Denver’s Celestial Wizard is brewing up their own concoction of power and death metal, emphasized with tight, tasty riffs. In their latest video, they playthrough the single “Revenant” and show off the precision behind them. The song is the first full song on the latest album Winds Of The Cosmos, and the driving riffs continue the momentum from the previous track. The triplet beat of the guitars and drums gives the song a galloping, energetic feel. The song’s lyrics revolve around immortality and the loneliness and anger that comes with living forever. The track is a step in a new direction from the previous album, featuring primarily singing, instead of the signature death metal vocal stylings. 





Guitarist/vocalist Nick Daggers details the writing process:




“Guillermo and I have a bevy of riffs, sometimes rough drafts of complete songs, saved in our respective DAWs. We parse through everything and find riffs that we think are strong/unique and start piecing together the song structures. Once we have the first drafts, we send them to Tim for revisions. Tim has a good ear for the pacing and flow of a song and helps us dial in what we have. After revisions, we start working on the lyrics. All of us take on lyric writing duties, with Amethyst and myself handling the majority of lyrics. From there we rehearse songs as a group until they’re strong enough to perform or record, tweaking things as needed.”


Celestial Wizard delivers an energetic and engaging performance while keeping the sound tight. Even in the playthrough video, the passion and fire are evident. They aim to keep this momentum throughout their performances, they strive to entertain fans and have their songs come alive. Armed with a fresh album, a potent sound, and superb musicianship, Celestial Wizard is ready to bring its music to fans around the world. They are highly suggested for fans of Galaktikon, Dark Tranquillity, and Firewind.


Winds Of The Cosmos was released on July 15, 2022. Order on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Andromeda”
“Revenant”
“Ice Realm”
“Powerthrone”
“Eternal Scourge”
“Steel Chrysalis”
“Undead Renegade”
“Cyberhawk”
“Winds Of The Cosmos”


Album Band Line Up: 
Nick Daggers – Guitar
Vocals Guillermo Jurado - Guitar, Bass 
Tim Gillman - Drums 
Amethyst Noir - Vocals

In a new interview with Andrew Daly of VWMusic, PEARL JAM guitarist Stone Gossard was asked for his take on the long-running narrative that grunge killed the career of many hard rock and heavy metal musicians. He replied: "I think there's always renewal in the world, and with that renewal, comes new perspectives. And I think that hard rock was really stagnating at that point in a way that gave an opportunity to what I'll call 'less musically talented' musicians to say, 'Hey, there's another way to play rock songs. There's another way to have songs that are heavy. And there's another way to create chaos and energy from those songs that would be outside the normal color palette of a heavy metal song.'

"I mean, coming up, I listened to a lot of heavy metal," he continued. "I listened to a lot of MOTÖRHEAD. I listened to a lot of IRON MAIDEN. I listened to a lot of MERCYFUL FATE. I listened to a lot of LED ZEPPELIN. I listened to all those New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands, and I was into it. This said, as a kid, I didn't really know how to play like that, so I was just doing what sounded right to me. And I think that in the late '80s, there was a very free attitude about art and music that was brewing in the wake of hard rock, and a lot of people were experimenting with sounds, and the bands formed from there. There was something about it that was fresh, that really captured people's ears, and that had a huge effect on it all too. But you know, a lot of those heavy metal bands you're talking about are still around, so clearly they all didn't die. Sure, a lot of them had to regroup, and yes, some did die, but that's part of the life cycle, right? There are still a lot of fans out there who love hard rock, and I'm one of them. I love hard rock, and I always have, but renewal and rebirth are a part of art, I think."

In recent years, several 1980s hard rock musicians have weighed in on grunge's impact on the glam-rock scene, including SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan. Regarding how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting, Rachel told Rodrigo Altaf of Sonic Perspectives: "When a musical genre becomes just a point of sale, that's kind of the beginning of the end for the genre, 'cause they'll sign a million bands that kind of sound like a band, and then it just dilutes everything. So that's what was kind of happening right around when grunge came out. And then when grunge came out, it was the next big thing, and then it happened to them too. Every band that kind of resembled NIRVANA got signed, and they were nowhere near as good as NIRVANA. So it dilutes the market and eventually just poisons it."

Back in 2014, Bolan admitted to the Dallas Observer that "grunge put a lot of bands like us out of business. You just have to wait it out. We came back because people wanted to have fun again. There were some grunge bands that I liked, but it was such a different vibe and a different scene. People started to miss bands from our era. There was a certain nostalgia involved."

In a 2016 interview with the Fox Business program "Kennedy", Bolan's onetime bandmate Sebastian Bach was asked when he realized that there was a "shift" taking place and how he felt about it. He responded: "I think I realized it when I saw the video for [NIRVANA's] 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. And there was never any video or song like that before; it was a new sound, and people were responding to it. But what goes around comes around. I mean, now the biggest tour in town is GUNS N' ROSES or AC/DC, who have the same singer. [Laughs] So, you know, music is cyclical, and people will always love rock and roll, 'cause it gets passed down through the generations. IRON MAIDEN has never been bigger than right now. It's kind of crazy."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

Earlier this year, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider told told Armchair MBA that "no one saw" the rise of grunge coming, but he admitted that he "was already dead and semi-buried before grunge hit. TWISTED arrived in the early '80s and then we hit our stride in the mid-'80s and by the late '80s, the band had broken up. I had a band called DESPERADO [with former IRON MAIDEN drummer Clive Burr and ex-GILLAN guitarist Bernie Tormé] that got shelved by Elektra Records; a lot of money we spent on that record. So I was sort of already removed as a featured artist by that point, and I was struggling trying to find my footing with DESPERADO and then WIDOWMAKER. And then I got the letter in the mail, certified letter, 'We have decided we're no longer doing what you do — look like you, sound like you, sing like you, write like you, perform like you. We actually don't want anything to do with anything you ever did. Sincerely, the music-buying public.' [Laughs] And that's when the bottom really fell out. I mean, imagine being a doctor who studied a form of medicine, and they found a cure for it. You're a cancer specialist — a specialist; it's what you dedicated your life to — and you get a pill that cures [cancer]. You're out of work. Grunge cured hair metal. So I was out of work."

Two years ago, Snider told Ultimate Guitar that he "loved" NIRVANA and other grunge bands when they emerged. "When they first came out, it wasn't even called grunge," he explained. "And this is the thing about titles — even heavy metal, punk, hair metal, those are not titles chosen by the artists; they're titles chosen by the writers. And usually as a negative connotation. Usually as a form of a putdown. And the artists that they called grunge, called punk, called heavy metal — they hated it. This is a fact, dude. I'm old. I know this, a fact: if you mentioned grunge to SOUNDGARDEN or PEARL JAM, they got physically violent with you. They were just a rock band. And if anything, SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, they were metal bands. They were touring with Ozzy [Osbourne]. It just became defined by some writers; they pigeonholed it and called it a new sound."

Dee continued: "When it first came out, I was, again, doing metal radio, and I was playing ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA on my show, and I was like, 'This is great, heavy new stuff.' So then it became defined as grunge, and then it was the hair metal killer, and that was awful. But I don't blame it on the music; hair metal did it to itself. It became too commercialized, and then it got unplugged and became nothing but power ballads and acoustic songs, and it wasn't metal anymore. It had to go; it had to change."

Snider's TWISTED SISTER bandmate Jay Jay French told Daniel Sarkissian of the "Rock Is Dead?" documentary about the death of hair metal and arrival of grunge: "The only band that leapfrogged and saved themselves was GUNS N' ROSES. And my theory is that GUNS N' ROSES was not perceived as a joke. They came out of L.A., but I think that Axl [Rose], first of all, had a great voice. I think that they were perceived as real, not fake. Like, they were real junkies, not pretend junkies. So there's an authenticity. It's all about authenticity, and grunge is all about authenticity. People wanted authenticity, so they got it with grunge. It wiped out the perceived frivolousness of hair metal, which is, 'Hey, man. Let's party. Let's get the girls and drink.' I think people just got sick of that, and they wanted [something more] authentic."

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi told Newsday in a 2014 interview that the CRÜE album he sang on was a commercial disappointment because the music scene had changed, with hair metal brushed aside for grunge. "Everybody was listening to ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN," Corabi said. "At that point, we were considered passé."

According to Corabi, CRÜE's ill-fated 1994 American tour " was a nightmare. We weren't selling tickets. It was just horrible," he said.

In 2019, former TNT singer Tony Harnell said that the rise of the grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image, was ultimately a positive thing for the rock genre because it "shined a really harsh light on how boring and repetitive" the '80s glam metal scene had become. He explained: "It was the same look, the same songwriters, the same producers, and it just started to be… Nobody was offering anything… Don't get me wrong, there were a few that got in there that were interesting and different, but, for the most part, they were all just sort of rehashes, slightly, of other bands."

