PRIMUS has unveiled a music video for "Follow The Fool", the final single off its new "Conspiranoid" EP. Their first new music in more than five years, the EP features several commentaries on what frontman Les Claypool described as "the mental state of the contemporary world," with "Follow The Fool" asking the pointed question — "who's the bigger fool? Is it the fool, or is the fool who follows the fool." A special vinyl release of the "Conspiranoid" EP is out now via ATO Records.

PRIMUS announced the "Conspiranoid" EP in April with the release of its epic, 11-minute opening track, "Conspiranoia". "I'd been itching to record an opus — basically a long, winding, bastard of a song, reminiscent of some of the compositions I cut my teeth (or ears) on, in my music-hungry adolescence," Claypool said. "'Conspiranoia' was sprouted from a seed I had planted in my notebook a year or so ago — a few lines commenting on the mental state of the contemporary world."

Claypool elaborated on the genesis for the single and its accompanying B-sides in an interview with Consequence. He said: "With our new studio in the works and some impending touring, we decided the world needed to be subjected to some new PRIMUS material. Not wanting, or even having the time for recording an entire album, the notion of a 'single' was tossed around. I'd been itching to record an opus — basically a long, winding, bastard of a song, reminiscent of some of the compositions I cut my teeth (or ears) on, in my music-hungry adolescence. I said to the fellas, 'Let's record a 20-minute song.' The end result was an 11-and-a-half minute, progressive hunk of sound called 'Conspiranoia'.

"'Conspiranoia' was sprouted from a seed I had planted in my notebook a year or so ago — a few lines commenting on the mental state of the contemporary world," he explained. "I watched the distrust and divide grow between friends, colleagues, relatives, and the general population because of the consumption and digesting of disinformation, misinformation, warped information, and flat-out fairy tales being perpetuated by anyone with a slight hint of web design aptitude. I was compelled to shed light on the ridiculousness of many of these perspectives and the lack of rational thought that was being applied in the interpretation of many such entities and theories.

"Because the single 'Conspiranoia' is of such length, I realized that for a B-side of the vinyl, we would need at least two tunes to fill out the real estate of the actual 12-inch disc," Les added. "I had the song 'Follow The Fool' in the chamber and we fleshed it out. [Guitarist] Larry Lalonde had the riff for the song that became 'Erin On The Side Of Caution', which I supplied the lyrics for by again pulling from my notebook of notions. Because all three songs were bred in an odd time of divide, confusion, angst, frustration, and social senility, the title 'Conspiranoid' seemed like an appropriate moniker for the EP."

The release of the "Follow The Fool" video comes just before the final U.S. shows of PRIMUS's wildly popular "A Tribute To Kings" tour in Vail, Colorado on August 12 and August 13, which will find them performing RUSH's 1977 album "A Farewell To Kings" in its entirety, following a set of their own music. As Claypool told Rolling Stone, the "A Tribute To Kings" tour was about paying tribute to a band that has given him so much inspiration over the years. The band will also be performing a two-night run of "A Tribute To Kings" in November in Chile.

"'Hemispheres' was my first concert," Claypool said, referring to RUSH's 1978 album and tour. "Originally we'd always kind of joked around about doing 'Hemispheres'… but we settled on 'Kings', because A) it was the first RUSH record I ever heard and B) it contains 'Cygnus X-1', which has always been my favorite RUSH tune. It seems to be a good one for us to tackle; '2112' seemed a little obvious."

After the release of two new singles following a decade-long hiatus, THE MARS VOLTA has unveiled details surrounding its seventh full-length album, "The Mars Volta", due on September 16. The new album bravely challenges everything you thought you knew about them, delivering their most exciting, most accessible, and most sophisticated music yet.

Today, the band also releases a third single and music video for "Vigil", with Cedric Bixler-Zavala noting: "And the obits wait for a perfect name."

In addition, "The Mars Volta" is now available for digital and physical pre-order. Digitally the album will be available in Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, and physically on CD and vinyl with Clouds Hill holding an exclusive, kinetic version of the vinyl. A special, gold-foiled outer sleeve with embossed art will be available on LP, CD and cassette.

The new album shakes loose some of THE MARS VOLTA's long-standing shibboleths, with only two tracks lasting longer than four minutes, and the dizzying, abrasive prog stylings of earlier albums absent. "The Mars Volta" pulses with subtle brilliance, Caribbean rhythms underpinning sophisticated, turbulent song craft. This is guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala at their most mature, most concise, most focused. Their sound and fury channeled to greatest effect.

"The Mars Volta" track listing:

01. Blacklight Shine
02. Graveyard Love
03. Shore Story
04. Blank Condolences
05. Vigil
06. Qué Dios Te Maldiga Mí Corazón
07. Cerulea
08. Flash Burns From Flashbacks
09. Palm Full Of Crux
10. No Case Gain
11. Tourmaline
12. Equus 3
13. Collapsible Shoulders
14. The Requisition

"Vigil" follows the release of the singles and short films for "Blacklight Shine" and "Graveyard Love". The short films, directed by Rodríguez-López depict the beauty of life in Puerto Rico and rail against U.S. colonial rule.

THE MARS VOLTA has announced its first live shows in ten years. Dates have been added to select cities due to overwhelming demand with many of the shows now sold out.

THE MARS VOLTA tour dates:

Sep. 22 - The Factory in Deep Ellum - Dallas, TX
Sep. 23 - The Factory in Deep Ellum - Dallas, TX
Sep. 25 - Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
Sep. 27 – The Metropolitan Opera House - Philadelphia, PA
Sep. 29 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
Sep. 30 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY
Oct. 01 - MGM Music Hall at Fenway - Boston, MA
Oct. 03 – The Anthem - Washington, DC
Oct. 05 - Massey Hall - Toronto, ON
Oct. 06 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Detroit, MI
Oct. 08 - Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL
Oct. 09 – The Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 11 - The Mission Ballroom - Denver, CO
Oct. 14 - Moore Theatre - Seattle, WA
Oct. 15 - Moore Theatre - Seattle, WA
Oct. 18 - The Warfield - San Francisco, CA
Oct. 19 - The Warfield - San Francisco, CA
Oct. 21 - Hollywood Palladium - Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 22 – Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA
Oct. 23 – Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA

Formed by guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, THE MARS VOLTA rose from the ashes of El Paso punk-rock firebrands AT THE DRIVE-IN in 2001. On a mission to "honor our roots and honor our dead", THE MARS VOLTA made music that fused the Latin sounds Rodríguez-López was raised on with the punk and underground noise he and Bixler-Zavala had immersed themselves in for years, and the futuristic visions they were tapping into. The albums that followed were one-of-a-kind masterpieces, their songs of breath-taking complexity also possessing powerful emotional immediacy. After the group fell silent, a legion of devotees (including Kanye West) kept up an insistent drum beat for their return. Now — a year after "La Realidad De Los Sueños", a luxurious 18-LP box-set compiling their back catalog, sold out its 5,000 print run in under 24 hours — THE MARS VOLTA is back.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

KINGS OF THRASH tour dates:

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

VIP packages are available for all shows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn and Jared MacEachern held the latest "Electric Happy Hour" on Friday, August 5 during which they performed the band's debut album, 1994's "Burn My Eyes", in its entirety to mark the LP's 28th birthday. They were joined for the celebration by original "Burn My Eyes" drummer Chris Kontos. In addition to all of the beer drinking, banter and merriment, they also performed a healthy selection of their favorite cover songs like SLAYER's "Black Magic", METALLICA's "Motorbreath", SEPULTURA's "Territory" and EXODUS's "A Lesson in Violence".

Released worldwide on August 9, 1994, "Burn My Eyes" was and still is considered to be one of the most important albums of its genre, garnering the band an unprecedented level of recognition and spawning a myriad of imitators — all from just MACHINE HEAD's first record.

In 2019, Flynn, Kontos and "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader reunited — along with MacEachern — to celebrate the LP's 25th anniversary on tours in Europe and the U.S.

Asked by Metal Hammer if it bothers him that some fans still regard "Burn My Eyes" as MACHINE HEAD's best album, Flynn said: "No. The clincher for me, and this rarely happens, is when someone says, 'You should write 'Burn My Eyes' again,' but it'd be so phony! I'm not 24, fuckin' running around on the streets. It was real and that's why it came out the way it did. If I tried to do it now, it wouldn't be real. Those times made me who I am and affected me forever and I'm fearless because of them, but I'd like to think that I've aged gracefully and I hope to continue to do that. How dumb would it be for some [50]-something dude to be acting like some teenage gangster? It'd be ridiculous."

Kontos left MACHINE HEAD before the release of the band's second album, 1997's "The More Things Change", and was replaced by Dave McClain.

McClain and guitarist Phil Demmel exited MACHINE HEAD in the fall of 2018.

