Sweetwater’s Nick Bowcott (former Grim Reaper guitarist) is back for another scintillating guitar lesson, this time covering the iconic intro riff from “Iron Man“ off Black Sabbath‘s sophomore album, Paranoid.


A near-ubiquitous track among metalheads of all generations, “Iron Man“ is a great song for beginners to cut their teeth on and veteran players to have in the back pocket. Check it out below:










Tony Iommi receives near-universal recognition as the father of heavy metal. The Gibson Tony Iommi SG Special is a true-to-life re-creation of his prized “Monkey“ SG Special - the axe that produced the sinister proto-metal riffage on Black Sabbath‘s early albums.


This solidbody electric guitar is built around a resonant mahogany body, with a rosewood-capped mahogany neck that‘s ultra-easy on your fingertips or lack thereof. Just like the guitar that inspired it, the Iommi SG Special comes loaded with chrome-covered P-90 pickups that deliver enough high-output, single-coil bite to drive you insane.


In the new video below, Nick Bowcott demos the SG Special:

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the upcoming release of a new studio album from intergalactic metallers, Sick N' Beautiful, with the unleashing of Starstruck on July 15. Watch a video for the new single, "Drop It 2 The B", below.


Sick N' Beautiful is the ultimate rock n' roll sideshow from outer space: a unique concoction of hard rock and modern metal infused with industrial, punk, and electro-pop overtones, blending in varying influences from across the musical spectrum to create a sound all their own. Intrigued yet?


Pre-order/save Starstruck here. Sick N' Beautiful has also launched a Kickstarter campaign for a feature film they are working on. Fans can order special bundles for Starstruck to participate. Head to Kickstarter for more details.




In their own words: "We are intergalactic nomads, performing our numbers for the enjoyment of all species we meet in our travels. Rumor has it that sometimes we resort to "questionable" means to make ends meet: all we will say is that life in space is never easy. We fly the BFS9000, a ship that has seen better days. Even so, the recent massive engine failure came totally unexpected. With nowhere else left to go, we crash-landed on Earth, in the vicinity of Rome, Italy. Our ship is stuck here until we can get enough resources to fix it and resume our voyage.”


They continue, "Sick N' Beautiful is absolutely thrilled with signing up with the Frontiers label! They truly appreciate the "madness" of what we do, and they have left us with complete creative freedom. We trust that their experience of over 25 years in hard rock and metal will propel our eclectic spaceship farther than ever before... We also thank Oracle Management especially for their unique love and support in helping us to make all of this possible!"





Tracklisting:


“Tonight We Go To War”
“Starstruck”
“Drop It 2 The B”
“This Is Not The End”
“Defy The Light”
“Deep End Dark”
“Schadenfreude”
“Pull Of Gravity”
“Angels Be Fallin’”
“YTOPYNONAVEVANONYPOTY”


"Drop It 2 The B" video:





“This Is Not The End” video:

Life Of Agony performed at the 2022 edition of Hellfest in Clisson, France on June 19. You can watch professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set below.


Setlist:


"Plexiglass Gate" (Intro)
"Respect"
"My Eyes"
"River Runs Red"
"Bad Seed"
"Scars"
"Lost At 22"
"Weeds"
"Method Of Groove"
"This Time"
"Through And Through"
"Underground"







Life Of Agony have announced a string of US West Coast tour dates in September. Special guests on select dates will be All Hail The Yeti. For ticket links, visit the band's official website, here.





Tour dates:


September
15 - The Dip - Redding, CA
17 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
18 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
20 - Goldfield - Roseville, CA
21 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
23 - Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
24 - The Whisky - Los Angeles, CA

Ozzy Osbourne will release his new album, "Patient Number 9", on September 9. The LP's title track, featuring a guest appearance by legendary guitarist Jeff Beck, can be streamed below. Artist and comic book creator Todd McFarlane directed the music video for the song, which is set to premiere at 10 a.m. ET / 7:00 a.m. PT on Friday (June 24).

"Patient Number 9" track listing:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today, Classless Act, one of the most buzzed-about up-and-coming rock bands, are releasing their much-anticipated debut album, Welcome To The Show, via Better Noise Music. Having already earned more than one million streams, the new album gained early traction with three previously released singles, including the self-titled “Classless Act” that features a guest appearance by Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil, the catchy “This Is For You” with Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, and the bombastic “Time To Bleed”.


"Just like the song says, we gave you all our blood, our sweat, our tears, our hate, our sex, our deepest, darkest fears. This is for you!" said frontman Derek Day about the album. 


