Melbourne prog/alt metal giants Circles make their momentous return with pulsating new single “Sleepwalking” and its explosive accompanying music video, unleashing a new era on July 13 via Wild Thing Records.





In the midst of being in the longest locked down city in the world, the group found solace in writing the next chapter of the Circles story, commencing now with “Sleepwalking”. Smashing right into the fray with their first release since 2018’s internationally acclaimed album The Last One - the group’s debut with front-man Ben Rechter, Circles are bringing their textured prog-alt-metal flair to their newest single, which shudders with densely-packed melodies and artful songwriting.




In a metallic blitz of earth-shattering riffs and electronic textures, “Sleepwalking” is razor-sharp and fierce. Putting it all on the line, Rechter's fervent melodic tone intertwines with volatile guitars and hammering drums that surge with unbridled energy. At full force, “Sleepwalking” is the band’s cathartic absolution.


Frontman Rechter speaks on the meaning and theme behind “Sleepwalking”: “Essentially, it’s a song of fear and regret, of feeling like so much time has been wasted while you’ve unconsciously gone through the motions to arrive at your current situation. But you’re struggling to push yourself into the unfamiliar territory that holds the potential to provide you with what you’re searching for. It’s so easy to live and die in a comfort zone, even when all you want is out of it.”


The new single was produced by Circles’ own Ted Furuhashi, its music video directed by the band’s David Hunter, with the track mastered by Luke Cincotta (Karnivool - Asymmetry).





Circles return to the live circuit for the Sleepwalking Australian Tour, across August and September. Joining them on all dates is an epic assortment of some of Australia’s best up and coming acts; The Omnific, Future Static, and Heartline. 


Drummer Hunter comments: “The last few years has been pretty damn tough on the music industry. We locked ourselves away and wrote the next chapter in the Circles story. The band is ready to road test some of this new material, along with some old favourites. So for the first time since 2019, we're stoked to be able to see all of you legends again. This is going to be something really special for us.”


Circles tour-de-force live show has taken them across Australia, Europe, and the UK, complemented by festivals including Euroblast, Prog Power, and Progfest, and a touring history with some of the who’s who of international progressive/alternative heavy music, such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Opeth, Fear Factory, Periphery, TesseracT and Twelve Foot Ninja.


Circles live:


August
18 – Melbourne – Stay Gold
26 – Adelaide – Lions Arts Factory


September
2 – Brisbane – The Zoo
3 – Sydney – Crowbar
4 – Canberra – The Basement 


With special guests: The Omnific, Future Static & Heartline

FEAR FACTORY will release "Recoded", a collection of remixes of the songs from the band's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", on October 28 via Nuclear Blast. The first single from the effort will arrive on September 2.

"Recoded" will be FEAR FACTORY's first remix album since 1997's "Remanufacture" and it will coincide with the band's 32nd anniversary (FEAR FACTORY officially formed on October 30, 1990).

The artwork for "Recoded" was created by Anthony Clarkson, who previously worked on 2010's "Mechanize", 2012's "The Industrialist" and 2015's "Genexus".

The final mixing and mastering for "Recoded" was handled by Damien Rainaud. The effort was produced by FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares.

"Recoded" track listing:

01. Adapt Or Die (intro narrative by Jake Stern, sound FX By Zardonic)
02. Hatred Will Prevail ("Monolith" remix by Rhys Fulber)
03. Disobey ("Disruptor" remix by Zardonic)
04. I Am The Nightrider ("Fuel Injected Suicide Machine" remix by Dualized/Zardonic)
05. Path To Salvation ("Purity" remix by Rhys Fulber)
06. Worthless ("End Of Line" remix by Zardonic)
07. Empires Fall ("Collapse" remix by Tyrant Of Death)
08. System Assassin ("Aggression Continuum" remix by Rhys Fulber)
09. Hypocrisy Of Faith ("Manufactured Hope" remix by Rob GEE)
10. This Is My Life ("Cognitive Dissonance" remix by Zardonic)
11. Recoded ("Recode" remix by Blush_Response)

Vinyl bonus tracks:

12. Turbo Factory ("End Of Line" remix by Turboslash)
13. Break Off ("Disruptor" remix by Rhys Fulber)

"Aggression Continuum" was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and singer Burton C. Bell alongside drummer Mike Heller.

In September 2020, Bellissued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's latest LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

In October 2020, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with former drummer Raymond Herrera and bassist Christian Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

This past February, former NIGHTRAGE singer Antony Hämäläinen, who unsuccessfully auditioned for the vocalist slot in FEAR FACTORY, claimed in an interview that the new FF frontman is "a person from Italy." He also added that a female vocalist who is "in a band with somebody who's a well-known producer/musician" auditioned for the position as well but didn't get the gig.

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Alice Cooper will be rejoined by guitarist Kane Roberts for the legendary rocker's tour in the fall. Kane's return to Alice's touring band was first reported as a rumor by the Metal Sludge web site on Monday (July 11).

Alice announced his renewed collaboration with Kane in a social media post earlier today. He wrote: "I'm looking forward to welcoming back Kane Roberts for our shows in September and October. We've been friends all this time, and he's always been one of my favorite guitarists. He's bringing more muscle to the 'Detroit Muscle' tour.

"We've always had a swinging door policy where players can come and go, so it's very exciting to get back on stage with Kane. The fans are in for a real treat at these shows. It's gonna be a blast. Kane Roberts, Ryan Roxie, and Tommy Henriksen on guitars? Hell yeah!"

Earlier this week, Nita Strauss announced her departure from Cooper's band after an eight-year stint. The guitarist also canceled all of her solo festival appearances for the rest of the year.

Kane has recorded a total of five solo albums (among them the PHOENIX DOWN project released in the late '90s),including his latest, "The New Normal", which arrived in January 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl. "The New Normal" contained the song "Beginning Of The End", featuring a guest appearance by Alice.

Kane's name and abilities first came to prominence on Cooper's "Constrictor" album, which was soon followed by his self-titled debut solo album in 1987. More albums and tours with Alice followed, making Kane a well-known face in the business especially for his guitar skills, but also for his body-builder image and his now iconic machine-gun guitar.

As a solo recording artist, he landed a few Top 40 hits, and his varied musical background includes recording, writing and touring with artists such as Rod Stewart, Alice CooperDesmond Child, KISS, Diane Warren, ALICE IN CHAINS, BERLIN, GUNS N' ROSES, Garland Jeffries and more. He's also written or recorded music for films like "Light Sleeper", Penelope Spheeris's "Decline Of Western Civilization", "Friday the 13th IV Jason Lives", John Carpenter's "Prince Of Darkness", and more. In 1991, his second solo album, "Saints And Sinners", for Geffen Records included the Top 40 Billboard hit "Does Anybody Really Fall In Love Anymore?", originally written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.

Image courtesy of Kane Roberts's Facebook page

LEFT TO DIE, the new band featuring classic DEATH members Terry Butler (also formerly of MASSACRE and currently in OBITUARY) and Rick Rozz (ex-MASSACRE) paired with GRUESOME founders Matt Harvey (EXHUMED) and Gus Rios (ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION),played the second show of its summer U.S. tour this past Saturday night (July 9) at the Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida. LEFT TO DIE performed DEATH's classic "Leprosy" album in its entirety, along with cuts from "Scream Bloody Gore". Support on the "Reborn Dead" trek is coming from SKELETAL REMAINS and MORTUOUS.

When the tour was first announced in March, Butler commented: "It's such an honor to be playing 'Leprosy' after all these years. It's been 30-plus years since Rick and myself have rocked these tunes together and Matt and Gus are the perfect dudes to join us on this journey — huge DEATH fans and killer musicians." Rozz added: "Old-school DEATH fans — prepare yourselves for total brutality! Thanks to Terry, Matt and Gus for making this happen."