Adam Duce, who played bass on "Burn My Eyes", was fired from MACHINE HEAD in February 2013. He was replaced four months later by MacEachern. Adam later sued MACHINE HEAD, claiming that the other bandmembers "simply kicked him out of the band and presumed he would forget about over two decades of hard work, dedication, and effort" he put into the group. Duce also said his likeness was used on the band's web site and in promotions without his authorization. The lawsuit was settled out of court in July 2014.

MACHINE HEAD will release its tenth studio album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", on August 26 via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings.

The band's current lineup is rounded out by Polish guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston (DEVILMENT, EASTERN FRONT).

The members of THE OFFSPRING escaped unharmed after one of their vehicles caught fire Saturday while they were en route to Rimouski, Quebec, Canada for a concert.

The veteran punk rock act took to social media yesterday to share a short video of the burning vehicle, and included the following message: "While traveling through Canada yesterday, something flew off the vehicle in front of us and became wedged underneath one of our SUVs and it caught fire. Everyone got out safely, but the luggage, passports, laptops and pretty much everything else was destroyed.

"We are happy to report that everyone is doing ok and we've made it safely to Rimouski and will be performing tonight at Les Grandes Fetes TELUS. Hope to see everyone there!"

THE OFFSPRING guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman also shared a clip of the burning SUV and wrote: "No one was hurt. Everyone got out of the vehicle unscathed. Unfortunately about half our crew lost all their belongings in the fire, including luggage, computers, & passports. But it could've been much worse. The band & I are so thankful & relieved that all involved are OK.

"No one is sure what started the fire yet, but the SUV hit something big & heavy, possibly a lost trailer hitch, and within seconds the vehicle was in flames. You can see from the video that they didn't even get off the Highway before everyone had to bail. No time to save any belongings. Scary shit!

"Our crew do all the heavy lifting so that we look & sound as good as possible when we take the stage. They're travel & workdays are always longer & more arduous than ours, and we can't thank them enough for all they do. To see them have to go through something like this is heartbreaking & frightening. I am so glad they are all OK!"

THE OFFSPRING reportedly played in front of 3,000 fans on Thursday (August 4) in Sherbrooke and was en route to Rimouski for the next show on its North American tour.

The band is currently on the road in support of its most recent album, "Let The Bad Times Roll".

Frequently regarded as one of the best rock bands of all time, THE OFFSPRING have garnered a reputation for their unmistakable sound and social comment. The multi-platinum band first achieved worldwide success in the 1990s with the release of their album "Smash", which sold over 11 million copies. Following "Smash", they continued to release hit after hit, popularizing rock at a mainstream level.

Throughout THE OFFSPRING's career, they've sold over a staggering 40 million albums, and toured arenas, and built a global fan base. "Let The Bad Times Roll" marks the band's tenth studio album and third album produced by the legendary Bob Rock. True to the irreverence at the core of their rock music, the band and lyricist Dexter Holland took a view to today's cultural moments and didn't shy away from creating topical material in this album.

"Let The Bad Times Roll" has been a huge global success, hitting career-high chart debuts with seven top 5 and ten top 10 international debuts and nine top ten debuts in the U.S. The album peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. chart and hit No. 1 on the Alternative Albums chart in the U.S.

Originally formed under the name MANIC SUBSIDAL, THE OFFSPRING's lineup consists of Holland, Wasserman and bassist Todd Morse. THE OFFSPRING is often credited — alongside fellow California bands GREEN DAY and RANCID — for reviving mainstream interest in rock in the 1990s.
While traveling through Canada yesterday, something flew off the vehicle in front of us and became wedged underneath one of our SUVs and it caught fire. Everyone got out safely, but the luggage, passports, laptops and pretty much everything else was destroyed. pic.twitter.com/8CjLep1Bei

— The Offspring (@offspring) August 6, 2022


We are happy to report that everyone is doing ok and we've made it safely to Rimouski and will be performing tonight at Les Grandes Fetes TELUS. Hope to see everyone there!

August 6 | Rimouski, QC | @grandesfetes

— The Offspring (@offspring) August 6, 2022



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During a question-and-answer session at this weekend's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Alissa White-Gluz, the lead vocalist of ARCH ENEMY who is also vegan and straight edge, was asked if it's difficult for her to maintain her lifestyle while she is on tour. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It super easy, actually, because I still party; I just don't intoxicate myself when I do it. But if other people wanna do that, that's their choice — it's up to them. Smoking, I'd like them to stay away 'cause I don't wanna breathe that in. But otherwise, it's really, really easy, actually. It's not even something that I think about. And actually, we have… In our tour bus, in our band and crew, I'm not the only sober one and I'm not the only vegan either, so I'm surrounded by a lot of different kinds of people and we all get along beautifully."

A little over two years ago, White-Gluz explained why being vegan is definitely metal, telling the Mercy For AnimalsFacebook page: "So, I've been vegan for over 20 years now. I was vegan before I ever started in music. I've never eaten meat in my life. I grew up in a completely vegetarian household, so going vegan was just like the logical next step. And when I started doing music, there was nothing that I wanted to talk about more than animal rights. And so I was now using this heavy, passionate form of music to sort of convey a message that I wanted to. When I'm screaming in my band, I feel like I'm screaming for the voiceless. And I can't imagine being that loud if I had nothing to say.

"Being female, being vegan and also being straight edge in the metal world is just a combination of targets on my forehead that make it really easy for me to get singled out or pushed around," she continued. "But those are just things that are so much a part of who I am that I couldn't change them even if I wanted to. And I wouldn't — I wouldn't change for anyone.

"In my opinion, metal is all about rebellion — it's about carving your own path, thinking against what everyone's trying to make you think," Alissa added. "And veganism is the ultimate form of rebellion, because you are literally taking things that people have told you are normal that deep down inside you don't think are normal that you've been conditioned to accept about your day-to-day tasks, like eating or what you wear or what you choose to buy. Everyone says that that's normal, that you need to exploit other living beings for those things, but you don't. And so taking a stand against that is what veganism is. And that is really metal."

A decade ago, Alissa snagged a Libby Award in the category of "Breakthrough Artist" from peta2, PETA's youth division. The annual Libby Awards ("Libby" is for "liberation") honor animal-friendly people and products.

White-Gluz took a stand against the universally condemned annual seal slaughter in her native Canada by shooting a striking peta2 ad that showed her above a photo of a baby seal who was about to be clubbed and read, "Bang Your Own Head, Not a Seal's." She also spoke out against the fur industry, and she encouraged everyone to buy only cruelty-free personal-care products.

TESLA has released a new single, "Time To Rock!". The official music video for the song, which can be streamed below, will make its online debut on Tuesday, August 9.

Last month, TESLA vocalist Jeff Keith told "The Chuck Shute Podcast" about "Time To Rock!": "We've been playing it live since June 11th when we played our home show here in Sacramento. So we played it live and we just kept it in the set.

"Like with all TESLA songs, we like to have that raw, live feel, and this song has totally just got that raw and live feel. So we've only played it live," he explained.

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "Time To Rock!", Jeff said: "It's that kind of song that just, you know, everything you might have going on when you go to a concert, you wanna just kind of let your hair down and this song is exactly about that. Just not let things go, but just drop 'em down and still hold 'em in your hands tight, but just let things go and let your hair down for four and a half minutes. Time to rock!"

Keith previously discussed "Time To Rock!" earlier last month in an interview with the "Metal From The Inside" podcast. Regarding the band's decision to debut the track during a live performance in early June — weeks before the song's official release — he said: "We wanted to play it live for our hometown crowd. We played Thunder Valley [Casino], which is right down the street from our houses in Sacramento; it's actually in Lincoln, California. But we wanted to play it for our hometown crowd first, because it isn't being released until August. So we thought we'd play it for our hometown crowd, and we're having so much fun with it, we're playing it for every crowd — some new material — and we're excited about that.

"You know, TESLA, we're old dogs but we still like to write new stuff," Jeff continued. "Because sometimes, being as far back as we are, you can just go out and play your catalog from '86 to whatever it may be, but we like to throw new stuff in there; we just like to write songs. So it's fun to have a new single. Actually, we have another single that was put out — gosh — last August or whatever, and it was 'Cold Blue Steel', and it's actually still doing something on the classic rock charts or something. But yeah, so it's good to have stuff that we're writing, and it's actually doing a little something."

As for whether TESLA fans can eventually expect to see a new full-length album from the group, Jeff said: "Right now, the way things work — the guys were explaining to me — 'cause usually that's all you did was made a record, since I've been in the band. And they go, now, with social media or whatever you call it — Spotify, whatever the names are; I don't go on the Internet, but it's a wonderful tool to have these iPhones and you can release a single without making a [full] record. So so far we've just put out some singles. But probably in the next year — no more than two years — we're gonna go and say, 'Let's make a whole record again.' But right now, it's very convenient because you can just download a single. And the guys were explaining to me, they go, 'Jeff, it's just like back when THE BEATLES, and before that when people would put out a single on a 45 record. Like Hank Williams, he'd do something live and just put it out as a single. Back in the day, they used to just put out singles, and then, of course, they would records too. So we're kind of in that mode. And now, instead of it being on a 45 record, it's on a digital form that you can have people download. I don't know — it's the best I can understand it."

