Ryo Okumoto, long-time keyboardist for prog rock group Spock’s Beard, has released his new solo album, The Myth Of The Mostrophus, via InsideOutMusic. The six song prog extravaganza features Okumoto’s signature style accompanied by the talents of a who’s who of progressive rock.


To celebrate the album’s release, Ryo is pleased to share the breathtaking new video for the single, “Chrysalis”, created by Christian Rios.







The album features guest appearances by a number of incredible musicians including current and former Spock’s Beard bandmates:


Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train, Spock’s Beard) - Drums & Vocals
Al Morse (Spock’s Beard) - Guitar
Dave Meros (Spock’s Beard) - Bass
Ted Leonard (Spock’s Beard. Transatlantic) - Vocals
Jimmy Keegan (Spock’s Beard) - Vocals
Steve Hackett (Genesis) - Guitar
Michael Sadler (Saga, ProgJect) - Vocals
Mike Keneally (Steve Vai, Frank Zappa, ProgJect) - Guitar
Jonathan Mover (Joe Satriani, ProgJect) - Drums
Marc Bonila (Keith Emerson/Kevin Gilbert) - Guitar
Doug Wimbish (Living Colour) – Bass
Randy McStine (McStine & Minnemann, Porcupine Tree) – Guitars & Vocals
Lyle Workman (Todd Rundgren) – Guitar
Michael Whiteman (I Am the Manic Whale) – Guitars & Vocals


Twenty years since Ryo Okumoto’s last solo album Coming Home (2002), work on the new album began in November 2000, when Okumoto reached out to I Am The Manic Whale vocalist/bassist Michael Whiteman, following that band’s performance on a livestream event that Okumoto had taken part in.  An exchange of demos resulted in the writing of the initial tracks for the album. Okumoto then reached out the fellow Spock’s Beard bandmates (Nick D’Virgilio, Alan Morse, Dave Meros, Ted Leonard and Jimmy Keegan) to join in and the album started to take shape before rounding out with additional guest stars through his Okumoto’s new group ProgJect including Michael Sadler, Jonathan Mover and Mike Keneally. With the additions of Steve Hackett, Marc Bonila, Doug Wimbish, Randy McStine, and Lyle Workman, the star-studded lineup was complete. The result is a prog rock tour de force from one of the most entertaining and influential artists of prog’s modern era.


Engineered and mixed by Rich Mouser, the album can be ordered here.





Tracklisting:


"Mirror Mirror"
"Turning Point"
"The Watchmaker (Time On His Side)"
"Maximum Velocity"
"Chrysalis"
"The Myth Of The Mostrophus"


“The Watchmaker” lyric video:





(Photo - Alex Solca)

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. This time they perform a cover of the Lenny Kravitz hit "Are You Gonna Go My Way". Watch below.





A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below:




























 

With festival season well under way, The Night Flight Orchestra are here to deliver the ultimate summer hit with their brand new single, "Black Stars And Diamonds". Stream the song here, and below.


Frontman Björn Strid comments on the track: “This song is the ultimate weekend tribute, where fallen angels, dreams of glitter and late summer twilight unite in an exploding cocktail.”







This release also marks a change in the lineup with the addition of a new backing vocalist. Björn excitedly comments: “We are very thrilled to officially welcome the amazing Åsa Lundman to the fold! This marks a new era for the band as her and Anna Brygård unite as the unstoppable back up duo The Aeromanticas. Make sure you follow them on social media! We are very thrilled to share this new single with you, which debuts this amazing back up duo. The future looks so damn bright you ought to use the bottom of champagne bottles as goggles! Enjoy!”





Lineup:


Björn Strid – Lead and Backing vocals
David Andersson – Guitars
Sharlee D’Angelo – Bass
Sebastian Forslund – Guitars, percussion
Jonas Källsbäck – Drums
John Manhattan Lönnmyr – Keyboards
Anna Brygård – Backing Vocals
Åsa Lundman– Backing Vocals

A four-camera video of SLIPKNOT performing its latest single, "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)", live for the first time on July 28 at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube channel Bahomar).

"The Dying Song (Time To Sing)" is taken from SLIPKNOT's seventh studio album, "The End, So Far", which will be released on September 30 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind", it will be the band's final record with Roadrunner after first signing with the rock and metal label in 1998.

The official music video for "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)" was directed by SLIPKNOT percussionist M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan.

Produced by SLIPKNOT and Joe Barresi, "The End, So Far" includes the band's 2021 surprise single "The Chapeltown Rag" and follows their widely celebrated 2019 album "We Are Not Your Kind", which marked SLIPKNOT's third consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The release made a massive global impact with No. 1 debuts in the official album charts of twelve countries around the world, including the U.K., Australia, Canada and Mexico, with Top 5 debuts in an additional twelve countries including Germany, France and Sweden.

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)", SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor told Kerrang! magazine: "To me, it just seems like it's all the outrage and none of the punishment. For the last few years it's been very trendy to be offended and outraged by everything, and yet nothing happens – especially in my country, which is just fucking ridiculous. It's almost like the tables have turned, and the more angry people get, the more the people who they're mad at just double-down on the shit. Instead of there being cause and effect, or crime and punishment, now it's just like, 'Fuck you, we don't care.' I can't tell if that's a reaction because of the almost nihilistic isolation of the cultures themselves, where neither side is acknowledging any of the good parts of each other – they're just really honed in on the shit that they consider inflammatory. And it's almost like people are ringing the doomsday bell. You're sitting there going, 'Well, it's been fun! Everybody, pick up your trash when you're leaving, and I'll see you in Hell!' That's kind of what that song is. It's just like, 'If we don't figure it out, I'll see you when the meteor hits, basically.'"

As for SLIPKNOT's working relationship with Barresi, Taylor said: "He's one of those dudes who's got great ideas, but he also allows you to do what is on your mind. If he has an idea, he lets you pursue yours, but then he'll go, 'You know, just for me, try this and see if these things can live together.' He's very unassuming, which is kind of rare these days. Sometimes you can get a producer who's trying to enforce their will on it, but Joe just wants what's best for the album, and what's best for the song, and what's best for the performance."

Taylor went on to call "The End, So Far" a "darker version" of SLIPKNOT's third LP, 2004's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)".

"To me, 'Vol. 3' was really the most expansive album that we had done, up to that point," he explained. "It was the thing that kind of pushed the boundaries for everybody, you know? We were able to experiment with different styles of music, and really show people that there was so much more depth to what we do. And I kind of feel like that's what this album is doing. In a way it is [also] an extension of 'We Are Not Your Kind', but to me, the songs are better, the structuring is better. We're able to kind of take it even further, and after 23 years professionally, being able to say that there's ground that we haven't covered yet, and there's ground that we're excited to cover, is cool."

Monster Truck have released the music video for their latest single, "Get My Things And Go”, via BMG.





The music video is directed and edited by Dave Lawrence, best known as the creator and star of FUBAR, and produced by Immanuela Lawrence. It brings the track to life, featuring children acting as adults living in a world solely populated by kids.




“We loved the idea of a ‘Kid World’. So we tried to follow the narrative of the song in a world solely populated by kids acting and dressing like adults. In ‘Kid World’, no adults exist except on “MonsterTube” which is populated with fun YouTube style videos kids love to watch made by the band. They play immature adults making a ton of easy money off “MonsterTube” to contrast with the working class struggles in ‘Kid World’,” said the music video director, Dave Lawrence. I really love how it all came together.”


“Working with Dave Lawrence has long been a dream of ours. He’s so effortlessly funny and creative, it’s always been inspiring to us. Dave brings a really amazing feeling of almost innocence to his projects even though the subject matter may be shot-gunning beers and smashing shit,” said Jon Harvey, bassist and lead singer of Monster Truck. “We’d wanted to do a video starring kids, but playing adults, since our second record in 2016, and the whimsical, storybook nature of the lyrics to ‘Get My Things And Go’ were the perfect match for this bizarro world concept. The end result speaks for itself.”





(Photo - James Heaslip)

Bullet For My Valentine will release a deluxe version of their current, self-titled album on August 5 via Spinefarm/Search and Destroy. This extended release features four brand new tracks, plus "Stitches", a song previously only available as a Japanese exclusive. Get it here and pre-save it here. Following the CD and digital releases, a vinyl pressing will launch on November 11.


Today, they have released the new single, "No More Tears to Cry". Listen here, and below.


"We're super happy to announce our new single 'No More Tears To Cry' is out," the band says. "The song is a dark but colorful story about dealing with mental health struggles. Musically, the track is very different from the other tracks on the album and has a lot of surprises on there, including slide guitar..."







Bullet For My Valentine's seventh studio record sees the band at their heaviest and most visceral, and these additional tracks are no different, offering another round of signature blistering Bullet.





Bullet For My Valentine (Deluxe Edition) tracklisting:


"Parasite"
"Knives"
"My Reverie"
"No Happy Ever After"
"Can't Escape The Waves"
"Bastards"
"Rainbow Veins"
"Shatter"
"Paralysed"
"Death By a Thousand Cuts "
"Omen"
"Stitches"
"No More Tears"
"Step Out From the Inside"
"This Means War"


"Stitches" visualizer:





"Omen" lyric video:

One of Norway’s most creative black metal bands, Dimmu Borgir, released the groundbreaking Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia album in 2001. The band celebrates this seminal album by releasing a brand-new sonic experience.


"Blessings Upon The Throne Of Tyranny" has been remixed and remastered using modern methods, to create an altogether more improved listening experience with contemporary production quality. Stream the single here, and below.







Out on October 28, Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (Remixed & Remastered) will be available as a 3LP Box, CD Digipak and digital. Dust Of Cold Memories includes extensive bonus material, which includes the pre-production of Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia and instrumental rehearsals.


Pre-order Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (Remixed & Remastered) here.


"Blessings Upon The Throne Of Tyranny":

Swedish metallers IN FLAMES have released a brand-new song titled "The Great Deceiver". The track is taken from IN FLAMES' upcoming fourteenth studio album, tentatively due later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records.

IN FLAMES vocalist Anders Fridén states: "'The Great Deceiver' was born out of frustration, basically a reaction to false flags but since then it has grown to represent several meanings. There's a line that says 'Bend the truth to fit your opinion' and I feel that speaks a lot to the narrative happening online, between people, and nations etc. today. We are more a part now than ever before yet it’s easier to communicate than in any other time in history."

In other news, IN FLAMES will embark on a fall 2022 European tour with support from AT THE GATES, IMMINENCE and ORBIT CULTURE.

The dates are as follows:

Nov. 12 - EE Tallinn – Helitehas
Nov. 13 - LV Riga – Palladium
Nov. 15 - PL Katowice – Mck
Nov. 16 - CZ Prague – Mala Sportovni Hala
Nov. 20 - UK London – O2 Academy Brixton
Nov. 21 - LU Esch-Sur-Alzette – Rockhal
Nov. 22 - FR Strasbourg – La Laiterie
Nov. 23 - FR Paris – Bataclan
Nov. 25 - ES Bilbao – Santana 27
Nov. 26 - ES Madrid – Riviera
Nov. 27 - ES Barcelona – Razzmatazz
Nov. 28 - FR Lyon – Transbo
Nov. 30 - CH Zurich – Samsung Hall
Dec. 01 - IT Milan – Alcatraz
Dec. 02 - AT Vienna – Gasometer
Dec. 03 - DE Leipzig – Haus Auensee
Dec. 04 - DE Cologne – Palladium
Dec. 06 - NL Tilburg – 013
Dec. 07 - BE Bruessels – AB
Dec. 08 - DE Wiesbaden – Schlachthof
Dec. 09 - DE Hamburg – Edel Optics Arena
Dec. 10 - DK Copenhagen – Store Vega
Dec. 11 - NL Oslo – Spektrum
Dec. 14 - FI Helsinki – Ice Hall
Dec. 16 - SE Stockholm – Hovet
Dec. 17 - SE Gothenburg - Scandinavium

Fridén recently spoke to MoreCore.TV about IN FLAMES' upcoming album,. Asked if the LP's first single, "State Of Slow Decay", is a good representation of what fans can expect from the record, Anders said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "IN FLAMES has always been about melody and aggression. The short answer is yes, but it's not gonna be all fast. We try to explore all corners of metal with our music. Let's put it like this: if you're a fan of IN FLAMES, then you will love this album."

