Napalm Records has announced the worldwide signing of legendary Swedish masters of melancholy, Katatonia. The band has inked a worldwide record deal with the leading Austrian rock and metal label.


Piercing through the core in 1991 when Katatonia was brought to life by the inimitable Jonas Renkse (now vocalist) and renowned guitarist Anders Nyström, the unit has taken a fascinating journey from their heavy atmospheric extreme metal beginnings in the early 90s underground metal scene to their current status as a unique, free-spirited progressive rock amalgamation that stretches beyond the boundaries of standard music. Each stunning work of Katatonia is tantamount to a cathartic experience - from their seminal debut, the legendary Dance Of December Souls (1993), to their most recent haunting masterpiece, the critically acclaimed City Burials (2020) - the latter marking their most successful release to date (debuting at #6 GER, #5 FI, etc).


The five-piece has never failed in evolving its sound and unique identity into something that is known as one of Sweden's top-notch musical forces today. Stay tuned for more exciting news coming soon.




Katatonia on the signing: "As Katatonia is just about to enter a brand new chapter in its own book of history, we’re passionate the band's journey will continue onward and upward together with our new label Napalm Records.”


Thomas Caser (Napalm Records) about the signing: "Katatonia has been one of the most impactful metal acts, always progressing throughout their career. Teaming up with such an iconic act is a dream of every music fan. We are beyond excited to work with the band and their team!”


Experience Katatonia live in 2022. Find the band's tour itinerary here.


Katatonia are:


Jonas Renske - Vocals
Anders  Nyström - Guitars
Roger Öjersson - Guitars
Niklas Sandin - Bass
Daniel Moilanen - Drums


(Photo - Ester Segarra)

SPIRITBOX has dropped its first new music since the band's incendiary, chart-topping debut album, "Eternal Blue". The new release comes in the form of a three-track single titled "Rotoscope" and sees SPIRITBOX bringing its unique spin to a more industrial, 1990s alt-rock-tinged sound. The new drop is accompanied by an official music video directed by Max Moore which can be viewed below.

"Rotoscope" track listing:

01. Rotoscope
02. Sew Me Up
03. Hysteria

Fresh off of a run of incredible U.S. festival performances and its first full U.S. tour with UNDEROATH, SPIRITBOX is currently conquering the rest of the world one jaw-dropping performance at a time. The band recently played what is already being referred to as a legendary set at Download festival in the U.K. and followed it with two completely sold-out shows at London's Islington Academy, the second of which saw the band joined by current "America's Got Talent" viral superstar, 10-year-old Harper, who performed the band's breakout hit "Holy Roller" both as her audition for the TV show and live with the band in London.

SPIRITBOX will remain in Europe playing major festivals and selection of one-off headline shows until June 30. They will then play U.S. festivals — Rock Fest and Inkcarceration — with a sold-out headline show in Grand Rapids in between. They then play another one-off, sold-out headline show with DAYSEEKER and BRAND OF SACRIFICE before heading out to lay waste to arenas across the U.S. with GHOST and MASTODON.

Canadian thrash legends, Exciter, performed at the 2022 edition of Hellfest in Clisson, France on June 18. You can watch professionally-filmed footage of the band's full set below.


Setlist:


"Violence & Force"
"Stand Up And Fight"
"Victims Of Sacrifice"
"Die In The Night"
"Iron Dogs"
"Heavy Metal Maniac"
"Pounding Metal"
Guitar Solo
"Beyond The Gates Of Doom"
"Long Live The Loud"
"Iron Fist" (Motörhead cover)

Bon Jovi By Ross Halfin is the brand new book from Rufus Publications. At over 400 oversized pages this unique, photographic book covers the band for a ten year period from the mid eighties.


Ross had unique access to the band and the book features both intimate shots and stunning live portraits of the group as they reached the height of their world wide fame. Legendary band manager Doc McGhee provides a full commentary for the text of the book and has also signed the numbered, limited edition version.


The book can be pre-ordered at Rufus Publications and will ship winter 2022. Watch a video trailer below:

BulletBoys have made a name for themselves with their loud guitars, boisterous vocals, and shredding solos and that tradition continues with their new song and video, “Holy F*ck”, via Rock Avenue Records USA. The song was written by guitarist Ira Black and singer Marq Torien, produced, and mixed by Black, and mastered by multi-Grammy award mastering engineer Howie Weinberg.


The band’s current lineup is somewhat of a metal supergroup featuring founding member vocalist Marq Torien with guitarist Ira Black (former Lizzy Borden, Metal Church, Dokken), bassist Brad Lang (former Y&T), and drummer Fred Aching (Powerflo).







“I am so excited and proud of this amazing and rad song! We have been working diligently on presenting a new body of work to all of our fans that have been so loyal and loving to me and us all these years!! In life God closes doors and opens up new doors to walk thru with grace, excitement, and passion!! I am so blessed to have an amazingly awesome & magical band that will blow everyone’s mind!!,” says Torien.


The video for “Holy F*ck” was co-produced and co-directed by Ira Black and Arron Kinser from Studio Vista. Check it out below. The song is available on all major streaming platforms.


“I’m super stoked to unveil our new video/single to the World! We, as a band started planning this a few days after our first show together, and it’s absolutely incredible to see it coming to fruition! We assembled the perfect team of people to make it all happen and I’m grateful to everyone involved in the planning, execution, and belief in our vision! Also, a perfect title for the state of the World…Holy F*ck! Brace yourself!,” says Black.








BulletBoys originally formed in 1986 in Los Angeles, CA and have released nine studio albums. They are best known for their mega-hits “Smooth Up In Ya”, “For The Love Of Money”, “Kissin Kitty”, and “Hard As A Rock” which debuted and became number one in rotation on MTV between 1988 and 1991. The band was featured on the certified double-platinum soundtrack for Wayne’s World in 1992; Beerfest in 2006 and Hot Tub Time Machine in 2010. They released their eighth album Elefante’ in 2015 which featured the hit “Symphony” and their ninth album From Out Of The Skies in 2018.


Upcoming shows:


July
14 - Picktown Palooza - Pickerington, OH
15 - The Canyon - Agoura Hills, CA
16 - The Canyon - Santa Clarita, CA
22 - The Canyon - Montclair, CA
30 - Beaver Dam Amphitheater - Beaver Dam, KY

THE MARS VOLTA has reawakened from its lengthy hiatus with the release of a new single and short film for "Blacklight Shine".

"Blacklight Shine" pulses with subtle brilliance, Caribbean rhythms underpinning sophisticated, turbulent songcraft. The song showcases guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala at their most accessible with pop melodies driving Bixler-Zavala's story.

