San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans VIO-LENCE played their first show with guitarist Ira Black on Tuesday (August 9) at the Brutal Assault festival in Jaromer, Czech Republic. Fan-filmed video of the concert is available below (courtesy of Aviad Attia).

Black, who grew up in the Bay Area and previously played with VICIOUS RUMORS, HEATHEN and METAL CHURCH, is filling in for founding VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel, who is currently on the road with LAMB OF GOD as the temporary replacement for Willie Adler.

On August 4, Ira took to his Facebook page to write: "The cats out of the bag! I will be filling in for my brotha Phil Demmel in VIO-LENCE for the upcoming 2022 dates starting at the Brutal Assault Festival on August 9th, Alcatraz Metal Festival on the 13th, the South America run in September and winter European tour! This is going to be a blast and I'm truly honored!

"VIO-LENCE is a legendary Bay Area thrash band and I've known them for many years. I've had a great time learning Phil's parts, rehearsals are going great, these guys are the real deal! I'm looking forward to slaying it for the VIO-LENCE fans around the world. See you out there!"

The same day, VIO-LENCE singer Sean Killian said: "VIO-LENCE is a state of mind more than it is a band. It's an attitude that never asks for forgiveness or to be accepted. Many musicians have represented those principles on stage as VIO-LENCE and today is no different.

"We would like to announce that in place of the great Philip Demmel we will be joined by a man who has shared the stage with musical legends. Today VIO-LENCE is announcing that another attitude will be joining us. We would like all the VIO-LENCE lovers and haters to welcome Ira Black who will be joining us on our upcoming performances."

Demmel first confirmed that he would miss some VIO-LENCE shows this past March during an appearance on "Talking Bollocks", the monthly metal podcast hosted by ACID REIGN frontman-turned-stand-up-comedian Howard H. Smith. Demmel, who at the time was touring the U.S. with OVERKILL as the temporary replacement for Dave Linsk, said: "There's some VIO-LENCE stuff coming up that I'm not gonna be able to be a part of because of choices that I'm making in my own career.

"VIO-LENCE was a side thing that we were doing. It was understood that I'm doing other stuff and that this would happen," he continued. "They weren't looking at doing full-blown tours, so trying to schedule stuff, it gets difficult. So there will be things that I won't be doing with VIO-LENCE, which is a little heartbreaking in the sense that… I'm the only member of VIO-LENCE that hasn't missed a show. So, yeah, there's a VIO-LENCE club and there's been a lot of former members. But I never quit the band. I carried that torch the whole time and hadn't missed a show."

Demmel went on to say that "it's a selfish move" on his part "to do these other things, but at 55 years old, I need to not regret passing up something to do another thing that may or may not… It's hard to explain. So I'm apologizing in advance for, if there will be a [VIO-LENCE] show that I'm not gonna be at," he said. "But I am 55. I'm in the twilight — maybe in the twilight of my musical career. You never know when it can all… A lot of peers that are… Plenty are dying, dude; they're just gone. And at this point in my career, I need to be a little selfish. And it might be hard to fathom from other people about doing things that aren't part of what VIO-LENCE is… It's emotional and it sucks, but it is what it is. It's not like I'm missing the whole year or anything, but there will be instances when I'm not on stage with those guys, and it's gonna be weird. It is what it is."

VIO-LENCE recently released a new EP, "Let The World Burn", via Metal Blade Records. The five-song collection, VIO-LENCE's first original release since 1993's "Nothing To Gain", was tracked at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California by Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS),mixed by Tue Madsen (DARK TRANQUILLITY, HEAVEN SHALL BURN) and mastered by Ted Jensen (ALICE IN CHAINS, DEATH ANGEL).

Formed in 1985, VIO-LENCE helped define and refine what came to be known as the Bay Area sound, dropping three seminal albums before splitting in 1993. Leaving behind a heady legacy, they reformed briefly a couple of times in the intervening years before becoming a full-time going concern once more in 2019. After playing a string of successful shows, the quintet started to think about new music and will deliver "Let The World Burn", showcasing their first new material in 29 years.

Filling out the band's ranks on "Let The World Burn" alongside Demmel, Killian and original drummer Perry Strickland are former OVERKILL guitarist Bobby Gustafson and former FEAR FACTORY bassist Christian Olde Wolbers.

VIO-LENCE reunited soon after Demmel left MACHINE HEAD in late 2018.

After releasing it solely as a video clip on their YouTube channel, Venom Prison are making their blistering cover of Stampin’ Ground’s “Officer Down” available on all digital platforms, here. The song has finally come full circle, as Century Media Records released the original on Stampin’ Ground’s classic album, Carved From Empty Words, in 2000.





Venom Prison comments: “Stampin’ Ground is a band we’ve respected and admired even before Venom Prison existed and we’ve always toyed with the idea of a cover and never knew what would work with Venom Prison. We would listen ‘Carved From Empty Words’ in the van going to shows or on tour. With Stampin’ Ground being a metal/hardcore band this went perfectly in line with Venom Prison. We also recorded ‘Erebos’ with Scott Atkins who was a member of Stampin’ Ground and knew from the start Scott would understand us as a band. Our cover goes in line with the original with a slight few changes to make it our own. Enjoy!”







(Photo by Venom Prison, in the studio with Scott Atkins)


 


Scott Atkins (formerly guitars in Stampin’ Ground) adds: "’Officer Down’ took on a life of its own from the very first time we played it live. It became our biggest song overnight and it’s amazing it’s still seen that way over 20 years later. it was one of those songs that almost wrote itself, like it was meant to be, it’s stood the test of time. It’s been covered by many bands but this version by Venom Prison is definitely one of my personal favourites. Having produced their latest album, ‘Erebos', I’ve got to know the band very well, it was surprising how their work ethic and influences tied in with those of Stampin’ Ground in many ways. I hope everyone enjoys this new version as much as our original!”








Venom Prison are:


Larissa Stupar - lead vocals
Ash Gray - guitar
Ben Thomas - guitar
Mike Jefferies - bass
Joe Bills - drums

Heavy horror punk icon WEDNESDAY 13 has slithered his way to the top of the horrendous heights of rock, punk and metal with his electrifying solo music and as frontman of renowned horror punk supergroup MURDERDOLLS, amassing a colossal cult-following along the way. On October 7, 2022, the undisputed harbinger of metal horror returns, following up on 2019's acclaimed "Necrophaze" with "Horrifier", a brand new slathering of 11 terrifyingly grim and groovy anthems to get blood pumping and brains melting.

Showcasing a blend of styles plucked from his solo band's 20-year career, "Horrifier" weaves an underlying sonic thread reminiscent of WEDNESDAY 13's roots — a raucous blend of ballistic metal and macabre heavy rock that'll have new and diehard fans alike ascending from the depths. As always, various tracks on the album are inspired by classic horror flicks, this time circling cult-favorite slasher John Carpenter's "Halloween" and the iconic "Christine" supernatural thrillers.

Today, get a first listen to "Horrifier" with the album's lead single, "You're So Hideous", out now and accompanied by an "Exorcist"-inspired official music video. The track stuns with danceable '90s sonic flavor, a sing-along chorus and an unforgettable lead riff that is sure to be heard at venues this fall.

Wednesday 13 comments: "'You're So Hideous' is such a catchy track and it's one of the very first ones I wrote for the album. Lyrically, it's a modern-day Medusa story… Beware the stare into her eyes. The music video was, of course, inspired by the 'Exorcist' film and was a lot of fun recreating that."

