KINGDOM COME has been blasted for its disastrous performance at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden, with one reviewer calling it the event's "biggest fuckup."

KINGDOM COME's current lineup consists of drummer James Kottak alongside guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, bassist Johnny B. Frank and vocalist Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB).

Original KINGDOM COME singer Lenny Wolf is not involved with KINGDOM COME's reunion tour, which initially came together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's self-titled debut album.

In his review of KINGDOM COME's June 10 appearance at Sweden Rock, Peter Johansson of the popular Swedish site Rocknytt criticized the band for the inclusion of "several lengthy, uninspired, uninteresting and completely meaningless solos on both guitar and bass", saying that the musicians "completely massacred" one of their most popular songs, "Do You Like It". He also singled out Kottak, writing that the drummer played "really badly, sluggishly" and at times failed to keep the tempo "worryingly throughout the concert". At the end of the show, Kottak "stumbled to the edge of the stage to bow with his bandmates," according to Rocknytt.

Also critical of KINGDOM COME's performance was renowned Swedish music journalist and guitar player Janne Stark, who took to his Facebook page to share a photo of the gig and he wrote in an accompanying caption: "I've never seen a drummer fall asleep on stage before but James Kottak is pretty damn close. Drunk? He slows down every song to half tempo. KINGDOM COME, sorry guys but this is SHIT! Edit: they actually managed to make it worse…. Bass solo".

A few fan-filmed videos of KINGDOM COME's appearance at Sweden Rock have emerged online, with one YouTube commenter, Richard Tedeschi, writing below the "Shout It Out" video: "Does anyone know what was going on with the drummer slowing down and not keeping time?"

In September 2016, Kottak was dismissed from SCORPIONS during his well-publicized battle with alcoholism and was replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD member Mikkey Dee.

Two years ago, Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996, told the SCORPIONS official fan club Crazyscorps about the circumstances that led to his departure from the legendary German hard rock band: "I always liked a drink here and there. And then I always also take a pain medication called Aleve. It's what all the baseball players take, all the footballers, and it works like a charm. You take those of those and you don't feel anything. But on top of that, I'm a rock drummer in a rock band, and you've got the green light to drink.

"From 2008 to 2011, I didn't drink," he explained. "I just woke up one day and said, 'I just don't wanna drink anymore.' I didn't go to rehab; I didn't do any of that stuff. I just didn't wanna drink anymore.

"If you have any knowledge of A.A. [Alcoholics Anonymous] or any type of program or rehab, it only lasts so long and then you have what we call in recovery a relapse. I would go through these phases of a year or maybe two years of no drinking, and then you gradually…

"SCORPIONS, we play our show, we go back to the hotel, [and] 45 minutes later, we're all downstairs having dinner," he continued. "And everything's just the right price — free. All these flights back and forth from Europe, from L.A. — I was just flying constantly. Which I'm not complaining about, but it's always business or first class, and once again, all the booze is at the right price. I'm going, 'I've got the next two days off. I might as well have a drink.' And that's what triggered me to start drinking again sometimes.

"It's a typical alcoholic way of thinking: 'Well, I may as well have a drink. Why not?' And that's typical alcoholic disease thinking. 'Cause it is a disease."

Four years ago, SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs said that he and his bandmates "had to make" the decision to fire Kottak, explaining that they gave the drummer "all the chances" to get better. "We reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it," Jabs said.

After its early run of success in the '80s, KINGDOM COME released several albums, with Wolf remaining the only constant member of the band prior to the band's reformation. The group's most recent effort was 2013's "Outlier".

Kottak played on KINGDOM COME's first two albums, 1988's "Kingdom Come" and 1989's "In Your Face" before leaving.

Kingdom Come var största fiaskot på Sweden Rock😱😬

Posted by Kristofer Becker on Sunday, June 12, 2022

I’ve never seen a drummer fall asleep on stage before but James Kottak is pretty damn close. Drunk? He slows down every…

Posted by Janne Stark on Friday, June 10, 2022

Creatures Fest 2022 took place Memorial Day Weekend (May 27 - 29) in Nashville, Tennessee at the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel. Former KISS guitarist, Bruce Kulick, has shared the new video below, stating: "Zach Throne sings this great Gene Simmons song at the MTV Unplugged Pool Party at day one of Creatures Fest. It's got a great guitar solo, that was actually played by Paul Stanley on the MTV filming. I always enjoyed learning the riffs for that song from Paul's performance on The Elder."





Bruce previously shared the video below, in which he and his band are joined by his wife, Lisa Jane Kulick, at the Creatures Fest Pool Party for a performance of the KISS song, "Rock Bottom".







On May 29, Bruce and his band - Todd Kerns, Zach Throne and Brent Fitz - performed the Revenge album in its entirety as well as other KISS classics. Check out the footage below.

Ozzy Osbourne is "doing well and on the road to recovery" after undergoing surgery to remove and realign pins in his neck and back.

Earlier today (Tuesday, June 14), Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne issued the following update on his condition: "Our family would like to express so much gratitude for the overwhelming amount of love and support leading up to Ozzy's surgery! Ozzy is doing well and on the road to recovery! Your love means the world to him."

An Osbourne family source told Page Six on Monday (June 13) that there will be a "lengthy amount of convalescence" after the operation, which took place yesterday, and the legendary heavy metal singer will need a nurse at home.

