Brazilian death metal heavyweights, Krisiun, have released the new single, “Sworn Enemies”, the opening track of the band’s upcoming new studio album, Mortem Solis, to be released on July 29 via Century Media Records. Check out the lyric video, created by Alcides Burn / Burn Artworks, below.


“'Sworn Enemies' carries out the true essence of Krisiun. It's an extremely fast, brutal and savage song. It relies on nothing but pure relentless death metal. The message speaks for itself. It represents our endless war to stay alive and keep moving forward. Don't miss it, check it out, crank it up," states Krisiun about "Sworn Enemies".







For Mortem Solis, the trio - brothers Alex Camargo (bass/vocals), Max Kolesne (drums), and Moyses Kolesne (guitars) - recorded their new material locally at Family Mob Studio (Ratos De Porão, Crypta) in São Paulo, Brazil and mixed/mastered with Mark Lewis (Kataklysm, Deicide, The Black Dahlia Murder, etc.) in Nashville, Tennessee.


Mortem Solis comes with artwork designed by Marcelo Vasco (Slayer, Venom, Dark Funeral).


“Mortem Solis - which is Latin for “Death of the Sun” - will be available as a limited Digipak edition (with the exclusive bonus track “Death Of The Sun), as Digital Album, and as LP on 180g vinyl in the following variants:


- Black LP - Unlimited
- Transparent Orange LP - Limited to 300x copies via CM Distro & Webshop Europe
- Clear LP - Limited to 300x copies via EMP
- Golden LP – Limited to 300x copies via Nuclear Blast


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Sworn Enemies"
"Serpent Messiah"
"Swords Into Flesh"
"Necronomical"
"Tomb Of The Nameless"
"Dawn Sun Carnage" (Intro)
"Temple Of The Abattoir"
"War Blood Hammer"
"As Angels Burn"
 "Worm God"
"Death Of The Sun" (CD Bonus Track)


"Serpent Messiah" video:





(Photo - Maya Melchers)

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Chris Kael, who recently admitted that he relapsed with alcohol nearly two years ago during the coronavirus pandemic, spoke to France's Loud TV about how he maintains his sobriety while on tour in Europe. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In the States, alcohol is kind of taboo until you're 21. They have the religious dominance — you can't do this; you can't do that — and kind of a puritanical kind of thing going on over there. Here in Europe, though, it's part of the culture. You've got wine with dinner, you have a beer. It's just a different outlook on alcohol mainly over here. I don't know as far as drugs; I haven't dabbled too much in that over here in Europe. I did my own fair share in the States, which brought me to all that. [Laughs]

"But it's actually funny," he continued. "I was looking for AA meetings over here [in Europe], 'cause I always hit meetings when I'm over here. It's crazy, living in Las Vegas, the number of meetings that are available — one every hour; I mean, several every hour. And then I was in — what? — Düsseldorf and, what was the other city I was looking in? Berlin? And there was, like, two or three in a day. But with our travel schedule, I wasn't able to fit one of those meetings in, so I just did a couple of online things.

"But, yeah, I don't know what the difference is [between the drinking culture in Europe and that in the U.S.]. All I can say is from my own personal experience that I'm grateful that I put all that stuff down, have the support and the camaraderie with that sort of community and love speaking freely about it as well. A big, strong, tough dude, alpha male like me talking about problems gives hope to other strong, hard-headed dudes to be able to open up and look at their own lives as well. That's what I hope anyway. All I can do is just me. If that's an example for you guys, that's cool too."

For much of the last four years, Kael had touted having a sober lifestyle, saying that he was the "strongest" he had ever been after coming out of rehab. However, the 48-year-old bassist told Jason Rockman of Canada's "The Rockman Power Hour" in March that he fell off the wagon as the coronavirus lockdown continued, saying that "it was not good."

"I got sober February 3rd, 2018," Chris said. "Were it not for a mishap during the pandemic, which I haven't spoken publicly about until today, a mishap over the pandemic, it would have been four years [sober]. But right now I think I am… I have to go back and look at the date, honestly."

He continued: "I remember I went to a concert and I was trying to do… I was, like, 'All right. I fell off the wagon. I've been back on the wagon. I'm going in. I'm gonna try to control drinking this time. I'm gonna allow myself to have two. And if I do two, cool.' Nope. Did three. Haven't had a drink since. I said, 'I can't do it.' Even trying to limit myself to two, I couldn't do that."

When Rockman commented that if having three drinks one night was the extent of Chris's relapse, it wasn't so bad, Kael countered with: "No, no. It was much worse before that. August of 2020, post-breakup, post-being in a house by myself, it was not good. So as I turned to not wanting to feel for a little while… Now, [I'm] back to it again — I'm doing my meetings, doing all the stuff, working with my sponsor, working the steps and all that stuff now."

Kael said that he actually tried to get sober a couple of years before he went into rehab. "I was trying to do it on my own — and I'd been vocal about, 'Yup. I gave it up. I did this,'" he said. "I did an interview with [comedian] Dean Delray and I was talking about it. A short time thereafter, I was out on the road and I caught a case of the fuckits with whatever I was going through at that point — overdramatizing everything 'cause that's what I liked to do back in the day. Now I'm much more centered, much more focused. But I had just poured a drink and I was walking off the bus and a fan came running up to me: 'Kael, I wanna thank you. You going sober made me think about myself going sober.' And there I am standing with a fucking [drink] in my hand. 'Yeah, man. I'm just doing what I can to help out.' And I felt like such garbage.

"So it was important for me, for my own accountability, to be vocal about it," Kael explained. "'Cause I'm a people pleaser — I wanna make people happy; I don't want people to be disappointed in me — so, in the beginning, it was very important for me to be vocal about it so that others would know and I kind of have that babysitter collectively around the world watching. I'm much better at self-accountability and not needing other people to have their eye on me. I think I'm out from under that rock at this point. But collectively, we do the groups, we do our meetings — all kinds of stuff. So I still have that support system — even tighter support system. My God, [during] the pandemic, I did more meetings in Zoom than I ever did before the pandemic.

"Obviously, COVID was awful, but if you look for the silver lining to things, you can turn a negative into a positive if you just clear your mind, look around and take a full scope of what's going on and just really continue to do the right thing," he added.

Kael previously opened up about his battle with alcohol and drug addiction in a February 2021 interview with MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Chris Kael. At the time, he stated about his decision to get sober: "I was doing blow, but I realized when I went to rehab, I was always the key bump guy. So just keeping the levels up just enough to fight any sort of depression. And then also through that time, Ivan [Moody, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH singer] was very much the focus of the issues [with drugs and alcohol] that he was going through at that point. No surprise and no secrets there — we've all seen the stuff that happened back then. But he was the focal point for everybody. So I was kind of able to hide in the background while he was dealing with his stuff. So I got to slide under the radar most of the time.

"The real decline for me started maybe two months before I cleaned up," he continued. "Just life situations — I was going through a divorce at the time… We got divorced after I got out of rehab, but the process had kind of been started before. And honestly, my goal going into rehab was — I wrote [my then-wife] a note; she may still have it; I'm sure she probably does. It was basically, like, 'Hey, I'm going to get help' and become the guy that she married in the first place and not this person I had become. So I very much wanted to get back and get out of rehab and go back to being married and whatnot. But it changed. And it was real bad probably the last three weeks of it. I didn't get too out of control. [There were] a couple of times here and there where I would really let go and there were indications that things were getting worse for me. But I basically ended up in just like a real depressed period, and I decided, 'Fuck, man. I can't do this anymore.' I called my buddy Greg, and he took me to rehab that day. And it was the weakest I've ever felt in my life, walking into that rehab. But then once I got out of rehab, I was, like, that's the fucking strongest I've ever been, is admitting that I can't deal with this and I need to figure something else out."

