Serj Tankian and John Dolmayan of SYSTEM OF A DOWN played the band's song "Aerials" with the rock covers outfit MÉDIUM this past Friday, July 15 during John's 50th-birthday celebration in the streets of San José del Cabo, Mexico. Video of the performance can be seen below.

Dolmayan is married to Diana Dolmayan, who is the sister of Tankian's wife Angela, making them brothers-in-law.

On his social media accounts, John is very politically active like his bandmates, but unlike some of the members of SYSTEM OF A DOWN, particularly Tankian, Dolmayan supported Donald Trump's presidency.

In an October 2020 interview with Forbes, Serj admitted that he found it "frustrating" to see John so publicly supporting Donald Trump.

"He's Armenian. He's my brother-in-law and my drummer. Is it frustrating being politically opposite to your own drummer and brother-in-law? Fuck yeah," he said. "Of course it's frustrating. But that's having to do with American politics. When it comes to Armenian issues, we're on the same exact page."

Four months earlier, Serj reassured fans that, despite their differing beliefs when it comes to Trump, he both loves and respects John "irrespective of our extremely polarized political commentary.

"Remember irrespective of the stance, only artists that truly care and are impassioned will risk alienating their base for what they consider the truth," he added. "Our dilemma and possible fallacy is that we have two in one band. Some may consider that a weakness but the artistic, political and social dichotomy if not quadrichotomy has made SYSTEM OF A DOWN what it is today."

That same month, John stated about the discussions he has had with the other members of SYSTEM OF A DOWN: "You'd be surprised at how civil our conversations are, especially between me and Serj, who seem to have the most diverging opinions on things.

"I have a lot of respect for Serj and his opinions, although I don't agree with them very often these days. And that's okay. We expand each other's horizons. I like to think that he learns from me and I learn from him."

Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL debuted a new version of their song "Tight Rope" this past Friday (July 15) at the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

The new version of "Tight Rope" will appear on "Comalies XX", a "deconstructed" and "transported" version of LACUNA COIL's third album, "Comalies", which will be made available on October 14 via Century Media Records.

Back in 2002, LACUNA COIL released an album which is now undeniably an anthem-laden millennial classic that established them as a band with the stamina to go the distance. Now, 20 years later, the current lineup of LACUNA COIL decided to revisit the songs, but not to just re-record them as they were but deconstruct and transport them into 2022.

"This is not a reboot or a spin-off or anything like that," says LACUNA COIL vocalist Cristina Scabbia. "We just wanted to give these songs a 2022 dress and see how this guy or girl who was born 20 years ago would still look fucking slick in 2022."

"Comalies XX" track listing:

CD 1:

01. Swamped XX
02. Heaven's A Lie XX
03. Daylight Dancer XX
04. Humane XX
05. Self Deception XX
06. Aeon XX
07. Tight Rope XX
08. The Ghost Woman And The Hunter XX
09. Unspoken XX
10. Entwined XX
11. The Prophet Said XX
12. Angel's Punishment XX
13. Comalies XX

CD 2:

01. Swamped
02. Heaven's A Lie
03. Daylight Dancer
04. Humane
05. Self Deception
06. Aeon
07. Tight Rope
08. The Ghost Woman And The Hunter
09. Unspoken
10. Entwined
11. The Prophet Said
12. Angel's Punishment
13. Comalies

As previously reported, LACUNA COIL will celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on Saturday, October 15 at Fabrique in Milano.

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

Regarding the "Comalies" title, Scabbia said: "[During the album's recording], we had a sort of creative explosion. We were working in a coma, sort of like in a different dimension. First of all we just wanted to use the word 'coma' but there was something missing so we played with the two words coma and lies."

The "Comalies" song "Swamped" is available as a downloadable track for the music video game series "Rock Band" and also appeared in the 2004 video game "Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines".

LACUNA COIL played its first show in front of an audience in more than two years on April 7 as the support act for APOCALYPTICA at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia.

Prior to the Atlanta concert, the last time LACUNA COIL played together was at the group's special September 2020 livestream event where the bandmembers performed their latest album, "Black Anima", in its entirety with no audience in attendance at the Alcatraz Club in Milan, Italy. That show was released as a live album, "Live From The Apocalypse", via Century Media.

LACUNA COIL hadn't played in front of a crowd since the completion of the band's South American tour in February 2020.

Last June, Scabbia told Revolver that she and her bandmates didn't use the coronavirus downtime to work on new music. "We didn't want to force the fact that because we were home, we had to write music," she explained. "We always thought that to write music, you need to be inspired. And inspiration comes from the outside, comes from experiences that you have, things that you live. At least this is valid for us.

"Everything we do in a regular life, in a normal life enriches us and gives us input that we can put in our music," she said. "And also we like to write together. So, if Marco [Coti Zelati, bass] creates the basis of the music together with the other musicians in the band, then Andrea [Ferro, vocals] and I jump in with the lyrics and vocal lines. But we do that together. We need to enter in songwriting mode. So we didn't really like the fact that we had to write separately just because we have to put a record [together] because it's quarantine. Now we are starting to collect ideas 'cause we feel a little bit happier."

Scabbia continued: "We didn't want anything connected to the negativity of the pandemic… That's why I used my time to do something completely different. Because I know that what I did that it's completely different from what I usually do will make me start again to do what I did before with passion — with the same passion. I was just afraid that if I would have used all the downtime making music when I didn't really want to, it would have had a negative influence on me. And it would have been, like, 'I really don't want to do that.' And I also wanted to prove to myself that, yeah, music is main passion. I love what I do for a living, and I hope that I can do it until the day I die. But I also wanted to show myself that I can be capable of doing something else as well."

Wolfgang Van Halen has weighed in on the proposed all-star VAN HALEN tribute project, saying it "was already not happening" by the time Jason Newsted first publicly discussed it three months ago.

No progress has been reported on a possible VAN HALEN tribute concert since April when the former METALLICA bassist revealed to The Palm Beach Post that he was approached by VAN HALEN drummer Alex Van Halen about six months earlier about playing bass for the project. Newsted told the Florida newspaper that he agreed to go to California to jam with Alex and legendary guitarist Joe Satriani and see if it felt right, but he eventually realized that it would be impossible to do justice to VAN HALEN's legacy. "How could you?" Jason said. "There's nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honor? I didn't want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled."

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Wolfgang was asked to elaborate on what happened to cause plans for the tribute concert to fall apart. He said: "What I can say is that there was an attempt at doing something. But, you know, I don't like to speak negatively about people, but there are some people that make it very difficult to do anything when it comes to VAN HALEN. After being in VAN HALEN for a long time, I really have strived to have an environment where there is no walking on eggshells and there is no personality that you have to deal with. It's just guys having fun making music and just having a good time. But, you know, from my time in VAN HALEN, there was always some stuff that gets in the way from just making music and having a good time. And, I think, that's what happened.

"I would love to just sit here and say everything and say the truth," he continued. "There are plenty of interviews my dad did, where he straight up just said everything. And people hated him for it and thought he was lying. So I could just say shit, but people have already decided how they feel about things, facts or not. So I can say the facts. But that may not align with how certain people feel. I know how VAN HALEN fans get. They are very motivated by which specific people they like in the band. And it's just not worth it. Just, we made an attempt, and some people can be hard to work with, and made it not happen."

Regarding his involvement in the proposed tribute concert, Wolfgang said: "When it comes to VAN HALEN, and decision-making overall and what VAN HALEN does, it's Al, and then I'm there and supportive. You know, I basically help make the decisions that dad would be there to make, because I'm in there in his stead."