Fan-filmed video of TESLA performing "Time To Rock!" on June 26 at Des Plaines Theater in Des Plaines, Illinois can be seen below.

TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon spoke about "Time To Rock!" in June in an interview with Robert Cavuoto of Sonic Perspectives. Asked if DEF LEPPARD's Phil Collen, who produced TESLA's latest album, 2019's "Shock", will return to helm the band's follow-up effort, Frank responded: "The 'Shock' album that Phil did, they worked really hard on that. When I say 'they,' I'm talking about Phil Collen and Brian Wheat, our bass player. Man, they really worked hard on the album. It was a collaboration. Phil wrote most of the songs. And some people thought it was a great album and other people didn't like it. But we gave it a shot. But from now on… Brian and I had a discussion… Brian and I are the founding members of the band TESLA, along with Jeff Keith. And we decided from now on, we're gonna write and produce our own music. We worked with enough producers — we've had producers coming and going our whole career — so from now on, at our age, we're gonna produce our own music. And we're actually producing a brand new single that's gonna come out [in August], and it's frickin' rocking. I'm really excited about it.

"The best thing about producing ourselves is it's imperfect and it's edgy and it's got the warts and everything and it's as real as it can be because it's us. We're not technicians where we know how to make things perfect.

"[TESLA's latest single, 2021's] 'Cold Blue Steel', we produced it ourselves, and this new song — it's called 'Time To Rock!' — I've been producing it and working on it for about two months. And it'll ultimately get put on a self-produced album."

Asked if TESLA will continue to focus on releasing individual singles before dropping another full-length album, Hannon said: "Yeah, we're gonna put out singles after singles and just focus on one song at a time, man, and rock that song.

"What happens is when you're young, man, you can write 10 songs and frickin' put out an album every year, but as you get older, like we are now, it's not as easy to do that," he explained. "So you end up sacrificing quality for quantity, and we don't wanna do that. Why put out 10 songs that are just in a rush when we can spend our time and just create singles that we're real proud of. And this one next one, I'm telling you, Jeff Keith and I are really excited about it, 'cause he and I wrote it on the road last year and I got the band to put it together. I've been chipping away on it in the studio producing it, and I'm getting ready to produce a video for it this weekend. It's called 'Time To Rock!', and it does rock."

This past March, TESLA released the official lyric video for "Cold Blue Steel". The clip, directed by Brandon Gullion and produced by Hannon, is raw and high electric energy that takes fans back to the roots of TESLA.

Originally released last August, "Cold Blue Steel" was the first TESLA song to ever be produced by the bandmembers themselves.

Last December, Hannon told Let's Rock that the lyrics to "Cold Blue Steel" have been partially misinterpreted by some fans.

"We've been getting a lot of flak from people that only hear the couple of verses in the song, thinking it's about gun control," he said. "And in a way it is, but, really, it's so much deeper than that, the lyrics. We try to definitely not take sides and be political but we wanna sing about a situation. Something like what we did with 'Modern Day Cowboy' in the '80s; we sang about foreign lands and terrorist demands and 'bang bang, shoot 'em up' and how that attitude was still happening in the world at that time, being a gunfighter, cowboy situation, but we're not pointing fingers. And that's the same way with this song, but some people only hear parts of it and have been giving us some shit about it. But if you listen to the lyrics, it's asking a question, 'What's to blame? Let's get real.' And the song is really about people that you give 'em an inch, they take a mile — whether it's a politician, whether it's a crook, whether it's a police officer. And we support our police."

He added: "There's evil intentions in all parts of life, and that's what the song is really about — just observing and asking the question, 'What's to blame?' It's not talking about 'take away guns' or any of that shit. But it started off just being a fun poke at Ronnie Van Zant. That last lyric in the song, 'Just like Ronnie said, 'Let's dump 'em to the bottom of the sea,' that's where the song started for fun. And then we took it and tried to make it a little bit more serious."

Last September, TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He is being replaced at TESLA's gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

TESLA is:

Frank Hannon - guitar
Brian Wheat - bass
Jeff Keith - lead vocals
Dave Rude - guitar
Steve Brown - drums

The official music video for the song "My Parasite" from FACE WITHOUT FEAR, the new industrial rock band featuring ex-STATIC-X and DOPE guitarist Tripp Eisen, can be seen below. The clip was created by South Town Productions from Lubbock, Texas.

Eisen is joined in the group by Reg S. on bass, Kenny "Mantis" Hoyt (CRUSHPILE) on vocals, T.J. Cooke (METHODICAL) on drums and Dante on guitar.

The first visit that Eisen made back to California after STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static's passing in 2014 was an emotional time for the guitarist. The mourning process involved spending some time with long-time STATIC-X friends and associates like Tony Campos. He had also re-connected with Ken Jay and they shared in the shock and sadness of the estranged singer's death. This trip inspired Eisen to pen two songs that he wrote as soon he returned, "Road To Hell" and "Love Kills".

"Road To Hell" was ultimately retitled "My Destruction" and appears on the 2020 STATIC-X album "Project Regeneration Vol. 1", but some unused parts of the song evolved into "My Parasite", which is a highlight of the FACE WITHOUT FEAR setlist.

FACE WITHOUT FEAR had been playing an early version of "Road To Hell", but with Eisen's collaborations with Campos and vocalist Xer0, the song was given up for what Eisen coined "Project-X", or what became "Project Regeneration". "Road To Hell" was also the opening song on STATIC-X's first teaser in 2018 and Tripp music introduced the world to the return of STATIC-X and the announcement of the upcoming album and tour, after the band's nine-year hiatus.

The two sister songs "My Destruction" and "My Parasite" therefore have a unique history with both STATIC-X and FACE WITHOUT FEAR.

"My Parasite" is a collaboration between Eisen and vocalist Mantis, and features programming by veteran sound-artist Spydah, who has done several tracks for the band.

Eisen says: "The song is about the type of person that clings to another person and sucks the life, energy and finances from you. But it is also symbolic of the parasites on society that feed off of the rich, the poor or anyone that can act as a host. It's not a deep concept, but it's universal."

Formed in 2017 by Eisen, FACE WITHOUT FEAR draws you in with gritty-yet-polished guitar work, electronic sampling, and metal vocals infused with surprisingly refined melodic phrasing.

In their lyrics, the concepts of individualism, liberty and freedom, as well as the universal experience with human relationships encompass their lyrics.

The band also takes inspiration from the conceptual and futuristic world of Ayn Rand, and is where the band's name is drawn from ("Atlas Shrugged: Part II", Chapter 9: "A face that bore no mark of pain or fear... It was a face that had nothing to hide or to escape, a face with no fear…")

After a slight hiatus due to the pandemic, FACE WITHOUT FEAR is planning several upcoming live shows which will feature an album's worth of original material, plus a few treats for fans of Tripp's previous projects as well as a few dynamic updated covers by such artists at THE BEATLES, RAMONES and MISFITS.

Eisen has not given up on an eventual reconciliation with STATIC-X even after some adversarial jabs in 2020 with his old band and executive producer Edsel Dope — who is rumored to be Xer0 — regarding the details of his involvement with the entire STATIC-X reunion. Eisen will launch a podcast in the coming weeks to chronicle his experiences in STATIC-X and his other bands.

Tripp joined STATIC-X in 1999 and recorded three albums with the platinum-selling band.

A decade and a half ago, Eisen — whose real name is Tod Rex Salvador — served time for meeting and sexually assaulting two underage females in January and February 2005.

Five years ago, Eisen told "Totally Driven Radio" that his arrest and prison sentence was "a difficult time of my life" and insisted that he has "learned from it" and "grown. What happened to me was really bad judgment, terrible mistakes that I made, and I paid a price for 'em," he said.

German thrash metal veterans SODOM will release a 40th-anniversary album, "40 Years At War - The Greatest Hell Of Sodom", on October 28 through Steamhammer/SPV. The effort sums up the band's history in an unusual and highly ambitious way.

"Our goal was to re-record one song from each of our previous albums," SODOM bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such explains. "Not necessarily the most obvious ones, we wanted to go for rarities or tracks we've never or very rarely played live."

The CD and vinyl double LP with their martial cover artwork penned by Eliran Kantor (KREATOR, TESTAMENT, GWAR, among others) include 17 tracks, all newly recorded by the current SODOM lineup featuring Frank Blackfire (guitar),Yorck Segatz (guitar) and Toni Merkel (drums).

Angelripper explains: "We cover the songs unaltered, that's to say in exactly the same key and with the original lyrics. We're better musicians now than we were back then, of course, so the new versions sound tighter and more up to date but the arrangements of the songs were deliberately kept unchanged."

SODOM's 40th-anniversary festivities will be carried over into their concerts in the fall. "We'll not only play the SODOM classics but also consider fan requests," Angelripper says. "We're launching a poll about songs we've rarely or never played live on a tour to find out which ones the fans want to hear."