Kael went on to say that things got so bad for him at one point that he didn't always enjoy performing live. "When you're on stage at Wembley, sold-out show, and you're on stage going, 'Ah. Can we just get the fuck off here?', something's fucking wrong with your endorphin levels," he laughed. "My body was just so beat up. I never played fucked up on stage, but I definitely played tired from the night before many times. And that was one of those nights. My body was beat up from the night before. We probably had a day off in London. Me and my bass tech used to daydrink all day long."

Back in April 2018, Kael told the KLAQ radio station that he was "going through about an eight-ball of cocaine a week" at the height of his addiction. "That got to be the biggest problem for me," he revealed. "That and depression, the two things, were not good. I didn't realize it until I got into rehab that I was self-medicating with cocaine to get my dopamine levels up to fight the depression. I never even thought about that. And then when you come off it, you crash hard."

Kael first revealed his battle with addiction in a series of tweets, saying that his then-wife played a "major role" in helping him get clean. "Had she not busted me trying to restock after burning through $1300 in blow in two days in late January [2018], I truly believe that I would not be here today," he wrote.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will release a new album, "AfterLife", on August 19.

On Thursday (June 23),L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns performed his band's entire set in Plano, Texas from a backstage bathroom.

The 56-year-old guitarist explained the "unique situation" in a social media post prior to the gig. He wrote: "A lot of people know I have a panic disorder. While I have it 95 percent under control, Heat is the remaining trigger and I simply cannot play in the heat. BUT!!! We have found a solution for todays show I will be playing in a comfy bathroom directly behind the stage where there is air conditioning. I will do an Instagram live stream during the set if y'all really need to watch me play. I apologize for my crazy brain."

For the concert, L.A. GUNS roadies ran cables to the nearby bathroom where Guns set audio equipment up so he could listen to, and perform with, his bandmates onstage.

L.A. GUNS bassist Johnny Martin came up with the idea to have Tracii play from the bathroom, explaining in a social media post: "Tracii wasn't gonna play the show at all. Because his anxiety is still pretty prevalent. He said to me that he wasn't going to do the show, because the heat was just too unbearable to his condition. And that we'll just have Ace [Von Johnson, L.A. GUNS' other guitarist] cover his parts. So, basically, us play as a four piece. I proposed that we find an air conditioned spot near the stage. And … VOILA! … Here we are. Much better than him opting out, all together. I'M A F**KING GENIUS!"

L.A. GUNS is currently on the road the U.S. with Tom Keifer and FASTER PUSSYCAT as part of the "Sonic Slam 2022" tour.

L.A. GUNS' latest album, "Checkered Past", was released last November via Frontiers Music Srl. The effort marked L.A. GUNS' third album since the 2016 reunion of the band's core members Guns and singer Phil Lewis. It followed 2017's "The Missing Peace" and 2019's "The Devil You Know".

L.A. GUNS was formed in 1983 and have sold over six million records, including 1988's "L.A. Guns" and 1990's "Cocked And Loaded", both of which were certified gold. "Cocked And Loaded" contained the hit single "The Ballad Of Jayne" that went to No. 33 on Billboard's Hot 100 and No. 25 on the Mainstream Rock charts. From the mid-'90s to the mid 2000s, L.A. GUNS continued to tour and release new music. Following their successful performance at SiriusXM's Hair Nation festival in September 2016, L.A. GUNS went into the studio to record the critically acclaimed "The Missing Peace", which was the highest-selling release for Frontiers Music Srl in 2017. Their 12th album, "The Devil You Know", was released in 2019 to the same critical acclaim.



Doing Speed in the bathroom while my band is on stage 20 feet away. Not ideal but, it worked!!!

Posted by TRACII GUNS on Thursday, June 23, 2022

Steve Vai has paid tribute to Brett Tuggle, his former bandmate in the David Lee Roth group. The 70-year-old keyboardist, who also spent two decades in FLEETWOOD MAC during the band's reunion era, died on Sunday, June 19 from complications related to cancer.

Tuggle's son Matt confirmed his death to Rolling Stone. "He was loved by his family so much," Matt said. "His family was with him throughout the entire time of his illness. He was a lovely father. He gave me music in my life."

On Wednesday, Vai took to his social media to write: "I was fortunate enough to tour with Brett Tuggle during the David Lee Roth years. Myself, Billy Sheehan, Greg and Matt Bissonette and Brett were brothers of the highest order and to say we had fun together would be like saying the sun is hot.

"Brett was one of the finest people I have ever met. He was the consummate musician, singer, keyboard player, guitar player that was the glue that held together so many of the music biz's most prominent artists and bands. Besides his immense talent, he was the most centered, funniest, friendliest and considerate person you could ever want to know. A loving family man with a deep deep compassionate heart that had to be experienced to understand.

"I was an intense young man in those days and Brett was always the voice of reason. He could defuse any drama with a perfectly placed one liner that showed you that nothing is serious enough to loose yourself over. There were things I learned from Brett that I have taken with me my whole career and have served me incredibly well in my life in general, and I assume anyone that was fortunate enough to know him feels the same way. Our lives were incredibly enhanced by having him in it and I could not be more grateful to the Universe to have had this blessed relief of a man in my life.

"In my minds eye I see his smiling face in its most happiest state, and that's the 'Tugg' that always was, and still is in mythology mind.

"Brett moved on from this world recently after a long and heroic battle with cancer. My heartfelt condolences to his lovely family at this time.

"Thank you Brother Brett. You were exceptional and we are grateful."

An award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist, Tuggle was one of the most in-demand players in the music industry. In addition to Roth and FLEETWOOD MAC, he had toured and recorded with such artists as Jimmy Page, Chris Isaak, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham and Steven Tyler. Brett played and toured with Rick Springfield on the heels of Rick's hit single "Jessie's Girl", and later with Roth after he had split from VAN HALEN. During this period, Brett was able to stretch his songwriting legs, co-writing several songs with Roth, including the top 10 single "Just Like Paradise" in 1988.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Steve Vai (@stevevaihimself)

On September 9, rock icons KISS will release the next instalment of their popular Off The Soundboard official live bootleg series with KISS – Off The Soundboard: Live In Des Moines 1977, recorded during the Alive II tour at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, IA on November 29, 1977.


This is the latest in a series of live releases by the band and will be available to stream and download, with a 17 song 2-LP standard black vinyl set, single CD, and a limited-edition 2-LP set pressed on 180g purple vinyl available exclusively through the Official KISS online store. All configurations of KISS – Off The Soundboard: Live In Des Moines 1977 are available to pre-order, here.


KISS – Off The Soundboard: Live In Des Moines 1977 was recorded during the landmark and extravagantly-produced KISS Alive II tour, and the 17-song set features a raw and powerful performance of classic KISS concert staples such as “Let Me Go Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “Love Gun,” “Rock And Roll All Nite,” (No. 12 Billboard), “Shout It Out Loud,” and “Beth” (No. 7 Billboard chart hit and the 1977 People’s Choice Award winner in the Best Song Category) performed by the lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. KISS – Off The Soundboard: Live In Des Moines 1977 captures a monumental moment in KISStory and is a celebration of the legendary band giving rock ‘n’ roll fans the ultimate live KISS experience.




KISS are globally recognized as one of the greatest live bands of all time and are the creators of what are universally considered two of the best live albums ever, 1975’s gold-certified and No. 9 Billboard charting Alive! and 1977’s double platinum-certified No. 7 Billboard charting Alive II. The KISS – Off The Soundboard series continues their storied legacy of groundbreaking live albums with a document of the spectacular, larger-than-life extravaganza that is a KISS concert.