The lyrics of "Blacklight Shine" help to illuminate the idea of "a wave of rolling blackouts washing memories onto shore, a heartbeat that still remembers everything," explains Bixler-Zavala.

On June 19, a mysterious cube appeared in Grand Park in Los Angeles, California. "L'ytome Hodorxí Telesterion", an audio-visual art installation, was erected to tell the story of the return of THE MARS VOLTA. Inside of the cube, visitors were taken on a full, immersive journey to outer space, and where "Blacklight Shine" was heard for the first time by the public. The experience inside of the cube was intended to provoke self-reflection, with the single guiding fans on a journey through endless galaxies and back down to earth, to oneself. Those who were unable to witness "L'ytome Hodorxí Telesterion" in person can look forward to a digital experience on July 1.

Today, the band also announces upcoming tour dates kicking off September 23 at The Factory at Deep Ellum in Dallas, Texas and closing in Los Angeles, California at The Palladium with special guest TERI GENDER BENDER. The dates mark the first time the band has performed live since 2012.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 24 at 10 a.m. local time.

Tour dates:

Sep. 23 - The Factory in Deep Ellum - Dallas, TX
Sep. 25 - Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
Sep. 27 – The Metropolitan Opera House - Philadelphia, PA
Sep. 29 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY
Oct. 01 - MGM Music Hall at Fenway - Boston, MA
Oct. 03 - The Anthem - Washington, DC
Oct. 05 - Massey Hall - Toronto, ON
Oct. 06 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Detroit, MI
Oct. 08 - Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL
Oct. 11 - The Mission Ballroom - Denver, CO
Oct. 14 - Moore Theatre - Seattle, WA
Oct. 18 - The Warfield - San Francisco, CA
Oct. 21 - Hollywood Palladium - Los Angeles, CA

Formed by guitarist/composer Omar Rodríguez-López and singer/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, THE MARS VOLTA rose from the ashes of El Paso punk-rock firebrands AT THE DRIVE-IN in 2001. On a mission to "honor our roots and honor our dead," THE MARS VOLTA made music that fused the Latin sounds Rodríguez-López was raised on with the punk and underground noise he and Bixler-Zavala had immersed themselves in for years, and the futuristic visions they were tapping into. The albums that followed were one-of-a-kind masterpieces, their songs of breath-taking complexity also possessing powerful emotional immediacy. After the group fell silent, a legion of devotees (including Kanye West) kept up an insistent drum beat for their return.

Now — a year after "La Realidad De Los Sueños", a luxurious 18-LP box-set compiling their back catalog, sold out its 5,000-print run in under 24 hours — THE MARS VOLTA is back.

Photo credit: Fat Bob

In 1972, Jethro Tull released the instant classic, Thick As A Brick. 50 years on, and the album is still revered as one of rock’s - and progressive rock’s - most definitive and pioneering albums. It featured a rock first: one continuous song on both sides. Thick As A Brick came about following the release of Jethro Tull’s immensely successful previous album Aqualung. Upon its release, Aqualung was regarded as a concept album in the music press, and in response the band set about to respond to the rock critics with the ultimate concept album, culminating in Thick As A Brick.


To celebrate the 50th anniversary, Thick As A Brick has been reproduced in its original format, the legendary 12-page newspaper. The vinyl is a half-speed master of Steven Wilson’s 2012 remix. It can be pre-ordered here, with it releasing on July 29. Further to this, the rare and coveted 40th anniversary CD/DVD special collector’s edition is also be available to pre-order today after being out of print for nearly ten years, and will be released on October 7th.







Unlike any other records on the market, the album is set inside a broadsheet newspaper, “The St. Cleve Chronicle & Linwell Advertiser”. The newspaper includes many news articles packed full of continuing jokes, a crossword, connect-the-dots and much more. It was originally written by Ian Anderson, Jeffrey Hammond and John Evan, with the newspaper taking longer to put together compared to the music. As reported in the paper, the lyrics were credited at the time to the fictitious child character, Gerald Bostock, whose parents supposedly lied about his age. Amongst the many articles is a frank review of the album itself. Thick As A Brick was the first album to feature drummer Barrie Barlow, who featured alongside Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Evan and Jeffrey Hammond.


A must for any record collection, the album is a half-speed master of Steven Wilson’s 2012 remix, providing the ultimate audio experience of the progressive rock classic.  By cutting at half speed you give the cutting stylus as well as the whole system twice as long to record the mechanical groove, which hugely improves the quality.





Vinyl tracklisting:


Side A:
"Thick As A Brick (Pt. I)"


Side B:
"Thick As A Brick (Pt. 2)"


CD/DVD contents:


- New stereo and 5.1 mixes by Steven Wilson
- Original 1972 recording at Morgan Studios by Robin Black


The book contains:


- The original newspaper rebuilt for the 12 x 12 format on 16 pages of newspaper style paper (but more durable).
- The 2012 newspaper printed on gloss paper
- An article by Classic Rocks’ Dom Lawson about ‘Thick As A Brick’
- An Ian Anderson interview conducted by The Reverend George Pitcher
- Many rare 1972/73 photos from photographers Didi Zill and Robert Ellis covering ‘street’ and live situations and 2012 tour photos by Martin Webb.
- Memories of the recording from engineer Robin Black.
- Recording and touring memories from Martin Barre, Ian Anderson and Jeffrey Hammond.
- A Q & A with tour manager Eric Brooks with tour memorabilia and the full 1972 itinerary.


Watch an unboxing video from Ian Anderson:

Former EXODUS singer Rob Dukes has once again said that it took him "about a year to not be angry about" dismissal from the band.

The San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal legends in June 2014 announced the departure of Dukes and the return of his predecessor, Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Dukes addressed his current relationship with EXODUS in a new interview with Scott Penfold of the "Loaded Radio" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When EXODUS fired me, it took me about a year to not be angry about it. It was unexpected — I didn't see it coming — and it was a hard time in life. I'd just moved; I'd just gotten married. It was a heavy burden. And it took me a while. And about a year later, after Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] called me and we spoke, they flew me up to San Francisco and I sat down with them. And we laid it out on the table. And it made it better — just to clear the wreckage of that. And I moved on with my life, and they moved on with their life. I did one show with them — I did a few songs up in San Francisco — and then I just started living my life."

Dukes went on to say that he no longer dwells on the negative circumstances surrounding his departure from EXODUS.

