MUSHROOMHEAD mastermind and drummer/percussionist Steve "Skinny" Felton says that the band is 'stronger than ever" after undergoing its latest round of lineup changes.

Vocalist Jason "J Mann" Popson and samplist Rick "St1tch" Thomas are both sitting out MUSHROOMHEAD's current tour, with VENTANA's Scott Beck covering the former's parts live and Aydin Michael filling in for St1tch. Elsewhere, vocalist Jackie LaPonza and guitarist Tom "Tankx" Shaffner have both exited the band, with Joe "Jenkins" Gaal stepping in for the latter.

Skinny addressed the most recent personnel shuffles in a new interview with Germany's Moshpit Passion. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This is just the current version that we're touring with. COVID came in and changed a lot of people's lives, and some people decided that they didn't wanna do the touring anymore. And we weren't gonna just sit around and wait for people to feel that the world was convenient enough for them.

"We've been trying to put this tour together since we put [the 'A Wonderful Life'] record out — June of 2020," he explained. "So we've been trying to do this for two years. So if people kind of fell off over the course of two years, then that's what happened. So we ended up rebranding the band once again. And it's stronger than ever. And we changed up quite a bit of the material [in the setlist] because of that. We've got abilities now that we simply did not have in the past, as far as touring. So we're totally taking advantage of it."

Vocalist Steve Rauckhorst, who made his recording debut with MUSHROOMHEAD on "A Wonderful Life", stated about how he ended up joining the band: "The funny story about that is the first time I ever came to Europe was with MUSHROOMHEAD. I just wasn't on stage; I was part of the crew. And I have been around the band, one way or another, or at least have heard about it since basically the very beginning. I saw 'em when I was very young.

"It's been really good," he said about his experience singing for MUSHROOMHEAD. "It's felt more like home. It was a really comfortable transition. It went about as well as it possibly could. And it's just kind of a continuance or something, it felt like to me, more than a new beginning or a blatant shift in direction or anything.

"Yeah, [I'm] happy to be here," he added. "[I'm] happy to add whatever I can to it."

MUSHROOMHEAD's eighth album, "A Wonderful Life", was released via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2014's "The Righteous & The Butterfly" was produced by Felton and was mixed by Matt Wallace (FAITH NO MORE, 3 DOORS DOWN),also recognized for his work on the band's classic offering "XIII".

"A Wonderful Life" was MUSHROOMHEAD's first album since the March 2018 departures of longtime vocalist Jeff "Jeffrey Nothing" Hatrix and guitarist Tommy Church.

LaPonza previously appeared on "The Righteous & The Butterfly" track "We Are The Truth", as well as the 2015 song "Among The Crows", which appeared on the "Game Of Thrones"-inspired HBO promotional album "Catch The Throne".

In a 2020 interview with The Chronicle, Felton said about Jackie's contributions to MUSHROOMHEAD: "We had female vocalists in the past, so it was a very natural progression to add her into the mix. Before she agreed to do 'The Heresy', I could just totally hear her voice all over it. The natural progression of MUSHROOMHEAD has always been to expect the unexpected.

"One thing people overlook is there's never been the same lineup on any two consecutive records ever in the history of MUSHROOMHEAD. It's kind of cool — every album is definitely a new chapter but in the same book."

Fan-filmed video of Tom Keifer's June 25 performance at Backstage Live in Houston, Texas can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube channel Rocking H-Town Live).

Keifer's story begins as the singer-songwriter, guitarist and front man of hard rock heavyweights CINDERELLA. His signature voice, guitar and bluesy, no-B.S. arena-shaking songwriting, played an integral role in moving records to the tune of 15 million worldwide. Tom Keifer is enjoying continued success recording and touring with #keiferband — Tom Keifer, Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Kendra Chantelle, Jarred Pope and Kory Myers — releasing two critically acclaimed solo albums, "The Way Life Goes" and "Rise".

"Rise", released September 13, 2019 on Cleopatra Records, features the rousing, rollicking rock singles "The Death Of Me" and "Hype". Both singles landed in the Billboard Mainstream Rock Top 40. Keifer's deep-seated roots shine through to the very core on "Rise", something that was embedded at the very heart of his music created during the multiplatinum CINDERELLA days.

"When this band came together, we all felt a bit like broken souls, each with our own unique story," Tom explained. "If you ask anyone in the band, they would all say this band came along at just the right time. Every human who walks this planet faces challenges and extreme adversity they have to overcome. As a band, we feel fortunate to be able to face those things together. There is a piece of every band member in the 'The Death Of Me' as well as throughout the entire 'Rise' album."

The common thread to each song on "Rise" is the intuitive interplay between each member of #keiferband, a tight but loose collective that's spent the last few years on the road honing their live craft together. "Rise" is the studio-bred equivalent of a band just now realizing the full scope of its powers.

"We were trying to capture the feeling of what people have witnessed live with this band," Keifer explained. "There's an off-the-rails, real live feel to 'Rise' — and that's what we were going for. It shows a real kind of angst and reckless abandon that we tried not to polish too much. And when we pull it back on the ballads, it's more about the emotion, the soul, and making people feel something in a different way."

"To me, the perfect rock and roll record is perfectly fucked up," Keifer said with a hearty laugh. "You try to make each record interesting and different. I don't ever want to make the same record twice, even though there's a common thread between them. Everything doesn't have to be perfectly in place, but there is a balance you try to strike. Sometimes there may be something about it that's technically not 'right,' but there's a vibe, an energy and an attitude to it that I always try to preserve."

This past March, Keifer said that he was "not prepared" for last year's passing of CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar. Jeff was found dead by his wife, Debinique Salazar-LaBar, on July 14, 2021 inside his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.

"I've gotta tell you, you're never really ready for that kind of loss; you're not prepared to hear that kind of thing," Keifer told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". "And everyone is still trying to grieve and process it. It's an emotional topic. Jeff was just such a passionate, amazing person, musician, human. He had a huge heart. And it was a tough one, man. It still is, for everybody."

Tom continued: "Jeff and I had a really good relationship throughout out career. Obviously, in bands there's times when you have differences; that's part of being in a band. It's true what people say about bands — that they're like a family, but, honestly, it's like that and even more intense, because there's so many different facets that inform the dynamics between bands; everything from business to creativity and everything in between. But despite any differences that we've had over the years, and the band in general, as I've always said, we've never aired anything like that.