Elaborating on what fans can expect from the upcoming IN FLAMES album, Anders said: "This is the fourteenth album. So if you know IN FLAMES, you know sort of what you're gonna get. But I think this is a good mix of the past, the present and wherever we're going, and [it] has a little thing for everyone; it has the heavy, it has the melodic, it has the uptempo and the slow parts. I think it's amazing, and it really represents who we are at this time."

Asked if the pandemic influenced the songwriting process for the new IN FLAMES effort, Anders said: "Welll, in a certain way. Lyrically, for sure. I thought this two-year break would make us see us who we are as people and maybe come out on the other side being a little bit more nice and gentle and with more understanding, but I think it's the opposite. So it definitely inspired the lyrical side.

"Of course, a break like that, it's a pause, so when you get back into it, maybe unintentionally you have more energy across the board, [and] with the music as well," he explained.

IN FLAMES performed "State Of Slow Decay" — which was produced by Howard Benson, mixed by Joe Rickard and mastered by Ted Jensen — live for the first time on June 10 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

This past March, guitarist Björn Gelotte confirmed that IN FLAMES' upcoming album was once again recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Benson and Howard's longtime engineer Mike Plotnikoff.

In early July, Fridén told Chaoszine about the songwriting process for the new IN FLAMES album: "Me and Björn, we live on different sides of [Sweden] — he lives in Gothenburg; I live in Stockholm — and we only saw each other once or twice during the whole pandemic. But towards the end, when we kind of felt like it's gonna open up for real, we started talking and then we decided to take a trip to the U.S. and just get the machine rolling again — write some stuff; just get things out of our system. So we spent some time — like, three weeks — in L.A. And then we flew home and had Christmas and so on, and then we flew back again and started recording stuff for real. But as soon as we got together, a few weeks in the writing process, it felt like it always has."

Anders went on to say that he and Björn "had to be in the same room" in order to maximize their songwriting efforts. "We feed off each other's energies and ideas and so on, and I don't think we can write apart," he explained. "I mean, we can, but it won't be the same. So we have to get in the same room and be amongst everyone in the band… Me and Björn, we are the ones that are writing everything. The other guys are obviously partaking and bringing in their energy and their skills to the band, but when it comes to the writing, it's not much different."

Speaking in more detail about the contributions of IN FLAMES' three American members — drummer Tanner Wayne, bassist Bryce Paul and guitarist Chris Broderick — Anders said: "They are great individual musicians, so they bring in their skills and their way of playing, and it's very unique from person to person. And that's what they bring. And also the feeling — it's such a good atmosphere within the band; there's no arguments, really, and we're just having a good time being around each other. And that helps the whole creative process. And what they've done… I mean, you will hear it whenever we… We released one new song, but more to come. You can hear it, what they do. They're amazing guys and amazing musicians and really good friends."

Wayne joined IN FLAMES following the departure of Joe Rickard, who played on "I, The Mask" and 2016's "Battles".

Tanner made his live debut with IN FLAMES in July 2018 in Brno, Czech Republic.

Longtime IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life.

Paul has been playing most of the shows with IN FLAMES since longtime bassist Peter Iwers's November 2016 exit.

As previously reported, IN FLAMES will embark on a North American tour this September. Support on the trek will come from FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED.

In August 2020, IN FLAMES released a special 20th-anniversary edition of its seminal, critically acclaimed album "Clayman". "Clayman 20th Anniversary Edition" came entirely remastered by Ted Jensen (PANTERA, DEFTONES, GOJIRA) and featured all-new artwork in a 16-page booklet, a brand-new instrumental medley plus four re-recorded versions of fan favorites such as "Only For The Weak" and "Pinball Map".

Ex-IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Strömblad sat out THE HALO EFFECT's July 27 appearance at the Metaldays festival in Tolmin, Slovenia. He was replaced at the gig by THE HAUNTED's Patrik Jensen.

Strömblad formed THE HALO EFFECT during the pandemic with fellow former IN FLAMES members Daniel Svensson (drums),Peter Iwers (bass),Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals).

THE HALO EFFECT was officially launched last year, more than a decade after Strömblad quit IN FLAMES in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

THE HALO EFFECT will release its debut album, "Days Of The Lost", on August 12 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Earlier this month, Jesper issued a statement saying that "has decided once and for all to deal with" his "addiction and other demons".

Asked in a recent interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast how Jesper's health is nowadays, Niclas said: "It's an ongoing battle — it is. He has his demons to fight with. We're with him in this fight. We are supportive, and it's all about love. He is in the band, and he's a bandmember, but it's from day to day, I think — but mostly way better than it has been… It's full-on support and love. And he's in a better place now today than he has been, as I mentioned. So he will be on stage [with] us, as much as he can do it, feel strong about it. No pressure from us. It has to feel good for him."

As for how THE HALO EFFECT will handle future touring activities if Jesper is unable to go on the road, Niclas said: "Yeah, we have some ideas behind that. It's nothing I can talk about right here and now. We are solving that. But the main goal is to have Jesper on board as much as he can do and feel strong about it. And then if he can't make it somehow, we support him and we are with him all the way. And we will find solutions to that because we are… This is a collective of friends. This is just a Gothenburg scene death metal, and we are among friends here, as it was back in the '90s, early '90s. And we'll solve the things in a positive way."

Strömblad told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the origins of THE HALO EFFECT began during the 2020 pandemic when its members had nothing to do and that he was the last one to join. Strömblad most recently was playing with CYHRA, the modern metal outfit fronted by former AMARANTHE vocalist Jake E, but was not performing live with the group.

When asked what it took for him to join a proper band again, Strömblad said: "There is a misunderstanding because I'm still in CYHRA. There was something going on, personal things that I don't have to get into. If you see promo pictures now, I am not in them. But I'm still in the band. It's always been the fact whether I can be on stage or not, but I'm always the musical motor, so to speak. When I heard about [THE HALO EFFECT's] lineup, there was no doubt."

Strömblad then talked about his musical chemistry with Engelin and how he sees himself fitting in THE HALO EFFECT's plans when touring activity ramps up. "It didn't take much thought from my side when it came to joining," he said. "Touring is always going to be, for the time being, an issue for me. We always are going to have a backup. I'm always going to be there in spirit with the band. I'm always going to be writing music and in there in the studio. But, when I heard Niclas's demos, I said, 'Yes, we have to do more of this.' They were phenomenal. It wasn't a repetition, either. There was no, 'Let's sound like we did 20 years ago.' It sounded so updated, fresh and good. I said, 'We can do this and get away from people saying we got this band together because we played in previous bands together.' This band stands on its own two feet. Maybe you can hear some of the influences, but that's not really weird because it's us playing together. That's how I write music."

THE HALO EFFECT made its live debut on June 11 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden. The show marked the first time in over a decade that Strömblad played with his former IN FLAMES bandmates. When asked how he thought the show went, the guitarist said: "I loved it. I love to be onstage. I haven't been on stage in a lot of years. If I could go back, I would be a little more active onstage. I prioritized playing well, to play the songs because they were brand new for Niclas and me. Nowadays, you write the riff and record it. Then you don't rehearse it. Now, you have to not only learn the songs but refresh your memory. For me, it was there 95 percent. I was kind of stiff. I wanted to nail the songs. It was a fantastic show and I had an amazing time. Just looking back and seeing Daniel smiling behind the drums and hearing Peter's rumbling bass… only he can get that sound, then seeing Niclas running around like a grasshopper. If you think about it, it was kind of cool that the band could play a festival on the big stage and fill it, more or less, and we didn't even have the album out yet. People haven't heard the songs. They heard four songs, tops. We did a signing session where we sat for one and a half hours signing autographs. It was a huge success for us, I think. It couldn't have been a better start."

Strömblad was then asked what the future held and whether THE HALO EFFECT would be his priority. "Yeah, it is," he said. "Maybe sometimes it will be a little puzzling if it clashes, but THE HALO EFFECT is my priority. I'm laying low with everything else right now. We started working on this album so long ago. We are already planning to start recording a new album."

THE HALO EFFECT's first-ever tour will be as the support act for Swedish death metal giants AMON AMARTH and U.S. metallers MACHINE HEAD on 31 dates throughout Europe in the summer and fall of 2022.

After leaving IN FLAMES, Strömblad formed THE RESISTANCE with Marco Aro (vocals, THE HAUNTED) and Glenn Ljungström (guitar, ex-IN FLAMES). Strömblad announced his departure from that group in March 2016, with the band's bassist, Rob Hakemo, saying in an interview that Jesper "saved" THE RESISTANCE by quitting and explaining that the guitarist is "an alcoholic" and "drug addict" who "doesn't want to [get] sober." Rob added: "[Jesper] thinks that two weeks [sober] is good, and then he can drink some. And then he's gone for a month, and then he's back and he's not drinking [for a short while]. It's a sad thing, and we really tried to help him and wanted the best [for him]. So when he told us that 'I'm leaving the band,' we were relieved. We were really relieved."

Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist DJ Ashba has collaborated with his wife, an Italo-Colombian influencer Nathalia Ashba who goes by the name Natyash, on his latest single, "Malosa", a dance/rock hybrid he calls GDM (Guitar Dance Music).

Ashba co-produced "Malosa" (GDM Remake) featuring Natyash with JP On Da Track, a music producer from Connecticut. Multi-award-winning mixing and mastering engineer Luca Pretolesi of StudioDMI (Steve Aoki, Diplo, David Guetta, J Balvin, Snoop Lion, Above & Beyond, and many more) provided the finishing touches.

Natyash released the original version of "Malosa" earlier this year. The song "received critical acclaim from top-tier outlets, including Billboard Argentina, Univision, Extra and more," according to a press release.

"When I first heard 'Malosa' by Natyash, I was blown away," says DJ, "I knew I had to do a GDM remake. I teamed up with JP On Da Track, taking her original vocals and created a brand new track around it. Our goal was to seamlessly combine the sounds of Latin, EDM and rock, resulting in a unique fusion of all three genres."

Says Natyash: "'Malosa' by ASHBA is a masterpiece! You're gonna wanna listen to it over and over, simply because you've never heard something similar before. It's the first Latin GDM track ever and I'm very proud to be part of it."

The official music video for the original version of "Malosa" has been viewed nearly 400,000 times on YouTube.

"Malosa" is Ashba's first single since last year's release of "Bella Ciao", a modern-day EDM-driven makeover of the Italian folk classic. "Bella Ciao" marked Ashba's first release of 2021 and followed a series of tracks that were released in late 2020 through Edgeout Records/UMG/UMe, including "Hypnotic", "Let's Dance" and "A Christmas Storm".

In December 2020, Ashba told "The Mark And HooGie Show" that he isn't concerned about getting any pushback from his rock fans over the musical direction of his new venture: "Honestly, I'm at a point in my career where I could give two fucks," he said. "I could care less. If people don't like it, kiss my ass. Go listen to SIXX:A.M. If what I'm doing right now isn't rock enough, I've got a rock band. They can go listen to that then.

