sound that will demolish the room and melt faces, they are already 4 songs deep into the next album, so fans can expect a new record sooner than they would hope for.


A sonically relentless death metal experience, Deformatory is worthy listening for those whom enjoy Angelcorpse, Vitriol, and old Cryptopsy.


The short video on the making of “Harbinger” is available below.





Harbinger is out on September 13. Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Plaugeworm”
“Corpseborn”
“Sunrot”
“Dustcult”

Edmonton, Canada’s All Else Fails knows a thing or two about the local music game with an impressive nine albums under their belts since getting together fifteen years ago. They have another work ready for audiences this year, one that is personal, direct, and in the current era, more relatable. “The Incident at Black Lake” is 25 minutes of technical, harsh, and melodic metal that is being supported by show dates in September.


Initially, the band toyed with releasing the album as one long track, but has broken it into digestible singles that will be released in the coming months. They do recommend listening to it as a whole, ideally on headphones, or with a great home speaker setup. They spent a lot of time working on the sonic headspace of this release. 


Vocalist/guitarist Barrett Klesko explains the personal background of the first single “Flesh/Excess/Wealth”:




“This song explores the horror of having the sense of my own humanity removed from my conscious existence. I put progress and individualism over kindness and community, I have forgotten that I am part of a greater universe to which humanity has barely opened our eyes at. I hurt myself in the name of our god; currency, I humiliate myself at the altar of ego. I place the needs of the unknown few above the wanting many and am often not aware of doing so. This song is about disconnection. Musically it is oppressive, militant, violent, and aggressive.”


“Flesh/Excess/Wealth” is a violent, dystopian assault on the senses. The depths of its endless despair are contrasted ever slightly by the glimpse of hope in its reminder that we are more, we come from dust and will return to it, as do the stars, as will the Earth. The softer, ethereal eastern musical elements are employed to offset the crushing march of industrial percussion, a nod to the band’s recent experiences in India.


The song is heavy, fast, and technical while carrying an ambient melodic beauty in its pre-choruses and bridge. Backed by thrashy guitars and animated drums, the driving chants in the vocals are huge, evoking a feverish mass hysteria. It is recommended listening for fans of Chimaira, Killswitch Engage, and Revocation.


The Incident At Black Lake is out on September 30, 2022.





Tracklisting:


“I, Defiler”
“The Corpse Inside”
“Flesh/Excess/Wealth”
“Crystal Mountain”


“Flesh/Excess/Wealth”:





All Else Fails live:


September
17 – Red Deer, AB – The Vat 


(Photo Credit - Barrett Klesko – FadeBack Studios United)

The Lurking Fear, the old-school death metal group from Sweden featuring members of At The Gates, Disfear, God Macabre, Skitsystem, Tormented and The Haunted, are planning the follow-up album to their 2021 Century Media release Death, Madness, Horror, Decay. 


The band states:


“From the immense vaults of the horrific and haunting whispers of the dead, The Lurking fear rises. We are not dead, we are only deader... 




“The progress of re-incarnating the psalms written by the gods of old incorporated with the sound of bones gnawed by the serpents of the underworld is taking place. 


“New tunes of horror, sickness and mental illness will be written in the blood of the feeble minded. Hymns of the past will rise from the desert plains of the of the usurpers darkest place. 


The Lurking Fear:


Andreas Axelsson – bass
Adrian Erlandsson – drums
Fredrik Wallenberg – guitars
Tomas Lindberg – vocals

New Jersey-based symphonic metal quintet Everdawn presents a new video from their second album, Cleopatra, released last year through Sensory Records. The disturbing but inspirational new lyric video for “The Last Eden” is available below.





Formerly known as Midnight Eternal, Everdawn is embodied by lead vocalist Alina Gavrilenko, guitarist/vocalist Richard Fischer, bassist Alan d' Angelo, drummer Dan Prestup, and keyboardist Boris Zaks. The band’s first album under the Everdawn moniker, Cleopatra saw release through Sensory Records in early 2021, delivering 11 epic new movements of epic, progressive, symphonic metal.




The vocals for Cleopatra were recorded at Soundmine Recording, the guitars recorded at Frightbox Recording with engineer Bobby Torres, the bass, drums, and keyboards recorded at RMF Recording Studios, and the bass engineered by Richard Fischer and additional editing by Bobby Torres. The album was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound (Opeth, Riverside, Katatonia) and completed with cover artwork by Gyula Havancsák of Hjules Illustration and Design and photography by Alexandra Hassan and Northern Luna. Additionally, the song “Your Majesty Sadness” features guest vocals from Therion/Candlemass vocalist Thomas Vikström.


The new lyric video for “The Last Eden” puts Everdawn’s views on how humankind treats the planet, with cruel and disturbing visuals meant to jolt the viewer into the overall positive and inspiring lyrics the song portrays. 


The band writes in a collective statement:


“‘The Last Eden’ is our attempt to bring awareness to the events that oftentimes are considered too disturbing to be discussed, and therefore they are not brought up or taken into account. Such provocative topics as shark finning, poaching, makeup testing on animals, deforestation, and effects of the plastic pollution on our environment due to excessive consumerism and greed for profit are just a few that we elaborate on in the song.


“As humans, we often choose to ignore or pretend that evil and injustice aren't there as long as we don't see it happen. Hence, why it is critical to face these issues head-on to find resolutions and better ways of spending our time here on planet Earth, in harmony with each other and its other residents (flora and fauna). It is time that we overcome our fear and look at the challenge, right in the eyes, and acknowledge where we've gone wrong and what each of us can do at this time to better our lives and the lives of our future generations.


"We are the Strength, if we unite to prosper life, not to destroy..."





Cleopatra is available now through Sensory Records on CD at Bandcamp – in addition to all digital services.


Having released Cleopatra while Covid restrictions were still heavily in place, Everdawn returned to the stage earlier this year, and were featured as the sole support act for Michael Schenker on his 50th anniversary tour across Europe earlier this year. The band is currently writing the follow-up to Cleopatra for release in 2023. Stand by for updates over the months ahead.

MACHINE HEAD has released the official music video for the song "No Gods, No Masters". The track is taken from the band's tenth studio album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which is out now via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings.

MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn states: "We're really proud of the video for 'No Gods, No Masters'. It was an incredible collaboration between three different creative teams working across two different continents. Our director/editor Mike Sloat teamed up with the amazing Grupa 13 (BEHEMOTH, AMON AMARTH) and then the stunning 3-D CGI came from Phil Radford a.k.a. MayaGuy of Strangebox. The track was masterfully mixed by longtime MACHINE HEAD collaborator Colin Richardson and his engineer Chris Clancy. This is a really special song from the album."

The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis", "Of Kingdom And Crown" includes the three songs that were featured on last year's "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

Back in December 2021, drummer Navene Koperweis (ANIMALS AS LEADERS, ENTHEOS, ANIMOSITY) joined Flynn, MacEachern and Ohren at Sharkbite Studios to jam on the final tracks for "Of Kingdom And Crown" and add some finishing touches to the songs.