That's exactly what SODOM is about: being close to their fans, full of ideas, burning for action while keeping their eyes on the goal ahead.

Angelripper says: "If you want to draw a summary of the past four decades, it can only be this: 40 years later and we're still here."

"40 Years At War - The Greatest Hell Of Sodom" track listing:

01. Sepulchral Voice
02. After The Deluge
03. Electrocution
04. Baptism Of Fire
05. Better Off Dead
06. Body Parts
07. Jabba The Hut
08. Gathering Of Minds
09. That's What An Unknown Killer Diarized
10. Book Burning
11. Genocide
12. City Of God
13. Ashes To Ashes
14. In War And Pieces
15. S.O.D.O.M.
16. Caligula
17. Euthanasia

SODOM's latest studio LP, "Genesis XIX", came out in November 2020 via Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Steamhammer/SPV in Europe. The disc was recorded by Siggi Bemm and mastered by Patrick W. Engel and comes shrouded in the cover art of Joe Petagno of MOTÖRHEAD fame.

Angelripper described "Genesis XIX" as "one of the toughest and most diverse studio recordings that SODOM have ever released."

The wait is finally over. Delain, the brainchild of keyboardist, founder and main songwriter Martijn Westerholt, returns with full power, presenting themselves with a new lineup featuring the terrific Diana Leah as their next singer. Her powerful, heart-wrenching voice fits perfectly with the band's style and adds a new strength to their sound.


Rejoining the fold and bolstering the band’s continuity are original guitarist Ronald Landa and original drummer Sander Zoer, while new members Diana and bassist Ludovico Cioffi continue the evolution of the band’s sound.


The multi-million streaming leading symphonic metal outfit sets off into their next era, creating the perfect symbiosis of tested strengths and new influences.







The band's new single, “The Quest And The Curse”, implements this in an impressive manner. Trademark bombastic riffs, lush orchestrations, elements from film music, metal, pop, electronic, and much more mark an amalgamation of the old and new, and build the next chapter of the band's history.


As Martijn Westerholt states: "The future of Dealin looks bright!"


Watch the video for “The Quest and the Curse” below:





Delain is:


Martijn Westerholt - keyboards
Diana Leah - vocals
Ronald Landa - guitars and backing vocals
Ludovico Cioffi – bass and backing vocals
Sander Zoer - drums

BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi reunited earlier today (Monday, August 8) in their original hometown of Birmingham, England to perform the band's classic song "Paranoid" — preceded by a truncated version of "Iron Man" — at the closing of the city's Commonwealth Games. They were joined by two musicians from the band's final tour, Adam Wakeman, who played bass and keyboards, and drummer Tommy Clufetos.

A few years ago, Osbourne said that he was open to the possibility of a SABBATH reunion at the Commonwealth Games, telling ITV that it "would be fantastic" to play at the the opening ceremony for the 2022 Games. "With BLACK SABBATH or on my own," he said at the time.

Late last month, Iommi took part in the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. Iommi and acclaimed saxophonist Soweto Kinch led a "dream sequence" piece, titled "Hear My Voice", based on the lead track from the 2020 film "Trial Of The Chicago Seven" at the event on July 28. After Tony and Soweto played an extended instrumental lead-in, they were joined by the City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and a 700-strong community choir.

The ceremony took place at Alexander Stadium in front of an audience of more than 30,000, with the event also being broadcast live on BBC One and iPlayer to an estimated global television audience of one billion.

Headlining the ceremony was the new wave group DURAN DURAN, with additional appearances by some of the city's most celebrated artists under the musical direction of rapper, artist and educator Joshua "RTKal" Holness.

After the ceremony, Ozzy tweeted: "@TonyIommi , I was really proud to see you tonight at the opening of the Commonwealth Games in our home town of Birmingham".

Earlier that week, Iommi talked to BirminghamWorld about the pressure of performance for such a large audience.

"A billion people tuning in is a huge figure," he said. "It's going to be seen not just across the Commonwealth but throughout the world. We really have to do Birmingham proud.

"Representing Brum is a great honor and I'm bursting with pride to be doing it. I've flown the flag for Birmingham all of my life because it's my city and it's given me wonderful opportunities.

"I like to think that BLACK SABBATH helped to put Birmingham on the map musically, and it's great now that the Games ceremony will feature so many talented people from the city. It means a hell of a lot to me. But I have to admit, there'll be a bit of stage fright on the night. I haven't played onstage at a big show for five years since the final SABBATH show in February 2017."

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games saw around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete in 19 sports and eight para-sports across 15 competition venues from July 28 July until August 8.

Last year, Iommi was asked by The Mercury News about the possibility of another BLACK SABBATH tour at some point in the not-too-distant future. He laughed and replied: "I wouldn't think so. But it's a strange thing with SABBATH — how many times we thought we were with Ozzy, then we had [Ronnie James] Dio, then back to Ozzy, then Dio again, and then Ian Gillan and Tony Martin and Dio and back to Tony Martin. It's gone backwards and forwards at different stages. So, you just never know.

"I think it's highly unlikely that we'd get back onstage again," he said. "It certainly wouldn't be touring. We'd only do so many shows, if anything.

"I would like to play with the guys again. But I can't see that happening.

"The reason we stopped touring in the first place was basically my fault, because I had to be careful of my health," Iommi explained. "When you book a tour — and it's always an 18-month tour — it doesn't sound a lot when you talk about it at first. But when you get out there, and you are touring, it's bloody hard work. And it wasn't particularly good for my health, because of the blood cancer. So, I said, 'Look, you know, this should the last tour, I think.' But I really do miss it. I really miss playing onstage. I miss seeing the audience."

Iommi revealed his cancer diagnosis in early 2012, shortly after SABBATH announced a reunion tour and album. He underwent treatment throughout the recording of the disc, titled "13", and the subsequent tour to promote it.

Texas hard rock stalwarts DROWNING POOL have announced "Strike A Nerve", their first new record since 2016. In addition, the band has released "Mind Right", the first, intense taste of "Strike A Nerve" and a perfect re-introduction to the band for the 2020s. 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.

"This record is so badass, it's perfect. It's the four of us doing what we do to the best of our abilities," says DROWNING POOL vocalist Jasen 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," adds longtime DROWNING POOL guitarist CJ 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," continues 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!"

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.

"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, Benton and Luce 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.

DROWNING POOL is Jasen Moreno (vocals),CJ Pierce (guitar),Stevie Benton (bass) and Mike Luce (drums).

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

"Mind Right" is out now on all DSPs.

DROWNING POOL fall 2022 tour dates:

Sep. 17 - Central Florida Metal Fest - Orlando, FL
Sep. 26 - Lafayette's Music Room - Memphis, TN
Sep. 28 - Jergels - Warrendale, PA
Sep. 29 - The Eclectic Room - Angola, IN
Sep. 30 - The Machine Shop - Flint, MI
Oct. 01 - Stormy's Music Venue - Beaver Dam, WI
Oct. 02 - The Forge - Joliet, IL
Oct. 04 - The Winchester Music Tavern - Lakewood, OH
Oct. 05 - The Blue Note - Harrison, OH
Oct. 07 - Hard Times Four Mile Fork - Fredericksburg, VA
Oct. 08 - Stage West Penn State - State College, PA
Oct. 09 - RV Music Fest (Ellie Ray's Resort) - Branford, FL
Oct. 09 - Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ
Oct. 11 - The Concourse - Knoxville, TN
Oct. 12 - Shagnasty's - Huntsville, AL
Oct. 14 - The Wildcatter Saloon - Katy, TX

On August 4th, former Accept frontman Udo Dirkschneider hit the stage at Wacken Open Air 2022 for a full set of Accept classics. Check out pro-shot video of "Princess Of The Dawn" below.





Udo Dirkschneider released his new album, My Way, on April 22nd via Atomic Fire Records. According to the label,  Dirkschneider made the sensational jump to #4 in the official German album charts. For the 70-year-old metal icon, this is the highest chart entry of his career, outshining Accept's 1986 classic  Russian Roulette (#5) and the U.D.O. 2018 album, Steelfactory (#7).







He is THE constant among the German metal scene - Udo Dirkschneider. Originally becoming world-famous as a founding member of Accept, he continues to steadily expand upon his international successes with his U.D.O. and Dirkschneider outfits. Remaining true to himself over the years in a way few musicians could, Dirkschneider consistently bucks music industry trends in favor of following his heart. Yet his most personal and extraordinary album to date will be released on April 22: My Way.


This new release contains 17 cover versions of the very songs that have influenced the musician and singer the most. All kinds of classics from music history are among them - including those that you might not expect from Udo. Not only does a very personal story lie behind each of the tracks, but also a sometimes surprising arrangement that, despite the very individual implementation, lives and breathes Udo’s manuscript throughout. “Now when I hear the song, I remember the time when, as a very young Udo, I’d go out to light up the town and lived all the stories that can only be experienced late at night in the clubs."