The source added: "Ozzy is 73 and any kind of surgery when you get older is difficult. This is quite major. He's having the pins in his neck and back realigned from when he had a fall back in 2019.

"He's been in a lot of pain."

Last week, Sharon said that he was about to undergo a "major operation" which would "determine the rest of his life."

Sharon announced on U.K.'s "The Talk" on Wednesday (June 8) that she would be flying to America to be by her 73-year-old husband's side.

She also said that she didn't know if she and Ozzy will do anything special for their 40th wedding anniversary in July. "[It] depends on everything with Ozzy," she explained.

Last month, Ozzy confirmed to Classic Rock magazine that he was "waiting on some more surgery" on his neck. "I can't walk properly these days," he revealed. "I have physical therapy every morning. I am somewhat better, but nowhere near as much as I want to be to go back on the road."

Asked if he thinks about mortality, Ozzy said: "At fucking 73, I've done pretty well. I don't plan on going anywhere, but my time's going to come."

As for what else he would like to achieve in his 70s, Ozzy said: "A Number One Ozzy album. I'm coming back to England this year, too. I've had enough of living out here [America] now. My intention was never to stay out here."

In April, Sharon spoke about her husband's health during an appearance on Piers Morgan's TalkTV show "Uncensored". At the time, Sharon stated about the BLACK SABBATH frontman: "He's doing okay. He's got one more operation left to do and then he's dying to come back home."

Ozzy, who revealed two years ago that he was battling Parkinson's disease, has reportedly applied for permission for a "rehabilitation" wing at his historic Grade II listed home in Buckinghamshire, England. According to the Daily Mail, the extension will feature "an abundance of stopping and sitting" spaces, "discreet grab rails and aids" and "soft non-slip surfaces" as well as a self-contained nurse's flat. There is also a "pool house orangery", "garden room" and a "health and welfare exercise studio".

Architect Lynne Walker wrote in the plans that "it is the ambition that the design creates a transition of flowing inside outside garden spaces, largely lit by natural light with folding doors opening up views."

In March, Mirror reported that Ozzy and Sharon were leaving Los Angeles and returning to their native United Kingdom due to rising taxes in California.

The musician and his wife will reportedly spend most of their time at their home Welders House.

"We are leaving L.A.," he said, according to Mirror. "We are a bit sad. But the tax is getting too much. I am sad because I really, really like staying and living there."

He added: "If they do the taxes better, then I may come back. I do not know. I am taking my recording studio with me. I am going to build a barn there and make my own studio at Welders. I will still be making music and my band will come over."

Ozzy and Sharon reportedly purchased Welders House from two-time Academy Award-winning special effects legend John Stears in 1993. In her 2013 autobiography, "Extreme: My Autobiography", Sharon said she purchased the home due to its "extreme" distance from any public houses nearby.

In July 2020, Ozzy said that he was still "not back to 100 percent" after suffering from several medical issues, including a fall, neck surgery and hospitalization for the flu. Ozzy also said that he was looking forward to performing again once he has regained his health and the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

Last November, Ozzy's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was once again postponed. The new dates will now take place in May and June 2023.

Ozzy initially scrapped his entire 2019 schedule as he recovered from surgery to repair an injury sustained while dealing with a bout of pneumonia. The tour was postponed a second time after Ozzy continued to deal with health issues following a fall in his Los Angeles home. That fall "aggravated years-old injuries" from an ATV accident that occurred in 2003. The tour was pushed back a third time in October 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ozzy's European tour with JUDAS PRIEST tour will now take place more than four years later than originally planned, and almost five years after tickets first went on sale in September 2018.

In May 2020, Ozzy's son Jack said that his father will "probably" retire "within the next five to ten years." But Ozzy, who turned 73 in December, has repeatedly said that he is not calling it quits, despite the fact that his "No More Tours 2" — whenever it ends up happening — is being billed as his last major global trek.
pic.twitter.com/9I1L0gs2e9

— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) June 14, 2022

U.S. groove rock masters CLUTCH have dropped a brand-new single, "We Strive For Excellence", today. The track is available digitally from all DSPs.

CLUTCH frontman and lyrical wordsmith Neil Fallon shares: "'We Strive For Excellence' looks back fondly on childhood summers filled with grand plans gone awry, inexplicable bruises, untreated injuries, and, of course, the timeless wisdom of Evel Knievel."

CLUTCH released its first new single, "Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)", back in April to much acclaim from fans and critics alike. The track has already hit nearly 300,000 streams on Spotify alone and the official music video, directed by David Brodsky, has clocked up 340,000 YouTube views.

Fallon previously stated about "Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)": "Early in 2021, I learned the Boss Metal Zone pedal schematic was being presented as 'proof' that the COVID-19 vaccine had an electronic component to communicate with 5G cellular networks. It was, of course, nonsense. It sounded like a [sci-fi icon] Philip K. Dick premise. I didn't want to write a song specific to COVID-19 vaccines, so I went with the Philip K. Dick angle (again). 'Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?' [Dick's 1968 science fiction novel] came to mind (replicants, in particular, representing what is real and not real, or is there a difference at all?). The video makes no secret that this is a homage to Philip K. Dick and a future where we have distortion coursing through our veins."

Drummer Jean-Paul Gaster added: "'Red Alert (Boss Metal Zone)' is one of the faster cuts on our forthcoming album. It kicks in and hits like a freight train. The intensity of the recording reminds me of our live shows. This song cooks, and I can't wait to play it on tour!"