Wolfgang went on to say that he "would really like to do something" for his father, but that the tribute concert idea "never even got off the ground."

"Look at anything that's happened with VAN HALEN," he said. "And look how things have fallen apart. You know? The fact that in my tenure, in VAN HALEN, we managed to do three tours, put an album of original material and a live album out is a fucking miracle.

"People love to pin every decision VAN HALEN has ever made on Dad," he continued. "But Al's the brain. Al has been the guy forever. He's the dude. When it comes to VAN HALEN, Dad just wanted to play guitar. But, you know, Al's mentality, and it's the mentality that VAN HALEN took for the entirety of its band, is that there's nothing worth talking about unless it's happening. So the reason that nothing has been talked about from VAN HALEN, the official channels, is because nothing's happened. And I know how that will stir people up and piss them off. But that's how the operation is run."

Asked what he would say if someone were to assume that the main problem was a certain singer with three initials — referring to David Lee Roth — Wolfgang replied: "I would say 'Do your research on the history of VAN HALEN, and come to your conclusions.'"

Earlier this month, SiriusXM radio personality Eddie Trunk said that Roth is the main reason the proposed all-star VAN HALEN tribute project has yet to move forward. Citing "a very, very, very reliable source" close to VAN HALEN, Trunk said that the hold-up on the VAN HALEN-anything happening is a lot of it falling on David Lee Roth, that David Lee Roth — to no surprise; it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody — is a difficult guy to wrangle, a difficult guy to get an answer on, a difficult guy to get focused on anything, a difficult guy to get to sign off on anything. He is all over the map, as you would expect and have seen throughout history, and that the big hold-up in anything happening with VAN HALEN is not Alex, who wants to do it and is trying; it's actually Roth who needs to sign off and be involved. Also, contrary to any reports of anything different, Alex and [former VAN HALEN bassist] Michael Anthony are totally cool and there's no issue there at all. And the stumbling block is trying to get Alex and Dave on the same page and Dave wanting to do this and how they're gonna do it. And that's really one of the big stumbling issues."

A month ago, Anthony confirmed to Trunk that he was involved in some of the early conversations about the VAN HALEN tribute.

"I haven't spoken to him in a little while, but I have spoken with Alex on occasion," Michael said. "And for the most part, we don't even speak that much about music — more about just family, how we're doing and stuff like that. I know it still pains him a lot as far as Eddie goes and will probably for the rest of his life. But I spoke with him and Dave last year about a possible something, but Dave just starts going [talking really fast] And I'm, like, 'Okay.' And we basically just had kind of a conference call about having a conference call to discuss it, and then that other call didn't happen for whatever reason on their end. I told them that I'd obviously be interested. And it would be more like a celebration of the music rather than putting together something and calling it VAN HALEN because that just wouldn't be right at this point."

Anthony went on to say that he hadn't been aware Newsted was involved in the discussions until Jason disclosed it in The Palm Beach Post interview. "That's the first that I'd even heard about anything like that," Michael said. "And it was kind of interesting because he said he spoke to [Dave and Alex] about a year ago, and that's about the time I was speaking with them. So I don't know. I'm gonna have to call Jason and ask him. [Laughs]"

When Trunk noted that Roth said in his comment about the VAN HALEN tribute that "two of us" would be required "for every position" in the project's lineup, possibly suggesting that more than one guitarist and more than one bassist would be involved in the show, Anthony said: "I was kind of thinking along those lines also, but then one thing made me kind of change my mind and make me think, 'Well, Dave's just kind of being Dave,' and maybe he's just saying that it would take at least two people to be able to duplicate what one person in this band did, and the reason I thought of that was all of a sudden he brought up the name Pink. He was saying that Pink would have to be one of the David Lee Roth characters, or singers, and I'm, like, 'Huh.' That just sounded a little too 'Dave' to me.

"But I don't know," Anthony quickly clarified. "At this point, I've gotta tell you, I don't know if anything will ever happen. 'Cause Alex is — he's really hurting. Him and Edward were so close on all levels — musical levels and personally and whatever. It just seems to me like it might be really hard for Alex to even enter into something to bring back all those memories. I don't know. I could be wrong. I'm the guy that always says, 'Never say never.'"

According to Anthony, the proposed VAN HALEN tribute would likely take the form of a single concert rather than a full-fledged tour.

"What was being talked about was not actually doing a tour," he said. "You take something like this on tour and people are gonna think it's a cashgrab. I'd rather have something, like a memorial-type thing, done at a venue. And there were actually a couple of venues discussed. But do it that way instead of taking it on the road. And make it just a real celebration of the music…

"I actually would not be up for doing a tour right off the bat," Michael continued. "I think holding a celebration of Eddie and the music and the whole VAN HALEN legacy is great. And let's face it — none of us need the money. I don't need the money. I'd rather take the money and throw it in a charity."

Michael once again reiterated that he has no concrete idea whether any VAN HALEN tribute concert will take place. "I think it all really hinges upon Alex," he said. "And he's gotta be the person, really, that wants to do this and give his blessing to the whole thing for it to move forward. And like I said, when we speak, we really don't even speak about doing anything like that at this point. He's still healing. And if it gets to that point, I'm sure Alex will be the first one that'll wanna do something like that."

Asked whether there has been any bad blood between him and Alex and Dave in recent years, Anthony said: "Not at all. I only spoke to Dave that one conversation we had last year and I couldn't hardly get a word in edgewise, which is… that's typical Dave. But I have spoken to Alex on occasion, and it's great. We'll speak for, like, 45 minutes, an hour. And probably about the first 20 minutes is Alex, sometimes he'll vent to me a bit about all the circumstances around how everything happened with Eddie. But we basically just talk about family and we actually bring up some of the old times on the road, to lighten things up a bit."

In June 2021, Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang Van Halen, who joined his father in VAN HALEN for the band's 2007 reunion tour with Roth, replacing Anthony, told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" it would be "great" to eventually organize an Eddie Van Halen tribute show. "It's not in the immediate plans, 'cause that's a lot of moving parts that you've gotta corral to get that to happen. But I definitely think it should happen. Absolutely," he said.

Asked how he envisions the tribute concert taking place in terms of which musicians should be involved, Wolfgang said: "I have no idea. All I know is that the focus should a hundred percent be on Pop. While it could be a celebration of VAN HALEN and the band's history, I think more than anything, it should be focused on him… It's a tall ask and a big thing to figure out. But I do think it should happen at some point."

In November 2020, Wolfgang told Entertainment Tonight that proceeds from any tribute show in honor of his father will go toward Eddie's favorite charity, Mr. Holland's Opus, which helps underprivileged students access musical instruments. Proceeds from the debut solo single from Wolfgang's solo band MAMMOTH WVH, "Distance", are also benefiting Mr. Holland's Opus.

In February 2021, former VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar told Kyle Meredith that he will make every effort to take part in the Eddie Van Halen tribute concert.

"I have nothing to do with the [Eddie Van Halen] legacy," he said. "That's their business — that's Wolfie, Alex Van Halen; they're family members. Whoever wants to call me up and say, 'Here's the date,' I will be there. I don't care where I am. I'll cancel a [solo] show [if I need to]. [Laughs] [That's] something VAN HALEN would never do. I always make that joke — canceling a show was [out of the question with] VAN HALEN. I went out sick without being able to sing, Eddie went out with a crutch, Alex went out with a fucking neck brace — we wouldn't cancel shows. But I will cancel my show for a tribute to Eddieany day."

