Frontiers Music Srl announces the signing of an exciting new musical force, fronted by not one, not two, but three vocalists, The Erinyes. The band name is derived from Greek mythology, where The Erinyes, also known as the Furies, are a trio of chthonic deities of vengeance.


Vocalists Justine Daaé, Mizuho Lin, and Nicoletta Rosellini share lead vocal duties in The Erinyes. Their debut single and video, "Drown The Flame" is out today. Watch the video below.


"Drown The Flame" serves as a preview of what fans can expect from their upcoming full-length, details of which will be revealed in the coming weeks.







The Erinyes’ singers come from exciting, up-and-coming bands on the metal scene. Justine Daaé fronts her own gothic-industrial metal solo act Elyose out of France, Mizuho Lin is co-lead vocalist in Brazilian symphonic/dark metal band Semblant, and Nicoletta Rosellini sings for the Italian bands Walk In Darkness and Kalidia.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser has been forced to leave the band's current European tour due to a "family emergency." He is being temporarily replaced on the road by Jean Patton of fellow São Paulo, Brazil-based heavy metal act PROJECT46.

Earlier today (Wednesday, June 22),SEPULTURA released the following statement via social media: "Unfortunately, @andreaskisser has returned home due to a family emergency. However, the show must go on, so we've tapped fellow Brazilian @jeanpatt6n (of @project46_oficial) to riff with until Andreas' return. Huge thanks to him for jumping in on short notice (practice is sounding great already!). Please join us in welcoming Jean and wishing Andreas the best. Tour continues tomorrow at @festival_kilkim_zaibu".

This is not the first time Kisser has sat out SEPULTURA shows since he joined the band three and a half decades ago. Back in December 1991, Kisser was unable to perform due to an arm injury and was temporarily replaced on a European tour by KORZUS guitarist Silvio Golfetti.

Last September, Kisser revealed during an appearance on TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy's "GLHF" podcast that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer in February 2021. He said at the time: "She's going through chemo, like surgeries and stuff. She's doing great; she's doing well; the treatment is fantastic. But it's an atomic bomb one after another — pandemic, cancer and stuff. And regardless of that, we're strong. We're very united, we are growing as a band and as a family, and myself as a human being."

Last July, Kisser told A&P Reacts that he quit drinking alcohol right before the pandemic hit. "It was one of the best decisions I made in my life," he said. "Not that I was a fucking out-of-control alcoholic, but alcohol was a part of my life, of everything I did. In certain degrees less and more, but it was there. It was taking control of my life, of my choices, of how I dealt with people or with a special occasion or something. Alcohol was involved in everything. And I don't need that. And I proved now that I don't, because I'm having a better life. I'm doing exercises. I have the routine I never had touring."

He continued: "[When you are on the road], every time you're in a different place, in a different time period. Or you go to a bathroom and you don't shower and you have to travel, et cetera. That was our life. And with the pandemic, I had finally a routine. I kind of complained before because I couldn't do exercises, I couldn't have my diet, I couldn't study classical guitar. Now I have all that, and I appreciate that a lot.

"The stuff that I have with my wife and my kids, that I'm never home [when SEPULTURA is in the middle of an album cycle], I'm always here now. It was a difficult time, but we recreated ourselves kind of. We are a better family now — a much better family now. And that's very special. And I have to be thankful for that somehow, that I was able really to make the best out of something so terrible."

According to Kisser, "it was very easy" for him to give up the bottle. "Once you have a clear idea in your mind, there's no discussion," he explained. "I didn't put the responsibility on a saint or, let's say, in a church, or 'I will stop for a year' or 'I promise you, my wife, I don't drink anymore.' No. It's not for them. It's a very personal attitude. It's me with me — not more. I don't have to put the responsibility away from myself, in a time period or in a certain religious belief or my family. They don't deserve that. This is my problem, and I resolve it with myself. So I'm in peace with myself with that. It's not something that bothers me. I can be around alcohol, I can be around parties, I can be around backstage, as I did with my KISSER CLAN band here and stuff. People drink around [me], [and] I don't care. I don't even feel the wish to drink, which is great. So I don't have a battle, let's put it that way. I'm not running away from anything. I just decided to stop. That's it."

SEPULTURA comprises Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande.

SEPULTURA was formed in Belo Horizonte by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, who are no longer with the band.

🇬🇧 Unfortunately, Andreas Kisser has returned home due to a family emergency. However, the show must go on🤘🤘, so we've…

Posted by Sepultura on Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Fans have expressed their concern about the well-being of WHITESNAKE's longtime guitarist Reb Beach after he missed several shows on the band's ongoing European tour.

Beach sat out four dates on WHITESNAKE's current trek, which kicked off in early May in Dublin, Ireland: June 14 in Prague, Czech Republic, June 17 at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium, June 19 in Munich, Germany, June 21 in Zurich, Switzerland.

After the Prague concert, fellow WHITESNAKE guitarist Joel Hoekstra addressed Reb's absence in a tweet, writing: "Tonight @Whitesnake rocked @PrahaEU – Prague, Czech Republic along with our friends @europetheband ! A little last minute stress as Reb Beach was under the weather and I had to cover his solos. But, we gave you our best Prague!! The show must go on! #Whitesnake #TheFarewellTour".

Hoekstra's most recent update on Beach's condition came earlier today (Wednesday, June 22) in response to a fan on Twitter. Asked if Reb has gotten over his illness yet, Joel wrote: Hopefully Rebel returns immediately. Nobody misses him more than me. #GuitarTEAM".

Beach is one of the indisputable guitar giants of the current hard rock scene. His resume with '80s/'90s mega-stars WINGER alone would earn him this distinction, but his legacy is cemented by his current membership and work with the legendary WHITESNAKE, his past efforts with DOKKEN, and his recent release with supergroup BLACK SWAN, also featuring Jeff Pilson, Robin MacAuley and Matt Starr.

Influenced by the legendary hard rockers of the '70s, Reb spent his teen years jamming along with the greats of that era like AEROSMITH and MONTROSE, but it was when he discovered more progressive players like Steve Morse, Allan Holdsworth and Larry Carlton that his musical world really opened up. The complexity and the speed of the more prog style of playing was a unique challenge compared to the blues-based playing of most musicians of that era. The discovery of these players was ultimately the catalyst that drove his playing to the level he is now so well known to music fans the world over for. Beach eventually graduated from his home practice space to the Berklee College Of Music, but after a couple of semesters he moved on and soon became one of the most sought-after session players in the music industry, working with such all-time great talents as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Roger Daltrey, Chaka Kahn, Howard Jones and TWISTED SISTER.

While living in New York City, Reb hooked up with his future bandmate, bassist and frontman Kip Winger. Reb and Kip formed the band WINGER and the rest is history. The two proved to be incredible writing partners, crafting multiple platinum records that featured no less than six Top 40 singles. With music that was commercial yet complex.

After WINGER went on a hiatus in the '90s, Beach's career continued thanks to collaborations with Alice Cooper, DOKKEN and NIGHT RANGER, and he debuted as a solo artist in 2002 with the album "Masquerade".

Following the WINGER reunion in the '00s, Reb heard that David Coverdale was looking for a new guitarist for WHITESNAKE. He reached out to him and since 2003, Reb has toured the world with the band as well as released multiple albums with them, including "Good To Be Bad", "Forevermore", "The Purple Album" and the recent "Flesh & Blood", plus a number of live albums.