In a recent interview with El Cuartel Del Metal, Flynn stated about the lyrical inspiration for "Of Kingdom And Crown": "The concept is set in a futuristic wasteland where the sky is always crimson red, and it's based around two characters. Character number one is named Ares [pronounced Aries], and he loses the love of his life, Amethyst, and goes on a murderous rampage against the people who killed her. Character number two is Eros [pronounced Arrows], who loses his mother to a drug overdose and, in his downward spiral, depression, becomes radicalized by this charismatic leader and goes on his own killing spree and is one of the people who killed Amethyst. And so the lyrics detail how their lives intertwine. The opening track, 'Slaughter The Martyr', is essentially… it's the origin story for character number one. He's just lost the love of his life and he's in just a murderous, venomous rampage and revenge is all he's thinking about. And so the story unfolds from there."

As for how he was inspired by the Japanese anime series called "Attack On Titan" for the new MACHINE HEAD album, Flynn said: "When I first started writing the concept, it was a very American story arc: it was good guy, bad guy, good guy wins. And I wasn't connecting to it. It was good, but I couldn't connect to it; I couldn't get any kind of emotion out of it. And then my family, my kids started watching — I've got two two teenage boys and they both started watching a lot of anime over the pandemic. And we were all locked up anyway and we couldn't go out.

"I used to be a total anime nerd when I was their age — 'Akira' and 'Space [Battleship] Yamato' and 'Robotech' and all these anime series. So to see them go through this same thing, I was just, like, 'Dude, this is rad.' And of course, it's now modern and it's super bloody, and it was even better. So I was, like, 'Let's watch this together. I'll fucking totally watch this with you.' So we started watching it. And one of the things about that particular series — 'Attack On Titan' — the part that inspired me was in that series there is no good or bad guy; both sides believe they're doing good, but both sides are committing evil and atrocities. And that was like a total lightbulb going off in my head. I was, like, 'Oh, wow. I can maybe write it like that.'

"So then… here I am writing through… Now I'm writing through not just one character's eyes but a polar opposite character's eyes. And for a guy who's written nine albums pretty much solely through my eyes — my experiences; the way I see the world — now to have to try and write through these other characters, it was really cool," he added. "It was really interesting and it just made the whole experience awesome."

Asked if there was any research involved in writing the lyrics for "Of Kingdom And Crown" or if it was all just in his head, Robb said: "It was just in my head. Jared [MacEachern, bass/backing vocals] wrote a lot of lyrics too — Jared contributed quite a bit of lyrics, and we bounced a lot of ideas off of each other. He came up with some great melodies, some great lyrics. But it really was just about constantly writing and just consistently waking up… Most of this record was written at three in the morning. [Laughs] I'm a total night owl — I wake up at 3 a.m. almost every night and I just do work or I write or whatever. So I just would set a timer for 20 minutes and I would just write anything that came to my mind — dumb shit, killer shit. I would just try and make everything rhyme; I would try and make a sequence out of it. And then I would just go back to bed and then wake up and look at it the next morning and then I would either sing it or try and mess around with it. And I think just doing it, kind of just chipping away at it like that every day, really helped the story come together."

"Of Kingdom And Crown" track listing:

01. Slaughter The Martyr
02. Choke On The Ashes Of Your Hate
03. Become The Firestorm
04. Overdose
05. My Hands Are Empty
06. Unhallowed
07. Assimilate
08. Kill Thy Enemies
09. No Gods, No Masters
10. Bloodshot
11. Rotten
12. Terminus
13. Arrows In Words From The Sky

Digipak CD bonus tracks:

14. Exteroception *
15. Arrows In Words From The Sky (acoustic)*

Flynn told Metal Hammer magazine about the musical direction of the new MACHINE HEAD material: "It's similar to [2003's 'Through The Ashes Of Empires' and 2007's 'The Blackening'] in that we're moving forward into something fresh and new but it's got that classic MACHINE HEAD vibe. We have a lot to deliver and expectations are very high, so I'm lucky to have great people surrounding me. Jared really stepped up and wrote some great riffs and great vocals. Vogg [guitarist Wacław Kiełtyka] contributed a few ideas and brought some really great songs."

He continued: "It's fucking heavy, probably the heaviest we've been in a few albums. I've been playing so much guitar recently; I do Electric Happy Hours every Friday and sometimes you play a song you haven't played in 10, 20 years, or go through a whole album from top to bottom. When we toured 'Burn My Eyes', it took me back to where I was writing that music. I don't think I can ever be in that place again lyrically, but riff-wise, I think that all spilled into this album."

This past February, MacEachern told Primordial Radio about his contributions to MACHINE HEAD's new album: "I think that I was very aware from day one that Robb is the leader, he's the creative leader, the musical leader… We all have our inputs but I think it's always understood that ultimately the decision is up to him for how things go. But, yeah, I definitely made contributions and I feel great about those contributions and I'm asked about my opinion on certain things. But, like I said, I'm following his lead."

As for the sound of the new MACHINE HEAD LP, Jared said: "It's a pretty — to use Robb's word… I believe he used the word 'colossal' the other day. It's a pretty big-, epic-sounding album. We've been toying around with the order, but I've been listening, sitting down, taking the time to listen to it all the way through, and the way it goes, it's a ride — a really great, heavy, beautiful, melodic, raging, thrashing ride."

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

MACHINE HEAD will team up with Sweden's Viking metal overlords AMON AMARTH for a co-headline "Vikings And Lionhearts" European arena tour in September and October. Support on the trek will come from THE HALO EFFECT, the new band featuring five former members of IN FLAMES: Peter Iwers, Daniel Svensson, Jesper Strömblad, Niclas Engelin and Mikael Stanne.

"Catharsis" was the final album to feature guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain, who both left MACHINE HEAD in October 2018.

Critically acclaimed harmonica player, Will Wilde, announces the launch of his new blues rock band, Bad Luck Friday.


Bad Luck Friday’s self-titled debut album will be released by Wilde Fire Records on September 2nd. This is one of the most highly anticipated debut albums from a British rock band in years. The album is available to pre-order from BadLuckFriday.com, and available to pre-save here.


The first single and title track, "Bad Luck Friday", is available to buy and stream at this location. The official music video for the single can be viewed below.







Speaking about the song "Bad Luck Friday", Will Wilde commented, "A heavy-hitting monster of a song featuring deceptively simple riffs and an impossible-to-resist groove, this tune begs repeat plays. The lyrics are a play on the old blues trope of selling your soul to the devil. If you take too much fame and fortune from the world, it wants something back in return. So, you’re always waiting for that karmic balance to bite you. We thought it was cool when bands like Motörhead, Bad Company and Black Sabbath have songs named after them. So, after writing this song we took on Bad Luck Friday as our band name because it just felt like us." 


Don’t be fooled by the harmonica. Bad Luck Friday is not your typical blues rock band. Will Wilde has a reputation in the blues world as a pioneer of the rock harp, but with Bad Luck Friday, he’s taken the music well beyond its traditional blues roots.