Eddie died in October 2020 at the age of 65. The legendary VAN HALEN guitarist passed away at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

Eddie was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had tongue surgery. He later battled lung cancer and had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany. Things took a turn for the worse in early 2019 when Eddie got in a motorcycle accident. He was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumor, and received gamma knife radiosurgery to treat the illness.

QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Todd La Torre says that lighting flares at stadium concerts and soccer games is a "very common" thing for the people of Greece and is meant to be a "celebratory" gesture.

The 48-year-old Florida-based musician, whose wife hails from Athens, offered his comments just two days after IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson blasted a fan as a "Greek cunt" and a "fucking cocksucker" for lighting a flare during the band's concert in the Greek capital.

Earlier today (Monday, July 18),Todd took to his Twitter to share a video of the MAIDEN show and wrote in an accompanying message: "For those that don't know, lighting flares at open stadium concerts, big soccer games, etc, is a VERY common thing for the Greek people. It is a celebratory thing." He then added in Greek: "The Greeks are crazy!"

Todd later took to the BLABBERMOUTH.NET Facebook page to clarify his original tweet, writing: "Many people hadn't realized that this was not an isolated incident but rather a cultural celebratory behavior, thus I only stated it as information. I never expressed an opinion for or against it.

"Much appreciation to those who clearly understood the tweet exactly as it was written, instead of having mistakenly interpreted it as a position taken."

The incident at the MAIDEN concert occurred as the band launched into the tenth song of its set, "The Number Of The Beast", at the Olympic Stadium. After singing the opening line of the track, Bruce noticed the flare lighting up and immediately burst into an angry rant, apparently concerned that the smoke from the flare would negatively affect his singing voice.

"The cunt with the fucking flare, I've gotta sing up here," Bruce shouted into the microphone. "You fucking cocksucker. You Greek cunt. All right. I've gotta fucking sing. All right. Fuck you."

As Bruce's bandmates continued playing the opening riff of "The Number Of The Beast", he apparently briefly left the stage in hopes that the smoke would clear up. However, when Dickinson eventually resumed singing the song, he was notably off time and not in sync with the rest of the group.

Dickinson has a history of publicly admonishing fans and security at MAIDEN's concert if he feels like they are out of line. Back in 2019, he stopped a MAIDEN show midway through to slam a Tacoma, Washington venue for a violent and bloody incident in the crowd for which he claimed the venue's security was to blame. In 2012, Bruce called out a fan at a Indianapolis show who had been texting for three straight songs.

Last year, Todd told The Vinyl District that Athens was his favorite city in the world to perform in. "My wife's from there and that's kind of my home away from home," he explained.

QUEENSRŸCHE's 16th studio album, "Digital Noise Alliance", will be released on October 7 via Century Media Records. The record was once again helmed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with QUEENSRŸCHE on 2015's "Condition Hüman" and 2019's "The Verdict" LPs.

La Torre joined QUEENSRŸCHE a decade ago as the replacement for original frontman Geoff Tate. He was also the lead singer for CRIMSON GLORY from late 2010 until resigned from the band in early 2013.
For those that don't know, lighting flares at open stadium concerts, big soccer games, etc, is a VERY common thing for the Greek people. It is a celebratory thing.
Οι Έλληνες είναι γαμάτοι!https://t.co/ps9IsIBdgL

— Todd La Torre (@ToddLaTorre) July 18, 2022

The title track of METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets" album has made its U.K. Top 40 debut, 36 years after the song's original release.

"Master Of Puppets" has jumped to No. 22 on this week's Official Singles Chart, becoming the metal legends' first U.K. Top 40 in 14 years; their last being 2008's "The Day That Never Comes".

"Master Of Puppets" is also seeing new life in the U.S. after its inclusion in season four of Netflix's hit series "Stranger Things". The popularity of the 1986 song brought it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time ever in the band's lengthy career.

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

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

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

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

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

Apparently as a result of the renewed attention "Master Of Puppets" has received thanks to being featured in Netflix's hit original series, the song is currently sitting at position No. 23 on Spotify's Top 50 Global chart.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Several years ago, METALLICA collaborated with an author named Matt Taylor on a book about the making of "Master Of Puppets".
.@Metallica's Master of Puppets is a Top 40 hit nearly 40 years after its release 🙌 https://t.co/O3lumaCUUc

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) July 15, 2022

The superstar rock band, Intelligent Music Project ,will release its seventh studio album, entitled Unconditioned, in July - just two months after their biggest adventure, Eurovision Song Contest.


The legendary Simon Phillips (Toto, Protocol) returns as percussionist and musical co-producer of the new album, while the lead vocalist on this release will again be one of the most popular names in rock music today: Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, MSG). This will be Romero’s third album with Intelligent Music Project, and for the first time the group has expanded its compositional approach: two of the songs and their arrangements are entirely the work of Ronnie, Biser Ivanov and Ivo Stefanov. For the first time on Unconditioned, the band’s lead singer shows off his skills as a lyricist, having penned the words to those two songs. All the other songs and lyrics are once again the creation of Intelligent Music Project’s founder and producer, Dr. Milen Vrabevski.


In honor of the tenth anniversary of the band’s first album, The Power Of Mind, the seventh album follows its format and also begins and ends with instrumental tracks written by Dr. Milen Vrabevski in collaboration with Biser Ivanov and Ivo Stefanov.







“Unconditioned is an album dedicated to unconditional love as a deciding factor in normalizing our modern life. This love has to be focused above all on our children, because they are the future, while we are the ones who need to show them the way and teach them to make bold decisions and to live for the people around them. Only with more such people will the world become a better place.” - Dr. Vrabevski about the new album


One hit track from Unconditioned is “Intention” - the song the band played as Bulgaria’s representative to Eurovision 2022 in Torino. Besides the Eurovision version, the album will also include the original, longer take, which sticks to Intelligent Music Project’s signature melodic progressive style, as well as a backing track version.  


“Intention” was the first single from Intelligent Music Project’s seventh album. At the moment, the song has more than two and a half million views/listens on both YouTube and Spotify. The song raises the question of every individual’s personal, internal battle with outdated models of belief and behavior that hold them back. Starting from the title itself, the author underscores the simple fact that it is never too late to start down the right path – the path of your own personal growth, of dignified existence and of life with a mission. The song calls us to turn away from our ego, selfishness and a consumerist attitude on life and instead to live for the people around us.


“Finding the right path, however, often turns into a battle with one’s self, so you need a serious intention to truly make a change!” - Dr. Milen Vrabevski, the author of the music and lyrics of “Intention” notes.  


The album’s second single, “New Hero,” came out in early May. The song was accompanied by a striking video that recreated a military atmosphere, where, in sync with the idea behind the album, the main characters were children. In the video’s narrative, it is precisely the children who turn out to be the brave heroes who bring about change.


“Effective action in the present, despite difficulties, is the key to progress. It is crucial for us to know that pretty words get us nowhere. It is easy to stand silently and do what you’re told. The harder but only effective thing is for a person to have their own opinion, their own method of resisting injustice, even if this means they often find themselves alone and misunderstood,” Dr. Vrabevski explains.


In addition to Simon Phillips and Ronnie Romero, the album also includes Carl Sentance (Nazareth), Biser Ivanov on guitar, Ivo Stefanov on keyboards, Slavin Slavchev, Lina Nicole, and Borislav Mudolov-Kosatkata on backing vocals; Dimitar Sirakov on bass; Samuel Eftimov on piano


The album will be released on July 27, the day of Ronnie Romero’s wedding to Romanian model and dentist Dr. Corina Minda.


Pre-order Unconditioned here.