WEDNESDAY 13's ninth full-length album kicks off with eerie introductory track "Severed" before careening into one of the band's heaviest songs ever recorded, the massive, slow and low "Insides Out", accented by hair-raising guitar leads and slithering vocals. The aggressive, industrial-edged "Exhume And Devour" and "You're So Hideous" pick up the pace with danceable '90s sonic vigor, while surefire hit "Good Day To Be A Bad Guy" aces the pure horror punk spirit of MURDERDOLLS as a downright blissful tongue-in-cheek earworm that'll seep into the listener's head on repeat. John Carpenter's "Halloween"-inspired anthem "Return To Haddonfield" convinces with marching gang vocals and a searing metallic guitar solo before the pace picks up again on fast-riffing, mosh-ready title track "Horrifier". Southern-fried metal tinged "Hell Is Coming" is one of the album's best displays of stylistic versatility, accented by an impressively commanding vocal performance while pumping out a thrash-worthy breakdown and blues rock solo. "Halfway To The Grave" sees the band echoing '80s flavor accented by memorable leads and imploring lyrics before leading into the charging "Christine"-themed album standout "Christine: Fury In The Night", featuring pounding drums, an unforgettable hook and a transfixing guitar lead. "Horrifier" closes with its most heartfelt track, "The Other Side", a personal ode Wednesday 13 penned about the sudden loss of his mother, as well as former MURDERDOLLS bandmate Joey Jordison, but that also shines as a vital anthem made further pertinent after recent years of intense worldwide loss and reflection.

"Horrifier" was produced and recorded by Wednesday 13 with mixing and mastering by Brent Clawson and features artwork by Jonny Bush.

Wednesday 13 states: "The last three releases have seen the band explore new ground with heavier songs, drums, and vocals. Coming out of the COVID crisis, I promised I would not release a sad, depressing record. I wanted to make a fun, horror themed rock record that would be reminiscent of the first few WEDNESDAY 13 records. The new album is a fun, fast-paced, thriller!"

"Horrifier" track listing:

01. Severed
02. Insides Out
03. Exhume And Devour
04. You're So Hideous
05. Good Day To Be A Bad Guy
06. Return To Haddonfield
07. Horrifier
08. Hell Is Coming
09. Halfway To The Grave
10. Christine: Fury In The Night
11. The Other Side

WEDNESDAY 13 will thrill audiences across North America on his "20 Years Of Fear" tour this fall, featuring a career-spanning setlist. Beginning September 4 in Los Angeles, California, the tour will run across the United States and Canada for nearly two months, coming to an end back in Anaheim, California on October 23. After the "20 Years Of Fear" North American headline tour, WEDNESDAY 13 will go on to join MINISTRY on the "Moral Hygiene" European tour, also featuring support from THE 69 EYES.

WEDNESDAY 13 is:

Wednesday 13 - vocals
Roman Surman - lead guitar
Jack Tankersley - guitar
Troy Doebbler - bass
Mike Dupke - drums

Photo credit: Stephen Jensen at F3 Studios

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE kicked off a five-night stand at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden Monday night (August 8). The shows are part of the reunited band's "Public Service Announcement" tour, which kicked off last month at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin.

Singer Zack De La Rocha, who got hurt during a concert in Chicago on July 11, once again had to be carried on stage by two members of the crew and performed from a seated position for the entire set.

The band opened the show with "Bombtrack", a song from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's classic 1992 debut album, and closed the set with "Killing In The Name". Other tracks performed during the concert included "Bulls On Parade", "Guerrilla Radio", "Sleep Now In The Fire", "Wake Up", "Testify" and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost Of Tom Joad".

The setlist for the August 8 gig was as follows:

01. Bombtrack
02. People Of The Sun
03. Bulls On Parade
04. Bullet In The Head
05. Testify
06. Take The Power Back
07. Wake Up
08. Guerrilla Radio
09. Down Rodeo
10. Know Your Enemy
11. Calm Like A Bomb
12. Sleep Now In The Fire
13. Born Of A Broken Man
14. War Within A Breath
15. The Ghost Of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen cover)
16. Freedom
17. Township Rebellion
18. Killing In The Name

At the "Public Service Announcement" kick-off concert in East Troy, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE decried the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and end the federal constitutional right to an abortion. De La Rocha repeatedly screamed "freedom" while a video screen flashed with statements about gun violence, black maternal mortality and abortion access.

"Forced birth in a country that is the only wealthy country in the world without any guaranteed paid parental leave at the national level," read the screen for several seconds.

De La Rocha reportedly injured his leg four songs into the band's set at the United Center on July 11, while Zack and his bandmates were performing "Bullet In The Head", a classic song from the group's 1992 self-titled debut album.

A short time later, De La Rocha told the crowd: "I don't know what happened to my leg right now, but you know what? We're gonna keep this fuckin' shit goin'. If I have to crawl across this stage. We're gonna play for y'all tonight. We came too fuckin' far."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's comeback tour will continue through mid-August. The massive trek features support from RUN THE JEWELS.

The current tour marks the first time the reunited rap-metal quartet has hit the road together since 2011.

This past January, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE postponed the start date of the U.S. leg of its "Public Service Announcement" tour to this summer. The North American leg of the trek was originally slated to begin in March 2020 before it was rescheduled several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 19 RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE shows that were supposed to take place between March 31 and May 23 will now take place in early 2023.

Prior to the current tour, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE last played together at L.A. Rising and has resisted calls for a reunion, with De La Rocha previously believed to be the lone holdout. Guitarist Tom Morello and his fellow RAGE bandmates Tim Commerford (bass) and Brad Wilk (drums) have since teamed up with PUBLIC ENEMY's Chuck D. and CYPRESS HILL's B-Real in the similarly styled PROPHETS OF RAGE.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE recorded three original studio albums and one set of covers before breaking up in 2000. The group reformed in 2007 but only played sporadic gigs and never a full tour.

SONS OF APOLLO kicked off their 2022 South American tour last night (Tuesday, August 9) at Ópera de Arame in Curitiba, Brazil. Fan-filmed video of the concert is available below.

Bassist Billy Sheehan was unable to join his SONS OF APOLLO bandmates on their South American tour due to "travel restrictions", according to a press release from the tour promoter, Top Link Music. His replacement on the trek is ANGRA's Felipe Andreoli.

Top Link Music manager and concert promoter Paulo Baron commented on Sheehan's absence from the gigs, saying in a statement: "Billy Sheehan will not be able to participate in the tour for personal reasons that he did not want to disclose to me, but that we respect, so both SONS OF APOLLO and I, who am the promoter of the tour, invited Felipe Andreoli to replace the great bassist Billy Sheehan."

About his participation in the SONS OF APOLLO tour, Andreoli said: "For me it is a huge honor to replace Billy in these shows. He is one of my great heroes of the bass and history. I learned a lot watching him play."

Sheehan is an avowed member of the Church Of Scientology, which does not have an official position on vaccines, according to Time magazine. However, the church emphasizes the "harmful effects of drugs, toxins and other chemicals that lodge in the body and create a biochemical barrier to spiritual well-being," according to its web site. Sheehan has not publicly disclosed whether he has received the COVID-19 vaccine and it is not clear whether his vaccination status is related to his absence from SONS OF APOLLO's South American tour.

According to the official web site of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil, proof of vaccine is required for most travelers to Brazil.