Early last year, Gaster told the Chicago-based webzine Metal Kaoz that he and his CLUTCH bandmates had "written a lot of songs" for the follow-up to 2018's "Book Of Bad Decisions" LP. He said: "We've been writing now for our new album, and I think we're spending more time than ever in the studio, just trying out different ideas. And most of the ideas don't ever really make it to the end; we try 10 things and we keep one.

"I think we are even more selective than we were before as to which ideas we really decide to focus on. And I think it is because we have so much more time. Before, we would come home for a tour and maybe we would have three weeks off. So, the first week, we don't do really much of anything — everybody goes back home to their families and we rest — and then the next two weeks we would get together and we would just jam really hard and get a bunch of ideas, and then on the road and play those ideas, and then come back and do it again. And that process might go on for a year and a half. This has been different. This is the first time where we've had so much time at home to work on ideas and never really tried them in a live setting. So I'm not sure how it's gonna impact the record. But I think it's gonna make for a different album — whether it's good, bad or otherwise, it's too early to tell. But, for sure, it's a different dynamic, and it requires more of us.

"So often, when we have new ideas and we put them in front of an audience, you can really tell right away — we know right away if the song is the right tempo, we know right away if the riffs are where they need to be, if the chorus is the way it needs to be," Gaster added. "It's a testing ground. And we don't have that right now. So, for that reason, I think we are being a lot more careful about what ideas we really wanna focus on, and which ones we think, 'You know what? We've done that before. Let's do something a little different.'"

"Book Of Bad Decisions" was recorded at Sputnik Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Vance Powell. The record sold 26,000 copies in America during its first week of availability, giving the group its third consecutive Top 20 album on the Billboard 200.

Professionally filmed video of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's June 12 performance at this year's edition of the Nova Rock festival, which was held on the Pannonia Fields in Nickelsdorf, Austria, can be seen below.

Featured songs:

00:00 Trouble
03:00 Wash It All Away
08:06 Jekyll And Hyde

Last Friday (June 10),FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH released another new song, "Welcome To The Circus". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "AfterLife", which is due on August 19.

The "Afterlife" title track, which was released as a single in April, gave FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH the most consecutive No. 1s on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The song was the band's 12th total No. 1 and eighth entry on the chart in a row. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH broke out of a tie with DISTURBED and SHINEDOWN, each of whom has seven consecutive No. 1s on the chart.

According to Billboard, only three artists boast more No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, which began in 1981: SHINEDOWN (with 17), THREE DAYS GRACE (with 16) and VAN HALEN (with 13).

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's follow-up to 2020's "F8" was once again recorded at the Hideout Recording Studio, the Las Vegas, Nevada facility owned and operated by Kevin Churko, the Canadian record producer/engineer and songwriter who has worked on all of FIVE FINGER's albums beginning with the band's sophomore release, 2009's "War Is The Answer".

"AfterLife" will be FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's first album with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook in 2020. James was previously featured on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction – Volume 2", which came out in the fall of 2020.

Since FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's debut album, "The Way Of The Fist", came out in 2007, the band has released six consecutive albums that were certified gold or platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as well as two chart-topping greatest-hits albums. In addition, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has earned numerous national and international awards and honors over the last decade, such as the prestigious Soldier Appreciation Award by the Association Of The United States Army, an honor bestowed upon only one other recording artist before them: Elvis Presley.

"F8" debuted at No. 1 on rock charts around the world, with Top 10 mainstream chart debuts in the USA, Austria, Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and more. It produced four No. 1 hit singles with "Inside Out", "A Little Bit Off", "Living The Dream" and "Darkness Settles In". The band has amassed over eight billion streams and three billion video views to date and has sold over one million tickets between 2018 and 2020 alone.

This past April, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH announced a 2022 U.S. headlining tour presented by Live Nation. Kicking off in Portland, Oregon on August 19, the trek will span over 30 dates, closing out on October 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band will be joined on tour by rock icons MEGADETH, with additional support from THE HU and FIRE FROM THE GODS, promising an intense multi-faceted night of heavy rock music.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was interviewed by Planet Rock's Wyatt backstage at this weekend's Download festival in the United Kingdom, and in true Gene style, he covered everything from body hair to retirement, Liam Gallagher to fan tattoos, and why KISS isn't for everyone.

Speaking about KISS's decision to call it quits at the end of the band's ongoing "End Of The Road" farewell tour, Gene said: "It's been coming up for a few years now. And I can wax poetic and prolific about all kinds of things but underneath this veneer is this sort of, 'It's gotta end sometime.' You want to respect the fans enough to know when to get off that stage. And it's gonna be sad, and it's gonna be happy. Sad that you have to leave something that you love so much, but really happy and proud for, 'Look what we did.' We raised the level of what a fan can expect on that stage for their hard-earned money. There's no question about that. So if you see wrestling and there's pyro or Sir Paul McCartney, one of my heroes — anybody that's putting stuff in their shows. I mean, where do you think they got that from? MUNGO JERRY?"

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City but is now expected to last through early 2023.

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Simmons and Paul Stanley (guitar, vocals),alongside later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (guitar),KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

In its 49-year career, KISS has accumulated 23 gold and platinum albums — more than any other U.S. band.