Progressive avant-garde metallers, Italy's MindAhead return in 2022 with their sophomore album 6119 Part 1 via Rockshots Records to follow their 2017 debut full-length Reflections released on Roman label Revalve Records. Just like its predecessor, the band's new offering is once again a concept album with a complex, personal and unusual sound to test the limits of their songwriting. 6119 Part 1 is a continuation of the previous work on Reflections, which will tell us the story of 6119, the main character, through a surreal, oneiric journey, always poised between physical space and the realm of the mind. Trapped in this dreamlike kaleidoscope, he proceeds heedless of the consequences, hoping to find at the end of the journey (the Part II, currently in production) the reason why all this is happening to him.


Merging different aspects, sometimes opposite, of human feeling, bringing them together in a colorful and personal musical proposal, which has its roots in influences ranging from prog ‘70s to death metal, the band explains the new album in further detail:


"This album is a concept realized with the aim of telling a story that straddles the line between dystopian science fiction and the psychological investigation of the human mind, so the music and lyrics were created in order to reach these goals. We would like the listening experience to be completely immersive. We would like the listener to be able to take a break from the real world and step into another dimension, one that is distant but at the same time well known, not alien, but almost familiar. The listener should passionately follow the events of 6119 in its inner and outer search for reality, in a story that began in the previous album Reflections and will end in the band's next release, so as to complete a narrative trilogy."




The band has unveiled the first single "What Your Are" off 6119 Part 1. The storyline of the track is dedicated to the search for "Emerald Eyes," the female figure that 6119 encounters on the first album Reflections. The song alternates between very powerful moments, such as the beginning, and more reflective and intimate moments such as the central interlude, which takes us back to desert and arabesque sounds and atmospheres.


Having shared the stage with bands such as Jinjer, Vision Divine, Deathless Legacy, Domine, Pino Scotto, MindAhead is recommended for fans of Opeth, Ayreon, Haken, Katatonia and Pink Floyd. 6119 Part 1 is due out October 28, 2022 via Rockshots Records.


Preorder at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Prologue”
“Burning Horizon”
“Dancing In The Desert”
“What You Are”
“The Last Tide”
“Beautiful Mistake”
“Innocence”
“At The Gates Of Night Part I (The Old Poet) & II (At The Gates)”
“At The Gates Of Night Part III (Lost In The Loop)”


“What You Are”:

Canadian metal band Polarity puts on a technical sonic showcase filled with wailing guitars and complex drum patterns while conveying observations in a world where history continues to be determined by exploitative forces. A combination of grit and raw musical expertise set the stage for Polarity’s blistering new single, “Destruction Of Memory” — available now!





Polarity comes out swinging with a sophisticated song that attracts audiences who appreciate musical craftsmanship and cerebral ideas. The first of three red-hot releases scheduled for this summer, “Destruction Of Memory,” is an electrifying recording borne out of artistic exploration. 




“We’ve never done anything conventionally, so recording these new songs live off the floor is something that really allows us to invite our listeners into songs created completely organically and authentically,” says vocalist Jasmine Virginia.


“Destruction Of Memory,” asks listeners not to be fooled by all the noise in the world and instead examine their own experiences and personal truths. Dubbed cinematic rock by producer David Botrill, the song is a theatrically engineered soundscape that acts as a visceral commentary on the human condition. Philosophical themes of indoctrination and authoritarianism are traversed as Polarity takes listeners on a lyrical expedition through space and time.


In collaboration with JUNO Award-winning producers Darren Magierowski and Jill Zimmerman, Polarity’s latest group of songs was recorded at Jukasa Studio, home of recording acts such as Alexis on Fire and Protest The Hero. The recording was filmed live by renowned videographer Mike Filsingerand (30 Seconds to Mars, Three Days Grace). The footage was chopped up and now serves as the official music video for the song.


Polarity is the result of a musical friendship lasting over a decade and has grown steadily since its inception in 2008. “Our goal has always been to make music that makes a positive impact, and we have no plans of stopping anytime soon,” says guitarist Michael Sitana. Vulnerability is encouraged, expressed, and complemented by a rhythmic sensibility that cuts through the static and connects with audiences in a meaningful way.


With four studio albums guided by GRAMMY-winning producers like David Bottrill and Joao Carvalho, and hundreds of Canadian shows under their belt, Polarity continues to be one of the most consistent DIY bands working today.


Polarity’s transcendent new single “Destruction Of Memory” is available now.

MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray says that he is "still hurting" from falling off stage during the band's concert in Tampa, Florida Tuesday night (July 26).

On Thursday, Gray posted a video message on his Instagram in which he shared "the whole truth" behind the incident, which took place while he and his bandmates were performing the song "Not Falling" at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre as part of MUDVAYNE's co-headlining U.S. tour with ROB ZOMBIE, dubbed "Freaks On Parade".

Chad said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It seems everybody's talking about my spill the other night. I've been getting a lot of love from a lot of people.

"I'm okay. I'm still fuckin' hurtin'. But a lot of people have reached out to me personally; a lot of people sending me well wishes online. I appreciate it very much.

"I just want you to know that it's not like I walked out there and fuckin' slipped on a banana peel or something and fell into the crowd," the 50-year-old explained. "It was absolutely my intention to get out there and get down in your face and lay on ya and lean into ya and scream and have you scream back at me. It's probably one of my favorite parts of any show that I ever play, is getting that close with you guys.

"What happened was… So I basically walk to the down stage edge of the stage, and I step across and I put my foot on top of the barricade. When I'm on the stage, there's about five feet underneath me from where my feet are at to the ground, so I'm even higher, my head and shit. So, yeah, it's probably four or five feet. So what happened was I stepped out, the crowd surged forward, pushed my foot off backwards, so my foot went straight fuckin' down. My left foot was still on the stage — I hadn't stepped across yet — and my whole fucking body just went 'wham!' like that, right on top of the barricade, right here, right across my sternum. I thought I was gonna piss my pants; it hurt so fuckin' bad. We were ironically in the course of 'Not Falling', which is amazing, so I just started singing that. And I was able to sing. So I just pushed through the shit.

"It was fucking brutal," Gray admitted. "But we did it, and I got through it. I'm on day two now. I'm hoping this is the worst of it. I hope it's kind of like lifting weights where you get sore for a couple of days. But the good news is I didn't break a rib. Otherwise this tour could be over and I would be absolutely fuckin' devastated because all I wanted to do for the last two and a half years is get back out here and be with my fuckin' heavy metal family around the country and hopefully soon around the world."

Produced by Live Nation, the 21-city "Freaks On Parade" tour kicked off on July 20 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, making stops across the U.S. in Tampa, Holmdel, Tinley Park, and more before wrapping up in The Woodlands at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on August 21. Support on the trek is coming from STATIC-X and POWERMAN 5000.

MUDVAYNE formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, earning gold certification for three albums ("L.D. 50", "The End Of All Things To Come", "Lost And Found"). The band is known for its sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks and uniforms. MUDVAYNE is Gray, Greg Tribbett (guitar, backing vocals),Matthew McDonough (drums, synthesizer) and Ryan Martinie (bass).

Gray has spent the past 16 years fronting HELLYEAH, which released its sixth studio album, "Welcome Home", in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked the group's final effort with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away more than four years ago.

MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.

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ANTHRAX's longtime producer Jay Ruston is working on a Dolby Atmos mix of the band's classic third album, 1987's "Among The Living".

The LP, originally produced by Eddie Kramer and ANTHRAX, featured the lineup of singer Joey Belladonna, lead guitarist Dan Spitz, rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante.

Building on an underground following with signature tracks such as "I Am The Law", "Caught In A Mosh" and "Indians", "Among The Living" catapulted ANTHRAX to widespread recognition and earned the group's first gold award. It also marked the height of the band's use of horror and comic book inspirations, with the title track and album cover image based on the Stephen King novel "The Stand", "A Skeleton In The Closet" on King's novella "Apt Pupil", and "I Am The Law" on the comic book character Judge Dredd.

ANTHRAX discussed plans for Dolby Atmos mix of "Among The Living" during an appearance earlier today (Thursday, July 28) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "We have the master tapes, which we didn't even know if they survived that fire or not, but apparently they did," Benante said, referencing the 2008 blaze at a Universal Studios backlot in Hollywood, California in which the master recordings of an estimated 500,000 songs by many of the past century’s marquee musicians were destroyed. "And Jay has been remixing it and I heard some of it and I was just blown away. Like, 'Wow!' Jay played some [of it for me], and I was just, like, 'Dude, this sounds amazing' — as if we did it yesterday."