Remaining tour dates:

July 13 - Boston, MA - Middle East downstairs
July 14 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
July 15 - Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
July 16 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
July 17 - Cleveland, OH - No Class
July 19 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups
July 20 - Detroit, MI - Sanctuary
July 21 - Cincinnati, OH - Legends
July 22 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
July 23 - Madison, WI - The Crucible
July 24 - Des Moines, IA - Leftys
July 25 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge
July 27 - Dallas, TX - Amplified (inside)
July 28 - Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
July 29 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
July 30 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Box
July 31 - Laredo, TX - The Cold Brew

Butler previously stated about how LEFT TO DIE came together: "After the recent Chuck [Schuldiner] tribute shows that Matt, Gus, and myself did, Rick posed the question, 'Would anyone want to see some 'Leprosy' shows?' With a resounding 'yes!', the masses had spoken. Matt and Gus threw their hats in immediately and, in my opinion, they were the only real choice to bring this thing to life. LEFT TO DIE coming your way soon!!"

Rozz added: "It's going to be an absolute honor and pleasure to play these 34-plus-year-old songs on stage with Terry after all these years, along with the talents of Matt and Gus. It's gonna be brutal!"

Harvey and Rios were both very excited about the project coming together. Harvey reflected: "When Gus and I started GRUESOME as a DEATH tribute, we never thought that it would lead to us playing some of our favorite songs alongside the guys that recorded them, but here we are — and I couldn't be more stoked." Rios added: "When Rick contacted me about his idea, I was immediately on board, since 'Leprosy' is not only my favorite DEATH album, but my favorite death metal album of all time! I'm very grateful and stoked that Terry and Matt were also on board. The metal will flow this summer."

LEFT TO DIE is:

Terry Butler - bass guitar
Rick Rozz - guitar
Matt Harvey - guitar, vocals
Gus Rios - drums

On December 11-12, 2021, several former DEATH members — including Butler — played two shows commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passing of the band's mastermind Chuck Schuldiner at Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida. Butler, James Murphy (guitar),Harvey and Rios performed DEATH's classic third album, "Spiritual Healing" (1990),in its entirety under the LIVING MONSTROSITY banner, while Steve DiGiorgio (bass),Bobby Koelble (guitar) and Kelly Conlon (bass) joined forces as SYMBOLIC to play songs from "Human" (1991),"Individual Thought Patterns" (1993),"Symbolic" (1995) and "The Sound Of Perseverance" (1998

Schuldiner died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

In recent years, DEATH's storied catalog has undergone a meticulous reissue campaign via Relapse Records.

Relapse released the first-ever fully authorized DEATH tab book, featuring 21 classic songs tabbed out for guitar from the band's entire discography. The book, which includes traditional notation as well as tablature, also comes with a digital download of all tracks.

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


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


The band have released this remastered video for "Judgement Day":







In another clip, David Coverdale looks back on "Judgement Day":





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


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


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


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


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


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





CD/Blu-ray tracklisting:


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


"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:

Extreme metal masters ARCH ENEMY have released a new single, "In The Eye Of The Storm". The track is taken from the band's 11th studio album, "Deceivers", which will arrive on August 12 via Century Media Records. The official Mirko Witzki-directed music video for the song will make its online debut today at 9:00 a.m. PDT / 12:00 noon EDT.

ARCH ENEMY's founder and chief songwriter Michael Amott comments: "'In The Eye Of The Storm' is a song that was built around a hypnotizing riff and a groove that's just screaming out to be played live! Shooting the video in Berlin, Germany with, for us, new director Mirko Witzki was a super cool experience, and the result is nothing less than astonishing!"

In May, ARCH ENEMY released a new seven-inch single, "Sunset Over The Empire", with the title track also appearing on "Deceivers". The official music video for "Sunset Over The Empire", directed by Grupa13, was made available the same day.

In a recent interview with Tampa Bay Creative Loafing, ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz stated about the band's decision to release more singles than usual this time around.

"I think over the course of the last couple of years everyone has had to rethink how they release because of the way music is consumed now," she said. "We put equal time into all the songs, but then, maybe only two or three of them get highlighted as singles. But that's not to say that the rest of the songs didn't take just as much time and energy and heart to create. We have fans who know every single song, but we wanted to give people an opportunity to discover a little bit more about our sound."

ARCH ENEMY played the first show of "The North American Siege 2022" tour with BEHEMOTH and NAPALM DEATH on April 16 at The Marquee in Tempe, Arizona. ARCH ENEMY's set included the first three new songs the group released over the last few months: "Deceiver, Deceiver", "House Of Mirrors" and "Handshake With Hell".

Amott previously stated about "Deceivers": "Having just celebrated our 25th anniversary as a group and now releasing our 11th studio album, one could easily assume that we would be cruising along and going through the motions at this point. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to ARCH ENEMY and our new album, 'Deceivers'.

"It is, without a doubt, always a challenge to raise the bar each time in both the songwriting and production side of things, and it can feel a bit daunting before we get into it. But once we do get started and fully immerse ourselves in the creative process, it's really like there is nothing else in the world and we are very focused. And believe it or not, for the most part, we have a ton of fun making this music! Creating 'Deceivers' was no different. Once again we shut out the outside world and went deep into the artistic zone. I believe we pulled out some really interesting musical and lyrical themes this time, a few things might even raise an eyebrow or two — while retaining all the signature elements of the band. In the end, it's ARCH ENEMY at full speed and power."

ARCH ENEMY will appear at select summer festivals before embarking on the rescheduled "European Siege 2022" trek (with BEHEMOTH, CARCASS, UNTO OTHERS) in the fall.

Rob Zombie has released the first official trailer for his upcoming movie reboot of the classic 1960s sitcom "The Munsters".

Zombie's film reboot of "The Munsters" reportedly began filming in May 2021 and will feature Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, cast as Lily Munster, and Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster. The cast will also include Daniel Roebuck co-starring as Grandpa Munster. Richard Brake ("31", "3 From Hell") is playing Dr. Henry Augustus Wolfgang. Catherine Schell ("Space: 1999", "The Return Of The Pink Panther") is playing "Zoya Krupp the gypsy queen." Dee Wallace, Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson and Jorge Garcia will also star.

Zombie told EW that "The Munsters" is more family-friendly than his previous films.

"Yeah, it's 100 percent in the spirit of the show," he said. "I didn't want it to be different. I wanted to totally retain the vibe that it had in the '60s."

Regarding his choices for the actors in the movie, Rob said: "I wanted to cast people that had worked together a lot. I couldn't risk getting on set in Budapest [Hungary] and going, my leads aren't getting along, they have no chemistry. So that's why I chose the cast I chose. Jeff Daniel Phillips and Sheri Moon Zombie and Daniel Roebuck, they work together a lot and I knew they would just fall right into it."

As for how Petersen ended up playing real estate agent Barbara Carr, Rob said: "We've been friends with Cassandra for I don't even know how long. She was at our wedding, she was at Sheri's shower. We've been friends with her for at least 25 years. So that was another good person that could come in and fit right in, totally familiar."

"The Munsters" will be released in September by Universal 1440 Entertainment, a production arm of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.

The original "The Munsters" aired on CBS for two seasons from September 1964 to May 1966.

Zombie, who is a massive "Munsters" fan, joined Butch Patrick for a commentary track for the film "Munster, Go Home!", which was released on Blu-ray by Scream Factory in 2020.

A musician, filmmaker, and author, Rob Zombie has directed eight feature films, including 2019's "3 From Hell", 2016's "31" and 2012's "The Lords Of Salem". His other directing credits include the cult favorite "House Of 1000 Corpses" and its companion, "The Devil's Rejects", along with the 2007 re-imagining of John Carpenter's "Halloween", plus its sequel, "Halloween 2". Zombie also developed his own comic book series into an R-rated animated feature, "The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto".

Zombie admitted to The Pulse Of Radio a while back that it's been tough for him to break out of the horror genre. "The movies I've made up to this point have been pretty dark and pretty much in that world because those are the opportunities that were presented," he explained. "You know, the people that put up the money for these things know that if I stick to that sort of thing, it's easily more profitable. So it's a much bigger challenge to break out of it."