The band formed during the ashes of the pandemic, when live music ground to a halt. Frustrated but still determined and highly creative, Wilde teamed up with guitarist, Steve Brook, and together they journeyed inward and developed their original style before bringing in Alan Taylor and Jack Turnbull to complete the line-up. Their fusion of bluesy classic rock and aggressive, contemporary hard rock encompasses anthemic choruses, catchy riffs, searing vocals, and Wilde’s blistering harmonica solos.





Tracklisting:


"Bad Luck Friday" 
"666 At The Crossroads" 
"Banshee" 
"Dust & Bones" 
"Jealous Woman" 
"Take The Best Of Me" 
"Mistress" 
"Low Down Dirty" 
"Bonnie To My Clyde" 
"Rebel With A Cause" 


(Photo by Rob Blackham)


 

It has been suspiciously quiet lately around the progressive symphonic power metal quintet, Induction, and for good reason: The band was busy finishing their second album, which will be released at the end of 2022 via Atomic Fire Records. But before the troupe reveals more details about it, they present another musical foretaste of it today in the form of 'Queen Of Light'. Watch the accompanying music video below. 


Stream / download the song here.


The band has issued the following statement: "Finally it's here - the new Induction single! ' Queen Of Light' is a melodic journey through the power metal universe that brings betrayal, passion, lost love, new beginnings and the hope for a better future. The song was actually one of the very first ones we wrote for our second record. We worked on it again and again, twisted and turned it around before it became what it is now. We couldn't be happier with the end result and invite you to listen to it, celebrate it and take it out into the world with us."








Going back to different musical views and visions, Induction recently parted ways with drummer Kian Kiesling. As a substitute for their next recording sessions and live shows, the band has tapped Dominik "Dome" Zester, with whom they have been friends for some time.


The band explains: "After a lot of thought and a lot of back and forth, we finally decided together to go our separate ways from now on, so that he and Induction can work with all their strength on their respective projects! We wish him all the best and will nevertheless continue his musical career with excitement! Thanks for everything and good luck, Kian!"


Kian adds: "Even though we are now following different paths, I would like to thank the guys from Induction for their time together, which was marked by wonderful experiences. And to our fans: Listen to their music and continue to support them so constantly. I wish them and their new (session) drummer Dome all the best!"


Dome concludes: "It is a great pleasure for me to tour with Induction from now on and to work together on music videos and other plans, at least until the end of the year, but perhaps beyond. I can't wait to see you all at our upcoming shows and go on a big journey with the guys. For me, there is no doubt that this will be great! Thanks to the guys and the whole team for the trust placed in me, we rock the thing!"


Originally founded in 2014, Induction left their first mark with first single, “The Outwitted Consecration” (2016) before officially entering the metal world with their self-titled debut album in 2019. Its enormously positive reception paved the way to touring across Europe alongside Brazilian power metallers Armored Dawn in November of the same year. It was a notable career start for the quintet that was unfortunately halted by the still-ongoing pandemic ultimately leading to a break (at least on the live front) that was to work on their sophomore album and renew their power. 

SEMI-ROTTED, the new Las Vegas, Nevada-based death metal band fronted by former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer Jeremy Spencer, has released a debut EP, "Deader Than Dead".

Forged in flames and baptized in blood and blast beats, SEMI-ROTTED — which is rounded out by Shawn McGhee (guitar),Alessandro "AP" Paveri (bass) and Steve Carey (drums) — embodies the blackened heart of tried-and-true old-school death metal yet kickstarted for another generation with a guttural groove of its own.

The official music video for SEMI-ROTTED's debut single, "Torture Congregation", featuring LORNA SHORE vocalist Will Ramos, can be seen below. Also available is the clip for "Shotgun Symphony".

"I kept hearing LORNA SHORE on [SiriusXM's] Liquid Metal and on playlists," Spencer recalls. "Will does really unique things with his voice. It's amazing. When they were in Las Vegas, I went to the show and I was blown away. We reached out, and Will sent back his vocal in like two days. He's at the top of genre. It's a killer collaboration."

Spencer first embraced the genre back in high school. He graduated from SLAYER to the likes of DEATH and OBITUARY. After catching the latter on tour with SACRED REICH, he recalled, "I'd never seen anything like it, but it was fucking awesome." Of course, Spencer went on to showcase his prowess behind the kit on a series of platinum releases and sold-out arenas tours with chart-topping juggernaut FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, but he arrived full circle with extreme music in 2022.

At the top of the year, he embraced the genre wholeheartedly once more. He feverishly collected vinyl from the likes of MORTICIAN, CEMETERY LUST and many others. Every morning, he would blare death metal favorites as he drank coffee and poured over the lyrics. "I became a fan all over again," he goes on. "I decided, 'I'm going to do a record like this.'"

He joined forces with frequent collaborator and longtime cohort Shawn McGhee on guitar. Spencer also returned to his seat behind the kit and recorded the drums on the record as well. Meanwhile, GEMINI SYNDROME's AP contributed bass. Together, they cut what would become "Deader Than Dead" in Las Vegas. They maintained the hallmarks of the classics but with a twist.

In the end, SEMI-ROTTED is everything death metal should sound like in 2022 — and bloody more. "When you listen to this, I hope you have a fun and solid listening experience," he leaves off. "It's meant to listen to from start to finish. Enjoy each moment. It kicks your ass, grabs you, and doesn't let you go."

"Deader Than Dead" track listing:

01. Shotgun Symphony
02. Torture Congregation (feat. Will Ramos)
03. Hammer Teeth
04. Deader Than Dead

Texas hard rock stalwarts DROWNING POOL have released "Choke", the second single from "Strike A Nerve", their first new record since 2016. DROWNING POOL's heaviest record to date, "Strike A Nerve" will be released on CD, 180-gram vinyl and digital on September 30 via T-Boy/UMe.

Though DROWNING POOL incorporates cleaner vocals on "Choke" than on lead single "Mind Right", the band doesn't let the addition of melody stop the track from being a metallic banger.

"'Choke' is another one of my favorite songs off 'Strike A Nerve'," says guitarist CJ Pierce. "Musically, we really wanted to push ourselves to extremes on this album and venture outside our musical comfort zone with some of the songwriting and playing — like you hear on 'Mind Right' — but 'Choke' is a perfect mix of the more traditional DROWNING POOL style and the foundation we laid on the 'Sinner' record, and the ever-evolving band that we have become with [singer] Jasen Moreno. Lyrically, 'Choke' comes from a place where many of us have been before. It's about when someone has given up on you, put you down, and speaks nothing but words of negativity and hate. But like we always do, we fight through, we persevere, and we ultimately overcome. We're still here, we're still thriving, and we're not going anywhere. We're strong, and we hope you choke on your words."

DROWNING POOL have long been hailed as champions of blue-collar hard rock and metal, not just because of their consistently incendiary live shows and vastly impressive catalog, but because of the trials and tribulations that have marked their career. They aren't unique in that regard. What they are is resilient, their everyman, working-class ethos and stubborn perseverance creating a bond few bands ever realize.