"My fanbase, thank God, has been, throughout my whole career, just very, very accepting," he continued. "They know me — they know I'm always trying to really push myself as an artist outside the box.

"If I had to live within this box, I'd rather honestly not play music. Playing music is a form of art, and if I can't truly be an artist and be true to what it is inside — whatever that is that keeps me going… I have to stay inspired. You can only write so many three-chord rock songs. So, to me, this is something that I'm kind of more doing for myself, and I feel like I kind of have earned that at this point in my career. And I'm just having fun.

"Surprisingly… It was weird. I was totally expecting for all my fanbase just to hate it — not get it," Ashba added. "'Cause I really, really go deep down in EDM — I stayed very, very true to the EDM sound — and I really thought they were gonna hate it, and I was okay with that. 'Cause in my mind, I'm writing this for the EDM, the young kids that go to those festivals. This is full-on festival music. And surprisingly, I got no pushback. My rock fans really, really were freaking out on it, which kind of freaked me out. I was expecting them to really not get it or maybe push it aside. But they've been nothing but supportive. I'm very thankful that they gave it a chance."

ASHBA's "Let's Dance" single featured a guest appearance by James Michael, co-founder and lead singer of SIXX:A.M., which he and DJ formed with Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE).

Ashba told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the musical approach of his new effort: "I would go to a lot of EDM concerts, and their shows are so over the top and, you know, all these young kids just losing their minds, right? And the one thing that I've noticed is … it lacks guitar, you know, and I saw an opportunity, like five years ago, going, 'If I could take what I do and somehow inject it into this world.' A lot of kids are not being exposed to a lot of guitar in that world."

Although Ashba initially started work on the project as a collaboration with Michael — under the band name PYROMANTIC — it has since evolved into an Ashba solo venture, with Michael announcing in 2018 that he was stepping away from the group.

During his recently launched "Detroit Muscle" U.S. tour, outspoken conservative rocker Ted Nugent has been changing the lyrics to his song "Come And Take It" to reflect his disdain for the current U.S. president.

Instead of singing the tune's title as it appears on the recorded version on his "Detroit Muscle" album, Ted has been altering the words to say "fuck Joe Biden" and "Let's go, Brandon", the latter of which is conservative code for "Fuck Joe Biden", born when a NASCAR reporter misheard a crowd, reporting that they chanted in support of racer Brandon Brown when they were actually chanting expletives toward the U.S. president.

Nugent was asked about the lyrical change during the latest edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which he offers his take on the news of our world. He said: "Well, one of my new love songs is [sings and plays guitar] 'Come And Take It'. Then we go, 'Let's go, Brandon.' And you can imagine what the next line is: '[unintelligible] Joe Biden.' Yeah, they sing along without any… It's very inspiring. But it has become… Of all my killer songs, and we try to rotate probably like 15, 16 or 17 songs a night — just magic, magic songs — but I'm thinking that 'Come And Take It', that has morphed into 'Mad Joe Biden', people sing that [and] nobody's feet touch the ground.

"So love is in the air. Because I love freedom, and I hate people who would deny us freedom. And I'm afraid this punk in the White House deserves all the condemnation that we give him."

In the last couple of years, Nugent has been selling hats emblazoned with the words "Come And Take It", a slogan which originated in the Texas Revolution in 1835 and is now used as a symbol of gun-rights advocates and the NRA.

The follow-up to 2018's "The Music Made Me Do It", "Detroit Muscle" was recorded with Ted's current band, which includes bassist Greg Smith and drummer Jason Hartless.

Last December, Nugent described "Come And Take It" to Florida's 99 Rock WKSM radio station as "a love song to the punks in our government who think that they have the right to infringe on our constitutionally guaranteed, God-given individual freedoms. So I sent them a love song. In fact, I sent a copy of 'Come And Take It' to Joe Biden and [Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. representative from El Paso] Beto O'Rourke. And I said, 'If you're gonna infringe on our Second Amendment, start with me.'"

Nugent, who is the national spokesman for pro-hunting lobbying group Hunter Nation, went on to say that "people love" "Come And Take It". "I think it really represents the heartbeat, the pulse, the heartbreak, really, of thoughtful, critical-thinking Americans," he explained. "Which, by the way, if you're not a critical thinker, you should probably move to Cuba where you're not allowed to be. Critical-thinking Americans that are rock solid in the asset column love this song — they love me, they love freedom, they love defiance, they love my middle finger on fire."

Nugent, who recently resigned from the board of the National Rifle Association (NRA) after 26 years, has called Donald Trump "the greatest president in our lifetime." He also said the billionaire real estate mogul represents "the heart and soul of the best American families out there."

Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Nugent teamed up with Donald Trump Jr. on the campaign trail.

Last year, Nugent declared Biden a "rotten" human being and railed against Democrats who support the president's "ugly policies." At the time, he told host Samuel Ayres of "The Wild Initiative" podcast: "You say that some of the liberals have good intentions. I haven't met one. And I meet an awful lot of people. Because if you are on the side of Joe Biden, you're just plain a rotten human being. You support a man with a liberal agenda that renegotiated all the contracts with the globe that Trump finally negotiated on behalf of our country. That's not my hunch; that's not a guess; that's not an opinion. Trump renegotiated global contracts for the first time in my lifetime to actually benefit America, and Joe Biden reversed them to hurt America. So if you're a liberal and a Democrat, you're the enemy of freedom. And if you don't believe in those ugly, ugly policies, then you have to quit."

He continued: "If you don't agree with forcing Americans to get vaccination passports, but people are flooding in through the borders without any vetting whatsoever, then you have no soul, and you can't be on that team. If you disagree with these toxic, dangerous, tyrannical policies, you've gotta quit that gang. That gang is the Democrats. Their agenda is extreme liberal Marxism. And if you're part of that team, you're as rotten as that man who's searching for a syllable in the White House."

Nugent has repeatedly said that the 2020 presidential election was a fraud, insisting that "hundreds of thousands of dead people" voted and claiming that machines were "rigged" to give a Donald Trump vote to Joe Biden.

Nugent, known as the "Motor City Madman," moved to Texas from Michigan nearly two decades ago.

LAST IN LINE will release a new EP, "A Day In The Life", on November 11 via earMUSIC. The effort is numbered and limited to 3,000 copies worldwide.

To kick things off, the title track, which is described in a press release as "one of the heaviest versions" of THE BEATLES classic "ever recorded," as just been made available digitally. The silver colored 12-inch vinyl also includes two live tracks and a recently recorded new track, which gives us a first hint of how LAST IN LINE's third album will sound like.

The trippy visuals in the accompanying music video are by artist Matt Mahurin — a big fan of LAST IN LINE and a four-decade filmmaker for rock and metal greats like METALLICA, U2, R.E.M. and DEF LEPPARD.

"A Day In The Life" EP track listing:

01. A Day In The Life
02. Hurricane Orlagh
03. Devil In Me (Live)
04. Give Up The Ghost (Live)

Earlier this month, LAST IN LINE drummer Vinny Appice told Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules that the band had just completed work on its third studio album. He said: "Chris Collier, who mixes a lot of KORN stuff, he did our albums. He just finished the mix. And it sounds fantastic. And that's coming out next year on the earMUSIC label. And we have an EP coming out on earMUSIC as well. And that EP has a cover version of a BEATLES song we did. It came out great. Something different. And a new song, one of our new songs, and then two live tracks. And then we're doing dates starting the end of September into the rest of the year."

This past May, LAST IN LINE bassist Phil Soussan told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that the band's new EP is "very special. There's something very, very cool about it — and there's gonna be a great video that goes with that," he said.

earMUSIC is the recorded music label of German entertainment group Edel AG which boasts a roster of global artists including DEEP PURPLE, Alice Cooper, BABYMETAL, THUNDER, STATUS QUO and many more.

The news of LAST IN LINE's partnership with earMUSIC was shared five months ago by Appice during a appearance on "Waste Some Time With Jason Green". Vinny also revealed that LAST IN LINE completed recording six more new songs in late January at Danny "Count" Koker's Desert Moon studios in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Formed in 2012 by Appice, bassist Jimmy Bain and guitarist Vivian Campbell — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — LAST IN LINE's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released in February 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when Bain unexpectedly died at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in Soussan and committed to sustained touring in support of the album before beginning work on the follow-up release, 2019's "II", which was also made available through Frontiers Music Srl.

In June 2021, Soussan spoke to Metal-Net.com about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for LAST IN LINE's third album. "I've been quite motivational with the band," Phil said. "I'm trying to keep things happening. We wanted to work on a few different aspects [during the pandemic]. And we also had to go about getting a new record deal — we were changing labels — so that's something we're in the process of doing, and we're getting pretty close now. But part of that was writing a third record. So we've been hard at work trying to write a third record and even record that third record while we've been in different locations around the world. And, obviously, this band works as a unit in every sense of the word, so it's a real handicap not being able to be in the same room as everybody and trying to make it happen."

In February 2021, Appice told Metal From The Inside that former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson, who produced both "II" and "Heavy Crown", is not involved with the upcoming LAST IN LINE album. "We made a change," he said. "Actually, the guy who mixed the last record, Chris Collier — he's great; he's working with KORN — he recorded this record. And we're kind of producing it ourselves, between all of us.

"Jeff is great — Jeff's a great producer, and [he has] great ideas and stuff, but we just felt that we could probably do what we wanna do now that we're a band, we've been on the road, and we know what we wanna hear," he explained. "But it's coming out great. The stuff sounds fantastic.

"And yeah, I've been through a lot with Jeff Pilson. I've known him for years. He's a great guy. He's like my brother."

Also in February 2021, Soussan told the "Pat's Soundbytes Unplugged" podcast about the musical direction of the new LAST IN LINE material: "The songs are another progression from the last album — the difference between 'Heavy Crown' and 'II', and now 'II' and whatever this next album is gonna be called; we don't know yet, by the way. But it's definitely evolved even more; it's gone into even more of an evolution, but we are always trying to keep the characteristics of LAST IN LINE there. I mean, you can't shake those things — you can't shake Vinny's drumming, you can't shake Vivian's playing. And I'd like to say the same thing about myself, and, of course, [singer] Andrew [Freeman]."

Some of the early recording sessions for LAST IN LINE's third album took place in January 2020 at Steakhouse studio in North Hollywood, California.

In continued celebration of their 50th anniversary, today, the four-time Grammy Award-winning and diamond-certified rock legends AEROSMITH (Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer),have announced the launch of "50 Years Live!: From The Aerosmith Vaults", the band's new "official bootleg" streaming concert series featuring five deep, archival, and unreleased multi-camera live shows from AEROSMITH's vast personal vaults. With the entire production of all five concert films supervised by AEROSMITH, the series kicks off with a live stream of "Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977", a combination of classic live performances from a two-night stand in Houston in 1977 that captures the band in all its raw and powerful rock 'n' roll splendor.

"Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977" premiered on AEROSMITH's official YouTube channel earlier today (Friday, July 29) and will be available, in its entirety as a gift for fans, for one week only. Highlight clips from "Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977" will also be added to AEROSMITH's YouTube channel on July 30 and will include "Back In The Saddle", "Mama Kin" and "Sweet Emotion".

"Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977" is taken directly from the original in-house 2" master analog video cartridge for the best possible quality and features footage filmed over the course of two summer nights at The Summit in Houston, Texas on June 24 and June 25, 1977. The original live feed edit, only intended for the in-house screens, was carefully cleaned, digitized, and remastered in HD, bringing the 45-year-old footage to life. This hour-long, highly charged performance shows why AEROSMITH became one of the hottest bands of the '70s and continues to this day. "Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977" kicks into full gear as the band burst onto The Summit stage, delivering powerful and raw renditions of "Back In The Saddle", "Mama Kin", "Lord Of The Thighs", "Lick And A Promise" and "Sweet Emotion", featuring Tom Hamilton's signature bass line as he lays down that familiar groove as Joe Perry's iconic talk box intro eases the audience in. Other highlights include "Draw The Line", "Walk This Way", a blistering version of "Toys In The Attic" and their 1973 Top 10 power ballad "Dream On".