Beach released an instrumental solo album, "A View From The Inside", in November 2020 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Tonight @Whitesnake rocked @PrahaEU - Prague, Czech Republic along with our friends @europetheband ! A little last minute stress as Reb Beach was under the weather and I had to cover his solos. But, we gave you our best Prague!! The show must go on! #Whitesnake#TheFarewellTourpic.twitter.com/LQK7Rp470d

— Joel Hoekstra (@joelhoekstra13) June 14, 2022


Hopefully back ASAP! Nobody missed him more than me😁

— Joel Hoekstra (@joelhoekstra13) June 16, 2022


Thank you! Hopefully Rebel returns immediately. Nobody misses him more than me. #GuitarTEAM

— Joel Hoekstra (@joelhoekstra13) June 22, 2022

THE HALO EFFECT, the new project featuring five former members of the Swedish metal band IN FLAMES — Jesper Strömblad (guitar),Daniel Svensson (drums),Peter Iwers (bass),Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals) — will release its debut album, "Days Of The Lost", on August 12 via Nuclear Blast.

Asked in a new interview with "The Back Lounge" podcast about some fans' perception that THE HALO EFFECT was formed primarily with the intention of "sticking it" to IN FLAMES, Peter said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, no, no. It couldn't be further from the truth. Somebody said it to me perfectly… When you get that question, well, it's like talking about your ex-wife. You had it, it was great at the time, but then you moved on. So THE HALO EFFECT started out of love for music — not at all to spite anybody or to create some rivalry; nothing like that at all. And it needs to be said, and it probably will be said a bunch of times. The love for music and the love for each other is a hundred percent what it's all about."

Peter went on to say that forming a band with the intention of competing with someone else "would be totally the wrong reason" to do it. "Everything I do I base upon how I feel," he explained. "I try to do everything with a good vibe and everything that makes me feel good, feel great. And that's what it's all about with everything that I do. So if I would ever start something to piss somebody else off, then it wouldn't make me feel good, and I couldn't keep on doing it. It's real simple in my world, but I understand how people think that and how some people would like to think that. But there's no rivalry. IN FLAMES, I was a member for 20 years. And it is what it is. It's a great band and they always will be."

THE HALO EFFECT made its live debut on June 11 at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Earlier in the month, Iwers was asked in an interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast if he would agree that "Days Of The Lost" is, in some ways, a "spiritual successor" to "Reroute To Remain", IN FLAMES' sixth album, which came out in 2022. Peter said: "Ooh, interesting. I haven't really thought about it. When you make music, like we do, you tend not to overthink stuff — you just go in and you write music and kind of know that what comes out will sound a certain way because of the style that we are playing and how we are playing and performing our music. So I haven't really thought about it, but maybe — maybe. It was definitely nothing intentional. We just went in. We had a bunch of ideas and we came out with a bunch of songs that happen to sound a certain way. But none of us really overthought it and it was never meant to 'it's gonna sound like this' or 'it's gonna sound like that.' We just [went], 'Let's write this music and see what happens.' And because of, like I said, how we're playing, it will sound a certain way."

Added Daniel: "A lot of people like to analyze music, and, of course, it sounds Gothenburg metal-ish because we all are from that genre and we are some of the people that kind of created it. So, of course, it will sound Gothenburg metal-ish, IN FLAMES-ish. And then which era, I don't know. And as Peter said, we don't really think about how it should sound. This is how we sound today, and with our legacy this is inevitable, that we sound as we do."

Continued Peter: "Obviously, people like to do a lot of comparing between us… It's a difficult topic to discuss because none of us have — even though we've all been in IN FLAMES at some point, none of us have really thought about this as what you're saying. But then a lot of people that we speak to say it. So it's a little hard to take in, as we've been very thorough in just writing music. But I'd say it's a little flattering to hear it."

Svensson, who joined IN FLAMES in 1998, announced in 2015 that he was leaving the group to focus on his family life.

A member of IN FLAMES since 1997, Iwers issued a statement in November 2016 saying that he was exiting the band "to pursue other endeavors."

A founding member of IN FLAMES, Strömblad quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

Engelin has been sitting out IN FLAMES' tour dates for the past three years but has never officially confirmed his departure from the band. Engelin's replacement for IN FLAMES' live shows since then has been former MEGADETH and current ACT OF DEFIANCE guitarist Chris Broderick.

Stanne recently told the "Heavy Hops" podcast about THE HALO EFFECT's musical direction: "Niclas started writing a few songs, just based on what he has and what he kind of digs. And I immediately felt, like, 'Oh, this is super cool. We're on to something here.' It's super heavy, it's melodic — it's all those things that we kind of grew up trying to do. Then Jesper got involved and he started changing a little bit of that or adding stuff to it. And we were, like, 'Okay, this is awesome.' It doesn't feel new at all, it doesn't feel super different, but at the same time, why should we? Let's focus on the things that we know best and try to kind of recapture that feeling that we had when we were kids, when we wanted to play together and that kind of playful atmosphere. Because the longer you play together with your main band or what have you, you try to constantly reinvent yourself, and so much energy goes into trying to be different from what you have done before. Whereas starting something new like this with a very familiar genre of music meant that you could be very free about it. It doesn't have to be anything in particular, it doesn't have to conform to any rules — it just needs to fucking kick ass and feel good."

Shortly after leaving IN FLAMES, Iwers joined CYHRA, the band featuring vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE) and Strömblad. He announced his departure from that band in May 2018.

THE HALO EFFECT's first-ever tour will be as the support act for Swedish death metal giants AMON AMARTH and U.S. metallers MACHINE HEAD on 31 dates throughout Europe in the summer and fall of 2022.

Photo credit: Markus Esselmark

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee has teamed up with EURYTHMICS co-founder Dave Stewart to record a reimagined version of THE EVERLY BROTHERS classic song "Love Hurts". Stewart and Lee's inspired rendition of "Love Hurts" will be released on Friday, June 24 via Bay Street Records across all DSPs. Fans can watch the official music video for the song ahead of Friday's release.

"My collaboration with Amy happened by chance, but turned into a magical adventure," says Stewart. "She's a creative force and we work so well together. We quickly realized our version sounded nothing like the original but once we started, we couldn't stop!"

Lee adds: "A few weeks back Dave Stewart called and asked if I wanted to collaborate on the iconic EVERLY BROTHERS song 'Love Hurts'," adds Lee. "We clicked like magic and obsessed over it until it became this crazy new thing. I'm beyond excited about our new friendship and our new track."

With a career spanning four decades and over 100 million album sales worldwide, award-winning singer, songwriter, musician and producer Stewart is among the most respected and accomplished talents in popular music history. Stewart co-wrote and produced each EURYTHMICS album in his world-famous duo with Annie Lennox. He has also produced albums and co-written songs with Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Tom Petty, Gwen Stefani, Damian Marley, Stevie Nicks, Bryan Ferry, A.R. Rahman, Katy Perry, Sinead O'Connor, Aretha Franklin, Al Green and Joss Stone, and many others. He is currently working with Stone on the recently announced musical of "The Time Traveler's Wife", due to premiere later this year. His wide-ranging work has earned Stewart a long list of prestigious honors, including over fifty ASCAP and BMI Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards for "Best Songwriter," four BRIT Awards for "Best Producer" (including a Lifetime Achievement Award),a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" by EURYTHMICS was recently inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in recognition of its qualitative and historical significance, and Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox were among the 2020 inductees into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame with a ceremony taking place in June 2022. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced EURYTHMICS as 2022 inductees for their profound impact on music.

