SEPULTURA's classic lineup fell apart in 1996 with the exit of frontman Max Cavalera after the rest of the band split with his wife Gloria as their manager. His brother, drummer Igor Cavalera, stuck around with the group for another 10 years before leaving SEPULTURA and re-teaming with Max in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.

Although SEPULTURA has maintained a diehard fanbase in all parts of the world throughout the band's three-and-a-half-decade-plus history, Max-era albums "Roots" and "Chaos A.D." were by far SEPULTURA's most commercially successful, having both been certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of five hundred thousand copies.

In a new interview with "The Dan Chan Show", Max was asked if he thought the rest of the band would continue without him after he chose to leave the group in December 1996. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think judging by their personalities, yeah, I [thought] they would carry on." As for how he felt about the other members continuing with the band that he co-founded, Max said: "It's really mixed emotions, especially because me and Igor being there in the very, very beginning, and nobody that is in the band [now] was there — not even Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr., bass] was there in the very beginning. So it's something that feels really personal and sacred that you were there in the very beginning and now you're not. At the same time, it's one of those things in life that just happens and you've gotta move on with other things."

Max continued: "I don't regret it. It's like any thing — it ran its course. One of those things, though, I'll say this, it's extremely frustrating to me that some of the fans don't understand, and it's really easy to blame people for it. And a lot of people end up blaming my wife, Gloria. They always go, 'She broke up the band.' And the truth is we grew apart; we started hating each other, man. It happened to THE BEATLES and it happened to many other bands — PANTERA. It's just how it is. We just didn't find the joy in playing with each other anymore and it was time to move on. So it's a cheap shot to blame her: 'Let's just blame her. She's gotta be the reason why that happened.' And it's, like, no — not at all. We are the reason. I'd rather they blame me than her or somebody else. Blame me for SEPULTURA splitting up. I would much rather prefer that."

Igor and Max have spent much of the last six years celebrating the 20th anniversary of SEPULTURA's "Roots" and 30th anniversary of "Beneath The Remains" and "Arise" albums on tour all over the world.

Back in 2016, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser told Australia's Loud that he wasn't bothered by the fact that Max and Igor were performing the entire "Roots" album on their tour. "I don't care," he said. "Everyone does whatever they want. If they feel that's good for their career, whatever, man. It doesn't change anything that I do. It's like a… It's weird to comment on something like that, because, for me, it's weird. [Laughs] I don't see the point. They have so many different projects. Actually, they left SEPULTURA for those projects, and now they're playing SEPULTURA. I don't understand that kind of attitude. But whatever, man. I respect any type of opinion, and, of course, I don't agree with them all, but people are free to do whatever they want. You just have to live with the consequences — that's all."

Kisser said in a September 2014 interview that all the talk of a reunion of the band's classic lineup was "a pain in the ass," and added that the band was angered by "all the pressure of this reunion bullshit, especially coming from that side, especially Max and Gloria always touching that subject."

He continued: "You know, since [Max] left the band, we are used to deal with that, but there's a time that it's enough. I mean, in the end, it was his choice to leave the band; we never fired anybody, we just fired our manager — we fired Gloria — but we never fired Max or Igor or [ex-SEPULTURA drummer] Jean [Dolabella]. Everybody left the band because they didn't feel it was the right place to be. And that's fine. You cannot [force] anybody to be there just to be there as a puppet."

SEPULTURA's current lineup — Paulo, Andreas, vocalist Derrick Green and drummer Eloy Casagrande — released its latest album, "Quadra", in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Photo credit: Jim Louvau

Tim Bowness returns with his seventh solo album, Butterfly Mind, due for release on August 5. Produced in conjunction with long-time collaborator Brian Hulse, and mixed & mastered by Steven Wilson, this new album is his most eclectic release to date.


Today sees the launch of "Glitter Fades", the fourth track to be released from the album. Watch the video below.


With a lyric evoking the elegance and decadence of a group of artists from The Roaring Twenties, "Glitter Fades" is a surreal and cinematic contemporary Electro-Ballroom piece. Written and produced by Tim and Brian Hulse, the song features The Hushtones’ Martha Goddard on guest vocals and Stephen W Tayler (Kate Bush) on clarinet.




The atmospheric video by David K Jones (Plenty) beautifully taps into the nostalgic feel of the music.


Tim says, “This is one of those pieces where the lyric closely follows the evocative nature of the music. There’s a weird sense of ‘future nostalgia’ about Glitter Fades and the lyric revolves around the thoughts of a group of artists who once had the ears and eyes of the world, but now exist in a state of limbo unaware that both they and the culture they forged are long dead and forgotten. The party has well and truly ended. Stephen W Tayler’s swirling clarinet and Martha Goddard’s ghostly backing vocals ramp up The Gold Room from The Shining atmosphere!”