"[EXODUS] was definitely a part of my life, but I don't rely on it," he said. "So I just move forward. But our friendship is good, man. I went up there to see… After Tom [Hunting, EXODUS drummer] got sick [with cancer in early 2021], we were talking the entire time and I was aware of his situation. And then when the time was right, after he had done some chemo sessions and was feeling a little better, I flew up and spent a couple of days with Tom. And I saw Gary, and I went and had lunch with Lee [Altus, EXODUS guitarist].

"Look, man, we lived together for 10 years. That bond is very difficult to break," Rob explained. "Especially when the reason I got fired, it wasn't personal; it was business. I took it personally in the beginning. But this is a harsh business, man, and there's a lot of fucking snakes out there and there's a lot of weird people who want their little piece. And it's kind of what happened. It was just business. Looking back on it, it was all for the best."

Three years after he was fired from EXODUS, Dukes performed with the band during a July 2017 concert in San Francisco, California. He sang several songs with the group on the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the band's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013.

Dukes joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

Rob previously discussed his split with EXODUS during a December 2020 pay-per-view video conversation with Souza, recorded earlier that month at Zetro's studio in the San Francisco Bay Area as part of Souza's "Zetro's Toxic Vault" YouTube interview series. At the time, Dukes said that the seed for his exit from EXODUS was planted during the songwriting and pre-production sessions for the band's 2014 album "Blood In Blood Out". "One night, before a show, me, Lee, Tom and Jack [Gibson, drums] were sitting, and we said, 'You know, we should do this [album] different. We should do this one where we actually rehearse together and we go through the songs like a band would do 'em in the old days' — go through 'em and maybe pick apart parts, maybe make 'em better, do it that way," he said. "[I thought it was] a great plan; I agreed. I come home, fly back out a couple of weeks later and everything is done. They're doing the drums, but Jack is doing the engineering, and [longtime British producer] Andy [Sneap] is not doing the vocals. And at that time, nothing against Jack — I love Jack — but the difference was, working with Andy, I didn't have to sing the whole line all the way through over and over again. Jack wasn't able to, at this time, edit in a word if I fucked up; I had to start all over. And the dissent had started with me. I felt a lot of the songs were very repetitious.

"Now, I could have just kept my mouth shut and just went along with it if I wanted to keep my job, even though it wouldn't have mattered, because the business decisions, I think, were being made behind the scenes with Metal Maria and Chuck [Billy, TESTAMENT singer]. I, actually, in front of everyone, challenged Chuck. 'Cause Chuck was now managing the band. We're halfway through the record, and they said, 'Well, Chuck's gonna manage the band.' I go, 'You don't see that as a conflict of interest — a little bit?' And I said this to Chuck, to his face. I said, 'You're telling me, if you get an opportunity, you're not gonna have TESTAMENT [take the gig]; you're gonna give EXODUS the gig? Get the fuck outta here, dude! I wouldn't do that, so I know you're not gonna do that.' He's, like, 'I wouldn't do that.' I go, 'You're not being honest with me. You're not being honest with yourself.' And it caused, like, a thing. And everyone was mad at me, 'cause the boys don't like confrontation. And it wasn't the songs. The songs were the songs. I thought 'BTK' was killer. Dude, you did 'BTK' awesome," he said, complimenting Zetro. "There were certain things about it. I don't wanna shit on it, but some of it just seemed regurgitated. I was, like, 'This song sounds like that song,' and, 'This song sounds like this song,' and it started to weigh on me. Like I said, I could have just kept my mouth shut and just played the game and not rocked the boat, but it wasn't my nature. My nature was, 'No, man. We're better than this. We need to top ourselves over the last thing we did,' and I didn't feel like it was doing that — I felt like it was actually declining a little bit, in my eyes, from my position. But it didn't mean that I didn't give everything I had — I gave everything I had on vocals — but Jack was beating me up, because I was constantly not able to… Especially with some of the timing stuff — you've never done it before, and now you're expected to do it forever. This is the CD, man — this is forever."

Explaining why he was angry for such a long time about his dismissal from EXODUS, Dukes said: "Look, man, [I was] 47 years old [at the time]. I got married five days before. And you fucking fire me. If I was by myself, if I was just me, I would have been okay with it. I was responsible for another human being. I just moved my entire life from my comfortable New York upbringing to a place [in Arizona] where I know one person, and I don't even know him that well; I know him from touring and watching him when I was a kid. I knew Roger Miret from AGNOSTIC FRONT; it's the only guy I knew [in Arizona].

"I remember telling my wife, 'We're gonna be okay. It's fine. We're fine. I'll sell my car. And that'll get us, like, a year rent, and we'll be okay. I'll figure it out. We'll be okay.' But in my head, I was fucking terrified," he admitted. "And I felt like [the EXODUS guys] took something from me that I earned, that I deserved. But I was looking at it wrong. I didn't deserve anything. I didn't earn anything. I was grateful to be there. And I tried to do the right thing. I remember writing a statement and putting it out there. I was grateful — I was grateful for going to over a hundred countries in my lifetime, playing in front of the millions of people that I got to play over 10 years. I was grateful for every opportunity that was given to me; I was honestly grateful. But also, I was angry, and I had every right to be angry. But I wasn't able to see it for what it was until a year later — it took me a year."

Dukes said that he wishes he had been more vocal in the earlier stages of the making of "Blood In Blood Out", particularly as it relates to EXODUS's choice of producer for the sessions.

"The truth was that my part in it, had I been honest from the beginning and I had said — 'cause there were times when I didn't wanna rock the boat — 'We are making fucking mistakes. And if you guys all wanna go to this next level that you all talk about, then let's put our fucking money where our mouth is and change it the way we're doing it,'" he said. "You've done it this way all this time and you've always gotten what you got. But if you change the game… Nothing against Andy, but if we bring in Colin Richardson, bring in fucking Zeuss [Chris Harris], bring in somebody [from] outside the game who had his own ideas of looking at things and maybe corral some of the chaotic stuff that was going on. And maybe go, 'You know what? The song does sound like that song. Maybe we should fucking take this riff…' Let producers do what they do… I thought it would have been awesome for somebody like Colin Richardson or Zeuss to come in and take Gary Holt [EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter] and sit him down and go, 'This is awesome. But we can make this better. Let's try this and try that.' And that's what the plan originally was."

Looking back on how his split with EXODUS went down, Rob said during the "Zetro's Toxic Vault" chat that he was "glad that everything worked out the way it did. And I was glad that Gary called me a year later and I spoke with him," he said. "And he was legitimately sorry; I knew he was. And he said, 'I want you to come to San Francisco.' And then I was, like, 'Well, how does Zet feel?' And he goes, 'It was Zet's idea.'"

