Fan-filmed video of Yngwie Malmsteen's May 8 performance at the 13th edition of M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Tigman of WPDH Radio 101.5 FM in Poughkeepsie, New York, Yngwie was asked to name the best of the three singers he worked with early on in his career: Jeff Scott Soto, Mark Boals and Joe Lynn Turner. The legendary Swedish guitarist responded: "Here's the way I look at this. So I came to America in 1982 and I joined a band called STEELER. And then I formed a band called ALCATRAZZ. In January 1984, I signed a record deal as a solo artist. So from the point of January 1984, it was never a band — never. There was never a band called RISING FORCE. My first solo album was called 'Rising Force'. I had a band called RISING FORCE in Sweden in '79. And when I hired people for my solo stuff, I would write the bass parts, the drum parts, the guitar parts — obviously — the keyboard parts, the vocal parts and the lyrics. So like an ensemble, like an orchestra or whatever, or even for a performance on Broadway, there's a written piece and the performer is hired to perform the piece. If they, for some reason, don't work out, you put someone else in there.

"For some strange reason, somebody seemed to think that a) it was a band, and b) the guy that was supposed to be the singer at the time was Elvis Presley or something," he continued. "No. So I therefore, [in] 2012, decided I'm not gonna hire singers anymore and I sing myself. I said, 'Good luck to you, guys. See you. Bye.'"

When Tigman noted that none of the singers Yngwie hired over the years "worked out" in the long run, Malmsteen said: "Well, they seem to think because they're the singer and not the keyboard player they're Elvis Presley. And they will soon find out, in my outfit they're notElvis Presley and they will have to move on.

"It's an Yngwie Malmsteensolo career," he explained. "And even now, for the last album I even played all the instruments as well.

"Listen, it's not like, oh, yeah, I minimize these guys — they're all great; whatever — but the thing is that I'm like an artist like a painter or something. Leonardo Da Vinci didn't call someone, like, 'Hey, dude, can you come over and finish half of my painting?' And that's how I work — I paint the whole painting. That's how I work."

Malmsteen previously floated the Elvis Presley comparison in reference to his former singers during a 2018 press conference in Malaysia. Asked why he chose to handle lead vocals himself on his then-latest album, 2016's "World On Fire", he said: "When I started out when I was a kid in Sweden, I had a band called RISING FORCE, I was the singer. Then I came to America and I was playing with STEELER and ALCATRAZZ, they [had their own] singers.

"I always thought that singers have the Elvis Presley syndrome — they think they're Elvis Presley," he continued. "They're not Elvis Presley. Because I write the music, I write the lyrics, I write the vocal melody lines — I write everything. Just because I let somebody sing something doesn't mean they're more important than the bass player or the keyboard player or the drummer. Because I write all the parts — I write the drum parts, the bass parts, the keyboard parts, the guitar parts and the vocal parts — like a classical composer. And I really kind of got tired of dealing with their bullshit, really. So I decided to sing myself."

In 2017, Malmsteen gave an interview to Metal Wani in which the iconic axeman said that he had no interest in collaborating with vocalists like Jeff Scott Soto, Joe Lynn Turner and Tim "Ripper" Owens ever again. "I'm very comfortable singing myself, first of all," Yngwie said. "Secondly, there's a certain disconnect when you write the song and you have someone else sing it for you. And it's kind of like a fakeness about it. I always wrote everything — I wrote all the lyrics, I wrote all the melodies, everything; it's just somebody else sung it. And to me, the singer is nothing else than a different… like a bass player or a keyboard player — they're not more important than any other musician. And they, unfortunately, seem to think that they are. And I've kind of had it with their sort of… self-absorbed sort of way, and I'm very much against it. No. I don't like that. I don't like any of those people, and I don't like to do anything with them ever again."

In the days after Yngwie's original interview with Metal Wani was published on BLABBERMOUTH.NET, several of the guitarist's former singers — including Soto, Turner and Owens — responded on social media, with Turner describing Malmsteen's statements as "the rantings of a megalomaniac desperately trying to justify his own insecurity." This was followed by a retort from a member of Yngwie's management team, who wrote on Malmsteen's Facebook page that the three vocalists "came out enraged, spitting insults and profanities" at the guitarist because "Yngwie said something that they didn't like." The management representative added: "It's very unfortunate that these past hired vocalists must resort to mudslinging and insults to elicit any kind of media attention towards them. Such classless, puerile words are ungentlemanly at best and absolutely disgraceful at worst."
much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist Emilio Martinez and drummer Brian Wilson.
Malmsteen's latest album, "Parabellum", was released last July via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. Only four of the songs on the LP feature vocals. The album title is Latin, translating as "Prepare For War".