According to Benante, the idea to do a Dolby Atmos mix of "Among The Living" came from the record company, Universal. "[They] approached us to do it because they've been doing these," he said. "And, of course, they picked that record first. It's gonna be awesome, though."

Ian added: "They had a list, apparently, of the albums that hadn't been done yet in Dolby Atmos and we were high up on that list; they really were interested in doing that with us."

Charlie went on to say that what he has heard so far of Dolby Atmos mix is impressive. "The tones are so awesome, and it's so heavy," he explained.

"[Jay] sent me some guitar tracks when he first got the tapes," Scott added. "He said, 'I'm putting these masters up.' And he sent me guitar tracks from some of the songs. I was, like, 'Holy shit.' He sent me just my 'Caught In A Mosh', just the guitar, and I was, like, 'Wow!' [Laughs]"

Dolby Atmos lets you precisely place and move sounds in three-dimensional space with the introduction of audio objects — and with much more precision compared to traditional surround. And with the addition of overhead speakers, you can create a fully encompassing soundstage to make listeners feel like they're inside the experience.

Dolby Atmos automatically optimizes content based on the number of speakers in the environment or device, so your mix delivers the best experience it can for mobile devices enabled with Dolby Atmos, home theaters, soundbars and even headphones.

Despite the fact that "Among The Living" was ANTHRAX's third album (following 1984's "Fistful Of Metal" and 1985's "Spreading The Disease"),Ian told Metal Hammer in a 2017 interview that the band wasn't being forced by the record company at the time to make any big commercial breakthrough. "We were under no pressure at all," he said. "We had no time limit for writing or recording. The way we worked back then, when there were enough songs for an album, then we'd go in and do it. We never wrote more than was necessary. In a way, I now regret that situation. We were on such a roll that perhaps someone should have persuaded us to carry on writing. Who knows what else may have come out? When you're in that zone, there's a lot to be said for staying in. I'm not criticizing what's on 'Among The Living', but we may have benefited from being a little less hasty in finishing up the writing side."

Regarding the recording process for "Among The Living", Scott said: "We had just come off the METALLICA tour in the fall of '86 when [METALLICA bassist] Cliff Burton was killed, and we had come off that tour obviously early because of the tragedy. And that's when we started recording that record, pretty much right after that. I feel like the energy just really jumps off that record; you fucking hear how pissed off we are playing our instruments on that record. There's a brutality on that album that you don't hear on the two records before 'Among The Living'. It was just the record of its time; it really was."

When ANTHRAX's "Among The Living" full-album performance at the 2014 edition of the Sonisphere festival was first announced, Ian said: "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away (1986, New York City) we wrote a record that at the time, we had no idea would become our 'signature' record. We had a song about the plight of the American Indian, we had songs about Stephen King characters (Randall Flagg from 'The Stand' and Todd Bowden from 'Apt Pupil'),we had a song dedicated to Cliff Burton and another about John Belushi's clichéd death. We had a song about Judge fucking Dredd and we had a song called 'Caught In A Mosh'. We had songs.'

He continued: "When 'Among The Living' punched the world in the face in 1987, it launched ANTHRAX into a high-speed trajectory that we could barely keep up with. Like going from 0-200 kph in 5 seconds flat. Our heads were spinning as fast as they were banging, and [35] years later, nothing has changed."

Last December, Bello was asked during an appearance on Mitch Joel's "Groove - The No Treble Podcast" if he and his bandmates knew they had something special when they were working on the music for "Among The Living". He responded: "At that time, this music was on the rise. We just had come out with 'Spreading The Disease'. Joey Belladonna is in the band. We had a great singer, we had great music — things were working. We knew while writing those songs and knowing the singer we had and knowing what we can do, the next step, I think it all came to play. So as we were writing those songs, we knew it was special. I do think we knew it. But you know what? You can never tell the outside world — you don't know the atmosphere of the outside world, how that's gonna be taken. You know there is a movement going on, but you don't know if this record that you have is gonna match what they're looking for. That is up to chance — for everybody, to be honest. And we had momentum going in for sure, but you don't know actually how it's gonna work. And to be honest, all you can do is do your best — put out your best music — you go out there and you tour your fucking ass off. And that's the program."
Thanks to @TheFrankBello@Scott_Ian@skisum@jbelladonna for coming by #trunknation Vegas today. And thx to @ZakkWyldeBLS for calling in. Great final show on @siriusxmvolume ! Monday I'm back live on new home Faction Talk @SIRIUSXM 103 3-5P ET. pic.twitter.com/buU6SPWc5C

— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) July 28, 2022

Live In Stockholm has Trouble riffing through a fantastic greatest hits setlist that will leave no fan untouched! Finally available on vinyl for the first time on September 2. Remastered and cut in DMM.


Trouble were invited by Leif Edling and Candlemass as special guests. The vinyl release (on CD it is available as a bonus disc that we added to the remastered deluxe CD edition of Simple Mind Condition covers all 14 tracks the legendary doom metal pioneers played that evening, and by hearing Trouble in action you can hear where the band leader of Candlemass, Leif Edling, was inspired. The whole gig is 75 minutes, and the guys serve us the best (lets call it a “Greatest Hits” set) from their long career on a fantastic 2LP. Everything is played with an incredible passion and love for the music, and it’s really fun to hear the old doom metal icons on stage. Eric Wagner didn’t move too much, he mostly hung over his mic with shades and a cigarette, but that turned out great, because of his amazing voice that was still intact.


Order on black and/or green vinyl, and digital.







Tracklisting:


"R.I.P."
"Come Touch The Sky"
"End Of My Daze"
"Plastic Green Head"
"Fear"
"Memory's Garden"
"The Misery Shows (Act II)"
"Psalm 9"
"Run To The Light"
"All Is Forgiven"
"Psychotic Reaction"
"The Skull"
"Revelation (Life Or Death)"
"The Tempte"

The new studio album from world acclaimed keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Sons of Apollo, Black Country Communion), Vortex, is out now. Watch an official music video for the song "Aurora Australis":





The follow-up to 2020’s The Phoenix, Vortex includes eight tracks built on his signature chameleonic sound that blends rock with elements of funk, prog, and jazz, which he started writing even before The Phoenix was finished.




“Vortex is a continuation of The Phoenix,” Sherinian states. “However, I feel the composition is stronger on the new album, and I would describe it as a modern day 70s style fusion record, but with newer heavier tonality.”


When it came to guitars, Sherinian recruited a who’s who of great players, some of whom he had worked with before - Steve Stevens, Joe Bonamassa, Steve Lukather, Zakk Wylde, Sons Of Apollo bandmate Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal - and a few new allies, in the form of Michael Schenker, Mike Stern and Nuno Bettencourt.


“The choice of guitarist works itself out in the writing,” he explains. “Also, like in the case of Steve Stevens, we co-wrote the song together, so it was natural for him to play on it.”


Of his new collaborators, he says of Bettencourt, who appears on the scratchy “Fire Horse”, “I have always been a fan of his playing, and I am glad that we finally got to record together. He has the Van Halen swing and swagger to his playing that I love. We were both born in 1966, the Chinese year of the Fire Horse.”


According to Sherinian, Schenker’s inclusion was a no-brainer. “Michael Schenker has been one of my heroes for many years. He asked me to play on his Immortal album, and in return, he agreed to play on “Die Kobra”. I wanted to write a great song inspired by my favorite Schenker tracks. Zakk Wylde added some great additional parts to the song, and Tony Franklin and Simon Phillips sound great, as usual.”


The Vortex is available as:


- Ltd. 180g white LP+CD
- Ltd. CD Digipak
- Digital Album


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"The Vortex" feat. Steve Stevens
"Fire Horse" feat. Nuno Bettencourt
"Scorpion"
"Seven Seas" feat. Steve Stevens
"Key Lime Blues" feat. Joe Bonamassa, Steve Lukather
"Die Kobra" feat. Michael Schenker, Zakk Wylde
"Nomad's Land" feat. Mike Stern
"Aurora Australis" feat. Bumblefoot


"The Vortex" video:





(Photo - Greg Vorobiov)

Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante have opened up about their participation in the upcoming PANTERA tour.

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

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

Earlier today (Thursday, July 28), Zakk and Charlie discussed their involvement in the PANTERA celebration tour while speaking to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Zakk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's gonna be awesome. The fellows have always… When Vinnie was still with us, it was always rolling around that, 'Zakk, would you honor Dime and all of us get together and do this thing?' And I said, 'Fellows, whenever you wanna do this thing, I'll be over here waiting in the dugout and in the bullpen. And just call me when you need me and I'll learn everything and we'll go do this.'

"Throughout the years, there's always been rumblings about it, so it wasn't until, obviously, now… I was speaking on the phone with Phil — we might have been all on a group call — but Phil was just, like, 'Zakk, would you honor Dime and would you play?'" the OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman recalled. "And I said, 'Yeah, Phil. Of course. I've always said I would. Of course.' I said, 'If you guys wanna go do it, then let's do it.'"

