Progressive/symphonic power metal quintet Induction will release their sophomore full length, Born From Fire, on November 25 via Atomic Fire Records.


Notes guitarist and band mastermind Tim Kanoa Hansen. “We tried to deliver a good mix of big hits, great melodies, emotions, brutal anger, intricate riffs, and arrangements as well as making it a ton of fun while listening. We are sure this album will convince old and new fans alike of what Induction means. We sincerely hope that everyone finds themselves in some of the songs.”


The record, which boasts twelve metal anthems in 58 minutes, was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen and is graced by the cover artwork of Peter Sallai (Sabaton, Jinjer, Powerwolf).




Born From Fire will be available on CD, 2LP vinyl, and digitally. Find special preorder bundles at induction.afr.link.


Keep up with Induction’s upcoming European live dates at their official website.





Tracklisting:


“Born From Fire”
“Scorched”
“Fallen Angel”
“Go To Hell”
“Embers”
“Order & Chaos”
“The Beauty Of Monstrance”
“Queen Of Light”
“I Am Alive”
“Ghost Of Silence”
“Eternal Silence”
“Sacrifice” (Bonus Track)


“Queen Of Light”:





Induction:
Craig Cairns – vocals
Tim Kanoa Hansen – guitars
Marcos Rodriguez – guitars
Dominik Gusch – bass
Dominik "Dome" Zester – session drums


(Photo – Franz Schepers)

Modern symphonic metal outfit Ad Infinitum will pay homage to their beginnings by releasing their spellbinding debut album, Chapter I - Monarchy (2020), on 2LP gatefold black vinyl for the first time! Under the banner of Echoes of Monarchy, this collection will also feature the debut's stunning acoustic versions, set to drop on October 7, 2022 via Napalm Records.


Evoking the sounds of their debut in 2020, followed by their second full-length in 2021, Ad Infinitum's success undoubtedly echoes throughout the scene, commencing their unstoppable ascent. Charging instrumentals, pounding drums, chunky riffs, mind-boggling solos and enchanting orchestrations build the band's unique soundscapes as frontwoman Melissa Bonny’s soul-stirring cleans and haunting growls put her incredible vocal range on display - dropping jaws with each line. Effortlessly blending various genres without losing their true metal origins, Ad Infinitum proves their versatility while fanning the flames of their symphonic roots with Echoes of Monarchy.


Vocalist Melissa Bonny says:     




“We are thrilled to release, for the very first time, our first album Chapter I - Monarchy and its acoustic version Chapter I Revisited on vinyl. This special edition represents a very particular debut year for the band, in the middle of a global pandemic. But nonetheless the support that we received and the metal family that joined our journey despite those circumstances made this experience a heartwarming one. Thank you!”


Order a copy at the Napalm Records webshop.


Ad Infinitum sets the stage for your darkest nightmares with their smashing debut Chapter I - Monarchy. The album grabs your demons by the horns, boasting energetic and uncompromising symphonic metal set atop a rousing journey throughout history. Escaping the Black Death and transporting you to another era, standout track “Marching On Versailles” breaks in with smashing drums and forceful guitar riffs. Melissa Bonny’s multi- faceted vocals fill every fiber of the anthemic “Demon ” — from powerful, fragile highs to deep growls, the track will send shivers down your spine. The energetic and equally melodic soundscapes of the vigorous ballad “Fire and Ice” perfectly illustrate  the heart-wrenching tones of Ad Infinitum. With Chapter I - Monarchy, Ad Infinitum puts a spell on the world and surges right into the heart of epic symphonic metal with full force.





Tracklisting:


Side A
“Infected Monarchy”
“Marching On Versailles”
“Maleficent”
“See You In Hell”
“I Am The Storm”


Side B
“Fire And Ice”
“Live Before You Die”
“Revenge”
“Demons”
“Tell Me Why”


Side C
“Infected Monarchy” (Acoustic)
“Marching On Versailles” (Acoustic)
“Maleficent” (Acoustic)
“See You In Hell” (Acoustic)
“I Am The Storm” (Acoustic)


Side D
“Fire And Ice” (Acoustic)
“Live Before You Die” (Acoustic)
“Revenge” (Acoustic)
“Demons” (Acoustic)
“Tell Me Why” (Acoustic)


(Photo - Nat Enemede - Fine Art)

Australian metal juggernauts, Parkway Drive - Winston McCall (vocals), Luke Kilpatrick (guitar), Jeff Ling (guitar), Jia O'Connor (bass), and Ben Gordon (drums) - have released their seventh album, Darker Still, via Epitaph Records. Darker Still, their first full-length since 2018's Reverence, can be ordered here.


Today, the band has shared the song "Ground Zero", which opens the album in an anthemic way. The track erupts with galloping guitar solos, stadium-sized riffs, and the thunderous roar of McCall. It's a fist-in-the-air tour de force that will send adrenaline coursing through your veins from start to finish.


Listen here, and below:







About Parkway Drive + Darker Still:


In the kitchen of the Byron Bay home of Winston McCall stands a refrigerator, adorned on one side by a quote from Tom Waits: "I want beautiful melodies telling me terrible things."


This, the Parkway Drive vocalist says, is a pretty good summation of himself. It holds true, too, as one of the guiding principles behind Darker Still, the seventh full-length album to be born of this picturesque and serene corner of north-eastern NSW, Australia, and the defining musical statement to date from one of modern metal's most revered bands.


Darker Still, McCall says, is the vision he and his bandmates have held in their mind's eye since a misfit group of friends first convened in their parents' basements and backyards in 2003. The journey to reach this moment has seen Parkway evolve from metal underdogs to festival-headlining behemoth, off the back of close to 20 gruelling years, six critically and commercially acclaimed studio albums (all of which achieving Gold status in their home nation), three documentaries, one live album, and many, many thousands of shows.


"When Parkway originally started out, we all were trying to push ourselves to do more than we possibly could," is how McCall explains it. "What you hear on Darker Still is the final fulfillment of our ability to learn and grow catching up with the imagination that we have always had."


To understand that growth is to understand Darker Still, both musically and thematically. Those who thought they had Parkway Drive figured out - the unrivaled energy, the high-octane breakdowns, McCall's trademark bark - need reconsider everything they know about Australia's masters of heavy. Darker Still stands as the culmination of a transformative time that has seen Parkway reach new heights of creativity and success by eschewing the restrictive, safe conventions of genre and abandoning their own self-imposed rules in favor of a wide-eyed appreciation of bold new horizons. "There are compositions and songs that we'd never attempted before - or, to be more accurate, which we have attempted in the past, but not had the courage, time or understanding to pull off," McCall reveals.


And so while Darker Still remains irrefutably Parkway Drive, it finds the band sonically standing shoulder to shoulder with rock and metal's greats - Metallica, Pantera, Machine Head, Guns N' Roses - as much as it does their metalcore contemporaries. The album explores the concept of the "dark night of the soul," which is "the idea of reaching a point in your life where you are faced with a reckoning of your structure of beliefs, your sense of self and your place in the world, to a point where it's irreconcilable with the way that you are as a person," as McCall describes. Darker Still unfurls like the great rock concept albums, from Pink Floyd to, most comparably, Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, its 11 tracks taking in ruminations on society's fear of death, isolation, and a loss of humanity in its journey to redemptive enlightenment.


