In a new interview with Germany's Rockland Radio, DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott was asked why fans of his band should listen to the band's upcoming album, "Diamond Star Halos", which will arrive on May 27 via UMe. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "If you're a DEF LEPPARD fan, I would imagine there's always a need to listen to some new music, because as much as it's great to have this massive back catalog of music, new music is what keeps a band alive, so we wanna share that with our fans.

"Why would they wanna listen to it?" he continued. "Well, I believe that this is a career-defining album. For a band that's been around now for 45 years, to make an album that's this strong, I believe, at this point of our career is actually quite an achievement.

"I've been comparing the situation — not the album, but I've been comparing the situation — 'Diamond Star Halos' for DEF LEPPARD, I think, is capable of being what 'Hotel California' was for THE EAGLES or 'Rumours' was for FLEETWOOD MAC. And what I mean by that is what came before was fine; there was nothing wrong with it. In fact, THE EAGLES' 'Greatest Hits', which was their previous album to 'Hotel California' is one of the biggest-selling records of all time; it speaks for itself. And the FLEETWOOD MAC scenario — the Peter Green years, the Jeremy Spencer years — it was all brilliant stuff. But then they put out 'Rumours' and THE EAGLES put out 'Hotel California', and it was a quantum leap."

Circling back to "Diamond Star Halos", Elliott added: "I believe that this album is a quantum leap. It's not a rehash of 'Pyromania' or 'Hysteria' or any of our albums. It's got all the flavors that DEF LEPPARD have had in the past, but it's got some new explorations that we've never done that I think our audience are ready for this journey. Because it's 35 years since 'Hysteria' is released, it's 39 since 'Pyromania' came out, and our audience are also older, like we are. So I think they're ready to hear something a little different. It's still got plenty of DEF LEPPARD stuff — 'Gimme A Kiss', 'SOS Emergency', 'Fire It Up' [and] 'Kick'; they're all classic DEF LEPPARD — but there's some stuff that, like our heroes QUEEN, it just goes off on tangents that are a little different to the stuff that they'd done in the past."

The artwork for "Diamond Star Halos" follows pedigree with DEF LEPPARD's instantly recognizable album covers from their celebrated past. With images by world renowned photographer and director Anton Corbijn, styling concepts by Maryam Malakpour and graphics by the U.K.-based Munden Brothers, the design truly follows the band's influence through their eyes today.

Over the past two years, DEF LEPPARD recorded "Diamond Star Halos" simultaneously in three different countries with Elliott in Ireland, Rick Savage (bass) in England, and Phil Collen (guitar),Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) in the United States. Without the pressure of timelines or a fixed schedule, they poured all of their energy into crafting 15 meaningful tracks with a mixture of classic spirit meets modern fire. Thematically, they nodded to their earliest collective influences such as David Bowie, T.REX and MOTT THE HOOPLE, among others. The title itself notably references T.REX's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)". However, they didn't embark on this journey alone. The multi-Grammy Award-winning and legendary artist Alison Krauss lent her instantly recognizable and angelic voice to "This Guitar" and "Lifeless", while David Bowie pianist Mike Garson performs on "Goodbye For Good This Time" and "Angels (Can't Help You Now)".

DEF LEPPARD's "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ted Nugenthas called on supporters of former U.S. president Donald Trump to go "berserk on the skulls of Democrats" and other "enemies" of America.

While performing at Trump's "American Freedom Tour" stop in Austin, Texas on Saturday (May 14),the 73-year-old rocker, who regularly promotes conspiracy theories about everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to the U.S. Capitol riot, told the roughly 8,000 people in attendance, all of whom were required to purchase tickets to hear the former president speak at the Austin Convention Center: "Think of what the enemies of America have done over the last 14 months. They didn't sneak into the White House — they lied, they cheated, they scammed, and every day the Democrats violate their sacred oath to the Constitution. And if you can't impress your friends on that, they shouldn't be your friends.

"So I love you people madly," Nugent continued, "but I'd love you more if you went forward and just went berserk on the skulls of the Democrats and the Marxists and the Communists."