Sonic Perspectives correspondent, Rob Cavuoto, had an in-depth discussion with John Norum about the writing of his ninth solo album, Gone To Stay, the role his amps and guitars play in the creative process, a look back at his first solo album Total Control, working with Don Dokken on Up From The Ashes, and more.


He also offered an update on Europe's 40th Anniversary tour for The Final Countdown album, and reveals the band is writing songs and may start recording later this year or in 2023, for a 2023 release.


Listen to the interview at Sonic Perspectives.




Norum  is set to release his ninth solo album, Gone To Stay, later this year. He recently released an official video for his new single, "Voices Of Silence", which was directed by Patric Ullaeus.





Check out the video for "Sail On", the first single from Norum's new album, below:





Complete album details to follow... stay tuned.

Since 2004, acclaimed rockers Alter Bridge have been known for their memorable riffs, infectious vocal melodies, and duelling guitar attack that has garnered them critical and fan acclaim around the globe. Now the quartet comprised of Myles Kennedy on vocals/guitars, Mark Tremonti on guitars/vocals, Brian Marshall on bass and Scott Phillips on drums are back with their most-aggressive collection of songs to date. The band’s seventh album Pawns & Kings is scheduled for worldwide release on October 14 via Napalm Records.


Pawns & Kings is comprised of 10 all-new epic tracks that are sure to garner the band new fans around the globe while satiating their fervent supporters that have been patiently waiting for new music from the band. Pawns & Kings found Alter Bridge reuniting with long-time collaborator and producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette to create a collection of memorable new additions to band’s impressive catalogue.


From the opening riffs of “This Is War” to the title track album closer “Pawns & Kings,” Alter Bridge returns with an album of intense tracks that were born after the cycle for their last album was cut short by the global pandemic. Songs like “Dead Among The Living,” “Silver Tongue” and “Holiday” showcase the signature songwriting the band is known for. The album offers numerous epic adventures, with three songs clocking in over six minutes each. The opus “Fable Of The Silent Son” clocks in 8:29 and is the longest recorded song in the band’s catalogue – a distinction held by “Blackbird” until now. Mark Tremonti steps out of his backing vocal role to take the lead on “Stay,” an introspective ballad that is sure to become a fan favourite live.




The epic closing title track “Pawns & Kings” is now available via all digital service providers around the globe and a lyric video for the song can be found below.





Pawns & Kings will be available in the following configurations:   


- CD Digisleeve
- 1 LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
- 1 LP Gatefold Inkspot Black/God Vinyl w/Slipmat and Record Butler (Napalm mail order only, limited to 500 worldwide)
- 1 LP Gatefold Marbled White/Crystal Clear Vinyl (Napalm mail order only, limited to 400 worldwide)
- 1 LP Gatefold Marbled Orange/Black Vinyl (Band Shop only)
- 1 LP Gatefold Marbled White/Black Vinyl (Band Shop only)
- 1 LP Gatefold Crystal Clear Vinyl (Band Shop only, limited to 300 only)
- Deluxe Box Set w/ CD Digisleeve, Pendant, Tote Bag, Guitar Pick tin (Napalm mail order only, limited to 700 worldwide)
- Music Cassette Brown Transparent (Napalm mail order only, limited to 150 worldwide)
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"This Is War"                                               
"Dead Among The Living"
"Silver Tongue"
"Sin After Sin"
"Stay"
"Holiday"
"Fable Of The Silent Son"
"Season Of Promise"
"Last Man Standing"
"Pawns & Kings"


"Pawns & Kings" lyric video:





Alter Bridge will be touring extensively in support of Pawns & Kings. The band has already announced a tour of Europe for November and December that will make 25 stops over the course of six weeks. The tour kicks off November 1 in Germany and will make stops in Denmark, Sweden, Spain and others before it wraps on December 12 at London's O2 Arena in the United Kingdom. Longtime friends Halestorm and Mammoth WVH will lend their support on the upcoming European tour.


More information on all tour dates and links to tickets and VIP experiences can be found at alterbridge.com.





(Photo - Chuck Brueckmann)

Royal Hunt will release their new studio album, Dystopia - Part II, on October 26 via King Records (Japan/SE Asia) and on October 28 via NorthPoint Productions (EU/N & S America).


The second and final part of the concept will again feature guest performers: Mats Leven (TSO, Skyblood, Vandenberg), Mark Boals (Y.J. Malmsteen, Ring Of Fire, Royal Hunt), Henrik Brockman (Royal Hunt, Evil Masquerade, N´Tribe), Kenny Lubcke (Narita, Zoser Mez) and Alexandra Andersen (Royal Hunt, JSP).


Dystopia - Part II will be released in following formats: regular CD, various Deluxe editions/bundles and a gatefold, heavy vinyl double LP (availability date pending).




Royal Hunt keep expanding their trademark sound. As the story which inspired the project - Ray Bradbury´s classic novel “Fahrenheit 451” - gets more intense towards the end, the music turns into more dynamic, heavier direction. Once again the guest singers add even more dramatic contrasts to an already cinematic yet solidly rocking soundscape. Simply a “must have” for any symfo/prog/power fan out there.





Says the band: “Thinking back to the release date of the “Part I” back in 2020 makes you realize what a crazy time we all went through just during the last two years: who could have imagined that our “Dystopia” - project would reflect the harsh reality in such detail? And the madness is still ongoing. In any case, Dystopia - Part II is even more relevant today than ever: we followed the general concept yet filled it up with images of current events in order to make it resonate with every person, everybody living through 2020 to 2022 and watching insanity to unfold in real time."


Listening parties and bonus videos are available at Royal Hunt Camp 2022 - a crowdfunding campaign at royalhunt.com. Join the Camp by pre-ordering a Deluxe Edition or any bundle to support the release and listen to studio sessions already now.


Lineup:


André Andersen - keyboards
DC Cooper - vocals
Andreas Passmark - bass
Jonas Larsen - guitars
Andreas HABO Johansson - drums

The Dead Daisies have shared the new video below, stating: "From Hungary to Bulgaria we've ripped up stages, felt the love, and had an absolute blast! The audiences have been totally amazin' & we're having so much fun! Check out our rockin' travel antics here..."





Hot off the back of their European Summer Tour, The Dead Daisies are primed to hit the US this fall. The band have been busy radiating some heat in the EU playing with the likes of Judas Priest, Foreigner and on some major Festival dates. They’re really looking forward to tearing up stages from the East to West coast playing new music along with the classic hits you know and love on a series of dates across the US.




The band has created a specially priced “Have A Drink On Us” ticket bundle for our fans which includes a beverage and an exclusive Daisies T-shirt. The bundle is limited to 100 tickets per show, so get yours now at thedeaddaisies.com.


“Look out!! We’re hitting a few of the best RnR cities starting in early September. Can’t wait to play you the new tunes!!! See you on tour!!” - Doug Aldrich


While they shine on tour, the band’s second single, “Shine On” from their upcoming album slated for late September, comes out today. With The Daisies' trademark Aussie rock stamp all over it, this hard driving track is one to sink your teeth into and set to become an instant anthem.





"Straight up Aussie rock, it started as a riff I wrote on the tour bus and now here it is!" - David Lowy


“Here’s another slab of driving, pounding rock from your friends in The Dead Daisies! The new single is ‘Shine On’. I had a blast recording this with the guys, and hope y’all dig it as well!” - Brian Tichy





Make sure you don’t miss Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Country Communion), Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio) Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Foreigner), and David Lowy (MINK, Red Phoenix), when they come to a town near you in the fall.