Tim’s seventh solo album - his sixth for InsideOutMusic / Sony - features the rhythm section of Richard Jupp (ex-Elbow) and Nick Beggs alongside a spectacular guest list including Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Dave Formula (Magazine), Peter Hammill (Van Der Graaf Generator), Martha Goddard (The Hushtones), Gregory Spawton (Big Big Train), Mark Tranmer (The Montgolfier Brothers / GNAC), Saro Cosentino (Franco Battiato), Italian Jazz musician Nicola Alesini, US singer Devon Dunaway (Ganga), Stephen W Tayler (Kate Bush) and, marking his first studio work with Tim for nearly three decades, former No-Man violinist Ben Coleman.


Butterfly Mind will be available as a Limited 2CD Edition (incl. alternative mixes and outtakes), as well as a Limited Edition 180g LP+CD featuring a striking die-cut artwork by Carl Glover. Burning Shed have an exclusive green vinyl edition, and you can pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


CD1
"Say Your Goodbyes, Pt. 1"
"Always The Stranger"
"It's Easier To Love"
"We Feel"
"Lost Player"
"Only A Fool"
"After The Stranger"
"Glitter Fades"
"About The Light That Hits The Forest Floor"
"Dark Nevada Dream"
"Say Your Goodbyes, Pt. 2"


CD2
"Say Your Goodbyes, Pt. 1"
"Always The Stranger" (Alternative Mix)
"It's Easier To Love" (Alternative Mix)
"We Feel" (Alternative Mix)
"Lost Player" (Alternative Mix)
"Only A Fool" (Alternative Mix)
"After The Stranger" (Alternative Mix) / Extended Version
"Glitter Fades" (Alternative Mix)
"About The Light That Hits The Forest Floor" (Alternative Mix)
"Dark Nevada Dream" (Alternative Mix)
"Say Your Goodbyes, Pt. 2" (Alternative Mix)
"Clearing Houses"
"Always The Stranger - Raw"
"Lost Player - Primitive"


"Only A Fool" lyric video:





"Dark Nevada Dream" video:





"Always The Stranger" lyric video:

Germany's Beyond The Black have shared a live one shot video of their new single "Reincarnation", taken during their recent show at Graspop Metal Meeting 2022. Check it out below. 





Vocalist Jennifer Haben comments: "'Reincarnation' materialized from a growing recognition of our mortality as humans and the consequent responsibility to live our lives to the fullest. This responsibility means to stand up for yourself, relentlessly fight for your values and also confront your biggest fears. 'Reincarnation' is about becoming your true self and starting a new, epic chapter. This is Beyond The Black! And Beyond The Black is back!"




Beyond The Black will celebrate an international festival summer run this year leading into their biggest European headline tour to date. Find the band's tour itinerary here.

Heavy groove metal pioneers, DevilDriver, are ready to usher in a new era of the band’s venerable history. Today, the group is excited to welcome back original bassist Jon Miller after more than a decade’s long absence from the scene. In addition to this epic reunion, DevilDriver has also added guitarist Alex Lee (Holy Grail) to the lineup, replacing Neal Tiemann.       


DevilDriver is also gearing up to head out on tour this fall, with more information coming very soon.


Remarking on his return to the band, Miller comments: “After spending the past 10 years away from writing music, recording, and touring, I have made the decision to return to DevilDriver to settle some unfinished business with two lifelong friends.”







Frontman Dez Fafara comments on Miller’s return to the lineup, sharing: “Jon is a monster on bass and wrote much of our early material. We began talking daily and it just felt right… and having him onstage again will be absolutely pummeling technically and visually! For the fans that have seen the band with Jon in it, please welcome him back. And for those of you who haven’t, get ready because he holds it down! Having most of the OG members in the band now after almost 20 years feels good! Get ready because we have a massive tour announcement coming in August! It’s been since July 2019 that we’ve toured, and the break was needed. The fire is there now and we are ready to destroy stages!”


Lead guitarist Mike Spreitzer adds: “It’s been a solid decade since I’ve shared the stage with Jon Miller, and I’m thrilled to have him back in DevilDriver. Without him, I probably wouldn’t be in the band. He was one of the first friends I made when I moved to Santa Barbara in 1999 that eventually lead to me joining DevilDriver. I’m very much looking forward to getting out on the road and having him with us again.”


Speaking on the departure of former bassist Diego ‘Ashes’ Ibarra, the members share:


Dez: “It’s always difficult letting guys go in any line of work, but we thank Ashes for his time playing with DevilDriver on tour. I’m sad I had to let him go, but to make way for an original member was the right thing to do. We wish him the best and he’s a great guy.”        


Mike: “Ashes has been an amazing addition to the DevilDriver family over the years. He’s one of the most solid and fun guys I have ever had the honor to call my friend. I’m going to miss our 3-4 hour long morning coffee sessions that we shared since he joined. He will forever be my brother.”


Along with the return of Miller, DevilDriver welcomes Alex Lee, who many will know from his time in the band Holy Grail.





Speaking on his past encounters and shared comradery with the DevilDriver family, Lee shares: "Back in 2016, I had the privilege of touring with DevilDriver with my old band (Holy Grail). We got along great and kept in touch over the years. Fast forward to the present, I am thrilled to announce that I'll be joining the DevilDriver family! Dez made the final call to give me this opportunity that I couldn't pass up. Great guys, heavy music, and I can't wait to see you all on the road!"