For "50 Years Live!: From the Aerosmith Vaults", producer Steve Berkowitz, along with longtime AEROSMITH employees Tommy Higgins and John Bionelli, combed through the band's vast Vindaloo Vaults, unearthing a treasure trove of filmed concerts recorded in the original formats of the day, covering the band's history throughout the decades. With the help of director and producer Jennifer LeBeau (Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon),this footage was carefully transferred and converted to digital to help preserve these historic recorded documents. Produced by Steve Berkowitz and Dennis Wolfe, the video and audio restoration was skillfully conducted by Vanderquest UK and Formosa Sound, giving these performances the highest possible visual and sonic quality.

For five consecutive weeks, starting on July 29 with "Live From The Summit, Houston, TX, 1977", AEROSMITH's official web site and YouTube channel will premiere a different concert every week from each decade. With each show, the band's official online store will also feature a new collection of exclusive merchandise capsules celebrating each decade.

As part of the continued celebration around their 50th anniversary, AEROSMITH will return to Las Vegas to bring their critically acclaimed residency, "Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild" to the Dolby Live at Park MGM. Kicking off September 14 — with shows running through December 11 — the residency is the first live concert experience presented in Dolby Atmos at Dolby Live. Dolby Live is one of the world's most technologically advanced performance venues for enjoying live music in Dolby Atmos.

In addition to their upcoming dates in Las Vegas, AEROSMITH is set to perform at Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor, Maine on September 4 before they head to Boston for a show at the historic Fenway Park on September 8.

Upcoming live stream premieres include:

** "Live From The Capital Centre, Landover, MD, 1989" (Premieres August 5)

Filmed in Landover, Maryland on December 17, 1989, AEROSMITH closes out the 1980s in top form with this dynamic performance at Capital Centre. "Live From The Capital Centre" features classic tracks such as "Walk This Way" and "Rats In The Cellar", as well as "Rag Doll", "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Permanent Vacation".

Highlight clips from this show to be added to AEROSMITH's YouTube channel on August 6 will be "Walk This Way", "Permanent Vacation" and "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)".

** "Live From The Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre, Pittsburgh, PA, 1993" (Premieres August 12)

Throughout the 1990s, AEROSMITH continued to be an unstoppable force in rock, delivering a high energy set at Coca-Cola Star Amphitheater on July 2, 1993, with all the same swagger and attitude they had from day one. The tightly knit band belts out now classics such as "Eat The Rich", "Janie's Got A Gun", "Livin' On The Edge" and "Cryin'". Older favorites include "Last Child", "Walk This Way" and "Back In The Saddle".

Highlights from this show to be added to AEROSMITH's YouTube channel on August 13 will be "Cryin'", "Janie's Got A Gun" and "Livin' On The Edge".

** "Live From Comerica Park, Detroit, MI, 2003" (Premieres August 19)

"Mama Kin" kicks things into high gear as AEROSMITH storm through Michigan on September 7, 2003, at Comerica Park during their "Rocksimus Maximus" tour. Included are classics such as "Same Old Song And Dance" and "Walk This Way", as well as "Jaded", "Love In An Elevator" and the Grammy Award-winning single "Pink". AEROSMITH brings the incredible night to a close in a cloud of confetti and a frenetic version of "Toys In The Attic".

Highlights from this show to be added to AEROSMITH's YouTube channel on August 20 will be "Toys In The Attic", "Same Old Song And Dance" and "Love In An Elevator".

** "Live From Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, 2016" (Premieres August 26)

Captured at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City on October 27, 2016, this show was enhanced with the discovery of the original multi-tracks that were added and mixed by AEROSMITH's long-time soundboard engineer John Ship. The band wastes no time getting into their groove as Steven Tyler swaggers through classics such as "Draw The Line" and "Rats In The Cellar", as well as "Crazy" and their hit ballad "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing". Teasing the crowd with a "You See Me Crying" and "Home Tonight" medley, Tyler breaks into a powerfully moving rendition of "Dream On" before bringing the show to an explosive end with "Sweet Emotion".

Highlights from this show to be added to AEROSMITH's YouTube channel on August 27 will be "Crazy", "Dream On" and "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing".

In addition, "Aerosmith - 1971: The Road Starts Hear" (UMe) is now available globally on CD and vinyl LP and can now be streamed. This rare recording from 1971 was recently discovered in AEROSMITH's Vindaloo Vaults and was originally only available as a limited-edition cassette and vinyl release for Record Store Day in 2021. The heavily sought-after RSD release quickly sold out and debuted on the Billboard 200, hitting No. 2 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, No. 12 on the Top Rock Albums chart, No. 13 on the Vinyl Albums chart, and No. 19 on the Top Album Sales chart. In addition, the band's official online store now features a new 1971 collection of exclusive merchandise.

Celebrating their 50th anniversary, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees AEROSMITH have sold more than 150 million albums around the world, produced genre-defining music videos such as "Amazing", "Crazy", "Janie's Got A Gun", "Livin' On The Edge" and "Love In An Elevator", and launched extravagant record-shattering global tours, most recently with their smash hit Las Vegas residency. The band has broken numerous boundaries, including becoming the first rock band with a massive commercially successful hip-hop collaboration with RUN DMC on "Walk This Way" and the first hard rock band to appear during a Super Bowl halftime show with their 2001 performance, and in 1999, AEROSMITH became the first band to have their own themed attraction at Disney World in Florida and later Paris with the launch of the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.

Prior to METALLICA's headlining performance Thursday (July 28) at this year's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago's Grant Park, drummer Lars Ulrich spoke to local radio station Rock 95.5 about the resurgence in popularity of the band's classic song "Master Of Puppets". Earlier this month, the "Master Of Puppets" title track saw new life 36 years following its original release after its inclusion in season four of Netflix's hit series "Stranger Things". The popularity of the 1986 song brought it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time ever in the band's lengthy career.

"That whole thing is such a mindfuck," Lars said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It's so difficult to fathom. Obviously, we've been following it, and obviously 'Stanger Things' have been an incredible phenomenon for years. And the fact that it kind of came out of the blue just three months ago, six months ago. [We were asked about] 'Master Of Puppets' [being included in] the season end. [And we said] 'of course.' We were happy to participate.

"We try to be very involved in letting our music be part of these cultural things that are out there and just to connect to fans and get the music out there," Lars explained. "But the way this thing has taken off. And who would have thought that — what is it? 36 years… So this song is 36 years old, and it's now in the Top 40 in the U.K. It's an eight-minute song, and it's fucking making a statement.

"[It shows you] the power of film, the power of television, the power of just culture," Ulrich added. "And obviously any opportunity you get to turn new kids or younger kids on to music that may be a gateway into discovering whatever it is — whether it's harder rock or different things, whatever is on their radar, is super cool. But this thing is just crazy. It's kind of hard to fully comprehend, but it's awesome. So we're very psyched."

In the season four finale of "Stranger Things", the Eddie Munson character performs what he calls "the most metal concert ever" — including shredding "Master Of Puppets" on his beloved Warlock guitar — in "Stranger Things"' "Upside Down" alternate universe during an attempt to help his friends vanquish the Big Bad of the season, a demon named Vecna.

On July 5, METALLICA released a statement regarding "Stranger Things" creators Matt and Ross Duffer's decision to use the group's music in the show. The band said: "The way The Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into 'Stranger Things' has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include 'Master Of Puppets' in the show but to have such a pivotal scene built around it.

"We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away... it's so extremely well done, so much so, that some folks were able to guess the song just by seeing a few seconds of Joseph Quinn's hands in the trailer!! How crazy cool is that?

"It's an incredible honor to be such a big part of Eddie's journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show."

Around the same time, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo revealed that his 17-year-old son Tye contributed "additional guitar tracks" to the version of "Master Of Puppets" which appears in "Stranger Things".

"Master Of Puppets" was released on February 24, 1986 and was the first album METALLICA recorded after signing a major label deal with Elektra Records.

The set only reached No. 29 on the Billboard album chart but has sold over six million copies in the U.S. since.

It is the last record to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed later that year in a tour bus crash.

Several songs from the album are still staples of METALLICA's live set, including "Battery", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and the title track.

Many fans consider it METALLICA's finest album, a fact that the band acknowledged by playing it in its entirety on a European tour in 2006.

"Master Of Puppets" continues to sell several thousand copies a week in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In 2016, "Master Of Puppets" was among the albums that were selected for induction into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Several years ago, METALLICA collaborated with an author named Matt Taylor on a book about the making of "Master Of Puppets".

Having been active since the '90s, Irish grindcore / death metal legends have only perfected their sound over the years, creating a quintessential blend of both the styles. They've come a long way from their explosive, highly caustic album, Nadir, that put them on the map and have since then imbibed more death metal influences to improve upon their expression, adding better structure and nuance to their music. 


On their latest full length, The Wretched Sermon, they've expanded upon their sound like never before, injecting myriad elements from thrash riffing to atmospheric passages and stringing them together using staggering transitions, and turning it into a fascinating beast of an album. Every song offers something different, some even climaxing into a terrific breakdown or shapeshifting into something mind-blowing. 


The Wretched Sermon is easily their most diverse and expressive album yet, meticulously written to flesh out every nuance, while keeping things brisk and intense. Abaddon Incarnate are in top form here, crafting a potent and relevant album that's bound to go down as one of the best ones in this grindcore / death metal vein in recent years.




The Wretched Sermon will be released on August 5th via Transcending Obscurity Records.





Tracklist:


"Rising Of The Lights" 
"Veritas"
"Gateways" 
"Epic Desecration" 
"Parasite" 
"Hideous Arise" 
"Killing Spree" 
"Into The Maelstrom" 
"Resurrected From A Mass Grave" 
"Shrine Of Flesh" 
"Hyperchaos"
"Isolation And Decay" 
"Silent Indifference"


"Hyperchaos"





Line up:
Steve Maher - Lead Vocals and Guitar
Bill Whelan - Guitar
Irene Siragusa - Bass
Olan Parkinson - Drums


Artwork by Ken Coleman (Morbid Angel)

Flotsam And Jetsam have released a guitar playthrough video for "The Cold", the title track of the band's 2010 album. Watch below:





Flotsam And Jetsam frontman, Eric "A.K." Knutson, was recently featured in an interview conducted at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium. In the clip below he offers an update on the band's new album, which is expected to be released next year.




Knutson: "My guitar players, for (previous album) Blood In The Water, I think they wrote 40 songs and we only put 12 on the record, so we have a lot to choose from. Most of them will be taken apart, pieces stolen out of and stuff like that, but we have enough music to keep going for a long time. We're about halfway written with a new record. We have a formula going on right now that's really working for us and we're gonna probably stick to the same formula this time. The last three records have really done some good for us."

In a new interview with Pamela Calderón of Chile's iRock, former SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera reflected on the group's groundbreaking 1996 album "Roots", on which he and his bandmates collaborated with the Brazilian Xavante tribe. Asked about the criticism from some of the SEPULTURA fans that the LP was "not metal enough," Max said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't think they gave the record a real chance. To me, 'Roots' is a very heavy record. I think some of the stuff like 'Straighthate', 'Spit', 'Ambush' and 'Endangered Species' was so frickin' heavy and it's fast and it's brutal. I think it's because it got tagged… It got really popular; it got trendy. Some people connected it with 'nu metal'. I don't think 'Roots' is a 'nu metal' record. In fact, I think it's very opposite — it's really kind of more caveman. It's simpler — downtuning but simpler riffs. Very heavy percussion."