Beyond his creative work as a musician, Stewart is a renowned film and TV producer (including NBC's hit songwriting competition series "Songland"),author, photographer, public speaker, and entrepreneur. In 2010, Stewart established Dave Stewart Entertainment (DSE),a "media company for the new world" (Los Angeles Times),linking creative ideas to a host of projects in music, film, television, books, theatre, and new media. As the creator of content for DSE, Stewart has married his passion for music, film, and television by creating a number of high-profile projects.

Lee is a singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as the co-founder of the two-time Grammy Award-winning rock band EVANESCENCE. Having recorded five studio albums with the band and touring the globe many times over, Amy has made an impact on people around the world. The 2003 debut album, "Fallen", spent 43 weeks in the Billboard Top 10 and has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, 10 million copies in the U.S. alone, crowning it diamond. The "Bring Me to Life" music video has also now reached more than one billion views on YouTube. In March of 2021, EVANESCENCE released its fifth studio album, "The Bitter Truth", featuring the songs "Wasted On You" and "Use My Voice", both of which were nominated for MTV Video Awards, as well as "Better Without You", a Top 10-charting song at U.S. rock radio, having spent an incredible 27 weeks on the chart.

Lee's solo work consists of a wide range of styles, from emotional end title themes, experimental film scores, a variety of collaborations and an album of children's music, to her unique reimaginings of songs in her growing library of eclectic covers. Some stand-out moments include her original composition "Speak To Me", the title song for the film "Voice From The Stone", directed by Eric D. Howell, "Aftermath", an album of music written for the film "War Story", directed by Mark Jackson, the 2015 children's album "Dream Too Much", fan-favorite covers EP "Recover", and some stellar collaborations with artists including BRING ME THE HORIZON, Lindsey Stirling, BODY COUNT and HALESTORM.

Lee and EVANESCENCE will be on tour this summer and fall across the U.S. and Europe.

The official music video for "She Moves Me", a song from JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE — which features ex-GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell alongside former GREAT WHITE bassist-turned-guitarist Tony Montana (as a guitar player and keyboardist),Dan McNay (MONTROSE) on bass, Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar and Dicki Fliszar (BRUCE DICKINSON) on drums — can be seen below. The track is taken from JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE's debut album, "He Saw it Comin'", which was released in January 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Rather than look backwards and merely attempt to relive the multi-platinum hard rock entity's storied origins, Jack Russell set his sights on the future. In December 2011, JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE first bared its teeth. Robby Lochner has been with Jack since JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE's inception, and they soon welcomed longtime bassist and friend Tony Montana — this time as a guitar player and keyboardist. They then added drummer Dicki Fliszar, then bassist Dan McNay. This group has a sharp, soaring, eclectic, hook-laden new album ready, boasting the bluesy hard rock stomp that made Russell and Montana icons in the first place.

"It's a powerful band," Russell proclaimed at the time of the LP's release. "The music is dynamic and I've gone where I've never gone before. Lochner was a catalyst for moving forward. I wasn't sure how the writing would go at first but soon realized the chemistry is beyond words. He's my co-pilot and one of my best friends."

"He Saw it Comin'" taps into the bluesy bombast and heavy energy of Russell's celebrated material, but it's a distinctly modern metallic monster.

"We want the new material to blow people's ears back," Russell went on. "It has the elements of the best of GREAT WHITE, but there's diversity, vibe and an edge to it. It draws from our '60s and '70s roots in a more modern way."

Montana agreed. "It's got the classic sound," he said. "The first element is Jack's voice. No other band sounds like this one, ever did or does now. When I was 17 years old, I remember walking around the UCLA campus listening to the band's first EP. I was a fan before I ever joined the band. We're going to maintain that integrity moving forward."

"For me this is so much more than a collection of songs, it is the culmination of a lifetime of living," said Jack. "It is about addictions, love, pain and many facets of the human condition. I tend to write autobiographically and on this album I dealt with topics I've never explored."

Russell told disc jockey Eddie Winters about the songwriting process for "He Saw It Coming": "There wasn't any songs that were really a struggle to write. I write the music on some and I had the melody lines and some lyrics, and I showed it to Robby, and I don't play [guitar], so I've kind of gotta [hum the riffs or chord progressions], or whatever, and he's gotta figure out a chord from one note. So he just picked up on that right away, and it was amazing. 'Cause you write with somebody for thirty-some years and all of a sudden you write with somebody else, and you're, like, 'Okay. How's this gonna be? Is he gonna have a bunch of dumb ideas that I don't like? Or is he gonna think my ideas are crappy? Or are we just gonna hit it off. And I was really surprised when it was just… boom! We were thinking along the same lines. But Robby added a flavor to what I was doing guitar-wise and melody-wise. He's one of those music-theory guys, so we have a lot of moving harmonies and stuff we never had before."

About the song "Blame It On The Night", Russell said: "Most of the material I have written in my life has been autobiographical, [but] this song is one of the exceptions. The song was written for and about my wife's childhood. Because of the subject and the feelings I have for my wife, this was a very difficult song to sing. But I believe that the topic is an important one to bring into the light and out of the shadows."

JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with the current touring version of GREAT WHITE, which features Mark Kendall, Scott Snyder (bass),Audie Desbrow (drums),Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards) and Andrew Freeman (lead vocals).

Russell exited GREAT WHITE in December 2011 after he was unable to tour with the group due a series of injuries, including a perforated bowel and a shattered pelvis. Jack largely blamed these injuries on his alcohol and painkiller addictions as well as the prednisone drug he was prescribed.

Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after Jack had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by Kendall, Lardie and Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell now performing as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.

HIGHLY SUSPECT's fourth full-length album, "The Midnight Demon Club", will arrive on September 9 via Roadrunner/FRKST. It is available for pre-order / pre-save at all streaming platforms now. The three-time Grammy Award-nominated band has also shared two new tracks, "Natural Born Killer" and "Pink Lullabye", with "Natural Born Killer" joined by an Andrew Sandler-directed music video.

Regarding the LP, lead vocalist and guitarist Johnny Stevens (a.k.a. Terrible Johnny) shared: "Life comes at you fast. We are constantly reminded of this, and perhaps no greater occurrence will spark the imagination more than the death of a loved one. In my experience, it's during these moments of processing great loss that the mind is completely focused on 'what ifs' as we try and escape what is. 'The Midnight Demon Club' is about becoming the best version of yourself after tragedy, so it's a second chance on life with a happier mindset. 'The Midnight Demon Club' is all about having fun and keeping it moving. Because, as we all know, this life is way too short."

Stevens also remarked on lead single "Natural Born Killer", explaining: "I'm always fighting for my place out here in this world. And there are two mindsets one could have — roll over and mope about the hard shit or just be a motherfucking life beast and smash all your challenges at hand. And if you're really a badass, have fun doing it. That's the flow. That's the essence of being a natural born killer."

"The Midnight Demon Club" finds HIGHLY SUSPECT at a turning point. Produced by HIGHLY SUSPECT and WZRD BLD, the 12-track offering teems with truth barely contained in fits of metallic exorcism and hip-hop-induced beat craft. Stoned musings about a world on the brink of destruction ride over gorgeously uneasy orchestration and vocal transmissions that drip with sadness, longing, rage, and confidence all at once.