Dez comments on Lee’s addition, saying: “Alex is a bad ass on guitar and one of the most talented guys I’ve seen in years. He gets along well with the band, he’s a great writer, and onstage he brings the energy. We welcome him and look forward to years of good times.”


Stay tuned for more news on the band’s upcoming touring and album release plans.


DevilDriver is:


Dez Fafara - Vocals
Mike Spreitzer - Guitar
Jon Miller - Bass
Alex Lee - Guitar
Austin D'Amond - Drums


(Top photo - Channing Yazzie; Jon Miller photo - Sander Van Ketel; Alex Lee photo - Jeremy Saffer)

Edge Of Paradise have released a video for their cover of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle". Watch below.





Says the band: "As we record our next album, we wanted to take you on a detour to this maze of madness. We are so excited to share our take on the classic! This was the song that the founding members, Margarita and Dave ever played together, that lead to formation of the band, in Los Angeles, CA. Now, 4 albums and 30 countries later, we wanted to cover this iconic song, that holds such meaning to us, and share with the people, what it would sound like in our dimension!"




The single will be available on August 22. Pre-add/save here.

Ronnie James Dio's wife and longtime manager Wendy Dio spoke to Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3 about the status of "Dio: Dreamers Never Die", the career-spanning documentary on the life and times of the legendary rock icon, which received its world premiere this past March at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. She said: "We did a lot of different film festivals. You go to film festivals to get a buyer for the film. And we have secured a buyer. And it will come out at the end of summer in theaters; it'll be in theaters the end of summer."

At the SXSW Film Festival, several music personalities who were involved in the making of the film — Wendy, BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach — took part in a panel, "Dreamers Never Die: The Enduring Power Of Metal" panel, hosted by SiriusXM's Eddie Trunk at Austin Convention Center. Video of the discussion is available below.

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die" is the first documentary about Dio to be fully authorized by the artist's estate. According to the film's official description, it "delves deep into his incredible rise from '50s doo-wop crooner to his early classic rock days in Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW, to replacing the iconic lead singer Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH, to finally cement his legend with DIO. Ronnie's biography is completely unique to the tired sex, drugs and rock and roll clichés. The film is about perseverance, dreams and the power to believe in yourself."

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die" was financed solely by BMG and was helmed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton ("Framing John DeLorean", "Believer", "Last Days Here"),produced by Don Argott and Sheena Joyce for 9.14 Pictures, and executive produced by Wendy Dio for Niji Productions and Kathy Rivkin Daum for BMG.

Ronnie James Dio's story transcends the standard rock documentary. Set against the backdrop of Dio's autobiography — half finished by Ronnie before his untimely death from stomach cancer in 2010 — the film chronicles the inspiring journey of his life, love, and storied career. Whether playing sold-out stadiums or battling illness, his powerful voice and gentle heart have had a profound influence on his family, friends, and fans around the world.

Wendy recently told Argentinian journalist Lucas Gordon about "Dio: Dreamers Never Die": "I saw the first cut of it. It was very emotional. It's very different from [Dio's autobiography]. 'Cause the book finishes in 1986, with Ronnie playing Madison Square Garden. But the documentary goes all the way through his life till the end. And it was very emotional. I was watching it with my publicist and a person from BMG, who are funding the documentary. And we all cried. It was very emotional. But it's really interesting and really good. Rob Halford is great in it, talking about stories. Lita Ford [and] Jack Black [are also in it]. Eddie Trunk and Mick Wall [author of Dio's autobiography] both kind of narrated it and everything. I'm very pleased with it."

Last August, Wendy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about what fans can expect to see in the documentary: "There's a bunch of stuff from [old] Super 8 [tapes] and some other stuff. There's fantastic interviews with all kinds of different people about when they were working with Ronnie or what they were doing at the time, maybe supporting Ronnie. It's totally different to the [recently released Dio] book. And I'm very interested to see this cut. I'm excited, actually, to see it. And I think it's gonna be great."

In October 2019, Wendy told the WSOU radio station that the documentary "will go from Ronnie's childhood all the way through [to the end of his life]. I think they interviewed Jack Black, and I think they interviewed all of Ronnie's bandmembers and Doug Aldrich and, I think, Jeff Pilson. They were getting ready to go to Arizona to interview Rob Halford and Lita Ford. And then they were going into England to interview Tony Iommi. They already did Geezer. So there will be very interesting stories from different people. I think it'll be a great thing, and it'll show people a lot of things that people have never seen before."

Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Dio's autobiography, titled "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography", was released in July 2021 via Permuted Press.

In a new interview with WMMR's Brent Porche, Joe Perry spoke about AEROSMITH's touring plans to celebrate the band's 50th anniversary. The guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that the Fenway show [in Boston in September], being able to pick a date and go, 'That's when we wanna play there,' it's kind of tough. But coincidentally, it's a really good time to kind of kick it off. And then, I don't know; we're not quite sure what we're gonna do. I would like to play some of the places we haven't played in 30 years. It's really about scheduling and trying to mount a tour, and then we'll see what we can do with it. It's kind of like with Fenway… That's gonna be the kick-off, I think."