Just last month, Nugent, who is an avid Trump supporter, was asked during an appearance on QFM96's "Torg & Elliott" radio show, if he thinks the billionaire real estate mogul will run again in 2024. He responded: "Yes. And I've gotta tell you. So, do we not want secure borders? Secure borders are not good? Stopping the flow of fentanyl is not a good idea? Stopping invaders from Syria and Somalia and jihadists coming across our southern borders, that's not a good idea? Making the members of NATO and the Paris Accord pay their own way, that's not a good idea? The lowest unemployment in the history of America, that's a bad idea?

"I've gotta tell ya, anybody that is against Trump is literally against quality of life in the United States Of America. Whether you like the guy or not, that has nothing to do with it.

"He saved your child from the whitewater rapids; quit complaining about his speedo."

Nugent previously spoke about his admiration for America's 45th president in an October 2020 interview with InfoWars' "The Alex Jones Show", hosted by noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. At the time, he said: "I genuflect at the altar of this great man. He is just pulling off miracle after miracle. He's really touching the heart and soul and representing the heart and soul of the best American families out there. Just praise God for that. This is one of those divine intervention moments, like the founding fathers. Believe me when I tell you that.

"I've been so honored and humbled to spend time with the great man," Ted continued. "There's something very spiritual about this crazy guy. I say 'crazy' — he's crazy like you; he's crazy like me; he's crazy like this welder I know down the road that, no matter what welding job you have, he shows up early and he welds something that will never break, and then he goes to his next welding job, and he leaves a vapor trail of high energy, of positive spirit.

"The energy from this president… Like the founding fathers defined the history of slavery and tyranny and kings and emperors and despots, that was divine intervention, Alex. And I've witnessed this great commander-in-chief Donald J. Trump, and he goes from rally and rally, and he gets up there with piss and vinegar and vim and vigor… You should see the sparkle in this man's eye."

Nugent went on to say that Trump's appeal lies in his image as the bold, no-B.S. boss who tells it like it is and cuts a fair deal.

"Here's the bottom line: the most admirable attribute of a human being is believability," Ted said. "If you believe this man, you believe he believes in what he says and that he represents your beliefs, that identifies President Donald J. Trump. This man just wants to renegotiate global contracts to benefit the United States. He wants the United States to be the winner. He wants to have fair deals, and he wants to have fair trade. He wants to benefit the United States Of America, because this is the last best place. If we turn it over to the freaks like [Nancy] Pelosi and [Joe] Biden and [Kamala] Harris, if we turn it over to them, we are Venezuela overnight."

Nugent added: "[Trump] sees the threats to the American Dream. He sees the oath violating by elected employees who have turned the corner into criminality, from [Barack] Obama to [Eric] Holder to [Loretta] Lynch to Lois Lerner to Adam Schiff, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton — we go right down the list of these gang bangers. I mean, it's MS-13, Black Lives Matter, Antifa in the Democrat party… [Trump] sees the threats to America and he's gonna use every maneuver, every trick, every law he can to stop the Marxists. He's saving his family from the wolves. That's his motivation."

A former board member of the National Rifle Association, Nugent has drawn intense criticism for his controversial past remarks, including telling then-president Barack Obama to "suck on my machine gun." He also made inflammatory remarks about Hillary Clinton, calling her a "devilbitch" who "hates everything good about America."

In a lengthy Facebook post in 2016, Nugent said Obama and Clinton should be tried for treason and hanged over their handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.

In 2019, Nugent defended Donald Trump after the then-U.S. president was accused of making racist remarks about Democratic congresswomen from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
Ted Nugent at the Trump rally yesterday: “Think of what the enemies of America have done over the last 14 months .. I love you people madly, but I’d love you more if you went forward and just went berserk on the skulls of the Democrats and the marxists and the communists.” pic.twitter.com/8r1RVvpxon

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) May 15, 2022

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen has shared another cover song from her growing catalogue of solo performances. Check out her cover of the Kelvin Jones hit "Call You Home", which she recently performed for Germany's Sing Meinen song program.