"Jeff and I had a great relationship," Keifer repeated. "I loved Jeff — I really did — and have so many great memories of our journey together. He was amazing, and not just what he contributed to the music. Jeff had such a great sense of humor, and some of my favorite memories with Jeff are just kind of cutting up together on the bus. We were both big movie fans and could quote pretty much all our favorite movies. And we'd sit in the front lounge and quote 'Arthur' and 'The Big Lebowski' and 'Caddyshack'. He was just a really passionate, really fun guy to be around, and obviously, an amazing performer. He was a huge part of CINDERELLA.

"Like I said, you're never ready for that. And everyone is really honestly… I'm in touch with Eric [Brittingham, bass] and Fred [Coury, drums] regularly — everybody close to him — and we're still trying to process it. We really are."

Although CINDERELLA hasn't released a new studio album since 1994's "Still Climbing", the band started playing sporadic shows again in 2010 but has been largely inactive for the last few years while Keifer focused on his solo career.

During a recent appearance on the "Kicking It With The Koves" podcast, FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho reflected on his experience transitioning from the wrestling ring to the dance floor on season 12 of "Dancing With The Stars" in 2011.

"Dancing With The Stars" is one of the most popular shows in the United States. It features a whole host of celebrities competing to be the best dancing couple with their professional dancing partner. Dance couples look to earn votes from the audience and assigned judges.

Asked if he enjoyed his time on "Dancing With The Stars", Chris said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did, but it was hard, man. It is not easy to do. And I turned it down twice. 'Cause I was really good friends with Stacy Keibler, who was in the WWE, and she did 'Dancing With The Stars'. And she was a huge hit. If you go back and watch, she was one of the first kind of breakout stars from 'Dancing With The Stars'. Her legs were weapons of mass destruction, was what they called her legs. So she had a lot of influence on the show, and she kept suggesting me to the casting directors. And I turned it down a couple of times. When I finally accepted it, I remember I was on tour with FOZZY in Ireland and I was outside on the street talking about it. And I was, like, 'Listen, I've gotta do this. Because if I don't, I'll always wonder. And now I'm just a dick if I turn them down. They obviously really want me to do it, they really think that I can do it, so let me give it a try.'"

Despite his best efforts, Jericho was eliminated from the "Dancing With The Stars" competition one night after landing in last place on the hit ABC show. On an April 2011 episode, he and his professional dance partner, Cheryl Burke, collected 22 points out of 30 for a tango that one judge described as "cold, uneventful and a bit lumpy."

"I think one of the reasons why I did fairly good — I think I lasted six weeks or seven weeks — was because dancing is choreography, which wrestling has a lot of choreography, and you have to understand the timing of music: how to stay on the beat, stay off the beat, stay behind the beat," Chris told "Kicking It With The Koves". "And, obviously, as a musician and as a singer, that's what you've gotta do — you've gotta sing in time with where the music is, and that's kind of what dancing is as well.

"I don't think they expected me to do as well as I did," Jericho continued. "'Cause right out of the gate I have one chance to do something here. And it's hard — the first one is very hard. 'Can I do this?' And you do it, and you're just waiting for what the judges are gonna say.

"I enjoyed it, but, man, it was one of the hardest things I've ever done," Chris admitted. "Anybody that's done it, I don't care if you're on for one week or if you win the damn thing, it is not easy to be on 'Dancing With The Stars'. And you have to put the time into it… Even if you put the time into it, you still might not succeed. But if you aren't a hundred percent focused on this, you're not gonna last. And that's even if you have any aptitude for it, 'cause it's very difficult. It was a lot of fun, but it was very hard though."

Two months ago, FOZZY announced a fall leg of its headlining "Save The World" tour supporting its latest studio album, "Boombox". The 20-date trek, featuring special guests NO RESOLVE and GFM, will kick off September 8 in Columbus, Ohio and travel throughout the U.S. and Canada, stopping in such cities as Louisville, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Richmond, Baltimore, Montreal, Toronto, and Philadelphia, before wrapping October 10 in Virginia Beach.

Released May 6 via Century Media/Sony, "Boombox", the band's eighth full-length studio album and follow-up to FOZZY's massive 2017 album "Judas", entered the Nielsen Current Hard Music Albums chart at No. 5 and the Current Rock Albums and Current Digital Albums charts at No. 19 and has amassed more than 15 million total streams. "Boombox" features FOZZY's anthemic single "I Still Burn", their newest Top 20 hit at Mainstream Rock radio. The official music video for "I Still Burn" also recently eclipsed 1.5 million views. The 12-track collection, produced by Johnny Andrews, also features the Top 10 singles "Nowhere To Run" and "Sane".

A German TV report on DEEP PURPLE's June 23 concert at Stadtpark Open Air in Hamburg can be seen below.

DEEP PURPLE's new touring guitarist Simon McBride, who has previously played with both singer Ian Gillan and keyboardist Don Airey, among others, is filling in for longtime DEEP PURPLE guitarist Steve Morse. Steve is taking a temporary hiatus from live shows but remains a full member of the band.

In a recent interview with VWMusic, Gillan stated about McBride's addition to the group: "[It's going] fantastic. Absolutely great. Everyone's full of energy. And when the band is cranking as we are, and the audience is giving you help, it's just wonderful stuff. And with Simon, it's just human chemistry. I mean, he's a professional. He's a great player. It didn't take him five minutes to mesh in with us. It was completely natural, and he slotted right in with no problem at all. We didn't even have to think about it."

Asked if Simon brings anything style-wise that's different from what he is used to with Steve, Ian said: "Well, he's not English. He's Northern Irish, so he's got that attitude, and that's different. For that reason, he's probably more compatible with the stuff that we used to play in the old days. But at the same time, he's handling the new material like it's nothing at all. I mean, he's handling this thing just absolutely brilliantly, and the audiences love it."

Morse's hiatus from the classic rock icons was announced on March 31. In a statement, he said that his wife Janine is battling cancer and added that he hopes he can rejoin PURPLE on tour "after she gets a clean bill of health."

Added the rest of the band: "All of our thoughts are with Janine during her fight against cancer and also with Steve while he supports his wife at a very difficult time. We hope that Steve will be able to join us back on the road later this year."