Late last month, Sheehan took to his Instagram to share a few photos of him "getting all the required vaccinations" for a MR. BIG trip to India back in 2009. He wrote: "While finishing an EU tour in Germany, we had a very kind medical doctor come backstage and he did a great job inoculating all of us. As a result--I had a fabulous time in India, and came home healthy!"

When one fan responded in the comments section that he heard Billy isn't coming to South America because he didn't get the COVID-19 vaccine and lamented the fact that Sheehan had to "miss this tour leg because of some stupid restrictions," Billy responded: "thank you for understanding".

Another fan wrote "back when vaccines were…well….vaccines" in reference to Billy's 2009 inoculation, to which Sheehan replied: "exactly".

In addition to Sheehan, SONS OF APOLLO features former DREAM THEATER members Mike Portnoy (drums) and Derek Sherinian (keyboards),Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitar; ex-GUNS N' ROSES) and Jeff Scott Soto (vocals; ex-JOURNEY, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE).

Remaining SONS OF APOLLO's South American tour dates:

August 11 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @Circo Voador
August 13 - São Paulo, Brazil @Tokio Marine Hall
August 14 – Brasília, Brazil @ Toinha Brasil Show
August 16 – Santiago, Chile @Teatro Cariola
August 18 - Buenos Aires, Argentina @Teatro Flores

SONS OF APOLLO' second studio album, "MMXX" (pronounced: 20/20),was released in January 2020 via InsideOut Music/Sony.

Thalassophobia - the persistent and intense fear of deep bodies of water such as the ocean. The feeling of something underneath you that you can’t see. The exact feeling that Eaten By Sharks channel in their new album “Eradication” and especially so in the latest single “Depth Charge”. Along with that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, you can also expect shredding riffs, slick grooves, and intense vocals, particularly at the end.


Through the single, the listener is thrust into a first-person view of the horrors of a shark attack. Being dragged down into what could be the mouth of hell. Escape is not possible. All hope fades as the light from the surface disappears leaving you with nothing but a broken shell of a body, until even that gets devoured. The band elaborates:


“'Depth Charge' eases you into the water with a groovy riff, led by the rhythm section, however, when the vocals kick in, it’s well worth the wait! The instrumental background is filled with whammy tricks and sweep picks, held together with some two-step and slick double-kicking beats. Matt has a very razor-toothed approach to the vocals, switching up styles and phrasing. Again, all the good stuff is saved up till the end, he lays down a sick death rap, channeling a serial killer type of cadence when sawing apart mountains of dead bodies. We had to pay the lyric video guys twice as much because they dislocated their fingers typing out the savagery.”




This is the third of three singles being released ahead of the album and together they form a very complete picture of what listeners can expect in this first-person horror experience. Along with their brand of technical death metal, Eaten By Sharks channel their love for horror movies into their nautical themes. They also cite a strong appreciation for sharks and their amazing nature, adaptability, and maintenance of natural equilibrium. Nature isn’t always nice and they like to celebrate the wickedness.


Eaten By Sharks was hatched out of a desire to start a punishing metal project and as soon as the moment was right, the heavy techy riffs started flowing. Adding blast beats and breakdowns to them along with a healthy appetite for horror movies, the band was formed with a campy nautical horror theme and serious musicianship.


With elements of slam, thrash and deathcore, Eaten By Sharks up the ante when it comes to technical death metal. Fans of Cattle Decapitation, Revocation, and Gojira will be especially interested in testing the waters.


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)


 

KISS has published the official music video for “Crazy Crazy Nights” on YouTube. The video and opening track to their 1987 album Crazy Nights had previously been unavailable online. With the lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Bruce Kulick, and Eric Carr, step into the time capsule and enjoy a slice of the unmasked era of KISS:





Kulick commented on the video release saying, “Don’t you think it’s finally time for the ‘Crazy Crazy Nights’ video to be on YouTube?? I do!!! Please share, the 35th Anniversary will be coming soon!!!”







Produced by Ron Nevison, Crazy Nights would reach #18 and #21 on the U.S. and Canada charts, respectively. The album has achieved platinum status in the U.S., Canada and gold certification in the U.K. and Finland. 

Self-described as "Death Western", SpiritWorld have released their new single, "Moonlit Torture", featuring Dwid Hellion of Integrity. Stream the single here, and watch a video for the track below.


A message from Stu Folsom states: "Crazy story. Many moons ago, my older brother Nick and my twin brother Beez and I went to a record store to buy Rage Against the Machine's Evil Empire the day it came out. The record store had these listening stations set up with headphones and a set of selector buttons to switch between CDs. I saw the Pushead cover artwork to Integrity's Humanity Is The Devil, hit play, heard 'Vocal Test' for the first time and bought that motherfucker immediately! Hands down the most aggressive, insane shit I had ever heard. 🤯


At the time I had hand me down cassette copies of 7 Seconds "The Crew", Black Flag, Misfits, etc, etc. But I had yet to realize that hardcore punk was it's own thing.Turns out that was the first album, the gateway drug if you will, from a real hardcore band I ever bought with my own money.




I'm sitting in the Czech Republic as I'm typing this, my band is playing Brutal Assault today with At The Gates, Clutch, etc. And we got Dwid singing on our new song... Sometimes this little underground thing is straight up, unfuckwithable magic! Jam that shit and let me know what you think. Dwid comes in Haaaaaard at like 3:26ish.


Thank you to Dwid, Mike Gitter, my dude Thomas Pridgen for beatin 'the fuck out of the drums, Sam Pura and my Panda Studios fam for producing, mixing, engineering and Alberto for the excellent mastering job.


We play Birmingham tomorrow at Knotfest Pulse of the Maggots with Sylosis. I think we'll open with this. First person to rip a stage dive during it can get a free shirt. Come holler at me."





(Photo - Sean Jorg)

On September 9, progressive death metal outfit REVOCATION will release its eighth full-length, "Netherheaven", via Metal Blade Records. For a preview of the album, the new single, "Re-Crucified", featuring Trevor Strnad (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER) and George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (CANNIBAL CORPSE),can be streamed below.

REVOCATION songwriter/frontman Dave Davidson comments: "Normally we tend to close our albums with a more epic style of song, but with this record, I wanted to go in the opposite direction and end with a complete ripper. Inspired by 'Dante's Inferno', this song is meant to feel like a journey through hell, and due to the story-like nature of the lyrics, I enlisted the vocal talents of Trevor Strnad and George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher to aid in our journey into the abyss. Tragically, I received word of Trevor's passing immediately after we had finished filming the music videos for 'Netherheaven', and I was completely devastated by the news. Trevor was a close, personal friend of mine, and his passing was a terrible loss, not only for myself, but for the entire metal community. I'm proud that I could be a part of Trevor's immense and storied legacy in some small way. His performance along with George's are two of the highlights of the record for me. Rest in power, Trevor. You will be sorely missed but your legacy will never die."

Four years in the making, "Netherheaven" finds REVOCATION — Davidson (vocals/guitars),Ash Pearson (drums),and Brett Bamberger (bass) — meticulously exploring the allegorical and literal aspects of Hell as they dig deeper into the darker, more diabolical side of death metal. In short, where the previous album, "The Outer Ones" (2018),jettisoned REVOCATION into the horrific maw of the cosmos, "Netherheaven" bores deftly through the nine rings of Hell to directly confront Lucifer and his multitudinous faces.

"We're definitely in more of a death metal mindset than on earlier albums in our catalog," asserts Davidson. "We're focusing on how we can write the best death metal-centric album that we possibly can while still pushing our boundaries. The new songs on 'Netherheaven' are evil and sinister but also have a progressive element to them to keep things interesting. It's got our stamp on it, no question."