Last month, Gene told SPIN about his post-KISS plans: "Well, we have [the rock-inspired restaurant] Rock & Brews, which is becoming more successful — and quite a few other businesses, which has no relation to sticking my tongue out. And at some point, after the band stops touring, I may go out with the GENE SIMMONS BAND. Did about 50 shows. It's a lot of fun, a totally different experience. It's like being in the RAMONES or U2 or something. You put on sneakers and a t-shirt, and that's all the work. So your heart doesn't have to go 'boom, boom, boom, boom,' like it's going to thump out of your chest, like at KISS shows. If you are a blues artist, you can do that until you're in your mid-80s, the way B.B. King did at 88. Are you kidding me? Me walking around on stage with dragon boots and all that, even past 75, I can't imagine it. The physical wear and tear, your heart just is not going to be able to take it. I defy these guys half my age to get into my outfit, see how long you'll last on stage."

Fan-filmed video of JUDAS PRIEST's June 12 performance at Saab Arena in Linköping, Sweden can be seen below.

Linköping is the former hometown of GHOST leader Tobias Forge, who attended last night's concert.

A photo of Forge and PRIEST singer Rob Halford, taken backstage at the Linköping show and shared via Rob's Instagram, can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. One Shot At Glory
02. Lightning Strike
03. You've Got Another Thing Comin'
04. Freewheel Burning
05. Turbo Lover
06. Hell Patrol
07. The Sentinel
08. A Touch Of Evil
09. Rocka Rolla
10. Victim Of Changes
11. Desert Plains
12. Blood Red Skies
13. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown) (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
14. Diamonds & Rust (Joan Baez cover)
15. Painkiller

Encore:

16. The Hellion / Electric Eye
17. Hell Bent For Leather
18. Breaking The Law
19. Living After Midnight

JUDAS PRIEST kicked off its spring/summer 2022 European tour with an intimate concert on May 31 in Berlin, Germany. For the gig, which was held at the 1,600-capacity Huxleys Neue Welt venue, Halford and his bandmates ditched their traditional leather-and-studs look in favor of a more stripped-down appearance.

Last month, Halford told ABC Audio that PRIEST was in the process of "tracking" follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" album.

"You can never have enough songs when you're making an album," he said. "Songs that you didn't even know you had bits and pieces and fragments of, suddenly they become an incredibly important part of your record."

Regarding the musical direction of the new JUDAS PRIEST material, Rob said: "The music that we're making now is representative of where PRIEST is at this probably sixth decade of our existence when it comes out… It sounds great. I'm really pleased. I'm really, really happy that… we're not dropping the ball. Not that we ever have. But it's good, because there are some elements in there that we've never… kind of discovered before."

More than a year ago, Halford confirmed that PRIEST's next album will see the band reuniting with the "Firepower" production team consisting of Andy Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier. Tipton announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower". He was replaced by Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

This past March, Faulkner told the "Metal From The Inside" podcast about the recording process for the new PRIEST album: "It's been slowed down a lot because of, obviously, the pandemic. We wanted to get together, like we did on 'Firepower', and record it together, but, obviously, the lockdowns and everything like that slowed that process [down]. Some of us live in the U.S., some of us live in the U.K., so getting together proved to be a bit difficult over the last couple of years. Now everything is kind of opening up, it's a bit easier, but now we're on the road, so we've got a touring cycle [to get through]. So, if we can, we might be able to do it in between the touring cycles."

As for when fans can expect to get the next PRIEST album, Faulkner said: "We don't have a release date. It's not finished. We've got the songs, but we've gotta record it. We've got drums down. I don't know if that's even been said yet. So we're gonna try and build it up as we move through this touring cycle. But as Rob always says, it'll be finished when it's finished. At this point in their career, there's no point in rushing anything, especially when we've waited this long through the pandemic to start doing it. It'll be done when it's done. But there will be another PRIEST record. We've got some great songs."

Regarding the musical direction of the new PRIEST material, Richie said: "It's different to 'Firepower', but it's definitely… You can hear where it's coming from. It's not even 'Firepower 2'… It's hard to say anything these days without people getting… If I say it's like a continuation of 'Firepower', people think it's 'Firepower 2'. It's got its own character, it's got its own legs, and we're looking forward to releasing it on to the world when it's done."

In February, Halford was asked by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In if he agreed with Faulkner's recent comment that the band's upcoming album will be more musically "progressive" than "Firepower". He responded: "Yeah, the metal is there. But here's the thing: we've tried our best not to replicate anything that we've done. From 'Rocka Rolla' all the way through to 'Firepower', each record has had a distinctive character. And it's tough because fans go, 'We want another 'Painkiller',' 'We want another 'British Steel'.' And [it's, like], 'Dude, we've already done that.'

"Fans know that we're a band that is always full of adventure and trying new stuff," he continued. "And so, yeah, this has got probably some more progressive elements that we've never really delved into before. And that's exciting, because, again, it gives us and our fans another opportunity to see a different side of PRIEST. But it's still metal. There's just more of it. There are more notes than there were before."

That same month, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the overall sound of the new PRIEST music: "Whenever you start a record, you never know how it's gonna turn out. So you might start with an idea of what it's gonna be, and as it kind of rolls on, it comes out something different. So you don't quite know. And also it's really hard to sum up your own music, I find, without sounding really pretentious. But I think this one — it's not 'Firepower 2', I don't think. It's its own thing, it's its own animal. If anything, I would say it's a bit more progressive in places, and in places it's got a bit more of that 'Killing Machine' swagger."