Known for their trademark performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock n roll. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and are America’s #1 Gold Record Award winning Rock group of all time. Peerless as a live act, the band’s illustrious legacy has been marked by record breaking global tours during a remarkable 49-year career.





Tracklisting (CD & Digital):


"I Stole Your Love"
"King Of The Night Time World"
"Ladies Room"
"Firehouse"
"Love Gun"
"Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll"
"Makin’ Love"
"Christine Sixteen"
"Shock Me "
"I Want You"
"Calling Dr. Love"
"Shout It Out Loud"
"God Of Thunder"
"Rock And Roll All Nite"
"Detroit Rock City"
"Beth"
"Black Diamond"


2LP:


LP1
"I Stole Your Love" (Side A)
"King Of The Night Time World" (Side A)
"Ladies Room" (Side A)
"Firehouse" (Side A)
"Love Gun" (Side A)
"Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll" (Side B)
"Makin’ Love" (Side B)
"Christine Sixteen" (Side B)
"Shock Me" (Side B)


LP2
"I Want You" (Side A)
"Calling Dr. Love" (Side A)
"Shout It Out Loud" (Side A)
"God Of Thunder" (Side A)
"Rock And Roll All Nite" (Side B)
"Detroit Rock City" (Side B)
"Beth" (Side B)
"Black Diamond" (Side B)

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Atreyu's debut, Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses, Craft Recordings announces a special slate of vinyl reissues.


In addition to returning to classic black vinyl, the metalcore masterpiece (which features the singles "Ain't Love Grand" and "Lip Gloss and Black") will also be available in three collectible colorways. These include a "smokey clear" edition, exclusive to Revolver and limited to just 200 units, as well as "clear-blue/black swirl" wax, limited to 500 units, and exclusive to Atreyu's website. Additionally, fans can find a "sea glass clear" edition, limited to 500 units, exclusively at the Victory Records and Craft Recordings websites. All editions will be released on November 18 and are available for pre-order today.







Named for the protagonist in Michael Ende's The Neverending Story, Atreyu were formed in 1998. By the time they caught the attention of Victory Records in 2001, Atreyu had already released two EPs - the seven-track Visions in 1999 and the five-track Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty in early 2001. The latter release would lay the foundation for the metal band's debut album, with early versions of the songs "Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead," "Someone's Standing on My Chest," and "Tulips Are Better."


After signing to Victory, the band entered New Jersey's Trax East studio with producer Eric Rachel (The Starting Line, The Black Dahlia Murder) to lay down the tracks for their full-length. In addition to re-imagining the three songs off Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty, Atreyu wrote a scorching collection of new material, deftly combining honest, reflective lyricism with the sounds of thrash, hardcore punk, and the New Wave of Swedish Death Metal.


Among the highlights is the unrelenting "Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead," the cathartic "At Least I Know I'm a Sinner," and the melodic first single, "Ain't Love Grand," which ruminates on the devastating pain of a breakup. "Lip Gloss and Black," released as a follow-up single, showcases each of the band members' prowess on their instruments - particularly lead guitarist Dan Jacobs, who channels '80s guitar heroes in his opening riffs, and vocalist Brandon Saller, who shines through his breakneck drumming and his soaring, melodic vocals. The song - which features Atreyu's trademark lyrics "Live, Love, Burn, Die" - was vital in bringing the five-piece mainstream attention, thanks in part to its sultry video, which aired in heavy rotation on MTV2's Headbangers Ball and FuseTV's Uranium.


Emotive, explosive, dynamic, and fearless, Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses was released in June 2002 and immediately captured the attention of the press. Fans agreed wholeheartedly. Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses would go on to sell more than 240,000 copies worldwide, and, upon its reissue in 2004, landed in the Top 40 of Billboard's Top Heatseekers and Top Independent Albums charts. Today, it is regarded as a defining album in the metalcore milieu.


Since then, Atreyu have become one of the biggest bands in the genre, with an ardent global fanbase, thanks in part to two runs on Ozzfest, sold-out headlining tours, appearances on movie and game soundtracks, and performances alongside peers like Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Deftones, Slipknot, and Bring Me the Horizon. To date, they have released a total of eight studio albums, including A Death-Grip on Yesterday (2006), which marked their first LP to break the Billboard 200's Top 10, and Lead Sails Paper Anchor (2007), which landed at No.8, and topped both the U.S. Hard Rock and Rock Albums charts.


The band, which currently consists of Saller (vocals), Jacobs (lead guitar), Travis Miguel (rhythm guitar), Porter McKnight (bass), and Kyle Rosa (drums), released their latest album, Baptize, in 2021. Produced by John Feldmann (Blink-182, The Used, 5 Seconds of Summer), the album is a bold chapter in Atreyu's never-ending story of determination and finds the band returning to the melodic flair of Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses. Looking ahead, fans can catch Atreyu this fall at Las Vegas' When We Were Young Festival, while the band will embark on an extensive international tour, beginning in February 2023.


Click here to pre-order Suicide Notes And Butterfly Kisses on vinyl, or stream the album today.





Tracklisting:


Side A:
"A Song for The Optimists:
"Dilated"
"Ain't Love Grand"
"Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead"
"Deanne The Arsonist"
 
Side B:
"Someone's Standing On My Chest"
"At Least I Know I'm A Sinner"
"Tulips Are Better"
"A Vampires Lament"
"Lip Gloss And Black"

Anthrax have released “The Devil You Know”, the second "early taste” single/music video from the band’s 40th anniversary Livestream concert, Anthrax XL.


The release will be available in North America on Blu-Ray / CD / Digital on July 15 (Megaforce), and will have a European digital release on July 15 (Nuclear Blast), followed by a Blu-Ray release later this year. Pre-orders for Anthrax XL can be placed here, and you can view the “The Devil You Know” video below.







Anthrax XL Blu-Ray / CD / Digital tracklisting:


"Time/Fight Em ’Til You Can’t"
"Madhouse"
"Caught In A Mosh"
"Metal Thrashing Mad"
"Got The Time"
"I Am The Law"
"Keep It In The Family"
"Lone Justice"
"The Devil You Know"
"Be All End All"
"Now It’s Dark"
"Antisocial"
"In The End"
"Medusa"
"Evil Twin"
"Indians"
"Skeletons In The Closet"
"Blood Eagle Wings"
"Bring The Noise"
"A.I.R."
"Among The Living"


"The Devil You Know" live video:





"Aftershock" live video:





Credits:


Anthrax:
Scott Ian - guitars
Charlie Benante - drums
Frank Bello - bass
Joey Belladonna - vocals
Jon Donais - guitars


- Produced by Jack Bennett, Mike Monterulo, Anthrax
- Directed by Jack Bennett
- Mixed by Jay Ruston
- Running time:  2h 5m 34s


Anthrax celebrated its 40th-anniversary last year, July 18, 2021, but due to COVID, had to cancel its global touring plans, scheduled for the band to celebrate its milestone with their fans all around the world. While the band is about six months into its 41st year, the band - Joey Belladonna, Scott Ian, Frank Bello, Charlie Benante, and guitarist Jon Donais are due to finally head out on that global anniversary tour. In late July, Anthrax will kick off its 26-date co-headline North American tour with Black Label Society and joined by Hatebreed, and then heads to the UK and Europe in late September to headline a five-week run. Tickets and VIP packages can be purchased at anthrax.com.


(Photo - Travis Shinn)

Black River, the Polish blackened rock ‘n’ roll band featuring Tomasz 'Orion' Wróblewski (Behemoth) and Dariusz 'Daray' Brzozowski (Dimmu Borgir) have released their new album, Generation aXe, via Crusader Records / Golden Robot Records, on CD and digital. Vinyl release will follow in early 2023.