"Netherheaven" was written during downtime after the album cycle for "The Outer Ones" was complete. The album's nine tracks were written solely by Davidson, who spent his time between genuflecting at the altars of Luc Lemay (GORGUTS),Chuck Schuldiner (DEATH),Marty Friedman (MEGADETH),and celebrated jazz guitarists Wes Montgomery and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Between writing killer riffs and absolutely wild solos, the seven-stringer also practiced (technique),studied (theory),and taught guitar. REVOCATION truly changed gears when Davidson picked up audio engineering (with Apple's Logic Pro) to use the pandemic-era lockdowns effectively. It made perfect sense for him to helm the engineer and producer's chair at his newly built HeatWave Studios for "Netherheaven". REVOCATION then sourced Swedish studio ace Jens Bogren (OPETH, KREATOR) to mix and master at Fascination Street Studios.

"We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the album," says Davidson. "We want people to be inspired. It's brutal. We brought our A-game on 'Netherheaven'."

"Netherheaven" track listing:

01. Diabolical Majesty
02. Lessons In Occult Theft
03. Nihilistic Violence
04. Strange And Eternal
05. Galleries Of Morbid Artistry
06. The 9th Chasm
07. Godforsaken
08. The Intervening Abyss Of Untold Aeons
09. Re-Crucified (feat. Trevor Strnad and George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher)

Upon record release, REVOCATION will kick off a North American headlining tour with KRISIUN, ALLUVIAL and INOCULATION as support, before heading to Europe for another headliner in early 2023, this time featuring special guests GOATWHORE, ALLUVIAL and CREEPING DEATH.

Thrash metal masters, Sylosis, have returned with their first new music of 2022. The band, who are set to headline the inaugural Knotfest Presents Pulse Of The Maggots festival and play the main stage at Bloodstock this week, have released a new single, titled "Heavy Is The Crown". The track ebbs and flows as the band's signature, thunderous grooves give way to a masterfully crafted chorus.





Maestro Josh Middleton comments: "'Heavy Is The Crown' is the first of a trilogy of singles we’re releasing this year – these songs were developed during the writing of the next Sylosis record and although weren’t right for the album, are perfect for some standalone bangers. 'Heavy Is The Crown' is a song that all our fans can get into and also highlights some of the progression in the band's sound."




Stream "Heavy Is The Crown" here, and watch the video below:





Lineup:


Josh Middleton - Vocals, Guitar
Alex Bailey - Guitar
Conor Marshall - Bass
Ali Richardson - Drums

Cult Japanese black metal legends, Sigh, recently announced details of their new album, Shiki, to be released on August 26 on Peaceville. Today, the band premiers the music video for the song, "Satsui", which can be viewed below:





Shiki, an opus of dark & eclectic blackened heavy metal, shrouded in traditional eastern influences, marks the latest chapter in the Sigh legacy and includes some of the band’s heaviest and darkest material for some years; a fine hybrid of at times primitive black metal akin to early influences such as Celtic Frost amid more epic melodic heavy metal riffing and solos. It will take you on a journey through the strange and the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career. Highlighting that Sigh has remained a vital creative force in the avantgarde field whilst maintaining their old school roots.




The word "Shiki" itself has various meanings in Japanese such as four seasons, time to die, conducting an orchestra, ceremony, motivation, colour. The two primary themes for the album are "four seasons" and "time to die". The concept and artwork is based around a traditional Japanese poem, and on Shiki Mirai explores how at this stage of life he himself is going through autumn, with winter coming soon, and so empathizes with the contrasting sentimental feelings from watching cherry blossoms (a symbol of spring) in full bloom.


Joining Mirai and Dr Mikannibal for this release are Frédéric Leclercq of Kreator, plus US drummer extraordinaire, Mike Heller of Fear Factory and Raven, along with an appearance by longtime member Satoshi Fujinami on bass. Shiki was recorded across multiple studios, and mixed and mastered by Lasse Lammert at LSD studios in Germany. The album utilises a whole host of instruments to give further texture and dynamics to the compositions and eerie atmosphere, incorporating traditional oriental instruments such as the Shakuhachi & Sinobue flutes.


Sigh, featuring mainman Mirai Kawashima, Satoshi Fujinami & Kazuki Ozeki formed in 1989/90 and following their initial demos, Shinichi Ishikawa was brought in, and Sigh set about recording the masterpiece debut Scorn Defeat for Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence Productions, going on to become one of the country’s greatest and most revered metal exports.


Shiki will be released on August 26 on CD / black vinyl LP / limited edition green vinyl LP and digital. Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


“Kuroi Inori”
“Kuroi Kage”
“Shoujahitsumetsu”
“Shikabane”
“Satsui – Geshi No Ato”
“Fuyu Ga Kuru”
“Shouku”
“Kuroi Kagami”
“Mayonaka No Kaii”
“Touji No Asa”


“Mayonaka No Kaii”:

The New Roses are back with their fifth studio album, Sweet Poison, to be released on October 21 via Napalm Records. After their previous record, Nothing But Wild, hit the Top 10 on the German album charts, the quartet went on to share stages with rock legends like the Scorpions, Saxon and Accept. This summer, they even had the chance to tour with genre giants KISS and were the first German band invited to KISS Kruise. Sweet Poison bottles this potent energy on record, convincing with authentic hard rock and enormous hit density. The New Roses are on the way to the top of rock.


Get a taste of Sweet Poison with the first single, “The Usual Suspects”, straight off the new album. Let the catchy chorus take you on an unforgettable ride on the highway of rock, while frontman Timmy Rough’s voice catapults you to new spheres. The amazing live performance shown in the official music video is just a glimpse of their latest touring experience - convince yourself and dive into the world of The New Roses.


The New Roses on the new single: “’The Usual Suspects’ was one of the first songs we recorded for Sweet Poison and kind of paved the way for all the songs that came after that. We all realized that we don’t wanna write about the disappointments and struggles we had to deal with during all these lockdowns and being banned from the stage. No, ‘The Usual Suspects’ made us look ahead, It helped not to forget what and who we are: A damn Rock'n'Roll band. The title says it all: We’re the usual suspects and our fans are the usual suspects. We haven’t changed, we’re not bitter. We’ll be back on the road and we keep on rocking right where we had to stop…“




Watch the video for “The Usual Suspects” below.


Their latest effort, Sweet Poison, opens with the guitar-driven anthem "My Kinda Crazy," which kicks off the album in a worthy manner. In addition to rousing anthems, Sweet Poison features authentically rocking Americana tracks like "Playing With Fire" and "Sweet Gloria." "Warpaint" is undoubtedly a massive track in which the band unleashes its intangible energy with hard guitar riffs and powerful drums, while "The Usual Suspects" and "1st Time For Everything" impress with their catchy choruses. Tracks like "Dead Of Night" build on a distinct melody and develop into strong stadium rock anthems. With songs like "All I Ever Needed", The New Roses also show their softer side. The strong mid-tempo rock ballad revives the atmosphere of Guns N' Roses' moving ballads, while front man Timmy Rough passionately presents the full range of his voice, which can also be heard impressively on the touching acoustic track "True Love".


Sweet Poison is an outstanding rock album with an impressive hit density, seeing the band outdo themselves again and again, reviving true 80s rock. Hold on tight, because The New Roses shift up a gear and take you on a journey to the horizon of American rock grandeur.