This is the Parkway Drive the band have been striving to be for two decades. Guitarist Jeff Ling says it best: "I'm really proud of what we have achieved together, and feel that as musicians, we have really ascended to new realms of class and ability."


Emerging from the darkness of the past few years, this is the true face of Parkway - redefined and resolute, focused in mind, and defiant in spirit.





Tracklisting:


"Ground Zero"
"Like Napalm"
"Glitch"
"The Greatest Fear"
"Darker Still"
"Imperial Heretic"
"If A God Can Bleed"
"Soul Bleach"
"Stranger"
"Land Of The Lost"
"From The Heart Of The Darkness"


"Darker Still" video:





"The Greatest Fear" video:





"Glitch" video:





Lineup:


Winston McCall - Vocals
Luke Kilpatrick - Guitar
Jeff Ling - Guitar
Jia O'Connor - Bass
Ben Gordon - Drums

San Francisco-based atmospheric technical death metal giants, Fallujah, have released their new studio album, Empyrean, via Nuclear Blast. The band have also debuted a visualizer for the song "Mindless Omnipotent Master". Watch below.


Primary songwriter and guitarist Scott Carstairs says of the song: “'Mindless Omnipotent Master' is about the massive, globally-linked systems of technology and society that were created for humankind’s own benefit, but have now grown into self-sustained forces beyond our control. The music sets an appropriately dark tone with four minutes of relentlessly brutal riffs and mechanically sharp precision."







Carstairs adds about the album's release: "It feels surreal to finally share our new album Empyrean with the world! We can hardly describe the amount of effort, determination and patience it took to arrive at this point, but now that the day is here we can finally say that everything was worth it. Special shoutouts to the fans who have stuck with us for all these years. We hope Empyrean can take you on an immersive journey with enough detail to warrant many repeated listens."


Order Empyrean here.





Tracklisting:


“The Bitter Taste Of Clarity”
“Radiant Ascension”
“Embrace Oblivion”
“Into The Eventide”
“Eden’s Lament”
“Soulbreaker”
“Duality Of Intent”
“Mindless Omnipotent Master”
“Celestial Resonance”
“Artifacts”


"Soulbreaker" visualizer:





"Embrace Oblivion" lyric video:





"Embrace Oblivion" visualizer:





“Radiant Ascension” video:





Fallujah will return to the road this coming fall for The Divine Ascension Tour with Australian tech-death co-headliners, Psycroptic, Additional support will be provided by Interloper and Cognitive. Tickets are available now.


Commenting on the tour, Scott Carstairs states: "This fall, Fallujah will return to unleash an atmospheric onslaught upon the masses. To say that we are excited to headline with Psycroptic would be an understatement. We have never been more ready to tear up North America…not only to bring you one of the most extreme tech death lineups of the year but also to perform for you NEW music from our record Empyrean!! Let's rage!"





Tour dates:


September
11 - West Hollywood, CA - Whisky-A-Go-Go
12 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Underground
13 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
14 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
15 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
16 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
17 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
18 - Houston, TX - Acadia
20 - Orlando, FL - The Haven
21 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Purgatory)
22 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
23 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
24 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
26 - Providence, RI - Alchemy
27 - Quebec City, QC - Source de la Martiniere
28 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques
29 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
30 - Albany, NY - Empire Underground


October
1 - Pittsburgh, PA - Preserving Underground
2 - Cleveland, OH - Cleveland Masonic (Asylum)
3 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
4 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
5 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theater
6 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
7 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
8 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
10 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
11 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
12 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
13 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
14 - Fresno, CA - Full Circle Brewery District
15 - Santa Ana, CA - Stages


(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)

Canadian rockers, Headstones, will release their new full-length album, Flight Risk, on October 14 via Known Accomplice. Today, the band led by vocalist Hugh Dillon, have released a video for the song, "Psychotropic". Watch below.


Flight Risk is pre-apocalyptic rock and roll at its finest, following up Headstones' 2019 release PeopleSkills, which garnered two Top 10 radio hits with “Leave It All Behind” and “Horses”.


This is one of the most subversive Headstones rock and roll records to date. Flight Risk is the result of years of relentless work ethic and dedication, a testament to the long-standing relationships within the band and their team. The album features a surprise co-write on the track "Ashes", between Hugh Dillon and long-time friend and collaborator Taylor Sheridan; one of the most prolific, premier storytellers of his time, and architect of hit series’ Yellowstone and 1883, Oscar-nominated films Sicario and Hell Or High Water.




The album is available to pre-order / pre-save here.





Tracklisting:


"Headlight Holds A Deer"
"Everything Or Nothing At All"
"Flight Risk"
"When It Goes Badly"
"Tangled"
"Hotel Room"
"Neon Rome"
"Ashes"
"Psychotropic"
"Pilot Light"
"Rink"


"Psychotropic" video:





"Flight Risk" video:





"Tangled" video:





The Flight Risk Tour is coming to you this fall. Get your tickets here.


Tour dates:


November
22 - Thunder Bay, ON - Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
24 - Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
25 - Regina, SK - Casino Regina
26 - Saskatoon, SK - Coors Event Centre27 - Red Deer, AB - Bo’s Bar
29 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre
30 - Grande Prairie, AB - Better Than Fred’s


December
1 - Edmonton, AB - Midway
3 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
8 - Waterloo, ON - Maxwell’s
10 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
14 - London, ON - London Music Hall
15 - Oshawa, ON - Oshawa Music Hall
16 - Ottawa, ON - Bronson Centre
22 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre


Headstones lineup:


Hugh Dillon – vocals, harmonica
Trent Carr – guitar, vocals
Tim White – bass, vocals
Steve Carr – keys
Jesse Labovitz – drums

In a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked about a comment he made in his 2010 autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir", where he referred to himself as "the leader of the band" when he was in METALLICA in the early 1980s. After the interviewer, Paul Elliott, said that the statement was "a bit strange" because the guys who founded that band, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, are "such alpha males," Mustaine replied: "Oh no. I am clearly the alpha male between the three of us. Why did I have to do everything when I was in the band? Why did they always ask me talk to the promoters and collect the cash? Why was I the one who had to do the fighting? Why did I have to talk in between songs?"

Mustaine went on to say that it's not difficult for him to talk about METALLICA. "I really don't give a fuck," he insisted. "And you know what? I love those guys. I sent a text message to James just a couple of days ago after he'd said that he was insecure about his playing. I said: 'James, I love you and I really like your playing.' He didn't answer. Of course not. Why would he? The point is I wanted him to know that I've had those feelings too, but I don't now.

"I must remind you that when I joined METALLICA, James did not play guitar. He just picked it up and started playing when I was in the band. But let's be honest, James is one of the best metal guitar players in the world. So for him to have those feelings, that's a lie, because he's a mind-blowingly talented guy. So I just felt I needed to say something to him. I didn't tweet it. I didn't want anybody to know what I said. But I'm telling you because, hey, you brought it up."