McBride said: "I'm deeply honored to be asked to stand-in for Steve and play for such an iconic rock band like DEEP PURPLE. They are amazing musicians and amazing people… I'm very excited to get out and play all those iconic songs and rock the stage with such legends. My thoughts are with Steve and Janine and their family."

Morse effectively took over Ritchie Blackmore's DEEP PURPLE slot in 1994 and has since been in the group longer than Ritchie.

In a 1997 interview, Blackmore stated about Morse: "I'm just glad they [DEEP PURPLE] found a guitar player to carry on because I thought I was going to be shackled to this band for the rest of my life. It was like a ball-and-chain thing, and luckily, they said, 'Well, we found someone.' 'Thank God, I can get out!'

"I haven't listened much [to DEEP PURPLE's recent recordings]. I just know that Steve Morse [is a] brilliant player. I remember Steve Morse with the DIXIE DREGS; they're fantastic."

Morse's solo career has encompassed rock, country, funk, jazz, classical and fusion. Having started playing guitar around the age of 11, he later on attended University of Miami's School of Music, where he studied classical guitar and jazz. A "guitarist's guitarist", he was voted "Best Overall Guitarist" in the Guitar Player Readers' Poll for five consecutive years, before being removed from eligibility to open the award to other musicians, and being inducted into their Gallery Of Greats. His work has received seven Grammy Award nominations, and he has appeared on over 200 albums.

DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "Turning To Crime", came out in November via earMUSIC. The LP contains DEEP PURPLE's versions of great rock classics and musical jewels — including songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan, FLEETWOOD MAC, Bob Seger, CREAM and THE YARDBIRDS — carefully chosen by each member of the band.

DEMON HUNTER follows last month's "Freedom Is Dead" with a brand-new song, "Silence The World", featuring Tom S. Englund. Both tracks will appear on the band's 11th album, "Exile", due on September 9 via DEMON HUNTER's newly established label, Weapons MFG.

"Mental health is all anyone wants to talk about anymore, but we don't often hear that our collective screen obsessions have anything to do with the issue," DEMON HUNTER singer Ryan Clark says of "Silence The World"'s lyrical themes. "Even when it seems people have pinpointed things like social media as destructive, the concept of abstaining from it is quickly excused away. I often dream of a future of revolt. It may be naïve to think it could happen, but I believe a mass exodus from social media could change nearly everything for the better."

When it came to guest features on "Exile", Englund was at the top of the band's list.

"We listened to EVERGREY's 'Monday Morning Apocalypse' on tour," Clark recalls. "We all quickly fell in love with the band, and Tom's voice in particular. As 'Silence The World' began to take shape, we knew this was the song we'd love to hear him on.

"Ordinarily, I'll ask a contributing guest to sing a verse and perhaps a few other small pieces. In this instance, I really wanted Tom to sing the chorus as well. Not only was it more in his range than mine, but the line 'pull me from out of the tide' is a small wink to EVERGREY's 'The Atlantic', which is one of my favorite metal records of all time."

"Exile" is the first-ever concept album by the 20-year metal veterans. Set in the aftermath of civilized society's collapse, the 12 songs examine modern life through the lens of a nonconformist, contemplating a life untethered.

A four-issue comic book series, written by Clark, dramatizes the album's themes. "Exile" is an immersive interrogation of cultural norms and a call to true rebellion.

Guitarist Jeremiah Scott produced and mixed "Exile", which boasts additional guest appearances from Max Cavalera (SOULFLY) and Richie Faulkner (JUDAS PRIEST).

Colored vinyl variants, deluxe edition CDs, VIP ticket bundles, cassettes, comic books, and new merch are available for preorder at DemonHunter.net.

"Exile" track list:

01. Defense Mechanism (ft. Max Cavalera)
02. Master
03. Silence The World (ft. Tom S. Englund)
04. Heaven Don't Cry
05. Another Place
06. Freedom Is Dead
07. Praise The Void
08. Revolutions
09. Chemicals
10. Godless (ft. Richie Faulkner)
11. Devotion
12. Along The Way

The deluxe edition CD contains two bonus songs, "Sleepwalker" and "Exile", as well as several sonic interludes composed with Randy Torres, whose film work includes sound design on "Interstellar" and "Dunkirk", among other works.

DEMON HUNTER's "Twenty Years In Exile" tour will kicks off in the United States on street date, September 9, and include stops at Blue Ridge Rock Fest, Uprise Fest, and Furnace Fest, in addition to the headlining shows.

DEMON HUNTER combines transcendent melody with metallic might. The group's extended family around the world cherish the band's songs as personal anthems and instruments of empowerment. They use songs like "I Am A Stone", "On My Side", "The Last One Alive", "I Will Fail You", "Collapsing" and "Dead Flowers" to mark chapters in their lives: in celebration, in mourning, from weddings to funerals.

Unwavering commitment and stark recognition of the reality of an often-cold world, tempered with defiant hope, define the band's now-20-year-long career. Since 2002, DEMON HUNTER's dedicated supporters wear the group's symbols, lyrics, and album imagery on their shirts, vests, backpacks, uniforms, and in many cases, on their skin.

DEMON HUNTER's most recent release was "Songs Of Death And Resurrection", a mostly acoustic and stripped-down effort which came out in March 2021 via Solid State Records. Scott produced and mixed the LP in Atlanta, Georgia, and Nashville. He also produced the band's "War" (2019),"Peace" (2019),"Outlive" (2017) and "Extremist" (2014) records.

Photo: Darren Craig

On May 23, Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE played at a special concert at a London dive bar, Blondies, as part of Kerrang! magazine's "The K! Pit" series. Professionally filmed video of the performance, which was attended by "50 of BULLET's biggest fans", can be seen below.

Setlist:

01. Knives
02. Piece Of Me
03. Scream Aim Fire
04. Your Betrayal
05. Tears Don't Fall
06. Waking The Demon

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will release a deluxe version of its current, self-titled album on July 8 via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. This extended release features four brand new tracks, plus "Stitches", a song previously only available as a Japanese exclusive. Following the CD and digital releases, a vinyl pressing will launch on November 11.