Jansen released her first ever original solo track, "Fire", on March 25th. The live performance of "Fire" below took place at  HLF8 on Dutch television. Backing Jansen up are Ivo Maarhuis (drums), Joost van den Broek (keyboards), Levy Simon (guitar) and Jelle Stokhof (bass)

GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge was interviewed on the May 8 edition of the "My Planet Rocks" show on the U.K. rock radio station Planet Rock where he cherry-picked a collection of rock songs that have inspired him. Alongside tracks by RAMMSTEIN, FOO FIGHTERS, KILLING JOKE and METALLICA, Forge picked IRON MAIDEN's 2000 anthem "Blood Brothers" as one of his song choices. Asked if MAIDEN has been a "massive influence" on GHOST, Forge said: "Absolutely. Both musically and also stage production-wise. But also when it comes to work ethics and just the sheer volume of work you have to put into your job [and] in your craft has always been inspiring to me.

"When I was a kid, I was sitting with [IRON MAIDEN's 1985 live album] 'Live After Death' record and I was dead set on wanting to become a professional musician and I wanted to tour. I knew about the concept of touring, but a lot of my knowledge or my preconceived notions of what I thought touring was about was looking through 'Live After Death' and seeing all those dates that they were playing everywhere. I sat there with like a big map book and just drew out how they toured, where they played and how often you play. That record in the inner sleeve, you have a lot of information about touring life."

Forge continued: "The '90s was a little bit medieval for a lot of the '80s [metal] bands and I must say that after Bruce [Dickinson] left [in 1993], I wasn't a giant fan of the Blaze Bayley years. In the '90s, this is before Internet, this is before accessibility that way you had to invest in your records, and you had to invest time into anything that you liked.

"In 1995 when they made the first record with Blaze ['The X Factor'], I was so buried in death/black metal stuff, and I was so busy exploring what happened in 1985 that I didn't have time for following that. So, of course, I was amazed when Bruce came back into the band and they made this triumphant return. I must say that 'Brave New World', the comeback record with Bruce, was and still is an unbelievably well-constructed record… That record is actually really good from start to finish. Unbelievable.

"It's incredible that a band 20 years into their professional career were able to still add songs to their already existing and mind-blowingly great repertoire. I think that 'Blood Brothers' is a song that they are still playing at most of their shows, but they could easily play 10 songs from that record."

Back in 2017, Forge spoke to Free Press Houston about the experience of touring the United States with IRON MAIDEN. Asked how the first few shows had gone for GHOST, Forge said: "Amazingly well. I mean, coming on to a tour as support is very hard to predict; you can't expect a lot of things. You can expect things from a practical point of view, like whatever you agree upon. But from a crowd point of view, you have to go in with a very, very open mind, especially with established and iconic bands like IRON MAIDEN. People are there to watch them, you know? You just have to make the best out of it.

"I must say that, a couple of shows down, they have been overwhelmingly accepting," he continued. "Enormous responses from the crowd. If we don't have them by the first 5 to 15 minutes, we definitely have them within the last 10, so I see that as a good sign. But you know, it differs when you go to different areas. A lot of the cities that we're playing we've played several times on our own over the years. We've gone from venues that hold 500 up to 3,000 on our own, so I guess we're not entirely unknown. But there is a difference between a few thousand people and 20,000."

GHOST is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Impera", which sold 70,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the third top 10 album — and fifth top 40-charting set — for the Swedish act.

"Impera" landed at position No. 1 in Germany and Sweden, No. 2 in the U.K., Netherlands, Belgium and Norway, No. 3 in Australia, No. 5 in France and Ireland, and No. 20 in Italy.

"Impera" was released on March 11. The 12-song effort was produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace.

During a recent appearance on "The Graham Norton Radio Show", Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne confirmed that she and the legendary heavy metal singer are planning to move back permanently to their Buckinghamshire, U.K. estate.

"I'm back here [in the U.K.] for three weeks right now," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET) at the time of the interview, which was conducted in late April. "And then I go home again for three and then come back here for a couple. So I'm going back and forth until Christmas till we move here permanently."

Asked if she is bringing the entire family back to England, Sharon said: "I'm bringing my hubby back. The kids are so American, they don't wanna come back here. So it's just Ozzy and I."

As for how Ozzy is doing right now, Sharon said: "He's good. He's really, really good. He's finished another album which is coming out in September. And there we are. He's busy in the studio. He still does all his writing and singing, and it keeps him really happy… He'll never stop singing and writing. We've built him a big studio here [at the house in the U.K.], so he can do it all at home. And he can't wait to come back, to be honest with you."