Dukes also addressed the speculation that his substandard vocals on an early version of "Blood In Blood Out" were proof that he wasn't sufficiently inspired to deliver the goods on the album. "That assumption has been said to me a bunch of times," he said. "Even Lee has said, he goes, 'Your heart wasn't in it.' And my ego, which I don't have a big ego — it's not like I'm an egotistical dick — but I can tell you that when I was on the microphone, I was giving my best, I was giving all I had. What I felt inside was that the songs weren't as good. To me, they felt rushed. I felt some of the lyrics felt rushed.

"Me and Gary look at music very differently, and I think that's why we kind of worked," he continued. "Gary will write the lyrics before he writes the music, and he fits it in, where I write the music, write the melody and then fill in the words to the melody.

"It's hard to say it without sounding like a dick, but it was very… I remember singing one song and going, 'Dude, this is that other song.' And then, hearing the lead, going, 'That's the lead from that other song.' And I think that alone, trying to take my ego out of it, maybe my heart wasn't it. I wish that it was.

"At the moment, I knew I was giving all I could, but the factors against me was I didn't think the material was as strong as what we had already done," Dukes added. "I wanted it to be better. It's like setting bar for yourself and then not giving at least that measure. And then I thought that, as much as I love Jack, he wasn't Andy Sneap. And working with Andy, there was something to working with Andy that pulls it out of me.

"I remember talking to [Rob] Halford about it, 'cause [Andy recorded] Halford with PRIEST. He made me do fucking 10 fucking takes of each line. When you do 10 takes of each line, and then he fucking pieces them together. And then you get back something and you're, like, 'Wow, that's the way I sang that, huh? Cool.' No, it wasn't. It was the way Andy put it together. And then, all of a sudden, now you have a template. 'Well, now I'm gonna do that live, 'cause that's better.' 'Cause Andy knew what the fuck he was doing. But now you're just leaving it to me raw. And I thought not having Andy there for the vocals made me mad — not mad; it just made me a little disheartened, I guess. Because working for two albums with Andy, I knew what to expect. No matter what template I was given, I knew that Andy was gonna make me do it the right way. And when we were doing it, it wasn't that."

Dukes still resides in Arizona, where he works as a mechanic specializing in car restoration.

MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine says it was "hard" for him to fire David Ellefson more than a year ago, 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.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Mustaine touched upon Ellefson's latest exit from MEGADETH, saying: "With everything that had taken place over the past, 10, 20 years with my relationship with our past bass player, it just became time to… it's so uncomfortable for me to talk about. It was hard on me letting him go. And I'm happier now than I've ever been."

Mustaine ended up hiring TESTAMENT's Steve DiGiorgio to re-record Ellefson's bass parts on MEGADETH's upcoming album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!", because he is "one of those just really amazingly talented players," Dave told Rolling Stone.

Last month, MEGADETH announced bass player James LoMenzo as a permanent member of the band. LoMenzo was MEGADETH's bass player in the mid-2000s and recently stepped back in as a touring member for "The Metal Tour Of The Year".

"It's a different camp now, and I'm really happy," Mustaine told Rolling Stone. "I feel totally invigorated. I feel like I've hit my stride, like my best years are ahead of me right now."

In the police report that Ellefson filed in May 2021, he admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual "masturbating encounters" without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.) Ellefson, who lives in Scottsdale, first became aware of the video on May 9, 2021, when the claim "David Ellefson of MEGADETH is a pedophile" appeared on Instagram. Ellefson told police he was notified on May 14, 2021 by MEGADETH that the band would be parting ways with him. Three days later, he was fired.

During an October 2021 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Ellefson opened up about the circumstances that led to his dismissal from MEGADETH, saying: "I ran toward the bullets and dealt with it right away. The night [the messages and video were leaked online], a couple of people said, 'Hey, don't say anything.' In particular, the MEGADETH camp didn't want me to say anything. But my legal [advisers] said, 'Hey, I think you should say something. I think some people have done some really shitty things here and made some false allegations about you, and you have every right to defend yourself.' And I did. Ultimately, that led to my dismissal from MEGADETH. But I have every right, as anyone does, to defend yourself, especially when somebody is making false allegations about you like that. So I dealt with it that night, and quite honestly, that was it — it was over, and it was really kind of done. But then, as the MEGADETH camp in particular jumped in and had addressed it — and not that they shouldn't, but they did. That pretty quickly led to them making the decision to part ways with me and to move away from it.

"We had originally talked about doing a joint statement of sorts, and, of course, that was not what happened," David continued. "So I was disappointed in probably the way it went down.

"Ironically, things are fine between [me and MEGADETH]. We parted ways, and they took their road. And there's not ill will between us, believe it or not. And I think any fights and those things, that was 20 years go — lawsuits and all that crap.

"Look, they moved forward [with 'The Metal Tour Of The Year']," Ellefson added. "I wished them well in my [original] statement to them, and I mean it. It's a group I helped form almost 40 years coming up here for the band. And the songs that are on the radio that I see come up are songs that I had a participation in, and we built a big legacy. I still consider them family, and my DNA is all over that. I don't think you build something of that size together and then suddenly you're just out and that's it."

Ellefson also talked about the statement Mustaine — who formed MEGADETH with Ellefson in 1983 — released on May 24, 2021 announcing the bassist's departure from the band. In the statement, Dave said: "We do not take this decision lightly. While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward." Asked if he was aware of any tension between him and Mustaine and whether he "felt like the ice was getting ready to break again," Ellefson said: "I did not. I think one of the things — and this probably started 20 years ago, when MEGADETH was disbanded in 2002 and then put back together in 2004, it was very clear in 2004 that it was gonna be reframed around Dave unilaterally, one hundred percent being the boss and running the show. Gone were the days of the partnership, the '90s, where it was me, Nick [Menza], Marty [Friedman], Dave — kind of 'the four horsemen ride again' kind of mentality… That day was done; it was not gonna be that anymore. And that's where we fell apart in 2004 and I wasn't with the group through those years. Coming back to it in 2010, now we're a few years older, [with] a little more maturity in the situation, realizing that we're better together, that even though it's not, on paper, a partnership, there's a kind of visual partnership — the optics of it are kind of, like, 'Yeah, this looks better as MEGADETH with me and Dave together. We're one of those bands that, although Dave is the quarterback and the quarterback still plays, the overall feeling and likability and I think everything about it just feels better when it's Dave and Dave together, because we've been together from the beginning for so many years. And I think that worked really well for the last decade. At the same time, Dave and I are grown men, and we have opinions. It's not the thing where it's just Dave and three side guys when it's me and the band. And apparently, they didn't want that anymore — they wanted it to not be that. And I can't speak for them, 'cause I don't know. I'm not trying to put words in anybody's mouth about that. But it just seemed like 'there's just too much history here, and let's just part ways now and let MEGADETH move forward on a new day with kind of a new marching order.' So rather than fight it, which is what happened 20 years ago, 'cause we were dissolving a partnership at that point, we're not dissolving a partnership [this time]. It's, like, 'Hey, we don't want you here. There's the door. Don't come to work on Monday.' So, it's, like, 'Okay. Fine.' And that's just how I viewed it, and that's how I view it today. I don't have any sour grapes over it, and I'm not bitter about it."