Perry went on to reveal that AEROSMITH is working on a "box set that kind of hits on every decade and some videos to go along with it." He explained: "In the first, say, 30 years of our career, finding video is really hard. With everybody having a camera [now], the show you're doing is literally online within [minutes]; some of it's streamed. So the [recent] shows are up there; finding video from the last 20 years, it's not a problem. It's finding the stuff that you like.

"As it turns out, we actually shot a bunch of songs because the record companies would use them to promote… When they would have these get-togethers every years, all the record companies would show what they have coming out and the latest this and the latest that, so they would shoot promotional videos," he continued. "So they weren't quite what we know as the MTV-style videos. So we're digging down and finding some of that stuff. And then there's some people that actually had some video from… 'Cause back then, it was a big camera and they had cartridges that lasted three minutes, so to get a whole song on one, you had to have at least two cameras going.

"I actually started carrying a camera with me, and when we played the Silverdome in Detroit [in 1976] — I think we were the second band to play there and the first band to fill it; it was, like, 80,000 seats. It was wild… Anyway, I remember sending somebody up with my camera — way up into the bleachers or whatever — and by the time they got it focused and kind of brought the lens close enough, you couldn't even tell who was playing. Most cameras didn't have sound either, but this one did. And it was kind of rough version of whatever we were playing… I mean, stuff keeps popping up. Fans will say 'I've got a piece of this' or 'I took some video of that', but it's bits and pieces. Most of it are still pictures. We're constantly finding the stuff."

Two months ago, AEROSMITH announced that singer Steven Tyler had entered a treatment program following a recent 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.

Last month, AEROSMITH drummer Joey Kramer's wife Linda Gail Kramer died at the age of 55. No cause of death has been revealed.

This past March, Joey announced that he would sit out AEROSMITH's concerts in 2022 so he can "focus his full attention on his family during these uncertain times," according to a statement from the legendary rockers. While Kramer "takes a temporary leave of absence" from AEROSMITH, he will once again be replaced by his drum tech, John Douglas. "[Kramer] and the band look forward to his future performances with AEROSMITH," the statement added.

Ozzy Osbourne has released a new single, "Degradation Rules". The track, which features a guest appearance by Ozzy's BLACK SABBATH bandmate Tony Iommi, is taken from Ozzy's new album, "Patient Number 9", which will arrive on September 9. The LP's title track, featuring a guest appearance by legendary guitarist Jeff Beck, was made available last month. Artist and comic book creator Todd McFarlane directed the music video for the song.

"Patient Number 9" track listing:

01. Patient Number 9 (feat. Jeff Beck)
02. Immortal (feat. Mike McCready)
03. Parasite (feat. Zakk Wylde)
04. No Escape From Now (feat. Tony Iommi)
05. One Of Those Days (feat. Eric Clapton)
06. A Thousand Shades (feat. Jeff Beck)
07. Mr. Darkness (feat. Zakk Wylde)
08. Nothing Feels Right (feat. Zakk Wylde)
09. Evil Shuffle (feat. Zakk Wylde)
10. Degradation Rules (feat. Tony Iommi)
11. Dead And Gone
12. God Only Knows
13. Darkside Blues

Last year, Ozzy told SiriusXM that the lyrics for "Patient Number 9", which he co-wrote with producer Andrew Watt, were inspired by his relationship with his wife and manager, Sharon.

"The song is about a mental institution," Ozzy said.

In the track, Osbourne sings: "When they call your name, better run and hide / Tell you you're insane, you believe their lies / I'm not getting out, no I'm not getting out alive / I'm not getting out, 'cause I'm patient number 9."

Regarding Beck's contribution to the song, Ozzy said: "Having someone like Jeff Beck play on my album is just incredible, a total honor. There's no other guitar player that plays like him and his solo on 'Patient Number 9' is just jaw-dropping."

As for his renewed collaboration with Iommi, Ozzy said: "It was really great working with Tony. He's the riff master. No one can touch him in that respect. I only wish we had these songs for BLACK SABBATH's '13' album."

"Patient Number 9" includes an appearance by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, who played on Ozzy's last studio album, 2020's "Ordinary Man".

This past March, Smith revealed during an interview with the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast that the new Ozzy album would also feature Robert Trujillo (METALLICA) and Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES).

Chad went on to say that "the English royalty of guitar players" has been recruited to guest on Osbourne's new album. "Tony Iommi and Ozzy have never collaborated outside of BLACK SABBATH," he said. "Tony sent us a bunch of riffs and we took what we thought was the best of 'em, which was fucking great. So Andy's on the bass doing fucking great — the bass on the song is amazing. And Tony sent us the riffs — files; he's in England — and we played to it. It's fucking got everything. It's got all the stuff that you would want. Ozzy loves it. And so he's on that track. Then Eric Clapton plays a fucking wah-wah CREAM-type solo. We're, like, 'Eric, can you solo on this song? Wah-wah, please. Eric, what do you think about this, with the wah-wah?' Because that's his fucking thing. And so he's soloing all over this other track. Then Jeff Beck is on two songs. We tried to get Jimmy Page [LED ZEPPELIN], we tried to get the holy trinity, but I don't think Page plays anymore too much, unfortunately. But Mike McCready's [PEARL JAM] on a track. Josh Homme, my neighbor from QUEENS [OF THE STONE AGE], solos on a track. And then Zakk Wylde [BLACK LABEL SOCIETY] is on the record as well, all over it. So it's like if you're a guitar player, [it's] pretty fucking good."