After working with some of the top hard singers of the past four decades, Yngwie now handles much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist Emilio Martinez and drummer Brian Wilson.

For Lorna Shore, 2020 was nothing short of a reckoning - in a career built on challenges, changes and a single-minded vision. For the New Jersey quintet, 2020 signalled the pandemic and cancelled tours. The following year presented the band with a staggering creative challenge in the form of the song, “To The Hellfire” from their EP …And I Return to Nothingness. Yet, through it all, they upped their sonic ante with their upcoming album, Pain Remains, that not only aligns with everything Lorna Shore has hinted at but it also exceeds that – brutally and magnificently. “It feels like a rebirth of everything for us - the energy, the band, the morale,” says drummer Austin Archey.


Today marks the release of the band’s new single and first release off Pain Remains, “Sun//Eater”. The band has been performing the song live on the current Chaos & Carnage Tour. "Sun//Eater" is out now on all digital platforms, a video can be viewed below.


Lorna Shore shot the video clip with Loki Films at the end of their sold out UK tour in March. Will Ramos (vocals) states about the song, “We’re so happy so be able to put out something different and new that further exemplifies who we’ve become as individuals and as a whole. This song/album really brings together everything that we’ve been working towards being and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you all.”







Pain Remains is scheduled for a release in October, so stay tuned for more details coming soon.





(Photo - Mike Elliot)

"Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon", a new documentary about legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, best known for his work with OZZY OSBOURNE, has just been made available on Video On Demand. The 85-minute film was directed by Andre Relis and was narrated by L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns. It was written and edited by Michael Bruining.

"Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon" includes interviews with Randy's mother Delores Rhoads, brother Kelle Rhoads, Eddie Van Halen (VAN HALEN),Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT),Frankie Banali (QUIET RIOT),Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE),Bruce Kulick (KISS),Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO),Gary Moore, Dweezil Zappa, George Lynch (DOKKEN) and Ozzy Osbourne.

During an appearance on this past Tuesday's (May 10) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Relis stated that the Rhoads family was not involved in the making of the film. "I do believe the family's very protective of it," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "They had ideas early on about what they wanted.

"I wasn't around when these earlier documentaries were in production — I wasn't around in the sense that I wasn't involved with them; I had nothing to do with the earlier ones," he continued, referencing "Randy Rhoads: The Quiet Riot Years", the 2012 documentary from QUIET RIOT's personal photographer/lighting director Ron Sobol, and another documentary from director Peter M. Margolis and Dakota Films which was reportedly started in 2007 and completed a decade ago but never made available. "And it appears that there was difficulties from the Osbourne side too to license music. And beyond that, I really don't know, man. It's a weird one. And that's actually what really intrigued me, because my specialty, as a producer, is to get stuff out that a lot of people have a hard time getting out, whether it be a feature film or a documentary or whatever it may be. There's been quite a few projects that I've honed in on and got stuff done that a lot of people before me couldn't."

Although Relis was able to license "pieces of the Sobol doc," he was unable to secure the rights to much footage of Rhoads with Osbourne or any of the music the pair made together. "[Sharon and Ozzy] weren't gonna give it to me, man," he said. "And they made that very clear to me once they found out I was doing this documentary. That was the challenging part. I had to go in this on my own without their support. I tried to get their support, but they weren't having it. So, yeah, every little piece of when he joined Ozzy was very difficult to get.

"From my research, the Osbournes own all, if not 99 percent, of the live footage from that era," Relis explained. "So I had to find a gentleman, and it took me many months, who controlled even some real basic footage of Ozzy with Randy on stage."

Relis went on to say that he "got some really interesting communication from Sharon. Not the best, friendliest stuff was coming from that side of things," he revealed. "I won't go into detail on that. But I can say that I find it very mysterious.

"There was another documentary [in the works] — a bigger-budget Dakota Films documentary in 2008, 2009. They did everything, and they were close to getting it released," he continued. "And from what I understand — I can't say this, 'cause I wasn't there — but the Osbournes wouldn't license 'em any music, and from the perspective of the [Rhoads] family, it seemed to me like they weren't gonna get on board with anything unless the Ozzy music and the stuff with Ozzy was in that documentary. And if it's impossible to license, then you're kind of in a conundrum.