Ellefson told "Trunk Nation" host Eddie Trunk that he initially "didn't even know what" the word "grooming" was, adding that he "had no idea" about the meaning of the term experts use to refer to the actions that sexual abusers take to get close to and gain the trust of those they are interested in. "And any allegations of anything being illegal [are false]," he said. "There was nothing. And that's why I immediately hired a criminal lawyer. I went right to the police department. And just for the record, the bad guy doesn't go to the police department. Okay? So, just to be clear. The guy who didn't do anything wrong, he goes to the police department. That's why I went to the police department and filed a police report and let them deal with it.

"I think there was a big fear of — there's always this talk of cancel culture and all this stuff," he continued. "And I was, like, 'Listen, that was not me.' And I had every right to stand up against that and defend myself against it. And I just turned that over to the lawyers and police department and let them deal with it, and they did."

David also addressed his decision to step away from social media and stop doing interviews for a few months while things settled, both personally and professionally.

"Look, certainly time heals wounds in these things, which is good," he said. "And that was the thing — I was, like, look, I didn't do anything wrong; there was nothing illegal here; and you let it go. And for me to just kind of take some time away and go dark. I got off all social media. I have one Facebook account that I don't even run, just for kind of professional purposes and everything, but I'm off of that. And I think that helps."

When Trunk brought up the point that the only apparent "illegality" in this case lies with the person who actually leaked the above-mentioned video, Ellefson said: "A hundred percent. That's why I didn't hire a civil lawyer to sue people for a million bucks. I hired a criminal lawyer, and what they do is prosecute to put people in jail. 'Cause those were the crimes. You can't just go do shit like that — put stuff out there, content — and not have a penalty. That is the crime. And I think people just think they can — and not everybody; I'm not saying all people — but there is a faction that they just think that that could be just done as a joke and for fun, and it can't. Of course, it's the Internet, so people live in foreign countries; there's all this stuff. That's why the best thing, I think, is to, first of all, just get away from those platforms because that is a breeding ground for that society to do that."

Asked by Trunk if there are still ongoing legal proceedings in the case, Ellefson said: "It's been resolved. We took the steps necessary, walked through that process, which was necessary to do, and that's all landed and, as of now, that's fine."

David, who studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis a decade ago, also wanted to address one specific "misconception" about him that has been repeatedly raised in the months since his masturbation videos were posted online. He said: "There's a misconception that I'm a pastor. I am not a pastor. I did a year of seminary, and they made it real clear, 'If you are gonna continue at seminary, you need to quit MEGADETH,' so I quit seminary to be in MEGADETH. And I remember telling my mom that, when she was still alive — God rest her soul. I said, 'Hey, I withdrew out of seminary,' in good standing, to continue being in MEGADETH. And she was actually very disappointed. She was, like, 'You know what? MEGADETH is holding you back. That's too bad. You should have stayed in seminary.' Turns out maybe I should have listened to my mom; I don't know. [Laughs] Of course, mom wants the best for you.

"Who knows? Whatever," he continued. "I'm a rock and roller, man. I'm a founding member of MEGADETH. It's who I am. It's what I do. It's part of my life. It's part of my existence. So I have no regrets about any of that. But I think that was a misconception. People started throwing that around. And so I've never been an ordained pastor. Yes. I did explore that world for a time."

David went on to say that there is a perception that people of faith must set a higher standard of how they live with and treat others. "It's almost like you're this entity that's floating up toward the heavens: 'Oh, he's such a wonderful man. He's a man of faith. He's got his family. And then this happens.' It's, like, 'What the hell is this?'

"I mean, look, admittedly I've sort of trained the public to think that I'm one of the more well-behaved rock stars out there, and for the most part I have been," he continued. "But at the same time, and this isn't to claim anything other than just, oops, shit happens. That is what it is.

"In the season that I was away from MEGADETH, in the 2000s, I got involved in other things in church, and raising my family, and blah blah blah, these things, and so by nature, I kind of became more of a suburban homebody — the dad guy," David added. "And then I went back to MEGADETH in 2010. And the thing is to try to reconcile that you're not one guy at home and another guy on the road, that you're the same guy. And I think for anybody who spent any time on the road — whether you're a rock star, a traveling salesman or whoever you may be — that is the challenge, and it's a real challenge, to keep your life in order when every day your toothbrush is in a new zip code."

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.
We will always be best friends.

@ellefsondavid @Megadethpic.twitter.com/kzs89sA8Vy

— Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) November 2, 2017

Formed in 1968, the original Alice Cooper band forged a theatrical brand of hard rock that was destined to shock and had never been seen before. Within five years, they would release no fewer than seven studio albums, amongst them their international breakthrough School's Out (including the Top 10 hit of the same name) and the US #1 Billion Dollar Babies (1973). By 1974, the band had risen to the upper echelon of rock stardom... and then it dissolved.


In October 2015, over 40 years later, record store owner and superfan Chris Penn convinced the original lineup to reunite for a very special performance at Good Records, his record store in Dallas, Texas.


Alice Cooper (vocals), Michael Bruce (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass), and Neal Smith (drums) were joined on stage by Alice's current guitarist Ryan Roxie (standing in for the late Glen Buxton). A packed audience was expecting to attend Dennis Dunaway's Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! book signing. But they ended up witnessing a full-blown happening.




The legendary reunion show including all-time classics such as "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "I'm Eighteen," and "School's Out," is now becoming available for the very first time worldwide on September 30.


Luckily, the event was also filmed. The documentary movie Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper (edited and directed by Steven Gaddis) was very warmly welcomed at film festivals all over the world by music fans as well as rock journalists. The documentary won multiple awards for its coverage of the historic event. The movie is included in the live album's first print CD and Vinyl LP editions.