"Strike A Nerve" was inspired by wearing life's battle scars on our sleeves. Those bumps and bruises got magnified during the worldwide COVID lockdowns; lockdowns that started mere months after DROWNING POOL completed recording, mixing and mastering "Strike A Nerve", an 11-song tour de force through the torn and battered psyche of a band. Written and recorded before the pandemic that halted the world in its tracks for more than two years, "Strike A Nerve" became more poignant with its time on the shelf.

"This record is so badass, it's perfect. It's the four of us doing what we do to the best of our abilities," said Moreno. "The band is tight in every way. We're firing off on all cylinders. We're at the top of our game. There are all different ways of saying it, but it all amounts to the same thing — the results are just magic. From the way the record sounds, to the writing of it, to the production, to the look of it — it's just a perfect DROWNING POOL record. None of us could ask for anything more..."

"'Strike A Nerve' is the most exciting and intense music from DROWNING POOL to date," added Pierce. "We've stayed true to the core sound people know from us, but we've taken everything we do to another level. We've been writing music together for over twenty years — half of that with Jasen — and this album is more refined and more true to who we are than anything we've done before. Sometimes it's heavier than we've ever been, sometimes it's lighter, and sometimes we go in a direction that surprises even us — but it's always just brutally honest, and that comes through in every track."

"'Mind Right' started with the core DROWNING POOL sound, then really dug into our southern metal roots," continued Pierce about the LP's lead single. "This song was written not long after Vinnie Paul died, as a tribute of sorts to him and Dime and a way for us to honor the impact PANTERA had on our local Dallas scene. It's probably the heaviest song we've recorded, but it's the perfect way to close 'Strike A Nerve'; like the title of the song says, we all need to get our minds right. We need to see what's going on around us, stand up for what we believe in, and always focus on the bigger picture. We can't wait to play this one live!"

"Strike A Nerve" track listing:

01. Doing Time In Hell
02. Hate Against Hate
03. Stay And Bleed
04. Strike A Nerve
05. Racing To A Red Light
06. Choke
07. Everything But You
08. Down In The Dirt
09. Rope
10. A Devil More Damned
11. Mind Right

The title track and "Racing To A Red Light" are mid-tempo burners like we haven't heard from DROWNING POOL before, the band's heightened sense of melody coupling with white hot hooks and irresistible choruses. "Can you hear an empty stage, can you hear tomorrow rage… I can't go forward because I can't be heard," Moreno testifies on "Strike A Nerve" — again, a song written and recorded years before the world careened into its current state. "Stay And Bleed" and "Down In The Dirt" are instant DROWNING POOL classics, their punishing grooves making the jarring and somber ballad "Everything But You" even more impactful: "I hate everyone and everything, but you…" From the softest song the band has ever recorded, to their heaviest in album closer "Mind Right", an homage to their hometown friends and brothers PANTERA.

Formed by Pierce, Stevie Benton (bass) and Mike Luce (drums) in Dallas, Texas in 1996, DROWNING POOL began as an instrumental trio, named after the 1975 film "The Drowning Pool". The group enlisted singer Dave Williams to join their fold three years later and the band signed with Wind-Up Records which released "Sinner" in 2001. Williams died tragically on tour August 14, 2002, stricken by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an undiagnosed heart condition. "Sinner" stands as his only studio album with DROWNING POOL.

"Strike A Nerve" was produced by Shawn McGhee and DROWNING POOL.

Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend will release his new album, "Lightwork", on October 28. The LP's first single, "Moonpeople", which is the album's opening track, arrives with a video filmed by Devin himself while he was in Spain earlier this year. The first in a three-part series of clips, it can be seen below.

Devin comments: "Hey all :) this is Devin. Welcome to my newest album 'Lightwork'.

"The last few years have been a lot, and this is the music that I wrote during that time.

"In essence, 'Lightwork' is a bit more of a 'song'-oriented album. A bit more direct and simpler than a lot of what I've been doing lately.

"After 'Empath' and 'The Puzzle', things kind of swung back in the direction of more traditional arrangements for 'Lightwork'. Lyrically, It kind of hints at the struggles of the last few years but with an eye on putting the pieces back together again.

"We chose 'Moonpeople' as the first of three video releases from this project, The three videos share a theme, so I think that'll work.

"'Moonpeople' is the first song on 'Lightwork' and acts as a sort of mission statement for the album. Post pandemic… kids are now teens… 50 years old, who am I now? Beyond any platitudes or delusions, who am I now that the smoke is clearing and what do I want to do, and who do I want to be, moving forward?

"The term 'Moonpeople', in my mind, refers to those in society that kind of 'watch' things rather than being directly involved in it. Maybe the Moonpeople are more introverted rather than extroverted? In any case, it functions as a song on the album that will set the stage for the dynamic nature of the material that follows it.

"So here you go. Song one."

Assembled from a barrage of material written during the pandemic, "Lightwork" — and its companion album of B-sides and demos, "Nightwork" — represents Devin at this stage of his life, post pandemic, and his reflections on what he (and many of us) all gone through.

For "Lightwork", Devin decided to see what would happen if he included a producer (an experiment he has been excited to attempt for some time) to help guide this selection of material. He chose longtime friend Garth "GGGarth" Richardson to help bring this idea to fruition, and through a difficult (but wonderful) process, the next Devin album have been delivered.

The name "Lightwork" represents the music, as well as the act of creating music, as a kind of "light in the dark" while trying to navigate the seemingly endless challenges that life can often present. When things seem like there's no way out or that a situation becomes seemingly insurmountable, the connection to music, family, and creativity became a light in the dark that ended up in this wonderful album.

Featuring artwork by frequent collaborator Travis Smith, "Lightwork" arrives in several editions including a limited deluxe orange 3LP+2CD+Blu-ray box-set that includes both "Lightwork" and its companion album "Nightwork" on both CD and vinyl, as well as a Blu-ray including 5.1 Surround Sound, album commentary and visuals, art-cards and extensive perfect-bound booklet, all contained in a lift-off lid box. There will also be a Limited 2CD+Blu-ray artbook, limited 2CD digipak, gatefold 180g 2LP+CD, standard CD jewelcase and digital album.

Devin will embark on a European headline tour in early 2023.

Photo credit: Paul Harries

City Of Caterpillar return with their first new album in 20 years, Mystic Sisters, out September 30 on Relapse Records. Today, the band share the “Mystic Sisters” music video, directed by Derek Zimmer. Watch below:





Pre-save Mystic Sisters here. Mystic Sisters pre-orders are available now on LP/CD/CS, here.




Tracked primarily at Montrose Recording in Richmond, Mystic Sisters was self-produced by the band and then mixed and mastered by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Bosse-de-Nage).


Additionally, City Of Caterpillar have announced the Mystic Sisters tour for this fall around their appearance at The Fest.


When guitarist/vocalist Brandon Evans, guitarist Jeff Kane, drummer Ryan Parrish and bassist/vocalist Kevin Longendyke unveiled their self-titled debut in 2002, their emotional, frenzied and often cinematic music was at the vanguard of the burgeoning screamo movement. Along with bands like Pg.99 (with whom they shared members), Majority Rule, Planes Mistaken For Stars and others, they helped develop a style of music that took hardcore into convulsive new territory.