As for what his approach is going to be to playing the parts originally written and recorded by Darrell, Zakk said: "You approach it the same way as you do when I'm playing with Ozzy. Obviously I've gotta learn [Randy] Rhoads's stuff and I've gotta learn Jake's [E. Lee] stuff, and when I was doing the [BLACK] SABBATH stuff, you learn it and do it as faithful as you can. Charlie's gotta learn all of Vinnie's parts. You approach it as if you're in a cover band. When we do the ZAKK SABBATH stuff," referring to his BLACK SABBATH cover band, "I don't start changing lyrics midway through 'War Pigs'. You learn the songs — so that's what you do."

Benante concurred, saying: "I can't go do this as the drummer from ANTHRAX because it would be a different sound completely. So the way I'm gonna do that is if you close your eyes, it's gonna sound like it's Vinnie, basically. And that's how it's gonna be… The sound is gonna sound exactly like him."

Asked when he first got approached about taking part in the PANTERA tour, the ANTHRAX drummer said: "Oh, man. December [of last year]. End of December. I was talking to Philip, and then he just mentioned this. And I said, 'Oh, yeah, sure. Whatever.' And then it became real about January [or] February… To this day, if it happens, if there's one show that's played, great."

Pressed about whether he knows when the first show from the PANTERA tribute project is going to happen, Benante said, "No."

Both Charlie and Zakk went on to say that they see the PANTERA tour as nothing more than a celebration of the music created by the legendary Texas-based act. "Absolutely," Benante said. "And I think everybody in [ANTHRAX] feels the same way about those guys. We go back a long way [with PANTERA] — '86, maybe even '85. We played a show at a place called Cardi's in Houston, and PANTERA were the opening band. It was in [April] '86. HELSTAR was on the bill. It was the first time we met them. My friendship with Darrell goes a long way, and I love both of those guys so much. So, for me, it was a very emotional thing to do this. That's what it's all about — it's all about those two guys and doing it… I don't wanna see anybody else doing it but me, 'cause I'm gonna do it right."

Added Zakk: "Whenever [the idea of doing a tribute has] come up, you're celebrating the guys and you're celebrating all their achievements and their greatness. And that's what it is. 'Cause everybody was just, like, 'How can they call it a PANTERA reunion?' And I go, 'Well, it's Phil and Rex getting back together,' 'cause they haven't played together for a while. I go, 'It's a PANTERA celebration.' That's what it is. It's no different than Mitch [Mitchell] and Noel [Redding] from 'Experience Hendrix' asking Eric Clapton to come out and sing and play Jimi's [Hendrix] stuff and honor him, and they're gonna go out and honor Jimi Hendrix. To me, it's the same thing. With Ozzy, we honor Saint Rhoads every night. Every time we're playing 'I Don't Know', 'Mr. Crowley' — everything — you're honoring Randy. To me, it's an extension of that. You're honoring Dime, you're honoring Vinnie and you're honoring Phil and Rex, all the guys, their achievements, what they achieved as PANTERA and all the mountains they conquered. That's the way I look at it. That's the way I've always looked at it."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SLIPKNOT played its latest single, "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)", live for the first time earlier tonight (Thursday, July 28) at O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

"The Dying Song (Time To Sing)" is taken from SLIPKNOT's seventh studio album, "The End, So Far", which will be released on September 30 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind", it will be the band's final record with Roadrunner after first signing with the rock and metal label in 1998.

The official music video for "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)" was directed by SLIPKNOT percussionist M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan.

Produced by SLIPKNOT and Joe Barresi, "The End, So Far" includes the band's 2021 surprise single "The Chapeltown Rag" and follows their widely celebrated 2019 album "We Are Not Your Kind", which marked SLIPKNOT's third consecutive No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The release made a massive global impact with No. 1 debuts in the official album charts of twelve countries around the world, including the U.K., Australia, Canada and Mexico, with Top 5 debuts in an additional twelve countries including Germany, France and Sweden.

Regarding the lyrical inspiration for "The Dying Song (Time To Sing)", SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor told Kerrang! magazine: "To me, it just seems like it's all the outrage and none of the punishment. For the last few years it's been very trendy to be offended and outraged by everything, and yet nothing happens – especially in my country, which is just fucking ridiculous. It's almost like the tables have turned, and the more angry people get, the more the people who they're mad at just double-down on the shit. Instead of there being cause and effect, or crime and punishment, now it's just like, 'Fuck you, we don't care.' I can't tell if that's a reaction because of the almost nihilistic isolation of the cultures themselves, where neither side is acknowledging any of the good parts of each other – they're just really honed in on the shit that they consider inflammatory. And it's almost like people are ringing the doomsday bell. You're sitting there going, 'Well, it's been fun! Everybody, pick up your trash when you're leaving, and I'll see you in Hell!' That's kind of what that song is. It's just like, 'If we don't figure it out, I'll see you when the meteor hits, basically.'"

As for SLIPKNOT's working relationship with Barresi, Taylor said: "He's one of those dudes who's got great ideas, but he also allows you to do what is on your mind. If he has an idea, he lets you pursue yours, but then he'll go, 'You know, just for me, try this and see if these things can live together.' He's very unassuming, which is kind of rare these days. Sometimes you can get a producer who's trying to enforce their will on it, but Joe just wants what's best for the album, and what's best for the song, and what's best for the performance."

Taylor went on to call "The End, So Far" a "darker version" of SLIPKNOT's third LP, 2004's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)".

"To me, 'Vol. 3' was really the most expansive album that we had done, up to that point," he explained. "It was the thing that kind of pushed the boundaries for everybody, you know? We were able to experiment with different styles of music, and really show people that there was so much more depth to what we do. And I kind of feel like that's what this album is doing. In a way it is [also] an extension of 'We Are Not Your Kind', but to me, the songs are better, the structuring is better. We're able to kind of take it even further, and after 23 years professionally, being able to say that there's ground that we haven't covered yet, and there's ground that we're excited to cover, is cool."

Canadian singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, Paul Shaffer - who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on both Late Night With David Letterman and Late Show With David Letterman - joined King's X on stage last night (July 28) during the band's sold out concert at New York City's Gramercy Theater. Watch their performance of "We Were Born To Be Loved", lifted from the 1990 KIng's X album Faith Hope Love, below:





The legendary King’s X, comprised of dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, recently announced the release of their 13th studio album, Three Sides Of One, on September 2, representing their first new music in 14 years.




Of the new album, dUg comments: “When I think of it, King’s X feels like a couple of old best friends coming together, shooting the shit, and having a good time, it’s instinctual. When I would listen to demo tapes of Jerry and Ty for the record, it gave me a great perspective on how blessed I am to be in King’s X. What they did on Three Sides of One sounded so good. For as familiar as it is, it’s like I’m in a new band.”


Ty adds: This time, we sat around, listened to each other’s ideas, and would collectively say, ‘Let’s work on that’. It was the most enjoyable album I’ve personally ever recorded in my entire life, period.”


Jerry continues: “I’ll cherish what we did in my heart forever. Everything lined up perfectly.”


Three Sides Of One will be available as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet & as Digital Album. There will also be a Limited Deluxe 180g Orange/Red Marble 2LP+CD+LP-booklet that also includes a poster and a hand-numbered print, as well as an exclusive variant of the front cover artwork. Pre-order here.


During 2019, the members congregated at Black Sound Studio in Pasadena, CA with Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Parnin to bring Three Sides Of One to life. Despite consistent touring, they hadn’t cut a new LP since 2008. Nevertheless, the guys picked up where they left off. Creative confidant and collaborator Wally Farkas rolled through, and they channelled their incredible chemistry on tape.





Tracklisting:


"Let It Rain"
"Flood Pt. 1"
"Nothing But The Truth"
"Give It Up"
"All God’s Children"
"Take The Time"
"Festival"
"Swipe Up"
"Holidays"
"Watcher"
"She Called Me Home"
"Every Everywhere"


"Give It Up" lyric video:





"Let It Rain":

Punk veteran. Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee. Alt-country songwriter. Modern-day guitar hero. For more than 25 years, FOO FIGHTERS six-stringer Chris Shiflett has blurred the lines between genre and generation, balancing his full-band projects with an ongoing solo career. With his new single, "Long, Long Year" — out everywhere now — Shiflett turns a new page, building a bridge between his native California and Nashville, Tennessee, where he recorded this new tune with legendary producer Vance Powell and a small roster of Americana all-stars: bassist Jack Lawrence (THE RACONTEURS, Jack White, Wanda Jackson),drummer Julian Doro (EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, THE WHIGS),keyboardist Mike Webb, steel guitarist Luke Schneider, and mandolinist/harmony vocalist Sierra Hull.