"Bullet For My Valentine" arrived in November via via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. The LP was written beginning in September 2019 with longtime producer Carl Bown, who co-produced the band's 2015 album, "Venom", and produced and mixed 2018's "Gravity".

"Gravity" saw BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's catalog surpass one billion streams in the U.S. That accomplishment solidified BULLET's status as one of the most elite bands in the hard rock scene.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently announced a U.K. tour for early 2023. The run of shows will kick off on February 27, 2023 at Cambridge Corn Exchange, and will make stops in Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham and more before wrapping up in London at the Roundhouse on March 11. They will be joined by special guests JINJER and ATREYU.

Former MOTÖRHEAD and current SCORPIONS drummer Mikkey Dee is featured in a series of commercials for the car manufacturer Volvo.

The three spots, which promote the Swedish company's new line of electric trucks, were filmed in Mikkey's hometown of Gothenburg.

In one video, which was shot at the city's Ullevi Stadium, Dee can be seen performing what Volvo called "possibly the highest-ever drum solo in the history of heavy metal."

"The Volvo electric trucks are just as flexible as their diesel equivalents and can be built for virtually any task," reads the clip's official description. "And the absence of noise and emissions makes them perfect for nighttime assignments – like the possibly highest-ever drum solo in the history of heavy metal."

Dee, who has been a member of SCORPIONS since 2016, played drums for KING DIAMOND from 1985 until 1989. The Swedish-born drummer also played with MOTÖRHEAD from 1991 until the band's dissolution in December 2015.

Dee played on the classic KING DIAMOND albums "Fatal Portrait", "Abigail" and "Them" until he left in 1988 to join Don Dokken. He returned a year later as a session player on KING DIAMOND's "Conspiracy".

Last year, Mikkey spoke about the main differences between playing with MOTÖRHEAD and touring with SCORPIONS in terms of how he paces himself for each individual band's setlist. He told the "Drum For The Song" podcast: "A lot of people say, 'Hey, listen, Mikkey, you're probably sleeping through the [SCORPIONS] set.' And I'm telling you, this is so much more demanding than MOTÖRHEADever was, physically. Because, as you know, if I was starting to lose my breath here and there with MOTÖRHEAD, I could just shout at [Phil Campbell, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] or Lemmy [MOTÖRHEAD frontman] and go, 'Hang on, boys. Have a drink,' and pretend to tune up the snare a little bit. And Lemmy and Phil, they were not very hard to [convince] to get a break. They went around their stacks and took a drink, and we said, 'Cheers,' and you could even actually have a chat on stage for a while. But with the SCORPIONS, it's all on a click track, because of our screens — the production. And I do play around the click, but it has to work with the lyrics and stuff on the screens and what's going on with the production, which we never had with MOTÖRHEAD.

He continued: "So every show [with the SCORPIONS] is exactly the same length — on the fucking second or minute… Klaus [Meine, SCORPIONS singer] cues whatever he says. So it could be one or two minutes difference between the sets, on two-and-a-half-hour sets. So it's very demanding. It goes up and down, the set, and there's a part in the set after we've done the acoustic medley, and then we come up and do 'Wind Of Change' — I'm actually freezing on stage. And then it's about 40 minutes, 45 minutes of non-stop… We do heavy, heavy songs, and a drum solo, straight into 'Blackout', straight into 'Big City Nights'. I mean, there's 45 minutes where I don't even have a chance to change drum sticks. So that is very, very demanding for me. But it's great — it's a challenge, and I love it. But the more tired I get on stage, the better I play."

Mikkey added: "We usually did 90 minutes, with MOTÖRHEAD, and when we played with other bands, it could be 60 or 70 minutes. But MOTÖRHEAD, we controlled the set ourselves, and here and there, Phil ran outside and changed his guitar or took a piss, or Lemmy disappeared off stage and no one knew what he was doing. We could run it ourselves more in a different way."

Blackened death metal band Consciously Dying have shared the first track, "Denial", off of their debut album, Bereavement A Guide To Loss & Grief, released July 1, 2022.


The music video for "Denial" was produced by Consciously Dying’s lead guitarist Denis Šerifovč and co-directed by Denis and Johannes (Burgi) Burgstaller of Vicious Eye Media. It features Aviv Hadari on guitars and vocals, Gene Migaki on bass, Denis Sheriff on guitars, and Ivan Lopez as The Grim Reaper. Special FX were created by Or Mussman of Nocturnal Designz.







Formed in 2018, Consciously Dying hails from Los Angeles, California. The band’s first EP, Delusions, was independently released in 2018. Since then, Consciously Dying has released two singles entitled "COVID-19" (2020) and "We All Die" (2021).


Consciously Dying is a four piece live band ensemble that delivers live performances and conceptualizing dark art. 





Tracklisting:


"Denial" 
"Anger"
"Bargaining"
"Depression" 
"Acceptance" 
"Gasping For Air"
"Life Will End" 
"Begging To Die" 
"Sleep Forever" 


For further details, visit ConsciouslyDying.com.


 

AEROSMITH drummer Joey Kramer's wife has died.

Linda Gail Kramer, 55, passed away on June 22. No cause of death has been revealed.

Just one day before her death, Linda wished her husband a happy 72nd birthday on Twitter. She wrote: "Happy Birthday to the Love Of My LIFE !! You are the most amazing man with the biggest heart I know I Love U my sweet boy".

According to her obituary, Linda was born in Decatur, Georgia, on February 27, 1967. She moved to Houston, Texas in 1971. Linda was a graduate of Klein Oak High School in Spring, Texas, class of 1985.

Linda worked in the high-tech industry most recently as a contract administrator for Hewitt Packard.

Joey and Linda were married in October 2009, with the musician calling her "the love of his life." "He once described meeting Linda as "the biggest rush you ever had in your life." Friends and family have always noted that Joey and Linda were simply "inseparable."

There are no services planned at this time. Services will be held by the family at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Jude's Children’s Research Center, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, and/or K-9 Angels Rescue, 9415 Winsome Lane, Houston, Texas 77063.

Linda is survived by her husband, her parents, her three sisters, her stepsiblings, her stepson Jesse, and many nieces and nephews, among others.