More details and pre-order options can be found here. Pop the popcorn, blow up the balloons, dim the lights, and crank it up!





Formats: Ltd. CD+Blu-ray Digipak/Ltd. Apricot 1LP+DVD Gatefold/Ltd. Glow In The Dark 1LP+DVD/Ltd. Gold 1LP+DVD Gatefold.





Tracklisting:


CD:
"Caught In a Dream" (Vinyl Side A)
"Be My Lover"
"I'm Eighteen"
"Is It My Body"
"No More Mr. Nice Guy"
"Under My Wheels" (Vinyl Side B)
"School's Out"
"Elected"
"Desperado" (Intro Bonus Track)


DVD/Blu-ray (Running time over 100 minutes) - Documentary With All Live Performances+ Extras: :


* Music Video for "I'm Eighteen" (Live From The Astroturf)
* Music Video for "Under My Wheels" (Live From The Astroturf)
* Extensive Interview with Dennis, Michael and Neal


Alice Cooper's fall 2022 "Detroit Muscle" tour kicks off September 7. Get tickets here.

MEGADETH will cap a summer of successful global touring with the release of its highly anticipated 16th studio album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" on September 2 via UMe. Featuring twelve new tracks, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will be made available on CD, vinyl, and cassette, as well as digitally through all online partners. There will also be a limited deluxe edition 2LP, 12-track album pressed on 180g black vinyl housed in a numbered gatefold jacket with a 12x24 lyrics/credits insert, a lenticular vinyl lithograph and a bonus seven-inch featuring "We'll Be Back" and the unreleased B-side "The Conjuring (Live)". The limited deluxe edition can only be purchased via MEGADETH's official online store, through Sound Of Vinyl and uDiscover.

The first song to be released from "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" is the ferocious, quintessentially MEGADETH track "We'll Be Back", which is accompanied by the world premiere of "We'll Be Back: Chapter I", an epic, action-packed short film chronicling the origins of MEGADETH's mascot, Vic Rattlehead. Produced by Dave Mustaine, "We'll Be Back: Chapter I" is a soldier's tale of bravery, personal sacrifice, and the will to survive. It is the first installment of a trilogy of videos to be released in conjunction with the release of the new album "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!"

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" consolidates a furious return to form that began with the Grammy-winning "Dystopia", while pushing forward musically and marking Mustaine's recent triumph over throat cancer. Reuniting visionary MEGADETH leader and sonic architect Dave Mustaine with co-producer Chris Rakestraw (DANZIG, PARKWAY DRIVE),who together helmed 2016's "Dystopia", the album was recorded at Mustaine's home studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren. Bassist Steve DiGiorgio temporarily stepped in to record the album. With the kick-off of MEGADETH's recent tour, MEGADETH alumni James LoMenzo rejoined the MEGADETH family as permanent bass player.

"For the first time in a long time, everything that we needed on this record is right in its place," Dave Mustaine enthused. "I can't wait for the public to get hold of this!"

Featuring some of Mustaine's strongest songwriting while also incorporating writing from the rest of the band, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" brings together everything that's exhilarating and distinctive about MEGADETH. From the blistering throwback fury of "Night Stalkers" (featuring icon Ice-T) and first single "We'll Be Back", to the more mid-tempo and melodic "Soldier On!" and the very personal title track, with its enthralling twists and turns. "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" also features a cover of DEAD KENNEDYS' "Police Truck" and Sammy Hagar's "This Planet's On Fire", the latter of which includes vocals from Hagar himself.

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" melds the ultra-frenetic riffing, fiercely intricate solos, and adventurous spirit the quartet are known for, all laced with signature virtuosity and precision and Mustaine's singular sardonic snarl. This album combines all the crushing musical motifs that have made MEGADETH both repeat metal disruptors and revered genre flagbearers.

Mustaine spoke about "Night Stalkers" in an interview earlier this year with Jose Mangin of SiriusXM Liquid Metal. He said: "It's a brutal song. I can't remember if that was the fastest one [on the new album] or not. But 'Night Stalkers' is about the 160th Battalion with the United States Army, and it's all the black-ops helicopters that go in at night — nobody knows they're there; they're in, they're out. And I had my buddy Ice-T join me on a part in the middle of it, because Ice was a ranger for the army, and he did two tours over in Afghanistan, I think it was. I think that was back in '91, when I first met him. It might have been a little earlier than that, but I know he was a ranger. And I had just done something on his last record. But when I asked him, I thought it would be great to have him because of his bravado and then the fact that he's got real credibility as someone who was there. And then we've got several other guys to participate in the track just to make it as real as possible. We're going up to the base to go film a bunch of helicopter footage and sounds and stuff like that. We've got three videos that we're making for this record right now down in Brazil, and we're combining all that production and the stuff from the base, with the helicopters and everything together, to make this first three-song video offering up."

Regarding Hagar's contribution to "This Planet's On Fire", Mustaine told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "It's a super-heavy song. And the good thing about this [is] we didn't just do the song; [Sammy] played on it too. So we've got a little bit of some guitar; we've got a lot of bit of singing. I think it's super badass."

As for MEGADETH's decision to cover "Police Truck", Mustaine said: "It's no secret I'm a big DEAD KENNEDYS fan, and I had wanted to do 'Holiday In Cambodia', but my friends in LÄÄZ ROCKIT had done that, and I felt that [I would] just let them have their glory off of that rendition of that song, and if the time comes, I'm sure there's another song that'll stick out to me. And there was — it was the song 'Police Truck'. So we recorded that one."

"The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" track listing:

01. The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!
02. Life In Hell
03. Night Stalkers (feat. Ice T)
04. Dogs Of Chernobyl
05. Sacrifice
06. Junkie
07. Psychopathy
08. Killing Time
09. Soldier On!
10. Célebutante
11. Mission To Mars
12. We'll Be Back
13. Police Truck (DEAD KENNEDYS cover)
14. This Planet's On Fire (Burn In Hell) (Sammy Hagar cover) (feat. Sammy Hagar)

MEGADETH recently revealed its roadmap into the web3 space, offering expanded Cyber Army fan club experiences. The first NFT drop will be a generative collection called "Rattleheads", pulling from nearly 40 years of iconic Vic Rattlehead themes and imagery.

Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp have released an official music video for their cover of The Beach Boys' "Caroline, No", featured on the duo's upcoming 18 album. Watch below:





Jeff Beck found a kindred spirit in Johnny Depp when the two met in 2016. They bonded quickly over cars and guitars and spent most of their time together trying to make each other laugh. At the same time, Beck’s appreciation grew for Depp’s serious songwriting skills and his ear for music. That talent and their chemistry convinced Beck they should make an album together.