Right now, HIGHLY SUSPECT is canvasing Europe on "The Devils In The Detail" tour. The trek visits multiple countries before wrapping up at Lollapalooza in Paris, France on July 17. They'll head back to the United States for appearances at Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky on September 22 and Pointfest in Maryland Heights, Missouri on September 24.

Never content to follow, HIGHLY SUSPECT push rock music forward by trusting its instincts and raising a middle finger to everything else. The gold-certified band — Johnny Stevens (vocals, guitar),Ryan Meyer (drums, vocals),Rich Meyer (bass, vocals),Matt Kofos (guitar) and Mark Schwartz (synths) — don't just talk about burning the rules and breaking the mold; they actually do so. The band's chemically imbalanced mix of gritty guitars, haunting piano, off-kilter synths, hip-hop production, cinematic vision, and beautifully possessed vocals transformed them into a phenomenon beloved by a diehard global fanbase known as "MCID" (My Crew Is Dope).

After grinding it out as an underground curiosity, they scraped a path to mainstream infamousness with their 2015 full-length debut, "Mister Asylum". It earned a Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Album" as the single "Lydia" received a nomination for "Best Rock Song" was certified gold by the RIAA. The 2016 follow-up "The Boy Who Died Wolf" roared to life with the gold-selling "My Name Is Human", which catapulted to No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and garnered a Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Song." 2019's "MCID" affirmed them as the rare outfit who could collaborate with Young Thug and GOJIRA on the same album. Loudwire hailed the latter among the "50 Best Rock Albums of 2019."

"The Midnight Demon Club" track listing:

01. The Sound
02. Natural Born Killer
03. Ice Cold
04. Midnight Demon Club
05. Caught On Fire
06. Wild Eyed Son
07. Pink Lullabye
08. New California
09. Need To Say
10. Cool Kids
11. Love Like This
12. Evangeline

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine

Pennsylvania rock band, Another Day Dawns, have announced their signing to Century Media Records.


“It’s honestly been a dream come true,” states Another Day Dawns frontman Dakota Sean. “We’ve been working towards this goal ever since we were kids practicing covers in the basement. The fact that Century Media believes in us enough to sign us and stand behind us, is such an amazing feeling. To have their full support as well as all of our fan’s support, who have been with us since day one, is inspiring and is part of what keeps us going.”


Guitarist Tyler Ritter adds, “It’s still honestly setting in, every little step we take further into this just builds more and more excitement. We’ve wanted this from the very beginning, and now bands that have inspired me, who I never imagined we’d be in the same category as, are our label mates. We’re definitely more ready than ever to be the band we’ve always dreamt of being, and I have no doubts that we’re capable of delivering the album that will establish us as such. It’s beyond exciting to have Century Media give us the opportunity to finally do this. We’re so grateful to them, and everyone who’s ever supported us. It’s been a long grind and it’s only being amplified more now, we all feel the dramatic shift that those years have lead to.”




Century Media Director, Philipp Schulte, states about Another Day Dawns signing, “We’re pleased to announce our cooperation with Another Day Dawns. Their combination of young energy, songwriting chops and passionate delivery – in addition with the work they’ve put in on the road and the success they’ve already had at radio, points towards an exciting and bright future together.”


Formed in 2010 Another Day Dawns continues to be the most talked about up-and-coming rock act in the Northeast to Mid-Atlantic region of the US. Lead by Dakota Sean (frontman), Tyler Ritter (guitarist), Jerome Betz (bassist) and Nick McGeehan (drummer), the band self-released their EP A Different Life in February 2020. The EP charted on Billboard and featured "Taste of Heaven" which peaked at 40 on the Active Rock Chart and "Forget Me Not" that peaked at 31. These successes have solidified their foundation at Active Rock radio.


For the last two years Another Day Dawns have played non-stop with bands such as Atreyu, Issues, Starset, Buckcherry, and Sevendust, as well as performing at festivals such as Louder than Life, Aftershock, and Blue Ridge Rock Festival. This has created a strong following in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states that they will continue to expand on.


The band is currently in the studio working on their new album and Century Media debut. Stay tuned for more details about the release.

Metalcore band WE CAME AS ROMANS will release its first new album in five years, "Darkbloom", on October 14 via Sharptone Records. The LP is dedicated to late WE CAME AS ROMANS singer Kyle Pavone who died of an accidental drug overdose in August 2018. A very special run of vinyl, limited to only 1000, featuring an exclusive layout with a 10-page booklet is available now from iamdarkbloom.com.

Today's announcement is highlighted by the release of brand new single "Plagued' and its accompanying visualizer.

WE CAME AS ROMANS guitarist Josh Moore comments: "We are so excited to finally be able to announce the release of our next record 'Darkbloom'. This will be our first record in five years, and we want to thank you all for being patient with us as we were figuring out if we could, and how we could continue moving forward as a band.

"We wrote this record about all the feelings we felt, and all the emotional places we lived in, navigating the loss of our brother Kyle. Every song is about a different part of our lives over the past few years, an insight to the struggles we had, and how we were able to make it to where we are now. We hope you all can take a deep dive into these songs and connect with us — and if you're feeling any of the ways we did, we hope these songs can help you push forward.

"This record is dedicated to Kyle — we'll never forget you, and we will never stop saying your name."

Regarding "Plagued", Moore says: "We've been waiting forever to release this song, and were stoked to finally put it out! We finished writing 'Plagued' in January 2020, so it's great to finally share it with our fans. My friend who I do a ton of writing with, Nick Sampson, texted me a little video of this idea for a riff he was working on — and I loved it. So I drove over to his place and we finished the song together — and then our friend Ryan Leitru came in and we all sat down and wrote the vocals to it. Over a year later, when we were in the studio recording the album with Drew Fulk, we smoothed out just a few parts and the song was done! And now here we are — over two years later, able to share 'Plagued' with you.

"Lyrically, 'Plagued' was about a part in the grieving process we all went through — feeling like the anguish you're dealing with, then anger you're dealing with, is turning you into a different person. That you're watching yourself change into someone you don't want to be — being consumed and overwhelmed by your grief. It's an incredibly difficult thing to five with, and I hope this song can help anyone who's feeling the same way."

"Darkbloom" track listing:

01. Darkbloom
02. Plagued
03. Black Hole
04. Daggers
05. Golden
06. One More Day
07. Doublespeak
08. The Anchor
09. Holding The Embers
10. Promise You

WE CAME AS ROMANS' fifth album, "Cold Like War", was released in October 2017 through Sharptone Records.

Pavone joined WE CAME AS ROMANS in 2008 as vocalist and keyboardist and appeared on all five of the band's previous albums. Their 2013 LP, "Tracing Back Roots", peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.

San Francisco Bay Area metal titans MACHINE HEAD have dropped a new song, "Unhallowed", along with an accompanying music video. The track is lifted from the band's tenth studio album, "Of Kingdom And Crown", which will be released on August 26 via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings.

"Of Kingdom And Crown" is a 13-track concept album set in a decimated futuristic wasteland where the sky is stained crimson red. The crux of the story is based on two main characters: the first and main character is Ares (pronounced Aries),who loses the love of his life (Amethyst) and goes on a murderous rampage against the vile sect responsible for her murder; the second character is the perpetrator Eros (pronounced Arrows),who loses his mother to a drug overdose and becomes radicalized in the aftermath. Eros goes off the deep end manifesting his own killing spree. The lyrics detail how their lives intertwine.

MACHINE HEAD vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn states: "'Unhallowed': Chapter Six – 'Of Kingdom And Crown'.