Zombie released his seventh studio album, "The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy", in March 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP marked his first new album in nearly five years.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

WITHIN TEMPTATION has released the official Jeb Hardwick-directed music video for the band's new single, "Don't Pray For Me". It is the fourth single of the band's independent releases and will lead up to WITHIN TEMPTATION's next studio album.

In recent years, WITHIN TEMPTATION shifted its focus from releasing albums to releasing a series of singles, enabling the band members to indulge themselves in their creative processes thus delivering freshly inspired music. The band has released "Entertain You", "The Purge" and "Shed My Skin", singles that have all thrilled their fanbase, had great critical reception in Europe, peaked in the Top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator charts and topped the official German charts.

"We live in a world where cultures and beliefs are melting together, while at the same time acts of intolerance and injustice dominate the world," WITHIN TEMPTATION states. "Both societal issues and a rapid increase in sub-beliefs have resulted in fear, fragmentation and disconnect."

Vocalist Sharon Den Adel comments: "'Don't Pray For Me' strives against forcing beliefs and fears on to others and bears witness to being acceptive of everyone's own journey. It is an anthem about coming to terms with the fact that beliefs can be fluid, multiple or, frankly, different. The song is about allowing people to pursue their own destiny."

WITHIN TEMPTATION has been busy in the studio writing and recording brand new songs for its upcoming album, which they expect to release next year. The remainder of 2022 will be filled up with a European summer festival season, a USA tour with IRON MAIDEN and a much-anticipated and long-delayed co-headlining European tour with EVANESCENCE.

WITHIN TEMPTATION's last album, "Resist", was released in February 2019 through Spinefarm Records, the specialist hard rock label of Universal Music Group.

"Resist" features guest appearances by PAPA ROACH's Jacoby Shaddix, IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén and ARID's Jasper Steverlinck.

Prior to "Resist"'s arrival, Den Adel said that the LP was inspired by "modern music" but with "a very dark" twist. She explained: "Sometimes, it feels that today's pop music lacks a rebellious edge. Our main goal was to collect pieces from sounds we did like and roughen it up as much as we could, resulting in a surprisingly new musical world that is heavier, dirtier and more futuristic than we've ever created before. 'Resist' is our take on metal in a new way: to give modern music its rebellious edge."

ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Zakk Wylde are rumored to be the musicians who will join PANTERA's surviving members on a reunion tour in 2023.

Although it was announced by Billboard on Wednesday (July 13) that singer Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown have signed with Artist Group International to book their North American dates, there has been no official word about who will fill out the rest of PANTERA's touring lineup.

Benante and Wylde have 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 Abbott, 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 PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] — 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.

"If we got together and we ended up doing it, it would be like… I just look at it like if Eric Clapton went out and was with Mitch [Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix's drummer] and Noel [Redding, Hendrix's bass player] and singing and playing Jimi's songs, and he's honoring Jimi, 'cause that was his buddy.

"No one's replacing anybody. No one's replacing Randy Rhoads — he was a one-off. Just like no one's replacing Jimi Hendrix and no one's replacing Dime — or Vinnie.

"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."

When Eonmusic interviewer Eamon O'Neill added that he wasn't about to ask the usual question about a reunion with Zakk Wylde taking the place of Dimebag, Rex offered: "It's going to come up, and it wouldn't be Zakk Wylde, I guarantee you that. I've just put it out there so we can get on past it."

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 his brother Vinnie Paul Abbott 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.

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For over three decades, Grammy Award-winning guitarist John Petrucci has been known for his work in the groundbreaking and influential progressive metal band DREAM THEATER. Now, John is adding another career milestone to his resume as he is embarking on his first headlining solo tour performing material from his recently released solo album, "Terminal Velocity", as well as songs from his widely acclaimed debut release, "Suspended Animation". "Terminal Velocity" marked the first time that John and former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy recorded together since Mike left the band in 2010. Now, John will take his instrumental trio on the road performing live with Portnoy and legendary bassist Dave LaRue in an on-stage reunion that has been 12 years in the making.

The historic tour will run through October and November and promises to be an unforgettable night of live musicianship. The first three shows are scheduled for Boston, Massachusetts (October 7); New York City (October 13) and Washington, D.C. (October 15th). The recently reunited all-female band MEANSTREAK will be the special guest openers for the tour. MEANSTREAK is comprised of guitarists Marlene Portnoy (Mike's wife) and Rena Sands (Petrucci's wife), vocalist Bettina France, bassist Martens Myung (wife of DREAM THEATER bassist John Myung) and drummer Yael.

October 07 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center
October 13 - New York, NY - Town Hall
October 15 - Washington, DC - Lincoln Theater

More shows will be announced in the near future.

Tickets for the announced dates will be on sale to the general public on Friday, July 15.

In a September 2021 interview with Revolver, Petrucci said about his renewed working relationship with Portnoy: "Chemistry is everything. It's funny, too — with my solo album, I'd gone in, written all the music, recorded all the guitars, programmed drums, played bass. It was all done, and then I had to go in and get Dave LaRue to play bass on it and Mike to play drums on it. And when Mike started playing drums — I remember the first day he came into the studio and he just started playing to this music that I wrote, it just sounded like the two of us. It just was really nostalgic. Even though we didn't write it together, we weren't jamming together, we weren't even in the same room when I was writing it, but there's just something about that chemistry that creates this magical sound. And one of the things I thought was really awesome with the fans out there was when it came out, it just got such a positive reaction. People were just, like, 'I'm just so happy that you did this,' and the music sounds positive and happy. And this was, like, really all during the heart of the whole pandemic. So it was a very good, positive [experience]."

In 2020, Petrucci told "Coffee With Ola!" that "it was really great" for him to have Mike play on the record. "I hadn't done anything musically with him since he left DREAM THEATER over 10 years ago," he said. "And it was really just fun, because it's different when you're in a band with somebody. Really, we grew up together — we met when we were 18. And you're in business together. It's different than when it's, like, fast forward, now it's, like, my friend is playing drums on my album. It was so easy going and so cool. He was able to come to my studio despite the pandemic situation on the East Coast in the U.S. It was safe for him to come to the studio — he doesn't live that far from me. And he spent a week, and we had fun. And he did a killer job.

"These songs take a lot of different skills, I think, as a drummer — some are uplifting and happy; some are metal; some take double-bass chops; some you've gotta do a shuffle; some are blues; some is Latin feel," Petrucci explained. "And it's just a testament to Mike's playing — he knows how to do all that stuff. And he came in, totally easy going, did it. We had fun. And I'm really happy that he did it."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 35 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

In March 2021, Petrucci and Portnoy's instrumental progressive rock/metal project LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT released its third album, "LTE3", via InsideOut Music. The effort arrived 22 years after the release of 1999's "Liquid Tension Experiment 2".

Photo courtesy of John Petrucci

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, Swedish guitarist/vocalist Guilherme Miranda (formerly of ENTOMBED A.D.) and drummer Michał Łysejko (ex-DECAPITATED) have come together to launch a new death/thrash metal band DIETH. Based in Gdansk, Poland the group has released the music video for its first single, "In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents", which can be viewed below.

According to a press release, Ellefson, Miranda and Łysejko "pushed beyond the stereotypes of their genres to create a charismatic new sound, one which is rich with inventive guitar riffs, tight drum grooves, technical prowess, guttural vocals and catchy melodies, serving as the passageway for their new declaration."

Explains Guilherme: "It has been so much happening lately (in life),feeling the need to express ourselves accordingly. Create something new, have a fresh start. Personally, it was a matter of life or death to come back playing music. To do something truly meaningful and finally cope with the anger and grief. Sometimes you have to die inside to be reborn. This is what DIETH represents, a new sonic driving force that leave the past behind."

Ellefson adds: "The three of us have all been recognized in our respective bands and careers but at some point, we had to close the door on those exploits to let something new begin and now we have found it in DIETH. In fact, the name itself is about dying to one's past so that something new can spring forth to create the next chapter of life. And that is a connection the three of us hold in common."