Sharon went on to say that she has spent more of her life in America than she has in the U.K. "I first left [England] in the '70s and then came back for a few years with the kids and Ozzy and then went back [to America] again," she said.

Asked if it will be a "culture shock" for her to move back permanently to the U.K. after spending so much time abroad, Sharon said: "No, because we've always kept a home here; we always did. And the kids have homes here. Not really. Actually, right now, at this time of my life, I'm just so at home. I've missed it for the last few years — I've definitely missed it. But I just feel very much at home."

This past March, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, who played on Ozzy's last studio album, 2020's "Ordinary Man", confirmed that he will also appear on the singer's follow-up effort. "We made another [Ozzy album], and it's getting mastered tomorrow," he said during an appearance on the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast. "We've got Robert Trujillo [METALLICA] playing on some songs, who's been in Ozzy's band. Duff's [McKagan, GUNS N' ROSES bassist] on a couple again. Me and [producer/guitarist] Andrew [Watt] are doing it."

Chad went on to say that "the English royalty of guitar players" has been recruited to guest on Osbourne's new album. "Tony Iommi and Ozzy have never collaborated outside of BLACK SABBATH," he said. "Tony sent us a bunch of riffs and we took what we thought was the best of 'em, which was fucking great. So Andy's on the bass doing fucking great — the bass on the song is amazing. And Tony sent us the riffs — files; he's in England — and we played to it. It's fucking got everything. It's got all the stuff that you would want. Ozzy loves it. And so he's on that track. Then Eric Clapton plays a fucking wah-wah CREAM-type solo. We're, like, 'Eric, can you solo on this song? Wah-wah, please. Eric, what do you think about this, with the wah-wah?' Because that's his fucking thing. And so he's soloing all over this other track. Then Jeff Beck is on two songs. We tried to get Jimmy Page [LED ZEPPELIN], we tried to get the holy trinity, but I don't think Page plays anymore too much, unfortunately. But Mike McCready's [PEARL JAM] on a track. Josh Homme, my neighbor from QUEENS [OF THE STONE AGE], solos on a track. And then Zakk Wylde [BLACK LABEL SOCIETY] is on the record as well, all over it. So it's like if you're a guitar player, [it's] pretty fucking good."

Last year, Ozzy confirmed that 15 songs had been recorded for his follow-up to "Ordinary Man". In October, he told Metal Hammer magazine that his new album will be "similar in tone to 'Ordinary Man', but I can't describe it completely. I've not heard it for a while because it keeps going over to the next person to add their parts — we're fucking around with it all the time," he said.

Watt connected with Osbourne after meeting Ozzy's daughter Kelly at a friend's party and pitching her on the idea of Post Malone and Ozzy collaborating together.

In December 2020, Watt told Guitar World that Ozzy's next album would feature guest appearances by a number of notable musicians. "There's a bunch of people involved," he said. "I can't say for sure until the end, but I started doing a bunch of basic tracks with Chad and Robert Trujillo, who used to play in Ozzy's band. And Taylor Hawkins [FOO FIGHTERS] also came in and played a bunch on the record as well, which adds a different flair — it kind of harkened back to Ozzy's '80s era, in a great way. And I think it's so cool for a rock fan to be able to listen to half an album with Chad Smith on drums, and then you flip it over and you get to hear Taylor Hawkins. And you know, the last album was really special for everyone involved. And so there was no point in Ozzy or me doing this again unless we thought we could bring something new to the table. And I feel like we're achieving that."

Thanks: Diary Of The Madmen - The Ultimate Ozzy Osbourne Podcast

AS I LAY DYING's longtime bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert has announced his departure from the band.

Earlier today (Monday, May 16),Gilbert issued the following statement via social media: "Hello, friends. After 15 years (almost half my life),I've decided to part ways with AS I LAY DYING. Despite the ups and downs inherent, I'll always be grateful for the profound privilege of being to able to grow up traveling the world playing music with the band. None of that would be possible without the fans of the band, so for that I sincerely thank you all so much for allowing me the opportunity. I wish the best for AILD moving forward, and I hope to see all of you sooner rather than later."