"It was very bizarre," Andre said. "And the reason as to why they didn't want a documentary out in 2008 and they don't want a documentary out now, I don't know — I just don't know. But I'm not gonna let it stop getting a documentary on Randy Rhoads out there. Forty years after, there's no other documentaries out there on his life, and it needed to be done and out there for the public to really put the respect into this man's legacy."

Asked if the interviews with the Rhoads family members in "Reflections Of A Guitar Icon" is "new footage," Andre said: "No, that's not new footage. I tried to get their cooperation. And I don't need to get into the details of it all. But I'm hoping, now that it's out there, that they realize that this a real tribute to Randy Rhoads and it's a piece to show his legacy. But for whatever reason, I think partially because of what was going on with the Osbournes, they just couldn't get on board."

Relis admitted that he has received some "blowback" from "some of the diehard Randy Rhoads fans" about the fact that the family wasn't involved in the film. "I tried to get 'em involved," he said. "I did everything I could — offered 'em participation, everything, to get them involved — but for whatever reason, they didn't wanna be part of it. And I don't know why. It's a big mystery to me. But I'll ask those fans out there: would you rather have nothing or a documentary that really showcases his legacy?"

Back in January 2013, Rhoads's estate filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers and authors Margolis and Andrew Klein, the publishing company Velocity Publishing Group, Inc., and co-author Steven Rosen in connection with a failed documentary film project on Randy's life and the publication of a book stemming from the defendants' involvement in the project. Two years later, a California appeals court ruled that the creators of the book did not breach a contract with Rhoads's family by using materials they had agreed only to use in a never-made documentary, saying they had a First Amendment right to publish it.

Rhoads and two others were killed on March 19, 1982 when the small plane they were flying in at Flying Baron Estates in Leesburg, Florida struck Osbourne's tour bus, then crashed into a mansion. Rhoads was 25 years old.

In his "Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne" special, Ozzy stated about first meeting Rhoads after his departure from BLACK SABBATH: "I knew instinctively that he was something extra special. He was like a gift from God — we worked so well together. Randy and I were like a team.

"One thing that he gave to me was hope, he gave me a reason for carrying on," Ozzy added. "He had patience with me, which was great. He was great to work with. He pulled the best out of me. We had a lot of fun."

Rhoads's death had a tremendous impact on Osbourne's life. "I lost a dear friend in my life — I miss him terribly," Ozzy said. "I just bathed my wounds with alcohol and drugs."

"The day that Randy Rhoads died was the day a part of me died," he added.

Last October, Randy was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during the 2021 ceremony. Rhoads received the Musical Excellence Award at last year's event, which was held on October 30 at Cleveland, Ohio's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Musical Excellence Award is given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.

Rhoads was inducted into the Rock Hall by Morello who stated in a video message. "Randy Rhoads is a peerless talent. He revived Ozzy Osbourne's career as his gunslinger sideman. And it was Randy Rhoads's poster that I had on my wall... You could study Randy's songs in a university-level musicology class and bang your heads to them in a 7-11 parking lot."

Also offering a video tribute was METALLICA's Kirk Hammett, who stated about Randy's death: "All of a sudden, the curtain came down unexpectedly and the show was over before it really, really got going." Wylde spoke highly about his predecessor, saying "Randy, hands down, sits at" the round table of greatness in the Hall Of Fame alongside Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Eddie Van Halen.

Rhoads played on Osbourne's seminal records "Blizzard Of Ozz" (1980) and "Diary Of A Madman", influenced many musicians and is considered one of the greatest guitartists of all time. His death was a huge shock to the world and Ozzy wrote in his autobiography "I Am Ozzy" that he almost quit music after Randy's passing.

Shortly after Rhoads's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was announced, Ozzy told Rolling Stone: "I knew him for a very short amount of time. But what he gave me in that short amount of time was immeasurable in fucking greatness. To get somebody like Randy Rhoads to play on two albums, and for those two albums to sound as good as the day they were recorded, is something else. And I'm forever in gratitude for that. God only knows where that man would be today. The very fact that he’s not here to breathe the air is just a fucking crime.

"Thank God that he's getting recognized by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He finally got there in the end. I'm sad that his mother was not alive to see it, because he was very close to his mom. It shows that he's not been forgotten. He was a dedicated, true musician, and he was a lovely guy. I still think about him all the time."

Torn Between Two Worlds, featuring former Angtoria bandmates Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn, are gearing up to release an EP, entitled As If We Never Existed. It is now available for pre-order via Bandcamp here. Official relöease date is June 3rd.