They have issued the following statement: "Generation aXe focuses on the band’s anger at what they see happening in the world. They decided to express it in their music and 'vomit all this venom.' The result is a collection of songs written without calculation but in full anger - closing out with a furious version of The Doors’ classic, 'Break on Through'."







Tracklist:


"Oxygen"
"Joker"
"Whiplash"
"Under My Flag"
"Generation aXe"
"Crossover Love"
"Civil Army"
"Burn It"
"Motherless"
"Inner Hell"
"Break On Through" (bonus track)


"Civil Army"





"Joker"





"Generation aXe"

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


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







 Video footage of Flotsam And Jetsam's full set from Hellfest 2022 in Clisson, France on June 18 can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Dreams Of Death"
"Hammerhead"
"Iron Maiden"
"She Took An Axe"
"The Walls"
"Desecrator"
"Prisoner Of Time"
"I Live You Die"
"Brace For Impact"
"No Place For Disgrace"





Find Flotsam And Jetsam's upcoming tour schedule here.

Turbo rockers Balls Gone Wild have released their new video for "Masked City", the first single from the band's forthcoming new studio album Stay Wild, set for international release on July 22nd via Metalville Records.










Stay Wild is the name of the new album by the turbo rock trio Balls Gone Wild from Cologne, Germany. To celebrate the band's 10th anniversary, the guys are giving themselves an album with 11 songs full of power, melody, and above all, hooks, hooks, hooks.


The band recorded the new record with producer Martin Buchwalter at Gernhart Studio in Troisdorf (near Cologne), just like the previous album, High Roller. The joy of playing and good humor drip out of every pore when you put on the songs and turn them up. So... listen loud!


Balls Gone Wild: this is the punk and hard rock sound of the '70s and '80s with a fresh wind in the here and now! The smell of beer is in the air, and it sounds like the result of an extramarital liaison between Motörhead and AC/DC. Turbo Rock par Excellence! 





Tracklisting:


"Killing One"
"Hangman"
"School On Fire"
"Feel My Love"
"Twist Of Fate"
"Masked City"
"Stay Wild"
"Knocked Out"
"Plata O Plomo"
"Ready For Love"
"Bride Of Satan"

Former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe has revealed that he is one of a small group of people who received a bullet from late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister as a personal gift.

Earlier today (Wednesday, June 22),Monroe shared photos of the bullet and the accompanying letter on social media, and he wrote in a caption: "I just received an extremely special and touching gift-a bullet which has part of Lemmys's ashes inside it. Lemmy is in the room whit us tonight!"

The letter that accompanied Monroe's bullet came from West Hollywood, California's legendary venue Whisky A Go Go, which, like Lemmy's favorite drinking establishment Rainbow Bar & Grill, is owned by the Maglieri family.

The letter reads: "Michael,

"We all know Lemmy knew many people, but had few that he considered friends and even fewer that he considered family. Being that you are one of those people he considered family, we would like to share a little piece of him with you.

"Lemmy touched all of our lives in a way I don't think any of us could ever forget, but with these ashes you keep not only the memories you have, you keep Lemmy with you forever.

"He was Lemmy. He Played Rock 'n' Roll. Don't Forget Him".

Michael's bullet is not the only one whose existence has been publicly revealed. Last November, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford confirmed that he also received a Lemmy bullet. He told to the "SpeedFreaks" radio show: "When Lemmy passed away, I had this beautiful opportunity to speak at his memorial. We had a great get-together; all of us musicians from all over the world, we met in Hollywood and we talked about Lemmy and his great life and the things that he's left us. And then, not too far back, I get something in the mail from the Lemmy people; Lemmy's office, his manager and everybody still work tirelessly to keep his name with us, as he always will be. They sent me — it's a bullet [laughs], it's a bullet with some of Lemmy's ashes inside of it."

He continued: "This is nuts. This is the kind of thing that Lemmy would have loved to have done. However you choose to interpret what I've just said, that's entirely up to you. But to be thought of, to be brought into this small circle of friends where you actually own a little bit of Lemmy's ashes and you wear it around your neck on a pendant and he's close to your heart in the truest sense in terms of his mortal remains, that's just mind-blowingly powerful. To use an object like that to carry his remains is just so Lemmy — it's provocative, it makes you think, it makes you talk. But as far as having a beautiful part of Lemmy physically with me right now in my house, that's just magical."

This past March, German metal queen Doro Pesch said that she also received one of the Lemmy bullets and called the experience "one of the most intense moments of my life, indescribable heartbreaking and touching."

In May 2021, Doro spoke about the Lemmy bullet in an interview with Brazil's "Inside With Paulo Baron". She said: "Two weeks ago, I got a little box from America. It came to my mom's house. At the moment, I'm in Germany. I go back to the States in two weeks. But I was in Germany. And then my mom said, 'Hey, do you expect something?' And I said, 'No.' And then she said, 'Shall I open it up?' And I said, 'Yeah, open it up.' And she said, 'There's a letter in it. And there's a little box in it. It's jewelry or something.' And I said, 'Okay. I'll wait. I'll get it.' And it was the bullet of Lemmy with Lemmy's ashes in there. And I tell you, I almost dropped dead. It was, like, 'Wow.' And then I heard that somebody said Lemmy wrote a list and he wanted his closest friends or family to have his ashes. And I've got this bullet right here. I had no words for it. It's pretty moving and touching. But in the letter, it said, 'He liked you a lot' or 'he loved you a lot,' and I thought, 'Oh, man. That feels so good.' That makes you feel like… Now I'm motivated for the next hundred years to do good and to rock the fans. That gave me so much love and so much energy."

In March 2021, former "Headbangers Ball" host Riki Rachtman said that he was also mailed a bullet, calling it "the greatest gift I've ever received in my life." He added that he was "getting it made into a necklace so I can keep it on me everywhere I go." In 2020, tennis player Pat Cash shared a photo of another Lemmy bullet, saying it had been gifted to UGLY KID JOE singer Whitfield Crane.

"#Lemmy (RIP) from #Motörhead asked that his ashes be put in some bullet and given out to his closest friends, last night one was presented to my mate #whitefieldCrane whilst we were having dinner at 'Lemmys bar' in 'The Rainbow'," Cash wrote on Instagram in February 2020.

Lemmy died in December 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

I just received an extremely special
and touching gift-a bullet which has part of Lemmys’s ashes inside it. Lemmy is in the room whit us tonight! Michael 🌟❤️
@officialmotorhead

Posted by Michael Monroe on Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Whitesnake continues to revisit its multi-platinum career as it remixes some of its biggest hits for a new collection that spotlights updated versions of classic tracks like “Still Of The Night,” “Here I Go Again,” and “Is This Love.”


Whitesnake's Greatest Hits is available now on digital and streaming services, on CD, 2LP, and CD/Blu-ray in Europe, and fans are invited to order the collection by going here.


The band have released this remastered video for "Slow An' Easy":







In another clip, David Coverdale looks back on "Slow An' Easy":





David Coverdale had 16 tracks remixed and remastered for this collection. He explains: “We’ve definitely expanded on the original Greatest Hits, took them all out of the sonic time capsule of the ’80s and ’90s, and brought them up to date, sound-wise … as always, we have the original albums for those who consider them holy relics.”


Keyboardist Derek Sherinian, who also appeared on Whitesnake’s recent Red, White and Blues trilogy, adds Hammond organ to more than half the songs on the collection. His scorching contributions can be heard on the #1 smash “Here I Go Again,” “Fool For Your Loving,” “You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again,” and more. New performances by former Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg can also be heard on “The Deeper The Love” and “Judgement Day” from the 1989 album, Slip Of The Tongue.