In a separate statement, the remaining members of AS I LAY DYING said: "As we have been nearing our first tour back since the beginning of 2020, there have been several developments within AILD that we'd like to share with our fans. The past couple years off from the road with the uncertainty of how or when touring would pick up again has provided time to consider new endeavors in life apart from AILD.

"Josh Gilbert has decided to exit AILD to pursue other musical opportunities. Josh has been a strong contributor musically for AILD since joining in 2007 so we are grateful for all his contributions and his friendship over the years. We wish him all the best and are excited to see where this new path takes him in life.

"AS I LAY DYING will honor our touring commitments for the remainder of 2022 with the Two Decades of Destruction US Tour (June 10 - July 17) then European festival season in August.

"We are thankful to have Ryan Neff, of MISS MAY I taking on bass and vocal duties for our upcoming tours. We first met Ryan down in Mexico City, playing together back in 2012, so we're stoked to be sharing the stage with a familiar face and talented musician.

"Joining us on second guitar for these two tours will be our good friend Ken Susi of UNEARTH. We have known Ken for almost 20 years, coming up in the scene and playing many tours together. Ken's style of guitar playing is closely related to AILD so we are excited to have a close friend and ripper of a guitar player joining us.

"We are grateful for our fans' continued support as we enter a new chapter of the band with newfound energy and enthusiasm. There's been a lot of moving parts but what has and will always be the main priority of AILD is creating new music. We plan to have a new song out to you shortly before completing our full length by the end of the year.

"We look forward to seeing many familiar faces on our upcoming tours and thank you for believing in us at every step of this band's journey."

Josh is the second AS I LAY DYING member to leave the band in less than a year. Last August, guitarist Nick Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING, explaining that he could no longer justify being part of "a superficial pursuit" of the "story and meaning" that the band's 2018 reunion was built upon.

AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis was famously convicted in 2014 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his estranged wife.

In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released a new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band's Facebook page after his release.

In September 2019, AS I LAY DYING released its seventh full-length album, "Shaped By Fire", via Nuclear Blast.

The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014.

Last September, AS I LAY DYING released a new song called "Roots Below" which was originally a B-side leftover from when the sessions for "Shaped By Fire".

This past March, AS I LAY DYING announced the "Two Decades Of Destruction" tour. The U.S. leg of the trek will kick off on June 10 in Las Vegas. Joining the band for the 30 dates will WHITECHAPEL, SHADOW OF INTENT, BRAND OF SACRIFICE (June 24-July 17),and OV SULFUR (June 10-23) The tour will conclude on July 17 in Oklahoma.

Hello, friends. After 15 years (almost half my life),I’ve decided to part ways with As I Lay Dying. Despite the ups and...

Posted by Josh Gilbert on Monday, May 16, 2022

As we have been nearing our first tour back since the beginning of 2020, there have been several developments within...

Posted by As I Lay Dying on Monday, May 16, 2022

German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN kicked off their European tour last night (Sunday, May 15) at Prague, Czech Republic's Letiště Letňany Airport. Fan-filmed video is available below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Armee Der Tristen
02. Zick Zack
03. Links 2-3-4
04. Sehnsucht
05. Zeig Dich
06. Mein Herz Brennt
07. Puppe
08. Heirate Mich
09. Zeit
10. Deutschland
11. Radio
12. Mein Teil
13. Du Hast
14. Sonne

Encore:

15. Engel (Piano Version)
16. Ausländer
17. Du Riechst So Gut
18. Pussy

Encore 2:

19. Rammstein
20. Ich Will
21. Adieu

RAMMSTEIN's latest album, "Zeit", arrived on April 29.

Till Lindemann (vocals),Paul Landers (guitar),Richard Z. Kruspe (guitar),Flake (keyboards),Oliver Riedel (bass) and Christoph Schneider (drums) spent two years working on the eleven songs on the new album. They were once again assisted by Berlin producer Olsen Involtini. "Zeit" was recorded at La Fabrique Studios in St. Rémy de Provence, France.

Bryan Adams managed to get a special scoop for the cover of the new album. The Canadian musician and photographer took the shot of RAMMSTEIN on the steps of the Trudelturm in Berlin Adlershof, an imposing monument to aerial research in the city's Aerodynamic Park.