Dates:


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

Danish hard rock singer/songwriter, Ronnie Atkins of Pretty Maids, is featured in a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine. He discusses his current health situation, his solo career, and the future of the Pretty Maids.  


On his battle with cancer:


"The cancer thing, I found out during the last part of the last Avantasia tour. So when I said goodbye to those guys in Munich when I had to go home, I never thought I'd see them again, to be honest. In that context I'm very happy to be here. I'm just happy to be back on the road, actually, because I didn't take that for granted two years ago. It's great. It's like we (Avantasia) played yesterday. It's good to see them again. They're good friends of mine and they've been very supportive of me."










Atkins recently released a video for "I've Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)", the opening track of his new studio album, Make It Count. Watch the video below, and order/save Make It Count on CD/LP/Digital here.





Tracklisting:


"I've Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)"
"Unsung Heroes"
"Rising Tide"
"Remain To Remind Me"
"The Tracks We Leave Behind"
"All I Ask Of You"
"Grace"
"Let Love Lead The Way"
"Blood Cries Out"
"Easier To Leave (Than Being Left Behind)"
"Fallen"
"Make It Count"


"I've Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)" video:





"Make It Count" video:





"Rising Tide" video:





"Unsung Heroes" video:





Lineup:


Ronnie Atkins: Lead and backing vocals
Chris Laney: Rhythm & Lead guitar, keyboards
Allan Sørensen: Drums
Pontus Egberg: Bass
Morten Sandager: Keyboards
Linnéa Vikström Egg: Backing vocals
John Berg: Guitars
Oliver Hartmann: Guitars
Pontus Norgren: Guitars
Anders Ringman: Acoustic guitars


(Photo - Tallee Savage)

New York's The Rods announce their return to touring for the first time since 2017 with a series of upcoming live dates. The band is also working on a new studio album to be released in 2023.


The Rods' entire catalog was remastered and re-issued in 2022, complete with bonus tracks and extensive liner notes via two labels: Rock Candy and High Roller Records.


Now back as a three piece The Rods' lineup is:




David "Rock" Feinstein - vocals / guitar
Carl Canedy - drums
Freddy Villano - bass


Drummer Carl Canedy had the following to say about the new lineup, new music and upcoming shows: "The Rods have never been simply a studio band, we made our 'bones' by touring extensively... playing live and connecting with our fans is what has always driven the band.


Covid put a bit of a halt on that, but we are now back playing live and loving it! In the interim, we didn't waste any time and wrote our new album, which we are now in the process of finalizing the recording... based on the reaction of the audiences we have played for, it's evident that all the energy coming off stage is being returned to us by the fans. We have always been a power trio and the word 'power' has never been more evident with The Rods music new or old."


Upcoming The Rods dates include:


August 
6 - Sharkey's - Syracuse, NY


September 
3 - Rock N Rumble Music Festival at Moose And Goose - Thorold, ON
17 - Blues On The Bridge - Binghamton, NY


More shows to be announced soon.



 

Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame inductees Lillian Axe have been releasing top quality hard rock albums since bursting onto the scene back in 1988 with their debut album on MCA Records.


2022 sees the band back in top form, with a recent anthology release. Psalms For Eternity, live festival dates Stateside, along with an upcoming UK headlining tour, Lillian Axe are in for one of their biggest years in some time.


Their new album, From Womb To Tomb, released August 19th on Global Rock Records, is sure to please both long-time fans and newcomers with its superb songcraft and first-rate musicianship.




Guitarist and songwriter Steve Blaze commented: "I believe the basic idea behind the creation of From Womb To Tomb has been in my head for many years. The time just needed to be right to express it. This album is a different type of concept record, whereas it does not contain a story-based theme. Rather, it is a timeline from the birth of a child to the ascension of the soul, with each song emphasizing a specific time of one's life and the lessons learned therein."


"These observations are based on my life and the witnessing of the growth and development of the human condition through my eyes. The wonderful part is that these life experiences seem to exist in each and every one of us, even though the paths and events may greatly differ. This is the most emotional and powerful music I have ever written, and by the reactions of the few people close to me who I have played it for, it will hit a deep and resounding chord with all those who hear it."


"I ask one thing: listen from the start to finish in solitude, with no distractions, as if you are reading a book or watching a movie. It is not a collection of 16 individual, nonrelated pieces. But instead, it is a complete work of highs and lows, colors and shades, and emotional fluctuations. It will take you through the light of our greatness and the darkness of our failures. The band performed with beautiful power and grace, and I feel it is our best achievement to date."


From Womb To Tomb artwork and tracklisting:





"Breathe"
"I Am Beyond"
"Neverending Me (Dempsey's Kick)"
"A"
"The Golden Dragon"
"Piercing The Veil"
"Migrating North"
"No Problem"
"Dance Of The Maggots"
"Fall Of The Human Condition"
"The Great Deception"
"Endless Green Fields"
"Feelings Of Absinthe"
"Finally, Clarity"
"From The Mountaintops"
"Ascension"


Lillian Axe are starting their support of the album with a full UK tour in August, their first there since 1993. Confirmed dates are as listed:


August
22 - Robin 2 - Wolverhampton, UK
23 - Trillian's - Newcastle, UK
24 - Nightrain - Bradford, UK
25 - Bannerman's - Edinburgh, UK
26 - Hangar 18 - Swansea, UK
27 - The Underworld - Camden, London, UK
28 - HRH Sleaze - Sheffield, UK

On July 14th, KISS performed at Papp László Sportaréna, in Budapest, Hungary as part of their End Of The Road World Tour. Fan-filmed video of the  entire show is available below.


Setlist:


"Detroit Rock City"
"Shout It Out Loud"
"Deuce"
"War Machine"
"Heaven's On Fire"
"I Love It Loud"
"Say Yeah"
"Cold Gin"
- Tommy Thayer guitar solo -  
"Lick It Up"
"Calling Dr. Love"
"Tears Are Falling"
"Psycho Circus"
- drum solo - 
"100,000 Years"
- bass solo -
"God Of Thunder"
"Love Gun"
"I Was Made For Lovin' You"
"Black Diamond"




Encore:
"Beth"
"Do You Love Me"
"Rock And Roll All Nite"





Find the band's End Of The Road World Tour itinerary here.

Napalm Records has released a new version of Powerwolf's "Call Of The Wild", featuring Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürsch. Check it out below.


The song is the title track from Powerwolf's latest studio album, released in 2021.







2021 was once again completely under the spell of the wolves. Once again created in cooperation with the honorable producer duo of Jens Bogren and Joost van den Broek, Call Of The Wild opened a new chapter in the band's history. The eighth studio album served both old and newly recruited Powerwolf devotees with well-known classic trademarks, and equally surprised and delighted them at every stage of this wild 11-track ride.


Matthew Greywolf on Call Of The Wild: "With Call Of The Wild, we are opening a new, exciting chapter in the history of Powerwolf. The album sounds unmistakably like Powerwolf and is so much more at the same time: Besides new territory like the Celtic instrumentation in 'Blood for Blood (Faoladh)' or the ballad like 'Alive or Undead' we have raised all our trademarks to a new level. Until now, we never sounded so powerful and wild - in the truest sense of the word. We can't wait to finally share this beast of an album with you all!"


Call Of The Wild, the follow-up to their 2018 #1-charting studio album Sacrament Of Sin, manifests the band's inimitable success story and proves once again that they sit unchallenged on the throne of the genre.