"Drowning in the deepest depression of his life, Eros is at a breaking point. Collecting heartaches, loss, and near psychotic isolation, 'Unhallowed' is the beginning of a powerful shift of our story. An introspective narrative starts the song lyrically, which is a collaborative effort written by myself, guitarist Wacław 'Vogg' Kiełtyka and bassist/backing vocalist Jared MacEachern and encapsulates the collective strength of this writing team.

"Anchored by an absolutely monstrous groove, the vocals melodically mirror the state of mind of Eros as he reels from the loss of his mother to a drug overdose and begins a slow downward spiral into madness. However, the culmination of the track infuses some much-needed light, but will it be enough?"

The follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis", "Of Kingdom And Crown" includes the three songs that were featured on last year's "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky". Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with engineer/producer Zack Ohren.

Back in December 2021, drummer Navene Koperweis (ANIMALS AS LEADERS, ENTHEOS, ANIMOSITY) joined Flynn, MacEachern and Ohren at Sharkbite Studios to jam on the final tracks for "Of Kingdom And Crown" and add some finishing touches to the songs.

The colossal concept comes with a list of equally colossal packaging for various physical formats including 16 different worldwide vinyl formats, deluxe vinyl box set (with bonus tracks),CDs (both old-school longbox and jewel box options),multi-color cassettes, and a limited-edition digipak with bonus tracks. CDs, digipak, cassettes, and all digital formats will be available on August 26, with all vinyl formats arriving on November 25.

"Of Kingdom And Crown" track listing:

01. Slaughter The Martyr
02. Choke On The Ashes Of Your Hate
03. Become The Firestorm
04. Overdose
05. My Hands Are Empty
06. Unhallowed
07. Assimilate
08. Kill Thy Enemies
09. No Gods, No Masters
10. Bloodshot
11. Rotten
12. Terminus
13. Arrows In Words From The Sky

Digipak CD bonus tracks:

14. Exteroception *
15. Arrows In Words From The Sky (acoustic)*

Flynn recently told Metal Hammer magazine about the musical direction of the new MACHINE HEAD material: "It's similar to [2003's 'Through The Ashes Of Empires' and 2007's 'The Blackening'] in that we're moving forward into something fresh and new but it's got that classic MACHINE HEAD vibe. We have a lot to deliver and expectations are very high, so I'm lucky to have great people surrounding me. Jared really stepped up and wrote some great riffs and great vocals. Vogg contributed a few ideas and brought some really great songs."

He continued: "It's fucking heavy, probably the heaviest we've been in a few albums. I've been playing so much guitar recently; I do Electric Happy Hours every Friday and sometimes you play a song you haven't played in 10, 20 years, or go through a whole album from top to bottom. When we toured 'Burn My Eyes', it took me back to where I was writing that music. I don't think I can ever be in that place again lyrically, but riff-wise, I think that all spilled into this album."

This past February, MacEachern told Primordial Radio about his contributions to MACHINE HEAD's new album: "I think that I was very aware from day one that Robb is the leader, he's the creative leader, the musical leader… We all have our inputs but I think it's always understood that ultimately the decision is up to him for how things go. But, yeah, I definitely made contributions and I feel great about those contributions and I'm asked about my opinion on certain things. But, like I said, I'm following his lead."

As for the sound of the new MACHINE HEAD LP, Jared said: "It's a pretty — to use Robb's word… I believe he used the word 'colossal' the other day. It's a pretty big-, epic-sounding album. We've been toying around with the order, but I've been listening, sitting down, taking the time to listen to it all the way through, and the way it goes, it's a ride — a really great, heavy, beautiful, melodic, raging, thrashing ride."

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

MACHINE HEAD will team up with Sweden's Viking metal overlords AMON AMARTH for a co-headline "Vikings And Lionhearts" European arena tour in September and October. Support on the trek will come from THE HALO EFFECT, the new band featuring five former members of IN FLAMES: Peter Iwers, Daniel Svensson, Jesper Strömblad, Niclas Engelin and Mikael Stanne.

"Catharsis" was the final album to feature guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain, who both left MACHINE HEAD in October 2018.

Marty Friedman has praised the new biopic of Elvis Presley, calling it "the be-all-end-all movie" about the iconic singer.

The 59-year-old former MEGADETH guitarist, who says he's been "an Elvis maniac" since the age of six, offered his opinion of Baz Luhrmann's biopic, in which Tom Hanks stars as the singer's manager, in a social media post on Friday (June 17).

He wrote: "Long 'ELVIS the movie' rant ahead…you have been severely warned…continue at your own risk

"Aside from family of course, the only constant that has continued through the vast majority of my life so far is Elvis. A lot of you wonderful folks in here know how much of a fan I am, but for those who don't. I'm a world class otaku when it comes to anything Elvis. I have over 1000 different vinyl records of his from all around the world, from remote countries on every continent except for Antarctica.

"Of course I have all of his movies and specials on DVD, read all the Elvis books from the fantastic to the moronic, and have seen every Elvis related bio, be it a movie, a documentary or TV series, several times. I brought some of my Elvis collection onto the Japanese TV version of 'Antiques Roadshow'. I'm not a religious guy, but the closest thing I have to a religious presence in my life is the way I feel towards Elvis which is completely different from all of my other favorite artists.

"So you get it, I'm a fan. So you might think I'm biased about this new Elvis movie.

"There have been many Elvis biopics and I enjoyed them all a lot. But nothing could have prepared me for this one, and how it utterly destroyed every one I had ever seen before. Don't get me wrong, the others were very well done and top class productions all the way. But this one is in such a different world that it obliterated its predecessors so violently, it's made me envision a stadium class band showing up at a high school battle of the bands contest to the shock of all witnessing it.

"My expectations were high because I heard Lisa Marie give it big praise and Tom Hanks has a solid record of being associated with hits. Still how many times do I need to see the same story I have seen countless times already? The filmmakers managed to tell the story we all know and love with so much fresh creativity, wonderful modern sense and from such a fresh angle that even a jaded Elvis maniac like myself felt like I was seeing everything for the very first time.

"In any movie (or any entertainment vehicle) there are thousands, if not millions of tiny choices to make in its production. It seemed that every choice in this movie was well thought out and executed with deep love and respect of Elvis' music and of Elvis the human. It was a huge treat to look forward to what was coming next in every scene.

"Elvis has suffered the most disgusting posthumous 'duet mashups' imaginable, not the least of which being the criminal pairing with Celine Dion. Most others have been almost as heinous, but some have been pretty good too. When I saw 'Viva Elvis' on stage in Las Vegas, the 'duet mashups' in that show were spine tingling and beautiful, created with love of Elvis as top priority rather than just showcasing the hits everyone knows. So in 'Elvis the Movie', when the opening sequence (!?) started with a jaw dropping and haunting reworking of a very deep cut from the barely known 'It Happened At The World's Fair' soundtrack, I knew this was no cash grab biopic. The opening sequence! Not 'Hound Dog', 'Jailhouse Rock' or 'All Shook Up', but they went with 'Cotton Candy Land', (!!) which was a throwaway song from a movie scene where Elvis sings it as a quick lullaby to a 6 year old girl. How they transformed this lame little ditty from 1963 into such a strong opening for a blockbuster film in 2022, was so incredible that I knew from that moment that I needed to strap myself in for what may come next. The entire 2 hours and 39 minutes of the film was at that same level of ingenuity and the storytelling aspect was so fresh and entertaining, that I didn't want it to end. I shed tears at several points in the film, not only because of the content of the story, but in many instances because of the absolutely exquisite performances and creative new ways to interpret the Elvis songs I have heard my whole life. This is coming from a guy who usually abhors anyone messing with Elvis music. The music in this movie and how it tells the story is out of this world. I'm pretty drained after watching it, actually. I rarely sit still for that long, but I was glued to every frame of this movie. My bony ass hurts.