Also premiering today is the new single and music video, “All That We Are”, the final installment in the four-part, interlocking video series that loosely follows the band as they set the soundtrack for the misadventures of Farley, an unlucky soul in the wrong place at the wrong time. 







"'All that we are' - is it enough for us to survive?" asks Day. "This is a question, a concept we found ourselves asking after all we have been through over the past two years. Hell, the past seven or so years. We’ve been in a wee bit of a less-than-sunny time in our history. So what are we gonna do? Grow or go! Everyone needs to decide. We’ve got a show tonight, so I know what we’re doing!”


Classless Act is poised to find a whole new legion of fans, first with their single “Classless Act” appearing on the soundtrack for The Retaliators film, out this fall, and as they continue in their opening spot on this summer’s 36-date North American Stadium Tour, performing alongside Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett. The tour kicked off June 16 in Atlanta and runs through September 9 in Las Vegas.


While the music tells its own story, so do the members of the band themselves, hailing from all over the globe, including Hawaii, Los Angeles, Argentina, and Dallas. The band, featuring Derek Day (vocals), Dane Pieper (guitar), Griffin Tucker (guitar), Franco Gravante (bass), and Chuck McKissock (drums), first formed in 2018 when the five former strangers met via social media.





Tracklisting:


"Classless Act" (feat. Vince Neil of Motley Crue)
"This Is For You" (feat. Justin Hawkins)
"Time To Bleed"
"On My Phone"
"All That We Are"
"Made In Hell"
"Storm Before The Calm"
"Haunting Love"
"Walking Contradiction"
"Give It To Me"
"Circles"
"Thoughts From A Dying Man"


Digital, CDs, cassettes and colored vinyl copies of the album can be ordered here.


“Time To Bleed” video:





“Classless Act” video:





"This Is For You" video:





"Give It To Me" video:





Remaining dates on The Stadium Tour are as listed:


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





(Artwork & Photo - Travis Shinn)


 

UK-based cult death/doom outfit, Enchantment, will unleash their long-awaited new full-length, Cold Soul Embrace, tomorrow, Friday, June 24, via Transcending Records and Cosmic Key Creations, marking the band’s first new output in nearly 30 years!


Pre-orders can be placed at this location, and you can find an advanced album stream below.


Enchantment was forged in 1991 in the midst of the UK death/doom metal movement alongside the likes of Paradise Lost, Anathema, and My Dying Bride. In that year, they released a self-funded demo, A Tear For Young Eloquence, and were subsequently signed to Century Media Records before recording and releasing their debut album, Dance The Marble Naked, in early 1994. The band played alongside many great death metal bands of the era including Bolt Thrower, Anathema, Cancer, and Cradle Of Filth before disbanding in 1995, leaving behind the compositions of an entire second album that had yet to be recorded.




Fast forward nearly 25 years. With the reissue of their debut album on vinyl for the first time (and after numerous successful reissues earlier on CD), Enchantment officially regrouped. In 2020, the band started the unenviable task of resurrecting all the original rehearsal tapes and lyrical content from that lost second album and started working on demoing the tracks. This caught the attention of both Transcending Records and Cosmic Key Creations with whom the band ultimately decided to sign with, with the prospect of finally recording and co-releasing their sophomore full-length. It is unknown if any other similar band can claim to have written almost a full album in the peak of the British death/doom metal explosion and for it to have never been recorded or released. Yet 28 years to the day exactly that Dance The Marble Naked was first released, the band are now about to unveil Cold Soul Embrace.


Cold Soul Embrace artwork and tracklisting:





"As Greed As The Eye Beholds"
"A Swanlike Duet"
"Painting Amongst The Feathers"
"Of Glorious Vistas Forgot"
"The Wake Of The Hollering Tide"
"In A Cello-Felt Glare"
"The Beauty Of Liars"
"One Jump Of The Sun"


Album stream:





"As Greed As The Eye Beholds" lyric video:





"Of Glorious Vistas Forgot" video:





(Photo - Bobby Pook)

Fit For a King have a very busy 2022 ahead of them - a new album and major tour are on the horizon. Today, the Texas band has dropped the video for the band new single, "Reaper." Watch below.


FFAK come roaring out of the gates, as "Reaper" is the first new track from the band this year. It's got moshable grooves, hellfire riffs, and an ominous, ticking clock that nods to the song's lyrical concept.