Tracklisting:


LP 1


"Faster Than The Flame"
"Beast Of Gévaudan"
"Dancing With The Dead"
"Varcolac"
"Alive Or Undead"
"Blood For Blood (Faoladh)"
"Glaubenskraft"
"Call Of The Wild"
"Sermon Of Swords"
"Undress To Confess"
"Reverent Of Rats"





LP 2 (Bonus Album): Missa Cantorem


"Sanctified With Dynamite" feat. Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear)
"Demons Are A Girl‘s Best Friend" feat. Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy)
"Nightside Of Siberia" feat. Johan Hegg (Amon Amarth)
"Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone" feat. Doro Pesch
"Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)" feat. Matthew Kiichi Heafy (Trivium)
"Killers With The Cross" feat. Björn "Speed" Strid (Soilwork)
"Kiss Of The Cobra King" feat. Chris Harms (Lord Of The Lost)
"We Drink Your Blood" feat. Johannes Eckerström (Avatar)
"Resurrection By Erection" feat. Christopher Bowes (Alestorm)
"Saturday Satan" feat. Jari Mäenpää (Wintersun)


LP 3 (Bonus Album): Symphony Of The Wild - Orchestral Versions


"Faster Than The Flame"
"Beast Of Gévaudan"
"Dancing With The Dead"
"Varcolac"
"Alive Or Undead"
"Blood For Blood (Faoladh)"
"Glaubenskraft"
"Call Of The Wild"
"Sermon Of Swords"
"Undress To Confess"
"Reverent Of Rats"


Full Album





“Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend” video:





(Photo - Matteo Vdiva Fabbiani / VDPICTURES)

Innerstrength Records presents a deluxe vinyl reissue of No Tolerance For Imperfection, the seminal third LP from Scottish technical death metal assassins, Man Must Die.


Initially released in 2009 through Relapse Records, No Tolerance For Imperfection was the album that broke Man Must Die into the international metal scene and showcased the band as a monumental force in the death metal scene, as several of the album’s brutalizing anthems immediately became and still remain band and fan favorites.







Breathing new life into the album in 2022, Innerstrength Records will now release No Tolerance For Imperfection on vinyl for the first time. All eleven songs have here been meticulously mastered for vinyl by Alan Douches at Westwest Side Music and pressed in a run of 500 copies in a massive double-LP format presented in multiple bold variants in the color scheme of the record’s blazing cover artwork – 200 Clear Black w/ White Splatter, 200 Marble Effect w/ Black & Orange Splatter, and 100 Color-In-Color Flame Orange in Clear w/ Black Splatter.


Check out variants and ordering options here and at Bandcamp where the entire new master of the record is streaming.

Los Angeles symphonic prog metallers Anthea will be releasing their sophomore album Tales Untold via Rockshots Records this coming August to follow their 2020 debut Illusion. Last month they unveiled their first single and title track with a music video. Today, they share their second single "Empyrean" with a new music video that can be viewed below.


The band adds about the track:


"One of the heavier songs on the album, Empyrean is an inspirational piece about overcoming the obstacles in your path and making your dreams come true. Something that we ourselves relate to from playing in the backyards of East LA and Compton as teenagers, to what Anthea has become and where we’re going."




For the new album, Anthea has taken the reigns for a more DIY approach with vocalist Diego Valadez taking over also as the full-length's producer along with bassist Eric “EJ” Guerrero in charge of music videos and photography.


“We released our debut album in 2020, but were, unfortunately, like everyone else, unable to tour or play live gigs. However, this gave us a lot of extra time to really craft this follow-up album into something special. Tales Untold was written and recorded throughout 2021 and I am so proud of the end result,” adds Valadez.


Fans of Anthea's first album, Illusion, will enjoy this one even more. The difference with this next record is that Anthea has a more mature sound and has carefully thought out the ebb and flow throughout it. Their end goal is to give a very dynamic and cinematic album in which the listener feels as though they’ve gone through a grand musical journey once they’ve reached the end. "We also wanted to create a sense of escapism while keeping one foot in the real world, lyrically."


Tales Untold is due out on August 26, 2022. It will be available in CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Preorder at the Rockshots Records webshop. The artwork and tracklisting can be viewed below:





"Tales Untold" 
"Ascendence" 
"Song For Winter" 
"The Deceiver" 
"Sapiens" 
"Memoriam" 
"Looking Glass" 
"Empyrean" 
"Sunder Heart" 
"In Time" 


"Empyrean" video:





"Tales Untold":





For further details, visit Anthea on Facebook.


 

StormbounD, symphonic metal from Israel, have been hard at work to deliver their debut album December and now with the release of their fourth single, it is almost time for the album’s long-awaited release. The single “Child's Play” is one of nine precisely woven stories that reflect on real-world experiences set to fantastical music. The band explains in their own words:


“The lyrics on the album tell some interesting stories, some more personal and some global, convey some harsh messages and themes, and deliver a wide array of emotions. We did our best to bring all of that into a cohesive musical environment within the realm of metal. 'Child's Play' is about the victory of creation, the libidinal energy and one's motivation over negativity and scorn."


StormbounD cites that it was a long writing process to get the exact sound that they wanted but they are very pleased with the result and its unique atmosphere and depth. For them, their main focus is on the experience they provide for the listener. It’s about the music, not egos.




Together since 2018, StormbounD has been working hard to make their name known in the local scene by playing many live shows, most recently opening for Epica in Tel Aviv this past June, along with national festivals including Metal 4 Peace and Israeli Metal Fest, they have also had their songs top local metal charts.


December is a diverse, and melodic prophecy of wrath with epic highs, and despondent lows. StormbounD masterfully takes symphonic metal to new heights while staying grounded in their roots and remaining accessible. They recommended listening for fans of Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Delain.





Tracklisting:


"Desert's Roar"
"Altar Of Innocence"
"Sacred Lies"
"Away From Here"
"December"
"Shadows"
"Flying High"
"Fragments"
"Child's Play"


"Child's Play" video:





"Flying High" video:

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife, Toyah Willcox, are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. This time they perform a cover of Slipknot's "Psychosocial". Watch below.





 




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


 


 





 


 





 


 





 


 





 


 





 


 





 


 





 


 





 

Zakk Wylde says that he is "beyond honored" to take part in the upcoming PANTERA tour.

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

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

Zakk discussed his participation in the PANTERA celebration tour while speaking to Matt Pinfield and Jose Mangin of Danny Wimmer Presents at this weekend's Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When Vinnie was still alive, when the fellows were all talking about doing it, I just always told 'em, I said, 'Of course I would… If you asked me, why would I not do it? I'm gonna honor Dime.' It could be like Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell asking Eric Clapton if he would go out and honor Jimi [Hendrix] and Eric playing Jimi's stuff and singing Jimi's songs and they're going out as the 'Jimi Hendrix celebration.' And he's gonna honor his buddy and he's gonna play his songs. I think it's a beautiful thing. It's like when we do the 'Dimebash' [events in honor of Dimebag], it's a celebration of Dime's greatness. It's a PANTERA celebration — that's what it is… You're celebrating Vinnie and Dime's greatness and you're celebrating all the mountains that PANTERA conquered and crushed."

Zakk was quick to reiterate that PANTERA's upcoming tour will not be anything but a tribute to the music created by the band's classic lineup.

"Obviously, it's not PANTERA," he said. "PANTERA is those four guys — it's Phil, Rex, Dime and Vinnie. But it's just like when [LED] ZEPPELIN went out with Jason Bonham [son of late LED ZEPPELIN drummer John Bonham] playing, it was phenomenal. It told Jason, I was just, like, 'Dude, you crushed it, man.' It's a great thing just to hear them play that music again."

Wylde added: "I'm beyond honored to be a part of it."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LIMP BIZKIT has been forced to cancel its previously announced European tour over "personal health concerns" related to the band's frontman, Fred Durst.