Timmy Rough on the new album: “When we recorded Sweet Poison, we took all the bad vibes, all our struggle and disappointments of the last two years and turned them into this incredibly positive, high energy Rock n' Roll album. We don’t bitch at all, we wanna move forward and take our audience along with us. We stayed on our musical path, in fact I’d say we even went back closer to our roots and added some more of our Blues and Southern spirit while still keeping the catchy melodies of our last records. But hey, talk is cheap, so turn it up and have some fun.“





Sweet Poison is available to pre-order in the following formats:


- 1 LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
- 1 LP Gatefold Marbled Red Black (limited to 300 copies)
- CD Digipak + Wristband
- CD Digipak
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"My Kinda Crazy"
"Playing With Fire"
"All I Ever Needed"
"The Usual Suspects"
"Warpaint"
"Dead Of Night"
"True Love"
"1st Time For Everything"
"Sweet Gloria"
"The Lion In You"
"Veins Of This Town"
 
"The Usual Suspects" video:





Lineup:


Timmy Rough - vocals, guitar
Dizzy Daniels - guitar
Hardy - bass
Urban Berz - drums


(Photo - Vera Friederich)

Former EXODUS singer Rob Dukes performed the band's classic song "Toxic Waltz" on August 2 at the Empire Concert Club And Bar in Akron, Ohio. He was backed by members of his current group GENERATION KILL as well as musicians from DEAD BY WEDNESDAY, which is providing support on the "Generation Dead" tour. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Two months ago, Dukes once again said that it took him "about a year to not be angry about" dismissal from EXODUS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During their concert at the South Side Ballroom in Dallas, Texas on August 8, Hatebreed performed the Exodus classic, "Bonded By Blood". Watch fan-filmed video below:





Hatebreed's seminal classic, Perseverance, turned 20 years old this year. It remains one of the most important and impactful albums of the new millennium. Of course the Grammy-nominated, Connecticut hardcore crew is going back on the road to celebrate with the most brutal breakdowns and anthemic singalongs the scene has ever known.




"I can't believe it's been 20 years since the Perseverance album hit," says singer Jamey Jasta. "We're overdue for a headline tour so these shows will be ones for the ages. Show up early and support the great line up of sick bands!"


The "20 Years Of Perseverance" Tour kicks off on October 27 in Virginia Beach and runs through November 20 in San Diego. Gatecreeper will appear from October 27 through November 15, while Bleeding Through will support from November 17 through November 20. Bodysnatcher and Dying Wish will open all dates.


Get tickets here.





Dates:


October
27 - Virginia Beach, VA - Elevation 27*
30 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre*


November
4 - Sauget, IL - Pop’s*
5 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom*
7 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall*
9 - Lubbock, TX - Jakes Sports Café*
10 - Albuquerque, NM - El Rey Theater*
12 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater*
14 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater*
15 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox*
17 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom**
19 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues**
20 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues**


* no Bleeding Through
** no Gatecreeper


Lineup:


Jamey Jasta - Vocals
Chris Beattie - Bass
Wayne Lozinak - Guitar
Frank Novinec - Guitar
Matt Byrne - Drums

Vancouver, Canada's Iron Kingdom is returning in 2022 with their fifth studio album, The Blood Of Creation, to follow 2019's On The Hunt, which took the band to new heights with tours across Canada, the US, and Europe along with topping the Canadian loud radio charts at #5 (Earshot).


The Blood Of Creation continues the reign of classic heavy metal that Iron Kingdom has been presenting over the years to music lovers of the style along with keeping the flame burning for a new generation.


"We wanted to create music in a style of metal that seemed to have been forgotten when we were kids. Since no one else seemed to be doing it, we decided to play metal the way it used to be played in the 70s and 80s. That was the reason for forming Iron Kingdom. Essentially, we wanted to give people an exciting show like an early Iron Maiden, Scorpions, or Saxon show from the 1980s." recalls guitarist/vocalist Chris Osterman on the beginnings of the band.




Iron Kingdom has come a long way since their 2011 debut Curse Of The Voodoo Queen and their next offering is a potent full force of classic shredding heavy metal thunder and will take fans into some unique fantastic worlds they may or may not have experienced, but will also show a dark side of storytelling.


"I think we started as a bit more of a hard rock band on the first record, taking a progressive metal dive for Gates Of Eternity and Ride For Glory, then for On The Hunt, I’d say we went fully classic metal, leading into this new record being a pretty solid mix of all those styles combined. We also came out of the pandemic, which brought some darker emotions some people may have never experienced previously that I think this album may parallel. In the end though, we want people to get the chance to escape this world for a time and find solace in the music," adds Osterman.


The new album also sees new drummer Max Friesen (ex-Ophelia Falling) making his recording debut with the band to add another angle to their songwriting for this release. The album was self-produced by Iron Kingdom with mixing done by Andy Boldt and mastering by Greg Reely (Overkill, Fear Factory, 3 Inches of Blood).


Recommended for fans of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Helloween, and Saxon, Iron Kingdom is sharing their teaser for The Blood Of Creation that can be found below.


The album tracklisting, artwork, and singles will be revealed in the coming weeks, and you can currently pre-order the album via Iron-Kingdom.com, and/or Bandcamp.





In additional news, Iron Kingdom have announced their album launch show for November 4 in Vancouver, BC, at the Wise Hall. For more info, head here.





(Photo - Caitlin Delaplace)

In a new interview with "Real Music With Gary Stuckey", former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson reflected on the ups and downs of his four-decade music career, including his latest departure from the influential Dave Mustaine-fronted metal band.

"You find out who your friends are and you find out who your friends aren't pretty fucking quick when the shit hits the fan," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "'Cause everybody wants to be around you when you're picking up your Grammy.

"Look, life is… You're never on top all the time," he reasoned. "Your life ebbs and flows, your career ebbs and flows — all of that. I've been fortunate enough to be a career musician and I've had to go with the ebbs and flows of the good, the bad and the otherwise, sometimes from within, sometimes from without.

"In the early '90s, just when we thought everything was going awesome, Seattle music showed up," Ellefson added. "No one saw that coming. So there's all kinds of internal and external forces at work, and I think the trick is to be galvanized to be able to withstand the storms and come out the other side and still keep rocking."

Speaking about the importance of getting along with the musicians he is playing with, Ellefson said: "I've been in situations with people that were just impossible, and somehow you just learn to make it work. Sometimes the success becomes the golden handcuffs, so you just have to make it work. And unfortunately, in those situations what happens is you often start to compromise your own morality, your own beliefs, your own integrity, because you just go, 'Well, if we can just get to the other side of the ocean before we sink, we'll be okay.' And then you get to the other side and the phone rings and they say, 'Hey, we've got one more ocean for you to cross,' so you decide to do it again. [Laughs]

"The truth of it is sometimes the reward of the music and being on stage and the success and being able to be comfortable and the livelihood, those are all factors," he admitted. "You can't just base it on any one or two things, especially when you're in the music 'business.' If it were just always about having fun, well, there'd be a lot of people working day jobs while having fun. But when you're in it to win it and make music your business, you also have to put your big-boy pants on and realize it isn't all gonna go your way. And I think that's the hardest thing — is learning how to compromise and learning which battles are the ones that you wanna win and which hill it is that you're willing to die on. And oftentimes most of 'em, they seem like mountains but they're really just mole hills [laughs]; they're really not that big of a deal. And maybe that's just my upbringing in the Midwest as I learned to just kind of maybe be a little more 'go with the flow' with that stuff."