Last month, Mustaine reflected on his 1983 dismissal from METALLICA and the formation of MEGADETH while speaking to podcaster Joe Rogan of "The Joe Rogan Experience". When asked if went "right into" MEGADETH after his exit from METALLICA or if it took him some time to plot his next move, Dave said: "I think in my mind I went right into MEGADETH, but at the time I was still kind of trying to digest everything that took place.

"The thing that bothered me the most was I had all my music, and I left it behind and I said, 'Don't use my music.' And of course they did. They used it on the first record [1983's 'Kill 'Em All'], on the second record [1984's 'Ride The Lightning']. There's parts of my music on a song on the third record [1986's 'Master Of Puppets']. All the solos on the first record are mine, except that they're just performed by Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA's current guitarist]. And [they're] close but not the same. And he's not a bad guitar player."

When asked if he got royalties for that, Mustaine said: "Well, most of 'em, yeah, but Kirk got my royalties for [the song] 'Metal Militia' [from 'Kill 'Em All'] for many, many years. And he has to see the check, so I know somebody saw that I wasn't getting paid.

After Rogan noted that Mustaine feels both "sadness and bitterness" over his departure from METALLICA, Dave said: "Not bitterness — I'm over it. It's just money. At the end of the day, my happiness and my family and my wife and my children are more important to me than anything in this world. I love our fans. I have so many things in this life that I'm happy about. But, man, it's my family. And obviously my relationship with God. I take that very, very personal. And I don't talk to people about it; I don't push it on 'em at all. It's my thing. And I just look at it like where I'm at right now… Yeah, [I was] 20 [years old] in METALLICA, and now, look at me, I'm 60 [years old] in MEGADETH. And I'm a Grammy winner. I'm a New York Times best-selling author — all these things."

In a 2009 interview with Norway's Lydverket, Mustaine said that he was "so hurt" by getting kicked out of METALLICA for allegedly drinking too much. "I said, 'What?! No second chance, no warning? C'mon, we all drink. C'mon.'" he recalled. "And [they were like], 'No, that's it. You're gone.' And I was like, 'All right.'"

Mustaine also went on to claim that an altercation with Hetfield led to his being fired from the band.

"I was selling pot," Dave said. "When I would go play in concert, people knew that my pot was sitting in my apartment just saying, 'Go ahead and keep me company.' So I was broken in on. People stole everything that I had; all my stash. And I figured, screw this. I'm gonna get some dogs to stay in the apartment when I leave. So I got two dogs and I took one of them up to a rehearsal one time and she put her paws up on Ron's [McGovney, METALLICA's then-bassist] car. And James kicked it right in the side. And I was like, 'What did you do?' [And I was like] 'It's a dog, it's what they do. You don't kick animals.' So we went into the house, and we started arguing some more. And I ended up punching him in the face and I think that was the root of why I lost my job."

In a 2009 interview with the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas radio station 97.1 The Eagle Rocks, Hetfield said that it was "so odd" to hear Mustaine still talking about his exit from METALLICA. "It is very Dave, and that's him," James said. "And no matter what band he was in or whatever... I mean, Dave is not in this band for a reason, and this is the reason. It's super-simple. He was in the band for 11 months and it goes on and on and on and on and on. I don't know any other band on this planet that there was a member in the band for a short amount of time and they've still got this big chip on his shoulder. It's insane.... You know what?! He's in love, and that's fine, 'cause we love him back."

Back in 2016, Hammett told the "Word Of Wheeler" podcast that he understood Dave's continued resentment toward his former bandmates over the way he was dismissed from the group. "I've always seen Dave as someone who was just really, really sad, really angry, really frustrated about his situation with METALLICA, and he never could let that go," he said. "And, you know, I've always shown a lot of empathy for him, understanding that he was just pissed off. It's the equivalent of the woman of your life leaving you. I mean, really. When your band kicks you out… I've never been kicked out, but I can imagine it's a horrible experience, especially if it's a band that you feel really passionately about. So I can understand Dave's plight over all these years. But I will also say that when we did these 30th-anniversary shows at the Fillmore [in San Francisco], and we invited Dave to play on all those 'Kill 'Em All' songs, man, it felt so good to have him playing on stage. It felt perfectly fine for me to, while Dave was playing the guitar solos, for me to go over to James and play the rhythm parts with James, and it wasn't a big deal at all. And I could see from the look on Dave's face and just from his whole attitude that it was super-cathartic for him. And I could see how it was helping him. And so I just took it all in stride. And it's interesting, because since then, I think, Dave's relationship with us is a little bit better now. I'd like to think that that whole thing just kind of healed some scars that needed to be healed."

After Hammett's comments about Mustaine were reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET and other music sites, Dave took to his Twitter to respond. He wrote: "I have tremendous respect for @KirkHammett and I appreciate his take on this. he is almost 100% accurate...almost. I wish him the best."

In a September 2011 interview with Artisan News, Mustaine appeared to concur that his onstage reunion with METALLICA went a long way toward healing the wounds from the way his tenure in the band ended. Dave said: "When we [played a cover of DIAMOND HEAD's] 'Helpless' [as part of a 'Big Four' jam] one night, I walked over to say hello to Kirk on the stage and he said, 'Do you wanna take the solo?" and I said, 'Yeah.' [Laughs] But we forgot to tell anybody on the stage or [running] the sound out front that I was gonna do the solo, so the song's playing along and Kirk's playing rhythm full blast, and I'm sitting there going you can't hear what I'm doing. At least we knew what had happened. It was kind of a symbolic passing of the torch back to me and it was a nice gesture. I think that that helped Kirk and my relationship improve a bit."

In a September 2004 interview, Mustaine famously stated, "I really don't care about Kirk — he stole my job, but at least I got to bang his girlfriend before he took my job. How do I taste, Kirk?"

Mustaine did not play on any METALLICA albums and did not attend their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2009.

Ulrich later explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine was not included because "you've got to kind of cap it somewhere. Dave Mustaine never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought . . . the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record." He added: "Dave Mustaine was in the band for 11 months, predominantly in 1982... I'm not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since."

Ted Nugent has compared Joe Biden to Adolf Hitler following a speech the U.S. president made earlier in the month.

During his September 1 address, Biden attacked former president Donald Trump and his Make American Great Again (MAGA) supporters, saying that both posed an ongoing threat to America and the future of the country.

But MAGA world was focusing less on Biden's warning than they were on the red lights that lit up Philadelphia's Independence Hall behind the president.

Nugent addressed Biden's speech during the latest edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which he offers his take on the news of our world. Asked by co-host Keith Mark what he made of the "overall look and feel of what America saw" in Biden's speech, Ted said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I paid attention to history, in spite of the fact that I went to an American anti-education system. Because when I graduated in 1967, I knew nothing. I knew how to sneak up on a deer and a squirrel with my bow and arrow. I knew how to do chores perfectly; my mom and dad trained me that. I knew how to be polite, how to be productive, how to get up early and put my heart and soul into being the best that I can be. But I didn't know anything about history. I couldn't have told you what Auschwitz was. I couldn't have told you what the Rape Of Nanking was. I couldn't have told you who Karl Marx was, or Che Guevara, but I know now. And I'm gonna [share with you] an image of Hitler, Joe Biden, the evil tyrant of China, Karl Marx — evil, evil forces in history that also used a red glowing background in their hate speeches."