Last year, Ozzy confirmed that 15 songs had been recorded for his follow-up to "Ordinary Man". In October, he told Metal Hammer magazine that his new album will be "similar in tone to 'Ordinary Man', but I can't describe it completely. I've not heard it for a while because it keeps going over to the next person to add their parts — we're fucking around with it all the time," he said.

Watt connected with Osbourne after meeting Ozzy's daughter Kelly at a friend's party and pitching her on the idea of Post Malone and Ozzy collaborating together.

In December 2020, Watt told Guitar World that Ozzy's next album would feature guest appearances by a number of notable musicians. "There's a bunch of people involved," he said. "I can't say for sure until the end, but I started doing a bunch of basic tracks with Chad and Robert Trujillo, who used to play in Ozzy's band. And Taylor Hawkins [FOO FIGHTERS] also came in and played a bunch on the record as well, which adds a different flair — it kind of harkened back to Ozzy's '80s era, in a great way. And I think it's so cool for a rock fan to be able to listen to half an album with Chad Smith on drums, and then you flip it over and you get to hear Taylor Hawkins. And you know, the last album was really special for everyone involved. And so there was no point in Ozzy or me doing this again unless we thought we could bring something new to the table. And I feel like we're achieving that."

Ozzy Osbourne photo credit: Ross Halfin

"Night Stalkers", a brand new song from MEGADETH, can be streamed below. The track, which features a guest appearance by iconic rapper Ice-T, is taken from the band's sixteenth studio album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", which will arrive on September 2 via UMe. The "Night Stalkers" music video will premiere today (Friday, July 22) at 10 a.m. EDT / 7 a.m. PDT.

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

The first song to be released from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was the ferocious, quintessentially MEGADETH track "We'll Be Back", which was accompanied by the world premiere of "We'll Be Back: Chapter I", an epic, action-packed short film chronicling the origins of MEGADETH's mascot, Vic Rattlehead. Produced by Dave Mustaine, "We'll Be Back: Chapter I" is a soldier's tale of bravery, personal sacrifice, and the will to survive. It was the first installment of a trilogy of videos to be released in conjunction with the release of "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!"

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" consolidates a furious return to form that began with the Grammy-winning "Dystopia", while pushing forward musically and marking Mustaine's recent triumph over throat cancer. Reuniting visionary MEGADETH leader and sonic architect Dave Mustaine with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (DANZIG, PARKWAY DRIVE),who together helmed 2016's "Dystopia", the album was recorded at Mustaine's home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album. With the kick-off of MEGADETH's recent tour, MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo rejoined the MEGADETH family as permanent bass player.

"For the first time in a long time, everything that we needed on this record is right in its place," Dave Mustaine enthused. "I can't wait for the public to get hold of this!"

Featuring some of Mustaine's strongest songwriting while also incorporating writing from the rest of the band, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" brings together everything that's exhilarating and distinctive about MEGADETH. From the blistering throwback fury of "Night Stalkers" and first single "We'll Be Back", to the more mid-tempo and melodic "Soldier On!" and the very personal title track, with its enthralling twists and turns. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" also features a cover of DEAD KENNEDYS' "Police Truck" and Sammy Hagar's "This Planet's On Fire", the latter of which includes vocals from Hagar himself.

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" melds the ultra-frenetic riffing, fiercely intricate solos, and adventurous spirit the quartet are known for, all laced with signature virtuosity and precision and Mustaine's singular sardonic snarl. This album combines all the crushing musical motifs that have made MEGADETH both repeat metal disruptors and revered genre flagbearers.

Mustaine spoke about "Night Stalkers" in an interview earlier this year with Jose Mangin of SiriusXM Liquid Metal. He said: "It's a brutal song. I can't remember if that was the fastest one [on the new album] or not. But 'Night Stalkers' is about the 160th Battalion with the United States Army, and it's all the black-ops helicopters that go in at night — nobody knows they're there; they're in, they're out. And I had my buddy Ice-T join me on a part in the middle of it, because Ice was a ranger for the army, and he did two tours over in Afghanistan, I think it was. I think that was back in '91, when I first met him. It might have been a little earlier than that, but I know he was a ranger. And I had just done something on his last record. But when I asked him, I thought it would be great to have him because of his bravado and then the fact that he's got real credibility as someone who was there. And then we've got several other guys to participate in the track just to make it as real as possible. We're going up to the base to go film a bunch of helicopter footage and sounds and stuff like that. We've got three videos that we're making for this record right now down in Brazil, and we're combining all that production and the stuff from the base, with the helicopters and everything together, to make this first three-song video offering up."

Regarding Hagar's contribution to "This Planet's On Fire", Mustaine told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "It's a super-heavy song. And the good thing about this [is] we didn't just do the song; [Sammy] played on it too. So we've got a little bit of some guitar; we've got a lot of bit of singing. I think it's super badass."