"In the studio, I became obsessed with a German TV show called Dark," says vocalist Ryan Kirby. "The show really had me reflect on how finite our time on earth is — that we have no control, no matter how rich, religious, or diligent. Time is truly the Grim Reaper."




The band will drop its seventh album this fall. FFAK will also hit the road with I Prevail and Piece The Veil this summer and fall.





(Photo - Dana Willax)

The popular vinyl collectible company Funko — best known for its big-headed Pop! figures — has announced its latest artist collaboration: JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford.

Due later in the year, the vinyl figure is approximately 3.75 inches tall. It comes packaged in a window display box.

Other artists who have gotten the Pop! treatment in the past include KISS, IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, DEF LEPPARD, Rob Zombie, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, GHOST, MOTÖRHEAD and Joan Jett.

A Funko vinyl Pop! figure, or popularly known as a "Pop!", is packaged carefully inside a box with a transparent front. The figurine is made out of vinyl and may come as a bobblehead.

Headquartered in Everett, Washington, Funko is a leading pop culture consumer products company. Funko designs, sources and distributes licensed pop culture products across multiple categories, including vinyl figures, toys, plush, apparel, board games, housewares and accessories for consumers who seek tangible ways to connect with their favorite pop culture brands and characters.

Funko reportedly holds more than 150 licenses, including Lucas Films, Marvel, Hasbro, Disney and more. The company reported having 777 full-time employees at the end of 2020, 617 of which were based in the U.S.

After Funko's Q3 results were announced last November — beating expectations on revenue and earnings per share (EPS) — CEO Brian Mariotti said: "As a credit to our brand, we are continuing to expand our product categories and fan base, increasing fan engagement and bringing innovative new products to market."

According to InvestorPlace, Funko also got into the non-fungible token market, releasing limited-edition digital card packs that include rare cards. Buyers can trade these rare cards to profit from the collectibles market.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Funko (@originalfunko)

P.O.D. has announced the release of When Angels & Serpents Dance on October 14 through Mascot Records / Mascot Label Group.  The album has been remixed and remastered with three bonus tracks not on the original master. View the official music video for “Addicted” below, and pre-order the album here.


When asked about the lead track shared “Addicted”, singer Sonny Sandoval offers, “We all have friends or family going through something. Without trying to just be so obvious, it is. Sometimes that stuff is out of your control. Once you get to that place in life, it really does ruin your life and take over. But again, how much of it is your choice and how much of it is really just being caught up? A lot of it is about my brother-in-law actually. He is homeless and kind of made that choice that he didn’t want to be a part of society. Like it was easier to just be on his own and do what he wanted to do and have no responsibilities. He struggles with substance abuse. It really stemmed from that. It’s never really always about one person. Whatever the topic is. I’m sure you know someone who is stuck in the same thing. It happened to be about a lot of stuff. I grew up around addiction and people that either died from addiction or it ruined their life because of it.”  Guitarist Marcos Curiel adds, “As humans, we all have our demons and addictions, whether it is drugs, alcohol, or otherwise.  We could be addicted to social media, or you could be addicted to a negative person, and have a negative outlook.  So for me it just reminds me that you can’t take life for granted and addiction is a real thing.  I think a lot of it comes from mental health and it is a big deal man.  You see people struggling mentally man, and I think a lot of people try to numb it so they find other ways to numb themselves and they get addicted.”


Looking back at the time Singer Sonny Sandoval shares, “It was special because that’s when Marcos came back to the band. We did two records without Marcos, our guitar player, so this was just getting back together and putting aside whatever we had that caused this. This record has all of the elements of us, but it’s actually darker than it sounds in a lot of ways. It’s not one of our heaviest records, but there are a lot of musical elements in this one. I feel like we were just free to be us when Marcos got back in the band. We just had fun and really enjoyed making a record and dong it together as this united brotherhood. It was special to be able to do a record again with Marcos.” He continues, “Right after this record, we actually stopped doing music for about four years. I was going through some personal stuff and needed to take time off. We didn’t know if we were gonna do anything again. But we are happy that we got back together.”




Guitarist Marcos Curiel offers, “So, I was not in the band for two albums, and this was our first record back.  I basically had something to prove as a songwriter and guitarist. I was like you know what man, I’m back.  I’m one of the OG members with my brothers here we got something to prove. As a songwriter, I was like trying to write something with what was going on with our peers you know what I mean. So, I think that’s what makes this special for me. Personally, I think the overall sound we were flirting with a lot of different elements, and with pop dude, and then you could hear all the different elements on the record.  I am very proud of it actually.  Just stoked for it to be coming out. Because it is a record I think people need to hear.  It is more relevant than it seems the nature of what Sonny is singing about today. Maybe more so than it was then, as the nature of the song topics and all that.”