Kicking off with a swaggering drum pattern, "Long, Long Year"'s mid-tempo, piano and pedal steel-filled arrangement is a windows-down, let-it-all-out singalong.

"I spent a lot of time alone at my studio in L.A. during the first part of the lockdown just woodshedding tunes," says Shiflett. "The line 'It's been a long, long year' was rattling around my head for obvious reasons, but I framed it as a love song." The resulting tune feels like a release, sung with uplifting emotion and forward-looking, both in the intended love song framing and through the greater, pandemic-induced dread lens.

Shiflett stated about the recording of "Long, Long Year": "My trip out to Nashville in March of 2021 was my first time recording any solo material since I made 'Hard Lessons'. I hadn't done much traveling post-COVID lockdown so I was a little nervous heading out there to work with a producer and roomful of musicians I didn't really know. In true Nashville style we made our introductions and got right down to work, hammering out the basic tracks in a few hours. Vance was great and made me feel right at home, and the group of players he put together were on point. Next day we did some overdubs and Sierra came in and added mandolin and harmony vocals on 'Long, Long Year' and the tracks started coming together."

A longtime member of FOO FIGHTERS, Shiflett has already played an integral role in shaping the sound, swagger, and scope of rock music throughout the 21st century. He joined the band in 1999, after kicking off his career playing guitar for seminal pop-punk groups like NO USE FOR A NAME and ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES. FOO FIGHTERS quickly made use of his guitar-playing chops with Shiflett contributing to era-defining hits like "All My Life", "Times Like These" and "Best Of You". While flying the flag for modern rock and roll, he also made time to pursue projects outside of the band. Groups like JACKSON UNITED and CHIS SHIFLETT AND THE DEAD PEASANTS found him in the driver's seat, establishing his credentials as a frontman, while the long-running Americana podcast "Walking The Floor" found him shining a light on his heroes and contemporaries, its 200-plus episodes highlighting the storytellers, songwriters, and road warriors of contemporary roots music. Two critically acclaimed solo albums, 2017's "West Coast Town" and 2019's "Hard Lessons", marked Shiflett's own entry into the Americana world, mixing classic Bakersfield influences with greasy guitar riffs, Marshall amplifiers, and country-rock crunch.

Incantation celebrate 30 years as one of the most influential and iconic death metal bands with the new Tricennial Of Blasphemy collection.


Tricennial Of Blasphemy is available digitally on all streaming services here. The set will be available on 3xLP/2xCD on October 7. Pre-order here.







A triple LP set that catalogs rarities and unreleased tracks, Tricennial Of Blasphemy traces all eras of the band's infamous history. From a previously unavailable demo version of the band's classic "Impending Diabolical Conquest" featuring Will Rahmer (Moritican) on vocals, to never-before-heard tracks like "Pest Savagery"- Tricennial Of Blasphemy is another crucial part of Incantation's legacy. Tricennial Of Blasphemy was mastered by Dan Swano, and features art by Wes Benscoter & Chris Moyen.


Additionally, Incantation begin the Vile Ascension Summer Co-Headline Tour with Goatwhore next week on August 1, off the heels of the Vile Divinities Europe Tour. Incantation will also return to Latin America in September with Suffocation. Tickets are on sale here.








(Photo - Marko Benjamin Alvarado)

Bloody Times recently returned with a new EP, titled No Fear, with the vocal spot featuring a set of three different guests: Zak Stevens (USA; Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Archon Angel, Circle II Circle), David Marcelis (Netherlands; Thorium, Lord Volture) and again John Greely (USA; ex-Iced Earth, Seventh Servant) who was the main singer on the previous album On A Mission. Also, the co-founder of Manowar Ross Friedman (USA; Ross the Boss) appears on the new release again with his guitar.


Today, the band release a video for "In A Moment Of Peace", featuring Zak Stevens. Watch below.


A message states: "This song was written before the horrible events that are still going on in the Ukraine today. We dedicate this video to all victims of the raging conflict and furthermore to all past, current and future victims of wars worldwide."







While the origin of Bloody Times is deep in the Black Forest, Germany, all other participants join in from all around the globe. The core of the band is described by bassist and founder Simon Pfundstein and lead guitarist Balazs Fleischhauer from Finland, while drummer Konstantinos Gkialos sits in Greece. Thanks to modern technology, creating music remotely is not an issue at all.





Once more Bloody Times stays true to itself and the traditional heavy metal tunes. What you can expect is music inspired from the classic ‘80s metal bands. Noticeably influenced from Joey DeMaio’s older Manowar songs, bassist Simon used an octave 8-String bass guitar on all songs. Yet Bloody Times finds success in creating new refreshing heavy metal music that does not feel like an old shoe.


Head here to order No Fear.

Dee Snider says that he cannot "legally or morally" stop controversial Arizona GOP gubernatorial hopeful and election denier Kari Lake from using TWISTED SISTER's "We're Not Gonna Take It" at her campaign events.

The classic TWISTED SISTER song was played as Lake, a former local TV anchor, walked on stage on July 22 at a "Save America" rally in Prescott Valley, Arizona where she was joined by former U.S. president Donald Trump.

On Wednesday (July 27),one of Snider's Twitter followers shared a video of Lake's entrance to "We're Not Gonna Take It", and he included the following message: "@deesnider i think a cease & desist is in order". A few hours later, Dee responded: "While I abhor what this ignoramus @KariLake stands for and the she deplorables (yup, Hillary Clinton had it right) she represents, I can NOT legally or morally stop her from using or singing my song. I wrote it for everyone...cherry picking who uses it is censorship."

When another person wrote "Please tell me @deesnider is not ok with Kari Lake using his music", Dee replied: "Not at all. I do NOT stand with @KariLake . I'm not with anyone who is with Trump or not Pro-choice. This said, i wrote a song designed for everyone. I can't cherry pick who can & can not sing it... THIS SAID...the 1st line is 'WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE'. Glad Kari agrees."

What Snider is apparently referring to is the fact that political campaigns are often able to procure blanket licenses from performing rights organizations such as American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) when the rallies are held in major public venues such as convention centers and arenas.

Lake, who once donated to former president Barack Obama's campaign, is now an ardent supporter of Trump's election fraud claims despite the fact that those claims have been roundly rejected by the courts and election officials. She has also doubled down against mask and vaccine mandates, and called for the imprisonment of Democratic Secretary Of State Katie Hobbs, who is also running for governor in the August 2 primary.

Lake worked as an anchor for more than 20 years at KSAZ, the Phoenix Fox affiliate.

In 2019, she was criticized for joining Parler, a social media app favored by the pro-Trump right.

Back in November 2017, Snider, who got to know Trump personally after appearing more than once on NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice", said that he could no longer be friends with Trump because he did not share the then-president's views on important issues, including the Trump administration's harsh immigration policy.

Snider found himself in the middle of controversy in 2016 when he asked Trump to stop using "We're Not Gonna Take It" in his campaign. The singer said at the time that Trump was very gracious about the request.

Dee was fired by Trump on "The Celebrity Apprentice" in 2013.

Snider is not the only member of TWISTED SISTER who has been critical of Trump. In January 2021, TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French called Trump a "white supremacist president" whose tenure at the White House was a "long national nightmare."

Three years ago, TWISTED SISTER slammed Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer for using a re-written version of "We're Not Gonna Take It" in connection with his political party.

"We're Not Gonna Take It" has been used in commercials for hotel chain Extended Stay America, Claritin, Walmart, Stanley Steamer and Yaz birth control. The song was written solely by Snider.

Back in November 2018, Axl Rose said that the Trump administration was using "loopholes" in the various venues' blanket performance licenses to play GUNS N' ROSES music at Trump's rallies.
While I abhor what this ignoramus @KariLake stands for and the she deplorables (yup, Hillary Clinton had it right) she represents, I can NOT legally or morally stop her from using or singing my song. I wrote it for everyone...cherry picking who uses it is censorship. https://t.co/F1rrnhRWNf

— Dee Snider🇺🇸 (@deesnider) July 28, 2022


Not at all. I do NOT stand with @KariLake. I'm not with anyone who is with Trump or not Pro-choice.

This said, i wrote a song designed for everyone. I can't cherry pick who can & can not sing it...

THIS SAID...the 1st line is "WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE". Glad Kari agrees. https://t.co/Zf8MeThzHc

— Dee Snider🇺🇸 (@deesnider) July 28, 2022


Nice to see a Republican running for office without ego or narcissism who just wants to help people. pic.twitter.com/1s6Y86khkP

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) July 28, 2022

Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, melodic death metal force Brymir will release their Napalm Records debut, Voices In The Sky, on August 26.