As for MEGADETH's decision to cover "Police Truck", Mustaine said: "It's no secret I'm a big DEAD KENNEDYS fan, and I had wanted to do 'Holiday In Cambodia', but my friends in LÄÄZ ROCKIT had done that, and I felt that [I would] just let them have their glory off of that rendition of that song, and if the time comes, I'm sure there's another song that'll stick out to me. And there was — it was the song 'Police Truck'. So we recorded that one."

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" track listing:

01. The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!
02. Life In Hell
03. Night Stalkers (feat. Ice T)
04. Dogs Of Chernobyl
05. Sacrifice
06. Junkie
07. Psychopathy
08. Killing Time
09. Soldier On!
10. Célebutante
11. Mission To Mars
12. We'll Be Back
13. Police Truck (DEAD KENNEDYS cover)
14. This Planet's On Fire (Burn In Hell) (Sammy Hagar cover) (feat. Sammy Hagar)

Earlier this year, Mustaine confirmed that DiGiorgio laid down the bass tracks on "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!"

There had been speculation about DiGiorgio's involvement in the new MEGADETH LP since last July, based on a Cameo video Mustaine recorded in which he offered the first glimpse of the bassist that re-recorded David Ellefson's bass tracks on the much-anticipated MEGADETH effort.

DiGiorgio is widely renowned as a pioneer on the fretless bass in heavy metal music, having played with TESTAMENT, DEATH and SADUS, among others. Within his genre, Steve is respected for his playing skills, versatility and incredible technique. He has more than 40 studio album recordings and over 20 years of touring the world.

Last month, MEGADETH announced bass player James LoMenzo as a permanent member of the band. LoMenzo was MEGADETH's bass player in the mid-2000s and recently stepped back in as a touring member for "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 returning original MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

In addition to MEGADETH, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION. For the past nine years, LoMenzo has been performing with iconic rocker John Fogerty.

LoMenzo played his first show with MEGADETH in nearly 12 years last August in Austin, Texas. The concert took place three months following Ellefson's dismissal from MEGADETH after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving him were posted on Twitter.

Ellefson laid down his bass tracks on MEGADETH's sixteenth LP in May 2020 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee. A short time later, he raved about his performance on the record, telling the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire" that his musical chemistry with Verbeuren was comparable to the interplay between Geddy Lee and Neil Peart on classic RUSH albums. "I feel like on the new MEGADETH record, me and Dirk have those same moments," he said. "It's MEGADETH — it's not RUSH, obviously — but in the field of what we do, there were these moments that I was just going, 'Oh, my God.' This is me as a kid going, 'This is my Geddy/Neil moment right here.'"

In June 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.

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

HALESTORM has shared its cover of "Jolene". Check it out in two parts below.

The band uploaded its rendition of the track in response to a fan request for the Lzzy Hale-fronted outfit to "rock up" the Dolly Parton classic, which has been covered by everyone from pop stars Olivia Newton-John, Miley Cyrus and Lil Nas X to alternative groups THE WHITE STRIPES, SISTERS OF MERCY and STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE.

"Jolene" is not the first Parton song HALESTORM has tackled. Back in 2020, Hale's cover version of "I Will Always Love You", the love ballad made famous by Whitney Houston and Parton, was included on HALESTORM's "Halestorm Reimagined" EP.

HALESTORM's fifth studio album album, "Back From The Dead", was released on May 6 via Atlantic. The follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, MASTODON, ALICE IN CHAINS) with co-production by Scott Stevens (SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, NEW YEARS DAY).

Lzzy and her brother Arejay (drums) formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

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SLIPKNOT kicked off its summer 2022 European tour last night (Wednesday, July 20) at Romexpo in Bucharest, Romania. Support on the trek is coming from JINJER and VENDED, the band fronted by Griffin Taylor, son of SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor.

SLIPKNOT's setlist was as follows:

01. Disasterpiece
02. Wait And Bleed
03. All Out Life
04. Sulfur
05. Before I Forget
06. The Chapeltown Rag
07. Dead Memories
08. Unsainted
09. The Heretic Anthem
10. Psychosocial
11. The Devil In I
12. Snuff
13. Vermilion
14. Duality
15. Custer
16. Spit It Out

Encore:

17. People = Shit
18. Surfacing

Fan-filmed video can be seen below (courtesy of Bahomar).

SLIPKNOT will release its new album, "The End, So Far", on September 30 via Roadrunner. The official music video for the LP's new single, "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)", was directed by the band's own M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan.

Produced by SLIPKNOT and Joe Barresi, "The End, So Far" is available for pre-order with several vinyl variants at Slipknot1.com. "The End, So Far" includes the band's 2021 surprise single "The Chapeltown Rag" and follows 2019's "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.

In February, Corey told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the musical direction of the new SLIPKNOT material: "It's really killer, man. It's darker than 'We Are Not Your Kind', but there's a ton of melody. I've been telling everybody that it's like a heavier version of 'Vol. 3[: (The Subliminal Verses)]'. It's got so many textures and layers. The heavy stuff has attack but the melodic stuff you can just sink your teeth in; there's a lot of great melodies and hooks. I'm really, really excited for people to hear it."