He continued: "On its own, in its essence, to me, it's a special record for sure. I won't say it's my favorite 'cause that's like choosing your kids; it's not right. I don't wanna choose between SEPULTURA records; I like all. But to me, 'Roots' feels like… It's an idea. It was born at the right time. And it was just a crazy idea that I had in my mind, to record with Brazilian indians and to bring that to metal. And I think that was very ambitious and very courageous. 'Cause not many people do that with their career; not many people gamble everything and make a record with crazy ideas like that. 'Cause so much can go wrong. A lot of bands like to play it safe: 'We just make this record for the fans, and we're good.' And we're just not that kind of band. We like to push the envelope. We like to go forward. And we always never really tried to make the same record. To me, it was an exciting record."

Cavalera added: "I was heavily very passionate about the idea of the record — going to the tribe; using all the tribal elements, the percussion. The 'Brazilianity' of the record is incredible. And the record to me sounds amazing. The mix that Andy Wallace did is really, really great. The videos were really cool. The 'Attitude' video with the Gracies; the 'Roots Bloody Roots' video in Salvador; the 'Ratamahatta' [clip] with the dolls. Yeah, it was a phase in our life. It ended up being kind of crazy because it was the end of my run with SEPULTURA. But I'm proud of this record. And it's a big record. Many famous people like this record a lot, like Dave Grohl, and so many people like that. The SLIPKNOT guys, they love 'Roots'.

"I understand some of the old-school metalheads; they just want 'Arise'. They want me to play 'Arise' for my whole life — just keep doing 'Arise', 'Arise', 'Arise' all the time," Max said. "['Arise' and 'Beneath The Remains'] are great, but there's different stuff you can do. 'Chaos A.D.' is great. 'Roots' is great. I wouldn't change it for anything. It was the record we wanted to make at that time. And I think now that I'm actually practicing to play it live [for an upcoming tour], I understand 'Roots' more now than before. And I think it's a very complex record; it's a very strange record that's very unorthodox and very cool to listen to. If you listen to the whole record, it has some very different dynamics that's really, really great."

"Roots", along with 1993's "Chaos A.D.", is considered SEPULTURA's most commercially successful release, having been certified gold in 2005 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for U.S. shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

In a 2016 interview with Metal Hammer, KORN singer Jonathan Davis said that he felt "Roots" borrowed heavily from his own band. He said: "I thought [it] was a big compliment, but I also thought it] was fucked up. That was just a blatant KORN rip-off, and I had it out with producer Ross Robinson about that, because he just took our sound and gave it to SEPULTURA. My young brain couldn't handle it. But they were one of our biggest influences, so I guess they get a pass. And that's a classic album, so it's all good."

Later that same year, Max told the "Démentièllement Vôtre" show on Québec City's CKRL 89.1 FM radio station that he disagreed with Davis's assessment of "Roots". "I don't see it like that," he said. "I think especially the sound of KORN, in my opinion, with the bass, is horrible. We didn't have that; we had a lot of low end and things that the KORN album didn't have. So I don't see why he would be pissed off, because I don't see that much of a [similarity] between the two of them. Plus, KORN wasn't the only reason we wanted to work with Ross. He had done a FEAR FACTORY demo that I really liked and had a really raw sound. And he had done a DEFTONES song on the 'Adrenaline' album that I really liked."

He continued: "Saying that is like saying SEPULTURA should be pissed off at CANNIBAL CORPSE because they used [producer] Scott Burns. I'm not pissed off at CANNIBAL CORPSE; I think they're great. 'Cause we were one of the first that used Scott Burns, we should be mad at all the bands that use Scott Burns? That's childish. So he's just really being childish. And I really don't give a shit about KORN or anybody.

"We [were] very different from [KORN]; we have own way of playing and the songs are different. Everything is different. It's just the same guy that recorded [both albums]; that's the only similarity."

Davis was featured as a guest on the "Roots" track "Lookaway" — along with Mike Patton of FAITH NO MORE.

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band split with his wife Gloria as their manager.

Set to perform at Western Canada's decibel-breaking metalfest Loud As Hell on July 30 in Drumheller, AB, Calgary's Syryn is ready to seduce new fans and entertain current ones with their epic heavy metal tales of mermaids, sailors, and pirates. The band returns in 2022 with their second album Heads Or Tails slated for release on August 26. The band previewed their first single "Madness Becomes Me" off the record in 2021 and today they share their second sneak peek "Sink Or Swim" accompanied by a music video. The track is fast-paced, filled with full-on thrash carnage that will make sure you're fighting for your life. It's a shift from the band's first single and brings in some soaring ferocity.


"This song is about endurance. It’s about trials and tribulations and how we handle them. The uncertainties of life and how we navigate them. We internally fight with ourselves, our past, and our consciences daily. This is a prime example of processes we go through when we are scared or in the dark not knowing what lies ahead. We can’t go back, only forward. Will we sink, or will we swim?" adds the band.


"Sink Or Swim" can be heard via its music video premiere on BraveWords! Watch below:







Heads Or Tails, is a record full of growth, diversity, and a much more collaborative effort as a whole compared to the band's debut full-length Beyond The Depths along with co-writing with guest vocalists Amanda Kiernan (ex-The Order of Chaos, ex-Into Eternity) and Craig Carswell (Producer, Singer /Songwriter, Dorians Mirror, Court of Cardinals). "Head or Tails" is more a themed album branching out into the Pirate/Sailor’s perspective and beyond. The band wanted to continue on the storytelling of a Siren’s journey, touching on as many aspects of it as they could fit onto the record (including the many emotions we go through in everyday life: Love, fear, anger, happiness, sadness, regret, etc.). Syryn also wanted to shake things up and create something a bit out of their regular musical realm, no two songs are alike and that makes the band more difficult to categorize. They try to incorporate all their influences into their own sound with a wide array of styles to adhere to many people’s tastes.


"This album is part of my soul. Not only is it melodic, but it is also menacing and malicious. It’s happy and fun, yet heartwrenching. Every piece of music written includes a piece of myself. How could it not, really. We write from experience, we write from knowledge, or dreams, or desires. I write from all of the above, and more. The beauty of this album as a whole is that we all get it. We all feel those things and want to represent them as best we can. Be it to cheer someone up, provide an awesome drinking song, be pissed off at something or someone, dig a bit deeper, stand up for ourselves, give a musical hug, or whatever the hell else we feel like. This album encompasses all of that and more. Music is a voice, and we are choosing to use it. This album was a blast to write! We’ve been holding on to these riffs for a long while, and hopefully, the anticipation is exactly what our fans were waiting for," adds vocalist Sloan Voxx.


Preorder on Bandcamp and pre-save at distrokid.com.





Tracklisting:


“Surrender”
“‘Til We Drown”
“Walk The Plank”
“Sink Or Swim”
“Madness Becomes Me”
“Fist Full Of Daggers” (feat. Craig Carswell)
“Heads Or Tails”
“Succubus Queen” (feat. Amanda Kiernan)


“Madness Becomes Me”:

Denver’s Celestial Wizard is brewing up their own concoction of power and death metal, emphasized with tight, tasty riffs. In their latest video, they playthrough the single “Revenant” and show off the precision behind them. The song is the first full song on the latest album Winds Of The Cosmos, and the driving riffs continue the momentum from the previous track. The triplet beat of the guitars and drums gives the song a galloping, energetic feel. The song’s lyrics revolve around immortality and the loneliness and anger that comes with living forever. The track is a step in a new direction from the previous album, featuring primarily singing, instead of the signature death metal vocal stylings. 





Guitarist/vocalist Nick Daggers details the writing process:




“Guillermo and I have a bevy of riffs, sometimes rough drafts of complete songs, saved in our respective DAWs. We parse through everything and find riffs that we think are strong/unique and start piecing together the song structures. Once we have the first drafts, we send them to Tim for revisions. Tim has a good ear for the pacing and flow of a song and helps us dial in what we have. After revisions, we start working on the lyrics. All of us take on lyric writing duties, with Amethyst and myself handling the majority of lyrics. From there we rehearse songs as a group until they’re strong enough to perform or record, tweaking things as needed.”


Celestial Wizard delivers an energetic and engaging performance while keeping the sound tight. Even in the playthrough video, the passion and fire are evident. They aim to keep this momentum throughout their performances, they strive to entertain fans and have their songs come alive. Armed with a fresh album, a potent sound, and superb musicianship, Celestial Wizard is ready to bring its music to fans around the world. They are highly suggested for fans of Galaktikon, Dark Tranquillity, and Firewind.


Winds Of The Cosmos was released on July 15, 2022. Order on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Andromeda”
“Revenant”
“Ice Realm”
“Powerthrone”
“Eternal Scourge”
“Steel Chrysalis”
“Undead Renegade”
“Cyberhawk”
“Winds Of The Cosmos”


Album Band Line Up: 
Nick Daggers – Guitar
Vocals Guillermo Jurado - Guitar, Bass 
Tim Gillman - Drums 
Amethyst Noir - Vocals

In a new interview with Andrew Daly of VWMusic, PEARL JAM guitarist Stone Gossard was asked for his take on the long-running narrative that grunge killed the career of many hard rock and heavy metal musicians. He replied: "I think there's always renewal in the world, and with that renewal, comes new perspectives. And I think that hard rock was really stagnating at that point in a way that gave an opportunity to what I'll call 'less musically talented' musicians to say, 'Hey, there's another way to play rock songs. There's another way to have songs that are heavy. And there's another way to create chaos and energy from those songs that would be outside the normal color palette of a heavy metal song.'

"I mean, coming up, I listened to a lot of heavy metal," he continued. "I listened to a lot of MOTÖRHEAD. I listened to a lot of IRON MAIDEN. I listened to a lot of MERCYFUL FATE. I listened to a lot of LED ZEPPELIN. I listened to all those New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands, and I was into it. This said, as a kid, I didn't really know how to play like that, so I was just doing what sounded right to me. And I think that in the late '80s, there was a very free attitude about art and music that was brewing in the wake of hard rock, and a lot of people were experimenting with sounds, and the bands formed from there. There was something about it that was fresh, that really captured people's ears, and that had a huge effect on it all too. But you know, a lot of those heavy metal bands you're talking about are still around, so clearly they all didn't die. Sure, a lot of them had to regroup, and yes, some did die, but that's part of the life cycle, right? There are still a lot of fans out there who love hard rock, and I'm one of them. I love hard rock, and I always have, but renewal and rebirth are a part of art, I think."

In recent years, several 1980s hard rock musicians have weighed in on grunge's impact on the glam-rock scene, including SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan. Regarding how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting, Rachel told Rodrigo Altaf of Sonic Perspectives: "When a musical genre becomes just a point of sale, that's kind of the beginning of the end for the genre, 'cause they'll sign a million bands that kind of sound like a band, and then it just dilutes everything. So that's what was kind of happening right around when grunge came out. And then when grunge came out, it was the next big thing, and then it happened to them too. Every band that kind of resembled NIRVANA got signed, and they were nowhere near as good as NIRVANA. So it dilutes the market and eventually just poisons it."

Back in 2014, Bolan admitted to the Dallas Observer that "grunge put a lot of bands like us out of business. You just have to wait it out. We came back because people wanted to have fun again. There were some grunge bands that I liked, but it was such a different vibe and a different scene. People started to miss bands from our era. There was a certain nostalgia involved."