Faulkner added: "I know everyone says, 'Oh, is it the next 'Painkiller'?' or 'Is it the next…?' whatever… I don't know if they'd ever done it, but I know we've never done it when I've been in the band; we've never tried to recreate an album. It's always we try to create an album that stands on its own legs. So I think it's definitely a little bit more progressive than 'Firepower' and, as I said, in places it's got a little bit of that 'Killing Machine' angry swagger attitude going on. But again, as I said, we're waiting to see what it turns out like, 'cause it could turn out completely different."

JUDAS PRIEST will receive the Musical Excellence Award at this year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which will honor Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The induction ceremony will be held on November 5, 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It will air at a later date on HBO and stream on HBO Max. There will also be a radio simulcast on SiriusXM's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Radio channel 310.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the JUDAS PRIEST members that will get inducted include current members Halford, Hill, Tipton and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Downing, Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.

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Rock legends DEF LEPPARD celebrate their massive impact on rock history with their 45th anniversary in 2022. To commemorate this brilliant occasion, the award-winning Swedish liquor producer Brands For Fans is releasing not one, but two premium gin products.

With this DEF LEPPARD gin portfolio, Brands for Fans aims to embody one of rock 'n' roll's most legendary and influential bands, adding to their legacy. These gins are named after two songs on DEF LEPPARD's iconic album "Hysteria": "Animal" and "Rocket". Both superior quality products, expertly created by globally recognized in-house master blender Daniel Henriksson, these gins will certainly deliver a rock 'n' roll lifestyle into the homes of both life-long fans and spirits connoisseurs.

Brands for Fans worked with Epic Rights, a licensing agency of DEF LEPPARD, to develop these products.

Def Leppard "Animal" is a classic London Dry Gin with a high intensity of flavors. The grain-based distillate is heavy with juniper, lemon, and botanicals. It is spicy, big, and bold and has all the classic gin characters you should expect in a London Dry Gin. This gin's label design is inspired by the hit single "Animal" from the album "Hysteria".

Def Leppard "Rocket" is a premium distilled gin with a high intensity of flavors. Also, with this gin, the grain-based distillate is bold with juniper and herbaceous tones. Taking inspiration from the lavender labyrinths in Sheffield (Manor Lodge),and to get an even more developed experience of botanical character, additional flavors of lavender and lemon are macerated and blended with the distillate. There are no added sweeteners, ensuring the purest quality of liquid. The label design is based off the hit single "Rocket" from the album "Hysteria".

These products launched Friday, June 10, 2022, in the U.K., mainland Europe, Sweden, the Nordics, and the USA.

DEF LEPPARD's latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", sold 34,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's eighth top 10 LP.

DEF LEPPARD's previous Top 10 albums include "Pyromania" (which peaked at No. 2 in 1983),"Hysteria" (No. 1 for six weeks in 1988),"Adrenalize" (No. 1 for five weeks in 1992),"Retro Active" (No. 9; 1983),"Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection" (No. 10; 2005),"Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" (No. 5; 2008) and "Def Leppard" (No. 10; 2015).

DEF LEPPARD is set to launch "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE and guests POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS on June 16 in Atlanta, Georgia. The 36-date trek, which is due to wrap September 9 in Las Vegas, was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus crisis.

In a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Sonic Perspectives, TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon was asked if DEF LEPPARD's Phil Collen, who produced TESLA's latest album, 2019's "Shock", will return to helm the band's follow-up effort. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The 'Shock' album that Phil did, they worked really hard on that. When I say 'they,' I'm talking about Phil Collen and Brian Wheat, our bass player. Man, they really worked hard on the album. It was a collaboration. Phil wrote most of the songs. And some people thought it was a great album and other people didn't like it. But we gave it a shot. But from now on… Brian and I had a discussion… Brian and I are the founding members of the band TESLA, along with Jeff Keith. And we decided from now on, we're gonna write and produce our own music. We worked with enough producers — we've had producers coming and going our whole career — so from now on, at our age, we're gonna produce our own music. And we're actually producing a brand new single that's gonna come out next month, and it's frickin' rocking. I'm really excited about it.

"The best thing about producing ourselves is it's imperfect and it's edgy and it's got the warts and everything and it's as real as it can be because it's us. We're not technicians where we know how to make things perfect.

"[TESLA's latest single, 2021's] 'Cold Blue Steel', we produced it ourselves, and this new song — it's called 'Time To Rock' — I've been producing it and working on it for about two months. And it'll ultimately get put on a self-produced album."

Asked if TESLA will continue to focus on releasing individual singles before dropping another full-length album, Hannon said: "Yeah, we're gonna put out singles after singles and just focus on one song at a time, man, and rock that song.

"What happens is when you're young, man, you can write 10 songs and frickin' put out an album every year, but as you get older, like we are now, it's not as easy to do that," he explained. "So you end up sacrificing quality for quantity, and we don't wanna do that. Why put out 10 songs that are just in a rush when we can spend our time and just create singles that we're real proud of. And this one next one, I'm telling you, Jeff Keith and I are really excited about it, 'cause he and I wrote it on the road last year and I got the band to put it together. I've been chipping away on it in the studio producing it, and I'm getting ready to produce a video for it this weekend. It's called 'Time To Rock', and it does rock."