Along with those new additions, Coverdale also went back to the vault to unearth vintage performances by guitarist John Sykes that didn’t appear on the original recordings, including a solo on “Slide It In” and rhythm guitar on “Give Me All Your Love.”


Whitesnake Greatest Hits focuses extensively on three blockbuster albums the band released during the 1980s: 1984’s Slide It In (2x platinum), 1987’s Whitesnake (8x platinum), and 1989’s Slip Of The Tongue (platinum). But the collection goes deeper with songs like “Sweet Lady Luck,” a b-side on the 12” single for “The Deeper The Love,” and “Forevermore,” the title track from the band’s 2011 album.


Whitesnake have embarked upon a farewell tour with special guest, Europe. Coverdale said: “I pray every day we can all make this happen & once again, share unforgettable evenings together & celebrate the amazing journey we have been on for almost 50 years!!!”


- Digital now available worldwide
- CD out now in Europe
- 2LP out now in Europe
- CD/Blu-ray out now in Europe and July 15 in North America
- CD & 2LP out on June 17 in North America





CD/Blu-ray tracklisting:


“Still Of The Night”
“Here I Go Again”
“Is This Love”
“Give Me All Your Love”
“Love Ain’t No Stranger”
“Slide It In”
“Slow An’ Easy”
“Guilty Of Love”
“Fool For Your Loving”
“Judgment Day”
“The Deeper The Love”
“Now You’re Gone”
“You’re Gonna Break My Heart Again”
“Sweet Lady Luck”
“Crying In The Rain”
“Forevermore”


"Slide It In" remastered video:





"Love Ain't No Stranger" remastered video:





"Give Me All Your Love" remastered video:





"Is This Love" remastered video:





“Here I Go Again” remastered video:





"Still Of The Night" remastered video:

"Wrapping up the first week of The Stadium Tour with shows in Miami and Orlando, Florida! Through the heat and through the rain, we keep on rockin'..." says Def Leppard.





Produced by Live Nation, The Stadium Tour featuring Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, with Poison, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and Classless Act is set to steamroll through North America for the remainder of the summer. Remaining dates are listed below.







June
24 - Citi Field - Flushing, NY
25 - Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
28 - Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, NC
30 - Nissan Stadium - Nashville, TN


July
2 - EverBank Field - Jacksonville, FL
5 - Busch Stadium - St Louis, MO
8 - Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
10  - Comerica Park - Detroit, MI
12 - Hersheypark Stadium - Hershey, PA
14 - FirstEnergy Stadium - Cleveland, OH
15 - Great American Ballpark - Cincinnati, OH
17 - American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI
19 - Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City, MO
21 - Coors Field - Denver, CO


August
5 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA
6 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA
8 - Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON
10 - The Stadium Tour - Orchard Park, NY
12 - PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA
14 - US Bank Stadium - Minneapolis, MN
16 - Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
19 - Minute Made Park - Houston, TX
21 - Alamodome - San Antonio, TX
22 - Globe Life Park in Arlington - Arlington, TX
25 - State Farm Stadium - Phoenix, AZ
27 - SoFi Stadium - Inglewood, CA
28 - Petco Park - San Diego, CA
31 - T-Mobile Park - Seattle, WA


September
2 - BC Place - Vancouver, BC
4 - Commonwealth Stadium - Edmonton, AB
7 - Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA
9 - Allegiant Stadium - Las Vegas, NV


 

Baltimore progressive tech-death metal quintet Greylotus have released the third and final single from their upcoming debut album. Fans can check out the lyric video for "Shadow Archetype". The debut full-length from Greylotus, titled Dawnfall, will see a July 8, 2022 release via The Artisan Era.


Speaking about their new album, the band comments: "Dawnfall serves as a follow-up statement to the Savior EP, which dealt with thrusting inner demons borne of trauma and mental health struggles out into the open, and accepting the reality of existing with them.


"In the metaphor of the lotus’ life-cycle, Savior represented the stage in which the seed is buried under the mud - shelled in, unaware, and unable to budge from what it has known. Dawnfall embodies the process of breaking out of the shell and traveling toward the sun’s light, reaching through murky waters and currents, struggling to separate True North from tricks of the refracted light.




"Dawnfall explores the self-doubt that accompanies the realization that healing is a non-linear process. It wanders through the pits of self-judgment and confronts what follows when an individual accepts that the best version of themselves is not constrained by perfection."





Dawnfall tracklisting:


"Rectilinear Motion"
"Shadow Archetype"
"Currents"
"Chiaroscuro"
"Capgras Delusion"
"Syzygy"
"Hoarfrost"
"Dawnfall"
"Azure Rain"


"Shadow Archetype":





"Chiaroscuro" video:





"Azure Rain" video:





- Album Artwork by Justin Abraham
- All music engineered by Andrew “Drewsif” Reynolds
- All music mixed and mastered by Odeholm Audio


Greylotus is:


Lee Mintz - Vocals
Ben Towles - Guitar
Sanjay Kumar - Guitar
Drewsif Reynolds - Bass
Matt Tillett - Drums

Vented is an international supergroup featuring Sean Zatorsky (Sinsaenum, Chimaira), Austin D’Amond (DevilDriver, Bleed The Sky), Gergo Hajer (Omega Diatribe), and Simon C. Bondar (White Tiger). The band is now streaming their brand new single "Requiem For Myself" from their upcoming full-length debut album Cruelty And Corruption which will be released later this year. 





Complete with haunting vocals and neck-breaking grooves, "Requiem For Myself" is an obvious candidate for the repeat button and a potential breaking of the volume knob.







The band's original drummer was the mighty Joey Jordison but because of the unfortunate tragedy, Austin took his place. Nonetheless, Joey’s mentality and guidance left a strong mark on the band’s image and music.

It was a memorable moment in heavy metal history on May 22nd in the Zagreb, Croatia when after 30 years, Iron Maiden legends Paul Di'Anno and Steve Harris reunited just before the band’s show at Zagreb Arena. Paul Di'Anno watched the their show, which he saw only twice more after 1981, and on his Facebook profile he praised the band and their performance at the first concert of the 2022 Legacy Of The Beast World Tour. After seven years in a wheelchair and a difficult condition that could have ended in the loss of his leg, Di'Anno found salvation in Croatia. Since the end of November 2021, he has been receiving treatment where he made his first steps in May after a series of lymphatic drainage treatments and daily physiotherapy. The complicated and long-lasting treatment was initiated by fans and friends who raised significant funds to restore his new-old life.



BraveWords caught up with Paul Di'Anno for this weekend’s edition of Streaming For Vengeance, which will air Saturday, June 25th at 3:33 PM EST. We talked about the leg-saving therapy, his Warhorse project, the Steve Harris reunion moment and we reminisce about his treasured Iron Maiden history, singing on the band’s first two iconic albums; Iron Maiden and Killers. 



Here are a few excerpts from the chat:




BraveWords: How does it feel to watch Bruce sing your songs?


Di'Anno: "It's alright. Well, ah, two different voices, you know what I mean? He handles it quite well, actually. We've got two different voices. It just seemed a bit strange, but you know, it was good."


BraveWords: What kind of memories do you have when you left the band, you were fired from the band, that first single from The Number Of The Beast...


Di'Anno: “Was I was fired? (Laughs) No one told me that!"


BraveWords: What did you think when you heard “Run To The Hills”? This was the first Iron Maiden track that you weren't on. 


Di'Anno: "That Number Of The Beast album is absolutely fucking awesome, I love that. There were some great albums that came out that year, with Metallica and all that, AC/DC, and they were all around that era. It was amazing, I thought the Number Of The Beast album was absolutely fantastic. I really did like it a lot."