Today, after unleashing the official first single and album opening title track, “Voices In The Sky”, the band - featuring lead guitarist Joona Björkroth (Battle Beast), frontman, writer and producer Viktor Storm Gullichsen, drummer Patrik Fält (Feastem, ex-Afgrund), guitarist Sean Haslam and bassist Jarkko Niemiunveils - presents the second single, “Herald of Aegir”.


The passionate offering comes along with a visually palpable lyric video and skillfully portrays Brymir’s multifaceted nature, combining tight guitar lines and delicate orchestration with a dark and raging melodic death metal storm fueled by Viktor Gullichsen furious vocal attack. The song's storyline is a mythology-adorned stance against the destruction of our environment and the pollution of our oceans, a strong message transported throughout their music.




Viktor Gullichsen on the album and second single: “Growing up in Finland, the land of a thousand lakes, I’ve always had a special relationship with water. I spent a big part of my childhood in the archipelago, eating what fish we caught - but today the fish are mostly gone and if we keep polluting the oceans there will soon be nothing left. This song is a reminder that we are approaching a point of no return, especially for some of the more sensitive species. The song’s title refers to salmon, the finest catch of our ancestors and the greatest beast lurking in the depths of the Baltic Sea - but perhaps they won't be around for much longer… Treat our oceans with respect - or the Herald of Aegir will get you!”





Voices In The Sky marks a hefty next level creation in the vein of Ensiferum, Wintersun and Children Of Bodom, but serves as a more modernized answer to the melodic death metal equation with massive production, deep grooves and air-tight technicality. Nevertheless, Brymir continues to draw inspiration from traditional genres like folk and classical music, all brought together perfectly at the hands of the band and producer mastermind and singer Viktor Storm Gullichsen at JKB Studios, with mastering helmed by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios.





Voices In The Sky will be available in the following formats:


- 1CD Digisleeve (6 Panels)
- 1LP Gatefold Red (Transparent)
- 1CD Digisleeve + Shirt
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Voices In The Sky"
"Forged In War"
"Fly With Me"
"Herald Of Aegir"
"Rift Between Us"
"Landfall"
"Borderland"
"Far From Home"
"Seeds Of Downfall"
"All As One"
"Diabolis Interium" (Bonus)


"Voices In The Sky" video:





Lineup:


Viktor Gullichsen - vocals
Joona Björkroth - guitars, backing vocals
Sean Haslam - guitars
Jarkko Niemi – bass, backing vocals
Patrik Fält - drums


(Photo - Janica Lönn)

Texas rockers, Pulse, announce their new album Dragonfly, to be released digitally on all platforms worldwide on August 12 via Dark Star Records. Pre-order the album here.


Talking about their new album the band said, “This album is our most diverse yet, I think Dragonfly is the perfect name for an album that can move in so many directions musically.”


"Pulse is one the most hi calibre bands that I've ever worked with, and there latest release only proves my point." - Jeffrey A. Swanson / President / Dark Star Records







Tracklisting:


"Perfect Like You"
"Wrecking Ball"
"Wake Up"
"Hollowed (Hollow II)"
"Like A Prayer"
"Pendulum"
"Part Of Me"
"The Wave Between Two"
"Until The Night"
"Rocklahoma"


"The Wave Between Two" video:





- Engineer/Producer – Chris Hunter Marshall
- Studio – Tonal Records
- Nakoa Arnold – Bass guitar on “The Wave Between Two”


Pulse started in the summer of 2011 and over the past decade has become a staple band in the Dallas Fort Worth music scene. Pulse has opened for acts like Puddle of Mudd, Sebastian Bach, Seasons After, Smile Empty Soul, Trapt, The Dreaming, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Saliva, Buck Cherry, Hed PE, Alien Ant Farm, Candlelight Red, Steven Tyler, Shinedown, Five Finger Death Punch, Korn, Nothing More and many others.


With an established following in Dallas, Chicago, St Louis, and several other cities, Pulse has made regular touring trips across the US, from New Hampshire to California and everywhere in between. Their versatile and relatable music is sure to have something for everyone. The live show is engaging and memorable and features emotionally charged performances from all of the bands members which sound as good on a stage as they do in a studio.


Pulse hits the road this fall, including a prestigious date at the 2022 Rocklahoma Festival with Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth.


Tour dates:


August
19 - The Rail Club Live - Fort Worth, TX


September
4 - Rocklahoma - Pryor, OK
5 - BlackHawk Casino - Shawnee, OK


October
22 - 19th Hole - Houston, TX (with 12 Years Driven)





Pulse lineup:


Sean Yeaney - Vocals
James Brennaman - Guitar
Justin Rainbolt - Guitar
Eric Fox - Drums
David Hopkins - Bass
Tina Grace - Keyboard, Vocal

Lybica, the dynamic and instrumental band from South Florida that seamlessly blends flavorful guitar melody with powerful metallic crunch and which features Killswitch Engage drummer Justin Foley on guitar, have announced their self-titled debut. It arrives September 16 via Metal Blade Records. Pre-order it here.


The band has dropped the video for the new single, "Manifest". The clip was directed by Maria Jazel of Black Card Films, who also directed the video for the previously released track "Palatial". Watch below.


"I'm thrilled to announce that our debut record will be out September 16 on freaking Metal Blade," says Foley. "It's fitting to share 'Manifest' today, as well, since it was the first song Doug [French, bass], Joey [Johnson, guitar], and I played together a few years back. Now that [drummer] Chris [Lane] has completed the band, it's time for some shows."




Foley continues, "Fellow Floridians can see us at Respectable Street in West Palm on August 5, and also at Fest (!!) in Gainesville, with about 200 of your favorite bands. I also suckered the KsE guys into letting us play with them in Albany on September 22, just a week after Lybica's record comes out. We can't wait to see where this band takes us, and we're excited to get things started!"





Tracklisting:


"Ascend"
"Resonance"
"Palatial"
"Oktavist"
"Ferment"
"Manifest"
"Linnaeus"
"Voltaic"
"Charyou"


"Manifest" video:





"Palatial" video:





Live dates:


August
5 - West Palm Beach, FL - Respectable Street


September
22 - Albany, NY - Empire Live (Supporting Killswitch Engage)


October
28-30 - Gainesville, FL - The Fest


Lineup:


Justin Foley - Guitar
Joey Johnson - Guitar
Doug French - Bass
Chris Lane - Drums


(Photo - @whoisjazel @blackcardfilms)

In a May 2022 interview with Spain's Hellpress, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider, who was famously called to testify before the U.S. Senate against the proposition to have warning labels be placed on albums deemed "offensive" to listeners, once again spoke about the rise of political correctness in the social media era. Asked for his opinion of the current state of "censorship", Dee said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In the '80s, it was the Reagan era — Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher — and a very conservative world, and conservative people, puritan and religious people, were trying to stop rock and roll and [introduce] censorship of things. But now, over the years, it's gone to the other side; it's gone to the more liberal side. And the reasons [are], they'll say, 'We're not being controlling. These words are hurtful and these words make people uncomfortable and these are not the nice things to say.' And I understand that. We should always try to improve as a world. But when you start to look at history and challenge people for things that they did 10 years ago. I'm not talking about super-bad things — pedophilia; there's no time limit on that. And they wanna change the past.

"You saw the movie 'The Dirt' [from] MÖTLEY CRÜE?! And there are a lot of people very upset that the movie showed women objectified. And they said, 'It was the '80s. That was what was happening. That happened.'

"You can't change the past," Dee added. "You can say, 'Okay, we're not gonna do that anymore.' That's what bothers me — when people try to wanna go back in time and somehow censor the past and change the past. We've gotta recognize that things happened — good things and bad things happened — and if we wanna make changes, make 'em moving forward, not going back and changing what happened."

Snider went on to say that censorship crossed his mind while writing his latest solo album, "Leave A Scar", but he pushed any fears of offending someone out of his head to get the record done.

"On [the] album, there's a song called 'In For The Kill'. The chorus is 'In for the kill, fire at will.' It's using a gun metaphor and killing as a metaphor for achieving your goals and dreams. But my brain inside said, 'Wait a minute. Can I write that?' And my other brain, the bigger one, said, 'Fuck yeah! Yes, you can. What the fuck? You're Dee fucking Snider.'

"Just the idea that as a creative person, I was thinking about censoring. 'Cause I'm a writer, I write screenplays and I just did my first novel, and when you write, never edit as you write. You write — just freely write — and then, after you [are done writing], then you go back and say, 'Maybe I'll edit some [of these things].' But you should never be self-editing as you create. Creation should just come naturally and flow."

In 1985, the Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC),led by Tipper Gore, was trying to introduce a parental warning system that would label all albums containing "offensive material." The system was to include letters identifying the type of objectionable content to be found in each album (e.g. O for occult themes, S for sex, D for drugs, V for violence, etc.),which resulted in the "Parental Advisory" sticker now found on new album releases with "questionable content." The incongruous trio of Snider, Frank Zappa and John Denver were called before Congress to testify in defense of music.