Nugent continued: "There is an evil force controlling this mindless, soulless zombie named Joe Biden that is so confident that Americans can be so stupid and uneducated and clueless about history that they won't see the confluence of imagery, gestures — I mean, the clenched fist like Adolf Hitler, like Mao Tse-tung, like Lenin and Marx. Joe Biden is evil unto himself, but he is so mindless, so soulless, so filled with hate and rage that he doesn't even know he's doing the bidding of Satanic, evil forces."

Asked who he thinks those forces are, Ted said: "I think they're Klaus Schwab [founder of the World Economic Forum] and they're Bill Gates [Microsoft founder] and they're the Chinese forces, the communist forces. Nancy Pelosi's bank account, Joe Biden's bank account, Hunter Biden's bank account tell all the information that we need to know. They didn't earn that money; they scammed that from working-hard, playing-hard American families to support evil forces around the globe to control our land, our farming, our agriculture, our food productivity, our energy productivity, our infrastructure. I mean, in Detroit, their number one steel mill is owned by the Russians [laughs], and all this farm land is being gobbled up by Bill Gates and the communist Chinese because there's really no difference between the evil mindset of those kind of globalists."

Ted's comments echoed descriptions of Biden on right-win media outlet Fox News where the network's highest-rated anchor Tucker Carlson — whom Nugent has previously praised as "a brave, ass-kicking, wall-destroying, lie-crushing guy" — came out and described the visuals as "a blood-red Nazi background." On another Fox News show, Monica Crowley, a former Trump administration official, said the imagery was "almost satanic with the blood red lighting." Others characterized Biden's address as a demagogic, divisive, and authoritarian attack on his fellow citizens, suggesting the president and Democrats, as opposed to Trump and his allies and supporters, were the real American would-be fascists.

This is not the first time Nugent has been publicly critical of Biden. Last year he declared Biden a "rotten" human being and railed against Democrats who support the president's "ugly policies." He said during an appearance on "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. Trump lost the election by more than 7 million in the popular vote and by 306-232 in the Electoral College.

There is no evidence of any widespread fraud or manipulation of voting machines in the 2020 election, as has been underscored by audits, court cases and the conclusions of Trump's own Department Of Justice.

Ozzy Osbourne is set to give his first U.S. performance in two years this Thursday (September 8) at the first day of the NFL season. It was announced Monday that the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer will be the half-time performer for the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills.

Ozzy last performed in the U.S. at the 2019 American Music Awards when he joined Travis Scott and Post Malone for a performance of their collaboration "Take What You Want". Ozzy has not performed a full concert since 2018.

The 73-year-old Osbourne, who underwent a major surgery in June to remove and realign pins in his neck and back, was asked in a new interview with Kerrang! magazine how realistically he rates the chances of getting his farewell shows back on the road. He said: "I am going to put 110 percent into getting myself out there. Time is my most valuable asset now. I'm 73. I don't think that I'll be here in another 25 years. I've got a goal: the goal is to get back onstage. I had my last surgery in June, I can't have any more. So whatever I make of it is entirely up to me now. Even if I manage one show, then fall over, [I'll have done it]. But I know that I'm going to carry on. I know I can beat it. I know that I can get back onstage. It's just that I've got to get off my butt and go for it."

Ozzy, along with his wife and manager Sharon, also appeared earlier today on "Good Morning America", where he opened up about his post-surgery recovery, saying: "Before I would be talking to you like this," he told correspondent Chris Connelly, as he hunched over in his chair. "Since I had this surgery I have improved significantly."

Ozzy, who revealed he has Parkinson's disease in January 2020, said that his mobility these days is "not great".

"I have to negotiate everywhere I want to go and I tire easily. But I am well. My family has been absolutely wonderful while I've been laid up," he added.

Ozzy has struggled with a number of health issues over the years. In 2003, he almost died in an ATV accident when his quad flipped onto him while he was riding around his London estate. Ozzy also underwent an operation after suffering a bad fall in 2019. He told Connelly, "I had to have surgery in my neck, which screwed all my nerves."

Last month, Ozzy told The Guardian that he and Sharon were moving back home to England early next year and leaving America behind for a number of reasons, including the current state of the United States Of America.

"Everything's fucking ridiculous there," Osbourne said. ""I'm fed up with people getting killed every day. God knows how many people have been shot in school shootings. And there was that mass shooting in Vegas at that concert... It's fucking crazy.”

Osbourne continued: "I don't want to die in America. I don't want to be buried in fucking Forest Lawn," referencing a Los Angeles cemetery that houses the remains of many celebrities.

"I'm English. I want to be back. But saying that, if my wife said we've got to go and live in Timbuktu, I'll go," he added. "But, no, it's just time for me to come home."

On Saturday (September 10),Ozzy will make an appearance at Long Beach, California music store Fingerprints to sign copies of his newest album, "Patient Number 9", the day after its release through Epic.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Legendary Massachusetts rockers AEROSMITH played their long-delayed 50th-anniversary concert Thursday night (September 8) at Fenway Park in Boston.

Originally planned two years ago, the 19-song set included 10 tracks from the 1970s, five cuts from the 1980s, three from the 1990s and one blues cover that was originally featured on AEROSMITH's 2004 album "Honkin' On Bobo".

AEROSMITH's longtime drum tech John Douglas sat behind the skins for drummer Joey Kramer, who announced in March that he would sit out the band's concerts in 2022 so he can "focus his full attention on his family during these uncertain times."

In June, Kramer's wife Linda Gail Kramer died at the age of 55. No cause of death has been revealed.

AEROSMITH's setlist for the Fenway concert:

01. Back In The Saddle
02. Same Old Song And Dance
03. Rag Doll
04. Mama Kin
05. Remember (Walking In The Sand) (THE SHANGRI‐LAS cover)
06. Stop Messin' Around (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
07. Cryin'
08. Hangman Jury
09. Seasons Of Wither
10. Toys In The Attic
11. Livin' On The Edge
12. The Other Side
13. I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
14. Love In An Elevator
15. Draw The Line
16. Dude (Looks Like A Lady)

Encore:

17. Dream On
18. Sweet Emotion
19. Walk This Way

AEROSMITH played its first concert in more than two and a half years on September 4 in Bangor, Maine.

Prior to the show at Maine Savings Amphitheater, the band's last live performance took place in February 2020 in Las Vegas as part of AEROSMITH's "Deuces Are Wild" residency.

Four months ago, AEROSMITH announced that singer Steven Tyler had entered a treatment program following a relapse, prompting the band to put their Las Vegas residency on a temporary hold.

When AEROSMITH announced Tyler's return to rehab in late May, the band said in a statement that the 74-year-old underwent foot surgery in preparation for the group's return to the stage, and in managing his pain, suffered a relapse.

AEROSMITH said at the time it was canceling the June and July dates of the "Deuces Are Wild" residency, which was slated to begin at Dolby Live at Park MGM on June 17.