Here, Alex Harvey’s "Faith Healer" allows the artist to feel those days of an era long past. The fact that "Nutbush City Limits: is also on the album reveals a secret rarely told until now: “What hardly anyone knows so far: I was a huge fan of Ike and Tina Turner, and especially Tina’s voice, once. We always covered this song during Accept rehearsals in the early days. It was one of the mainstays of our Accept rehearsal repertoire for years. Regrettably, there is no recording of it.”


With Wolfsheim's "Kein Zurück", Udo sang in German for the first time in his career: “I immediately felt like the words understood me. It seemed to me that the lyrics were telling the story of my career, of my highs and lows and all the good and bad experiences that life has. There simply is ‘no going back’ for those who choose to live as a musician.”


The cover album also makes one thing clear: Just how many in the music industry have come and gone over the years. Yet, Udo Dirkschneider is still here.





Tracklisting:


"Faith Healer" (Alex Harvey)
"Fire" (Crazy World Of Arthur Brown)
"Sympathy" (Uriah Heep)
"They Call It Nutbush" (Tina Turner)
"Man On The Silver Mountain" (Rainbow)
"Hell Raiser" (The Sweet)
"No Class" (Motörhead)
"Rock And Roll" (Led Zeppelin)
"The Stroke" (Billy Squier)
"Paint It Black" (Rolling Stones)
"He's A Woman, She's A Man" (Scorpions)
"T.N.T." (AC/DC)
"Jealousy" (Frankie Miller)
"Hell Bent For Leather" (Judas Priest)
"We Will Rock You" (Queen)
"Kein Zurück" (Wolfsheim)
"My Way" (Frank Sinatra)


"We Will Rock You"





"He's A Woman, She's A Man"

German icons Rammstein released their debut album, Herzeleid, on September 25th, 1995 via Motor Music. YouTube user and Rammstein fan Tim Nightpain has assembled an unofficial documentary looking back on the making of the record and the band's first steps towards international fame.


Tim Nightpain: "Berlin, January 1994. Six musicians form a band that would later become one of the most popular and worldwide recognized bands from Germany: Rammstein. Selling millions of albums and filling stadium after stadium, Rammstein climbed their way up with innovation and hard work. See how it all began. This is the story of Herzeleid."







To celebrate Rammstein's first indelible impact on global hard rock history, the band and Vertigo/UMe released limited, remastered editions of the band’s groundbreaking debut on December 4th, 2020.





Herzeleid (XXV Anniversary Edition - Remastered) features the album’s original tracklist on a single CD, housed in a lavish, cross-shaped digipak with deluxe slipcase, and, for the first time ever, the remastered album with HD is available digitally.





Tracklisting:


"Wollt Ihr Das Bett in Flammen Sehen"
"Der Meister"
"Weisses Fleisch"
"Asche zu Asche"
"Seemann"
"Du Riechst So Gut"
"Das Alte Leid"
"Heirate Mich"
"Herzeleid"
"Laichzeit"
"Rammstein"

Right on time, RiverGhost emerges with their fifth single to date; "Bluebird" slows things down from a musical standpoint while expanding the meaning behind their lyrical content. What you'll notice about RiverGhost is that they're prolific - disciplined with strict consistency making slowing down a non-option. Taking a look back at their collection of singles, "Bluebird" brings their soulful sound to a higher level with the sexiest, grooviest lyrics to date. The track brings key terms like 'sultry' and 'smokey' to mind, as if "Bluebird" was the soundtrack to a late night cigar bar in the heart of Tennessee.


Though "Bluebird" channels a silkier sound than songs heard in RiverGhost's back catalogue, it retains their signature grit and guitar-driven rhythm and blues. The vocals lift you up and the harmonies take you on a trip you didn't know you needed- straight to rock n' roll church. RiverGhost exemplifies diversity while maintaining a crucial tenacity.







Stream / download "Bluebird" now at this location.


While RiverGhost has been in action since 2021, they bring their groovy rock and roll sound to 2022 with their long awaited on-record debut. This blues rock act captures the essence of classic bands like Guns N' Roses, The Black Crowes and Aerosmith with a fresh take on that sacred sound. Bringing in elements of soul, rhythm and blues and country wrapped in rock and roll, RiverGhost is paving their way as a band for all listeners to enjoy.


Tim Dolbear, producer on the track mentions: "Kaige and Randy (Boots) work together like they have been on the same team for their entire lives, kind of a Steven Tyler / Joe Perry synergy when they are in the room together. In the studio, working with the team was just effortless. All I had to do was stay out of the way and not mock it up."


Check out the four previously released songs from RiverGhost: "Sleeping Giant", "End Of The River", "Darkhorse", and "Fruit On The Vine".














For further details, visit RiverGhost on Facebook. 


 

The Dead Daisies have shared a new video recapping their 2022 European tour. The band states:


"It's been one HOT summer! We've played to tens of thousands of amazin' rockers, thank you all for coming out! Now most of us are back home safely. Join Doug & the band while they reflect on some of the highlights from the last couple of months! It's been an absolute blast! Rock is indeed alive & well!"







The Dead Daisies are set to release their sixth studio album, Radiance, on September 30. Radiance is ten tracks of pure unadulterated brilliant rock. The power of Doug Aldrich and David Lowy’s dual guitars provide a wall of sonic nectar. Frontman Glenn Hughes' rock solid bass grooves and unmatched vocal intensity, still among the greatest rock singers of all time and the matrix of Brian Tichy’s drums set the engine room on fire.


Recently, The Dead Daisies cast a spell with the third single, "Hypnotize Yourself". This track has a heavy, mesmerizing chorus, laced with Glenn’s soaring vocals, Doug and David’s duelling crushing guitars and Brian’s powerhouse heavy hitting drums.


“Our new single, is out! It’s got some hills and valleys in it, a big groove, hooky chorus and lots of rock energy! Looking forward to playing it live soon! Hope ya’ll dig it!” - Brian Tichy





Radiating heat, Radiance takes you on an exhilarating ride. The first singles off the album, "Radiance" and "Shine On" went straight to air on radio across the globe, were added to digital playlists and received with open arms by tens of thousands of fans and audiences on their EU Summer Tour when played live.


“The new album Radiance is our 2nd album with Ben Grosse producing from top to bottom. We had a great time composing and recording the record and I’m very excited for you all to hear what we put together. Definitely a heavy album but with some cool twists and turns! Hope you all like it.” - Doug Aldrich


Radiance is the second instalment The Daisies have recorded with esteemed producer Ben Grosse at the helm, recorded at The Mix Room in North Hollywood California. All the songs on Radiance are written by David Lowy, Doug Aldrich and Glenn Hughes. Hard-hitting drummer Brian Tichy returned to The Daisies in early 2022 to lay down the drums on Radiance.


“I am very much looking forward to the release of Radiance, the newest LP from The Dead Daisies! It was great to start off being back in the band by getting together with Doug, Glenn, David, and producer Ben Grosse at his studio dialling in the songs that make up Radiance. It was a very smooth, organized process of jamming with the guys getting all drum grooves and parts just right! The final result is another slab of butt-kicking rock! The guys all brought their A-Game and a tight, powerful record was created! I’m looking forward to everyone hearing it and playing more of these songs live in the near future!” - Brian Tichy


Radiance will be available as a Digipak CD with sticker, Gatefold black vinyl with printed inner sleeves and digitally from September 30. Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


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


"Shine On" video:





"Radiance" video:





US fall tour dates:


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





 

Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery has checked in with the following update:


"Hello Everyone,


Little over half way with tracking of the new 7dust record and it’s gonna be killer!! So excited about the progress so far. After that we will do a 3rd and final Animosity tour to wrap up the year.




My plan right now is to record a solo EP during the months Oct-Nov. I have debated on doing a full length but considering the fact that 7d downtime will not be as long as I originally planned, I think the better play is to do 6 song EP to release sooner than later.


It’s been nearly 3 years since I recorded God Bless The Renegades and really want to try some new directions as a writer. Once the Sevendust writing started, the solo writing took a back seat again. But now that the writing is 99% done and recording is wrapping up I’ll be focusing back on this EP.


I do these releases as a labor of love and because it’s an opportunity to explore some new ground. Still undecided on how this will be released and with who. I do plan on tracking this EP myself. I feel like I’m capable to take this on and will have it mixed by someone else because that is a skill set better left in the hands of someone else.


I’m excited about the material so far and can’t wait to record it.
For those interested in this… stay tuned for more details.
Other than that… get ready for a banger new 7d record!!!
Much love,
CL"


Sevendust continue to celebrate the 21st anniversary of their Animosity album with the upcoming final leg of the Animosity 2022 Tour, launching in September with support from Nonpoint, Bastardane, and Burden Of The Sky.