Rob Zombie's movie reboot of the classic 1960s sitcom "The Munsters" will be made available on Blu-ray/DVD on September 27. You can also purchase your own digital version that same day. The Blu-ray will include lots of bonuses that won't be available on the version that will come to Netflix the same month, such as over 60 minutes of extra footage with a making-of documentary about the movie's production.

On Wednesday (July 20), Rob took to social media to clear up rumors that the film was originally going to open in theaters, possibly with a simultaneous release on Peacock, and he shot down reports that "The Munsters" had a $40 million budget.

"How the hell did everyone get the idea that The Munsters cost 40 millions dollars?" Rob wrote. "Fuck, I wish I had that kind of budget.

"To put a little perspective on it all if you add up the budgets of Halloween 2, The Lords of Salem, 31, 3 From Hell and The Munsters all together it wouldn't even add up to 30 million.

"Also the movie was never going to theaters or Peacock or Paramount. It was always being made for Netflix which is fine since it is the largest of the streaming services. This was done way before I ever got involved in the project. I have no control or say over this type of stuff. This is a Universal deal. But the internet loves to invent rumors which somehow turns to facts so the fans can get all bend out of shape.

"None of this actually matters but thought you might like the real story."
On Monday, Zombie, whose real name was Robert Cummings before he legally changed it, revealed that his new movie will premiere on Netflix this fall alongside Tim Burton's "The Addams Family" spinoff series "Wednesday".

Zombie's film reboot of "The Munsters" reportedly began filming in May 2021 and will feature Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, cast as Lily Munster, and Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster. The cast will also include Daniel Roebuck co-starring as Grandpa Munster. Richard Brake ("31", "3 From Hell") is playing Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang. Catherine Schell ("Space: 1999", "The Return Of The Pink Panther") is playing "Zoya Krupp the gypsy queen." Dee Wallace, Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson and Jorge Garcia will also star.

Zombie told EW that "The Munsters" is more family-friendly than his previous films.

"Yeah, it's 100 percent in the spirit of the show," he said. "I didn't want it to be different. I wanted to totally retain the vibe that it had in the '60s."

Regarding his choices for the actors in the movie, Rob said: "I wanted to cast people that had worked together a lot. I couldn't risk getting on set in Budapest [Hungary] and going, my leads aren't getting along, they have no chemistry. So that's why I chose the cast I chose. Jeff Daniel Phillips and Sheri Moon Zombie and Daniel Roebuck, they work together a lot and I knew they would just fall right into it."

As for how Petersen ended up playing real estate agent Barbara Carr, Rob said: "We've been friends with Cassandra for I don't even know how long. She was at our wedding, she was at Sheri's shower. We've been friends with her for at least 25 years. So that was another good person that could come in and fit right in, totally familiar."

"The Munsters" will be released by Universal 1440 Entertainment, a production arm of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.

The original "The Munsters" aired on CBS for two seasons from September 1964 to May 1966.

Zombie, who is a massive "Munsters" fan, joined Butch Patrick for a commentary track for the film "Munster, Go Home!", which was released on Blu-ray by Scream Factory in 2020.

A musician, filmmaker, and author, Rob Zombie has directed eight feature films, including 2019's "3 From Hell", 2016's "31" and 2012's "The Lords Of Salem". His other directing credits include the cult favorite "House Of 1000 Corpses" and its companion, "The Devil's Rejects", along with the 2007 re-imagining of John Carpenter's "Halloween", plus its sequel, "Halloween 2". Zombie also developed his own comic book series into an R-rated animated feature, "The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto".

Zombie admitted to The Pulse Of Radio a while back that it's been tough for him to break out of the horror genre. "The movies I've made up to this point have been pretty dark and pretty much in that world because those are the opportunities that were presented," he explained. "You know, the people that put up the money for these things know that if I stick to that sort of thing, it's easily more profitable. So it's a much bigger challenge to break out of it."

Zombie released his seventh studio album, "The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy", in March 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP marked his first new album in nearly five years.

Rob Zombie photo credit: Travis Shinn

How the hell did everyone get the idea that The Munsters cost 40 millions dollars? Fuck, I wish I had that kind of...

Posted by Rob Zombie on Wednesday, July 20, 2022

In the AXS TV clip below, Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas  gives Sammy Hagar the scoop on how he was picked to collaborate with Carlos Santana on the 1999 megahit, "Smooth". Later, Sammy straps on a guitar and steps into Santana's shoes for a live duet of the song with Rob.










On a recent epsiode of Rock & Roll Road Trip, Hagar visited Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan at his house in Southern California. The two reminisce about life in rock and roll and Duff shares some personal stories.

Australian extreme metal group, Psycroptic, have released a video for their new single, "A Fool's Errand", taken from the band's upcoming eighth studio album, Divine Council, out on August 5 via Prosthetic Records. Watch "A Fool's Errand" (produced and directed by NJV Media) below.