Tyler had been struggling with drug and alcohol addiction since the mid-1980s. Over the course of the last four decades, he had relapsed several times, including in the early 2000s and 2009.

Dutch powerhouse singer Floor Jansen has released the official music video for her third solo single, "Me Without You". The track is the follow-up to "Storm", which came out in May, and "Fire", which was made available in March via ADA, the division of Warner Music Group dedicated to independent label and artist distribution.

Four months ago, Floor was asked in an interview with FaceCulture if she is planning to eventually release a full-length solo album. She said: "There are a lot more songs ready. There's not an album ready, but also because it would make no sense to have one. Due to the pandemic, there's an entire NIGHTWISH still not done and still yet to be done; as it looks like, we actually are gonna do that now. So before that, I cannot say, 'Okay, I come [out] with a solo album.' 'Cause then you also would like to do some more [solo] shows and do the right promotion and all of that, so there's no time for that — which is a luxury problem on itself. But it's fun. And that's also a big difference with this pop music thing — you can release singles. It's not an album-based world; it's completely different."

Jansen went on to call "Fire" "a statement and "the kick-off of everything. And from there I'll keep releasing singles. And the aim is to release the album in '23," she explained before clarifying that there are a lot of variables involved that could affect the timeline of the LP's arrival. "But the ambition is there. And everything is geared up to do that."

Jansen is best known as the frontwoman in the multi-million selling and internationally successful symphonic metal band NIGHTWISH. As part of the band, Jansen has landed two number one albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member. NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.

Professionally filmed video of CARCASS's entire August 13 performance at the Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, Belgium can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Buried Dreams
02. Kelly's Meat Emporium
03. Incarnated Solvent Abuse
04. Under The Scalpel Blade
05. Genital Grinder
06. This Mortal Coil
07. Dance of Ixtab (Psychopomp & Circumstance March No. 1 in B)
08. Keep On Rotting In The Free World
09. The Scythe's Remorseless Swing
10. Corporal Jigsore Quandary
11. Heartwork
12. Carneous Cacoffiny

In an interview with Tinnitus Metal Radio at Alcatraz, CARCASS guitarist Bill Steer was asked how he and his bandmates dealt with the downtime during the coronavirus pandemic. He responded: "I think for once we all agreed on this. It was quite nice when it started, like a really welcome break. 'Cause it was really hard to draw a line, like when does the 'Surgical [Steel]' touring campaign stop and then the new album and that campaign starts? So this forced us to have a break. … But we were sort of grateful for that; it drew a little bit of a line in the sand for us. And then, of course, later on, I can't remember when, but it started to become more existential and dark and whatever. But the initial few weeks, I was one of the lucky ones; it didn't really affect me in a bad way. So I was quite happy about it, strangely."

Last year, Steer's bandmate Jeff Walker told AndrewHaug.com that he "enjoyed" the time off during the pandemic. He said: "We're kind of lucky that we had some reserves in the bank, so we could survive that way. I'm a bit of a squirrel; I always make sure there's money in the bank to see us through hard times. And luckily, it was enough to tide us over for this period.

"As far as me getting by personally, I've just been looking for small joys in life — small things locally or whatever," he continued. "Living a jetsetting life and having exciting times traveling the world and playing gigs, it's one extreme to another. I'm just looking for small things to keep me happy and finding solace in the smallest things. I've been walking and cycling a lot more. There's a lot of local history that I never noticed before — railway tracks and lines and really boring stuff, middle-age stuff like that that I've kind of got interested in.

"I've enjoyed the hiatus, to be honest… We'd been touring for seven years without a break, and it's been healthy to step back and have a break."

CARCASS played its first pandemic-era concert last November at the Damnation Festival in Leeds, U.K.

CARCASS's latest album, "Torn Arteries", was released in September 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. Drummer Daniel Wilding did session work in Sweden at Studio Gröndahl with David Castillo while guitars were recorded at The Stationhouse with James Atkinson in Leeds, England. Eventually needing some form of residential location to finalize vocals, bass, and other guitarwork, the band headed back to Studio Gröndahl in Sweden to continue work in a very relaxed atmosphere with Castillo.

Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA have dropped their very own cello-metal reinterpretations of classical bangers with the new EP "Metal Classic, Classic Metal". Release day also sees the band unleash the focus track "Flight Of The Bumblebees", originally by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow.

APOCALYPTICA's Perttu Kivilaakso states: "'Flight Of The Bumblebee' is one of the most well-known virtuosic pieces. I have played it during my classical years many times, always aiming for faster and faster performances. This time I thought it would be the coolest thing to make a rough and heavy 'Bee' for our band, basically creating the slowest and most doomy 'Bumblebee' ever! It's fascinating how musical structures can work out in many various ways! This 'Bee' is heavy and angry, but surely flies out with a smile on her face and a blink in its eye!"

"Metal Classic, Classic Metal" also includes a new version of Beethoven's "5th Symphony" as well as a remake of Maurice Ravel's "Bolero".

APOCALYPTICA will tour the U.S. extensively in 2022, as well as play multiple summer festivals, among other dates, before hitting Europe with the aptly named "Epic Apocalypse Tour" alongside EPICA and WHEEL.

Five months ago, APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen spoke to Mexico's Summa Inferno about his band's plans for a follow-up to 2020's "Cell-0" LP. He said: "We have started to talk about the next possible album. But in the meanwhile, we've been recording individual songs so we could release something constantly. So now we have already [planned out the] three next releases after [the recent single] 'I'll Get Through It'. We're gonna have something for the later [part] of the year as well; we're gonna have something for the winter. So we are working on different fields — on the instrumental field, on some special fields and then also on the vocal field.

"I would guess we'll start to write for the new album," he continued. "We've been starting to talk about what it could be, what would be exciting to do for us, but [those discussions have] not [gone] very far yet. Because the mindset is now we're doing the 'Cell-0' tour. And it's not that easy at the same time to get very high inspiration and motivation to write a new album, because writing a new album and recording it is a huge process; it takes a lot of time [and] a lot of energy. So, now we have so much touring that it's not possible to do it now. But I think we [will be] starting on it [soon]."

Released in March, "I'll Get Through It" was written for APOCALYPTICA by American award-winning songwriter Diane Warren. It features Franky Perez — guest vocalist in APOCALYPTICA's 2015 record "Shadowmaker" — as well as Geezer Butler of BLACK SABBATH on bass guitar. The song was born out of a visit Geezer and Franky paid to their friend Diane, who had already written the track "Not Strong Enough" for APOCALYPTICA, included in their 2010 record "7th Symphony".

2015's "Shadowmaker" was APOCALYPTICA's first album to feature just one singer — Perez — instead of guest collaborators. The disc was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, MASTODON).

Prior to enlisting Perez, who accompanied APOCALYPTICA on the band's 2022 North American tour, the group released eight albums that melded the classically trained cello mastery of the three core bandmembers with the harder elements of the rock world, including drums and guest vocalists, such as Gavin Rossdale from BUSH, and Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR fame.