Dates:


September
9 - Danville, VA - Blue Ridge Rock-Fest
10 - Cherokee, NC - The Event Center at Harrah’s
12 - Elmira, NY - The L
13 - Portland, ME - Aura
15 - New York, NY - The Palladium
16 - Sayreville, NJ - The Starland Ballroom
17 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino
18 - Reading, PA - Reverb
20 - Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
22 - McHenry, IL - The Vixen
23 - Bloomington, IL - The Castle Theater
24 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life
26 - Charleston, SC - The Music Farm
28 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - The Culture Room
29 - Tampa, FL - Janus Landing
30 - Destin, FL - Club LA


October
1 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore


(Photo - Ashley Osborn)


 

Loudness frontman Minoru Niihara recently performed with Japanese drum prodigy Yoyoka Soma. Video of Niihara belting out the Loudness hit "Crazy Doctor" can be viewed below. 


The clip was shot at Takutaku in Kyoto, Japan on July 18th. It features:


Minoru Niihara - vocals 
Satsuma3042 - guitar / backing vocals 
Madooooon - bass
Holy - keys
Yoyoka - drums







The pioneers of Japanese heavy metal, Loudness, have released their new album, Sunburst, via earMUSIC. Available in 2CD digipak with an extensive booklet (including Japanese/English lyric translations) and digital, you can order the album here.


Even with a career that has been going strong for over 40 years, Loudness are not getting too tired to rock around the world and unleash their full power.


With the staccato, riff-driven "OEOEO", which is sung in their native language of Japanese, Loudness give praise and appreciation to their origin and roots, supported with pictures of some of Japan's most famous landmarks, such as Mount Fuji, Osaka Castle, or the Expo '70 Commemorative Park, which is where the 1970s world fair took place.


In particular, fans of guitar wizard Akira Takasaki will not be disappointed, as he shows his incomparable craft on the six-string with a performance that is second-to-none.





Back in 1981 rose the star of the Japanese hard ’n heavy scene, when Munetaka Higuchi (drums), Akira Takasaki (guitar), Minoru Niihara (vocals) and Masayoshi Yamashita (bass) were set to found a legend to this day, who is still second to none from their native Japan: Loudness was born!


During a career spanning over 40-years, Loudness built a rich musical foundation with many studio albums, EPs and live albums. With Sunburst, they’ve added another milestone to the great catalogue, their 29th studio album to be precise.


Sunburst is the band’s first official double studio album in their impressive career, making it particularly special as it can be considered a celebration of their rich musical history. The 16 songs represent the classic Loudness sound and style, highly acclaimed by fans and critics alike. Written mostly by original member and guitarist Akira Takasaki, the majority of songs are sung in Japanese, representing their appreciation of their origin and roots.





Tracklisting:


Disc 1:


"Rising Sun"
"OEOEO"
"Yamato Damashii"
"Kaso Genjitsu (Virtual Reality)"
"Crazy World"
"Stand Or Fall"
"The Sanzu River"
"Nihon No Kokoro (The Heart Of Japan)"


Disc 2:


"Kagayakeru 80's (Shining 80's)"
"Emerald No Umi (Emerald Ocean)"
"Tengoku No Tobira (Heaven's Door)"
"All Will Be Fine With You"
"Fire In The Sky"
"Hunger For More"
"The Nakigara"
"Wonderland"


"Hunger For More":

Avantasia guitarist Oliver Hartmann will release his new Hartmann album, Get Over It, on September 16th. It is now available for pre-order here.


Check out the official video for the new single, "The Gun", below.







The tracklist is as follows:


"Remedy"
"One Step Behind"
"In Another Life"
"What You Give Is What You Get"
"The Movie's End"
"Just Drive"
"The Gun"
"Can't Keep Away From You"
"Get Over It"
"Stay True To Me"
"When We Were Young"

Japanese drum prodigy Yoyoka Soma, who has become a YouTube sensation and attracted the attention of KISS icon Gene Simmons, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, recently teamed up with Loudness frontman Minoru Niihara for a performance of the Deep Purple classic, "Burn". Check it out below.


The clip was shot at Takutaku in Kyoto, Japan on July 18th. It features:


Minoru Niihara - Vocals 
Satsuma3042 - guitar / backing vocals 
Madooooon - bass
Holy - keys
Yoyoka - drums







The pioneers of Japanese heavy metal, Loudness, have released their new album, Sunburst, via earMUSIC. Available in 2CD digipak with an extensive booklet (including Japanese/English lyric translations) and digital, you can order the album here.


Even with a career that has been going strong for over 40 years, Loudness are not getting too tired to rock around the world and unleash their full power.


With the staccato, riff-driven "OEOEO", which is sung in their native language of Japanese, Loudness give praise and appreciation to their origin and roots, supported with pictures of some of Japan's most famous landmarks, such as Mount Fuji, Osaka Castle, or the Expo '70 Commemorative Park, which is where the 1970s world fair took place.


In particular, fans of guitar wizard Akira Takasaki will not be disappointed, as he shows his incomparable craft on the six-string with a performance that is second-to-none.





Back in 1981 rose the star of the Japanese hard ’n heavy scene, when Munetaka Higuchi (drums), Akira Takasaki (guitar), Minoru Niihara (vocals) and Masayoshi Yamashita (bass) were set to found a legend to this day, who is still second to none from their native Japan: Loudness was born!


During a career spanning over 40-years, Loudness built a rich musical foundation with many studio albums, EPs and live albums. With Sunburst, they’ve added another milestone to the great catalogue, their 29th studio album to be precise.


Sunburst is the band’s first official double studio album in their impressive career, making it particularly special as it can be considered a celebration of their rich musical history. The 16 songs represent the classic Loudness sound and style, highly acclaimed by fans and critics alike. Written mostly by original member and guitarist Akira Takasaki, the majority of songs are sung in Japanese, representing their appreciation of their origin and roots.





Tracklisting:


Disc 1:


"Rising Sun"
"OEOEO"
"Yamato Damashii"
"Kaso Genjitsu (Virtual Reality)"
"Crazy World"
"Stand Or Fall"
"The Sanzu River"
"Nihon No Kokoro (The Heart Of Japan)"


Disc 2:


"Kagayakeru 80's (Shining 80's)"
"Emerald No Umi (Emerald Ocean)"
"Tengoku No Tobira (Heaven's Door)"
"All Will Be Fine With You"
"Fire In The Sky"
"Hunger For More"
"The Nakigara"
"Wonderland"


"Hunger For More":

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo performance of Elton John's 1983 hit "I'm Still Standing". Check it out below.


Johansson: "This power metal version of his epic tune is a mix between the movie version (Rocket Man) the original, and a new arranged power metal version."







Johansson recently shared his solo performance of the Queen classic, "Show Must Go On". The song is taken from Queen's 1991 album, Innuendo.

Scarlett O’Hara has released their latest active rock hit “Witching Hour.” The high-powered track, produced by Andrew Baylis (whose accolades include Jelly Roll and Sleeping With Sirens), stays true to the band’s signature sound, combining melodic vocals and electronic details to complement the unyielding angst of their heavy metal influences. 





Their bold instrumentals come to life as they intertwine with a spine-chilling fictional storyline inspired by real-life commentary about mental health and inner demons:




“The instrumentals for ‘Witching Hour’ have a gothic rock vibe and so when I was writing the lyrics, I thought to myself - what if I made this about a ghost that I can see, but nobody else is willing to believe me about it? The line ‘I drown out the noises by swallowing poison’ made me think about a common saying of ‘they probably forgot to take their meds today’ as a way of calling somebody insane. Some people find comfort in drugs or other toxic outlets to make themselves feel sane or mentally exit their suffering. I wrote this song about a metaphorical ghost haunting someone and they are going through feelings of numbness, craziness, and loneliness since no one believes their story.” - Moses Lopez, Vocalist of Scarlett O’Hara


They say everything is bigger in the Lone Star State, and this is undoubtedly the case for South Texas Active Rock outlaws, Scarlett O'Hara. The band is turning heads with their heavy fusion of electronics, powerful riffs, and polished vocals, which has solidified regular placement on the Billboard charts for three consecutive releases, rotation on Sirius XM Octane, and a lineup spot at Welcome To Rockville 2021 alongside Metallica and Disturbed. They’ve teamed up with Grammy-nominated producers and spared no expense to conjure up an unrelenting discography for metalheads to relish in.


Alongside the band’s notable musical achievements, they are all Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans native to McAllen, TX - the epicenter of immigration challenges in the United States. Additionally, vocalist Moses Lopez is a proud gay frontman representing the LGBTQ+ community in the heavy rock scene. The band is showcasing the diversity and acceptance that has become synonymous with rock music - a genre built upon creating community amongst differences.


Scarlett O’Hara is pushing the active rock genre to new heights musically and ideologically - their only hope is that you’ll join them at the Brodeo. With more shows and new releases in 2022, this is only the beginning of the band’s new chapter in rock history.

Global doom metal supergroup MMXX have announced their new album Sacred Cargo will arrive November 11 via Candlelight Records. Preorder here.