Over the course of a career spanning almost 30 years, RAMMSTEIN has sold more than 20 million albums around the world and played countless spectacular, groundbreaking tours. When the band's sold-out stadium tour had to be postponed due to the pandemic, RAMMSTEIN used the time to work on their new album.

RAMMSTEIN fans can enjoy multiple "Zeit" formats. The new album was released as a standard CD in a digipack with a 20-page booklet, a special edition CD in a 6-panel digipack with a 56-page booklet including slipcase, and as a double 180g vinyl LP with a 20-page large-format booklet, as well as in the usual digital formats.

RAMMSTEIN's North American stadium run will begin on August 21 in Montreal and end on October 4 in Mexico City.

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EXODUS and SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt celebrated his 333rd day sober on Sunday, May 15. He wrote on his Instagram page: "Triples threes today, and never felt better.

"When I decided to quit drinking I wondered if I'd still be able to be a maniac on stage, would the rage diminish without some beers to 'loosen' me up, to release the animal on stage? Not in the least. I feel lucky I had a few warm up one off shows before the tour to adjust, but absolutely zero has changed other than I'm playing the best I ever have, my energy level never wains in the slightest, I have all the fury in the last song as I do in the first, and I'm usually in bed before midnight! It's AWESOME. And I thank my wife @lisaholt777 for supporting me in this life change. Wish I'd done it years ago. But when it's time it's time!

"Tonight, night two in Joliet! Bring it on".

Last fall, Holt opened up about his decision to quit drinking alcohol during an appearance on "Talking Bollocks", the monthly metal podcast hosted by ACID REIGN frontman-turned-stand-up-comedian Howard H. Smith. At the time, the now-58-year-old musician, who resides in Northern California, said: "Like millions of people worldwide, I was a victim of the pandemic. On tour, I always maintained and never hit the hangover stage. Maybe once in a five-week tour I'd wake up with a little bit of a headache, and that's one night when we decided to have a disco party and started cranking some funk music and drink a few extra beers. But then I'd come home and I'd only drink when I was watching some sports or having some people over — a couple of beers. I'd go out to a show and have two beers. And then I found myself with nothing but idle time. I live kind of in the woods now, and I'd sit outside — it's beautiful, it's summer, I'm surrounded by oak trees, and I'd just start drinking. [I was] drinking, like, 12, 13 beers, and I was drinking these double, triple IPAs [with] 10, 11 percent alcohol. 'Cause I was always a beer snob; I'd get out my proper glass for whatever beer I was drinking. And it just got to the point where I was getting depressed when I got drink; I wasn't happy anymore. 'Cause my whole livelihood had been taken away from me. I'm feeling the same stress and strain as everybody else. So I figured, man, I quit smoking, I quit doing drugs years ago — almost 20 years ago — [so] I could live without the alcohol. It's no big deal. I mean, I still drink non-alcohol beers, and there are some really good ones out there. It's the taste of beer that I would miss; I don't miss the buzz. And it also has a strong placebo effect."

Asked if he thinks it will be harder for him to stay sober once he gets back on tour, Holt said: "No, not at all. It doesn't mean I have a more solid willpower than anyone else, but I don't crave or feel any desire for alcohol. I'm a guy, when he quits something, he just quits it and he's just done with it. I'm hanging out with the other bandmates, I had dinner twice over the weekend, and Lee [Altus, EXODUS guitarist] is having real beers and I'm having Heineken 0.0s. I never [think], 'Hmm, I want what he's got.' It doesn't appeal to me anymore."

Holt's announcement that he had given up alcohol came seven months after his wife Lisarevealed that she had quit drinking in 2012 after using alcohol since she was 13 years old. She also thanked her husband and credited him for making her "want to be a better person. I definitely wouldn't have him or anything kick-ass in my life today if I hadn't made this choice [to quit drinking] 8 years ago," she wrote.

In Wiederhorn's book "Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From The Lives Of Metal Legends)", Holt reminisced about the lengths he and his onetime EXODUS bandmate Kirk Hammett (now in METALLICA) would go to nearly 40 years ago in order to get free alcohol.