In April 2021, APOCALYPTICA released the official music video for its collaboration with PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix on a cover version of the CREAM classic "White Room". The track was produced by Howard Benson at West Valley Recording Studios in Woodland Hills, California and mixed by Chris Lorde-Alge.

"White Room" was the first release from APOCALYPTICA since "Talk To Me", which arrived in August 2020. That song was a collaboration with HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale.

"Cell-0" came out in January 2020. The effort was the band's first fully instrumental record in 17 years.

Back in 2018, Toppinen stated about APOCALYPTICA's decision to make an all-instrumental album at this point in the group's career: "On the previous ones, we always combined the instrumental songs with the vocal songs, and it was great to have the featuring artists, it was great to work with Frank Perez for the 'Shadowmaker' album. But then, on the other hand, it became a bigger interest for us, like, okay, it would be interesting to make a full instrumental album, so there's no compromise with anything."

FIRSTBORNE, the band featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Adler and MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo, has just released two new singles, "Bad Things" and "One Of A Kind". The group, which is rounded out by soft-shred pioneer Myrone (guitar) and rising-star vocalist Girish Pradhan, fearlessly explores the sonic landscape of thrash, metal and hard rock across their two new tracks. Both songs were independently produced by the band with mixing and mastering by longtime collaborator Gene "Machine" Freeman.

Kickoff single "Bad Things" is filled with serpentine riffs, a profound melodic sensibility and more than a dash of 1980s metal nostalgia, serving as a perfect reminder of the groups musical pedigree. Adler contributes a blistering percussion performance, with LoMenzo holding down the low end with a pulsating groove. Myrone's singular playing style is equal parts technically impressive and approachable — his acrobatics on the fretboard don't distract from his dynamic songwriting ability. "One Of A Kind" lives up to its name in the context of the groups already expansive catalog — the song ventures into alternative and hard rock territory with results that would sound right at home on any huge festival stage or mainstream rock station. Pradhan takes command of the song with a soaring vocal performance that highlights his expansive range and emotive lyricism.

Adler had this to say about about the new singles and the trajectory of FIRSTBORNE: "We've made good use of the time. For the next year-plus we will be releasing a song a month, starting here and now with a one-two-punch.

"I'm thrilled to be in a creative partnership that can do just about anything. Feels like playing in 'God Mode' on Guitar / Band Hero. It's a passion project and it's fun for us to share. Dig in. Or don't. See you next month!"

Myrone added about the ethos of the group: "No Labels, No Management, NO GODS, NO MASTERS!!!!"

FIRSTBORNE's self-titled debut EP came out in 2020 and marked Adler's first dedicated band release since his departure from MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD.

"Firstborne" included five songs and two lyric videos. The EP represented several years of dedicated introspection and refined effort to the idea of a heavy and positive message.

As might be expected, Adler chose his bandmates in this endeavor meticulously.

Not too long ago, Adler shared the stage across the Middle East with LoMenzo in HAIL! Prior to that, LoMenzo and Adler orbited each other for years traveling together on tours crossing the globe. The connect was inevitable.

Adler and Myrone began collaborating in early 2019 after Myrone noticed Adler's e-mail address attached to a Bandcamp sales notification email. Adler had been a fan of Myrone's talent for years prior and as soon as they connected, it was game on.

A chance meeting in India, almost a second home to Chris after eight visits, was the spark needed to form the international group FIRSTBORNE and for Chris to return to the studio. Adler met and shared the stage with Pradhan during a six-week clinic tour of India in the fall of 2019. After the first show of the clinic tour, Adler immediately called Myrone, noting he'd "struck gold" in their search for a singer for the then-unnamed project.

Girish Pradhan is the glue that united FIRSTBORNE. Pradhan on vocals represents an almost unprecedented international collaboration.

Pradhan is an established and well-known recording and touring artist in India and resides in Bengaluru. His band GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES made international headlines with their album "Rock The Highway" and music videos "Rock 'N Roll Is Here to Stay", "Identity Crisis" and "Rock The Highway".

Speaking on his experience creating with FIRSTBORNE, Myrone explained: "Every single part of this experience has been extremely surreal for me. Girish is one of the best metal vocalists on the planet, Chris is one of the most influential drummers of the last 25 years, and JLO can play anything from MEGADETH to John Fogerty to Motown and everything in between. I can't believe I get to share space on a .wav with them."

Myrone is a Los Angeles-based producer/guitarist who pioneered the "soft shred" genre. In the last few years, he has released several albums and two EPs of instrumental guitar music and racked up millions of Spotify streams. In addition to his own recordings, he has collaborated with Rivers Cuomo (WEEZER),SZA, Little Boots, Michael Christmas and Deaton Chris Anthony. More recently, Myrone was Guitar #1 in the L.A. production of "Rock Of Ages", the 29th-longest running show in Broadway history.

LoMenzo is a veteran touring/recording musician since his multi-platinum band WHITE LION in the 1980s. Lomenzo is one of the most in-demand rock bass players in the world. His list of credits includes WHITE LION, Zakk Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY/PRIDE & GLORY, MEGADETH, Jerry Cantrell, David Lee Roth, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, LYNCH MOB, FREHEY'S COMET and more. He officially rejoined MEGADETH as a touring member last year and became an official member this past May.

LoMenzo had this to say about his collaboration within FIRSTBORNE: "I first met Chris in 2006 on MEGADETH's 'Gigantour'. I was playing bass with MEGADETH at the time. Watching Chris on that tour, I recall being struck by the creativity, speed and power of his drumming with LAMB OF GOD. In contrast, I found him to be a gentle, thoughtful soul. Years later, I had the opportunity to finally play with Chris, performing in the Middle East with the all-star metal band HAIL! We had a great time. At this time, Chris mentioned he was looking forward to exploring making all kinds of music. I suggested he keep me in mind. Next thing I know I'm being introduced to Myrone through a demo that Chris forwarded to me. I was immediately drawn to the music. Myrone's guitar is uniquely untethered to any one style. He's a brilliant and capable amalgam of classic rock, new and classic metal. Girish on top of all this had me stunned! A soaring, powerful voice that while uniquely his own, conjures images of the greatest singers of metal, blues and classic rock. His voice is a powerful, emotive vehicle to inform through his heartfelt and socially conscious lyrics. To my ear, the combination of all this musical talent is wonderfully unique and perfectly familiar."

Adler added: "I've been incredibly fortunate in my creative endeavors. From the start, I sought out the best players I could find to work alongside. It's been an incredible journey that is clearly not over. Some things have changed. This may not be exactly what people expect from me right now, and I'm aware and embrace that. It's time for something new. I'm have a platform to present something important, true and collaborative. Creating FIRSTBORNE beckons cohesiveness as a mission statement. This is not about being mad all the time, egos or fabricating polarizing drama. 'This is right' is now my alarm clock. Girish, Myrone and James have the exact locker room mentality of 'kill 'em all! but let's make sure everyone is okay and having a kick-ass time' that I try and bring to everything I do. FIRSTBONE is the result of all of my experiences, both positive and negative, and I'm proud of what we are doing together."