Łysejko states: "For me, DIETH is awakening from a creative lethargy, with the full feeling that the time has come. The lightness with which DIETH's music flows from us, combining our inspirations and experiences into a whole, is proof of this. The fact that the band was formed in the Tri-City I come from has a symbolic meaning for me."

The video for "In The Hall Of The Hanging Serpents" was filmed in Gdańsk and directed by Maciej Pieloch of MP Productions.

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH in May 2021, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine ended up hiring TESTAMENT's Steve DiGiorgio to re-record Ellefson's bass parts on the band's upcoming album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", before inviting MEGADETH alumnus James LoMenzo to rejoin the group as permanent bass player.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

DIETH:

David Ellefson, Guilherme Miranda, Michał Łysejko

Photography: Maciej Pieloch Photography

Posted by DIETH on Wednesday, July 13, 2022

THE HALO EFFECT, the new project featuring five former members of the Swedish metal band IN FLAMES — Jesper Strömblad (guitar), Daniel Svensson (drums), Peter Iwers (bass), Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals) — will release its debut album, "Days Of The Lost", on August 12 via Nuclear Blast. Asked in a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine if he and the other members of THE HALO EFFECT had a clear idea about their musical direction from the band's inception, Stanne said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We decided to… It was just, like, 'We can do anything. It doesn't matter. Let's make music that feels good.' And those first demos were very indicative of, 'Okay. Wow. We're going in a direction that we like. And this is easy.' I guess we decided early on, let's rather not invent something new but rather play to our strengths. What are we good at? What can we do that we know we are good at? So, that way it was so much easier to put together songs too, because it's not like you have to be original or anything — it doesn't have to be something unique — it just has to be really good. And that's all that mattered. And that's what we said, 'If it feels good, then we do it.' Otherwise we won't. We're at a certain age and a certain level of experience that we're not gonna force anything out of this; we're gonna make sure that this is a fun, cool project where we have a great time writing together, great time recording and playing. And that's it. That's the main draw for us."

Stanne, whose main focus continues to be DARK TRANQUILLITY, went on to say that "it was great to reconnect with old friends" during the making of THE HALO EFFECT album. "That's what really made it such a great experience for me," he said. "Because I'm constantly traveling, and we don't see each other enough, I think. So finally we could just hang out in the studio and just talk about music and write a little bit, record some and just hang out and talk about the good old days when we met in the early '90s or talk about records we love and concerts we went to see… So this was a great opportunity for that. And then just doing something at home as well. You're stuck; you're not going out that much. It was basically just studio, home studio, family and bands — that's all I met during the pandemic. But it was great. [Whether] it was [DARK TRANQUILLITY] or GRAND CADAVER or THE HALO EFFECT, it was a really, really good time and super creative. So, creatively, this has been the best years or my life. But it's also been miserable in many other ways."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Markus Esselmark

In a new interview with Kyle Meredith, JOURNEY guitarist and founder Neal Schon discussed what the future holds for the band's live shows. In fact, Schon said that after JOURNEY's stadium tours, fans could see "An Evening With"-type performances that could stretch well beyond three hours with a much bigger production than anything he and his bandmates have ever tackled before.

"Next year is my 50th anniversary with JOURNEY, from the beginning of it, with Herbie Herbert and myself, and starting in mid-1972, Neal explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I know it says on the Internet that '73, that it was formed — maybe the name JOURNEY was, but the beginning of the band started in '72 with Herbie and myself. And so taking all into account to that, I felt like I wanted to encompass it all. And what I'm still really looking forward to doing, and I know that we're on our way there, because we're selling out these arenas very quickly now, and we're gonna be going into some stadiums — in '23, probably the end of '23 and '24, we'll be back in stadiums. But what I do wanna do is somewhat what RUSH had been doing for a long time, is 'An Evening With…'. And I've had the opportunity to kind of do that in a few different situations to test it out with audiences and see what they think, and they just absolutely love it."

Asked if that means that fans could JOURNEY fans could potentially see Bruce Springsteen-style live performances from the band that last more than three hours, Schon said: "I think so, definitely. We're definitely capable of doing it. Not only do we have Arnel Pineda, who's a phenomenal singer — and now singing better yet than he's ever sung because we got the right mixer in front and got his headset sorted out. Just think about that — he's been with us 15 years and he didn't know how to explain it; he couldn't hear correctly until just most recently. And I'm, like, 'This is just bizarre.' And now it sounds like a record in front every night. But not only do we have Arnel, we have [drummer] Deen Castronovo, who's been my little brother forever; he sings his ass off as well. Then we have Jason Derlatka, our second keyboardist, that also sings. And so we're really, really covered vocally to where the ball can be passed around a bit and it's not so much strain all on Arnel to be able to do a three-and-a-half-hour show, with an intermission in the middle. Plus when we get to that [point], I'm really gonna put some thought into creating a really mind-effin' show, to where we're doing bits and pieces of where we came from — whether it's just used between songs. There's ways to use those musical pieces. We don't have to play the whole song. It doesn't have to sound like Las Vegas either, like a cliché greatest hits — let's just do this verse, this chorus. No — I'm talking like using obscure pieces that haven't seen the light of day in many, many years and using it in between songs to make the audience go, 'Wow!' I mean, it's all sitting there. It's just sitting there. The only thing that's stopping you is yourself from doing it. That's kind of where I'm at right now."

JOURNEY's new album, "Freedom", arrived today (Friday, July 8) via BMG except in Europe and Japan, where it was issued via Frontiers Music Srl.

"Freedom" is the first album of new JOURNEY material to be released in 11 years, since 2011's "Eclipse", and in addition to longtime keyboard player and primary lyricist Jonathan Cain and Pineda, one more member was recruited for the LP — bassist extraordinaire Randy Jackson, who had played on JOURNEY's 1986 effort "Raised On Radio".

Since the group's formation in 1973, JOURNEY has earned 19 top 40 singles, 25 gold and platinum albums, and has sold nearly 100 million albums globally. Their "Greatest Hits" album is certified 15 times-platinum, making JOURNEY one of the few bands to ever have been diamond-certified, and their song "Don't Stop Believin'" has been streamed over one billion times alone.

JOURNEY was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017, and 2018's co-headlining tour with DEF LEPPARD was the band's most successful tour to date, landing them in the Top 10 year-end touring chart with more than 1 million tickets sold, and earning them the prestigious Billboard "Legends Of Live" touring award. March 2019 saw the release of "Escape & Frontiers Live In Japan", a live DVD/CD set from their concert at the Budokan in Tokyo featuring the band's first-ever performances of the albums "Escape" and "Frontiers" in their entirety. JOURNEY has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and were inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall Of Fame. Additionally, the band is the subject of the award-winning documentary "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" about the band's resurgence upon adding Pineda as lead singer after Schon discovered the Philippines native on YouTube.

Fan-filmed video of SKID ROW's July 9 performance at the Sauna Open Air festival in Tampere, Finland can be seen below.

SKID ROW's new album, "The Gang's All Here", will be released on October 14 via earMUSIC. The band recorded most of the effort in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

In May, SKID ROW shared the music video for "The Gang's All Here" title track.

"'The Gang's All Here', for me, represents the brotherhood of this band," said guitarist Scotti Hill. "And with the addition of [new singer] Erik [Grönwall], our bond is more solid than ever."

Grönwall joined SKID ROW in January as the replacement for ZP Theart, who had been in the group for more than six years. Theart played his final gig with SKID ROW in February before being officially given the boot.

Grönwall was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. with whom he recorded four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020) — before exiting the group in October 2020.

Grönwall was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021. Six months later, he announced that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant in August. "Some anonymous wonderful human being somewhere in the world donated his/her blood cells so that I could get a second chance at life," he told Headbangers Lifestyle in January. "Sometimes I can just get tears in my eyes when I think about it. It's so beautiful that one person who is not connected to me in any way wanted to do that for me. He/she doesn't know that the blood cells were for me. It's completely anonymous."