This past March, Joey announced that he would sit out AEROSMITH's concerts in 2022 so he can "focus his full attention on his family during these uncertain times," according to a statement from the legendary rockers. While Kramer "takes a temporary leave of absence" from AEROSMITH, he will once again be replaced by his drum tech, John Douglas. "[Kramer] and the band look forward to his future performances with AEROSMITH," the statement added.

Two years ago, Kramer rejoined his AEROSMITH bandmates on stage during the group's residency in Las Vegas. A month earlier, he sued the rest of AEROSMITH in a bid to perform with them at two Grammy-related events. But a Massachusetts judge eventually ruled against him and the group played without Kramer.

After Kramer injured his shoulder in 2019, Douglas filled in for a few gigs during AEROSMITH's residency. Kramer did, however, perform with the rest of AEROSMITH in July of that year at the Twin Cities Summer Jam in Shakopee.

In his January 2020 16-page complaint filed in Massachusetts state court, Kramer said the disability he suffered three years ago was minor, and insisted he was ready to return to the group's "lucrative" Las Vegas residency at the MGM Resorts a few months later, as well as its slate of "50th anniversary activities."

Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford later responded to Kramer's suit in a statement to People, saying Joey "has not been emotionally and physically able to perform with the band, by his own admission, for the last 6 months. We have missed him and have encouraged him to rejoin us to play many times but apparently he has not felt ready to do so. Joey has now waited until the last moment to accept our invitation, when we unfortunately have no time for necessary rehearsals during Grammys week. We would be doing a disservice to him, to ourselves and to our fans to have him play without adequate time to prepare and rehearse."

In a statement at the time, Kramer said he was "extremely disappointed" with the judge's ruling.

"I knew filing a lawsuit was a bit of an uphill battle," the drummer said. "I can hold my head high knowing that I did the right thing — to fight for my right to celebrate the band's success that I have dedicated the better part of my life to helping build."
Happy Birthday to the Love Of My LIFE !! You are the most amazing man with the biggest heart I know I Love U my sweet boy ❤️💕🥰

— Linda (@MrsKramedog) June 21, 2022


Joey Kramer's Wife Linda Has Died 3 Months After Drummer Takes Leave of Absence from Aerosmith https://t.co/jSG22Sq3X4

— People (@people) July 1, 2022

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser is mourning the death of his wife.

Patricia Perissinoto Kisser passed away Sunday morning (July 3) after a battle with colon cancer. She had just turned 52 years old one day earlier.

Andreas and the couple's three children, Giulia, Yohan and Enzo, announced Patricia's death in a social media post earlier today. They wrote: "It is with deep sadness that we have to share that Patricia Perissinoto Kisser passed away this morning. She will remain in are memories forever.

"We want to thank all our friends and family for all the support and messages of love.

"We ask for privacy during this difficult time."

In a separate Portuguese-language post on his personal Instagram, Andreas called Patricia his "best friend and "inspiration" and praised her for facing her illness "head on, with strength and determination." He added: "My admiration for you is eternal. I'm sure we'll cross paths again in some dimension beyond this earth."

Andreas and Patricia had been together for 32 years after first getting together in 1990. They married in 1994.

Late last month, Andreas left SEPULTURA's European tour due to what was described at the time as a "family emergency." He is being temporarily replaced on the road by Jean Patton of fellow São Paulo, Brazil-based heavy metal act PROJECT46.

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

In July 2021, Kisser told A&P Reacts that he quit drinking alcohol right before the pandemic hit. At the time, he said that getting sober "was one of the best decisions I made in my life" and added that it improved his relationships with everyone around him, including his family.

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

Kisser joined SEPULTURA in 1987 as the replacement for Jairo Guedz. Kisser's first studio outing with SEPULTURA was the same year's "Schizophrenia", an album that demonstrated a marked improvement from the band's 1986 "Morbid Visions" debut, not only in the lead-guitar department but in songwriting and production. Kisser's lead playing would go on to figure more prominently on ensuing SEPULTURA releases, particularly 1989's "Beneath The Remains" and 1991's "Arise", serving as the ideal complement to Max Cavalera's rhythm guitar work. Kisser has since assumed virtually all guitar duties since Cavalera's acrimonious 1996 split from SEPULTURA and now serves as the band's main songwriter. Today, Kisser and bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. are the only holdovers from SEPULTURA's classic lineup.

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In April 2022, Autograph announced that founding member and bassist Randy Rand had died at the age of 71. 


The band, best known for their hit single, "Turn Up The Radio", recently revealed via social media that Metal Church bassist Steve Unger would temporarily be taking the stage alongside vocalist / rhythm guitarist Simon Daniels, lead guitarist Jimi Bell, and drummer Marc Wieland. Their statement reads:


"Minnesota! This Sunday, July 3rd, we rock the Greenbush 4th of July Weekend Celebration in Greenbush, MN with Quiet Riot! We are dedicating all our future shows and our new album (which of course includes him) to the memory and legacy of Randy Rand who will always be with us in spirit, anywhere, any time. We look forward to seeing you all on the road this summer. Steve Unger from the band Metal Church will be filling in on bass."




Upcoming Autograph concerts include:


July
8 - New Bedford, MA - The Vault at Greasy Luck Brewpub  
9 - Enfield, CT - Town Green (with Slaughter and Vixen)
26 - York, PA - State Fair (with Vixen)
30 - Philadelphia, PA - Masquerade at 2300 Arena (with Killer Dwarfs, Tora Tora)


August
19 - Gatlinburg, TN - Monsters On The Mountain (with Tom Keifer, Extreme)
20 - Indianapolis, IN - State Fair (with Vixen)


September
10 - Des Plaines, IL - Des Plaines Theatre (with Quiet Riot, Stephen Pearcy)
16 - Wisconsin Dells, WI - Crystal Grand Music Theatre (with Stryper)


October
15 - Oroville, CA - Feather Falls Casino (with Quiet Riot)





 

The clip below features Trivium frontman Matt Heafy performing a guitar playthrough for the band's song, "The Deceived". The track is taken from Trivium's 2005 album, Ascendancy.





Heafy recently covered the Johnny Cash rendition of "Hurt". The song was originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails 1994, and it became a hit for Cash when he covered the track in 2002 for his American IV: The Man Comes Around album.