Tracklisting:


"Addicted
"Shine With Me"
"Condescending"
"It Can’t Rain Everyday"
"Kaliforn-Eye-A" (feat. Mike Muir)
"I’ll Be Ready" (feat. The Marley Girls)
"End Of The World"
"This Ain’t No Ordinary Love Song"
"God Forbid" (feat. Page Hamilton)
"Roman Empire"
"When Angels & Serpents Dance"
"Tell Me Why"
"Rise Against"


Bonus tracks:


"Don’t Fake It"
"Ridin’ With You"
"Walk On Water"

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the release of the upcoming new studio album, From The New World, from the legendary Alan Parsons on July 15. Fans can get a new preview of the new album with the release of the single & music video, "I Won't Be Led Astray", which features vocalist David Pack, formerly of Ambrosia, and guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa.


Watch the video below, and pre-order/save From The New World on CD, CD/DVD, Color Vinyl, Collector's Box Set, & Digital formats here.


- CD/DVD includes CD + DVD Audio (5.1 Audio Mix of new album)
- LPs available as Limited Edition Crystal color vinyl and Limited Edition Yellow color vinyl. Yellow vinyl is exclusive to the Frontiers US & EU Webstores as well as indie retail in the US
- Collector's Box Set includes CD+DVD (housed in a digipak), Live in Madrid Digifile, T-shirt (size L), LP (180g, gatefold, Blue Transparent), poster, & numbered lithograph. This is exclusive to Frontiers EU webstore and Alan Parsons' webstore







From The New World continues with the classic sound Parsons has become known for during his impressive 50+ year career by fusing progressive, symphonic, and classic rock elements together throughout this stunning new album. Guest appearances include guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa, and vocalists Tommy Shaw of Styx, David Pack formerly of Ambrosia, and American Idol alumni James Durbin, who blend seamlessly with Alan and his incredible band.





From The New World tracklisting:


"Fare Thee Well"
"The Secret"
"Uroboros" (featuring Tommy Shaw of Styx)
"Don't Fade Now"
"Give 'Em My Love" (featuring James Durbin, Joe Bonamassa)
"Obstacles"
"I Won't Be Led Astray" (featuring David Pack, Joe Bonamassa)
"You Are The Light"
"Halo"
"Goin' Home"
"Be My Baby"


"I Won't Be Led Astray" video:





"Uroboros" video:





Lineup:


Lead Vocals - Alan Parsons, Tommy Shaw, David Pack, James Durbin, P.J. Olsson, Todd Cooper, Dan Tracey, Mark Mikel, Tabitha Fair
Backing Vocals - Alan Parsons, Tommy Shaw, P.J. Olsson, Todd Cooper, Dan Tracey, Doug Powell, Mark Mikel, Chris Shutters, Scott Hunt
Guitars - Alan Parsons, Jeff Kollman, Dan Tracey, Doug Powell, Jeff Marshall, James Durbin, Tim Pierce
Bass - Guy Erez
Drums - Danny Thompson
Keyboards - Tom Brooks, Doug Powell, Matt McCarrin, Kim Bullard
Sax - Todd Cooper
Cello on “I Won’t Be Led Astray” - Mika Larson
Guitar Solos on “Give ‘Em My Love” and “I Won’t Be Led Astray” - Joe Bonamassa

Steve Vai joined WHITESNAKE on stage earlier tonight (Thursday, June 23) at Hellfest in Clisson, France to perform the band's classic song "Still Of The Night". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Vai had a brief tenure in WHITESNAKE more than three decades ago, having played on the band's 1989 album "Slip Of The Tongue".

Back in August 2020, Vai, singer David Coverdale, guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge reunited — virtually — for the first time since they finished WHITESNAKE's "Slip Of The Tongue" world tour for a question-and-answer session prior to a live stream of the band's legendary "Live At Donington" concert.

WHITESNAKE scored the band's third consecutive platinum record with its eighth studio album, "Slip Of The Tongue". Originally released in November 1989, it peaked at No. 10 on the U.K. and U.S. album charts thanks largely to its two Top 40 hits — "Fool For Your Loving" and "The Deeper The Love". The fan favorite turned 30 in 2019 and Rhino celebrated with several new versions, including a colossal seven-disc boxed set.