Today, the band has shared the video for "Perdition Mirror," featuring guest vocalist Mick Moss of Antimatter.


Born during the initial lockdown of Rome and New York City, and incubated as the seasons passed, doom metal supergroup MMXX is the sound of global isolation.




At the core of MMXX is Andrea Chiodetti (ex-The Foreshadowing) on guitars and keys, Jesse Haff on drums (Daylight Dies + Gökböri) and Egan O'Rourke on bass (Daylight Dies). Together, they channeled inspiration for composition after composition to collaborate with a geographically, culturally, and stylistically diverse collection of celebrated vocalists and musicians from around the world.


"Sacred Cargo started during one of the darkest moments of lockdown," explains guitarist Chiodetti. "It was a creative expression, processing what was happening to the world around us. What makes this project unique is that every piece and its lyrics (provided by each singer), all composed during the height of the pandemic, is able to give voice to a deeply intimate part of all of us. They're lyrics that belong to every person who lived through and shared that collective experience." 


The end result, Sacred Cargo, is a dynamic and diverse release, simultaneously densely heavy while retaining elements of etherealness and light, with each guest vocalist layering in their own perspective to culminate in this eclectic compendium of music reflecting an experience sadly understood by all. 





Drummer Haff adds, "It's amazing to me that the grand vision of this album — one in which we had different vocalists from around the world contributing their own lockdown experience — was actually achieved. Andrea and I imagined our ideal end result and just went for it but underestimated how much coordination would be required by everyone to truly pull it off. I'm amazed that so many talented people connected with the intent behind the project and agreed to participate. I'm deeply grateful for that. We didn't have to describe some foreign science fiction concept — unfortunately it is a directly understood reality experienced by all. I think the idea of directly channeling our unique perspectives into a collective expression resonated with everyone, as an obvious way to mark this era of our lives." 


Of the new single, Haff says, "'Perdition Mirror' was one of the last songs written for the album. In fact its working title was 'Final.' Almost from the first chord the slow fuse is lit towards the tension and momentum that erupts at the end of the song. Because the journey to that point is plodding and calculated, we knew an exceptionally strong vocal performance would make or break the song. Thankfully, the deeply talented Mick Moss stepped in and everything perfectly crystalized into place. As a musician, it really feels like luck when all the elements come together to deliver a simple yet powerful song where you wouldn't change a thing."


Guest vocalist Moss adds, "For the lyrics of 'Perdition Mirror,' I wanted to reflect on what our role, as a species, has been in the unleashing of the recent pandemic as we outstrip our environment and cut into the wildlife with catastrophic results. Two articles, one in the Boston Globe, another in the New York Times, gave me so much clarity during the writing. To quote David Quammen in the latter article, ''We disrupt ecosystems, and we shake viruses loose from their natural hosts. When that happens, they need a new host. Often, we are it'.' Alan Wiesman, in the former, elaborates ''Humankind's presence on Earth is now so lopsided that growing and grazing our food supply requires nearly half the world's ice-free land, literally pushing other species off the planet. As we invade their habitats, and poach remaining wildlife for market, their resident viruses and bacteria jump to the handiest species left: us.' That’s how nearly 75 percent of new infectious diseases this century originated. As temperatures rise, even more will spawn." 


Guest vocalists appearing on the forthcoming album include Dan Swanö of Edge of Sanity and of Nightingale (Sweden), Yann Ligner of Klone (France), Mick Moss of Antimatter and of Sleeping Pulse (UK), Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride (UK), Mikko Kotamäki of Swallow the Sun (Finland),  Carmelo Orlando of Novembre (Italy),  Marco Benevento of The Foreshadowing (Italy), Chris Cannella of Autumns End (USA), and Egan O'Rourke of Daylight Dies (USA).





Tracklisting:


"This Breath Is Not My Breath" (Feat. Mikko Kotamäki)
"Perdition Mirror" (Feat. Mick Moss)
"The New Forgotten Ones" (Feat. Yann Ligner)
"Faint Flickering Light")
"The Tower" (Feat. Mick Moss)
"Unavailing" (Feat. Marco Benevento, Chris Cannella)
"Der Nukleus" (Feat. Carmelo Orlando)
"Sacred Cargo" (Feat. Aaron Stainthorpe)
"Espirare"
"Shadow Haven" (Feat. Dan Swano)


“Perdition Mirror” video:

In a new interview with Riff X's "Metal XS", SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith spoke about his mental health during the start of the pandemic and the early days of shutdown orders. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When everybody was getting really, really scared during the pandemic, I was getting really, really educated. Because what I did was… First of all, I didn't even know what a pandemic was. I'd never heard of COVID-19. I didn't understand what a coronavirus was. The very first thing I read, though, was that coronavirus is the common cold — the same family. So immediately, I remember reading that and going, 'Well, you're never gonna get rid of this. You have to become immune to it.' And then it got polarized and it got politicized and everything else, because now, I mean, you can look and see — these two and a half years, they have the data of what it did and what it didn't do; you can't really hide it.

"The thing is that you have to educate yourself," he continued. "And with a pandemic, you've gotta remember something: it's not the first virus in human history; it won't be the last. And also, if you would like to know something that I learned by educating myself, all pandemics have one thing in common, and that is they all ended."

SHINEDOWN is currently promoting its latest album, "Planet Zero", which topped all four Billboard rock album charts in its first week of release: Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums. The set sold 50,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 43,000 were via album sales. On the all-genre Billboard 200, "Planet Zero" came in at No. 5, marking SHINEDOWN's fifth top five title. It also landed at No. 1 on the all-genre Top Album Sales chart.

"Planet Zero", was released on July 1. The high-concept, viscerally charged album, produced by SHINEDOWN's Eric Bass, takes a hard look at the divisiveness among those of differing ideologies, cancel culture ran rampant, the toxicity of social media, the need for honesty in our public discourse, and the corrosive effects of these things on mental health and humanity.

SHINEDOWN recorded "Planet Zero" during the pandemic, mostly in Bass's newly built Big Animal Studio in his home base of South Carolina.

"Planet Zero"'s six predecessors have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and all gone gold or better — double platinum in the case of 2008's "The Sound of Madness", according to Billboard.

The next U.S. leg of the "Planet Zero" world tour (produced by Live Nation) begins in Bonner Springs, Kansas on September 3 with special guests JELLY ROLL and John Harvie. The routing also includes festival performances at Louder Than Life on September 23 in Louisville, Kentucky and Aftershock on October 9 in Sacramento, California.

SHINEDOWN recently embarked on a Europe run of festival performances and select shows with IRON MAIDEN.

AT THE GATES recruited Patrik Jensen (THE HAUNTED) to play second guitar for the band on Friday (August 5) at this year's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

The Wacken gig took place less than two weeks after AT THE GATES parted ways with its guitarist of the past five years, Jonas Stålhammar.

Stålhammar joined the band in September 2017 as the replacement for co-founding guitarist Anders Björler, who left AT THE GATES in March of that year.

In addition to AT THE GATES, Stålhammar had previously played with THE LURKING FEAR, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, BOMBS OF HADES, GOD MACABRE, ABHOTH, UTUMNO and MACABRE END.

As previously reported, AT THE GATES will embark on a special "Slaughter Of The Soul" North American tour this summer. Originally planned for the 25th anniversary of "Slaughter Of The Soul" in 2020, the COVID-19 situation forced the band to postpone the trek until 2022.

AT THE GATES will play the whole "Slaughter Of The Soul" album from start to finish, and also a mix of other tracks from its 30-plus-year career.

It is not presently clear if Jensen will join AT THE GATES on the North American tour.

Late last month, Patrik played a couple of shows with THE HALO EFFECT as the temporary replacement for ex-IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Strömblad.

AT THE GATES' latest studio album, "The Nightmare Of Being", came out last year.

While main parts for "The Nightmare Of Being" were recorded in several different Swedish studios — drums at Studio Gröndal with Jens Bogren, guitars and bass with Andy La Rocque at Sonic Train Studio and vocals at Welfare Sounds with Per Stålberg — the LP was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios (AMON AMARTH, OPETH, KREATOR) by Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with AT THE GATES on the "At War With Reality" comeback album in 2014. The album's visual concept was developed by artist Eva Nahon.

2018's "To Drink From The Night Itself" was the first AT THE GATES album written and recorded without Anders Björler.

Guitarist Josh Rand says that STONE SOUR is still on hiatus, more than five years after the release of the band's last full-length album of original material.

Rand touched upon STONE SOUR's status in an interview this past Thursday (August 4) prior to a performance by his new band THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT at xBk Live in Des Moines, Iowa. Asked by Andy Hall of the Des Moines radio station Lazer 103.3 if there are any updates on STONE SOUR months after Josh said in a previous interview that the band was on hiatus, the guitarist responded: "That's basically still going on. Obviously, Corey [Taylor, STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT singer]… SLIPKNOT is releasing a record in two months, so there'll be a full tour cycle of that. And then we'll see."