The tracklist is as follows:




"The Beauty Of Deception"
"Transparent"
"The Woman That Never Was"
"All Eyes On Me"
"Hello"


Torn Between Two Worlds recently released the new single, "Transparent". Check it out below, purchase it via Bandcamp here.





p>Sarah recently opened up about writing the song.


Sarah: "This song was a bit of a challenge for me as this song is totally from scratch. It wasn’t written a few years ago like 'The Beauty Of Deception' was. 'All Eyes On Me' was also written a few years ago, but 80% of the lyrics lost, re-written and rearranged and the vocals recorded at my home, and “Hello” being a cover song (Adele). This is the first song lyric-wise that I have written in almost 10 years, I think, and when Chris sent me the music, I found it so difficult getting everything together. I recorded half a track and Chris and I just weren’t feeling it, so we took a big step back for a few months and let everything digest, because you can’t rush a song if you want people to believe in your music. Chris Rehn is a mindblowing composer and takes much pride in his arrangements, and for me, as silly as it sounds, I want him to be proud of the song and me. I can’t stress enough how its him that should be praised to high heaven, not me.


The song is based on fame and ego, people who take everything and everyone for granted, and takes pleasure in destroying everything and people, only to make themselves feel better. They love to take credit for absolutely everything, whilst others work their arses off, put their heart and soul into everything. Self destructive, compulsive liars who believes you are where you are today because of them. Surrounded by many for the wrong reasons, yet doesn’t actually doesn’t have much."





Check out the previously released singles from Torn Between Two Worlds below.


"The Beauty Of Deception"





"All Eyes On Me"





"Hello"

Vocalist Joakim Brodén of Swedish metallers SABATON, who are best known for their war-inspired lyrics, spoke to Germany's Moshpit Passion about his band's reluctance to share its political views and opinions through its music and interviews. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're controversial as it is enough, singing about the military history. We have always avoided any political or religious commentary — for that reason; we're already controversial enough. And also, I think it's a statement in itself, and I think it's refreshing.

"I don't wanna tell people what to eat, what to vote for," he explained. "I think it is important to respect people [with] different opinions, even if you think that opinion is totally wrong. And it's that lack of respect from all sides that created that situation we are in right now. So in that sense, I don't wanna put myself in that situation and I don't wanna put the band under the line of fire as well. Because also, here's the thing — we all in the band think about different things, but there's one thing we have really in common, is that, well, let's agree to disagree; that's totally okay. And it's totally okay to have arguments, it's totally okay to be almost angry with each other, but that doesn't mean you should hate each other; it doesn't mean you have to punch the other person.

"Sometimes people are requesting from us, 'Well, how could you sing about that?' We're, like, why not?" he added. "'How could you go there and play because of that and that government?' And it's, like, none of the people who came to our concert [had] any part in that decision. Choosing not to go somewhere based on those reasons, that would be a statement. And we don't do those kind of statements. I mean, if there's one thing we make statements for, it would be free speech, because we use that a lot. [Laughs]"

Joakim went on to say that we should all be able to disagree respectfully, listen to one another and try to brainstorm solutions.

"Here's the thing: why do people think everything we've been taught, we should be all… We've been taught that we should all be in a golden world where we all agree, where everything is black and white, bad and evil," he said. "You know what? The best people in history, some of the biggest heroes have done some really bad shit. And still — heh… Where's the good? Where's the bad? And it's the only way to judge this. If you have somebody you disagree [with]. Okay, you have a really bad disagreement with that person about that, but [that person] has that many good qualities. So should that destroy that?

"I think people have become pussies; they can't handle people [having] different opinions," he added. "Everybody has to agree all the time."

This past March, SABATON announced "The Tour To End All Tours - North America 2022", a 25-date U.S. trek that will include a special headline show at Montreal's Place Bell, the band's first-ever arena headline concert in Canada. The tour, produced by FPC Live, kicks off on Thursday, September 15 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington, and will wrap up at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on October 23. Supporting SABATON on all dates will be special guest EPICA, the renowned Dutch symphonic metal band.

Joe Satriani says that it's "terrifying" to think that he might be tasked with reproducing Eddie Van Halen's guitar parts as part of an all-star VAN HALEN tribute project with Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth.