Adler is a Grammy-winning American metal drummer from Richmond, Virginia. Chris founded LAMB OF GOD in 1994 and helped usher in what critics have dubbed the "New Wave Of American Heavy Metal." LAMB OF GOD's discography with Chris includes multiple gold records and platinum DVDs as well as five Grammy nominations.

Chris received a Grammy for playing drums on legendary thrash metal band MEGADETH's 2016 record "Dystopia". Chris also toured with MEGADETH in support of the record while juggling and occasionally combining tour dates with LAMB OF GOD.

Chris has collaborated and contributed to records with PROTEST THE HERO, TESTAMENT, THAIKKUDAM BRIDGE, Michael Angelo Batio and Ron Jarzombek.

In 2018, Chris created an artist management firm Kintsugi Management.

FIRSTBORNE is:

Vocals: Girish Pradhan
Guitar: Myrone
Bass: James LoMenzo
Drums: Chris Adler

Reunited Canadian metallers KITTIE performed yesterday (Thursday, September 8) at this year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.

Joining guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander and her sister, drummer Mercedes Lander, at the show were guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Ivana "Ivy" Vujic.

Prior to Blue Ridge, KITTIE had not performed since its reunion show at London Music Hall in the band's native London, Ontario in 2017, celebrating the group's documentary "Kittie: Origins/Evolutions".

Morgan and her sister held their first rehearsal together since 2017 in April. A month earlier, Morgan confirmed to Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that KITTIE will play more shows beyond the already announced appearances at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival and at the When We Were Young festival in October. "That's it for this year," Morgan said. "But next year, we definitely will. But I think those opportunities will come later on.

"We don't have anything set in stone, but I think it's something that, like I said before, once these doors are open, I think we can expect to feel comfortable doing a few more little things here and there and hopefully we'll be able to do some more one-offs in the States and Europe and that type of thing," she explained. "So the possibilities are endless."

Asked in a recent interview with the "Talk Toomey" podcast what led to Vujic returning to KITTIE for the current dates, Lander said: "Ivy played on two of our albums, the last two albums that we did. She left the band right before the very last big tour that we ended up doing; she did the Soundwave Festival [in Australia] with us in 2012, and those were the last shows that we did with her. And she just kind of settled into her life, started a family, got married, and so that's sort of been what she's been up to. But Ivy's a metal girl at heart and she's always been super, super easygoing about stuff. I just sent her a message and I was, like, 'Hey, can we talk?' And we had a really, really great phone call and I just sort of explained the situation, explained what was going on. I asked her if she'd be into doing it, and she was, like, 'Yeah. Sounds great.' … It's very much one of those things where you don't talk that often anymore, you don't see each other that often, but then, when you all get together again, that chemistry and that vibe is always there."

Morgan continued: "I feel like that lineup of KITTIE in particular was always very super pro, super chill — no stress, no drama. Just, like, 'You know what? We're gonna go out there and we're gonna sound amazing.'

"She's an incredible bass player. I don't think that Ivy gets enough credit. She is absolutely incredible. So it's gonna be great."

Vujic joined KITTIE in 2008 and appeared on the band's fifth studio CD, 2009's "In The Black". She also wrote and recorded bass for KITTIE's sixth album, 2011's "I've Failed You".

When We Were Young will be held on the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on the Strip on October 22, October 23 and October 29.

In January, the original lineup of KITTIE — Morgan, Mercedes, Fallon Bowman (guitar) and Tanya Candler (bass) — reunited for an online chat to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of its gold-certified 2000 debut album, "Spit".

Candler left KITTIE after the release of "Spit" in order to finish high school and was replaced by Talena Atfield.

Bowman exited KITTIE in 2001 and started her own industrial/electronic project, AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT.

After KITTIE completed the touring cycle for 2011's "I've Failed You" album, the band entered a long period of inactivity during which Morgan focused on a marketing job for a chain of fitness clubs while Mercedes worked in real estate and more recently at a software company. The group also began work on a career-spanning documentary, "Origins/Evolutions", which finally saw the light of day in 2018 via Lightyear Entertainment in North America.

"I've Failed You" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Kittie soundcheck. Been waiting on this one since 2000 🤘☠️🤘

Posted by John Sorrentino on Thursday, September 8, 2022

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David Ellefson says that a "grumpy" Dave Mustaine was upset when the bassist added an intro to the MEGADETH song "Kingmaker" after Dave initially gave Ellefson "free license" to contribute to 2013's "Super Collider" record.

Last month, during an appearance on the latest episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation L.A. Invasion", Mustaine reflected on the writing process for "Super Collider", saying: "I came in one morning and [producer] Johnny K was in there [working on] a song named 'Kingmaker'. 'Kingmaker' was done and I came in there, and I heard Ellefson and Johnny K in there recording a part at the beginning of the song. And it was nothing to do with the song; it had nothing… the riff wasn't in the record anywhere. And I came in and I said, 'What are you two doing?' [Makes sound of someone struggling to come up with the right words] You know, trying to explain, 'I'm gonna fucking poach your song and I'm going to put one of my riffs in front of the song.' And it was so pathetic. I just felt so sorry for the two of them. I just said, 'Go ahead. Leave it in there.' But if you listen to 'Kingmaker' tonight when you go home, you're gonna hear the beginning of the song, there's a really dumbass part in there. And that's it."

Ellefson responded to Mustaine's comments while appearing on the latest episode of the "2020'd" podcast. Recalling the recording sessions for "Super Collider", the former MEGADETH bassist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The record was done, or at least my bass parts were. And Dave, at the end of the session, at the end of the day, he said to me, he said, 'Hey, man. If you wanna go through the record, if there's anything you wanna add or tweak or change, blah blah blah blah,' giving me free license to do so, 'cause he had signed off on everything. So [I said], 'All right. No problem.' So after he left, me and [then-MEGADETH guitarist] Chris Broderick and Johnny K sat in the studio and I said, 'You know, I do have this one little bit, this little thing,' and I showed it to them, and Broderick goes, 'Dude, that would be really cool at the beginning of 'Kingmaker'.' And I said, 'Huh. Interesting idea.' And in my opinion, I think 'Kingmaker' is probably the better song on the record, just off the top for me. Johnny liked it. We sat and we worked on it and put it together. And we were all excited. Dave walks in the next day in a much different mood — grumpy, I might add [laughs] and not feeling so joyous as the night before. And I think either me or Johnny said, 'Hey, I've got something I want you to listen to that we worked on last night.' And there was this kind of disapproving look. And Johnny plays it for him, all excited. 'Cause I think the three of us [Johnny, Chris and me] all heard the same thing: 'Hey, if you wanna add anything, if you wanna work on anything, please do.' Well, Dave didn't seem to maybe remember that conversation. And so what he walked into was, 'Why the hell are you messing with my song?' And I think he pulled Broderick aside and said, 'Don't you dare add David Ellefson's stuff to my songs.'"

According to Ellefson, the songwriting process in MEGADETH had drastically changed from the way it was in the first 20 years of the band's existence.