BraveWords: What do you think about the term, or did you guys actually talk about the term, New Wave Of British Heavy Metal? Like, the first two records are iconic. They are so influential, there are bands that wouldn't be playing music without those first two records that you sang on. 


Di'Anno: “Yes, I know, I know, but the thing is … it’s a bug up my ass about this New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. There was no New Wave Of British Heavy Metal! All these bands like Saxon, and fucking Judas Priest and all that, they all had albums out. Def Leppard, they all had albums out. The only reason they called it the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is that it was a heavy metal band with a punk singer, and they had never heard anything like it before. That's where they are pigeon-holing Iron Maiden, but the rest of them, they all had albums out and then when somebody jumped on the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bandwagon, that's a load of bollocks. Sorry. I'm sorry, I know I'm going to upset some of my friends in bands, but we were there first."


BraveWords: What's the rarest Iron Maiden item that you own? Like, do you have a copy of the Soundhouse Tapes cassette?


Di'Anno: "No. No, when we first got them, we gave them all away. I don't have anything I've ever done, like recordings or anything. My stuff now, or Maiden, I gave it all away. I even got rid of the gold and silver albums and stuff because it was better to go to charity. Because the way I see it, I've been there, done that, the door is closed, and move on."


Sty tuned for more this Saturday, June 25th at 3:33 PM EST.


You can watch/listen Streaming For Vengeance on the BraveWords Facebook page or the BraveWords YouTube channel. For more information about Streaming For Vengeance, visit this location.


Paul's new band Warhorse released 666 copies of a new DVD single (available here), with all proceeds from the sale go to Paul Di'Anno's treatment; the cost of three surgeries after which Paul Di'Anno should be able to stand on his feet after seven years in a wheelchair. Iron Maiden recently stepped in and announced they will cover the remaining cost of his operation.



(Note: BraveWords is forever thankful to ​Stjepan Juras - a fan and writer who has cared for Paul throughout his stay in Croatia - and who has provided us with constant updates and photos like the ones above)


 

Florida hard rock quintet, Wage War, have released an official live video for "Godspeed", which can be viewed below.


The video is comprised of footage from the road and offers a bird's eye view into Wage War's world - backstage, onstage, and interacting with the fans. The fast-paced clips will transport you to the last Wage War show you attended - or will give you a glimpse of what to expect if you've not yet experienced the band live and in the flesh.


"'Godspeed' is about finally reaching the last straw and ultimately cutting toxic people out of your life," the band says. "It's three minutes and six seconds of all gas, and no brakes. It's heavy, it's melodic, it's energetic. It's everything you've ever come to know about Wage War, cranked all the way up."




The song lives on the band's most recent album Manic, out now on Fearless Records. Wage War will be touring this summer with Three Days Grace and Zero 9:36.

KISS manager, Doc McGhee, is featured in a new interview with Vinyl Writer Music, conducted by Andrew Daly.


During the chat, McGhee discusses his quarter-century-long tenure as the unquestioned coach of KISS, his early vision for the reunion era, the importance of Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, how he’ll most remember his time in KISS, and more. In the following excerpt, he talks about the upcoming final night on The End Of The Road World Tour, and who fans will see on stage that night...


Andrew Daly: Throughout The End of the Road Tour there has been near-constant speculation if Ace (Frehley), Peter (Criss), or Bruce (Kulick) will be joining the band on stage. Are any of these guys going to come and play, or will it just be Paul (Stanley), Gene (Simmons), Eric, and Tommy standing together on that final night?




Doc McGhee: "Honestly, I don’t know. You can invite them, but they may not come. They may come, they may not come, and we might not invite them. We’ve talked to them, and we’ve talked about it. Well, we don’t talk to Peter, but we do talk to Ace. We haven’t talked to Peter in a long time. But you know something? They were part of it, they aided in starting this band, and they should be part of the end of this. They started this, so in some way, they should be able to share that spotlight on the way out. Now, regardless of if it happens or not, you’re not going to get six guys up there in makeup. That’s not going to happen."


Read the complete interview at Vinyl Writer Music.


The complete End Of The Road World Tour schedule can be found here.

Lorna Shore have released their new track and music video, “Into The Earth”. This is the second track released from their upcoming album, Pain Remains, which is set for release in October.





"Into The Earth" is available on all digital platforms and the music video can be found below.




“’Into the Earth’ is about the initial fear and acceptance of the subconscious whilst falling into a state of lucid dreaming”, states the band about the new song and video.





In case you ever wondered what's happening physiologically in singer Will Ramos’ larynx while he’s singing, watch the highly entertaining, yet informative video “Operation: ‘Throat Camera’", which was captured by the lovely The Charismatic Voice:



 
The band looks forward to performing at Lollapalooza and a special after festival show in July. Then the band will hit the road in Europe for a handful of summer festivals, a tour with Parkway Drive and While She Sleeps and co-headline dates with Tesseract.





(Photo - Mike Elliot)

POISON's Rikki Rockett says that he had no idea prior to the start of "The Stadium Tour" that MÖTLEY CRÜE's Tommy Lee would only sit behind the drums for the first few songs of his band's set.

At the first three shows of "The Stadium Tour", Lee defied doctor's orders — despite sustaining four broken ribs — to take part in the CRÜE's long-awaited return to the stage with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS.

At each of the gigs, Lee was present for the beginning of the CRÜE's set before telling the crowd that he had broken four ribs, and his doctor told him he couldn't perform. Lee was replaced for the remainder of the set by Tommy Clufetos, who plays drums in Ozzy Osbourne's live band and who sat behind the kit for BLACK SABBATH on the legendary heavy metal act's final tour. Lee briefly returned later in the night to play piano on "Home Sweet Home".

Rockett, whose band is providing support for CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD, discussed Tommy's diminished participation in "The Stadium Tour" during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" on Tuesday (June 21). Asked if he was made aware prior to the launch of "The Stadium Tour" that Tommy would unable to play a full set with the CRÜE, Rikki said: "I didn't know anything about it. I swear I didn't. I went out and he wasn't playing. And I'm, like, 'What the heck is going on, guys?' So I went back and got the lowdown."

Rikki went on to say that Lee is being unfairly criticized by some fans for only playing a few songs with MÖTLEY CRÜE. "He's taking a lot of heat, and I don't think he should," he said. "Because I think what's cool about what he's doing is he's coming out there and he's going, 'This is painful to do it, but I want the audience to know that I'm here. I'm here for the duration. I'm not wussing out on this.' Instead of running home and sitting six weeks out while he recovers, he's [out on the road and] he's part of the team. I think that's badass."

Last Friday, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx praised Tommy for "beasting" through the first five songs of the band's set a day earlier in Atlanta, writing on Twitter: "The fact that Tommy was told by the doctor to not play with 4 broken ribs & he beasted half our show is a miracle. We are a band and are proud of his strength. He is doing the whole tour and day by day adding more songs. What a fucking animal. Anybody out there ever break ur ribs?"

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" will conclude on September 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The next show on the trek is scheduled to take place tonight (Wednesday, June 22) at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Clufetos is Sixx's bandmate in a project called L.A. RATS. The quartet, which also features Rob Zombie and John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),came together last year expressly to record a cover of "I've Been Everywhere" for the soundtrack to the movie "The Ice Road".

"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.

Organizers of the Barcelona Rock Fest 2022, which runs from June 30th to July 2nd in Barcelona, Spain, have issued the following update regarding Manowar's scheduled appearance:


"As of today, June 21, the situation is complex. For months now, we've been wanting to sign a contract that clearly and accurately reflects the agreements reached without last-minute demands. The signing of a contract with clear, understandable and without errors terms that assure us their performance, is being a really complicated work and ten days from the festival we continue to try in all possible ways. We're working on it every day for a while.