Depp agreed and they started in 2019. Over the next three years, they recorded a mix of Depp originals along with a wide range of covers that touches on everything from Celtic and Motown to the Beach Boys and Killing Joke. In 2020, during the pandemic, they previewed their collaboration with their well-timed cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation”.


The duo’s 13-track album, dubbed 18, will arrive on July 15. Beck explains the album title: “When Johnny and I started playing together, it really ignited our youthful spirit and creativity. We would joke about how we felt 18 again so that just became the album title too.”


18 will be available on CD and digitally, with a 180-gram black vinyl version coming on September 30. The cover features an illustration of Beck and Depp as 18-year-olds that was drawn and designed by Beck’s wife, Sandra.


Leading up to the release of 18, Beck has launched a European tour, with Depp as a special guest, which will conclude on July 25 at L’Olympia in Paris.


For the last 12 years Depp has recorded and toured with the Hollywood Vampires, a band he started with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. The supergroup has released two studio albums that include guest appearances by some of rock's biggest names: Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Joe Walsh. The list also includes Beck, who played guitar on “Welcome To Bushwackers,” a song on Rise, the Vampires’ second album, which came out in 2019.


Soon after, Depp asked Beck to play lead on a tune he’d written, the album’s first single, “This Is A Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr,” an homage to the actress/inventor. Beck says it was the catalyst for the collaboration and is one of his favorite songs on the new album. “I was blown away by it,” he says. “That song is one of the reasons I asked him to make an album with me.” The track is available today digitally, along with an accompanying music video (see below).


Of Beck, Depp adds, “It’s an extraordinary honor to play and write music with Jeff, one of the true greats and someone I am now privileged enough to call my brother.”


In the studio, Beck says he and Depp challenged each other to leave their comfort zones with the songs they chose to cover. “I haven’t had another creative partner like him for ages,” Beck says. “He was a major force on this record. I just hope people will take him seriously as a musician because it’s a hard thing for some people to accept that Johnny Depp can sing rock and roll.”


Depp justifies Beck’s faith on the new album by showing off his incredible emotional range on songs like The Velvet Underground’s “Venus In Furs,” the Everly Brothers’ ballad “Let It Be Me” and Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “What’s Going On.” On the instrumentals, Beck demonstrates why he’s universally revered as a guitar god with stunning versions of Davy Spillane’s “Midnight Walker” and two songs from the Beach Boys’ masterpiece, Pet Sounds – “Caroline, No” and “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder).”





18 tracklisting:


"Midnight Walker" (Davy Spillane cover)
"Death And Resurrection Show" (Killing Joke cover)
"Time" (Dennis Wilson cover)
"Sad Motherfuckin’ Parade" (Johnny Depp original)
"Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)" (Beach Boys cover)
"This Is A Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr" (Johnny Depp original)
"Caroline, No" (Beach Boys cover)
"Ooo Baby Baby" (The Miracles cover)
"What’s Going On" (Marvin Gaye cover)
"Venus In Furs" (The Velvet Underground cover)
"Let It Be Me" (The Everly Brothers cover)
"Stars" (Janis Ian cover)
"Isolation" (John Lennon cover) *


* available on digital and CD versions only


"Venus In Furs" visualizer:





"This Is A Song For Miss Hedy Lamarr" video:

Nile mastermind and multi-instrumentalist, Karl Sanders, recently announced that the subterranean slumber of his Eastern-ambient Saurian series has finally ceased with the impending release of its dark third chapter, Saurian Apocalypse, out July 22 via Napalm Records.


After revealing the album's ominous first single, “The Sun Has Set On The Age Of Man”, featuring a contextual acoustic guest solo by guitar virtuoso Rusty Cooley, Sanders returns with the cinematic second single, “Skull Fuck Ritual" (Skull Breach Edition). The score-like track begins with a cautionary chime before marching drums make way for eerie tribal voices and Middle Eastern-inspired leads on uniquely curated, exotic instruments. Its haunting aura inspires a calming yet foreboding look into the Saurian universe.


Witness the track for the first time today alongside another mind-bending animated music video.
 
Sanders says about “Skull Fuck Ritual" (Skull Breach Edition): "'Skull Fuck Ritual' was one of the earlier songs written for Saurian Apocalypse and it set the tone for much of the recording that followed. This song has a slow, hypnotic, ancient ritualistic vibe that will softly caress and then crack open your skull for Necromantic Carnal Communion with the Ancients. Please don’t listen to this track while driving or operating heavy machinery.”







Saurian Apocalypse arrives 13 years after the release of its predecessor, 2009’s Saurian Exorcisms, and nearly 20 after 2004’s equally lauded Saurian Meditation. The musical and lyrical themes on the album detail the vexing fictional journey of Dr. Eduardo Lucciani, one of very few survivors of mankind’s self-destruction, who descends into madness after discovering the violent horrors occurring at the hands of the Saurian Masters.


Emphasized by unique instruments like the baglama saz (Turkish lute), Ancient Egyptian Anubis Sistrum, Dumbek (Middle Eastern goblet drum), glissentar and gongs, the album’s score weaves cinematic auras and deep grooves, accented by the tribal percussive stylings of original Nile drummer Pete Hammoura and returning Saurian vocalist Mike Breazeale. A wealth of musical growth and refinement, both in Sanders’ guitar technique and compositional development, is strikingly evident. Eons more than just an album of interludes or ambient scores, Saurian Apocalypse is a shining advancement in the Saurian series, and the most dynamic, detailed Karl Sanders solo release yet.


Karl Sanders adds about Saurian Apocalypse: “I have been driven for years by the knowledge of an inevitable doom, of an unyielding calling to realize what seems to me a preordained fate of making a third Saurian album. It’s a record that fans have been asking about for over a decade. It’s not a record born of casual intent, it’s a record that has quietly burned within me for many years awaiting its appointed hour. I have bided my time with near inhuman patience, yet that day is now imminently upon us. This new release, Saurian Apocalypse, is a deeply personal record of quiet and exotic, hypnotic dark music spawned from somewhere deep within the Reptilian part of my brain and soul. In some way, sharing this music with fans is much like sharing the lurking, haunting visions in my skull, of quiet blasphemies and an inexorable dread of the looming demise of our species. I am beyond happy that listeners and fans will finally be able to enjoy this music as much as I and my colleagues have while making it. It is my earnest hope that the music of this Saurian Apocalypse record will bring others as much inner peace as it has me. Fuck Yes.”