Ellefson left Jackson, Minnesota in the early '80s to move to Los Angeles, where he met former METALLICA guitarist Dave Mustaine, and the pair co-founded multi-platinum, Grammy-winning hard rock act MEGADETH, going on to become one of the "Big Four" of thrash metal. Ellefson's smalltown Jackson roots have been immortalized in MEGADETH lore as the subject of classic songs including the smash hit "Foreclosure Of A Dream" and the underground classic "Mary Jane".

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. At the time, Ellefson released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual "masturbating encounters" without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.)

David, a Christian who launched the Mega Life Ministries worship group in 2007, studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis a decade ago.

Last October, Ellefson told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that there is a perception that people of faith must set a higher standard of how they live with and treat others. "It's almost like you're this entity that's floating up toward the heavens: 'Oh, he's such a wonderful man. He's a man of faith. He's got his family. And then this happens.' It's, like, 'What the hell is this?'" he said.

"I mean, look, admittedly I've sort of trained the public to think that I'm one of the more well-behaved rock stars out there, and for the most part I have been," he continued. "But at the same time, and this isn't to claim anything other than just, oops, shit happens. That is what it is."

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

DEEP PURPLE's new touring guitarist Simon McBride recently spoke to the "Scars And Guitars" podcast about what it has been like for me him to step into the shoes previously filled by Ritchie Blackmore, Tommy Bolin, Joe Satriani and Steve Morse. Regarding his approach to playing DEEP PURPLE's classic songs, Simon said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "At the end of the day, for me, with this gig, there's been lots of people saying, or asking me will I play like Ritchie or will I play like Steve or will I do this like Tommy or Satriani or whatever. So that thing initially kind of confused me a little bit; I didn't know what to do. It was only when I was talking to [DEEP PURPLE keyboardist] Don Airey about it, and he just said, 'Forget about it all. Just be you. Play your own thing.' That's it. Which I did. And I kind of started to relax a little bit and just be myself.

"When you start to think about who else has been in the band, you get a little bit confused what to play or when to play or what to do or 'should I play this like Ritchie?' or 'should I play it like Steve?'" he continued.

"Everybody has their own opinion on the guitar players in DEEP PURPLE and which ones worked better or whatnot. I [am] respectful to everybody who's played there, because they're all good players — every single one of 'em — so whether it's Ritchie or Tommy or Steve, I just kind of [am] respectful to what they've done in the past, and I just do my own thing most of the time.

"There's certain things you have to play. Like 'Highway Star', for example, I'm not gonna play anything different to what's there in the original, because why the hell would I? [Laughs] That's my attitude. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

McBride, who had previously toured with both PURPLE singer Ian Gillan and Airey, among others, added: "I learned a lot from Don Airey over the years, playing with him, because when he plays some of the Jon Lord parts, he's, like, 'Well, have you heard the keyboard solo?' I was, like, 'Yeah.' And he said, 'Well, why in the hell would you change it?'

"Some people can be, like, 'Oh, I need to do my own thing.' And I go, 'Well, I'm sorry. But these guys spent a lot of time in the studio, or wherever it is, creating these pieces of music that fit the song. So why would I be so arrogant to say, 'I'm gonna change that just because I wanna play my own thing'? 'Cause I know, really, I wouldn't come up with anything better.

"It's case of just… I just go on and do my thing and I don't really think about it too much, what people say. People will either like me or hate me. I don't know."

As for the response he has gotten from the DEEP PURPLE fans, the Irish blues-rock guitarist said: "To be honest, everybody's been so nice and so cool and so kind, especially on the social media stuff where it's all been very positive. You get the odd negative one, but I don't read a lot of it anyway. But it's really cool that people accept me, because it is a legacy band and they've been around a long time. I really appreciate that people are digging what I do, and I feel it every night onstage. Some of the shows we've done, some of the audience reaction has been incredible.

"We played a show in Macedonia. We came off. We did an encore and stuff. And then 20 minutes later, the audience are still shouting," he recalled. "I'd never heard this my entire life — 15, 20 minutes of 10 thousand people shouting for more, just constantly, and they wouldn't leave. Even Don Airey and Roger Glover were standing there in shock, going, 'We haven't heard this in a long, long time.' I'm not saying that's all for me; I'm just saying that's just for the band.

"I'm very [happy] that people like what I'm doing because it is always hard stepping into a band where you've had [laughs] Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Morse, Joe Satriani and Tommy Bolin. They're not small names by any means, so it's always very… I think if you just play and have fun, that comes across and people respect that and people will really see.

"I'm 43, so I kind of grew up in that old-school playing method anyway. 'Cause I grew up in the '80s and '90s, so I guess I'm still part of that older generation, if you wanna call it. So the way that I play would still fit very well, whereas maybe some of the new, modern players wouldn't fit. I don't know.

"Yeah, the response has been brilliant. I can't complain at all. And I thank every single person that has said a nice thing about me."

Last month, Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who is battling cancer.

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

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

McBride, who is guitar player, singer, songwriter and a band leader all in one, hails from Belfast in Northern Ireland —a place that resonates of the best music traditions like Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher, as well as bands such as THIN LIZZY, STIFF LITTLE FINGERS and obviously U2. His biography tells many stories — from his band touring with no sound engineer, driver, or roadie, playing 30 shows in 35 days, to him regularly sharing stages with Gillan and Airey.

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

Texas death unit, I Am, will release their Eternal Steel full-length September 9 via MNRK Heavy. The band have released a video for the track, “Surrender To The Blade”, which can be found below.


Brandishing a unique blend of furious thrash and death metal like a weapon of mass destruction, I Am is purely no-nonsense in their patented “Texas Death” assault.


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




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


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


Eternal Steel will be released on CD, LP, cassette, and digitally. Preorder at iam-eternalsteel.com.





Tracklisting:


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


“Surrender To The Blade” video:





“The Iron Gate” video:





(Photo – Kevyn Reece)

Cerulean Cathedral is the third release by Cymbalic Encounters, a concept by drummer/songwriter Mark Murdock, formerly of Peter Banks Empire and recently with Fernando Perdomo’s Out To Sea Band on Cruise To The Edge.


Cerulean Cathedral features former Brand X members John Goodsall (R.I.P.) and Percy Jones, who also  contributed tracks on two previous releases; Exploration Of The Southern Constellation and Mark Murdock Cymbalic Encounters, respectively.


The album will be released on CD/digital on September 16. A vinyl release will follow on October 21. Available on all digital platforms and Bandcamp. Watch a promotional video below.







Tracklisting:


Cerulean Cathedral
The Fallout Shelter at St. Peter’s Sq.
Flight to Catharsis
The Endless Film at the Endless Theater
The Unwelcome Doormat  
Lost Shadows
Man with the Changing Face
Polarity
Falling Velocity


Promo video:





Featuring:


Mark Murdock - drums, percussion and keyboards
John Goodsall - guitar
Percy Jones - fretless bass


Additional “Cymbalic” contributors:


Hiroyuki Namba - piano and synthesizers on songs 1,2,3,4 & 9
Tim Pepper - vocal on songs 4,6 & 9
Joe Berger - lead guitar on songs 2 & 8
Jimmy Hisafumi Maeda - fretless bass on songs 5 & 8
Preston Murdock - lead guitar on songs 5 & 9
Katsumi Yoneda - guitar on songs 6 & 9
Ken Hall - electric 12 string on song 6

Christian F. Lawrence, known as “Opus”, the drummer and back bone of Dead By Wednesday, who also plays & tours with David Ellefson, Hail The Horns, and Earth, has released an autobiography about his crazy life. The book talks about touring, recording, hanging with celebrities, being a reality TV actor, and even a stint on MTV.