Last September, Grönwall released his cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan recently told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about Grönwall's addition to the band: "Just the way he does things and his work ethic is one I've never seen other than the four of us that are already in the band. He just doesn't stop until he gets things absolutely right. Whether it's his version, what he thinks is right, or what we think is right, he works hard — he works hard. And you can see why he had the success he did overseas because he's a really, really hard-working singer that takes care of his instrument and that takes pride in his craft."

Rachel also reflected on SKID ROW's first live performance with Grönwall, saying: "Honestly, dude, from the minute he opened his mouth… His timing is impeccable. We knew it was gonna be cool. And each show has gotten even better, 'cause we're learning each other's rhythm on stage. When I walked away from that show, I said to Erik, I go, 'This was show one. I cannot wait for show one hundred. It's gonna be amazing.'"

Bolan previously talked about how Erik came to join SKID ROW during an appearance on an episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation L.A. Invasion", recorded just hours before SKID ROW's first performance with the Swedish singer. "We toured together. H.E.A.T. was on tour with SKID ROW. What year was that? '18? And we'd hear him every night from the dressing room," he said. "And a couple of times, I was, like, 'Man, listen to this guy sing. He's phenomenal.' And then, I forget who told me, someone that was with us, 'Yeah, he won 'Idol' in Sweden.' And I was, like, 'Man, he's got pipes.' And I was listening. Then I went behind the monitor board a couple of times. And in my head, I'm, like, 'Wow! When SKID ROW has some downtime, I'm gonna get in touch with this dude and start a side project with him.' And obviously, that never happened. But as time went on and we got to the point to where we were with ZP and stuff, Erik was our first… I told Snake, I go, 'We've gotta check this guy out.' And along with Snake and the rest of the guys, and Nick, our producer, Nick Raskulinecz, were, like, 'He's the guy, man. Send him some songs.' So we sent him some songs that we were recording, just with a guide vocal on it, and it came back about 24 hours later, and we were, like, 'All right. He's the guy. Get him on a plane. Let's do this.'"

The title track of METALLICA's third album, "Master Of Puppets", is seeing new life 36 years after its release after its inclusion in season four of Netflix's hit series "Stranger Things". The popularity of the 1986 song brought it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the first time ever in the band's lengthy career.

In the season four finale of "Stranger Things", the Eddie Munson character performs what he calls "the most metal concert ever" — including shredding "Master Of Puppets" on his beloved Warlock guitar — in "Stranger Things"' "Upside Down" alternate universe during an attempt to help his friends vanquish the Big Bad of the season, a demon named Vecna.

On July 5, METALLICA released a statement regarding "Stranger Things" creators Matt and Ross Duffer's decision to use the group's music in the show. The band said: "The way The Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into 'Stranger Things' has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include 'Master Of Puppets' in the show but to have such a pivotal scene built around it.

"We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away... it's so extremely well done, so much so, that some folks were able to guess the song just by seeing a few seconds of Joseph Quinn's hands in the trailer!! How crazy cool is that?

"It's an incredible honor to be such a big part of Eddie's journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show."

Two weeks ago, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo revealed that his 17-year-old son Tye contributed "additional guitar tracks" to the version of "Master Of Puppets" which appears in "Stranger Things".

Apparently as a result of the renewed attention "Master Of Puppets" has received thanks to being featured in Netflix's hit original series, the song is currently sitting at position No. 22 on Spotify's Top 50 Global chart.

"Master Of Puppets" was released on February 24, 1986 and was the first album METALLICA recorded after signing a major label deal with Elektra Records.

The set only reached No. 29 on the Billboard album chart but has sold over six million copies in the U.S. since.

It is the last record to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed later that year in a tour bus crash.

Several songs from the album are still staples of METALLICA's live set, including "Battery", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and the title track.

Many fans consider it METALLICA's finest album, a fact that the band acknowledged by playing it in its entirety on a European tour in 2006.

"Master Of Puppets" continues to sell several thousand copies a week in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

In 2016, "Master Of Puppets" was among the albums that were selected for induction into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Several years ago, METALLICA collaborated with an author named Matt Taylor on a book about the making of "Master Of Puppets".
.@Metallica's "Master of Puppets" enters the Hot 100 for the first time ever following #StrangerThings, 36 years after release.

— chart data (@chartdata) July 11, 2022

YouTube channel LYNDA LOVELL has uploaded fan-filmed video of GREAT WHITE's July 7 performance at Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona. Check out the clips below.

Last month, LAST IN LINE singer Andrew Freeman, who recently joined GREAT WHITE as the replacement for Mitch Malloy, discussed his latest gig during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Regarding how he approaches singing the classic GREAT WHITE songs originally recorded by the band's founding vocalist Jack Russell, Freeman said: "When I'm playing with GREAT WHITE, that's their thing, and I'm just there to try to do the songs like Jack. If we do original material, great. We're talking about it.

"I wanna make that band tough again, like it was when Jack was in it," he explained. "Jack would do a show and then bust a bottle over your head off the side of the stage."

Freeman, who has played less than a dozen shows so far with GREAT WHITE since he joined the group, continued: "The hits — the 'Once Bitten' [1987] and '...Twice Shy' [1989] and that stuff — they're fun songs to play, but I think if the wrong person is presenting them, they come off like — I don't want anybody to get mad at me — they come off like a lesser, more glammy type of band. And I've never seen GREAT WHITE as that, as a glammy-type band. Everybody had the big hair; even Ozzy [Osbourne] had the big hair and the glitter and all that stuff… I never really saw them as that. I always see them as… when everybody was in the leather pants and the leather jackets and the cuts over the leather jackets with their band name on the back and stuff — that's how I see 'em. I see Jack… Even now when I see him on the road, 'cause I've done gigs with him — he doesn't know me from Adam — but he still seems like that guy [who's] gonna hit you with his cane. [Laughs]"

Andrew went on to say that he was a GREAT WHITE fan from the early 1980s. "I really loved the first album," he said. "I got the first album when I was young, alongside with MÖTLEY CRÜE's 'Too Fast For Love'."

Malloy had been in GREAT WHITE for nearly four years, having joined the group in 2018 following the departure of Terry Ilous.

In a recent interview with Dr. Music, GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall stated about the band's latest addition: "[Andrew] sat in with us [several months ago when Mitch wasn't able to make the show]; we played with FOREIGNER up north [in Modesto, California in October of 2021]. And he blew our minds. So right then we kind of knew we wanted him. But because he was doing something, and we were really busy — [there was] not enough time to rehearse and stuff like that. And we saw this window of opportunity, [and] he was totally into it."

Kendall continued: "There's a lot of different sides to his voice too, so he's not one-dimensional, even though he delivers the LAST IN LINE thing [like] an in-your-face metal screamer. But he can sing a ballad like Satan; I mean, it's killer. So that's what I like. His voice is so well rounded. And the guy, he vibrates at a frequency that you like to be around — he's just this chill dude. There's no nonsense, no ego, no weird trips or anything, so you feel the brotherhood forming straight away. And that's what we like. We're into being a band — all of us, together — go places together, do things together and just enjoy each other. No weird trips. Because we've been through it all. If somebody's a little funny, it's, like, 'Really?' It's almost like if you see cocaine, you go, 'You still have that?' [Laughs] So any kind of weird head trips, we just don't understand it.

"So, yeah, we're just loving it," Kendall added. "We cannot wait for the fans to hear this guy sing some of our big songs. And we're real pumped about making new music, 'cause I have a lot of stuff, Michael [Lardie, guitar/keyboards] has a lot of stuff. We've done things together and just haven't quite put it together. But now we've got this guy that can do anything. Believe me, man, we wanna get something with him on it, 'cause it's gonna be ridiculous."

As for Mitch's departure, Mark said: "We were going in separate ways in the sense that he was always by himself; he didn't really talk to us much. He just kind of showed up… That's just not the way a band works, as far as we're concerned. He's a wonderful singer. I don't think he's used to him not being in full control of everything because he's been a solo artist for so many years. He's a sweet guy. I really liked him. I think a few of our songs are a little out of his range, so it's a little bit of a struggle. But nothing real heavy — no big, huge fights. Nothing ever came to fisticuffs, if you will. [Laughs] So it wasn't a case of that.