"Near where we lived, we had a local liquor store called the Wagon Wheel that burned down," Holt recalled. "We had nothing to do with that, but we waded through the burnt rubble of this condemned building, risking life and limb to get to the alcohol. The bottles with plastic caps were all melted. Kirk had this old Buick Skylark. We called it the Skymobile. And we filled his trunk with gallons of whiskey bottles with these black melted caps on them. We were scavengers. It's part of what made EXODUS great, that hunger and ambition."

EXODUS recently announced the second North American leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour" with TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL. The trek will kick off on September 9 in Phoenix, Arizona and conclude on October 15 in San Jose, California.

EXODUS, TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL launched the first 2022 edition of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour" on April 9 at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California.

EXODUS's new studio album, "Persona Non Grata", was released in November via Nuclear Blast Records. It is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

"Persona Non Grata" was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap.

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The "Destination Onward: The Story Of Fates Warning" book by Jeff Wagner is scheduled for release on July 15.

The book was created with the cooperation of every single member of FATES WARNING, past and present, along with those at the record labels who supported them, peer musicians, members of road crew, and a variety of others within the FATES sphere.

FATES WARNING's compelling 13-album discography, from debut "Night On Brocken" to final album "Long Day Good Night", is the very essence of progressive heavy metal music. Founded in 1983 in Connecticut by five ambitious youngsters, the band matured, evolved and shifted through one of the most fascinating evolutions in the genre. Their music remains an inspiration to legions of fans worldwide, and now their story is detailed throughout "Destination Onward".

Author and longtime FATES devotee Jeff Wagner guides the reader through artistic triumphs, lineup fluctuations, commercial breakthroughs and music industry tribulations. This is a celebration, a love letter, and an honest appraisal of the many ups and downs throughout FATES WARNING's formidable 40-year history.

Says Wagner: "Anyone who owns my previous two books ('Mean Deviation' and 'Soul On Fire') will recognize many design aspects, including the cover's French flaps and generally high quality of presentation. I labored hard over every single aspect, from the huge to the minuscule, to bring FATES fans a special document of the band's career. FATES WARNING, and its fans, deserve nothing less."

Eric Clapton has postponed two concerts on his European tour after testing positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The shows originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 17 in Zurich, Switzerland and Wednesday, May 18 in Milan, Italy are now expected to take place later in the year.

According to a post on Clapton's Where's Eric web site, the legendary 77-year-old rocker contracted COVID-19 after "shortly after" his May 8 concert at London's Royal Albert Hall.

"[Eric] has been told by his medical advisors that if he were to resume travelling and performing too soon, it could substantially delay his full recovery," the post adds. "Eric is also anxious to avoid passing on any infection to any of his band, crew, promoters, their staff and of course, the fans."

Clapton is now hoping to resume the tour in Bologna, Italy on May 20. He has dates booked through June 17 in Tampere, Finland.

Clapton is scheduled to embark on a seven-date U.S. tour this summer. The trek will kick off on September 8 in Columbus, Ohio and run through September 19 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Eric has been vocal about his stance against COVID-19 policies and has in the past refused to play live shows that require attendees to prove they've been vaccinated.

Clapton criticized the lockdowns instituted around the world in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and stoked fear and conspiracy theories after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Clapton recounted his negative experience with the AstraZeneca shot, suggesting the side effects had been so "severe" that he was afraid that he would "never play again." He also said he was inspired by another musician-turned-anti-vaccine activist, Van Morrison.

Clapton first made his proclamation against vaccine mandates in July 2021, shortly after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that vaccine passes would be required to enter nightclubs and venues in the U.K.

Last November, Clapton admitted that he had lost friends and music associates due to his anti-vaccine stance. He said at the time: "My family and friends think I am a crackpot anyway.

"Over the last year, there's been a lot of disappearing — a lot of dust around, with people moving away quite quickly," he continued. "It has, for me, refined the kind of friendship I have. And it's dwindled down to the people that I obviously really need and love. Inside my family, that became quite pivotal ... I've got teenage girls, and an older girl who's in her 30s — and they've all had to kind of give me leeway because I haven't been able to convince any of them."

He added: "I would try to reach out to fellow musicians and sometimes I just don't hear from them. My phone doesn't ring very often. I don't get that many texts and emails anymore."