After years spent living in other parts of the country and playing in other bands—including Darkest Hour, Malady and Ghastly City Sleep, the long awaited City Of Caterpillar reunion shows snowballed into writing sessions. The result - Mystic Sisters, an album that recaptures the magic of old while taking the band’s music into exciting new territory! The winding and atmospheric title track that embodies City Of Caterpillar's experimental side features some noise violin from Evans’ former Pg. 99 bandmate Johnny Ward, while tracks like "Decider" and "Paranormaladies" showcases the band's roots with a flurry of viceral, noisey hardcore swagger.


Ultimately, City Of Caterpillar are more concerned with creating a mood than telling a story. “The band is always focused on mood,” Evans confirms. “To me, that’s the most important thing. I don’t really want people dissecting what we’re trying to say, because it’s not really about us. It never has been. What we cared about 20 years ago was innocent, raw emotion, and that’s what we care about now.”





Tracklisting:


“Thought Drunk”
“Paranormaladies”
“Decider”
“Mystic Sisters”
“Manchester”
“Voiceless Prophets”
“In The Birth Of A Fawn”
“Ascension Theft…(Gnawing Of The Bottom-Feeders)”


“Decider” video:





Tour dates:


September
29 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
30 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall


October
1 - Philadelphia, PA - Philamoca
2 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
27 - Asheville, NC - The Odd
28 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
29 - Gainesville, FL- The Fest
30 - Birmingham, AL - Seasick Records
31 - Nashville, TN - DRKMTTR

Brazilian rockers, Electric Mob, have released an official live video for "Higher Than Your Heels". 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.





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

MEGADETH performed its new song "We'll Be Back" live for the first time last night (Wednesday, August 24) at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, California. Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

MEGADETH kicked off its summer/fall 2022 U.S. tour as the support act for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on August 19 at RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater in Ridgefield, Washington. The trek, which features additional support from THE HU and FIRE FROM THE GODS, will conclude on October 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

MEGADETH's setlist for the Irvine concert was as follows:

01. Hangar 18
02. Dread And The Fugitive Mind
03. We'll Be Back
04. Sweating Bullets
05. Dystopia
06. Trust
07. Symphony Of Destruction
08. Peace Sells

Encore:

09. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

Just a day or two prior to the Irvine show, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine spoke to Milwaukee's 102.9 The Hog radio station about why he and his bandmates had yet to perform any of the songs from their upcoming album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", live, despite the fact that they have already released three of them as singles. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are adding two songs to our set; we are adding 'Night Stalkers' and 'We'll Be Back'. Hopefully we'll be able to add 'Soldier On!' by then too. But a lot of that is dictated by the radio support and the listeners' tastes. When certain songs our fans like to hear, we'll add them into the setlist if we can. If there's a song that we're playing in the setlist and people aren't responding to it, well, obviously we're gonna do the opposite and take it out of the setlist. This is all part of the showbiz part. A lot of people don't care about that; they just wanna rock."

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will arrive on September 2 via UMe. Featuring twelve new tracks, the follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" will be made available on CD, vinyl, and cassette, as well as digitally through all online partners. There will also be a limited deluxe edition 2LP, 12-track album pressed on 180g black vinyl housed in a numbered gatefold jacket with a 12x24 lyrics/credits insert, a lenticular vinyl lithograph and a bonus seven-inch featuring "We'll Be Back" and the unreleased B-side "The Conjuring (Live)". The limited deluxe edition can only be purchased via MEGADETH's official online store, through Sound Of Vinyl and uDiscover.

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" reunites Mustaine with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (DANZIG, PARKWAY DRIVE),who together helmed "Dystopia". The new album was recorded at Mustaine's home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album. With the kick-off of MEGADETH's recent tour, MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo rejoined the MEGADETH family as permanent bass player.

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" features a cover of DEAD KENNEDYS' "Police Truck" and Sammy Hagar's "This Planet's On Fire", the latter of which includes vocals from Hagar himself.

Canada’s Eaten By Sharks has been lying in wait to release their new album Eradication and the time has come for it to ascend to the surface. Album-wise, it’s a diverse combination of songs pulling from their influences in death, tech, and thrash metal. Each song has something different from the next one but it stays in line with the metal. The band comments about the record:


“We are so excited to set sail with the release of “Eradication!” The fact that it is being released and streaming have us stoked that our hard work gets the sendoff it deserves. We pull from various elements of thrash, death-core, traditional death metal, tech-metal, and hardcore and match that up with the horrors of the deep. Each of the songs on the EP has a different approach to our influences, however, it retains a solid instrumental and lyrical theme throughout the tracks. Conceptually, we keep things on the water and embrace the image of the fear and respect that comes from the breach of a single dorsal fin.”


Eradication toes the line of music and concept, metal meets shark. The album delivers seven tracks, lyrically depicting the horrors of mankind using oceanic imagery. Eaten By Sharks puts their best fin forward, pulling out all the stops to get the listener to drop anchor and experience the package as a whole. Lots of tasty treats await the discerning metal fan through their instrumental approach, as they progressively chomp through each song with razor-sharp riffs and bone-crunching rhythms.




Eradication was produced, mixed, and mastered by Christian Donaldson (Cryptopsy) and the album artwork was done by Shindy Design. Eaten By Sharks is recommended for anyone brave enough to dive headfirst into the horror as well as fans of Gojira, Despised Icon, and Fit For An Autopsy.


Listen to the full stream premiere of Eradication via BraveWords:


Eradication by Eaten by Sharks


Eradication will be available on August 26, 2022. Pre-order your copy now at this location. The cover art and tracklisting can be seen below.





"Shallow Water"
"Dead Weight"
"Kill And Consume"
"Same Face, Different Mask"
"Depth Charge"
"Apex Predator"
"Megalodon"


"Depth Charge" video:





"Dead Weight" video:





"Shallow Water" lyric video:





(Photo credit: Lisa Thompson)

Legendary hard rock singer Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE) and Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group have announced the global release of his new album, "Belly Of The Beast", on October 28. Today, they present the LP's first single in the form of the lyric video for the title track.

The wildest times call for the freest of voices. After selling millions of records, playing to countless fans, and fronting some of the most influential rock bands in history, award-winning songwriter and vocal dynamo Joe Lynn Turner speaks his mind as loudly as possible on his eleventh full-length offering and Mascot Label Group debut, "Belly Of The Beast". Joining forces with producer Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN, LINDEMANN),the New Jersey-born powerhouse conjures up the kind of heavy metal that not only makes you throw your fist in the air, but also makes you think.

"'Belly Of The Beast' is a phrase we've heard over and over again in history," he observes. "You can trace the cults and corruption all over the world back to prophecies in the Bible. It feels like it's coming to fruition these days. When you look at the book of Revelation, there it is. I've always dipped into esoteric knowledge, hermeticism, occultism, Bible research, eclectic philosophy. I've been fascinated with discovery of hidden mysteries. We are in a true spiritual war right now. It's good versus evil. We've all got an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. We're in the belly of the beast, trapped in the system, and there's no way out of it. The album addresses this."