Earlier today (Sunday, July 17), Fred released the following statement regarding the matter: "For personal health concerns and based on medical advice given by my personal physician to take an immediate break from touring, LIMP BIZKIT will sadly have to postpone their 2022 UK and European tour. We truly apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to our loyal fans, promoters and support staff. Stand by for further news. Sincerely, Fred & LIMP BIZKIT".

Durst also shared a video message in which he elaborated on the reasons for LIMP BIZKIT's tour cancelation. He said: "Greetings to whoever is watching and to our fans in the U.K. and all across Europe.

"In preparation for the 2022 summer tour in U.K. and Europe, I have decided to do some tests to make sure I'm in good physical condition and everything's okay. And to my surprise, my doctor has decided to send me a letter telling me he would not like me to tour at this time and to stay close by to do some more tests. And that being said, this was very unexpected news and I'm so sorry and I look forward to making it up to you as soon as possible. And I can only thank you so much for your support. And I truly am grateful for everyone who was going to take their time out of their busy lives and come see LIMP BIZKIT perform this summer. And I look forward to making that up to you as soon as possible and I'm definitely already trying to think of ways to do that.

"I regrettably have to tell you that we're not gonna be able to make it at this moment, but I'm only wishing for the best and I know everything is going to be okay. And again, thank you so much for your support as we do love and cherish our connection with you more than anything on this planet. And we are really looking forward to seeing you and doing what we do, and you know what that is.

"Let's stay in touch. Let's figure out what the next steps are. And I'm already working on something to make it up to everyone in the U.K. and all over Europe.

"Thank you guys so much, and girls, and all the in between."''

LIMP BIZKIT's latest album, "Still Sucks", came out last October. The LP arrived two months after LIMP BIZKIT canceled all of its previously announced live appearances for 2021, explaining in a statement that it was doing so "out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of the band, crew and most of all the fans."

LIMP BIZKIT was scheduled to appear at several festivals last summer and fall, including Aftershock, Blue Ridge, Rebel Rock and Rocklahoma.

This past April, LIMP BIZKIT released the official music video for the song "Dad Vibes". The clip features cameos by STEEL PANTHER's Michael Starr and Stix Zadinia.

"Dad Vibes", which was originally premiered during the band's concert at Lollapalooza in July 2021, appears on "Still Sucks".

Prior to the arrival of "Still Sucks", LIMP BIZKIT had not released a new studio LP since 2011's "Gold Cobra", although the band has spent a lot of time writing and recording music over the past decade.

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DISTURBED's David Draiman has praised Vince Neil for his performances so far on MÖTLEY CRÜE's stadium tour, saying the singer is "sounding good" and "looking healthy".

Neil has been receiving mixed reviews for his vocal performances on "The Stadium Tour", with one reviewer saying that he is sounding "better than he did" in 2015, and another suggesting that Neil's "vocal shortcomings" are being "largely covered by red and white lights and sheer adrenaline." A third reviewer concurred, saying that CRÜE's concerts on "The Stadium Tour" are "so loud [that] it could be hard to hear" Neil over the music, adding that "perhaps that's by design."

Earlier today (Sunday, July 17), Draiman took to his Twitter to write: "Proud of @thevinceneil . Videos I've seen of the stadium tour have been great. Sounding good, looking healthy. Good for you brother. Keep knocking em dead @MotleyCrue".

One musician who agreed with Draiman was RATT singer Stephen Pearcy , who responded to David's tweet. "Agree, brother @thevinceneil @MotleyCrue still kickin' ass!" he wrote. "Still doing what we've always done (we're gladiators, what's works for us might not seem right for everyone) who else has been singing, screamin, yellin at people for 35 plus yrs. Not an easy job, its a dirty job."

A short time later, Draiman wrote in response to Pearcy: "If it were easy…everyone would do it (maybe not lol). Gotta keep that torch raised high".

Earlier this month, Draiman defended Neil after several video clips of MÖTLEY CRÜE's July 5 concert in St. Louis, Missouri showed the onstage teleprompter which the singer is apparently relying on to get him through each show. On July 6, Draiman took to his Twitter to write: "All you parasitic vultures pretending to be journalists who broke the 'big story' that Vince Neil/ @MotleyCrue uses a teleprompter onstage should really find a new line of work. SO FUCKING WHAT? Most artists with extensive catalogs do. Leave the guy alone FFS."

Back in 2016, Neil was asked in an interview with Palm Springs Life how he "still hits those higher registers" after all these years and what he does to keep his voice in shape. He responded: "I have an old road singer/saloon singer mentality. I love performing; that's what I do. I'm thrilled to be there, and I've done it so much. Younger, up-and-coming singers will say, 'Hey, Mr. Neil, what do you do?' And I say, 'Don't do what I do, for God's sake!' I go in a bathroom, and [yells], 'Hey! Heyyyyy!!!' I scream. Even the guys in [my solo] band go, 'What the fuck?' I do the worst thing you probably should, but it works for me. Everybody has a thing that works for them — but what I do for myself, I wouldn't suggest."

He continued: "It's been bulletproof over the years. Everybody gets sick sometimes and gets laryngitis, but I've been pretty lucky, especially in that higher-register stuff. And we don't back away from it. It's exactly where all the original tunings were. I understand a lot of people don't want to do that, but if someone calls something out, I go, Fuck it! Let's do it!'"

"The Stadium Tour" kicked off on June 16 in Atlanta, Georgia and will conclude on September 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

CRÜE's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022.

"The Stadium Tour" marks the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017, but this jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.

CRÜE fans who shelled out for the band's 2014/2015 "farewell" tour were led to believe that the group would never return after playing its final show on December 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band touted the signing of a pre-tour "cessation of touring" agreement as cementing the fact it truly was the end of CRÜE's life on the road.
Proud of @thevinceneil. Videos I’ve seen of the stadium tour have been great. Sounding good, looking healthy. Good for you brother. Keep knocking em dead 🤘🏻@MotleyCrue

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) July 17, 2022


If it were easy…everyone would do it (maybe not lol).

Gotta keep that torch raised high 🔥🤘🏻

Hope you and yours are well.

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) July 17, 2022

Fan-filmed video of EXODUS's July 13 performance at Hole 44 in Berlin, Germany can be seen below. The band's set included a cover of the AC/DC classic "Beating Around The Bush".

EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza is also the frontman of the long-running San Francisco Bay Area-based AC/DC tribute band AC/DZ, also featuring DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll.

Last month, it was announced that EXODUS guitarist Lee Altus would be unable to join his bandmates on their European tour this summer due to "family concerns." Filling in for him is Brandon Ellis of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER.

Souza touched upon Altus's absence from the trek in a video update on his Zetro's Toxic Vault YouTube channel. He said: "Our guitar player Lee Altus won't be making this leg of the tour. It's gonna be Brandon from THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. He's going to be filling in on guitar. For Lee, there's some family issues that Lee needs to take care of for himself, so he's going to be staying back [home]. He isn't going anywhere. Sometimes these things happen. Family things happen. You can't always put [the band] first."

Souza went on to say that he and his EXODUS bandmates are "looking forward to playing with Brandon."

"We knew that [Brandon] would nail it, and it's kind of been something that has been in the works for a little while so he's actually had time to learn the music and really get into it," the vocalist explained. "So it's gonna be really good.

"We're not gonna cancel. We're gonna keep going. It's gonna be EXODUS.

"For everybody in Europe, you are going to get an awesome EXODUS show," Souza added. "That's all I can say. It's gonna be heavy."