This past March, TESLA released the official lyric video for "Cold Blue Steel". The clip, directed by Brandon Gullion and produced by Hannon, is raw and high electric energy that takes fans back to the roots of TESLA.

Originally released last August, "Cold Blue Steel" was the first TESLA song to ever be produced by the bandmembers themselves.

Last December, Hannon told Let's Rock that the lyrics to "Cold Blue Steel" have been partially misinterpreted by some fans.

"We've been getting a lot of flak from people that only hear the couple of verses in the song, thinking it's about gun control," he said. "And in a way it is, but, really, it's so much deeper than that, the lyrics. We try to definitely not take sides and be political but we wanna sing about a situation. Something like what we did with 'Modern Day Cowboy' in the '80s; we sang about foreign lands and terrorist demands and 'bang bang, shoot 'em up' and how that attitude was still happening in the world at that time, being a gunfighter, cowboy situation, but we're not pointing fingers. And that's the same way with this song, but some people only hear parts of it and have been giving us some shit about it. But if you listen to the lyrics, it's asking a question, 'What's to blame? Let's get real.' And the song is really about people that you give 'em an inch, they take a mile — whether it's a politician, whether it's a crook, whether it's a police officer. And we support our police."

He added: "There's evil intentions in all parts of life, and that's what the song is really about — just observing and asking the question, 'What's to blame?' It's not talking about 'take away guns' or any of that shit. But it started off just being a fun poke at Ronnie Van Zant. That last lyric in the song, 'Just like Ronnie said, 'Let's dump 'em to the bottom of the sea,' that's where the song started for fun. And then we took it and tried to make it a little bit more serious."

Last September, TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He is being replaced at TESLA's gigs by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

TESLA is:

Frank Hannon - guitar
Brian Wheat - bass
Jeff Keith - lead vocals
Dave Rude - guitar
Steve Brown - drums

On Monday, June 13, METALLICA's Lars Ulrich was awarded with the prestigious Ærespris (Honorary Award) at this year's Carl Prisen.

The Carl Prisen was founded by Danish Music Publishers' Association in 2013, named after Carl Nielsen. Prizes are awarded to composers and songwriters in 15 different categories spanning different music genres.

The award included a monetary prize of 30,000 Danish kroner (approximately $4,200), which Ulrich donated to the Danish Songwriting Academy.

This year's Carl Prisen ceremony was held at Axelborgsalen in Copenhagen and was attended by Ulrich and early METALLICA producer Flemming Ramsussen. Flemming later shared a photo of the pair at the event on social media and wrote in a caption: "Today I participated in giving out the Carl Prize 2022 to this guy!"

Ulrich was honored in part of his role in METALLICA's lawsuit against the streaming platform Napster for copyright infringement. He was also recognized for his compositional work on such classic METALLICA tracks as "Enter Sandman", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Master Of Puppets".

In May 2000, Ulrich famously delivered a literal truckload of paper to Napster Inc., listing hundreds of thousands of people who allegedly used the company's software to share unauthorized MP3s of METALLICA's songs.

METALLICA representatives compiled the more than 60,000-page list of 335,435 Napster user IDs over one weekend in response to Napster's promise to terminate the accounts of users who trade material without permission. Real names were not included in the list.

In later years, METALLICA embraced digital music: in December 2012, the band made all of its studio albums, as well as various live material, singles, remixes and collaborations, available on Spotify.

Last year, Ulrich spoke to the "Tanya's Table" podcast about his Danish upbringing and how it has shaped who he is.

"As the world spins out of control here in many ways, I feel more and more Danish and kind of embrace my Danish roots," he said. "I love America; I love living in America. It's been an incredible 30-[plus] years, close to 40 years now [since I moved to the U.S.], but the Danishness in me still flourishes, and I'm very proud and happy about that side.

"People [ask me], 'Oh, you're gonna move back [to Denmark]?' I'm, like, 'I'm very happy,'" he continued. "I'm very happy [living] in San Francisco. I love the Bay Area mentality and the creative energies that flow through all the different things — even tech here, obviously, where people are inventing the future. But I'm really more and more, I think, understanding and appreciative and understand what role my upbringing and the culture and the history and the Danish worldview plays in continuously shaping who I am."

While still living in Denmark as a teenager, Ulrich played tennis professionally and could have gone on to a career as a tennis star, but chose music instead.

Var idag med til at uddele Carl Prisen 2022 til ham her!

Posted by Flemming Rasmussen on Monday, June 13, 2022

Carl Prisen 2022 er veloverstået, og Lars Ulrich var forbi for at tage imod Musikforlæggernes Ærespris. Tillykke til alle vinderne! 👏

📸: Malene Henssel

Posted by Carl Prisen on Monday, June 13, 2022

Lars Ulrich musikforlæggernes Ærespris 2022. Tillykke!

Posted by Musikforlæggerne i Danmark on Monday, June 13, 2022

Tillykke til alle de nominerede og vinderne til Carl Prisen i dag. Navnlig til DPA-medlemmerne Drew Sycamore, Andreas...

Posted by DPA on Monday, June 13, 2022

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has called out Paul Stanley for allegedly using pre-recorded tracks during the band's performances.

The 71-year-old Frehley touched upon Paul's supposed reliance on backing tapes during his concert Saturday night (June 11) at the Palladium in New York City.