"I'm so curious to what people will say about this movie, Elvis fans or not. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. I hope I didn't spoil any of it for you, or get your hopes up too high. Maybe I just loved it because I'm an Elvis maniac since I was 6. Maybe a non-Elvis fan may think otherwise.

"Either way, I can't remember being this impressed by a movie, so if you are on the fence about seeing 'one more Elvis biopic', rest assured, you ain't seen nothing yet. Unless they make a new movie documenting the fact that he is actually still alive, this is, and will likely always be, the be all, end all movie about Elvis."

"Elvis" debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last month. The film chronicles Elvis's "rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and the loss of innocence in America," according to Warner Bros.

During a press event earlier this year, Luhrmann said he was inspired to make a movie about Presley due to "musical icons in my life that were so important to me."

"Elvis" hits theaters on June 24.

Long “ELVIS the movie” rant ahead…you have been severely warned…continue at your own risk

Aside from family of course,...

Posted by Marty Friedman on Friday, June 17, 2022

POISON played its second concert in four years on Saturday (June 18) at the Miami Gardens, Florida stop of "The Stadium Tour" at Hard Rock Stadium. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Look What The Cat Dragged In
02. Ride The Wind
03. Talk Dirty To Me
04. Your Mama Don't Dance (Loggins & Messina cover)
05. C.C. DeVille Guitar Solo
06. Something To Believe In
07. Fallen Angel

08. Unskinny Bop
09. Drum Solo
10. Every Rose Has Its Thorn
11. Nothin' But A Good Time

POISON's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE 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 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.

In 2018, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

Back in 2018, POISON bassist Bobby Dall said that the band "should" be making a new studio album but claimed that he didn't know if it would happen. "I'm not going to bullshit you and say there's any [new music] in the process [of being made]," he told All That Shreds. "Would I like there to be? Yes. But, it's a matter of everyone having the time. Everybody in the band has other commitments. Some members have younger children than others. So between those two issues, it's difficult, and, you know, [there are] health issues as we get older. Should we be making a new record? Yes, definitely. But will it happen? I don't know."

In a 2017 interview, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett acknowledged that part of the reason the band hasn't been motivated to work on new music has been the fact that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour. "We could write the second coming of 'Talk Dirty To Me', and I don't know if people wanna hear it or not, and that's a frustrating thing; it really is," he said. "AEROSMITH was able to do it, but not everybody is. I mean, even THE ROLLING STONES have had problems with that in the last few years. So… I don't know. But I do think it's important to stay viable. For the 'über fans,' it's always a really, really good thing. And that's what you do it for — you do it for you, you do it for the real fans, the real true fans."

More recently, Rockett admitted that he and other members of POISON harbor some resentment toward singer Bret Michaels, whose frequent tours as a solo artist caused the band to take a five-year break from the road.

"I think we need to get away from each other and do other things, but at the same time, I think he spent a little too much time away," Rockett said. "There's definitely some resentment, but not resentment like I want him to fail. I want him to do good. I just want POISON to be important too, and I would like [him] to put a little more energy into POISON."

MANOWAR has just released a new digital EP, "The Revenge Of Odysseus (Highlights)", via Magic Circle Entertainment.

For this project, which is based on "The Odyssey", Homer's tale of the great hero Odysseus and his long and perilous quest to return to his wife and son, MANOWAR went to great lengths: bassist/leader Joey DeMaio traveled to Athens to record a narration with father-and-son team Kostas and Konstantinos Kazakos. Kostas, hailed in Greece for his participation in many movies and as an accomplished theater actor and writer, and his son Kostantinos, who is also a talented actor, narrated a touching dialogue between Odysseus and his son Telemachus. And to honor the historic source material, they did so in Ancient Greek, translated from English by Sakis Tolis of Greek metal band ROTTING CHRIST.

"It was a pleasure and privilege to work with Kostas and Konstantinos, Sakis and everyone else who was involved in this narration," DeMaio said. "I call Kostas 'the Greek Orson Welles', not only because these two giants share many remarkable talents and outstanding voices, but also for being equally passionate to deliver a perfect narration while being humble and kind at the same time! We can't wait to share everything with our fans."

"The Revenge Of Odysseus (Highlights)" track listing:

01. Athena's Theme (00:57)
02. Telemachus - Part I (with Konstantinos Kazakos and Sakis Tolis) (Ancient Greek) (02:42)
03. Where Eagles Fly (with Chiara Tricarico) (03:27)
04. Odysseus and Calypso - The Island of Ogygia (with Kostas Kazakos) (Ancient Greek) (00:45 )
05. Immortal

Asked in a December 2021 interview with Metal Hammer Greece's TV show "TV War" if the next MANOWAR release was going to be a full-length album or if it will be the previously planned follow-up to 2019's "The Final Battle I" EP, Joey said: "That's a very good question. You're the first person to ask that. And right now, I truly don't know what is coming next, because we had the inspiration to write this song, which I was thinking could be a very long normal song — like maybe 10 minutes — 'The Revenge Of Odysseus'. And it just got out of hand — it just kept growing and growing. It started out with, 'Maybe it'll just be in English.' Then it was, 'Maybe it'll be in Greek.' And then it became not just Greek — ancient Greek. And then something like famous narrators. And then it became, 'No, we're gonna take one of the most famous, if not the most famous actor in Greece.' And then his son is gonna play the part of Telemachus. And it just got bigger and bigger and bigger. And now, when they came into the studio here in Athens and recorded, it just turned out so amazing. And now I'm stuck with a big problem — there's so much incredible stuff that these guys performed… So the reality, just hearing words has given me the challenge, now how can I match this great performance with music that's gonna be worthy of these beautiful, beautiful performances? So, it's a big fucking problem. So I'm looking forward to getting back into the studio and trying to serve this in the best way that I can."

MANOWAR played the first of two "secret" warm-up shows on June 4 at Jovel Music Hall in Münster, Germany. DeMaio and his bandmates were billed as THE LORDS OF STEEL (performing "the music of MANOWAR") for the gig, which marked MANOWAR's debut live appearance with new drummer Dave Chedrick, who has previously played with RAVEN and KILL RITUAL, among others.

Chedrick joined MANOWAR as the replacement for Anders Johannson who announced earlier that day that he would be unable to join MANOWAR on the band's upcoming "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour '22/'23" due to "family commitments."

Based in Los Angeles, Chedrick has been a metal addict his entire life. Early influences include John Bonham, Neil Peart and, most of all, late MANOWAR drummer Scott Columbus. An accomplished studio musician, Dave is praised for his professionalism, easy-going spirit, and willingness to always go the extra mile in the quest for the perfect sound.

MANOWAR's "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour '22/'23" celebrates the band's over-four-decades-long career with focus on four signature MANOWAR albums and their anniversaries: 40th anniversary of "Battle Hymns", 35th anniversary of "Fighting The World", 30th anniversary of "The Triumph Of Steel", 20th anniversary of "Warriors Of The World".

Manowar Immortal

Highlights From The Revenge Of Odysseus now on iTunes worldwide.
Tonight WORLD PREMIERE ON STAGE at Release Athens!
Hail to Greece!