JUDAS PRIEST was rejoined by guitarist Glenn Tipton on stage during the band's concert Saturday night (July 2) at the Barcelona Rock Fest at the Parc de Can Zam in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, just twenty minutes from the center of Barcelona, Spain.

As he has done a number of other times over the course of the last four years, Tipton appeared with PRIEST for the encore, performing "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

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

PRIEST singer Rob Halford recently told Metal Pilgrim that Glenn is "still actively involved with JUDAS PRIEST, a hundred percent. Andy is still standing in that spot for Glenn with Glenn's blessing… And my gratitude to Andy. It couldn't have happened in a better way, if you wanna try and make something good out of it. It was a really important day when Glenn said, 'I think it's probably best if I step to the side and maybe we should let Andy come in.' That was just a really beautiful act of selflessness. That's Glenn treasuring PRIEST and PRIEST's reputation, particularly in live concert more than anything else. So bless Glenn for that. And as a result, Andy stepped in and did amazing work on the 'Firepower' tour, and we're looking forward to doing the same thing with him on this 50th-anniversary [tour]. And don't discount the fact that Glenncan show up. He plays the guitar differently, but there's no reason why Glenn can't show up and do some work. I mean, I've said to Glenn, 'Just walk out on stage and do that to everybody [flashes devil horns], and the people will just go fucking crazy, 'cause you are loved so much.' But I've got a feeling that Glenn's gonna be making the occasional appearance on this 50th-anniversary [tour]."

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

PRIEST will celebrate their 50th anniversary again at the end of this year with the launch of a new North American tour. Support on the "50 Heavy Metal Years" fall 2022 trek will once again come from QUEENSRŸCHE.

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

JUDAS PRIEST was forced to postpone around two dozen North American shows on its rescheduled 50th-anniversary tour last September after Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during a performance at the Louder Than Life festival. He ended up undergoing a 10-hour life-saving surgery a short distance away at Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.

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

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

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

The clip below features Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen performing the  song "Let It Go" at her solo show at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands on September 1st, 2021.


Floor: "What started as a song I used to sing for my daughter, to an internet sensation as my first ever online cover on YouTube. And now live during my show at AFAS Live in front of a sold out crowd. What a pleasure! Performing as Metal Elsa of Frozen was a lot of fun!" 


The original version of the song is performed by Idina Menzel.







The setlist was as follows:


Set 1:


"Ever Dream" (Nightwish)
"Storm In A Glass" (Northward) 
"Nemo" (Nightwish) 
"Mama" (Samantha Steenwijk cover) 
"Sweet Curse" (ReVamp song - with Henk Poort) 
"Dangerous Game" (from Jekyll & Hyde - with Henk Poort) 
"Euphoria" (Loreen)
"Face Your Demons" (After Forever)
"Winner" (Tim Akkerman cover)


Set 2:


"Slow, Love, Slow" (Nightwish)
"Shallow" (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper cover)
"Strong" (After Forever) 
"Élan" (Nightwish) 
"Energize Me" (After Forever) 
"Qué Se Siente" (Rolf Sanchez)
"Bridle Passion" (Northward) 
"Our Decades In The Sun" (Nightwish)
"Wolf And Dog" (ReVamp) 
"The Phantom Of The Opera" (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover - with Henk Poort)


"Energize Me"





"Storm In A Glass"





"Sweet Curse"

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo performance of "Training Montage" from the Rocky IV soundtrack.


Johansson: "The official video for Montage' - a huge and epic medley containing the soundtrack from Rocky IV composed by Vince DiCola! 'Training Montage', 'Up The Mountain' and 'War' all put together to a massive power metal mashup.


A project that I’ve been working on for a very long time and I’m very proud to finally present this epic monster medley to you all!"

Swiss-Italian cinematic/progressive metal outfit Virtual Symmetry has just issued an official video and audio single for “Come Alive,” the lead track to be issued ahead of their eponymous fourth album, confirmed for early September release through Sensory Records.


Featuring eight sprawling and immersive songs, Virtual Symmetry was recorded by the band then mixed and mastered at Domination Studio by Simone Mularoni (DGM, Michael Romeo, Turilli Lione Rhapsody) and completed with artwork and photography by Kyrhian Balmelli.







Vocalist Marco Pastorino reveals, "With our new album, we managed to combine our best qualities and selected the best Virtual Symmetry songs so far. The classical prog metal trademarks with some very cool addictions, a couple of choruses sung in our native language, Italian, a very long suite as the opening track of the album, and even more. We really can't wait to meet all of you during the upcoming European tour with the metal masters Evergrey!"


The official video for the lead Virtual Symmetry single "Come Alive" was directed by Giampiero Zappa.





Sensory Records will issue Virtual Symmetry on CD and digital platforms on September 16. Preorders are available at the label webshop.


Watch for additional previews of Virtual Symmetry to be issued ahead of the album’s release.





Virtual Symmetry has been confirmed alongside Fractal Universe as support for Evergrey for five weeks on their 2022 European tour, which runs from September 16 – the day of Virtual Symmetry’s release – through October 23. See all confirmed tour dates and more at the Virtual Symmetry official website.


(Photo – Kyrhian Balmelli)

Scorpions has uploaded classic footage performing the Lovedrive track “Always Somewhere” at Old Grey Whistle Test in May 1979. Watch below:





On June 23, the Scorpions performed at Hellfest in Clisson, France. During their set, Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell joined the band - which features Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee behind the kit - for "Rock You Like A Hurricane". Check out the footage below.










The legendary Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, founder of Motörhead and Grammy Award winning cultural icon, has had a portion of his ashes enshrined at this year’s Hellfest Festival in Clisson, France within a new, giant statue of the man. The official ceremony to recognize this unique memorialization took place on June 23rd.


With bandmates Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee present, it was the perfect moment to honor Lemmy’s life. After the Scorpions closed the show, bandmates Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee said a few words, a tribute video to Lemmy played, and Phil and Mikkey raised a toast to the immortal and eternally popular Kilmister at the monument itself.


The ceremony formally recognized Lemmy’s love of both the road and the fans, which is where he always felt most comfortable.





Hellfest was one of Lemmy's favorite festivals (Motörhead played the first ever Hellfest and were staples of the festival ever since), and the band have always had a tremendous bond with their French rock’n’roll family. It is therefore fitting that Lemmy will forever be present at the site, with fans able to congregate and pay their respects to him at every Hellfest from here on out. This ceremony will also give fans an opportunity to participate in their own memorialization of Lemmy and see a miniature replica of the custom urn that houses Lemmy’s ashes at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood California.