Rand's latest comments come six months after Taylor said that STONE SOUR was "on the back burner" while he focused all of his attention on SLIPKNOT and his solo career. A year and a half after announcing in an interview that STONE SOUR had "run its course," the SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman elaborated on the latter band's status during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said: "It's on the back burner. It's just one of those things where my mind and my heart are in a different direction. And that's cool.

"I wish everybody in STONE SOUR all the best," he continued. "I still talk to almost all of 'em. But sometimes you've just gotta do what's best for your heart, and that's what I'm doing. So STONE SOUR's on the back burner. But I'm also doing a ton of music. And like I've shown in [my] solo show, if you wanna hear that stuff, that's a great place to hear it 'cause I do a ton of STONE SOUR, I do a ton of SLIPKNOT, do a ton of covers, do a ton of originals for the solo stuff. It's a great show."

STONE SOUR has been off the road and out of sight since completing the touring cycle for its last studio album, 2017's "Hydrograd". Taylor has been working with SLIPKNOT since then, as well as making his debut solo album, "CMFT". A STONE SOUR live album, "Hello, You Bastards: Live In Reno", came out in December 2019.

In August 2020, Taylor said that he was open to doing more recording and touring with STONE SOUR in the future. But he admitted that there had "been some contention here and there" between the members of the band in the past and added that it was "time" for him to "step away" and pursue his solo project for a while.

In June 2020, Corey told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about STONE SOUR: "If someday we wanna get back together and do some stuff, it'll be bigger than it was. But for right now, we're all kind of focused on kind of doing our own thing. But you never say never in this business."

In June 2021, Rand told MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast about when fans can expect to see the follow-up to "Hydrograd": "There's no timetable for a return, 'cause, honestly, between Corey doing his solo thing, now me working on THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT stuff, Roy [Mayorga, drums] working on MINISTRY… So, there's just no timetable.

"I made a comment [in 2020], and it kind of backfired, because of how I said [STONE SOUR was on an] indefinite hiatus, which, if you know the definition, actually just means it's a long period of time with no timetable of return. I don't know if everybody thought I said 'infinite' instead of 'indefinite.' [Laughs] All of a sudden, the band was, like, over. It was, like, 'Oh my God! It's over.' All I was saying was there's no timetable. It's no different than what we've done in the past. It's just gonna be a longer break."

According to Rand, he and his STONE SOUR bandmates "needed to branch out", "try different shit" and "work with different people" before regrouping to work on new STONE SOUR music. "And then whenever that time is that we get back together, it'll actually be what is best for STONE SOUR," he explained. "There's no doubt about it in my mind. Just having these different experiences for all of us instead of just running that same cycle. I think more so with Corey and myself — like I said, he got to do a solo record where he's doing a different style of music than anybody would have thought of or that wouldn't have fit in STONE SOUR or SLIPKNOT. For myself, working with somebody that's not Corey and Roy. So there's a growth that will be there that we'll ultimately get which will benefit the band. I know some people might not be stoked that it's gonna be who knows when, but it needed to happen, and that's what's best for everybody involved."

Asked how he and the rest of STONE SOUR made the decision to take a longer-than-usual break this time around, Josh said: "I think at the end of the tour cycle, we had a good idea of what was going to happen, where [Corey] wanted to do the solo record. For myself, it's something I kicked around — just having some of the songs that I would musically write that I would never submit into STONE SOUR 'cause I don't feel like it fits at all. So I was kind of on that path to begin with. I just kind of got an extra nudge with him doing his solo record of, 'Hey, this is probably the time to do this.' And then we got hit with the pandemic, which then really locked me into the house. And I was, like, 'What else am I gonna do?' So I just started writing and working on playing piano. I did a bunch of stuff on piano, which some of it will come out, and some of it, it's, like, 'No.' I'll [it] for myself. And that's basically what we did. So we had a good idea, I think, that we were gonna take a longer break at the end of '19. I think towards the end, all of us were just burnt."

LAMB OF GOD kicked off its summer 2022 European tour on Friday (August 5) at the Rockstadt Extreme Fest in Romania. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

Earlier this week, it was announced that former MACHINE HEAD and current VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel would be filling in for Willie Adler on nearly a dozen European LAMB OF GOD shows this month. Demmel previously stepped in for Adler during LOG's January appearance on the ShipRocked cruise and in May for the Canadian portion of LAMB OF GOD's "The Metal Tour Of The Year" with MEGADETH.

Late Wednesday night (August 3),Adler released the following statement via the LAMB OF GODTwitter: "Hey everyone. I'm thrilled with the love we've been seeing for the two new LAMB songs we've dropped so far.

"I can't wait for everyone to hear the entire 'Omens' album. We're all super proud of it.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the trip to Europe for the upcoming shows this month, I've got some things that I need to be home for and I appreciate the band supporting my decision.

"I will 100% be back on stage for the 'Omens' tour in September & October. See y'all there!"

LAMB OF GOD remaining summer 2022 European dates:

Aug. 07 - BE - Lokeren - Lokerse Festival
Aug. 09 - SK - Ljubljana - Cvetličarna
Aug. 10 - HU - Budapest - Barba Negra Track
Aug. 12 - FI - Turku - Knotfest
Aug. 14 - UK - Walton-on-Trent - Bloodstock Open Air
Aug. 18 - DE - Nürnberg - Z-Bau
Aug. 19 - DE - Köln - Live Music Hall
Aug. 20 - DE - Sulingen - Reload Festival
Aug. 21 - NL - Eindhoven - Dynamo Metalfest

Although the rest of LAMB OF GOD has not officially commented on Adler's absence from the shows, VIO-LENCE singer Sean Killian revealed in an interview in April that Willie is "not down with doing the vaxx," referring to the COVID-19 vaccine, and is being replaced by Demmel for dates in those countries that still require proof of vaccination from U.S. travelers.

In April, Demmel also filled in for LAMB OF GOD's John Campbell when the bassist had to miss a couple of shows on "The Metal Tour Of The Year" in order to "take care a family matter back home."

Demmel's appearance with LAMB OF GOD marks his third high-profile fill-in gig in four years. Demmel stepped in for SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt for four European shows in the fall of 2018 after Gary returned home to be with his dying father. Demmel also subbed for Dave Linsk at OVERKILL's November 13, 2021 concert at The Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey and on the band's spring 2022 U.S. tour.

In a February 2022 interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Demmel discussed how he became the go-to fill-in guy for LAMB OF GOD.

"The LAMB OF GOD gig, that was a big deal," he said. "They had approached me before their MEGADETH States tour last summer and wanted me to learn both parts, Mark [Morton] and Willie's, just in case one got sick, they didn't want to cancel their tour. That's where I am: I'm their bullpen guy when one of them can't make the shows, I'm ready to go. It's such a high-profile band. I didn't want to go out there and blow it. I wanted the band to sound good. I wanted to keep that pride in what they are and not have a drop-off. Willie and I play differently. There's different vibrato in our left hand and pinkies. I didn't want there to be a drop-off. I wanted people to be not bummed that he wasn't there. And that's not a slag on Willie. If I went to see one of my favorite bands, let's say QUEENSRŸCHE. I want to see [Chris] DeGarmo, I want to see Michael Wilton. No slight against the other dudes, but they better fucking bring it if they're not going to be out there."

LAMB OF GOD will release its new album, "Omens", on October 7 via Epic Records.

Drummer Martin "Axe" Axenrot's refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 led to his exit from Swedish progressive metallers OPETH, one of his bandmates has told BLABBERMOUTH.NET. THERION drummer Sami Karppinen has replaced Axenrot for OPETH's current live dates. Axenrot is also a member of BLOODBATH but has not appeared in that band's recent promotional pictures and live shows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shortly after he first started playing with OPETH, Axenrot told Drummerzone about how he landed the gig: "During OPETH's tour in the U.S., Martin Lopez got ill. The band temporarily used the services of Gene Hoglan [who is also featured in OPETH's video for the song 'The Grand Conjuration'] but needed someone else for their European trek. While they were still in the U.S., I received a phone call from singer Mikael Åkerfeldt whom I already knew from our mutual project BLOODBATH. Soon after we all met in OPETH's rehearsal studio in Stockholm and here I am today."

Back in 2007, Åkerfeldt slammed the "new breed of idiot OPETH 'fans'" for questioning the abilities of Axenrot when compared to that of Lopez. Responding to a discussion on the band's forum regarding Axenrot's more "straightforward" playing technique compared to the "jazzy" style of his predecessor, Åkerfeldt wrote in an online posting, "Wow, looks like we got ourselves a new breed of idiot OPETH 'fans' on our tail, huh? Mindblowing guys...really!" He then added: "Axe is in the band now and we all fucking love playing with him.

"When somebody picks on [Martin's] drumming I can't help but to feel that that person is a deaf moron who knows nothing about music or drumming," Mikael continued. "I get defensive not only because I brought him in the band, but mainly because he's a fucking fantastic drummer."