A five-decade career prepared him to make such a statement. Joe founded FANDANGO in 1977 and sang for the band for four records before RAINBOW guitarist Ritchie Blackmore rang. His vocals powered the seminal "Difficult To Cure" in 1981, going gold in the U.K., France, and Japan in addition to cracking the Top 50 of the Billboard 200 and Top 3 on the U.K. albums chart. A year later, he ignited RAINBOW's "Straight Between The Eyes", which Guitar World retrospectively hailed as one of "The 25 Greatest Rock Guitar Albums" of 1982. It also spawned the Hot 100 hit "Stone Cold". During 1988, a Polygram VP wanted Turner to extend his writing and singing skills to collaborate with legendary shred virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen for his project RISING FORCE. Their album, "Odyssey", scaled the Top 40 of the Top 200, marking Malmsteen's highest bow on the respective chart and going gold in Sweden. Not long after, he reteamed with Blackmore for DEEP PURPLE's "Slaves And Masters" (1990),reaching gold status in Switzerland and Japan.

In addition, he has co-written for and appeared on classics such as Mick Jones's "Mick Jones" (1989),RIOT's "The Privilege Of Power" (1990) and Lita Ford's "Dangerous Curves" (1991),to name a few. Not to mention, he lent his background vocals to Michael Bolton's double-platinum "The Hunger" (1987),Cher's platinum "Cher" (1987),Billy Joel's Grammy Award-nominated quadruple-platinum "Storm Front" (1989),and many more. From 2001 to 2004 he teamed up with his friend and counterpart Glenn Hughes and formed HTP (HUGHES TURNER PROJECT). The release of two highly acclaimed original albums and two world tours in support gave him further recognition. Other collaborations range from shining on stage with "Raiding The Rock Vault" at LVH Hotel and Casino and an unforgettable turn on "X Factor Bulgaria" to two cuts on MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP's 2021 album, "Immortal".

In 2017, he initially met Peter after performing at his brother's private birthday party. Soon later, Joe and Peter collaborated on their first track "Don't Fear The Dark", cementing their creative partnership and assembling what would become "Belly Of The Beast".

"It happened completely by accident, but some of the best things happen by accident," Joe notes. "I was not very familiar with Peter's bands PAIN and HYPOCRISY, but when we met, I loved his personality, and I felt like we had a chemistry together. On the writing side, you have to change and grow to mature. I had this in me. As far as pushing into a heavy vein, Peter said, 'Joe adapted his voice,' which is the truth. It's still me though. I kept it dirty, gritty, and metal."

The title track and first single "Belly Of The Beast" storms out of the gate on a barrage of airtight guitars and pummeling double bass. Before a skyscraping solo, it crashes into a plea, "Heaven help us shall we be released, 'cause we can't break free."

"It's all about the ritual and the serpent god of fear, which is Lucifer," he notes. "Who creates the spell upon mankind. If you believe in good, you must believe in evil. It's the yin and yang of life. They must co-exist, it's simple physics. This track had an evil flavor, so upon listening, the story line was obvious to me. Peter sprang the double-time chorus on me, and we went for it."

This chapter saw him make a crucial personal decision too. Diagnosed with alopecia at three-years-old, he began to wear a wig at 14-years-old, dealing with "emotional and psychological damage from cruel bullying in school." So, he wore the hairpiece throughout his career until finally deciding to go without it. "In a way, it's a blessing and a curse," he admits. "I have nothing to prove, and I can wear a wig — or not. I am free to do what I want. I'm a grown man, and I'm getting to be an older man. Many men in this business eventually come to the decision to continue to 'wear hair' or shave their head which is very fashionable today. Either way, it takes a lot of personal courage. Assholes in high school trying to kick me around made me stronger and gave me the necessary motivation and strength to rise above the rest. Anger and pain are a great tool. If applied correctly, it could develop you to become the best version of yourself. Instead of running away, I was 'hiding in plain sight.'"

In the end, Joe has something to say at the pit of "Belly Of The Beast". "Rock 'n' roll is about entertainment of course, but I hope you hear the message as well," he leaves off. "It seems like everyone has sold their souls to major corporations. Once people are rich and popular, they become a part of the establishment. Where are the rebels? Who's going to say, 'Fuck you! We aren't going to take this shit?' I am."

Matt Sorum has reflected on the breakup of VELVET REVOLVER, the band he formed in 2002 with fellow ex-GUNS N' ROSES members Duff McKagan and Slash.

Sorum, McKagan, Slash and guitarist Dave Kushner held an exhaustive singer search after VELVET REVOLVER's formation that lasted for almost two years, during which they issued an open invitation to the public to send in demos. Eventually they settled on former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland.

VELVET REVOLVER released two full-length albums through RCA/Sony BMG — 2004's "Contraband" and 2007's "Libertad" — before dismissing Weiland in April 2008.

Sorum discussed the formation of VELVET REVOLVER and the band's eventual split during an appearance on the latest episode of the "Sound, Sobriety And Success With Matt Pinfield" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When we all got back together [after our departures from GUNS N' ROSES], our big thing was, 'We can't do this if we're gonna be loaded and everyone is fucked up.' So we made a pact: 'Everyone get clean. Let's get cleaned up.' We were in really great shape. I went to the gym. I was ripped. I was the skinniest I've ever been… I was already in my 40s. I'm, like, 'Let's see if we can just look like a great rock and roll band, get our look together here. Get our songs together, number one. Get looking good.' Scott was looking lean and mean. I don't know what he was doing to look like that, but he was great. And he was in good form. He'd cleaned up. We'd worked with him on it — we all did.

"We kind of looked at it like the AEROSMITH model," Sorum explained. "'If we're gonna continue to play rock and roll, we can't go out there like 20-year-old kids. We can't be out there every night getting fucked up playing rock [and roll] — we can't. We're older guys. We've gotta get our shit together.' We all got it together, man, and we were on fire. And I remember we were all nervous 'cause it was the first time we'd ever gone out on the road clean like that, sober.

"The first album went triple platinum and we got three Grammy nominations and won a Grammy and got a lot of money," Matt recalled. "And the wheels came off — the wheels came off the machine, the train came off the tracks and bad habits reappeared. I started drinking again, drugging, the whole thing — all of us. And shit got fucked up.

"Typically, people go, 'Well, did you spend a lot of money doing drugs?' I said, 'No. But I made a lot of bad decisions.' [Laughs] I made really a lot of bad decisions. I did stupid shit.

"People give you drugs, man," Sorum added. "C'mon, forget it; you can get drugs. But if I had to do it all over again, I would be, like, "Cmon, you guys, man. We're not gonna get this opportunity again. This is it for us.' And we just — we imploded.

"The second record, I like the second record — I think it's a good record — but it didn't have the angst of the first record. The first record had a youthful thing because we were hungry. We meant it. I think we meant it on the second record musically, but it didn't have that fairy dust of angst. And typically you hear that on a lot of bands' early records, even though we were [all experienced]. Typically the first couple of records are always the best records. AEROSMITH 'Toys In The Attic', 'Rocks'."