With that, we are not saying that they won't act but that right now, we don't know, however strange it may seem.




We are very sorry about this situation for all of you who support Barcelona Rock Fest and specially for Manowar fans."


Manowar have since issued the following response:


"In response to the publication made by Barcelona Rock Fest on their official social media pages regarding our performance scheduled for June 30th, 2022 we must communicate the following:


First, we must clarify that the statements contained in their announcement do not conform with reality.


The festival promoter and Manowar reached an agreement in June 2020 regarding Manowar's performance at Barcelona Rock Fest; otherwise we would not have authorized and supported the festival’s announcement of our participation and their promotional efforts.


The promoters of this festival are now trying to unilaterally modify the terms.


Manowar’s greatest wish is to reunite with our Spanish fans and to perform at Barcelona Rock Fest. This will only be possible if the agreed upon terms will be fulfilled by the promoters.


We are ready to fulfill our obligations under the deal and have made substantial efforts preparing for this show. The only party that is refusing to comply with their side of the deal are the promoters of Barcelona Rock Fest by demanding to change significant terms at the last minute. 


We have the utmost confidence that the situation will be resolved and that the promoters of the festival will finally fulfill their obligations, so that the fans of Barcelona Rock Fest can see the headliner that has been advertised for June 30, 2022.


Unfortunately, several problems with the organization of this year’s edition of the festival have ocurred, that we hope will not have to come to light.


Manowar reiterates that we are prepared to perform at this festival as long as the agreement is met, and we deeply regret all this inconvenience that is being caused by the promoter to the fans.


This situation in Spain does not affect any of our other scheduled performances."


Manowar released an official video trailer earlier this year for the Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour ’22/’23, which celebrates over forty years of true metal and anniversaries of eight immortal Manowar albums: Battle Hymns, Into Glory Ride, Fighting The World, Kings Of Metal, The Triumph Of Steel, Warriors Of The World, Gods Of War, The Lord Of Steel.


A mega-setlist will honor this unique alignment in history and cover the band’s entire career in a brand new, immersive stage production. For all tour details and ticket links, head here.

The deadly duo of Canada's Greber are a harsh hardcore concoction that have a solid new LP Fright Without coming out this September 2022. Since getting together way back in 2006, they have come out with an impressive array of albums including four full-lengths and six splits with a myriad of crushing bands. Fright Without is being teased right now with an enticing short video, and for those that are interested in snagging the full release can pre-order it. Greber shares their excitement for the release:


“Fright Without is a handle-less staircase that disorients as much as it overwhelms. Our testament to suffering and hope, balance and woe, heaven and here. With Kurt Ballou lending his abilities to the mix we’re beyond happy with how the final product came to sound and we hope that the listener finds it to be as much of an escape as they do a confrontation.”


Looking forward to getting feedback from listeners, Greber quotes that the album is “the same but different” from their earlier releases. They’ve given it their all to deliver raw, unrelenting noise and the few who have had the chance to hear it, have mentioned it being a big change.







Fright Without is ten tracks written and performed mostly by Steve Vargas (drums/vocals) (The Great Sabatini, BIIPIIGWAN) and Marc Bourgon (bass, vocals) (ex-Fuck The Facts) who are joined on several of the tracks by various musicians. These additions add new dimensions to the tracks, giving the listener more to chew on.


Risen from the ashes of their former band Tugnut, Vargas and Bourgon figured they weren’t done playing music together, and the seedling of Greber was nurtured from its germination to be a loud and devastating live force that could be used to vent their various creative impulses and have a really fun time doing so. Fast forward almost 16 years and it is still something that delivers on that front for them personally so mission accomplished.


Those that get to see Greber play live can expect a succinct set, with limited banter, no guitar player, high decibel levels, and a few sweet LED lights. They are recommended listening for fans of Unearthly Trance, Man is the Bastard, and Black Sheep Wall.


The teaser video for Fright Without can be checked out now, the full release is slated for September 9, 2022, and will be available from the following labels: Ancient Temple and Nofuneral for Vinyl, CD, and Cassette in Canada, Hibernation Release for Vinyl in the USA, and 7 Degrees and Fresh Outbreak for Vinyl in Europe. Preorder on  Bandcamp.





(Photo – Austin Gibson / Editing – Youth and Rust)

Jen Majura has opened up about her exit from EVANESCENCE, saying she is "still in shock" about being fired from the Amy Lee-fronted band.

The 39-year-old guitarist's departure from EVANESCENCE was announced on May 21 via social media.

"It has been a very special chapter in the band with our dear friend Jen Majura, but we have decided it's time to go our separate ways," EVANESCENCE said in a statement. "We will always love her and support her, and can't wait to see what she does next! We are so grateful for the good times and great music we made all around the world together."

During an appearance on THE HAUNTED guitarist Ola Englund's YouTube show "Coffee With Ola", Majura spoke about her split with EVANESCENCE, saying that she is still "hurt" by the move and comparing the situation to a divorce.

"I believe, honestly, it's three weeks now since I got the news, and I'm still in this blurry, oblivious momentum," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I guess I'm still in shock, kind of, because after being married six years, all of a sudden you're divorced.

"You know me, I always try to find the positive in a situation, so every day, step by step — I'm not doing great yet — but every day I find little tiny things that I'm, like, 'Oh, actually, this is good.'"

Asked how she found out that her services were no longer needed in EVANESCENCE, Jen said: "Honestly, I was cleaning my apartment, and I got the phone call. And first of all, I was, like, 'Is this a bad joke?' And I remember, after I got the news, I hung up, and I have this hallway in between my studio and my living room, and I just lay there on the floor, staring at the ceiling, wondering what that was, and literally looking over to my suitcase that I had already started packing, because I was two weeks from going out on the road until pretty much the end of the year."

Majura went on to say that she has already received offers to join other bands but she is reluctant to jump into another situation so soon after her exit from EVANESCENCE. "I would like to consider [some of these other offers], but not now, not yet," she explained. "Because I feel like it would be not a nice move if I played the okay person when I'm still processing. I'm not ready to jump into the next marriage right now.

"To be really honest, what I wanna do right now is, first of all, focus on me and my music again," she said. "Because what I realize is that you, when you… It's difficult to say… I feel like I lost a little bit of my music inside of me during these past years, because… What I right now do, what I right now want to do is I wanna reconnect with myself and feel and hear and play my music again. And who knows? The plan is, so far — you heard it here first — I'm gonna write my third solo album."

Asked by Ola if she is "okay" with the fact that her tenure with EVANESCENCE has come to an end, Jen said: "I'm hurt. I'm hurt and still in this blurry confusion of what just happened." But she added: "I'm getting there. Like I said, it would be wrong of me if I would play the 'hey, I'm totally okay' Jen. It's tough. And like I said, I'm still not great. But I'm getting there every day with tiny little things that make life beautiful."

Majura, a self-described "half-Asian living in Germany," joined EVANESCENCE in August 2015 as the replacement for Terry Balsamo.

Shortly after she landed the gig, Majura spoke to EMP Rock Invasion about how she came to connect with EVANESCENCE. She said: "My name was somehow recommended by a sweet friend of mine, Alex Skolnick of TESTAMENT, and Dave Eggar — he's also known as a very good cellist, and he's a musician working in New York. And all of a sudden, there was this e-mail popping up: 'Are you interested in joining…?' And I was, like, 'What the fuck?' So I stopped breathing until my face turned kind of blue. And then afterwards, I was, like, 'Okay, I've gotta read it again.' Three days later, I found myself suddenly on an airplane, flying over to New York to meet Amy Lee. And we had some very, very cool talks. She's an awesome person. She's a very, very great musician. And so I found myself suddenly inside of his empire called EVANESCENCE."