In 2015, Snider wrote an Op-Ed story for HuffingtonPost.com about his experience, saying: "Thirty years later, everything and nothing has changed. The ultra-conservatives still want to dictate to the masses what they deem acceptable for the general public to see and hear. The record industry is a mere shadow of its former self (apt punishment for its cowardice),and CDs and vinyl albums have almost become 'novelties’ in a world driven by downloads. Yet, the warning labels still adorn individual track listings and albums online.

"While initially my appearance at those Senate hearings was damaging to my career and reputation, long term it was beneficial, showing people for the first time that I was much more than a screaming 'Raggedy Ann on acid' and a fairly intelligent, sentient human being. Fortunately, I have gone on to better things."

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.

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


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


The band have released this remastered video for "Now You're Gone":







In another clip, David Coverdale looks back on "Now You're Gone":





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


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


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


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


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





CD/Blu-ray tracklisting:


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


"The Deeper The Love" remastered video::





"Judgement Day" remastered video:





"Fool For Your Loving" remastered video:





"Guilty Of Love" remastered video:





"Slow An' Easy" remastered video:





"Slide It In" remastered video:





"Love Ain't No Stranger" remastered video:





"Give Me All Your Love" remastered video:





"Is This Love" remastered video:





“Here I Go Again” remastered video:





"Still Of The Night" remastered video:

Finnish melodic death metal frontrunners, Wolfheart, have proven themselves to be one of metal’s most captivating acts of northern heritage and one of the fastest rising bands in the international melodic death metal scene. Over the course of the last two years alone, the band has remained relentless with the release of their highly acclaimed full-length, Wolves Of Karelia (2020) and the Skull Soldiers EP (2021), gaining massive praise from fans and press alike with their icy tales of battle and triumph.


The band recently announced the upcoming release of their triumphant next album, King Of The North, out September 16 via Napalm Records. The nine-track offering picks up right where their last two releases left off – taking every aspect of their trademark blend of colossal melodies, earth-shaking vocals, gripping lyricism and driving rhythms to searing new levels.


With the first new single from King Of The North, “Ancestor”, Wolfheart join forces with none other than the legendary Jesse Leach of Killswitch Engage. “Ancestor” is the album’s most frostbitten anthem, unleashing Wolfheart’s acclaimed brand of crushing blast beasts and cutting-edge vocal performances. King Of The North will unlock new levels in the ever-growing legacy of Wolfheart.




Wolfheart’s Tuomas Saukkonen about the new single: "Finnish mythology is full of nordic gods, tales and beliefs, but there is only one king of the forest. And because of that, a song about this feared and honored beast is an ideal first single. Musically diverse from blast beats to majestic chorus with legendary Jesse Leach, bringing the song onto a whole new level and lyrically diving deep into the album’s theme."


Watch a new drum playthrough video for "Ancestor":





Watch the official music video for “Ancestor” feat. Jesse Leach below.


Discover distant realms of northern mythology with melodic death triumph King Of The North.


Each song on King Of The North is dedicated to a different story of Finnish mythology – underlined by Wolfheart’s grand, crushing songwriting and production. “The King”, for instance, tells the tale of the forest god with horns and pianos accompanying heavy guitar riffs and solos, before raising the energy levels once more on the relentless “Cold Flame” featuring Karl Sanders of legendary extreme metal group Nile. King Of The North is a true masterpiece of melodic death metal, crafted with loads of attention to detail and intricate mythology-driven storytelling – showcasing Wolfheart at never-before-heard artistic levels!


Tuomas Saukkonen about King Of The North: "After Wolves of Karelia it made a lot of sense to continue writing thematic albums, but this time I wanted to travel a lot further in history than 2nd world war and went straight to the tales about creation of nordic world, ancient gods of north and the majestic nature. The colorful theme also inspired me to write the musically most diverse Wolfheart album and also bring the biggest variation of vocals than ever before, putting Lauri and Vageliss in their well-earned spotlight."


King Of The North will be available in the following formats:


- LP Gatefold Vinyl Black
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Die-Hard Edition Marbled Crystal Clear/Black + Poster + Slipmat (limited to 300)
- LP Gatefold Vinyl Marbled Orange/Yellow
- CD 6-page Digisleeve
- Digital album


Pre-order here.





King Of The North tracklisting:


"Skyforger"
"Ancestor" feat. Jesse Leach
"Knell"
"Desolated Land"
"The King"
"Cold Flame" feat. Karl Sanders
"Headstones"
"Fires of the Fallen"
"Eternal Slumber"


"Ancestor" video:





Wolfheart are:


Tuomas Saukkonen - guitar, vocals
Joonas Kauppinen - drums
Lauri Silvonen - bass, vocals
Vagelis Karzis - guitar, vocals


(Photo - Teppo Ristola)

Jam rockers Crazy Swedes have shared the details for the Deluxe Edition of their self-titled debut album. Originally released on August 20, 2021, the band is back with three new tracks to add to an already outstanding first entry. In addition to the ten tracks found on the standard version, the deluxe edition includes live covers of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Stratus" by Billy Cobham, along with an original acoustic track, "Indigo Chrome".


The deluxe edition of Crazy Swedes will be released on September 23.







Tracklisting:


“Key Lime”
“Flight #4”
“Dark Matters”
“Big Trouble”
“Mr. V”
“What’s On Tap”
“Wavelength”
“Now Or Never”
“Southern Fried”
“Distant Shores”
“Shine On You Diamond (Live)” (Pink Floyd cover)
“Stratus (Live)” (Billy Cobham cover)
“Indigo Chrome”

Extreme metal outfit, Obsidious, will release their new album, Iconic, on October 28 via Season Of Mist. Pre-order the album here, and watch a full band playthrough video for the song, "Devotion", below:





Obsidious are leading the charge for the modern evolution of progressive and technical metal with their debut album, Iconic. Featuring Linus Klausenitzer (bass), Rafael Trujillo (guitars), Sebastian Lanser (drums), and vocalist Javi Perera (vocals), the band has distinguished and lettered origins in Obscura, Alkaloid, Eternity’s End, and Juggernaut.




Obsidious, however, are a different creature entirely. Iconic is technical but not officious, and the album breathes intensity but expands upon it with mellifluent dexterity. With Obsidious, there’s always a hook: Iconic may build upon a prestigious foundation but its vision isn’t restricted to its tenets.


Cover artwork by Adrien Bousson.





Tracklisting:


"Under Black Skies"
"Sense Of Lust"
"Iconic"
"Bound By Fire"
"Iron & Dust"
"I Am"
"Delusion"
"Devotion"
"Nowhere"
"Lake Of Afterlife"


"Bound By Fire" visualizer:





"Under Black Skies" lyric video:

Toronto’s tech-death quintet Apogean have announced that they have signed as the newest members of The Artisan Era roster. Following the release of their debut EP Into Madness last year, the band is excited to join the TAE family - with the promise of their debut full-length to soon be unleashed.


To commemorate this occasion, the band has released a new music video for their song "Chrono".







Apogean is:
Dexter Forbes - Guitar
Gabriel Castro - Guitar
Jacob Wagner - Drums
Robert Tam - Bass
Spike McConnell - Vocals

When ‘80s band White Spirit released their debut single “Backs To The Grind” on NEAT Records in 1980, the major labels came knocking. 


MCA Records won the race to sign White Spirit, and with a lineup of Phil Brady, Graeme Crallan, Janick Gers, Malcolm Pearson and Bruce Ruff, their self-titled debut album was released later in 1980 to great acclaim. A constant schedule of touring saw the band build up a large and loyal following, but changes in personnel saw Janick Gers join Ian Gillan, replaced by Mick Tucker, Toby Sadler take over bass duties from Phil Brady and Bruce Ruff make way for an unknown singer called Brian Howe.


The new and improved White Spirit entered the studio to work on their second album with then Gillan keysman, Colin Towns at the production helm. Alas, the album was never completed, the band broke up and musicians went their separate ways.Mick Tucker joined Tank, later followed by Graeme Crallan. Sadler slid easily into Airrace. Mal Pearson stepped away from music for a spell before returning to action with legends The Sweet. Singer Brian Howe crossed the Atlantic and became frontman for Ted Nugent, before achieving mega platinum success as the replacement for Paul Rodgers in Bad Company.




White Spirit were seemingly consigned to music history, with former members proceeding to forge impressive careers built on this promising foundation. Four decades on and the location of these second album sessions remained a mystery as they were presumed to have been consigned to a skip, as was the fate of so many priceless master tapes carelessly discarded over the years.