Weiland was found dead on his band's tour bus in December 2015. The vocalist, who was 48 years old at the time of his death, was on tour with THE WILDABOUTS in Minnesota when he was found unresponsive.

Matt told "Sound, Sobriety And Success With Matt Pinfield" about his former bandmate: "I had my differences with Scott. We fought like brothers. But really what I wanted for Scott was the best for Scott. Scott was so fucking great. You just wanted him to realize how great he really was. You wanted to shake him and go, 'Scott, you're great.' He would put off the air of, like, he was the epitome of a rock star. He'd walk on stage and you'd go, 'There he is. There's the frontman.' They just don't fucking make them like that anymore."

In the past, Sorum had made it clear that he and his bandmates were very aware of Weiland's drug-addiction battles and chronic tardiness when they first joined forces with him to launch VELVET REVOLVER.

Weiland and his former VELVET REVOLVER bandmates said all kinds of nasty things about each other after their acrimonious split in 2008. But Sorum later said he wasn't bothered anymore, partly because he said he had a chance to talk things out with the frontman a couple of years before Scott's death.

VELVET REVOLVER reunited with Weiland for a four-song set in January 2012 at a Los Angeles tribute concert for late songwriter John O'Brien, but the band has otherwise remained inactive.

At one point it was reported that VELVET REVOLVER was going to team with STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT vocalist Corey Taylor, but the idea was ultimately vetoed by Slash. The group and Taylor recorded demos of 10 songs together.

A few days after Weiland's death, Matt reiterated his view that the launch of VELVET REVOLVER was the high point of his career. He said: "I remember me and Duff McKagan came out of a… We were coming out of the subway in New York, and he's two guys who were in GUNS N' ROSES, right? And we came out of the subway, and this guy looks over, and he goes, 'Hey, you're Duff and Matt from VELVET REVOLVER.' And I looked over at Duff. I went, 'Oh my God! That's the first time I've ever heard that.' And it was a very pivotal point for us, because now we'd created something new, modern, but at the same time, it was still great rock and roll. So I've gotta thank Scott for that."

King Diamond has once again clarified that MERCYFUL FATE's current comeback shouldn't be viewed as a "reunion" of the influential Danish heavy metal act.

When it was announced in 2019 that MERCYFUL FATE would reform for an unspecified number of concerts throughout Europe during the summer of 2020, it was revealed that the group's lineup for the shows would consist of King on vocals, Hank Shermann on guitar, Bjarne T. Holm on drums, Mike Wead on guitar and Joey Vera (ARMORED SAINT, FATES WARNING) on bass.

King discussed MERCYFUL FATE's return this past Sunday (August 21) immediately following the band's performance at the Psycho Las Vegas festival. Speaking to Knotfest's Daniel Dekay, the 66-year-old singer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's absolutely not a reunion. We picked up where we stopped in '99. It's the same lineup except we wanted [original MERCYFUL FATE bassist] Timi Hansen back on the bass, who got sick [with cancer]. And we tried, and he got better, and then he got worse [before eventually dying in 2019]. We actually started looking for a stand-in for Timi in case he couldn't do full shows. And that was Joey Vera. Timi wanted that, and I was totally into that. I saw Joey with FATES WARNING, and there was no doubt in our minds. And Timi really, really felt that was the right thing. At some point, Timi got worse really fast."

King continued: "When we played at Copenhell [festival] in Copenhagen [earlier this summer], Joey got a chance to meet Timi's daughter, which was really, really nice, and could get her blessing, too, for doing what we're doing. Otherwise it's the '9' [album] lineup. So that's the only thing that changed — is the bass."

King also talked about MERCYFUL FATE's plans for new music, including the song "The Jackl Of Salzburg", which he and his bandmates have been performing at all of their recent shows. The track is expected to appear on MERCYFUL FATE's upcoming studio album, tentatively due in 2023 via Metal Blade. Lyrically, the song is inspired by one of the last major witch hunts, the Zaubererjackl trials in Salzburg, Austria (1675-90). 139 people were executed — including 39 children (between 10 and 14 years old),53 teenagers and young adults (between 15 and 21) — as the followers of Wizard Jackl or Magician Jackl or Jäckel, who was himself never found.

"We're writing for a full album," King said. "We're also writing for a full KING DIAMOND album at the same time. But, of course, MERCYFUL FATE, we can't just start with a normal song. I don't know why. It's crazy. But me and Hank are writing the same way as we did back then. I will be writing some of my own songs. But we started out with Hank writing music. And in the old days, I would get it. I have a big scalpel. And I do this [makes cutting motion] and suddenly things move around and stuff, and Hank says, 'Oh, now it sounds like MERCYFUL FATE.' And that's been the case [with 'The Jackl Of Salzburg'] too. And that song was originally seven minutes or something; now it's 8:54. So it's kind of nine minutes. You don't really do that for trying to come back with a single. [But] it's what we do."

King went on to say that he got the opportunity to see the Moosham Castle in Austria which served as the administrative center during the Zaubererjackl witch trials. "We were down there," he said. "We went into the torture chamber. They have all the original stuff there still that they used. It's absolutely a creepy place. But we got the opportunity to go in and see it. And there was a couple of things I saw there that I now have to put into the lyrics [of 'The Jackl Of Salzburg'] to make it even more realistic. There is a small piece in [the song] that is not finished yet."

Last month, guitarist Michael Denner, who was part of MERCYFUL FATE's classic lineup, said that it was "heartbreaking" for him to be excluded from the group's current comeback. Denner addressed his absence from the band's reunion in an interview with Finland's Chaoszine. He said: "I [feel like] this is not my band anymore. I'm not part of it, because they didn't tell me; they didn't invite me. We didn't even have a discussion about it. So, of course, it took some time for me to digest it. It was quite painful, because I miss my friends from the '80s — I miss them. But not the people who [are] in the band today. I wish them the best. I mean, the better they play, the more records we can sell and the more money I will get in the end. Of course it's heartbreaking. And also to see and hear — they play my signature stuff. Most of the songs they play now is things I've done — I mean, my signature solos, my themes, my arrangements, my stuff. And it's another guy who plays. But then again, Mike Wead is a great guitarist, and he's still a good friend of mine. So if anyone should do the job, I'm glad it's him who did it, really. He can do the shit. That's some sort of comfort in all this agony and disappointment — that it's Mike Wead who plays. And that makes me feel good."

Regarding his relationship with King, Michael said: "The thing is me and King, we had a discussion some years ago. It was about a cover of a DENNER/SHERMANN album. Because the artist who did the artwork for the cover is [Swedish artist] Thomas Holm who did [MERCYFUL FATE's] 'Melissa' and 'Don't Break The Oath'. And, of course, his way of painting and stuff, it was a bit more than a bit similar to 'Melissa' and 'Don't Break The Oath', and King got upset and tried to stop the album. He did manage to stop — as I recall it — the merchandise side; t-shirt design and so on. I'm not a hundred percent sure [about] that, but that could be the story.