Following the eight-times-platinum success of its eponymous album in 1987, WHITESNAKE returned two years later with "Slip Of The Tongue". At the time, the band included Coverdale, Sarzo, Aldridge, Vandenberg and Vai. Vandenberg and Coverdale co-wrote all but one song on the album, but Vandenberg couldn't record them in the studio at the time due to a hand injury. To fill the void, Vai joined the band for the album and tour.

"When I had joined WHITESNAKE, the tracks were already recorded and Adrian had laid down guide rhythm tracks," Vai told Guitar World. "What had happened was Adrian developed this situation with his wrist that persisted throughout the tour. I'm not sure what caused it, but he'd have to soak his wrist after every show.

"Adrian's such a great player, but the injury made it so he couldn't really sustain for too long because of the pain. I've stayed pretty close with Adrian over the years and I see him whenever I'm in Holland, and when I spoke to him a couple of years ago, he was still having that wrist problem — but they located the source of it to his neck.

"So Adrian had made these guide tracks and that were basically chords and structures, and I obviously copped a lot of the riffs from those, but I put my spin on them because it was all like one track of guitar. I went in with 20 tracks on some songs; it's a very dense guitar record and I definitely did my best to decorate it. It was a departure for what WHITESNAKE was normally known for in the guitar department."

Asked if he had any reservations about not staying wholly true to WHITESNAKE's old signature sound, Vai said: "You have to find a balance between what's expected of you from the band, what the fans are expecting, what the song requires and is telling you to do — and also being true to your own voice. I had no choice but to express my own voice because that's all I know.

"If I had tried to sound like Yngwie [Malmsteen] when I had joined ALCATRAZZ, it just wouldn't have worked because I'm very satisfied with the way I play, but I also can't play like Yngwie. It was the same thing when I was playing with Dave [David Lee] Roth; I needed to deliver in a rock context — which was very natural to me — but I'm not going to compete with Edward Van Halen.

"There's no way those records would've been accepted if I didn't have some kind of rock integrity, but I knew what the songs needed and I knew what the audience was expecting and there's a side of me that I knew could deliver that. It was the same thing with WHITESNAKE.

"The foundation of WHITESNAKE's sound was rooted in rock blues, and there's a whole culture that emanated from Europe in that traditional solid rock blues guitar playing that had a real authenticity to it.

"Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Adrian Vandenberg, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page — that was the sound all WHITESNAKE records had been built upon. But WHITESNAKE had gone through different permutations of guitar sounds throughout the years, and the previous one to me was John Sykes, and he absolutely had his own sound.

"Sykes didn't sound like any other previous WHITESNAKE guitarist, but his thumbprint is an indelible part of the WHITESNAKE record he did. The fatness of that record and the rock integrity it had was all Sykes. So I knew I wasn't going to sound like Sykes and I wasn't going to try to.

"You cheat yourself when you try to do that and play like someone else. And the audience is a lot smarter than you think; they're very intuitive and perceptive and if you try to pull anything over on them — like biting someone else's thing — you'll get beat up for it."



Whitesnake/David Coverdale at Hellfest Open Air Festival with Steve Vai
🎥: Twinmusix

Posted by Liz Milz on Thursday, June 23, 2022

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joel Hoekstra (@joelhoekstra13)

Joe Elliott celebrated Paul McCartney's 80th birthday by playing the opening lines to THE BEATLES song "I've Just Seen A Face" during DEF LEPPARD's June 18 concert in Miami, Florida as part of "The Stadium Tour".

Elliott reflected on his attempt at performing the track during the second episode of DEF LEPPARD's "Behind The Stadium Tour" YouTube video series. He said: "I took it upon myself to try and play 'I Just Saw A Face' [sic] by THE BEATLES and I completely bollocked it up. I couldn't remember the words. I forgot the chords. I wouldn't have passed the audition for 'America's Got Talent', put it that way. But I did get the entire audience to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Sir Paul McCartney, which was very special. Hopefully he'll see it on YouTube or something like that and he'll know that we were thinking about him, because he's a big part of our lives."

Joe previously discussed his appreciation for THE BEATLES in an interview with Classic Rock magazine. He said: "THE BEATLES gave us something we wouldn't have otherwise had because they spent so long in the studio with [John] Lennon and McCartney no doubt saying, 'What does that machine do? What happens if we turn it upside down?'. When LEPPARD were in the studio with Mutt Lange, we said, 'We wouldn't have been able to do this if THE BEATLES hadn't done it first'. They showed everybody the way. Our production techniques were influenced by what they were doing on 'Sgt. Pepper', the White Album... That influenced us more than us trying to rip off their chord structures."