The day following Brian Howe’s tragic death from a heart attack in May 2020, Tucker and Pearson were on the phone reflecting on those heady White Spirit days. The missing tapes were once more discussed, but still neither had any idea where to find them. Fate stepped in France, Mal Pearson was rifling through his furniture in storage at the request of his wife to find a missing bedside cabinet when he found it, took back to the house and unwrapped it. Inside were four sets of tapes. One labelled Chiswick Studios – White Spirit. This was it. The one they’d all thought was lost forever.


It was arranged for the delicate and risky process of baking the tapes to preserve and retrieve the old recordings and transfer them to digital. Successful as the process was, the sound quality of all of the elements of the tracks were just not good enough for today’s ears so Pearson & Tucker decided to replace much of the musical accompaniment with a stellar line up of players. Neil Murray (Whitesnake) and Russell Gilbrook (Uriah Heep) made up the rhythm section, with tall the guitars and keyboards replaced by Mick and Mal.


Despite the efforts of isolating and retrieving the vocals, sadly four of Brian Howe’s original performances could not be salvaged to a good enough standard, so guest singers were called upon.


Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey) does a stellar job on two, and the amazing Lee Small (Lionheart) on another track as well as backing vocals. Finally, as a tribute to Brian Howe, “Holy Water”, title track to Bad Company’s million selling album, was recorded with FM’s Steve Overland taking the lead vocal duties.





The album was handed to Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall) to mix in Sweden, and the result is an incredibly fresh body of work with power, finesse, great songs, and amazing vocals. Ten tracks with a nod to the past, but fresh and vibrant arrangements fit for 21st Century ears. 


The wheel of fate that saw White Spirit disband 40 years ago, turned once more, unveiling the lost tapes that finally reveal the first album recorded by Brian Howe, sounding as fine as he ever did.


Right Or Wrong is out on July 29. White Spirit are planning live shows, with Tucker & Pearson already writing the next album.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have shared a video update from the 2022 European leg of the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour. The four-minute clip, which can be seen below, features footage from the first half of the trek, along with interviews with all six bandmembers in which they discuss their return to the live stage for the first time in more than two years.

Bassist Steve Harris said: "Midway through the European leg — actually, it's more than midway; we've done more gigs than we've got left — it's been brilliant everywhere. Absolutely fantastic."

Added singer Bruce Dickinson: "Honestly, I've never seen so many people watching [laughs] six gentlemen on stage as I have on this tour. It's amazing. We're just in the middle of doing Germany at the moment, and it's completely sold out everywhere. It's unbelievable."

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

IRON MAIDEN's latest album, "Senjutsu" came out in September. It marked MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Florida-based rock band, Gunshine, have released their self-titled debut album to all major platforms. Get it here.


Gunshine is a rock n roll band hailing from Pensacola, FL. While spending all of 2020 and 2021 writing and recording their debut album, they honed in on what makes them stand apart, and what they do best.


The debut album from Gunshine recalls the edge and bravado of bands like Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, and Motley Crue, but with an original, modern twist. Blistering guitar solos, catchy riffs, soaring vocals and a lethal rhythm section all come together to create a sound harkening back to a time when music was raw, blisteringly energetic, and loud. In a world where it is commonplace to play it safe, Gunshine throws the rule book out and plays it straight from the heart, no tricks, no frills, no BS. This is rock-n-roll, the kind you’ve been missing.




Drums and guitars were recorded at Clearwave Studio in Decatur, Alabama with engineer Jeremy Stephens (Gregg Allman, Alabama Shakes). Vocals were tracked in Las Vegas with producer/engineer Chris Collier who has worked with Korn, Whitesnake, Mick Mars, Lynchmob, and more. The album was also mixed and mastered by Chris Collier.





Tracklisting:


"Loud"
"Daylight"
"Live Free, Get Wild"
"Wall Said To Call"
"Feel Alright"
"Change Today"
"No Way"
"Playing With Fire"
"Something Real"
"Meet You There"


"Wall Said To Call" video:





Gunshine is:


Austin Ingerman - Guitar
Jordan Benson - Vocals
James Renshaw - Drums
Pat Brown - Bass

STABBING WESTWARD vocalist Christopher Hall has been diagnosed with throat cancer. As a result, the band has been forced to cancel its previously announced shows this summer while he undergoes treatment for the disease.

On Wednesday night (July 27), Hall took to STABBING WESTWARD's social media to write: "I'd like to apologize to everyone who made travel plans to see us in August and September. We've had to put those shows on hold while I deal with a serious health issue. I've been diagnosed with throat cancer. prognosis is really good but it's going to involve a couple of surgeries and 6-8 weeks of chemo and radiation. So unfortunately, I won't be singing anytime soon. I'm hoping to be feeling more human by Halloween and have my voice back by Christmas. So again, sorry for the inconvenience."

Blending the scathing electronics of underground industrial/rock with the emotive melodies of goth and a decidedly radio-friendly sensibility, STABBING WESTWARD rose to great heights in the mid-1990s alternative boom. Formed in 1986 by Flakus and Hall, the band went from underground cult sensation to the heights of critical and commercial success thanks to such songs as "Shame", "Save Yourself", "So Far Away" and "What Do I Have to Do?" To this day, these songs remain anthems of heartache, dejection, rage, betrayal and depression. With two gold albums and numerous hit singles, STABBING WESTWARD fell from grace with the 2001 self-titled album amid personal and professional turmoil, disbanding the following year and leaving a void in modern music that was somewhat filled by Hall's later work in THE DREAMING. However, it was the release of that band's "Rise Again" in 2015 that the seeds were sown for a reunion. That album saw Flakus once again making music with Hall, with STABBING WESTWARD guitarist Mark Eliopulos joining THE DREAMING onstage in Chicago for a set of past hits. In 2019, Hall and Flakus came together again to release the "Dead And Gone" EP, the first new STABBING WESTWARD material in 18 years. Written and produced by Flakus and Hall over the course of three years, and recorded in multiple states and time zones, these songs captured the very essence of the STABBING WESTWARD sound.

STABBING WESTWARD's latest album, "Chasing Ghosts", was released in March, marking the influential industrial rock band's first new LP in more than 20 years.

"Chasing Ghosts" was made available via COP International Records. It features 10 tracks that showcase the industrial rock band's characteristic sound with a modern sheen that picks up right where they left off with their last full-length in 2001. With the new tracks, STABBING WESTWARD has not only managed stay true to their original sound, but also expanded it to fit the frantic new reality of the 21st century.

"Chasing Ghosts" features brand-new songs as well as re-workings of the band's acclaimed 2020 reunion EP "Dead And Gone" that found original founding members Hall and Flakus honing in on the incredible partnership that once produced a string of hits that dominated alternative radio and film soundtracks, including "Shame", "Save Yourself" and "What Do I Have to Do?" — and resulted in two gold records.

To recreate that original chemistry, the band recruited the legendary producer John Fryer to again helm "Chasing Ghosts". Fryer, whose production credits include DEPECHE MODE, NINE INCH NAILS, 4AD, COCTEAU TWINS and LOVE AND ROCKETS, originally worked with STABBING WESTWARD on their best-selling early releases "Ungod" (1994) and "Wither Blister Burn + Peel" (1996). "Chasing Ghosts" was also mastered by Tom Baker who, like Fryer, worked with STABBING WESTWARD on their early releases and is part of the reassembled production team on the latest album.

I'd like to apologize to everyone who made travel plans to see us in August and September. We've had to put those shows...

Posted by Stabbing Westward on Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Chicago-based death metal quintet, Warforged, are back with the second single from their upcoming album, The Grove | Sundial. The band has released the music video for "Sheridan Road", which can be found below.


Speaking on the new track, the band comments: "'Sheridan Road' is a perfect example of the experimentation that makes up a piece of The Grove, and is one of our most ambitious songs to date. Lyrically, this was the first song I wrote as a stream of consciousness, to describe what I and a few of the other guys spent a ton of time doing during the initial months of the pandemic - driving. The video is a good look inside of our lives on the road, featuring a ton of footage we captured ourselves on the Terrestria US tour, and featuring a wide cast of cameo appearances by people we love. Get in your car, turn the ignition on, light up a cigarette and come take a ride with us down Sheridan Road."







The Grove | Sundial will see a September 9 release via The Artisan Era. Pre-order here.





The Grove | Sundial tracklisting:


"No Land Man"
"Hymn Of Broken Teeth"
"Sheridan Road"
"Self Destruct Seminar"
"Bliss Joined To The Bane"
"Burning Days"
"House Of Resentment"
"The Place That Breaks Your Bones"
"Painted Heart"


"Bliss Joined To The Bane" video:





Lineup:


Tim O'Brien - Vocals
Jace Kiburz - Guitar
Max Damske - Guitar
Alex Damske - Bass
Jason Nitts - Drums