"Me and King are quite alike," he explained. "We don't turn the other cheek. I mean, two old assholes who don't wanna stretch the hand out and say, 'Okay, let bygones be bygones. Let's try to do this.' So we keep the disagreements and the enemy side of it. That's just sad. But with Hank, it was a different story because it came out of nowhere. We had a good teamwork going with DENNER/SHERMANN. And one of the last things Hank told me was, 'If we do a MERCYFUL FATE reunion, it should be with you and me. No question about it.' But of course, King, he has some strong will and some power behind it — Metal Blade Records and money; big salaries. So Hank chose to go that way and just leave me out in the cold. And [Hank and I] haven't spoken since, more or less. And that's a few years now. But then again, we've been a guitar team since the late '70s — that's a long, long time — and the friendship. And it's like telepathy. You know exactly which guy should play what parts and we know each other like it's in the pocket. But he chose to go that way, and I couldn't live with that. So we don't talk anymore. But I wish him the best — I wish him just the best of luck in the future. But his future will be without me."

Asked if he thinks there is still a chance that he will one day reconnect with Hank, Michael said: "Not in a million years. That will never happen — never. It's just the end of it, because I could never trust this guy again. He broke my heart and he stabbed me in the back. But still, I miss my old friend; I miss my guitar partner. But I will never take a chance again, trusting this guy, when he could do the thing he did. I will never be safe. So I feel sorry for me and I feel sorry for him. It's a loss. That's the way life goes. You have to carry on."

Earlier this month, King commented on Denner's exclusion from MERCYFUL FATE's current tour, telling Creem magazine: "There are reasons Michael Denner and [drummer] Kim Ruzz are simply not here. I know that Michael Denner did an interview recently, and I'm not going to get into it, but he said a lot of things that are absolutely not true. I could go into a lot of details about the reasons that this is not a lineup with him in it, or Kim Ruzz in it. I don't want to say anything bad about anybody, but you can't say, 'Hey, I should have played there.' Why? Should I throw out a band member that is absolutely perfect for the band, that goes all out for the band all the time, no matter what? And his skill is beyond anything I played with on that spot in the band? There's no way that he's going to get fired because someone else is suddenly interested in the band. That's completely wrong. There's no way I would ever treat anyone like that."

King went on to say that it has been "very cool and a lot of fun" to play with MERCYFUL FATE again, but he clarified: "People have misunderstood what we are doing now. This is not a reunion. We are just picking it up again because the stars are aligned correctly now. And that's been the thing all the time. Before when people asked, 'Do you think you're going to play with MERCY again?' I would never say never. But it's got to be completely right. I don't want to go out there and try to milk a cow and do a show with the backdrop and then collect and say, 'That was that.' That's not right. And Hank has the same philosophy. Either we do it 200 percent, or we don't do it."

MERCYFUL FATE's last studio album, the aforementioned "9", was released in 1999.

MERCYFUL FATE will be remembered for its unquestionable mark on the history of metal with its innovative sound, complex arrangements, memorable melody, and its influence on bands that later took the genre to new heights.

In 1998, METALLICA paid tribute to MERCYFUL FATE by recording a medley of classic MERCYFUL FATE songs on the album "Garage Inc." Titled "Mercyful Fate", the medley included parts from "Satan's Fall", "Curse Of The Pharaohs", "A Corpse Without Soul", "Into The Coven" and "Evil".

Lars Ulrich of METALLICA (a fellow Dane) played drums on a new version of MERCYFUL FATE's "Return Of The Vampire" on the "In The Shadows" album, which came out in 1993.

Former ALICE COOPER guitarist Nita Strauss performed with Demi Lovato this past Friday, August 19 on "Good Morning America" for the Summer Concert Series in New York City's Central Park. Watch video of the appearance below.

Earlier in the week, Lovato and Strauss performed twice on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". They played Demi's recently released singles "29" and "Substance", which arrived ahead of her highly anticipated new album, "Holy Fvck", out now via Island Records. The "Fallon" performances were part of Demi's three-night takeover on the show, which included an appearance as co-host on Wednesday (August 17),taking part in the monologue and guest interviews.

Nita played her first full live show with Demi on August 13 at the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.

Nita made her live debut with Demi on July 14 with a performance of "Substance" on ABC's Emmy Award-winning late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!".

Nita's new gig was first reported as a rumor on July 11 on the Metal Sludge web site.

The follow-up to last year's "Dancing With The Devil…The Art Of Starting Over", "Holy Fvck" is reportedly a departure from Lovato's typical pop aesthetic and features a more punk-rock-flavored sound.

Lovato implied that "Holy Fvck" would usher in a new era for her after she posted a photo in January along with the caption, "A funeral for my pop music." She later told Rolling Stone that fans can expect to hear some "heaviness" in her new sound.

"It's a new era reminiscent of my first era," she said. "I'm ever-evolving, ever-changing. I'd like to put the rest of my music behind me and start fresh in this new era for this next album — but I do that every album cycle."

Demi will bring the album to fans across South America and North America this fall on the "Holy Fvck" tour. Fans can expect to hear new songs from the album as well as reimagined rock versions of Lovato's hits, including "Sorry Not Sorry", "Cool For The Summer" and more.

Produced by Live Nation, the 32-date tour kicked off this past Saturday at the Illinois State Fair. The tour will continue to South America with stops in Belo Horizonte, Bogotá, and more before hitting North America on Thursday, September 22 in Wheatland, California at the Hard Rock Live Sacramento. The North American leg includes stops in New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Nashville and more before wrapping up in Irving, Texas at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on Sunday, November 6. ROYAL & THE SERPENT and DEAD SARA will serve as special guests on select North American dates.

On July 11, Nita announced that she would sit out Cooper's fall 2022 tour. She has also scrapped the festival dates her solo band had planned for the rest of the year. The 35-year-old said in a statement that her "touring year" was "still VERY full" and revealed that she was "on a flight straight into the next adventure," adding cryptically that she would "be on stage again much sooner than you think."

A couple of Nita's Cooper bandmates commented on her post, with guitarist Ryan Roxie writing: "No words — just notes... and lord knows we harmonized a lot of them over the years... nothing but love and respect." Drummer Glen Sobel added: "You're super pro and prepared no matter what the situation. We're gonna miss you but we're also proud to be associated with Hurricane."

Strauss had been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

Last October, Nita shared "Dead Inside", her first new solo music since the release of her debut album, 2018's "Controlled Chaos". The track is her first-ever solo collaboration with a vocalist, David Draiman, frontman of Grammy-nominated rock icons DISTURBED.

Nita released "Controlled Chaos" to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths".

As well as performing with Cooper, Nita has also played with R&B star Jermaine Jackson, early MTV darlings FEMME FATALE, video game supergroup CRITICAL HIT and popular tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS.

In April 2020, Nita launched "Rock Guitar Fundamentals" — a three-module online guitar teaching program suitable for learners of all levels. The course is available at www.iwanttoplayguitar.com.

Nita's solo live show is mostly instrumental in nature, combining originals with covers.