For fans that wish to share their own tributes, memories, experiences or pay their respects, can post using the hashtag #LemmyLivesAtHellfest.


All Hail (the immortal legend) Lemmy!

In a new interview with THE HAUNTED guitarist Ola Englund's YouTube channel, KORN guitarists James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head" Welch were asked how they keep themselves "angry" enough to be able to come up with consistently aggressive music. Munky responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We don't have to be. You don't have to be. We can draw inspiration from, whether it's the news, friends, whether it's family. We all, at different points, go through challenging moments."

Added Head: "How about frustration at home, and you get in a studio and take it all out."

Munky concurred, saying: "It's true. Every day there's something to draw inspiration on, whether it's your own personal stuff or something from the past. Or just create a vibe and an atmosphere and let Jonathan's [Davis, vocals] lyrics kind of… set the stage for him."

Head said: "We did a thing in London the other night, and Jonathan was, like, 'I'm finally happy in life,' 'cause he just got into a place of peace. And I go, 'So does that mean KORN records are gonnna suck now?' But that's not how it is.

"We're drawn to the dark things in life — all of us," he continued. "Movies, TV shows… So it's always gonna come out. Even if we're happy, it's gonna come out."

Added Munky: "And you know what? Now that we're older, we can learn how to balance the light and the dark in our lives. Before, it was just, like, there's this whole darkness, and we didn't know how to control it. But now we have clarity. And with age and having children and kids and having different things in our life balances the light and the dark. And we like to jump in the dark with the art we create. But we don't live there. We know how to go there, to play music and whatever, and then we know how to put that aside and then joke and be happy in the afternoon. No walking around gloomy all day. Most of the time we're joking around and clowning around all day on tour."

KORN's latest album, "Requiem", was released on February 4 via Loma Vista Recordings. The band celebrated the LP's arrival with a special record-release event on February 3 at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California. "Requiem Mass" saw the Southern California heavy music pioneers perform an intimate set in front of a 300 attendees.

"Requiem", which was produced by Chris Collier and KORN, entered Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. The band sold 23,000 equivalent album units in the February 4-10 tracking week, according to Billboard. Of that sum, 20,000 units were from album sales. "Requiem" also landed at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. On the all-format Billboard 200, it arrived at No. 14.

KORN recently announced a summer tour with fellow rock culture icons EVANESCENCE, produced by Live Nation. Accompanied by special guests varying across select dates, the 18-city tour kicks off on August 16 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, making stops across the U.S. in Boston, Chicago, Houston and more before wrapping up in Ridgefield, Washington on September 16.

KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu announced in June 2021 that he would sit out the band's touring activities in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits."

Despite the fact that he hasn't performed with his KORN bandmates for more than a year, Fieldy did play on "Requiem".

In a brand new interview with Australia's Heavy, KILLSWITH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach spoke about the band's plans for the coming months. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, as of right now, I think the big thing that was looming over us was it's been a long time since we sat and wrote a record. So getting back on the road and touring — we did a tour with SLIPKNOT here in the States, and we did our own headlining tour with LIGHT THE TORCH and AUGUST BURNS RED — that sort of fulfilled, like, 'Oh, we're back. We're doing this again. We're playing shows. We're in front of an audience.' We weren't able to interact as much as we would have wanted to [because of the pandemic], but we were still doing it. But I think the conversation kept coming up of, like, 'What should we do?' Internationally traveling kind of fell to the wayside for not just the pandemic but the conflict in the Ukraine. So once all that touring went away overseas, we had a bunch of time. So we've started to work on demos on for a new record. And we just confirmed a tour here in the States with LAMB OF GOD and a plethora of other bands as support. So we'll be doing that in the fall. But predominantly between now and then, and then after then, we're really gonna be working on the record, trying to get that wrapped up and done quickly too, because we want it to be a record that's not gonna take a lot of time to create. We want that raw, fresh feeling, so a lot of these demos I'm trying to [get] through quickly just to get the energy and then we'll sort of dissect them as new get into the studio. So I think there's a real spirit within us to put out new material and then tour on that new record come next year, hopefully. So that's kind of what we're all thinking."

Elaborating on the time table for the completion of the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE LP, Leach said: "We've got a couple of sessions [scheduled]. We haven't really put deadlines or anything. But I'm personally setting goals for me to create quick, very emotional, raw stuff for the demos and then probably taking a little more time, once we get to the studio, to polish that up and make it sound really good. Some of these demos I'm getting ready to send to the guys, if you would listen to them, most people would probably laugh 'cause they're just me going nuts, just trying to get the idea out quick and then we'll worry about re-recording it and polishing it and sort of making it sound KILLSWITCH-y.

"I've always been really hard on myself — a perfectionist, if you will — and I think it's hindered me in the demo-making process," he explained. "So my approach to this record is I wake up in the morning and I write lyrics out of the sleep. I listen to the music. It's moving very quickly for me, and it just feels fresh; it feels new. And then us getting into a room and jamming on that shit together, which we haven't done in years, that's the vibe we're going for. We kind of wanna bring that live feeling, that live sound to this next record… I want that energy to be there.

"Live music shouldn't be perfect," Leach added. "I don't like the studio fixes, I don't like the tuning — I hate all that shit. So the less that can happen, I'm into it. I'd rather keep it raw. It's rock and roll, man — it shouldn't be perfect. I think metal, over the years, has become very compressed and very manufactured. To me, I'm all about pushing away from that. So I think this next record will be a push-and-pull, 'cause [KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist and producer] Adam [Dutkiewicz] is very much a perfectionist with the way he likes things to sound. So it should be interesting. He's on board of that too — sort of getting more of a live feel to what we're doing. I think it comes across. When you come see a band live like us, it is a little different than a record. But it should be."

As for the lyrical content of the next KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album, Jesse said: "I've purposefully been extremely spiritually minded and positive and trying to write uplifting things that are gonna help people process what we've been through.