#immortal #revengeofodysseus #specialguests #premiere #MANOWAR

Posted by MANOWAR on Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Wymer Publishing has set a September 23 release date for "Jon Lord: A Visual Biography".

Lord will forever be immortalized as a musical pioneer. His attitude towards his art form — "It's all music" — ensured that he embraced his joint passions for rock 'n' roll and orchestral music, along with other genres, throughout his career. Having initially found his feet in 1960s R&B group THE ARTWOODS, the formation of DEEP PURPLE with co-conspirator Ritchie Blackmore escalated Jon to huge success with one of the biggest bands of the 1970s, and again in the mid-1980s when the band reformed. In between, several years spent in WHITESNAKE added to his portfolio. Outside of his commitment in both these rock bands, Lord produced many albums under his own name, fusing his various musical interests, producing some sublime work in the process. Eventually deciding that his desire as a composer required more time and commitment than his day job with DEEP PURPLE would afford, he left the band he had helped to create in 2002. For the next decade, Jon engrossed himself in his composing, producing monumental works such as Durham Concerto that became a firm favorite on classic FM radio, and "Boom Of The Tingling Strings", a four-movement piano concerto. All aspects of Jon's long and illustrious career are plotted throughout this book, accompanied by numerous photos, many previously unpublished that help to emphasize the incredibly colorful career of this extraordinarily talented musician.

Lord died in July 2012 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 71 years old.

Jon co-wrote many of DEEP PURPLE's legendary songs, including "Smoke On The Water".

Lord played in WHITESNAKE — the band led by ex-PURPLE singer David Coverdale — from 1978 to 1984, having appeared on the albums "Trouble", "Lovehunter", "Ready An' Willing", "Come An' Get It", "Saints & Sinners" and "Slide It In".

A week before he died, Lord gave his last-ever interview, to Classic Rock, for the U.K. magazine's September 2012 issue. During the chat, Lord seemed optimistic about his prognosis a year after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

"When you get to my age, the cancer is very slow moving," he said. "It's containable. My oncologist has had patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 15 or 16 years ago. They still have treatment and they still have cancer — but, crucially, they're still here. They found my cancer early and the size of the tumor has reduced."

Lord was resigned to the fact that he might not ever be cured him and was aiming for containment. At the time of the interview, the treatment appeared to be working.

"I'd like to get to my father's age," he said. "He was in his late 80s and he'd led a good life. I don't want to limp to that milestone. I don't want to drag myself over that line. I want to be active and well."

Lord revealed that somewhere, buried in the mountain of cards and emails and get-well messages he received after being diagnosed with cancer, was one from a long-lost friend now living in Long Island, New York: a certain guitar player called Ritchie Blackmore.

"He sent me a very nice letter and it was lovely to hear from him," Lord said of his former DEEP PURPLE bandmate. "My life and Ritchie's life have departed from each other so radically in the past 20 years. He's gone his way and I've gone mine. But we went through a lot together. We will always have that."

He continued, "Would I like to play with him again? I'd love to — there's a legion of people out there who want him to pull on that white Strat again — but I'm not holding my breath. Besides, I know more than most you should do what you want to do. Ritchie is doing that. Good luck to him."

Def Leppard performed a special invitation-only concert at the Whisky A Go Go in in Los Angeles on May 26 for SiriusXM listeners. The show, part of SiriusXM's Small Stage Series, was in celebration of the band's new album, Diamond Star Halos.


New pro-shot video of the band performing "Animal" during the concert can be seen below:







Previously posted footage of the band performing "Rock Of Ages" and Photograph" can be viewed below:





Def Leppard's twelfth studio album, Diamond Star Halos, was released on Friday, May 27 via UMe. Listen to the album here.


On March 7, 2023, Genesis Publications will release Definitely: The Official Story Of Def Leppard. A synopsis of the 240-page hardcover book follows:


Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott: "We had balls and we were naive, in a good way. We just went out there, full throttle."


Offering fans the most personal and comprehensive record of Def Leppard’s history to date, Definitely: The Official Story Of Def Leppard is narrated by the band in their own words, illustrated with photography and memorabilia from the Def Leppard archives.


Def Leppard bassist Rick Savage: "Coming up during the punk era helped us because there were only a couple of bands playing our type of music. People probably took more notice of us because we stood out."


Despite an average age of only 18, Def Leppard burst onto the hard rock scene in 1980 like a group of seasoned veterans. Thinking big from the very start, the blueprint for their music was, as singer Joe Elliott states, "Queen meets AC/DC." Def Leppard’s story is one of stratospheric highs and crashing lows, of triumph over adversity. While becoming one of the world’s best-selling music artists with blockbuster albums Pyromania and Hysteria, the band overcame drummer Rick Allen’s accident and the death of bandmate Steve Clark. During their 45-year history, Def Leppard have continued to make new music – with 12 studio albums to their name, including their 2022 release Diamond Star Halos – finding success with every record and tour.


In a wide-ranging account from the band and archive text from past members, Definitely chronicles Def Leppard’s incredible story, from their humble beginnings rehearsing in a spoon factory in Sheffield, to recording ground-breaking multi-platinum albums and touring sell-out stadiums around the world.


Joe Elliott: "In the summer of 1988 we shifted four million copies of Hysteria in the US alone. At that moment we were the biggest band in the world."


With unlimited access to the Def Leppard vault, Definitely presents over four decades of the band’s history through handwritten correspondence, rare vinyl pressings, tour memorabilia, music video storyboards, draft album artwork, press cuttings, previously unpublished photographs and much more.


Part memoir, part scrapbook, Definitely: The Official Story Of Def Leppard is the ultimate record of Def Leppard’s legendary career. Pre-orders can be placed now via Amazon, Target, and other online retailers. The cover art has not yet been revealed.

Internationally acclaimed ‘80s-influenced hard rockers Santa Cruz have unleashed the music video for “Here Comes The Revolution”, the second single from the group's upcoming new album, The Return Of The Kings. The new full-length will be released this fall. BraveWords is premiering the music video for "Here Comes The Revolution", watch below!





Archie Cruz (Vocals/Guitar) comments: "Probably the heaviest Santa Cruz song released so far. First song written for the record. True fuckin’ metal."




The 2022 lineup of Santa Cruz sees Finnish frontman/guitarist and founding member Archie Cruz now joined by the Los Angeles-based trio of guitarist Jerry Jade (Bad Gvy), bassist Tommy Bradley (Revelry Gang), and drummer Randy McDemian (Abrahadabra Clothing).





Additionally, Santa Cruz recently announced a retooled live show that will be unveiled to the concert-going masses with a performance scheduled at the Whisky A Go-Go on August 25th.





Archie Cruz recorded The Return Of The Kings - the follow-up to 2019's Katharsis - as a one-man studio project throughout 2020 and 2021 in his native Finland, but to fully enact the vision for the new record in the live setting he has turned to the modern Los Angeles hard rock revival. The new quartet of Cruz, Jade, Bradley, and McDemian pay tribute to the old-school Sunset Strip influences while also reinforcing the updated take on the sound that has allowed Santa Cruz to win over audiences worldwide. 





For further details, visit Santa Cruz on Facebook.

On June 2nd, Finnish power metallers Stratovarius performed at ProgPower USA 2022 in Atlanta, GA. Fan-filmed video from the show is available below. 