When THE BEATLES producer Sir George Martin died in March 2016, Elliott paid tribute to him on his weekly radio show, saying": "Back in [1994], I had the great pleasure of meeting Sir George Martin at the Nordoff Robbins prize-giving ceremony. I'd won an award for the song 'Two Steps Behind' and he presented me with the award and as he handed it to me. He whispered in my ear, 'That's a lovely song, young man.' Talk about making you feel ten feet tall and putting a bit of a spring in your step. When you hear those words from the legendary Sir George Martin. You can only imagine what it's like for Paul McCartney working with this gentleman for almost his entire career throughout THE BEATLES and bringing him back in for the odd song here and there in his solo career."

DEF LEPPARD's long-delayed North American trek with MÖTLEY CRÜE, 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 first episode of the second season of "Psycho Schizo Espresso", a video podcast from IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson and Oxford University psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Kevin Dutton, officially launched on June 8 and can be seen below. During the 45-minute discussion, Dickinson and Dutton touched upon a number of topics, including how Bruce has had a newly discovered species of spider named after him and how a recent study in Finland has shown that heavy metal is good for your mental health.

Speaking about the inclusiveness of the heavy metal community, Dickinson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "There is definitely a strong sense of community, that's for sure. And it's nice because it transcends physical characteristics, it transcends racial characteristics and gender and all the things that we like to segment people and divvy them up. When it comes to heavy metal, nobody is bothered. If you're a heavy metal fan, it's just, like, 'Oh, yeah. You're a heavy metal fan.' And if you think differently about something than me, we probably just won't talk about that thing, but we'll concentrate on the things that we agree on, which is that we love this music.

"Years ago, I said some quote in an interview, I said, 'You know what? If heavy metal musicians were running the world, we'd be in a much better state. [Laughs]"

When Dutton asked Dickinson if that is a hint that he intends to one day if go into politics, Bruce responded: "No. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. You've got to be kidding. First of all, I've got a chin. Most politicians have got no chin, which has got consequences." Kevin then suggested that Bruce would likely have to cut his hair in order to have a shot at being elected, to which Dickinson replied: "Well… or have no hair. Although, actually, very few people have ever been elected who were bald."

Back in 2017, Dickinson addressed the fact that his autobiography, "What Does This Button Do?", contains very few mentions of politics.

"There's not really anything to say about politics during the period that hasn't already been said by much more learned commentators than me," he told Vice. "I'm a musician. Do I have political views? Yes. Is an autobiography a place to put them? No. What that does is that it attaches an inordinate amount of weight and self-importance to your own political viewpoint, which, if people want to hear your political viewpoint, then be a politician. Join a political party or do whatever. Stand up and say, 'I think you need to hear my political views because I'm especially qualified to tell you why you should do what I think.' I don't have any of that special sauce. I've got no crystal ball. I'm no expert witness on stuff. If you want to hear about what I think about politics, I'll tell you, but why does it matter? I'm just one citizen out of millions and I have one vote and so does everyone else. The fact that I'm famous for being a musician or doing whatever, sorry, it's not enough reason other than salacious curiosity or an attempt to dig up a story which they can then immediately slap down.

"But I would fit somewhere," he continued. "I'm right of center, but not very far. Put it this way. I'm not a socialist at all but I do believe in a nice humanistic approach to the way society should be run. I think there's a difference between profit and greed. I think profit is a way of measuring how efficiently a business or a society is being run. Greed is just evidence of its corruption and fecundity. I'm not a fan of greed. For those reasons, some of the Thatcher years were appalling, but at the same time, what happened to the U.K. during those years was transformative. Because at the end of the '70s, we were toast. The country was washed up. At the end of the '80s, it was not. In between was a whole other thing, some of which I didn't agree with, but every politician makes mistakes.

"When you get to the extremes, people exclude people. When you're somewhere in the middle, people include people. I would agree with some statements. In America, I would be hopeless. I would have one foot in the Democratic camp and one foot in the Republican camp. Because I agree with some Republicans. I agree with some Democrats. Where do I fit? I'm a contrarian. I make up my mind on each individual issue what I think. That's not necessarily in line with a political party, you know?