Whispering atop the ominous sands of opener “The Sun Has Set On The Age Of Man” are resonant flutes and forewarning percussion, and immediately, the album’s impactful production and crystal clarity is apparent. Produced by Sanders with mixing and mastering by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio, the most subtle details of instrumentation shine. “The Disembodied Yet Slither Among Us” peaks between soulful acoustic guitar renderings and droning tones, ushering in “The Evil Inherent in All of Us”, featuring another uniquely thematic axe contribution by Cooley, and surfaces as an energetic jam and standout departure from the Saurian blueprint. “Skull Fuck Ritual (Skull Breach Edition)” begins eerily with a cautionary chime before its marching drums make way for Middle Eastern-inspired leads, bridging the journey to the 6+ minute desolating trek “Nada Zaag”. Fans will hear an alluring Oud (Middle Eastern lute) solo by Mustafa Stefan Dill and rare acoustic jazz drums by current Nile percussion goliath George Kollias on “An Altered Saurian Theta State”, before the seductive auditory excursion “Nihil Emplexus” and its iridescent strums and ominous chants signal the beginning of the end. Sitar-like sounds immediately ensnare the listener on “Divergence: The Long Awaited Third Primordial Ascension” before hopeful lutes make way for heart wrenching electric shred. Far-Eastern stylings creep in on “Mask of Immutable Self Delusion”, a tranquil moment of atmospheric bliss, before the album closes with the 10 minute epic “No Creature More Deserving of Cataclysmic Annihilation” – featuring the deft skills of jazz guitarist Matthew Kay and the panicked, incensed narration of Jonathan “ADD” Garofoli as Dr. Eduardo Lucciani himself.





Saurian Apocalypse is available in varying formats in various territories:


- 1-CD Digisleeve (6 Panel)
- 1-CD Digisleeve + Shirt Bundle (RoW Napalm Shop Mailorder Only)
- 2-LP Dark Green Vinyl Gatefold
- Music Cassette (Napalm Shop Mailorder Only, Limited to 100)
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Saurian Apocalypse tracklisting:


"The Sun Has Set On The Age Of Man"
"The Disembodied Yet Slither Among Us"
"The Evil Inherent In Us All"
"Skull Fuck Ritual" (Skull Breach Edition)
"Nada Zaag"
"An Altered Saurian Theta State"
"Nihil Emplexus"
"Divergence: The Long Awaited Third Primordial Ascension"
"Mask Of Immutable Self Delusion"
"No Creature More Deserving Of Cataclysmic Annihilation"
 
"The Sun Has Set On The Age Of Man" video:





In addition to the upcoming release of Saurian Apocalypse, Karl Sanders and Napalm Records are proud to re-release 2004’s Saurian Meditation and 2009’s Saurian Exorcisms on vinyl for the very first time – out on the same day, July 22.


Saurian Meditation will be available in both 4-Panel CD Digipak and Transparent Orange 2-LP Gatefold Vinyl formats, while Saurian Exorcisms will be available in both 4-Panel CD Digipak and 1-LP White Gatefold Vinyl formats.


Pre-order Saurian Meditation (2004) and Saurian Exorcisms (2009) here.








(Photo - Nill Silver)

Queensrÿche's 16th studio album, Digital Noise Alliance, is set for release on October 7. To celebrate the announcement the band have released their new song and music video, “In Extremis”, off the forthcoming release. The track is available on all digital platforms and the music video can be viewed below.


“This song is about being on your deathbed surrounded by your loved ones. Clinging to the last sense available, letting them know you will still be hearing them after correspondence or perceived consciousness is visible. Other conceptual metaphors flash in and out, taking note of a world that will not bend to accommodate such suffering, a universe of mockery, and a universe void of such abilities,” states Queensrÿche about “In Extremis”.







With a career that not only spans, but has charted the course of multiple genres, Queensrÿche remains a force in their own right with the new release that continues the ever-evolving legacy the Bellevue, Washington born band began in 1982 when they first hit the scene with their well-received self-titled EP. Their recent U. tour with Judas Priest proved that the band’s time off the road and in the studio only stoked their ambition and fire.





Once again teaming up with producer Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed), Digital Noise Alliance not only refracts Queensrÿche’s past accomplishments but also pushes into the band’s future. It is the band effortlessly moving from strength to strength: immediate and thought-provoking. Quintessentially Queensrÿche.


Right after the release of Digital Noise Alliance, the band will embark on another tour opening for the mighty Judas Priest on their “50 Heavy Metal Years” tour.





Dates:


October
13 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale
15 - Albany, NY - MVP Arena
16 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall Fenway
18 - Uniondale, NY at Nassau Veterans
19 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
21 - Kalamazoo, MI at Wings Event Center
22 - Detroit, MI at Masonic Temple Theatre
24 - Cincinnati, OH - The Andrew J Brady Music Center
25 - Waukegan, IL - Genesee Theatre
27 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center Theater
29 - Moline, IL - TaxSlayer Center Moline
30 - Mankato, MN - Mayo Clinic Event Center


November
1 - Sioux City, IA - Tyson Events Center
2 - Rapid City, SD - The Monument
7 - Ontario, CA - Toyota Center
8 - Tucson, AZ - TCC Arena
10 - Loveland, CO - Budweiser Events Center
12 - Park City (Wichita), KS @Hartman Arena
13 - St. Charles, MO - The Family Arena
15 - Corbin, KY - The Corbin Arena
17 - Southaven, MS - Landers Center
18 - Baton Rouge, LA - Raising Canes River Center
20 - Oklahoma City, OK - Paycom Center
22 & 23 - San Antonio, TX - Tech Port Center & Arena
25 - Dallas, TX - The Factory in Deep Ellum
26 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street
28 - Edinburg, TX - Burt Ogden Arena
29 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall


Queensrÿche lineup:


Eddie Jackson (bass)
Michael Wilton (guitar)
Todd La Torre (vocals)
Casey Grillo (drums)
Mike Stone (guitar)


(Photo - Silly Robot Studios)

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


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


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







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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Sepultura on Wednesday, June 22, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Joel Hoekstra (@joelhoekstra13) June 14, 2022


Hopefully back ASAP! Nobody missed him more than me😁

— Joel Hoekstra (@joelhoekstra13) June 16, 2022


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

— Joel Hoekstra (@joelhoekstra13) June 22, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Markus Esselmark

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The Midnight Demon Club" track listing:

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

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine

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


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


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




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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Darkbloom" track listing:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Of Kingdom And Crown" track listing:

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

Digipak CD bonus tracks:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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