When Altus's absence was first announced on June 22, EXODUS released a statement via social media in which the band said: "EXODUS regretfully announce that Lee Altus will not be joining us on our upcoming European tour. Family concerns dictate he remain close to home and being so far away from home is not possible. EXODUS stand strong with Lee and will destroy in his behalf, and he will rejoin us for the upcoming tours such as the fall leg of 'The Bay Strikes Back'. We stand behind our brother in everything and he will be back! Joining us on this trek is none other than Brandon Ellis of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER so let’s welcome him like one of the EXODUS family! Brandon is one of the sickest guitarists alive and he is going to kill it for certain! See you soon in Europe and the UK!"

Brandon added: "I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to get on stage with the legendary dudes of EXODUS and crush some open air fests and clubs this July and August. I wish Lee the best and will cover his stage right post with honor and respect!"

EXODUS is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Persona Non Grata", which came out last November via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Persona Non Grata" was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

"Persona Non Grata" is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Last July, EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting underwent a successful total gastrectomy in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach. He rejoined his bandmates on stage in October at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

EXODUS tapped John Tempesta to play drums for the band at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in August and at Full Terror Assault in Cave In Rock, Illinois in September while Hunting was recovering from surgery. Tempesta was a member of EXODUS from 1989 until 1993 and played on the band's albums "Impact Is Imminent" (1990) and "Force Of Habit" (1992).

A GoFundMe campaign to help Hunting with medical expenses had previously raised more than $114,000 — including $5,000 from Tom's former EXODUS bandmate, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, and $1,500 from FOZZY singer and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson blasted a fan as a "Greek cunt" and a "fucking cocksucker" for lighting a flare during the band's concert Saturday night (July 16) in Athens, Greece.

The incident occurred as MAIDEN launched into the tenth song of its set, "The Number Of The Beast", at the Olympic Stadium. After singing the opening line of the track, Bruce noticed the flare lighting up and immediately burst into an angry rant, apparently concerned that the smoke from the flare would negatively affect his singing voice.

"The cunt with the fucking flare, I've gotta sing up here," Bruce shouted into the microphone. "You fucking cocksucker. You Greek cunt. All right. I've gotta fucking sing. All right. Fuck you."

As Bruce's bandmates continued playing the opening riff of "The Number Of The Beast", he apparently briefly left the stage in hopes that the smoke would clear up. However, when Dickinson eventually resumed singing the song, he was notably off time and not in sync with the rest of the group.

Dickinson has a history of publicly admonishing fans and security at MAIDEN's concert if he feels like they are out of line. Back in 2019, he stopped a MAIDEN show midway through to slam a Tacoma, Washington venue for a violent and bloody incident in the crowd for which he claimed the venue's security was to blame. In 2012, Bruce called out a fan at a Indianapolis show who had been texting for three straight songs.

Prior to the kick-off concert of the 2022 leg of MAIDEN's "Legacy Of The Beast" tour on May 22 in Zagreb, Croatia, the band hadn't performed live in two and a half years — since the completion of its South American tour in October 2019.

MAIDEN is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Senjutsu", which came out last September. It marks MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

According to Billboard, "Senjutsu" logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales.

"Senjutsu" topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

Fan-filmed video of RAMMSTEIN's July 16 concert at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland can be seen below.

One of the most revered metal groups of all time, RAMMSTEIN is renowned for its electrifying live shows often involving spectacular pyrotechnics.

Last fall, RAMMSTEIN's pyrotechnician revealed how much fuel it takes to bring the band's flaming stage show to life. Speaking with Ultimate Guitar, Nikolai Sabottka said RAMMSTEIN's current stadium setup, "uses roughly 1000 liters [about 265 gallons]."

Sabottka went on to say that he and the members of RAMMSTEIN are continuously in search of new technologies that can take their fiery stage show to new heights. He explained: "In the prep of a tour, we sit and exchange all the different ideas before we go and actually test what has been prototyped and built beforehand. After the initial test, there are endless changes to be implemented, and sometimes it simply does not work the way we imagined it and effects get pushed back to research and development while others get approved and are produced on a larger scale."

RAMMSTEIN kicked off its European tour on May 15 at Prague, Czech Republic's Letiště Letňany Airport. The band is touring in support of its latest album, "Zeit", which arrived on April 29.

Till Lindemann (vocals),Paul Landers (guitar),Richard Z. Kruspe (guitar),Flake (keyboards),Oliver Riedel (bass) and Christoph Schneider (drums) spent two years working on the eleven songs on the new album. They were once again assisted by Berlin producer Olsen Involtini. "Zeit" was recorded at La Fabrique Studios in St. Rémy de Provence, France.

Bryan Adams managed to get a special scoop for the cover of the new album. The Canadian musician and photographer took the shot of RAMMSTEIN on the steps of the Trudelturm in Berlin Adlershof, an imposing monument to aerial research in the city's Aerodynamic Park.

Over the course of a career spanning almost 30 years, RAMMSTEIN has sold more than 20 million albums around the world and played countless spectacular, groundbreaking tours. When the band's sold-out stadium tour had to be postponed due to the pandemic, RAMMSTEIN used the time to work on their new album.

RAMMSTEIN's North American stadium run will begin on August 21 in Montreal and end on October 4 in Mexico City.

Guitarist Erik Ferentinos, who has played with Stephen Pearcy since 2001, suffered a heart attack after the RATT singer's July 15 performance at Picktown Palooza in Pickerington, Ohio. He was rushed to the hospital where he had three stents implanted into his coronary arteries. This is known medically as a coronary angioplasty and aims to re-open the blocked coronary artery by inserting one or more stents. This helps keep the narrowed artery open.

On Saturday, Erik took to his Instagram to share a photo from the hospital and break the news of his medical emergency. He wrote: "I want to let my friends and family know that I suffered a heart attack last night after our show. I had a 99% blockage in my main artery as well as 2 other blockages."

He continued: "I'm in good hands here!! I now have 3 stents and I'm improving. Hoping to get discharged by tomorrow! Just need to get my blood pressure down.

"I will not be missing any upcoming Stephen Pearcy concerts!

"See you all soon!!"

Pearcy also addressed Erik's heart attack in a tweet on Saturday. He shared a short video of the Picktown Palooza and wrote in an accompanying message: "THANK YOU! @PicktownPalooza Erik (suffering a heart attack after the show) gave it all. He's doing better and will be 'Back for More'! Till next time."

Pearcy told Sleaze Roxx that Erik was briefly considered for a position in RATT before Jordan Ziff and Chris Sanders came along in 2018. "He's literally been in my band for years, in my solo band," he said. "He's a big part of my life, my solo records, the mixing, the engineering, just everything. I mean, we're like a team when I go in to do my solo records with Matt Thorne in the studio, and Erik and myself. We get in there and there is no stopping us, so I wanted to keep that a little separate, but he's always ready to go at any moment. He's a total professional."

Five years ago, Stephen praised Erik in an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, calling him "just brilliant. He comes up with stuff and he has these ideas and he just puts a title on it and I would go, 'That is the most perfect title.' He starts riffing on stuff and says, 'Now… watch this.'"

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THANK YOU! ⁦@PicktownPalooza⁩ Erik (suffering a heart attack after the show) gave it all. He’s doing better and will be “Back for More”! 🙌🎸🙌🎚🙌🐀 Till next time. https://t.co/9io0gqLg5z#agentprovocatour. pic.twitter.com/NC2TEv9Vwa

— STEPHEN E PEARCY (@StephenEPearcy) July 17, 2022