Dickinson went on to say that "in the middle is where healthy societies belong. Occasionally when things fail, they need a bit of a shock," he said. "Hopefully, they will bring things back to the middle. What worries me as a guy who did history at college is looking at history and seeing how, when the middle disintegrates in different societies, how it has always led toward a polarization, which has in turn led to some unpleasant effects. It has happened in Europe on a regular basis. The one place it hasn't happened, as a matter of fact, is the U.K. We've had one dictator, Oliver Cromwell. He lasted longer than he should have done and we got rid of him, and we asked for the king to come back, which may sound strange. But when we brought the king back, we said, 'You can be the king because we like you, but if we don't like you, you can't be the king anymore.'

"We've had this weird checks-and-balances things for hundreds of years. The other thing we've never had is a written Constitution. As in written, set in stone. I get the impression that written Constitutions always end in tears because they have no possibility to change. It's all written down and the way you change the Constitutions is so prescriptive and so prohibitive that it never changes. It's not a living document at all. Its interpretive to an extent but nevertheless it's still so prescriptive. To me, it feels like a burden."

Back in 2018, Dickinson told the French news magazine L'Obs that he was "quite relaxed about the idea" of the United Kingdom separating from the European Union, explaining that he thought Brexit would make Britain "more flexible" and that "Brexit actually opens our borders, Brexit opens the United Kingdom to the whole of the world." Three years later, Bruce, who admitted he voted to leave the EU, told Sky News that Brexit was making it harder for British acts to do tours and concerts in Europe and that the government should be doing more to help.

Vante have released their self-titled debut album via Dark Star Records. The new full length CD is available at all retailers worldwide as well as all digital stores.


The second singe, "Watch The Sunrise" is out now, accompanied by a video that can be viewed below. "Watch The Sunrise" is the #2 Most Added track on both the Billboard/BDS Mainstream Rock Indicator and Foundations Secondary Market Rock Radio Charts.


Brian Troch, lead singer, "This Vante track deals with crawling out of the proverbial shit and finally finding a place that is a true nexus in your soul and plane of existence. Leaving behind and shedding your dirty skin after so many tries to get out and heading back home where the clean air and sun can wash your filth away, this time for good for you have arrived."




Scott McClellan on the new single "Watch The Sunrise": "The riff was a simple influence from the beat, I get all my riff ideas from a strong groove , this one wrote itself, I believe the message will gel with many on this song. Of course the song became better as it went along due to the prolific players & writers involved."
 
Bass player Rev Jones: “Just like the rest of the Vante album this song has several musical elements that keep you moving. I love the way the groove and the melody intertwine. Plus the video adds another great element to be enjoyed.”
 
And, drummer Chris Moore, "Vante is an expressive musical entity that begins as a soulful groove and ends as a primal heartbeat. 'Watch The Sunrise' is a natural extension of that groove and heartbeat."





Purchase of stream Vante’s self-titled debut album here.





Tracklisting:


"Why Is It So Cold"
"It’s My Life"
"Watch The Sunrise"
"Paint It Red"
"The Craving"
"Going With The Flow"
"I Stand"
"Animal"
"Under My Skin"
"Waiting For Reverence"
"Scary Was The Man"
"Thunder And Rain"
"The Road To Shangri-La"
"Never The Slave"


"Why Is It So Cold" video:





- Co-Produced by Brian Troch, Jaben Pennell and Scott McClellan
- Mixed and Mastered at Vibehouse productions by Jaben Pennell


Vante lineup:


Brian Troch - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar, Additional Bass, Keys
Scott McClellan - Guitar, Lead Guitar, Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocals
Rev Jones - Bass Guitar, Guitar, Fretless Bass
Chris Moore - Drums
Jeff Tortora - Drums
Jaben Pennell - Hammond B-3 Organ on "The Craving" & "Going With The Flow"
Jenny Franck - Background Vocals on "I Stand" & "It’s My Life

Jawbone Press has set a July 26 release date for the "fully revised and updated" edition of "My Bloody Roots: From Sepultura To Soulfly And Beyond", the autobiography of Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, KILLER BE KILLED). The book includes a foreword by Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA) and a brand new afterword by Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD).

Max Cavalera has an extraordinary story to tell, and "My Bloody Roots" is an autobiography like no other. Much more than just another tale of rock 'n' roll debauchery, it's a story of heartbreak and loss — and, ultimately, triumph. In it, Cavalera offers an unflinching account of life growing up in hardship in Brazil — a country not previously known for heavy metal — and the multimillion-selling success, against all odds, of the band he founded with his brother, Igor: SEPULTURA.

Then, for the first time, he reveals the full story behind his split with the band — after which he did not speak to his brother for years — and the formation of his SOULFLY, one of the most critically and commercially successful metal bands of recent decades. He also goes into unflinching detail on the devastating impact of the deaths of his father, stepson, and grandson; his struggles with drugs and alcohol; his eventual reunion with Igor in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY; and more.