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"Eagleheart"
"Phoenix"
"Shine in the Dark"
"Against the Wind"
"The Kiss of Judas"
"Paradise"
"4000 Rainy Nights"
"S.O.S."
"Destiny"
"Black Diamond"
"Forever"
"Speed of Light"
"Unbreakable"
"Hunting High and Low"













earMUSIC has announced the release of Stratovarius' new studio album, Survive, which arrives on September 23. Pre-order it here. An official graphic video for the title track, "Survive", can be viewed below.


Seven years after the release of their last album, Eternal, Stratovarius once more prove their status as a flagship symphonic metal band and they return with a big bang.


The band remains on the pulse of time with the new release. The environment and humanity's future have always been an important and recurring theme in Stratovarius' music. Therefore, Survive - the title of the new album and the accompanying artwork - aren't surprising, especially in the view of the current global situation.


A blistering comeback from one of heavy metal's most seminal bands, Survive is full of dynamics and drama, feeding on a wide range of emotions along the way. But the core message that this triumphant sonic endeavour conveys is one of struggle, defiance, hope, and victory. Best exemplified by its profoundly rousing title track, Survive is the Stratovarius spirit in exquisite musical form, with all the darkness and light that goes with it.


"We spent five or six days solid, trying to come up with the lyrics for that song," notes Jens Johansson. "When we finally settled on that punchline for the chorus, it was a good song about survival, and it all just seemed to fit. It fits with the history of the band, too, because we managed to survive as long as we have. This band has been through some strange days! The original lineup formed in 1984, so it's been a long story. It was the middle of the summer, there were forest fires everywhere, there was a global pandemic, and all kinds of crazy shit was going on. Some of the lyrics are perhaps less uplifting than they could have been, but that reflects our mood at the time. There's a lot of positive stuff on there, as well!"





Tracklisting:


"Survive"
"Demand"
"Broken"
"Firefly"
"We Are Not Alone"
"Frozen in Time"
"World on Fire"
"Glory Days"
"Breakaway"
"Before the Fall"
"Voice of Thunder"


"Survive" graphic video:





Stratovarius - the Scandinavian flagship of symphonic metal and one of the most famous bands of their genre - managed to establish themselves as one of the top names in the metal scene and have since influenced bands all over the world.


The Finnish band gained international success with albums like Fourth Dimension (1995), Episode (1996), and their epic project Elements, Pt. 1 (a peak in their progressive and symphonic style of power metal) and Elements, Pt.2,  to name just a few of the band's milestones. In 2009, Polaris marked a fresh start for the band as guitarist and band leader Timo Tolkki left the band. Instead of being a difficult re-start, Polaris showed Stratovarius in top form and perfectly able to captivate. The album became a hell of a comeback and charted higher than previous releases around the globe. Since then, Stratovarius continue to walk the path of success, inspiring fans and other bands, young and old.

From the depths of the Niagara region in Canada, comes Eaten By Sharks with their new album Eradication, produced by Chris Donaldson (Cryptopsy). Initially, they were supposed to record in 2020, but those plans were dashed due to the pandemic. They are now ready to take listeners by storm with the follow-up to their 2013 debut, We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat, by starting with the single “Shallow Water”. Heavy odd-time beats swirl into catchy riffs, with sonic elements reminiscent of Meshuggah, Dethklok, and Dying Fetus. The first song on the album sets the scene for the nautical mayhem that echoes throughout the release. The band explains further:


“It was the last song written for the album, we already had most of the songs fleshed out for it. This song was thought of as a big ‘maybe’, due to not having much time to write it. However, it turned out to be one of those songs that flew together with little effort. It has an odd time swing to it that grooves and hits like a Mac truck. It then flip-flops between some harmonizing bridges, solos, and demonic typewriter-type polyrhythms. Matt then breathes life into the song with a bloody cove gone mad narrative. His vocal chops deliver some classic death vocals, mixed with some tasty staccato phrasing, fitting the instrumental structures perfectly.”


“Shallow Water” depicts the swift justice served up by sharks after humans impose on their homes. In its desperation to save itself, humanity forgets that there is always a bigger fish. The aquatic horror continues throughout the album, combined with punishing drum performances, unique guitar chords, and a progressive spin on technical death metal.







Eradication will be available on August 26, 2022. The cover art and tracklisting can be seen below.





"Shallow Water"
"Dead Weight"
"Kill And Consume"
"Same Face, Different Mask"
"Depth Charge"
"Apex Predator"
"Megalodon"


(Photo credit: Lisa Thompson)


 

Polish rock masters Riverside have entered the studios to begin recording their upcoming studio album and follow-up to 2018’s Wasteland. But hear it directly from the band:


"So here we are. After almost four years since the release of Wasteland, we're finally back in a studio to record our eighth album. This time, the material will be registered in two recording studios, The Boogie Town Studio in Otwock, from which we salute you, and Studio Serakos in Warsaw.


The new material (which is mostly already there), because of the title and the subject matter, will contain all the characteristics of the Riverside style and should make for the most powerful and intense listening since Anno Domini High Definition.




Please follow our social media accounts for more information about the recording process of our new release. And it's quite possible that we will play something from it during the final European 'Riverside 20' tour in September 2022.


The release date of the eighth Riverside album is scheduled for January 2023."


Having recently toured across North America and Latin America, Riverside continue the celebration of their 20th band-anniversary. Look out for European 'Riverside 20' shows as follows:





 
September
3 - Prague, Czech Republic - Futurum
5 - Bucharest, Romania - Quantic Club
6 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania - Form Space
7 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
9 - Milano, Italy - Live Club
10 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Substage
11 - Paris, France - La Machine
13 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Kavka
14 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Melkweg
15 - Cologne, Germany - Die Kantine
16 - Weert, The Netherlands - De Bosuil
17 - Aarhus, Denmark - Train
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks
20 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys Neue Welt
22 - Gdynia, Poland - Gdynia Arena
23 - Łódź, Poland - Klub Wytwórnia
24 - Poznań, Poland - B17
25 - Gliwice, Poland - Arena Gliwice


Riverside previously released a special Digital Single entitled “Story Of My Dream” to enhance their 20th anniversary celebration. This brand-new track was recorded and mixed at The Boogie Town Studio in Otwock, Poland during two days in July and five days in September 2021, engineered and mixed by Paweł Marciniak as well as mastered by Paweł Marciniak at Manximum Records in Łódź, Poland.








(Photo by Radek Zawadzki)


 

UK grindcore maniacs, Human Cull, announce the release of their third full length album, To Weep For Unconquered Worlds, finally on vinyl via 7Degrees Records, 783punx, Circus Of The Macabre Records, Psychocontrol Records and Loner Cult Records.


Human Cull return with their third album, taking the blistering grind into a heavier, more deathly direction. Still defiantly blasting but with an added suffocating atmosphere, To Weep For Unconquered Worlds takes the band into a different dimension but still with the same burning rage.


Available on July 15, you can pre-order on vinyl here. Pre-order the digital edition here.







Tracklisting:


"To Weep For Unconquered Worlds"
"Before"
"Tomes Of Woe"
"Instinct Enthroned"
"Subject To Predation"
"Axe Of Flint"
"Familicide"
"Between The Eyes"
"Pyredancer"
"Perfect Hatred"
"Time Of Ending"
"Confession Archive"
"Siege Lord"
"Habaeus Corpus"
"Oil Of Vitriol"
"The Horror"
"Litanies Of The Forsaken"
"Unmaker"
"Sworn To Chaos"
"Old Night"