The 65-year-old guitarist addressed the rumor a month after former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted revealed to The Palm Beach Post that he was approached by the VAN HALEN drummer about six months ago about playing bass for the project. Newsted told the Florida newspaper that he agreed to go to California to jam with Alex and Joe and see if it felt right, but he eventually realized that it would be impossible to do justice to VAN HALEN's legacy. "How could you?" Jason said. "There's nobody that can top it, so how do you show it honor? I didn't want it to be viewed as a money grab. And then it kind of just all fizzled."

Satriani, who is promoting his newly released solo album "The Elephants Of Mars", was asked about Newsted's comments in a new interview with Andrew Daly of VW Music. He said: "Yeah, it is true. I was contacted by Alex Van Halen and Dave and had some conversations a little less than a year ago about putting together a full tour to celebrate Eddie and the VAN HALEN legacy. And yeah, it's terrifying. I mean, I literally heard myself saying, 'Yes,' and then the other part of my brain said, 'Did you just say yes? Are you nuts?' I think I remember telling them that any sane guitar player would just turn around and start running away as fast as possible because you can't measure up to Eddie. It's like one of those jobs where you just try because you know it's important to you, and a labor of love, but still, people are always going say, 'It doesn't sound like Eddie,' no matter what you do. I took on the challenge that way, and I did say, 'Okay, I'll agree to keep talking about this to see what happens.' But I'm not in the family, and I've never worked with Dave before. I'm just a guy that they called and started the ball rolling."

Satriani once again said that he was surprised to learn that Jason had revealed the project's existence before everything was finalized and an official announcement was made.

"We were not supposed to talk about it, because it may never happen, and obviously, you know, Sammy [Hagar, former VAN HALEN singer] and Mike [Anthony, former VAN HALEN bassist] were contacted, but I don't really know what's going on behind the scenes there," he said. "I can't say I know exactly what's going on. I do know that Jason was called at one point, and he was told — like I was — to not talk about it, because it may never happen. And so we were all shocked when he went public because he certainly wasn't supposed to. And it's only caused grief in the family, which is not nice, you know?"

"So, yeah, that's all I can really say about it," Joe added. "I don't know much more today, to tell you the truth. I do know that for the next year and a half I'm probably on tour starting in September, just doing 'The Elephants Of Mars'/'Shapeshifting' combo tour. So, whatever comes with this, it's sometime in the future. I mean, in a way, now that the cat's out of the bag, at least I don't have to feel like I'm keeping something from people, you know?"

Regarding how he might approach playing Eddie Van Halen's parts, Joe said: "I will say this in regards to Eddie. I think that the other biggest thing that people sometimes miss when they bring up Eddie Van Halen is that his writing was really the biggest expression of his talent. When you start to learn the songs, you start to see the genius of the compositions and the arrangements. Of course, there's the solo or the intro that blows your mind, but it wouldn't be there unless he had written the song. Whether it's 'Hot For Teacher', 'Jump' or something, it's the actual song that then forced him to whip out some crazy solo. The average person is gonna love those songs, whether it was Dave or Sammy singing. It's all in the writing, you know? That's what makes it so much fun and attractive. I guess that's what attracted me to the gig, just the thought that I could go from playing 'Atomic Punk' to 'Unchained' in one show. It's just so much fun. The songs are just fun to play."

Last June, Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang Van Halen, who joined his father in VAN HALEN for the band's 2007 reunion tour with Roth, replacing Anthony, told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" it would be "great" to eventually organize an Eddie Van Halen tribute show. "It's not in the immediate plans, 'cause that's a lot of moving parts that you've gotta corral to get that to happen. But I definitely think it should happen. Absolutely," he said.

Asked how he envisions the tribute concert taking place in terms of which musicians should be involved, Wolfgang said: "I have no idea. All I know is that the focus should a hundred percent be on Pop. While it could be a celebration of VAN HALEN and the band's history, I think more than anything, it should be focused on him… It's a tall ask and a big thing to figure out. But I do think it should happen at some point."

In November 2020, Wolfgang told Entertainment Tonight that proceeds from any tribute show in honor of his father will go toward Eddie's favorite charity, Mr. Holland's Opus, which helps underprivileged students access musical instruments. Proceeds from the debut solo single from Wolfgang's solo band MAMMOTH WVH, "Distance", are also benefiting Mr. Holland's Opus.

In February 2021, Hagar told Kyle Meredith that he will make every effort to take part in the Eddie Van Halen tribute concert.