This revised and updated edition continues to trace Max's career to the present day, covering the formation of his new band GO AHEAD AND DIE as well as the supergroup KILLER BE KILLED.

Max Cavalera has been a professional musician since 1984 and has toured the world many times. He was a founder member of the metal band SEPULTURA, before forming SOULFLY, who released their eleventh studio album, "Ritual", in 2018, and whose drummer is his son Zyon. He also plays in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY with his brother Igor, GO AHEAD AND DIE with his son Igor, and in the supergroup KILLER BE KILLED. SOUFLY's new album, "Totem", will arrive on August 5 via Nuclear Blast.

In an interview with Phoenix New Times, Max stated about his decision to write his memoir: "It felt like it was a good time. I'm reaching about 30 years of my career. 30 years of music. It's a story that I think is really cool. Coming from Brazil . . . and you know, achieving what you wanted, your dream.

"There is a lot really funny shit in it. Pissing off Lemmy [Kilmister of MOTÖRHEAD]. Throwing wine on Lemmy's head. Lemmy chewing Gloria's [Cavalera, Max's wife and manager] ass, saying he wants to kick my ass. Puking on Eddie Vedder [PEARL JAM] on a MINISTRY tour. Those are fucking amazing stories and you can't fabricate this shit. The time made it. So it was a long process.

"I worked with a guy, Joel McIver, who is an English writer. He wrote a Randy Rhoads book, a MOTÖRHEAD book, a DEEP PURPLE book, and a METALLICA unofficial biography, which they really loved. We did about 1,000 interviews trying to remember everything. It wasn't chronological. One day, we'd talk about my childhood or the split from SEPULTURA or the death of [Max Cavalera's stepson] Dana. That was a really hard time to talk to about. It tough to talk about that stuff. That was hard . . . Dark, really dark."

Asked if it was therapeutic for him to go through all of this, Max said: "We treated it more like conversation, like we're doing right now. It was more like us just having a talk.

"I wanted to be easy for people to read. I didn't want it to be complicated. I wanted it to be as easy as possible.

"The book starts in Brixton [London], which was the last show with SEPULTURA. Then we go back to my childhood in Brazil.

"I didn't know it was the final show at the time, but it was a really explosive way to begin. I thought it was a really cool to open it like that. It was his idea, instead of going chronologically. I was on top, conquering the world, and then right after that, getting kicked in the head and everything was gone. My band was gone, my brother was gone, Dana had just died.

"Dave Grohl did an awesome intro. He tells a story about how he bought a $50,000 speaker for his studio sound system, and he pops in [SEPULTURA album] 'Roots' and it blew up the whole fucking thing. [mimicking Grohl] ''Roots' blew up my whole system.' I love that story. If your album can blow up a $50,000 system, you're doing something right. Mike Patton [FAITH NO MORE, MR. BUNGLE, TOMAHAWK] says really cool shit about us in Brazil. He was hanging out with us in Brazil, going to voodoo places. I took him to voodoo rituals in Brazil. He was staying at Igor's house. It was really cool. Sharon Osbourne talks about the Dana thing [in the book]. We were playing Donington [Monsters Of Rock festival] with [Ozzy Osbourne] and they flew us home in their private jet when Dana died. It was a horrible thing. We were flying home because Gloria's son died, in Ozzy's plane. It was horrible. The whole time. It was so dark. I wanted to say something to Gloria and words couldn't even come out of my mouth. Sharon talks about feeling like we needed a friend at that time and she was able to help us. They didn't have to do anything. They were just playing a show with us, and yet they showed their true colors. Somebody else could have said, 'I'm sorry for your loss,' but they didn't do that. They put us on their plane, gave us money and gave Gloria a crucifix. It was amazing. Then when I got kicked out of SEPULTURA, it was around January, we were invited to their [Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne] house for a dinner because Ozzy wanted to encourage me to go on. That's how felt, like he should do something. I went to their house and sat down. Ozzy sat me down and said, 'Fuck them. Fuck those guys. You need to get up off your ass and do something.' It was awesome to hear that from him and I needed to hear that. He played me some BLACK SABBATH demos and it blew my mind. It was fucking awesome to hear that from him. I was tripping the whole time. I never even imagined I would do that. You know, like when I was a kid in Brazil, if you would have told me I would sit down with Ozzy, fucking BLACK SABBATH, I wouldn't have believed it."