"We canceled a gig — or we were going to have to cancel a gig for him to do a VAN HALEN show, a tribute show," Kendall explained. "He gave us warning about this. But when FOREIGNER canceled [our show with them] because of some COVID thing, we rescheduled the date and it fell right on when he was gonna do that VAN HALEN show that he warned us about. So, regardless, it was probably pretty tough for him to get out of it. But it ended up being a blessing for us because we got Andrew to fill in. When we heard him do that show… And the whole band FOREIGNER was on the side of the stage going, 'Oh my God, man. This is pretty good.' So that was nice of them to acknowledge we had a good show. So that's when the seed of the idea was, like, 'Man. God.'"

Kendall went on to say that he doesn't think Malloy is upset about being out of GREAT WHITE. "He likes his solo career," Mark said. "I saw his post [about his exit from GREAT WHITE] where he said, 'Get ready for my VAN HALEN experience. And I'm gonna be doing an acoustic show, a storytellers show,' and all this stuff. So I'm encouraging people to go check him out when he gets in your area and wishing him to do well."

Asked if he and his bandmates had given any thought at all to the idea of reuniting with original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell, Mark said: "That's the other thing. [People say,] 'Why don't you patch things up with Jack?' What people don't understand is we never even got in fights [with Jack]. In 25 years together, we might have gotten in two arguments. The thing that took him out is the horrible demons of addiction, and it's really affected his health. I just saw a video the other day where he's not even standing — he's using wheelchairs and he's sitting in a stool. So for us to go back to that, it just feels dark. I'd rather remember him… 'Cause I'm very proud of our career — I'm very proud of the past. I'm so lucky to be a part of it. And I wanna remember it like that, where he's flying around on stage and getting the crowds pumped and singing his heart out — not a sick person. So going to that…

"My goal has always been to deliver the best show we can possibly deliver and have the fans be beyond impressed," Kendall explained. "And the way Andrew sings, I really like the way he delivers the songs, because it's what you wanna hear. So that's important to me, just to have the songs — the big songs, especially — be sung right and with full power. It just makes everything — it makes us play better, believe it or not. So that's the whole thing with me."

GREAT WHITE's current lineup is rounded out by Audie Desbrow (drums) and Scott Snyder (bass).

Ilous, frontman of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was dismissed from the group.

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features Russell alongside Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar, Dan McNay on bass, Tony Montana on guitar and Dicki Fliszar on drums.

DESCENDENTS have publicly distanced themselves from an ex-Oath Keepers spokesperson who testified before the January 6 committee while wearing the band's merchandise.

Jason Van Tatenhove was the former national media director of the Oath Keepers, a radical far-right anti-government group. He began working with them in 2014 but said he stopped when they he heard them falsely claiming that the Holocaust hadn't happened.

Earlier today (Tuesday, July 12), Van Tatenhove wore a shirt with the DESCENDENTS logo while testifying on in front of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, prompting the long-running Californian hardcore punk group to release the following statement via Twitter: "We completely disavow groups like the Oath Keepers and in no way condone their hateful ideology."

The committee has been probing whether extremist groups such as the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys coordinated with allies in the White House before the violence erupted at the Capitol.

During his testimony, Van Tatenhove said: "In my opinion, the Oath Keepers are a very dangerous organization. I can tell you that they may not like to call themselves a militia, but they are. They're a violent militia. I think the best illustration for what the Oath Keepers are happened January 6th, when we saw that stacked military formation going up the stairs of our Capitol. What it was going to be was an armed revolution. I think we've gotten exceedingly lucky that more bloodshed did not happen."

ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer is one of more than two dozen members of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys who were sued by District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine last December in an effort to recover the millions of dollars the city spent to defend the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 attack.

According to CNN, the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., accused 31 members of the extremist groups of "conspiring to terrorize the District" on Jan. 6, calling their actions "a coordinated act of domestic terrorism." The lawsuit cited the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a federal law created after the Civil War to protect civil rights and, as Racine noted, "to protect against vigilantes and insurrectionists."

"I think the damages are substantial," Racine told The Washington Post. "If it so happens that it bankrupts or puts these individuals and entities in financial peril, so be it."

The Indiana chapter of the Oath Keepers distanced itself from Schaffer after his arrest, claiming he was not a member of the local group. But the national organization, which sells lifetime memberships for $1,200, has not commented on his alleged affiliation with the group.

At a November 2020 Donald Trump rally in Washington, D.C., Schaffer was videotaped walking behind a Florida couple, Kelly Meggs and Connie Meggs, who were accused of being among 10 members of the Oath Keepers to have played a leading role in the Capitol assault. According to federal authorities, Kelly and Connie Meggs plotted for weeks ahead of the attack, attended training sessions and recruited others. Kelly Meggs is the head of the Oath Keepers' chapter in Florida.
We completely disavow groups like the Oath Keepers and in no way condone their hateful ideology.

The second release from Denver, CO’s Celestial Wizard is a veritable blend of power metal and death metal. Winds Of The Cosmos is nine tracks of crushing and aggressive vocals with thrash and melodic style of guitar playing. The drums are clear, and punchy to give a solid foundation and framework for the music to thrive. All these elements together create something new and unique in its own right, blazing a new trail of melodic heavy metal.


The lyrics guide the listener through a choice mix of fantasy and sci-fi themes, ranging from frosty Dungeons and Dragons excitement to space travelers and black holes. The lyrics also delve into personal struggle and growth, allowing fans to connect with the music on a deeper level. The band shares their thoughts on the release:


“We’re over the moon to finally be releasing Winds Of The Cosmos to everyone. We’re all so incredibly proud of what we’ve made. We worked so hard on this record and pushed ourselves to outperform anything we’ve done previously, and I think we’ve achieved that. We made a point to record everything with the most passion and conviction we could and to give our absolute best from start to finish. We’re so thankful for everyone that’s stuck with us since the beginning and especially thankful for everyone who had a hand in seeing this album to completion.”




Celestial Wizard wanted every song on this album to be able to stand on its own, giving the fans a different experience with each track. At the same time, they wanted there to be a flow and connection from song to song, allowing listeners to sit down with the album and enjoy the ride from beginning to end. Those wanting more from the band won’t be disappointed, as they have already started the writing process on new material.


Melodic, and high energy, Winds Of The Cosmos is recommended for fans of Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, and Galaktikon.


The album Winds Of The Cosmos comes out on July 15, 2022 and can be heard in full via its premiere on BraveWords! Listen below:


Winds Of The Cosmos by Celestial Wizard


Preorders are available 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

Former Cradle Of Filth keyboardist / backing vocalist Lindsay Schoolcraft has checked in with the following update on the 10th anniversary celebration for ghis first solo EP, Rushing Through The Sky.


Lindsay: "I've been hinting that something special was gonna happen for Rushing Through The Sky's 10th Anniversary, and here it is! Since the beginning of the year my team and I have been slaving away at making this all possibl, especially this gorgeous 12" Vinyl.


All vinyl will be signed and personally addressed to the buyer and there is a Discounted Bundle that includes a shirt and signed prints, too. And all vinyl pre-orders get a very special modern version of 'December Rain' as a download.




There are less than 100 copies left now. Make sure you grab yours!


I cannot believe my first EP is turning 10 this September. More news news about this anniversary is just around the corner."


Pre-order Rushing Through The Sky 10th Anniversary edition here.





Tracklist:


"Into the Night"
"Your Mind"
"December Rain"
"You Forever"
"Masquerade"
"Darkness Falls"
"December Rain" (instrumental)

Oceans Of Slumber release their new track and cover of “House Of The Rising Sun” today via Century Media Records. Check out the visualizer video for the track, which is the 4th song released off their upcoming album, Starlight And Ash, out July 22 via Century Media Records. 