Prior to launching into the KISS classic "Detroit Rock City" with his solo band, Frehley told the crowd (see video below): "This song's a great song written by Mr. Paul Stanley. By the way, we don't use tapes. Anyway, this one's about a city in the Midwest on Lake Michigan. It's called 'Detroit Rock City'."

Ace's comments came less than a week after a rare "mistake" by KISS drummer Eric Singer during the band's concert in Antwerp, Belgium revealed what some fans are saying is proof that KISS is using pre-recorded tracks during its performances.

Several KISS fans who attended the group's June 6 show at Sportpaleis shared video of KISS kicking off the set with "Detroit Rock City", the classic song that has consistently served as the live opener for the band's live performances in recent years. At the end of the track, Singer, who has played with KISS on and off since 1991, apparently "[forgot] to rest for a measure," according to YouTube commenter Austin Ogonoski, "instead continuing to play the standard beat for two additional measures. " After "Eric [realized] he [messed] up," he "[began] the drumroll/breakdown a measure late," which "[meant] Paul's vocal track [was] out of sync with what the band [was] actually playing," Austin explained. "Paul's track [played] 'Everybody's gonna leave their SEAT,' completely out of sync with the song and when nobody [was] at a mic."

Ever since KISS's "End Of The Road" trek launched in late January 2019, there has been persistent online chatter about Paul allegedly singing to a backing tape. The speculation stemmed from the fact that Stanley had been struggling to hit the high notes in many of the band's classic songs for a number of years.

In a 2014 interview with the Metropolis Nights magazine, Frehley was asked about Stanley's comment in Guitar World magazine that Ace "stopped practicing" his guitar playing and "got involved with a whole lot of things that really diluted and diminished his craft." Ace responded: "I didn't read that, but I think that's hysterical. For Paul to try and say something negative against me as a guitar player? Come on! He should listen to himself playing live. He's one of the sloppiest guitar players out there. He's more worried about jumping around and pointing his finger. That's been the problem since the beginning of KISS. We all used to yell at him for making so many mistakes. I would try and cover for him. So for him to take a shot at my guitar playing…. Is he out of his mind?"

Back in 2018, Ace said in an interview that his hypothetical return to KISS could make it easier for Paul to handle the band's material in a live situation.

"I told Gene [Simmons], 'Get me back in the band and I'll sing five songs, which will take the pressure off Paul,'" Frehley told SiriusXM. "It sounds like a good plan. But I don't make the decisions anymore with KISS."

THE ROLLING STONES have canceled tonight's (Monday, June 13) concert in Amsterdam, The Netherlands after singer Mick Jagger tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Earlier today, THE ROLLING STONES released the following statement via social media: "THE ROLLING STONES have been forced to call off tonight's concert in Amsterdam at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, following Mick Jagger testing positive after experiencing symptoms of COVID upon arrival at the stadium.

"THE ROLLING STONES are deeply sorry for tonight's postponement, but the safety of the audience, fellow musicians and the touring crew has to take priority.

"The show will be rescheduled for a later date. Tickets for tonight's show will be honored for the rescheduled date. Standby for details."

THE ROLLING STONES kicked off their "Sixty" tour on June 1 at Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain. The concert featured the band's first performance of the 1966 tune "Out Of Time".

The tour marking THE ROLLING STONES' 60th anniversary as a band features original bandmembers Jagger, 78, and guitarists Keith Richards, 78, and Ronnie Wood, 75. They are joined by drummer Steve Jordan, who replaced THE ROLLING STONES' late drummer Charlie Watts. Watts, who joined the band in 1963, died last year aged 80.

The first leg of the "Sixty" trek, was scheduled to feature 14 concerts in 13 European cities, including a pair of concerts in London's Hyde Park on June 25 and July 3. The tour will end on July 31 in Stockholm, Sweden.

According to a press release that announced the outing, the "Sixty" tour features "a spectacular new production, including a massive stage, cutting-edge lighting and state-of-the-art video design."

Jordan previously stepped in for Watts on the band's 2021 "No Filter" tour of the U.S. after Charlie's death last August.
pic.twitter.com/77xIYpxIJD

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) June 13, 2022

KROKUS frontman Marc Storace has released the official music video for this solo track "High On Love". The song is taken from his first-ever solo album, "Live And Let Live", which was made available in Switzerland in December and was released in North America in February.

"Live And Let Live" track listing:

01. Live And Let Live (3:41)
02. High On Love (3:57)
03. Lady Of The Night (4:44)
04. Carry The Burden (3:16)
05. Broken Wings (3:41)
06. No Place To Hide (3:22)
07. Don't Wanna Go (4:40)
08. Love Over Money (3:53)
09. Time Waits For No One (4:14)
10. Paradise (2:59)

In an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice conducted before the "Live And Let Live" release, Storace said about how his solo album came about: "Twenty years ago, I wrote the title song of the album, 'Live And Let Live'. 'Live And Let Live' was written with this guitar player who was a neighbor of mine. I used to go over to his place, a little studio, on cold or rainy days and icy days. We spent hours writing songs, and we came out with about 20 of 'em. And this is one of 'em which fits for the album. And it's the opener. It's a great song.

"Anyway, so many years later, we did the [KROKUS] reunion, and I've been busy with KROKUS," he continued. "And as soon as lockdown started, I first did some stuff which I put on YouTube and Facebook, some karaoke stuff which I found. I did duets with my daughter, Giuliana. After that phase with Giuliana, I kind of fell in a hole of the lockdown boredom, and I thought, 'No way. I'm gonna get creative.' I opened my drawer [and out came] a pile of lyrics — bits and pieces, leftovers, new stuff. And I thought, 'Well, I've got enough material. And I need a guitar player.'