"I think there's two ways you can go — you can get angry and write hyper-political stuff and anti-government or whatever, which I've done in the past, and I still stand by that, but I think, for me, where my gift lies, after what we've been through, is more of a comfort, more of an uplifting thing," he noted. "So I'm leaning hard on that — a little more existential, more looking forward, if you will, lyrically. It's probably gonna be some of the most positive stuff that I've ever written, and I'm doing that on purpose — for myself, but also for the listener. I think it's just time for us to put out a record that's just beaming with positivity and hope. And that's what I'm going to do."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's fourth album, "As Daylight Dies", released by Roadrunner Records on November 21, 2006, was recently certified platinum by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). The record produced fan favorites such as "My Curse" and "The Arms Of Sorrow". The band also received a platinum certification for the single "My Curse", as well as gold certifications for 2004's "The End Of Heartache" and the "Set This World Ablaze" DVD. The single "The End Of Heartache" and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's cover of DIO's "Holy Diver" are also certified gold.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's latest album, "Atonement", was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc featured guest appearances by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marked the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

In July 2021, Leach and Dutkiewicz released the second album from their TIMES OF GRACE project, "Songs Of Loss And Separation", via the band's own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, distributed by ADA Worldwide.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE is:

Jesse Leach - Vocals
Adam Dutkiewicz - Guitar
Joel Stroetzel - Guitar
Mike D'Antonio - Bass
Justin Foley - Drums
Listen to "The Time is Now with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE" on Spreaker.

MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine has blasted "lazy" bands who rely on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances.

In recent years, more and more bands have been given a pass for using backing tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent.

Speaking to Kerrang! Radio at this month's Download festival in the U.K., Mustaine addressed the use of pre-recorded tapes at live shows, saying: "I've always done the background singing on the records until — maybe about 10 years ago, we started having another person come in and help supplement the vocals because it's just not my bag to be singing stuff that I'm not gonna sing live. I sing when I sing live on the records as much as I can.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with using supplements for songs and other sounds and stuff like that if you can't play 'em live," he continued. "If you can play it live and you're being fucking lazy and you're seeing whatever just happened a couple of days ago with one of those big bands, and the singer… the tape started and the drummer wasn't playing or something. You probably heard about that. I can't remember who it was," Mustaine said, apparently referencing a rare "mistake" by KISS drummer Eric Singer during the band's concert in Antwerp, Belgium earlier this month which revealed what some fans are saying is proof that KISS is using pre-recorded tracks during its performances.

Dave added: "We don't have vocals that are canned. Usually what we have is a MIDI click track that runs all of our lights and switches all of our solos and stuff."

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

Three years ago, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach defended KISS against claims that the band is using pre-recorded tracks during its farewell tour, saying that Stanley sang "his ass off LIVE" during a concert in California. "I have seen way more obvious use of backing tracks than with KISS," Sebastian wrote on Twitter.

FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho also defended Stanley's vocal performance on "End Of The Road" tour, saying that the "Star Child" "has nothing to prove to anybody." Jericho explained: "He's one of the greatest rock and roll singers of all time. I think that's something that anybody would say. I would much rather have him use the technology that's available to not sound like he's hurting himself, which then makes me not enjoy the show as much."

Bach's comments came just hours after MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx called out another band for using taped vocals during its live performances after it previously derided other groups for doing the same thing.

Sixx wrote on Twitter: "Certain band out on the road right now putting other bands DOWN and saying that they are a REAL rock band, no background singers,and other old people cranky comments except his lead vocals are on tape.People in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks. #GetOffMyLawn #WizardOfOz"

Most fans assumed that Sixx was referring to KISS, especially since Gene Simmons has previously slammed bands who used backing tapes for not being honest enough to include that fact on their concert tickets.

After KISS played on NBC's "America's Got Talent" in September 2018, Stanley was asked by Rolling Stone if that was actually a live performance or if he and his bandmates tracked it earlier. "What you tend to do is record it live and that way you know that everything is as it should be," he responded. "It's not like going into the studio or anything like that. It's…with all its imperfections, it's live."

Sixx has been open about his band's used of taped vocals during live concerts, saying, "We've used technology since '87." He added the group employed "sequencers, sub tones, background vox tracks, plus background singers and us. [MÖTLEY CRÜE also taped] stuff we can't tour with, like cello parts in ballads, etc.... We love it and don't hide it. It's a great tool to fill out the sound."

In a 2014 interview, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist Mick Mars admitted that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that his band used pre-recorded backing vocals in its live shows, claiming that he preferred to watch groups whose performances are delivered entirely live. "I don't like it," he said. "I think a band like ours… I have to say '60s bands were my favorite — '60s and '70s bands — because they were real, like, three-piece bands or four-piece bands, and they just got up there and kicked it up. Made a mistake? So what? Sounded a little bit empty here or there? So what? It's the bigness and the rawness and the people that developed and wrote the songs and made them and presented them. To me, that's what I really like. I mean, I could put on a MÖTLEY CD and play with it all day long. I don't wanna do that."

Back in 2015, Simmons slammed bands who used backing tapes, saying: "I have a problem when you charge $100 to see a live show and the artist uses backing tracks. It's like the ingredients in food. If the first ingredient on the label is sugar, that's at least honest. It should be on every ticket — you're paying $100, 30 to 50 percent of the show is [on] backing tracks and they'll sing sometimes, sometimes they'll lip sync. At least be honest. It's not about backing tracks, it's about dishonesty.

"There's nobody with a synthesizer on our stage, there's no samples on the drums, there's nothing," Gene continued. "There's very few bands who do that now — AC/DC, METALLICA, us. I can't even say that about U2 or THE [ROLLING] STONES. There's very few bands who don't use [backing] tracks."

SEPULTURA played its fifth show with fill-in guitarist Jean Patton (PROJECT46) Tuesday night (June 28) at Espace Julien in Marseille, France. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be found below.

On June 22, SEPULTURA announced that guitarist Andreas Kisser was forced to leave the band's current European tour due to a "family emergency." In a statement on social media, the group said: "Unfortunately, @andreaskisser has returned home due to a family emergency. However, the show must go on, so we've tapped fellow Brazilian @jeanpatt6n (of @project46_oficial) to riff with until Andreas' return. Huge thanks to him for jumping in on short notice (practice is sounding great already!). Please join us in welcoming Jean and wishing Andreas the best."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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