"I remember when I first came back to the band in 2010, we'd done a year of [touring in celebration of the 20th anniversary of] 'Rust In Peace'," he said. "We had about 10 weeks to write the 'Th1rt3en' record, the record that would become 'Th1rt3en'. And I said, 'Well, look, we're all gonna be at NAMM in Anaheim. Why don't we just go down to [Mustaine's then-studio] Vic's Garage?', which was down in kind of by San Diego, Fallbrook area, north of San Diego. I said, 'Why don't we just get in a room and fire some ideas and see where we're at with everything?' And I swear to God, the first day we played… It took a couple of days 'cause we were listening to stuff. They wanted to listen to everybody's ideas. And [Dave] acknowledged everybody had a couple of things that he liked. And so we get in a room, guitars on, saddle up, and we started playing on something. And keep in mind, I hadn't been in this environment for almost 10 years now. 'Cause this was 2011, and the last time we worked on a record together was 'The World Needs A Hero' in 2001, so literally 10 years [earlier]. And I'd been working with all kinds of other people where it's, like, 'Hey, killer idea. How about this? How about that?' You know — collaborative; you're having musical conversations in the room. And knowing how things had been in the past, Dave will start with something, bring in an idea, and maybe someone says, 'Hey, that's cool. How about we add this little bit here? Or maybe that riff goes with this riff.' And so I said, 'Hey, I've got something that might go with that.' Dave immediately took his guitar off, walked in the office. I looked at [then-MEGADETH drummer] Shawn Drover, and Shawn and Chris are just shaking their heads. I said, 'What the hell was that all about?' He goes, 'Dude, trust me. The days of collaborating are long gone. That MEGADETH that you were in, that's way over.' So [I spoke to Dave] in the office, and Dave, he was furious, but yet we didn't want our newfound friendship to deteriorate, so I said, 'What's the deal?' And he said, 'Don't try to put your ideas into my songs.' I said, 'No problem.' I said, 'All good. Today is day one. No worries.' And that was the last we ever jammed together. Everything after that, on every other MEGADETH record after that, it was just Dave writing the songs, doing his thing."

Ellefson went on to say that because of Mustaine's battle with throat cancer, MEGADETH was forced to work in a slightly different way during the initial writing sessions for the band's new album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!".

"In 2019, we were in the room together [working on music]," he said. "Actually, Dave was doing his thing, and then he was off taking care of his medical stuff at the time. And so [the engineer] Chris Rakestraw said to me, Kiko [Loureiro, MEGADETH's current guitarist] and Dirk [Verbeuren, MEGADETH's current drummer], 'Look, you guys are here. We need to write a record. We've got the beginnings of five songs,' and we were supposed to have been working on this record for a year and a half. 'Get in a room. Let's go.' So we saddled up and started riffing on stuff. In fact, I remember there's one song — it might have been that first one that they put out; I can't remember; it was one of 'em — but I remember we kind of modeled it after 'Black Friday' and just kind of took the sort of mellow intro into a full-on ripping part… So we went down, and I remember Dave came in [and was] furious that we were working on stuff without him. And Rakestraw took the bullet and said, 'Hey, it was my idea. These guys are here. Everybody's here to work. We need to get a record done.' And [Dave said], 'I wanna know who wrote what part where.' I could see it coming. I knew he was gonna see what parts I wrote and take 'em out, which he did — he took all my parts off the record, of which there were several, and either re-wrote 'em or changed them, just to make sure that I wouldn't have any writing on the record. And I just saw it coming. I rolled my eyes and [went], 'Whatever.' So I was there [at the studio in Nashville] for about five weeks and then I went home for Father's Day and I just never went back. [Laughs] I was just, like, 'Whatever.' I went back a year later to record bass, and all of sudden all of my parts are off the record, all of my writing contributions."

Ellefson said that he believes his dismissal from MEGADETH following an online scandal involving sexually explicit text messages was the culmination of years of built-up resentment on the part of Mustaine.

"I kind of saw the events of last year as just the perfect opportunity to choose box office over brotherhood," Ellefson said about Mustaine's decision to fire him. "I look back at it now and I feel like I got kicked out of hell. So, whatever." He added about the way he was treated by Mustaine in the end: "It was abusive, for sure. It was just abusive. It was unnecessary. … Dave even said he had a resentment toward me that he couldn't let go, and I didn't know what it was."

Ellefson also addressed the digs that are constantly hurled his way by Mustaine in various interviews, comparing it to the countless negative comments Dave had made about his former bandmates in METALLICA in the four decades since he was fired from that group.

"He's fighting with himself," Ellefson said. "He's in a game of tug of war with himself. I'm not fighting with him. I've just moved on. I remember we talked about that after he jammed with METALLICA and the 'Big Four'. I said, 'How was that last night playing 'Am I Evil?'?' And he said, he goes, 'You know, those guys kicked me out of the band and they just moved on. I held on to the resentment for all these years.' It's like the same thing for me. It's, like, why is he resenting me? He got rid of me. Supposedly the problem should have gone away if he got rid of me. But the problem still seems to be there."

Ellefson added: "Look, I think part of it, too, is he's obviously not gotten over this thing about being fired from METALLICA, so he wanted to do to somebody else what he felt they did to him, which is kick him out and then someone else play his guitar parts. 'So let's kick Junior out and then have someone else play his bass parts.' And to me, I'm, like, I don't care. I already fucking helped put the record together. I played on the record. I got paid to be on the record. So, hey, if you wanna get someone else to play, whatever."

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

Ellefson laid down his bass tracks on MEGADETH's sixteenth LP in May 2020 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

In July 2021, Mustaine announced during an episode of his Gimme Radio program "The Dave Mustaine Show" that Ellefson's bass tracks would not be used on the new MEGADETH LP.

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was released on September 2 via UMe. Just months after TESTAMENT bassist Steve DiGiorgio recorded his parts for the effort, former MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo rejoined the band in time for the summer 2021 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year".

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with Ellefson.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play.

Mustaine reformed MEGADETH 18 years ago. Originally setting out to record a solo album, Mustaine enlisted studio musicians to play on what ultimately became MEGADETH's 2004 "The System Has Failed" comeback album, subsequently recruiting former ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough to take Ellefeson's place for the album's touring cycle.

In 2004, Ellefson sued Mustaine for $18.5 million, alleging that Mustaine still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.

In his lawsuit, Ellefson claimed that he "attempted to resolve his differences with Mustaine on an amicable basis and offered to continue to perform with [MEGADETH]." However, his "offers were met with verbal abuse, threats, lies and continued invective from Mustaine." Ellefson also said that Mustaine — a veteran of at least 17 drug rehab stints, according to the bassist — resented Ellefson, a former drug addict, for having kicked his own habit. According to Ellefson's court papers, the battle of the band spread to the Internet when Mustaine posted on Megadeth.com that Ellefson was trying to extort him.

Mustaine gave his version of why the 2004 reunion with Ellefson didn't pan out in a message posted on the MEGADETH web site. In lengthy essay, Mustaine claimed that Ellefson missed several deadlines to accept his offer, which included 20% of the artist royalties on "The System Has Failed", none of the publishing royalties and a $2,500-a-week salary while the band was on the road.
We will always be best friends.@ellefsondavid@Megadethpic.twitter.com/kzs89sA8Vy

— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) November 2, 2017