“With leanings and inspirations from the Texas/Louisiana border, we felt that this cover was a perfect fit to the storytelling essence of the album,” says Oceans Of Slumber about their version of “House Of The Rising Sun”. “Going back to the female perspective of the song’s original version, we capture the troubled story of a traveler along the coast.”


Oceans Of Slumber have also recently announced The Lighthouse East Tour. The band will be hitting the road this fall for a handful of headline shows starting in their hometown, Houston, on August 27 and wrapping in Austin on September 11.







Starlight and Ash was produced by Joel Hamilton (Violet Road, Battle of Mice) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Yes, Voivod). The stunning artwork was created by Eliran Kantor (Testament, Heaven Shall Burn and many more).


The album will be available in the following formats:


- Ltd. CD Digipak
- black LP & LP-Booklet
- 300x transp. light blue LP & LP-Booklet available at CM Distro Wholesale EU, CMDistro.de and EMP
- 300x dark green LP & LP-Booklet available from the band
- 1000x transp. orange LP & LP-Booklet available in the US
- Digital album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"The Waters Rising"
"Hearts Of Stone"
"The Lighthouse"
"Red Forest Roads"
"The Hanging Tree"
"Salvation"
"Star Altar"
"The Spring Of '21"
"Just A Day"
"House Of The Rising Sun"
"The Shipbuilder's Son"


"House Of The Rising Sun":





"The Lighthouse" video:





"Hearts Of Stone" visualizer:





"The Waters Rising" video:





Fronted by the inimitable power, range, and grace of vocalist Cammie Beverly, Starlight and Ash posits Oceans Of Slumber in a league of their own. This is as much eloquent extensions of famed singer-songwriters Nick Cave and Chris Stapleton as it is the heartbreaking pulse of Type O Negative and Katatonia. Starlight And Ash isn’t metal, but its edges are.


Oceans Of Slumber is:


Cammie Beverly (vocals)
Xan Fernandez (guitar)
Jessie Santos (guitar)
Mathew Aleman (synth)
Semir Ozerkan (bass)
Dobber Beverly (drums and piano)


(Photo - TheHeavyGlow/Jamie LaCombe)

Platinum-certified and twice GRAMMY-nominated Michigan rock powerhouse I Prevail — Brian Burkheiser (vocals), Eric Vanlerberghe (vocals), Steve Menoian (guitars/bass), Dylan Bowman (guitars), and Gabe Helguera (drums) — have shared the new video for "Bad Things."





The video finds the band in performance mode — capturing the visceral nature of the song, as well as the band in its most natural state. Elsewhere, follow the knives.




"Bad Things" appears on I Prevail's forthcoming album True Power. The much-anticipated album arrives via Fearless Records on August 19. The track will go live on all DSPs at midnight ET on Wednesday, July 13.


I Prevail previously shared the explosive first single "Body Bag," which heralded a new era for the band.


The band will also embark on the True Power tour this fall. Pierce The Veil and Fit For a King will support. Yours Truly will appear on the first leg, while Stand Atlantic will appear on the second leg. The first leg kicks off in Asbury Park, New Jersey and runs through October 9 in Chicago. The second leg picks up in Las Vegas on October 22 with an appearance at the When We Were Young Festival. It wraps on November 22 in Detroit in the band's native Michigan.





Leg 1:


September
9 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony Summer Stage
10 - Danville, VA - Blue Ridge Rock Fest*#
11 - Pittsburgh, PA - UPMC Events Center
13 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
14 - Oshkosh, WI - Oshkosh Arena#
16 - St. Paul, MN - Myth Live
17 - Ralston, NE - Liberty First Credit Union Arena#
18 - Wichita, KS - Wave#
20 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Criterion
21 - San Antonio, TX - Tech Port Center#
23 - Lubbock, TX - Lonestar Amphitheater#
24 - Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom
25 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall#
27 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
28 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
29 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues


October
1 - Silvers Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
2 - New York, NY - The Rooftop at Pier 17
4 - Montreal, QC - L'Olympia#
5 - Toronto, ON - Rebel
7 - Ft. Wayne, IN - The Clyde Theatre
8 - Grand Rapids, MI - GLC Live at 20 Monroe
9 - Chicago, IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom


* I Prevail & Pierce The Veil Only // Festival Date
# Non-Live Nation Date


Leg 2:


October
22 - Las Vegas, NV - When We Were Young Fest*
23 - Las Vegas, NV - When We Were Young Fest*
24 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
26 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Civic
28 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
29 - Las Vegas, NV - When We Were Young Fest*
31 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort & Casino


November
1 - Boise, ID - Revolution Concert House and Event Center
2 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
4 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
6 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
8 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave#
9 - St. Louis, MO - The Factory
11 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre
12 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady Music Center
13 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
15 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
18 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
19 - Cambridge, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
20 - Buffalo, NY - Buffalo Riverworks#
22 - Detroit, MI - The Fillmore


* I Prevail & Pierce The Veil Only // Festival Date
# Non-Live Nation Date

Frontiers Music Srl announces that the dynamic trio of Anette Olzon, Russell Allen, and Magnus Karlsson have crafted a follow-up to the well-received debut Anette/Olzon album, Worlds Apart. The follow-up album, Army Of Dreamers, set for release on September 9, once again pairs two world class singers in Olzon and Allen together for a tour-de-force of stunning melodic metal that only the ever-talented Karlsson could craft.  


A new single, the title track, is out today. Listen below, and pre-order/save Army Of Dreamers on CD, Limited Edition Color Vinyl (Limited to 500 copies worldwide), & Digital here.


As fans have come to expect over the course of the initial Allen/Lande albums and the debut from Allen/Olzon, Army Of Dreamers is purebred melodic metal of the highest order.




Inimitable singer Russell Allen (Symphony X, Adrenaline Mob) and acclaimed Swedish guitarist, songwriter, and producer Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear, Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall) have collaborated successfully on three critically acclaimed albums where Russell duetted with Norwegian singer, Jorn Lande. After a break in their collaboration on said albums, where Timo Tolkki stepped in and oversaw an album, Magnus returned to the fold, but with an exciting new twist to the formula. This time, Russell and Magnus welcomed none other than the amazingly talented Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish, The Dark Element) to the fold as Allen’s vocal partner and offered up an unbelievable debut album, Worlds Apart.


If you love the debut Allen/Olzon album, Allen/Lande’s first three albums, but also Delain, Within Temptation, Nightwish, and the like (but with a slightly heavier edge), then this is simply an absolute must hear for your melodic metal loving ears.





Army Of Dreamers tracklisting:


"Army Of Dreamers"
"So Quiet Here"
"Out Of Nowhere"
"A Million Skies"
"Carved Into Stone"
"All Alone"
"Look At Me"
"Until It's Over"
"I Am Gone"
"Are We Really Strangers"
"Never Too Late"


"Army Of Dreamers":





Lineup:


Vocals - Russell Allen, Anette Olzon
Guitars, Bass & Keyboards - Magnus Karlsson
Drums - Anders Köllerfors


- Produced & Written by Magnus Karlsson
- Mixed by Jacob Hansen
- Executive Producer/A&R: Serafino Perugino

Ultima Grace is a new metal project formed by keyboardist Yuhki (Galneryus, Alhambra) featuring lead vocals by none other than Anette Olzon (The Dark Element, ex-Nightwish). Their self-titled debut album was released on March 16 in Japan, but Frontiers Music Srl is now releasing it in the rest of the world on September 9. The single “Getting On With Life” is now available everywhere. Preorder/save Ultima Grace here.


Ultima Grace’s debut album features 11 songs, all sung by Swedish vocalist Anette Olzon, who is well-known and respected in the metal community for her five years fronting symphonic metal legends Nightwish and current project The Dark Element, where she has joined forces with ex-Sonata Arctica and current Insomnium guitarist Jani Liimatainen. She also recently released a new solo album and is preparing to release her second duets record with Russell Allen (Symphony X) under the moniker Allen/Olzon.