In a 2016 interview with the Fox Business program "Kennedy", Bolan's onetime bandmate Sebastian Bach was asked when he realized that there was a "shift" taking place and how he felt about it. He responded: "I think I realized it when I saw the video for [NIRVANA's] 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. And there was never any video or song like that before; it was a new sound, and people were responding to it. But what goes around comes around. I mean, now the biggest tour in town is GUNS N' ROSES or AC/DC, who have the same singer. [Laughs] So, you know, music is cyclical, and people will always love rock and roll, 'cause it gets passed down through the generations. IRON MAIDEN has never been bigger than right now. It's kind of crazy."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

Earlier this year, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider told told Armchair MBA that "no one saw" the rise of grunge coming, but he admitted that he "was already dead and semi-buried before grunge hit. TWISTED arrived in the early '80s and then we hit our stride in the mid-'80s and by the late '80s, the band had broken up. I had a band called DESPERADO [with former IRON MAIDEN drummer Clive Burr and ex-GILLAN guitarist Bernie Tormé] that got shelved by Elektra Records; a lot of money we spent on that record. So I was sort of already removed as a featured artist by that point, and I was struggling trying to find my footing with DESPERADO and then WIDOWMAKER. And then I got the letter in the mail, certified letter, 'We have decided we're no longer doing what you do — look like you, sound like you, sing like you, write like you, perform like you. We actually don't want anything to do with anything you ever did. Sincerely, the music-buying public.' [Laughs] And that's when the bottom really fell out. I mean, imagine being a doctor who studied a form of medicine, and they found a cure for it. You're a cancer specialist — a specialist; it's what you dedicated your life to — and you get a pill that cures [cancer]. You're out of work. Grunge cured hair metal. So I was out of work."

Two years ago, Snider told Ultimate Guitar that he "loved" NIRVANA and other grunge bands when they emerged. "When they first came out, it wasn't even called grunge," he explained. "And this is the thing about titles — even heavy metal, punk, hair metal, those are not titles chosen by the artists; they're titles chosen by the writers. And usually as a negative connotation. Usually as a form of a putdown. And the artists that they called grunge, called punk, called heavy metal — they hated it. This is a fact, dude. I'm old. I know this, a fact: if you mentioned grunge to SOUNDGARDEN or PEARL JAM, they got physically violent with you. They were just a rock band. And if anything, SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, they were metal bands. They were touring with Ozzy [Osbourne]. It just became defined by some writers; they pigeonholed it and called it a new sound."

Dee continued: "When it first came out, I was, again, doing metal radio, and I was playing ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA on my show, and I was like, 'This is great, heavy new stuff.' So then it became defined as grunge, and then it was the hair metal killer, and that was awful. But I don't blame it on the music; hair metal did it to itself. It became too commercialized, and then it got unplugged and became nothing but power ballads and acoustic songs, and it wasn't metal anymore. It had to go; it had to change."

Snider's TWISTED SISTER bandmate Jay Jay French told Daniel Sarkissian of the "Rock Is Dead?" documentary about the death of hair metal and arrival of grunge: "The only band that leapfrogged and saved themselves was GUNS N' ROSES. And my theory is that GUNS N' ROSES was not perceived as a joke. They came out of L.A., but I think that Axl [Rose], first of all, had a great voice. I think that they were perceived as real, not fake. Like, they were real junkies, not pretend junkies. So there's an authenticity. It's all about authenticity, and grunge is all about authenticity. People wanted authenticity, so they got it with grunge. It wiped out the perceived frivolousness of hair metal, which is, 'Hey, man. Let's party. Let's get the girls and drink.' I think people just got sick of that, and they wanted [something more] authentic."

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi told Newsday in a 2014 interview that the CRÜE album he sang on was a commercial disappointment because the music scene had changed, with hair metal brushed aside for grunge. "Everybody was listening to ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN," Corabi said. "At that point, we were considered passé."

According to Corabi, CRÜE's ill-fated 1994 American tour " was a nightmare. We weren't selling tickets. It was just horrible," he said.

In 2019, former TNT singer Tony Harnell said that the rise of the grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image, was ultimately a positive thing for the rock genre because it "shined a really harsh light on how boring and repetitive" the '80s glam metal scene had become. He explained: "It was the same look, the same songwriters, the same producers, and it just started to be… Nobody was offering anything… Don't get me wrong, there were a few that got in there that were interesting and different, but, for the most part, they were all just sort of rehashes, slightly, of other bands."

Progressive avant-garde metallers, Italy's MindAhead return in 2022 with their sophomore album 6119 Part 1 via Rockshots Records to follow their 2017 debut full-length Reflections released on Roman label Revalve Records. Just like its predecessor, the band's new offering is once again a concept album with a complex, personal and unusual sound to test the limits of their songwriting. 6119 Part 1 is a continuation of the previous work on Reflections, which will tell us the story of 6119, the main character, through a surreal, oneiric journey, always poised between physical space and the realm of the mind. Trapped in this dreamlike kaleidoscope, he proceeds heedless of the consequences, hoping to find at the end of the journey (the Part II, currently in production) the reason why all this is happening to him.


Merging different aspects, sometimes opposite, of human feeling, bringing them together in a colorful and personal musical proposal, which has its roots in influences ranging from prog ‘70s to death metal, the band explains the new album in further detail:


"This album is a concept realized with the aim of telling a story that straddles the line between dystopian science fiction and the psychological investigation of the human mind, so the music and lyrics were created in order to reach these goals. We would like the listening experience to be completely immersive. We would like the listener to be able to take a break from the real world and step into another dimension, one that is distant but at the same time well known, not alien, but almost familiar. The listener should passionately follow the events of 6119 in its inner and outer search for reality, in a story that began in the previous album Reflections and will end in the band's next release, so as to complete a narrative trilogy."




The band has unveiled the first single "What Your Are" off 6119 Part 1. The storyline of the track is dedicated to the search for "Emerald Eyes," the female figure that 6119 encounters on the first album Reflections. The song alternates between very powerful moments, such as the beginning, and more reflective and intimate moments such as the central interlude, which takes us back to desert and arabesque sounds and atmospheres.


Having shared the stage with bands such as Jinjer, Vision Divine, Deathless Legacy, Domine, Pino Scotto, MindAhead is recommended for fans of Opeth, Ayreon, Haken, Katatonia and Pink Floyd. 6119 Part 1 is due out October 28, 2022 via Rockshots Records.


Preorder at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Prologue”
“Burning Horizon”
“Dancing In The Desert”
“What You Are”
“The Last Tide”
“Beautiful Mistake”
“Innocence”
“At The Gates Of Night Part I (The Old Poet) & II (At The Gates)”
“At The Gates Of Night Part III (Lost In The Loop)”


“What You Are”:

Canadian metal band Polarity puts on a technical sonic showcase filled with wailing guitars and complex drum patterns while conveying observations in a world where history continues to be determined by exploitative forces. A combination of grit and raw musical expertise set the stage for Polarity’s blistering new single, “Destruction Of Memory” — available now!





Polarity comes out swinging with a sophisticated song that attracts audiences who appreciate musical craftsmanship and cerebral ideas. The first of three red-hot releases scheduled for this summer, “Destruction Of Memory,” is an electrifying recording borne out of artistic exploration. 




“We’ve never done anything conventionally, so recording these new songs live off the floor is something that really allows us to invite our listeners into songs created completely organically and authentically,” says vocalist Jasmine Virginia.


“Destruction Of Memory,” asks listeners not to be fooled by all the noise in the world and instead examine their own experiences and personal truths. Dubbed cinematic rock by producer David Botrill, the song is a theatrically engineered soundscape that acts as a visceral commentary on the human condition. Philosophical themes of indoctrination and authoritarianism are traversed as Polarity takes listeners on a lyrical expedition through space and time.


In collaboration with JUNO Award-winning producers Darren Magierowski and Jill Zimmerman, Polarity’s latest group of songs was recorded at Jukasa Studio, home of recording acts such as Alexis on Fire and Protest The Hero. The recording was filmed live by renowned videographer Mike Filsingerand (30 Seconds to Mars, Three Days Grace). The footage was chopped up and now serves as the official music video for the song.


Polarity is the result of a musical friendship lasting over a decade and has grown steadily since its inception in 2008. “Our goal has always been to make music that makes a positive impact, and we have no plans of stopping anytime soon,” says guitarist Michael Sitana. Vulnerability is encouraged, expressed, and complemented by a rhythmic sensibility that cuts through the static and connects with audiences in a meaningful way.


With four studio albums guided by GRAMMY-winning producers like David Bottrill and Joao Carvalho, and hundreds of Canadian shows under their belt, Polarity continues to be one of the most consistent DIY bands working today.


Polarity’s transcendent new single “Destruction Of Memory” is available now.

MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray says that he is "still hurting" from falling off stage during the band's concert in Tampa, Florida Tuesday night (July 26).

On Thursday, Gray posted a video message on his Instagram in which he shared "the whole truth" behind the incident, which took place while he and his bandmates were performing the song "Not Falling" at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre as part of MUDVAYNE's co-headlining U.S. tour with ROB ZOMBIE, dubbed "Freaks On Parade".

Chad said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It seems everybody's talking about my spill the other night. I've been getting a lot of love from a lot of people.

"I'm okay. I'm still fuckin' hurtin'. But a lot of people have reached out to me personally; a lot of people sending me well wishes online. I appreciate it very much.

"I just want you to know that it's not like I walked out there and fuckin' slipped on a banana peel or something and fell into the crowd," the 50-year-old explained. "It was absolutely my intention to get out there and get down in your face and lay on ya and lean into ya and scream and have you scream back at me. It's probably one of my favorite parts of any show that I ever play, is getting that close with you guys.

"What happened was… So I basically walk to the down stage edge of the stage, and I step across and I put my foot on top of the barricade. When I'm on the stage, there's about five feet underneath me from where my feet are at to the ground, so I'm even higher, my head and shit. So, yeah, it's probably four or five feet. So what happened was I stepped out, the crowd surged forward, pushed my foot off backwards, so my foot went straight fuckin' down. My left foot was still on the stage — I hadn't stepped across yet — and my whole fucking body just went 'wham!' like that, right on top of the barricade, right here, right across my sternum. I thought I was gonna piss my pants; it hurt so fuckin' bad. We were ironically in the course of 'Not Falling', which is amazing, so I just started singing that. And I was able to sing. So I just pushed through the shit.

"It was fucking brutal," Gray admitted. "But we did it, and I got through it. I'm on day two now. I'm hoping this is the worst of it. I hope it's kind of like lifting weights where you get sore for a couple of days. But the good news is I didn't break a rib. Otherwise this tour could be over and I would be absolutely fuckin' devastated because all I wanted to do for the last two and a half years is get back out here and be with my fuckin' heavy metal family around the country and hopefully soon around the world."

Produced by Live Nation, the 21-city "Freaks On Parade" tour kicked off on July 20 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, making stops across the U.S. in Tampa, Holmdel, Tinley Park, and more before wrapping up in The Woodlands at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on August 21. Support on the trek is coming from STATIC-X and POWERMAN 5000.

MUDVAYNE formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, earning gold certification for three albums ("L.D. 50", "The End Of All Things To Come", "Lost And Found"). The band is known for its sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks and uniforms. MUDVAYNE is Gray, Greg Tribbett (guitar, backing vocals),Matthew McDonough (drums, synthesizer) and Ryan Martinie (bass).

Gray has spent the past 16 years fronting HELLYEAH, which released its sixth studio album, "Welcome Home", in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked the group's final effort with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away more than four years ago.

MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.

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ANTHRAX's longtime producer Jay Ruston is working on a Dolby Atmos mix of the band's classic third album, 1987's "Among The Living".