Regarding the fact that she didn't even have to "audition" for EVANESCENCE, Jen said: "Yeah. To be honest, I was kind of concerned. I told [Amy], 'Do you want me to bring my guitar?' And, 'Would you like me to audition?' And she was totally, like: 'Nah, I know you can play. I've seen plenty of videos of you. And I know your live experience and you're touring the world, so… No, just come over and let's have some food and talk.' Yeah, and that's it. So, actually, what I was surprised by very, very much was that she actually had another guitar player on her list, and that was the guitar player of Alice Cooper [Nita Strauss]. And she's now with Alice Cooper and I'm now with EVANESCENCE. This is, like… I still can't believe it."

In 2019, Lee said she was happy to have Majura in the band. "She has added a lot to our live shows because she's a singer," Amy explained. "It has been a really awesome thing to have live background vocals for the first time. I am such a fan of layered vocals, and to have that better represented at our show has been a cool breakthrough for me. And also, she's just rad energy. She's got a great attitude, fun personality, very engaging, killer onstage, so she has been a fun addition to our family. And of course, it's awesome having another girl in the band for the first time."

Majura has released two solo albums thus far, 2014's "Jen Majura" and 2017's "InZENity".

Last year, EVANESCENCE released "The Bitter Truth", its first album in 10 years.

EVANESCENCE kicked off its spring/summer European tour on June 5 in Athens, Greece. The concert marked the band's first live appearance with EVANESCENCE's new lineup, featuring Emma Anzai of SICK PUPPIES on bass and EVANESCENCE's longtime bassist Tim McCord on guitar.

The fan-filmed clip below features KISS running through their classics "Plaster Caster" and "Got To Choose" during the soundcheck for their June 20th show at Jäähalli  in Helsinki, Finland.










Fan-filmed video of the Helsinki show is avauilable below. The setlist on the night was as follows:


"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 -  (Tommy Thayer)
"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"

This Friday, international progressive metal quintet Philosophobia, formed by current and former members of Kamelot, Pain Of Salvation, Wastefall, and more, will release their eponymous debut album through Sensory Records. Today, Ghost Cult Magazine is hosting a premiere for the album’s third single, through a graphic and heartfelt lyric video for the song “Voices Unheard.”


Philosophobia unites vocalist Domenik Papaemmanouil, bassist Kristoffer Gildenlöw, drummer Alex Landenburg, keyboardist Tobias Weißgerber, and guitarist Andreas Ballnus. The band is now preparing to issue their eponymous debut album via Sensory Records, the band’s top choice for its release, in conjunction with Kristoffer Gildenlöw‘s return to prog metal on stages worldwide since his departure from Pain Of Salvation.


Together with recording engineer and producer Phil Hillen (Powerwolf, Kamelot, Alyssa White Gluz), Philosophobia recorded an hour-long experience covering a wide range of textures; somber tunes to heavy prog metal tracks to instrumentally artistic roller coaster rides. Philosophobia was mastered by Alan Douches (Fates Warning, Redemption, Mastodon) at West West Side Music in New York, and completed with cover artwork conceived by Ballnus and created by Björn Gooßes/Killustrations.




The new lyric video for “Voices Unheard” was created by Andreas Ballnus, who reveals, “After the release of the album's ballad, ‘Between The Pines,’ we thought we would show the more aggressive and heavy side of Philosophobia. The song lives from its tempo and epic chorus, combined with a softer and melodic part in the middle section.


“Lyrically it deals with animal abuse, factory farming, and so on. Since 3/5 of the band are vegetarian, this topic has a very big meaning for the band. In combination with the video its aim is to give a voice to the voiceless and hopefully help make people aware of the global situation.


“The video itself shows animal abuse from shredded chicken to dog puppies beaten to death for leather to monkeys at laboratories and many more. Due to the fact that the footage might be too shocking, we decided to overlay it with some filters.”


Sensory Records will release Philosophobia on CD and all digital platforms worldwide on June 24. Find physical pre-orders at the label webshop here, and visit Bandcamp for the standard digital here and 24-bit hi-res digital here.





Tracklisting:


"Thorn In Your Pride"
"I Am"
"Time To Breathe"
"Between The Pines"
"As Light Ceased To Exist"
"Thirteen Years Of Silence"
"Voices Unheard"
"Within My Open Eyes"


"Voices Unheard":





"Time To Breathe" video:





Lineup:


Kristoffer Gildenlöw - bass
Alex Landenburg - drums
Domenik Papaemmanouil - vocals
Andreas Ballnus - guitars
Tobias Weißgerber - keys

Even after 40 steamy, liver-destroying, gut-stretching years in the name of heavy metal, there's no stopping the Tankard beer train. Just in time for the festivities surrounding their 40th birthday, our favorite Frankfurt band lets Pavlov's Dawgs off the leash, their 18th album in total and debut for the new label Reaper Entertainment.


Just in time for the pre-order-start of the new album on July 1, 2022, the first digital single with the wonderful title "Beerbarians" will also be released. The matching cover of the single was created by Cliff Knese.







Album and single were produced and recorded again in the Gernhard Studio Troisdorf, together with producer Martin Buchwalter.


To shorten the waiting time for the new single, the band presents you an official studio trailer and gives you a look behind the scenes at Gernhard Studio:





Pavlov's Dawgs will be released on CD, colored vinyl, limited earbook with previously unreleased pictures from 40 years of Tankard and as a limited boxset including two demos on cassette.





Tracklisting:


“Pavlov’s Dawg”
“Ex-Fluencer”
“Beerbarians”
“Diary Of A Nihilist”
“Veins Of Terra”
“Momento”
“Metal Cash Machine”
“Dark Self Intruder”
“Lockdown Forever”
“On The Day I Die” 


(Photo - Axel Jusseits)

The debut album from Riot Act, the new band formed by former Riot guitarist Rick Ventura is sure to please old and new fans of the early ‘80s legendary group.





Closer To The Flame - the album, is available now via Global Rock Records, released April 15 as a 2CD set.




The album comes with a 12 track bonus CD of classic Riot tracks recut; these recordings feature the final ever recordings of Lou Kouvaris, who tragically passed away of Covid-19 in early 2020.


The band offers the following statement:


"Riot Act’s new album is a culmination of emotions over the past two years. From the excitement of our early rehearsals, to the loss of our band mate, struggling through a pandemic and not knowing if we were going to continue, the four of us knew that the band had much to offer. The result of that renewed energy is ‘Carry The Torch’ and with joining forces with Global Rock Records we are ready for the world to hear this new music we have been working on for so long. The band has released three videos, first of which is the single ‘Wanted’ along with ‘Stand Or Fall’ and the title track ‘Closer To The Flame’. These songs capture the energy and roots of the band. A taste of things to come!”


Riot Act features former Riot guitarist Rick Ventura, Don Chaffin vocals, Paul Ranieri bass, and Claudio Galinski drums.





“Stand Or Fall” video:





Riot Act will be touring the UK as support to Lillian Axe in the UK throughout August 2022 and with Heavy Pettin in Spain beginning September 2.





Dates:


August
22 – Wolverhampton – The Robin 2
23 – Newcastle – Trillian’s
24 – Bradford – Nightrain
25 – Edinburgh – Bannerman’s
26 – Swansea – Hangar 18
27 – London – Camden Underworld


September
2 – Madrid, Spain
3 – Portugal, Spain
4 – Barcelona, Spain