In addition to Olzon, Ultima Grace also features guitarist Toshihiro Kajihara (Alhambra), drummer Hideki (Mahatma, Alhambra), and bassist Atsushi Hasegawa (Gerard).







Tracklisting:


“A Legend Begins”
“Getting On With Life”
“Cry For The Rain”
“Powers Of North And East”
“Beguile The Night”
“Ripples”
“Rise”
“Night Hunt”
“Double Caution”
“The Lost”
“Requiem”


“Getting On With Life”:

Metal Blade Records has announced the official reissue of the debut EP from Akron, OH's If These Trees Could Talk. The first release from this instrumental post rock band was recorded in 2006 at NE Meadow Studios in Bath, OH and originally released independently by the band on September 27, 2006.


The self-titled release that has been out of print for over 10 years has been mastered for vinyl by Patrick Engel (Temple of Disharmony) and features brand new artwork and packaging.


If These Trees Could Talk’s self-titled EP is now available for pre-order and will be available as a Digipak and with multiple vinyl variants at metalblade.com.




US Vinyl Variants:
Gold
Smoky Black


EU Vinyl Variants:
180g Black
Marbled Gold / Black Vinyl (ltd. 500)
Milky White (ltd. 500)





Tracklisting:


“Malabar Front”
“Smoke Stacks”
“The Friscalating Dusklight”
“Signal Tree”
“The Death Of Paradigm”
“41°4'23n, -81°31'4w”

Puscifer, the Arizona-born band featuring Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, and Carina Round have extended their Existential Reckoning tour, announcing a fall leg that sees the theatrically-infused concert experience adding six weeks of additional performances including the group’s first Canadian outings in support of the critically-acclaimed album.


News of the dates arrives as the band wrapped up their first trek in support of the 2020 album, a month-long outing that saw Puscifer bring audiences their largest scale productions to date, performing at the Greek Theatre (Los Angeles), Brooklyn’s Kings Theater and the state-of-the-art Mission Ballroom in Denver.


Puscifer also recently released a two-song single featuring re-imagined versions of “Bullet Train To Iowa” and ”The Underwhelming” from Existential Reckoning. The new mixes come from Keenan’s A Perfect Circle bandmates Billy Howerdel (“Bullet Train To Iowa”) and James Iha (“The Underwhelming”). A Meats Meier-created video for “Bullet Train To Iowa (Re-Imagined by Billy Howerdel)” was released this morning. Watch below:







The audio companion to the 2021 livestream event, “Billy D and The Hall of Feathered Serpents featuring Money $hot by Puscifer,” is available for the first time ever on vinyl, and DVD/CD as of June 15. The 11-song collection can be purchased directly from Puscifer.com, as well as indie retailers. The film is currently available for streaming/downloading via Puscifer TV.





Existential Reckoning tour dates:


October
13 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
15 - Reno,  -  Grand Theatre at the Grand Sierra Resort
16 - Paso Robles, CA - Vina Robles Amphitheatre
18 - Escondido, CA - California Center for Arts Escondido – Concert Hall
20 - Tucson, AZ - The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall (formerly Tucson Music Hall)
21 - El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
22 - San Antonio, TX - Tech Port Center & Arena
25 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall
26 - Ft. Worth, TX - Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium
28 - New Orleans, LA - Mahalia Jackson Theater
29 - Baton Rouge, LA - River Center Theatre
31 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium


November
1 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
3 - Norfolk, VA - Chrysler Hall
4 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
5 - Atlantic City, NJ - Sound Waves at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
7 - Montreal, QC - MTelus
8 - Toronto, ON - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
10 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J. Brady Music Center
11 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace
12 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
13 - Madison, WI - The Orpheum Theater
15 - Grand Rapids, MI - DeVos Performance Hall
17 - St. Louis, MO - The Factory
18 - Kansas City, MO - The Midland Theatre
19 - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa Theater
22 - Prescott, AZ - Yavapai College Performing Arts Center


Tickets are on-sale this Friday at 10 AM, local time with VIP packages available simultaneously. For additional details, and ticketing links, visit Puscifer.com. Night Club opens on all dates.


(Photo - Travis Shinn)

BangerTV has released the video below, along with the following message:


"Leave it to Exhorder to bring such grit and thunder to a cover that it sheds new meaning onto a Motörhead classic. Their version of 'Sacrifice' is so heavy, the lyrics of unreciprocated love from an angry God to a violent humanity never sounded so biblical. If you want to mosh and headbang in your room to Löve Me Förever: A Tribute To Motörhead, this is the track that’ll leave the place in shambles. Lemmy was himself a war historian, but this tribute is a nuclear war on waxx. Humanity has made countless mistakes over the centuries, but 'Sacrifice' puts us back in the favor of the Gods. 'Sacrifice' and Löve Me Förever: A Tribute to Motörhead are now available on all digital streaming platforms."







Previous messages from BangerTV follow:


"Motörhead was the perfect rock and roll trio. They were a tight knit pack, each member just as wild as the next. The Gods of rock and roll have invested Psycho Waxx with the power to anoint a new trio with the same crown that once fit Lemmy and company, but the speed demons in Midnight prefer to keep their hoods. That’s right, every Psycho’s favorite gang of marauders cover Motörhead’s 'Dirty Love' on Löve Me Förever: A Tribute To Motörhead. This isn’t Midnight going soft on everyone, singing about romance for once, this is Midnight making love dangerous again by penetrating your earholes raw. Midnight are Motörhead’s bastard spawn made from dirty love with the devil. It’s tracks like these that rev the “motor” in Motörhead up in the first place, pure sonic uppers from start to finish."





"Motörhead's 'Ace Of Spades' is one of rock and roll’s most beloved and sacred anthems. Covering the bombastic ode to gamblers everywhere is a heavy crown to bear for any musician up for the task. That’s why when Psycho Waxx proposed this sacred rite, it was asked of Psycho Las Vegas’ most prestigious alumni and metal heavyweights. Rockers whose cred cannot be questioned were challenged to make this legendary piece of music sound fresh, heavy and ring true to Motörhead fans all over the world. With honoring Lemmy’s legacy always being at the forefront of Psycho Waxx’s mind, they hereby present you with the opening track off Löve Me Förever: A Tribute To Motörhead, the one and only 'Ace Of Spades' as performed by Phil Anselmo, Gary Holt, Nick Oliveri, Dwid Hellion, Chuck Garric, Sacha Dunable, Kelley Juett, Kyle Juett, Tom Polzine and Zach Wheeler.


"Every rock and roll all-star featured on the song contributes a different offering in worship of Lemmy. Phil Anselmo’s jagged molasses vocals bounce off Dwid Hellion’s demon howls while Gary Holt’s signature shredding gives the track an extreme outlaw’s metallic edge. If you hear that desert rock vibe with a hardcore kick in it, you got Nick Oliveri to thank for that. Kelley and Kyle Juett from Mothership contribute the space rock rhythms that blast this message off through the atmosphere to deliver it straight to Lemmy. Zach Wheeler and Tom Polzine contribute Howling Giant’s crushing rock and roll to keep the track grounded close to the Earth, adding that massive, unmistakable groove. Sprinkle in Sacha Dunable’s awesome virtuosity on guitar and Chuck Garric’s legendary bass and you have a recipe for one of the greatest covers in rock and metal history.


"Psycho Las Vegas is a place where gamblers go to vision-quest between wheelin’ and dealin’ and now, Psycho Waxx has provided them the soundtrack for an unforgettable looting spree. There’s not a damn thing the world can do to stop a Psycho with a plan anymore. Bombers, rockers, gamblers, Gonzos and Psychos, join us in this grand celebration of the life of Lemmy Kilmister and the music of Motörhead. Get your copy of Löve Me Förever: A Tribute to Motörhead today and let the Earth tremble so loudly that the angels in heaven and devils in hell can’t help but acknowledge and remember the spirit and vision of Lemmy Kilmister."





Pre-orders of lavish Oxblood 2LP vinyl available now at the PsychoWaxx Bandcamp, here.