Read about all this, plus learn about some taboo branches on his family tree, as well as some unbelievable twists and turns life has thrown at him, in his first book, Break When I'm Dead.


The title Break When I'm Dead was taken from a DBW song off their DOA album. The book was co-written by Doug Esper who worked with Chuck Mosley of Faith No More. It features interviews and intakes by Bumblefoot (ex-Guns n’ Roses), David Ellefson (formerly of Megadeth), Brian Fair of Shadows Fall, Eric AK from Flotsam And Jetsam and many more metal giants in the rock n roll industry. The cover photo was shot courtesy of music icon Michael Alago and then designed by Melody Myers.







The book was published by Scout Media, which was established in 2013 and is an independent publishing company for aspiring authors and musicians. They have put out books so far for Jesus Jones, Dog Fashion Disco, & more.


"Break When I'm Dead chronicles Opus and his trials and tribulations through touring, recording, and writing music, as well as his stint as a reality show star and the journey of being a father through an uncertain era of politics and a pandemic. Journey along with Opus to discover some of his unusual life and personal events, as well as a shocking family tree," says Brian Paone (Scout Media).


"I’m super stoked on finally releasing my new book and ad author to my list of accomplishments. This has been a long process and in the works for a while so I’m glad it finally came into fruition. Everyone thinks they have an interesting life that should be in a book, well this is not just a stroke my own ego type book at all, I think a lot of people who read can not only relate, especially if you’re a musician but will be very surprised by some of the content. It’s always been a dream of mine to write a book and finally it’s done! I’d like to personally thank everyone involved who helped me make this a reality!" says Opus (drummer of DBW).

Metz, France-based death metal quartet, Catalyst, is preparing to release their decimating second album, A Different Painting For A New World, set for October release through Dutch label Non Serviam Records.


Founded in 2017 by Jules Kicka, Catalyst drags the old-school death metal sound forward to open it up to more contemporary, technical, and progressive shades. The band’s well-received Dawn Of A Dreadful Fate debut EP was released in the band’s first year of existence, followed by the critically acclaimed first album, The Great Purpose Of The Lords, in 2019. Now, 2022 sees Catalyst prepared to unleash their devastating second LP, A Different Painting For A New World.


The original story of The Catalyst, a vital core character of the band’s concept, is here delivered through ten brand new tracks that push Catalyst’s sound to new levels of technical prowess. The hour-long A Different Painting For A New World is a diverse, enigmatic, and epic album which consumes the listener with uncompromising ferocity powerful enough to tear a hole in the sky.




Drums for Catalyst’s A Different Painting For A New World were recorded at Boundless Productions Studio with engineers Flavien Morel and Clément Denys, performed by former drummer Paul Loup who has since been replaced by Stéphane Petit. The rest of the instruments were recorded by the band’s guitarist/vocalist Jules Kicka, bassist/backing vocalist Jefferson Brand, and guitarist/backing vocalist Florian Iochem, after which the tracks were mixed and mastered by HK Krauss at Vamacara Studio (Loudblast, Sinsaneum, Dagoba). The artistic direction of the album’s impressive cover was entrusted to Vincent Fouquet from Above Chaos (Meshuggah, Moonsorrow, Kataklysm), highlighting the battle between The Creator and The Catalyst, illustrating several tracks of the album, with photography from Mathieu Ferrera.


Catalyst collectively declares, "We are beyond excited to finally reveal the result of our hard work for the past three years. This magnum opus is called A Different Painting For A New World and is way more brutal and epic than our previous releases. With this album, we tried to push our own boundaries, to go further to create something unique to our eyes, something that we are proud of. We can't wait to show you the result of those years of work!”


A Different Painting For A New World will be released through Non Serviam Records on October 14 as a limited digipak CD including a 16-page booklet, as a gatefold 2xLP including colored vinyl, and on all major digital platforms.


A Different Painting For A New World can be pre-ordered at the Catalyst Bandcamp here and the Non Serviam Records webshop here.


Watch for multiple official singles and videos to be issued advancing the release of A Different Painting For A New World.





A Different Painting For A New World tracklisting:


"Gathering Of New Forces"
"To Unleash Thy Heinous Fate"
"The Last Warning"
"Worms And Locusts"
"Arise Of The Anathema"
"Paragon Of Devastation"
"Behold Thy Purification"
"Peripeteia"
"The Catalyst's End"
"A Different Painting For A New World"





Lineup:


Jules Kicka – guitar, lead vocals
Jefferson Brand – bass, backing vocals
Florian Iochem – guitar, backing vocals
Stéphane Petit – drums, backing vocals


(Photos - Mathieu Ferrera)

Unhealer was formed in the deep woods of Dalecarlia, Sweden in the pandemic summer of 2020. Founding members Jonas Gryth and Pär Wallman picked up where they left off many years ago, playing a blend of hardcore and metal.


At first, it was all about good old punk rock fun with no particular plan, but hours turned into songs and after about a year they hit the studio. Jonas long-term musical partner Andreas Baier, (also in V, Besvärjelsen, Afgrund), was brought in to put his brutal voice into the songs. The studio session went beyond anything the members had expected and secured an overseas deal with Wormholedeath.


The band's self-titled debut album, Unhealer, will be released on August 28 via Wormholedeath worldwide.




Unhealer speaking of their debut stated: The self-titled debut full length of Unhealer was recorded in two separate sessions 2021-2022. The band signed to Wormholedeath in between the two recording sessions. Musically Unhealer will appeal to people who like some metal with their hardcore or some hardcore with their metal. Melodic progressive riffs, straight-on up-beat moshpit, and fiercely screaming vocals will hit the listener, most likely like a cast iron fist to the chest. Lyrically the album throws a hard punch on totalitarian -ism´s but also tells stories about sociological phenomena, broken friendships, and personal loss."





Tracklisting:


"Stretch This Cold Heart"
"Claimant"
"Sedate Enslave"
"The Stand"
"The Nest"
"Caliphate"
"The Ghost"
"Behavioural Repertoire"
"Stand Trial"


"Claimant" audiostream video:





Lineup:


Jonas Gryth – guitars
Pär Wallman – drums
Andreas Baier – vocals

Ugly Kid Joe are back! With Rad Wings Of Destiny - set for international release on October 21 via Metalville Records - the Californians release their first studio album in seven years.


For the new songs, the band once again worked with producer Mark Dodson, who was already responsible for Ugly Kid Joe's multiplatinum debut album, America's Least Wanted, in 1992, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.


Rad Wings Of Destiny will be released as CD digi, vinyl, and limited fan box. In November, Ugly Kid Joe will return to Europe to present the new songs live to their fans.







Rad Wings of Destiny tracklisting:


"That Ain't Livin'"
"Not Like The Other"
"Everything’s Changing"
"Kill The Pain"
"Lola"
"Dead Friends Play"
"Up in the City"
"Drinkin' And Drivin'"
"Failur"
"Long Road"


"Kill The Pain" video:





"That Ain't Livin'" video:





Lineup:


Whitfield Crane: Vocals
Klaus Eichstadt: Guitar
Dave Fortman: Guitar
Cordell Crockett: Bass
Zac Morris: Drums


+


Shannon Larkin: Drums
Sonny Mayo: Guitar
Chris Catalyst: Guitar

Banger TV has uploaded a video of Gary Holt (EXODUS, SLAYER),Nick Oliveri (STÖNER, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, KYUSS) and Kyle and Kelley Juett (MOTHERSHIP) sharing their MOTÖRHEAD stories and love for the Lemmy-fronted band.