The LP, originally produced by Eddie Kramer and ANTHRAX, featured the lineup of singer Joey Belladonna, lead guitarist Dan Spitz, rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante.

Building on an underground following with signature tracks such as "I Am The Law", "Caught In A Mosh" and "Indians", "Among The Living" catapulted ANTHRAX to widespread recognition and earned the group's first gold award. It also marked the height of the band's use of horror and comic book inspirations, with the title track and album cover image based on the Stephen King novel "The Stand", "A Skeleton In The Closet" on King's novella "Apt Pupil", and "I Am The Law" on the comic book character Judge Dredd.

ANTHRAX discussed plans for Dolby Atmos mix of "Among The Living" during an appearance earlier today (Thursday, July 28) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "We have the master tapes, which we didn't even know if they survived that fire or not, but apparently they did," Benante said, referencing the 2008 blaze at a Universal Studios backlot in Hollywood, California in which the master recordings of an estimated 500,000 songs by many of the past century’s marquee musicians were destroyed. "And Jay has been remixing it and I heard some of it and I was just blown away. Like, 'Wow!' Jay played some [of it for me], and I was just, like, 'Dude, this sounds amazing' — as if we did it yesterday."

According to Benante, the idea to do a Dolby Atmos mix of "Among The Living" came from the record company, Universal. "[They] approached us to do it because they've been doing these," he said. "And, of course, they picked that record first. It's gonna be awesome, though."

Ian added: "They had a list, apparently, of the albums that hadn't been done yet in Dolby Atmos and we were high up on that list; they really were interested in doing that with us."

Charlie went on to say that what he has heard so far of Dolby Atmos mix is impressive. "The tones are so awesome, and it's so heavy," he explained.

"[Jay] sent me some guitar tracks when he first got the tapes," Scott added. "He said, 'I'm putting these masters up.' And he sent me guitar tracks from some of the songs. I was, like, 'Holy shit.' He sent me just my 'Caught In A Mosh', just the guitar, and I was, like, 'Wow!' [Laughs]"

Dolby Atmos lets you precisely place and move sounds in three-dimensional space with the introduction of audio objects — and with much more precision compared to traditional surround. And with the addition of overhead speakers, you can create a fully encompassing soundstage to make listeners feel like they're inside the experience.

Dolby Atmos automatically optimizes content based on the number of speakers in the environment or device, so your mix delivers the best experience it can for mobile devices enabled with Dolby Atmos, home theaters, soundbars and even headphones.

Despite the fact that "Among The Living" was ANTHRAX's third album (following 1984's "Fistful Of Metal" and 1985's "Spreading The Disease"),Ian told Metal Hammer in a 2017 interview that the band wasn't being forced by the record company at the time to make any big commercial breakthrough. "We were under no pressure at all," he said. "We had no time limit for writing or recording. The way we worked back then, when there were enough songs for an album, then we'd go in and do it. We never wrote more than was necessary. In a way, I now regret that situation. We were on such a roll that perhaps someone should have persuaded us to carry on writing. Who knows what else may have come out? When you're in that zone, there's a lot to be said for staying in. I'm not criticizing what's on 'Among The Living', but we may have benefited from being a little less hasty in finishing up the writing side."

Regarding the recording process for "Among The Living", Scott said: "We had just come off the METALLICA tour in the fall of '86 when [METALLICA bassist] Cliff Burton was killed, and we had come off that tour obviously early because of the tragedy. And that's when we started recording that record, pretty much right after that. I feel like the energy just really jumps off that record; you fucking hear how pissed off we are playing our instruments on that record. There's a brutality on that album that you don't hear on the two records before 'Among The Living'. It was just the record of its time; it really was."

When ANTHRAX's "Among The Living" full-album performance at the 2014 edition of the Sonisphere festival was first announced, Ian said: "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away (1986, New York City) we wrote a record that at the time, we had no idea would become our 'signature' record. We had a song about the plight of the American Indian, we had songs about Stephen King characters (Randall Flagg from 'The Stand' and Todd Bowden from 'Apt Pupil'),we had a song dedicated to Cliff Burton and another about John Belushi's clichéd death. We had a song about Judge fucking Dredd and we had a song called 'Caught In A Mosh'. We had songs.'

He continued: "When 'Among The Living' punched the world in the face in 1987, it launched ANTHRAX into a high-speed trajectory that we could barely keep up with. Like going from 0-200 kph in 5 seconds flat. Our heads were spinning as fast as they were banging, and [35] years later, nothing has changed."

Last December, Bello was asked during an appearance on Mitch Joel's "Groove - The No Treble Podcast" if he and his bandmates knew they had something special when they were working on the music for "Among The Living". He responded: "At that time, this music was on the rise. We just had come out with 'Spreading The Disease'. Joey Belladonna is in the band. We had a great singer, we had great music — things were working. We knew while writing those songs and knowing the singer we had and knowing what we can do, the next step, I think it all came to play. So as we were writing those songs, we knew it was special. I do think we knew it. But you know what? You can never tell the outside world — you don't know the atmosphere of the outside world, how that's gonna be taken. You know there is a movement going on, but you don't know if this record that you have is gonna match what they're looking for. That is up to chance — for everybody, to be honest. And we had momentum going in for sure, but you don't know actually how it's gonna work. And to be honest, all you can do is do your best — put out your best music — you go out there and you tour your fucking ass off. And that's the program."
Thanks to @TheFrankBello@Scott_Ian@skisum@jbelladonna for coming by #trunknation Vegas today. And thx to @ZakkWyldeBLS for calling in. Great final show on @siriusxmvolume ! Monday I'm back live on new home Faction Talk @SIRIUSXM 103 3-5P ET. pic.twitter.com/buU6SPWc5C

— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) July 28, 2022

Live In Stockholm has Trouble riffing through a fantastic greatest hits setlist that will leave no fan untouched! Finally available on vinyl for the first time on September 2. Remastered and cut in DMM.


Trouble were invited by Leif Edling and Candlemass as special guests. The vinyl release (on CD it is available as a bonus disc that we added to the remastered deluxe CD edition of Simple Mind Condition covers all 14 tracks the legendary doom metal pioneers played that evening, and by hearing Trouble in action you can hear where the band leader of Candlemass, Leif Edling, was inspired. The whole gig is 75 minutes, and the guys serve us the best (lets call it a “Greatest Hits” set) from their long career on a fantastic 2LP. Everything is played with an incredible passion and love for the music, and it’s really fun to hear the old doom metal icons on stage. Eric Wagner didn’t move too much, he mostly hung over his mic with shades and a cigarette, but that turned out great, because of his amazing voice that was still intact.


Order on black and/or green vinyl, and digital.







Tracklisting:


"R.I.P."
"Come Touch The Sky"
"End Of My Daze"
"Plastic Green Head"
"Fear"
"Memory's Garden"
"The Misery Shows (Act II)"
"Psalm 9"
"Run To The Light"
"All Is Forgiven"
"Psychotic Reaction"
"The Skull"
"Revelation (Life Or Death)"
"The Tempte"

The new studio album from world acclaimed keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Sons of Apollo, Black Country Communion), Vortex, is out now. Watch an official music video for the song "Aurora Australis":





The follow-up to 2020’s The Phoenix, Vortex includes eight tracks built on his signature chameleonic sound that blends rock with elements of funk, prog, and jazz, which he started writing even before The Phoenix was finished.




“Vortex is a continuation of The Phoenix,” Sherinian states. “However, I feel the composition is stronger on the new album, and I would describe it as a modern day 70s style fusion record, but with newer heavier tonality.”


When it came to guitars, Sherinian recruited a who’s who of great players, some of whom he had worked with before - Steve Stevens, Joe Bonamassa, Steve Lukather, Zakk Wylde, Sons Of Apollo bandmate Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal - and a few new allies, in the form of Michael Schenker, Mike Stern and Nuno Bettencourt.


“The choice of guitarist works itself out in the writing,” he explains. “Also, like in the case of Steve Stevens, we co-wrote the song together, so it was natural for him to play on it.”


Of his new collaborators, he says of Bettencourt, who appears on the scratchy “Fire Horse”, “I have always been a fan of his playing, and I am glad that we finally got to record together. He has the Van Halen swing and swagger to his playing that I love. We were both born in 1966, the Chinese year of the Fire Horse.”


According to Sherinian, Schenker’s inclusion was a no-brainer. “Michael Schenker has been one of my heroes for many years. He asked me to play on his Immortal album, and in return, he agreed to play on “Die Kobra”. I wanted to write a great song inspired by my favorite Schenker tracks. Zakk Wylde added some great additional parts to the song, and Tony Franklin and Simon Phillips sound great, as usual.”


The Vortex is available as:


- Ltd. 180g white LP+CD
- Ltd. CD Digipak
- Digital Album


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"The Vortex" feat. Steve Stevens
"Fire Horse" feat. Nuno Bettencourt
"Scorpion"
"Seven Seas" feat. Steve Stevens
"Key Lime Blues" feat. Joe Bonamassa, Steve Lukather
"Die Kobra" feat. Michael Schenker, Zakk Wylde
"Nomad's Land" feat. Mike Stern
"Aurora Australis" feat. Bumblefoot


"The Vortex" video:





(Photo - Greg Vorobiov)

Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante have opened up about their participation in the upcoming PANTERA tour.

Two weeks ago, it was reported that Wylde and Benante, along with PANTERA's surviving members, singer Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown, will tour as PANTERA, headlining a number of major festivals across North America and Europe and staging some of their own headline concerts.

According to a report by Billboard, Wylde and Benante's involvement in the project has been approved by the estates of PANTERA's late co-founders, drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott and guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

Earlier today (Thursday, July 28), Zakk and Charlie discussed their involvement in the PANTERA celebration tour while speaking to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Zakk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's gonna be awesome. The fellows have always… When Vinnie was still with us, it was always rolling around that, 'Zakk, would you honor Dime and all of us get together and do this thing?' And I said, 'Fellows, whenever you wanna do this thing, I'll be over here waiting in the dugout and in the bullpen. And just call me when you need me and I'll learn everything and we'll go do this.'

"Throughout the years, there's always been rumblings about it, so it wasn't until, obviously, now… I was speaking on the phone with Phil — we might have been all on a group call — but Phil was just, like, 'Zakk, would you honor Dime and would you play?'" the OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman recalled. "And I said, 'Yeah, Phil. Of course. I've always said I would. Of course.' I said, 'If you guys wanna go do it, then let's do it.'"

As for what his approach is going to be to playing the parts originally written and recorded by Darrell, Zakk said: "You approach it the same way as you do when I'm playing with Ozzy. Obviously I've gotta learn [Randy] Rhoads's stuff and I've gotta learn Jake's [E. Lee] stuff, and when I was doing the [BLACK] SABBATH stuff, you learn it and do it as faithful as you can. Charlie's gotta learn all of Vinnie's parts. You approach it as if you're in a cover band. When we do the ZAKK SABBATH stuff," referring to his BLACK SABBATH cover band, "I don't start changing lyrics midway through 'War Pigs'. You learn the songs — so that's what you do."

Benante concurred, saying: "I can't go do this as the drummer from ANTHRAX because it would be a different sound completely. So the way I'm gonna do that is if you close your eyes, it's gonna sound like it's Vinnie, basically. And that's how it's gonna be… The sound is gonna sound exactly like him."

Asked when he first got approached about taking part in the PANTERA tour, the ANTHRAX drummer said: "Oh, man. December [of last year]. End of December. I was talking to Philip, and then he just mentioned this. And I said, 'Oh, yeah, sure. Whatever.' And then it became real about January [or] February… To this day, if it happens, if there's one show that's played, great."

Pressed about whether he knows when the first show from the PANTERA tribute project is going to happen, Benante said, "No."