"This guy I got in touch with, he's in Newcastle, in England," Marc added. "We started communicating about ideas — he'd send me ideas, and I'd send him feedback, and I'd fit lyrics and build songs and stuff. So we built quite a few. And then I already went in contact with a couple of musicians whom I got to know when I was doing this big event, film series for television in 2019. And this thing came out during lockdown. But while we were filming this, I also started thinking, 'Well, we're on a farewell tour, and I don't really wanna stop.' And this thing came out during lockdown, which helped reduce the boredom, and in between I was writing songs. And then I got to know these two other guys — a drummer and rhythm guitarist — and they also produced the whole music side of [the TV series]. And they asked me during the filming stuff, in between, 'You should do a solo album now. It's gonna be over with KROKUS. What are you gonna do?' I said, 'I don't know yet. It's not over until it's over. And I'm still enjoying it. So I'm not thinking that far. I'm taking it — carpe diem. Day by day.' Cause you never know what tomorrow brings. And too much planning sometimes you're doing for nothing. Overthinking is unhealthy anyway.

"So, anyway, I came to that point. And then I called them. I said, 'Guys, you wanna do it? 'Cause I really enjoyed working with you.' … So we started. And at the end of last year, they already sent me two ideas, and at the beginning of this year, they sent me some more. And I got busy working, working, and we did demos and stuff. And here we are — it's ready. It's all recorded, and it's in the mix."

Asked about the musical direction of his solo album, Marc said: "It's energetic, heavy, melodic hard rock. And there's also a couple of ballads. I'm a singer — we love ballads. And then there's something out of the ordinary — it's a blues song, which is not the typical blues song. It's something I saw as a challenge. When they sent me that music, I thought, 'What? It doesn't really fit.' But then I thought blues is always inside the rock family — a body of rock always has blues in there, as opposed to jazz maybe, although that's also integrated sometimes. And then there's this one song — I think it's gonna be the last one on the album — which is quite acoustical and more light-hearted.

"I'm saying it's great, because I've worked for it and I'm emotionally involved with it," he continued. "But people around us and around me have been telling me I'm on the right track, and the results are good."

KROKUS released a new CD/DVD, "Adios Amigos Live @ Wacken", in February 2021.

Back in April 2020, KROKUS was forced to postpone its last-ever concerts in USA and Canada due to the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the globe. The 13-date trek was originally scheduled to kick off at Canton Hall in Dallas, Texas on September 18, 2020 and conclude at Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 10, 2020.

In September 2018, KROKUS announced that it was going to embark on a farewell tour dubbed "Adios Amigos" before calling it a day. At the time, they said their final show would take place on December 7, 2019 at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland. However, in June 2019, Storace posted a message on Facebook indicating that the band would play additional concerts beyond the Zurich date.

When KROKUS first announced its decision to embark on a farewell tour, the band explained in a statement: "KROKUS shows have always been special and should stay that way. That's why we decided to stop when it's still really good. That's how the fans should remember us."

Metal Department announces the release of an exclusive new Lordi recording, "Reel Monsters". The song is now available on all leading streaming platforms, or directly here. Listen below.


Lordi is a Finnish heavy metal band formed in 1992 by the band's vocalist, songwriter and costume-maker, Mr. Lordi (Tomi Petteri Putaansuu). In addition to their melodic metal music, Lordi are also known for wearing monster masks and using various horror elements with pyrotechnics during their concerts and in music videos. The band famously won the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with their subsequent worldwide hit song, "Hard Rock Hallelujah".


Lordi has been touring and recording actively since 2002, and Mr. Lordi himself upgrades the band's costumes and masks for each album. The band has gone through several lineup changes with Mr. Lordi being the only consistent member of the band since their foundation. The band is touring throughout Europe right now.




"Reel Monsters" is a track that Lordi recorded in 2022 for the soundtrack to the official Lordi online slot game of the same name. The song has also been released as a very limited edition 7″ vinyl single, pressed in two different colours of vinyl and in a series of collectable artwork variations.


The 7″ record comes packaged in a gatefold PVC-sleeve with a double card insert. Order here.





7" vinyl tracklisting:


Side A:


"Reel Monsters"


Side B:


"A Message From Lordi"


7" single promo video:





"Reel Monsters":





Metal Department has also developed the official Lordi online slot game, which can be previewed here.

On June 3rd, former vocalist Roy Khan's pre-Kamelot band, Conception, performed at ProgPower USA 2022 in Atlanta, GA. Fan-filmed video can be viewed below.


Seven Spires vocalist Adrienne Cowan guests on the songs "Silent Crying", "By The Blues" and "She Dragoon".


The setlist was as follows:




"Grand Again"
"A Virtual Lovestory"
"Waywardly Broken"
"No Rewind"
"The Mansion"
"A Million Gods"
"Quite Alright"
"Silent Crying"
"Sundance"
"Gethsemane"
"Feather Moves"
"By the Blues"
"She Dragoon"


Encore:
"My Dark Symphony"
"Roll the Fire"




















In addition, Khan hit the stage with Seven Spires during the band's set to perform "This God Is Dead" on June 2nd.