Holt said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm convinced, and have been for decades, that there's more than one Lemmy, or at least there was.

"We [in EXODUS] used, back in the day, to squander more money on tours," he continued. "When we did a European tour, we insisted that we had to spend a week in London first — to acclimate to the time change. Basically, it was us partying like fucking animals for five to seven days. This was when Lemmy still lived in England and London. And we'd go out to a bar and there's Lemmy. We'd go up and hang out [with] him, do some drugs or whatever and have some drinks. [We'd tell him] 'We're gonna go to this other place.' 'All right. See you guys later.' And we'd get there and he's already sitting at the bar; I mean, he's been there for an hour. And then we went to another place and he's there ahead of us, and we left him sitting at the bar. And ever since then we're convinced that there's at least three different Lemmys, 'cause he couldn't possibly have done it. But, you know, Lemmyis God, so…"

An official video for a cover of MOTÖRHEAD's "Ace Of Spades" by Philip H. Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA),Holt, Chuck Garric (ALICE COOPER),Sacha Dunable (INTRONAUT),Oliveri (STÖNER, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, KYUSS),Dwid Hellion (INTEGRITY),and Zach Wheeler and Tom Polzine (HOWLING GIANT) can be seen below. The track is taken from the MOTÖRHEAD tribute album, "Löve Me Förever: A Tribute To Motörhead", which was released on June 19 via the new in-house label, Psycho Waxx, created by the founders of Psycho Las Vegas festival.

"Ace Of Spades" is one of rock and roll's most beloved and sacred anthems. Covering the bombastic ode to gamblers everywhere is a heavy crown to bear for any musician up for the task. That's why when Psycho Waxx proposed this sacred rite, it was asked of Psycho Las Vegas's most prestigious alumni and metal heavyweights. Rockers whose cred cannot be questioned were challenged to make this legendary piece of music sound fresh, heavy and ring true to MOTÖRHEAD fans all over the world.

Every rock and roll all-star featured on the song contributes a different offering in worship of Lemmy. Anselmo's jagged molasses vocals bounce off Hellion's demon howls while Holt's signature shredding gives the track an extreme outlaw's metallic edge. If you hear that desert rock vibe with a hardcore kick in it, you got Oliveri to thank for that. Kelley and Kyle Juett from MOTHERSHIP contribute the space rock rhythms that blast this message off through the atmosphere to deliver it straight to Lemmy. Wheeler and Polzine contribute HOWLING GIANT's crushing rock and roll to keep the track grounded close to the Earth, adding that massive, unmistakable groove. Sprinkle in Dunable's awesome virtuosity on guitar and Garric's legendary bass and you have a recipe for one of the greatest covers in rock and metal history.

MOTÖRHEAD was a dream headliner for the very first Psycho Las Vegas in 2016, and when the world lost the legendary Lemmy Kilmister, his band became an essential part of Psycho's DNA. In commemoration of Lemmy's legacy, Psycho Waxx is unleashing a double album of MOTÖRHEAD tracks by some of the festival's biggest bombers, being cut during the fest last year (August 20-22, 2021) at National Southwestern Recording in downtown Vegas.

"Löve Me Förever: A Tribute To Motörhead" track listing:

01. KING DUDE - Killed by Death
02. STÖNER - R.A.M.O.N.E.S.
03. HIGH ON FIRE - Iron Fist
04. CEPHALIC CARNAGE - Order / Fade to Black
05. EYEHATEGOD -Motörhead
06. LORD BUFFALO - God Was Never On Your Side
07. HOWLING GIANT w/ Chuck Garric & Calico Cooper - Love Me Like A Reptile
08. MOTHERSHIP - Bomber
09. FOIE GRAS - Born to Lose
10. PSYCHLONA - Iron Horse
11. BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT w/ Matt Pike - Please Don't Touch
12. CREEPING DEATH - In the Name of Tragedy
13. THE BRIDGE CITY SINNERS - Go to Hell
14. EXHORDER - Sacrifice
15. DEATH BY STEREO - Born to Raise Hell
16. MIDNIGHT - Dirty Love
17. RELAXER - America
18. Phil Anselmo / Gary Holt / Kelley Juett / Sacha Dunable / Tom Polzine / Nick Oliveri / Dwid Hellion / Kyle Juett / Chuck Garric / Zach Wheeler - Ace Of Spades

Paul Stanley (KISS),Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW) and Peter Frampton are among the rock musicians who have reacted on social media to the passing of pop icon Olivia Newton-John.

The Grammy Award-winning singer and actress, best known for her role as Sandy in "Grease", died at age 73 following her battle with breast cancer.

Newton-John's husband, John Easterling, confirmed his wife's death Monday via her verified Facebook page, writing that Newton-John "passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends."

"Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer," Easterling wrote. "Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer."

Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 at the age of 43. The cancer returned in 2013 and in May 2019, she revealed that the disease had spread to her back.

Stanley shared a People article about Newton-John's passing and wrote on Twitter: "So Very Sad. She was everyone's sweetheart."

Frampton said: "One of the most genuinely beautiful souls has left us. Olivia Newton-John was an amazing artist in every way. She was a dear friend to me and to all. Olivia is the definition of the phrase 'Down to earth'. I love you Liv".

Bach wrote: "Always get sad when someone has been part of our life forever is no longer here. Can't even explain how much the movie Grease meant to me my dad my family and my wife. I think my favorite Olivia Newton-John song is Magic from Xanadu. I can never get that song out of my head".
So Very Sad. She was everyone’s sweetheart.
Olivia Newton-John Dead at 73: The Star and Grease Icon Dies of Breast Cancer https://t.co/JS1HaHqph0 via @people

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) August 8, 2022


Always get sad when someone has been part of our life forever is no longer here. Can't even explain how much the movie Grease meant to me my dad my family and my wife 🙏 I think my favorite Olivia Newton-John song is Magic from Xanadu 🎶I can never get that song out of my head ✌️ https://t.co/EYrLsY9nk4

— Sebastian Bach (@sebastianbach) August 8, 2022


So sorry to hear about Olivia Newton-John. I was in a band with her 1969/70 called Toomorrow.
RIP Livvy pic.twitter.com/TAtFcNN6Wd

— THE CHRIS SLADE TIMELINE (@SladeTimeline) August 8, 2022


Awful news.https://t.co/KU9sp8pbK1

— Todd La Torre (@ToddLaTorre) August 8, 2022


Fell in love with ONJ watching this performance as a lad. Dearly missed @olivianjhttps://t.co/zV8NmuWQyv

— Todd Dammit Kerns (@todddammitkerns) August 8, 2022


One of the most genuinely beautiful souls has left us. Olivia Newton-John was an amazing artist in every way. She was a dear friend to me and to all. Olivia is the definition of the phrase “Down to earth”. I love you Liv pic.twitter.com/FKyUd7WfRs

— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) August 8, 2022


R.I.P. Olivia Newton John!!! a.k.a. “Sandy” I had this image of her from grease when I was younger!!! Gone too soon!!! #fuckcancer#Greasepic.twitter.com/wyM8CgrfUJ

— John Corabi (@Crablegs59) August 8, 2022


Olivia Newton-John - Sam - YouTube https://t.co/trfTtKAV48

— Phil Campbell (@MotorheadPhil) August 8, 2022