Both Charlie and Zakk went on to say that they see the PANTERA tour as nothing more than a celebration of the music created by the legendary Texas-based act. "Absolutely," Benante said. "And I think everybody in [ANTHRAX] feels the same way about those guys. We go back a long way [with PANTERA] — '86, maybe even '85. We played a show at a place called Cardi's in Houston, and PANTERA were the opening band. It was in [April] '86. HELSTAR was on the bill. It was the first time we met them. My friendship with Darrell goes a long way, and I love both of those guys so much. So, for me, it was a very emotional thing to do this. That's what it's all about — it's all about those two guys and doing it… I don't wanna see anybody else doing it but me, 'cause I'm gonna do it right."

Added Zakk: "Whenever [the idea of doing a tribute has] come up, you're celebrating the guys and you're celebrating all their achievements and their greatness. And that's what it is. 'Cause everybody was just, like, 'How can they call it a PANTERA reunion?' And I go, 'Well, it's Phil and Rex getting back together,' 'cause they haven't played together for a while. I go, 'It's a PANTERA celebration.' That's what it is. It's no different than Mitch [Mitchell] and Noel [Redding] from 'Experience Hendrix' asking Eric Clapton to come out and sing and play Jimi's [Hendrix] stuff and honor him, and they're gonna go out and honor Jimi Hendrix. To me, it's the same thing. With Ozzy, we honor Saint Rhoads every night. Every time we're playing 'I Don't Know', 'Mr. Crowley' — everything — you're honoring Randy. To me, it's an extension of that. You're honoring Dime, you're honoring Vinnie and you're honoring Phil and Rex, all the guys, their achievements, what they achieved as PANTERA and all the mountains they conquered. That's the way I look at it. That's the way I've always looked at it."

Benante and Wylde had both voiced their appreciation for PANTERA's musical legacy on a number of occasions in recent years. Back in June 2018, just one day after the death of Vinnie Paul, Benante told SiriusXM about the first time he met the PANTERA drummer: "The very first time, it was the first time we ever were in Texas. And those guys [PANTERA] were there. We played at this club, and I believe PANTERA were the opening band. A mutual friend of ours, who everybody knows now — Rita [Haney, longtime girlfriend of Dimebag] — she kind of was the conduit to grouping us together to become friendly. We've known those guys since 1985, and just the two of them, Darrell and Vinnie, after you met those two, it was like you had a friend in Texas, both of them, and they just made the experience so much better, and you immediately bonded. So throughout the years, we just remained friends."

Benante went on to draw a parallel between PANTERA and another legendary rock band which featured siblings who achieved notability together.

"I always equated Dime and Vinnie as, like, Alex and Eddie from VAN HALEN; I always thought PANTERA was like VAN HALEN reborn," he said. "They had a guitar player, who was a hero. The drummers were fucking awesome, but the thing about Vinnie that, I think, not a lot of people know — maybe they do — but from a technical side of things, Vinnie made those PANTERA records sound like that. He was the guy behind it all who was turning the knobs, EQing shit so that his kick drum wasn't fighting with Darrell's fucking chunky guitar. He was a lot of the brains and the glue that held that band together and, basically, pushed that band."

In 2019, Anselmo, who has spent the past few years playing a PANTERA-centric set with his solo band, THE ILLEGALS, told Chile's Humo Negro that he would consider getting together with Wylde and Brown and performing PANTERA's classic songs in concert. "Well, Zakk is a busy man," he said. "He does his own band, he does stuff with Ozzy and all that stuff. We spoke about it maybe one time. And I think everybody — everybody — is… I guess they're like me. Keep an open mind about it. We'll see. But I know from all the hard work with [Anselmo's] THE ILLEGALS [project] here to make those songs right, all of us, we would have to take time off and really practice together and get everything perfect. So it's a lot of work. And I'm doing a lot of bands, man, right now. [But] if everything was lined up, I would do it — sure. Fuck yeah! Why not?"

Zakk was also open to the idea, telling "The Cassius Morris Show" in October 2019: "When Saint Vinnie was still around, they were talking about it then. I mean, the way I always looked at it is it's a PANTERA celebration and an honor. I mean, every night I'm playing with Ozz, we honor Saint Rhoads [late Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads]. I'm playing the Randy stuff every night, and I'm blessed and it's an honor to do it. Basically, we're paying tribute to Randy every night — keeping his music alive.

"No one's replacing anybody. No one's replacing Randy Rhoads — he was a one-off. If [LED] ZEPPELIN was going out, and if Jason's [Bonham] playing drums, no one's replacing his father. What they're doing is celebrating his father's greatness and what he achieved and all the mountains he conquered with ZEPPELIN. It's more of a tribute and a celebration than it is... You can't replace any of these people I'm talking about — they're all legendary guys. But, yeah, you're just celebrating all their achievements — that's all."

In April 2021, Rex told Eonmusic that he and Philip still get offers for a PANTERA tribute tour. "But if you don't have the other guys in the band, it's not going to sound the same," he said. "If we were ever to do something like that, it would have to be spot-on, or I wouldn't do it. It would be a tribute."

In February 2020, Haney said she would "definitely" be in favor of Anselmo, Brown and Wylde teaming up for a PANTERA tribute tour. A few days later, Brown weighed in on her comments, writing on Twitter: "I wanna make sure that ppl understand what I'm about to tweet.. It's not up to Rita to say what will happen, only what Philip & I say...I'm in!! Dig?!?!?"

Rita discussed the possibility of the former PANTERA members and the OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist paying tribute to Dimebag and Vinnie while speaking to "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" on the red carpet of the Ronnie James Dio 10th Memorial Awards Gala at the Avalon in Los Angeles. She said: "I don't think there could be a PANTERA reunion, but I think that his two remaining brothers, Rex and Philip, if they wanted to honor Darrell and Vinnie, as far as where I'm coming from and what I believe Darrell would believe — because he was the most forgiving person that I know — I believe that he would be honored. It's kind of a cliché to say, but he truly would be grateful that he meant that much to them. And I think if they wanna honor their fallen brothers with a tribute, I think that that's great. But as far as trying to say put PANTERA back together, PANTERA tribute, this and that, no — that's distasteful without those other guys. But I think as a tribute, it would be a really great thing. Because I know, from a fan's point, if I hadn't been able to see them play or hear those songs — the songs, they mean so much to me; I can imagine [they do to] other people as well. I think it's great that they can at least see it performed, and by people that truly love 'em. So, yeah, I think it would be a really cool thing."

When asked to clarify if she would "be okay with a tour," she responded: "I definitely would. I'd wanna be at every show. [Laughs]"

Talk about a possible PANTERA "reunion" intensified when Anselmo regularly joined Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to perform PANTERA's song "I'm Broken" during DOWN's 2014 stint on the "Revolver Golden Gods Tour". That buzz only got stronger after Brown joined the jam on May 23, 2014 when the tour swung through Texas.

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

SLIPKNOT played its latest single, "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)", live for the first time earlier tonight (Thursday, July 28) at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

"The Dying Song (Time To Sing)" is taken from SLIPKNOT's seventh studio album, "The End, So Far", which will be released on September 30 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind", it will be the band's final record with Roadrunner after first signing with the rock and metal label in 1998.

The official music video for "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)" was directed by SLIPKNOT percussionist M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan.

Produced by SLIPKNOT and Joe Barresi, "The End, So Far" includes the band's 2021 surprise single "The Chapeltown Rag" and follows their widely celebrated 2019 album "We Are Not Your Kind", which marked SLIPKNOT's third consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The release made a massive global impact with No. 1 debuts in the official album charts of twelve countries around the world, including the U.K., Australia, Canada and Mexico, with Top 5 debuts in an additional twelve countries including Germany, France and Sweden.

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)", SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor told Kerrang! magazine: "To me, it just seems like it's all the outrage and none of the punishment. For the last few years it's been very trendy to be offended and outraged by everything, and yet nothing happens – especially in my country, which is just fucking ridiculous. It's almost like the tables have turned, and the more angry people get, the more the people who they're mad at just double-down on the shit. Instead of there being cause and effect, or crime and punishment, now it's just like, 'Fuck you, we don't care.' I can't tell if that's a reaction because of the almost nihilistic isolation of the cultures themselves, where neither side is acknowledging any of the good parts of each other – they're just really honed in on the shit that they consider inflammatory. And it's almost like people are ringing the doomsday bell. You're sitting there going, 'Well, it's been fun! Everybody, pick up your trash when you're leaving, and I'll see you in Hell!' That's kind of what that song is. It's just like, 'If we don't figure it out, I'll see you when the meteor hits, basically.'"

As for SLIPKNOT's working relationship with Barresi, Taylor said: "He's one of those dudes who's got great ideas, but he also allows you to do what is on your mind. If he has an idea, he lets you pursue yours, but then he'll go, 'You know, just for me, try this and see if these things can live together.' He's very unassuming, which is kind of rare these days. Sometimes you can get a producer who's trying to enforce their will on it, but Joe just wants what's best for the album, and what's best for the song, and what's best for the performance."

Taylor went on to call "The End, So Far" a "darker version" of SLIPKNOT's third LP, 2004's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)".

"To me, 'Vol. 3' was really the most expansive album that we had done, up to that point," he explained. "It was the thing that kind of pushed the boundaries for everybody, you know? We were able to experiment with different styles of music, and really show people that there was so much more depth to what we do. And I kind of feel like that's what this album is doing. In a way it is [also] an extension of 'We Are Not Your Kind', but to me, the songs are better, the structuring is better. We're able to kind of take it even further, and after 23 years professionally, being able to say that there's ground that we haven't covered yet, and there's ground that we're excited to cover, is cool."

Canadian singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, Paul Shaffer - who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on both Late Night With David Letterman and Late Show With David Letterman - joined King's X on stage last night (July 28) during the band's sold out concert at New York City's Gramercy Theater. Watch their performance of "We Were Born To Be Loved", lifted from the 1990 KIng's X album Faith Hope Love, below:





The legendary King’s X, comprised of dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, recently announced the release of their 13th studio album, Three Sides Of One, on September 2, representing their first new music in 14 years.




Of the new album, dUg comments: “When I think of it, King’s X feels like a couple of old best friends coming together, shooting the shit, and having a good time, it’s instinctual. When I would listen to demo tapes of Jerry and Ty for the record, it gave me a great perspective on how blessed I am to be in King’s X. What they did on Three Sides of One sounded so good. For as familiar as it is, it’s like I’m in a new band.”


Ty adds: This time, we sat around, listened to each other’s ideas, and would collectively say, ‘Let’s work on that’. It was the most enjoyable album I’ve personally ever recorded in my entire life, period.”


Jerry continues: “I’ll cherish what we did in my heart forever. Everything lined up perfectly.”


Three Sides Of One will be available as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet & as Digital Album. There will also be a Limited Deluxe 180g Orange/Red Marble 2LP+CD+LP-booklet that also includes a poster and a hand-numbered print, as well as an exclusive variant of the front cover artwork. Pre-order here.


During 2019, the members congregated at Black Sound Studio in Pasadena, CA with Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Parnin to bring Three Sides Of One to life. Despite consistent touring, they hadn’t cut a new LP since 2008. Nevertheless, the guys picked up where they left off. Creative confidant and collaborator Wally Farkas rolled through, and they channelled their incredible chemistry on tape.





Tracklisting:


"Let It Rain"
"Flood Pt. 1"
"Nothing But The Truth"
"Give It Up"
"All God’s Children"
"Take The Time"
"Festival"
"Swipe Up"
"Holidays"
"Watcher"
"She Called Me Home"
"Every Everywhere"


"Give It Up" lyric video:





"Let It Rain":