Dave Haley (drums) comments: "'A Fool's Errand' is a track I'm really looking forward to playing live. Lots of dynamic twists and turns, plus a uniquely catchy hook...It gets stuck in your head. It took a while, but it has become one of my personal favourite tracks on Divine Council."







Brothers Dave Haley (drums) and Joe Haley (guitar) have steered Psycroptic through different shades of death metal, from the technical to the experimental, with longtime vocalist and lyricist Jason Peppiatt and bassist Todd Stern further embellishing the sound of the band to create something that is distinctively Psycroptic.


Origin vocalist Jason Keyser has long been considered a part of Psycroptic's extended family, and on Divine Council, he contributes vocals to the album tracks. As Peppiatt wrote the lyrics and vocal patterns, the group were able to utilize an extended palette of styles to further enhance his sound, courtesy of Keyser and additional vocals from Amy Wiles, hitting upon a collective approach to complement the Haleys.


With writing and recording punctuated by a pandemic and subsequent strict lockdowns, Divine Council was recorded in various locations across Australia and North America. Drums were tracked at Anubis Studios by Chris Thelemco, bass was captured by Justin Spaeth at Cave Bound Studio, and guitars, vocals and synths were recorded by the band's own Joe Haley at his Crawlspace Studios before he mixed and mastered the album's nine tracks.


The suffocating atmosphere carries through to the lyrics that detail the myriad of ways that human beings waste, destroy or devalue what's in front of them - captured in the evocative album artwork, courtesy of the prolific Eliran Kantor. With narrative threads that throw back to tracks on both their self-titled album and As The Kingdom Drowns, Psycroptic have found yet more new ways to explore human's inherent inability to see the bigger picture - or change track before a miserable demise becomes a crushing inevitability.


Divine Council is an album that oozes confidence, maturity and a relaxed self-assurance befitting of a band with a rich legacy behind them, and an unconstrained future ahead of them. Pre-order / pre-save Divine Council now at this location.





Divine Council tracklisting:


"Rend Asunder"
"A Fool's Errand"
"This Shadowed World"
"Enslavement"
"Ashes Of Our Empire"
"The Prophet's Council"
"Awakening"
"A Fragile Existence"
"Exitus"


"Rend Asunder" video:





Lineup:


Jason Peppiatt - Vocals (studio and live)
Jason Keyser - Vocals (studio only)
Joe Haley - Guitar
Todd Stern - Bass
Dave Haley - Drums


(Photo - Michael Rankine)

Celebrate 20 years of Epica with reissues of the first three albums (including unreleased bonus tracks), plus Live At Paradiso and We Will Take You With Us. Head to epicamerch.com to pre-order The Phantom Agony, Consign To Oblivion, The Score and the unreleased/rare live albums on a variety of (limited!) formats. It's all out September 2 via Nuclear Blast.


The band have released this HD remastered music video for "Solitary Ground", from Consign To Oblivion:







Live At Paradiso is the 2006 Amsterdam show that is mythical among Epicans, as it's never been officially released. Now, the holy grail is available as a part of We Still Take You With Us, which bundles it together with their (long sold-out) first major TV performance/DVD release, We Will Take You With Us, as well as their first three albums: The Phantom Agony, Consign To Oblivion and The Score.





Pre-order it on an 11-disc vinyl box set, Earbook with 36-pages and 8 discs or 8-CD box clamshell. Live At Paradiso and We Will Take You With Us will also be available to download or stream, while Live At Paradiso will be released on 2-CD+Blu-ray, too.


Check out the video for "Sensorium" (Live At Paradiso):

Progressive deathcore outfit, Enterprise Earth, has issued a guitar playthrough for the song “Unleash Hell”. The track comes by way of the band’s The Chosen full-length, released earlier this year via MNRK Heavy.





Watch the band’s previously released video for brand new track “Psalm Of Agony”, featuring recently recruited singer Travis Worland (Aethere, Bite//Down, The Willow):







Enterprise Earth will begin their US headlining tour later this week. The Chosen Tour begins July 22 in Seattle, Washington and runs through August 20 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Support will be provided by Within Destruction, Sentinels, and labelmates Great American Ghost.





Tour dates:


July
22 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
23 - Dantes - Portland, OR
25 - Goldfields - Roseville, CA
26 - Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
27 - Nile Theater - Mesa, AZ
28 - Rockhouse - El Paso, TX
29 - Club Dada - Dallas, TX
30 - Come & Take It - Austin, TX
31 - The Secret Group - Houston, TX


August
2 - The Brass Mug - Tampa, FL
3 - Respectables - West Palm, FL
4 - The Haven - Orlando, FL
5 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
6 - Neighborhood Theater - Charlotte, NC
7 - The End - Nashville, TN
9 - Planet Trog - Allentown, PA
10 - Webster Underground - Hartford, CT
11 - Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY
12 - The Outpost - Kent, OH
13 - The Sanctuary - Detroit, MI
14 - WC Social Club - Chicago, IL
16 - Emerson Theater - Indianapolis, IN
17 - Skylark - Rock Island, IL
18 - The Marquee - Sioux City, IA
19 - HQ - Denver, CO
20 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT


(Photo - Chris Klumpp)