"I have nothing to do with the [Eddie Van Halen] legacy," he said. "That's their business — that's Wolfie, Alex Van Halen; they're family members. Whoever wants to call me up and say, 'Here's the date,' I will be there. I don't care where I am. I'll cancel a [solo] show [if I need to]. [Laughs] [That's] something VAN HALEN would never do. I always make that joke — canceling a show was [out of the question with] VAN HALEN. I went out sick without being able to sing, Eddie went out with a crutch, Alex went out with a fucking neck brace — we wouldn't cancel shows. But I will cancel my show for a tribute to Eddieany day."

Eddie died in October 2020 at the age of 65. The legendary VAN HALEN guitarist passed away at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California.

Eddie was diagnosed with mouth cancer in 2000 and had tongue surgery. He later battled lung cancer and had been receiving radiation treatment in Germany. Things took a turn for the worse in early 2019 when Eddie got in a motorcycle accident. He was subsequently diagnosed with a brain tumor, and received gamma knife radiosurgery to treat the illness.

Joe Satriani photo credit: Eduardo Peña Dolhun

Ted Nugent has defended the leaked draft opinion penned by Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito arguing that the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion ruling was "egregiously wrong from the start."

A week after Politico published the opinion, the outspoken conservative rocker addressed the prospect of SCOTUS overturning Roe during today's (Monday, May 9) edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which Ted offers his take on the news of our world.

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, number one, we don't have to look far anytime, any day in these treacherous times in America that those that are against the right to life — that's really what it all boils down to, doesn't it? And as we celebrate Mother's Day, I think it has a lot to do with maternal instincts, responsibilities and morality.

"So those that misinter… Well, I was gonna use the term 'misinterpret,' but that's much too generous. It's just like the 'Don't Say Gay' bill that had nothing to do with that. It's just like the 'Black Lives Matter' terrorists that really, clearly, by all evidence, don't care about black lives. And those that are attacking this recent…

"There's two issues: the leak is a crime and somebody needs to be brought to justice; but two, the leak wasn't about ending Roe v. Wade; it was about taking a step back and identifying that the court didn't have the legal authority to determine that 50 years ago," he continued. "And meanwhile, everybody's screaming that abortions are now banned.

"These are the maniac days of dishonesty, and it's manifested by fact checkers who are allergic to facts. Facts, truth, logic and common sense is Kryptonite to the left.

"So, good Americans must organize, and we must stand up and make sure that we let our elected employees and our friends and neighbors and people at church and school and work and around the campfire know that the megaphone of the media is one big toxic lie."

Circling back to the draft opinion that could lead to a reversal of Roe, Ted said: "It didn't ban abortions; it's just reviewing that the last legal consideration was unconstitutional. We've gotta get back to the Constitution. So I'm a big constitutionalist guy.

"So we need to find out who the leaker was and bring them to trial. And we need to try to get past the lies of the left that it's not about banning abortions; it's about reviewing the Roe v. Wade decision."

According to the Politico report, the draft was circulated in February. Alito was reportedly joined by justices Clarence Thomas and all three of former President Donald Trump's nominees — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — while justices Stephen Breyer, Elana Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor were working on dissents. It was unclear how Chief Justice John Roberts voted.

The 1973 Roe v. Wade court decision affirmed the right to receive an abortion under the 14th Amendment, ruling that abortions were constitutionally protected up until about 23 weeks when a fetus can typically live outside the womb.

In the 98-page draft, Alito said Roe was wrongly decided, saying the issue should be decided by politicians, not courts. If Roe is reversed, it would not federally outlaw abortion. However, it would shift the power to states to decide on the procedure's legality.

According to CNN, nearly half of the states have or will pass laws that ban abortion, while others have enacted strict measures regulating the procedure.

Thirteen states have so-called "trigger laws" in place, which would effectively ban abortions almost immediately upon Roe v. Wade being overturned. According to Axios, the restrictions that would follow Roe being struck down by the Supreme Court would mean almost 30% of people would be more than 200 miles away from an abortion provider.

According to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll, almost twice as many Americans (50 percent) say they want the court to reaffirm Roe v. Wade as say they want it overturned (28 percent). 22 percent are undecided, according to the poll. Majorities of Democrats (68 percent) and Independents (52 percent) say Roe should not be overturned, while a narrow majority of Republicans (51 percent) say it should.

Critics have said that tossing out the landmark rulings establishing abortion rights would tarnish the court's reputation and open the floodgates to other challenges to well-settled law.

Professionally filmed video of METALLICA performing the song "No Remorse" on May 5 at Estacionamento da FIERGS in Porto Alegre, Brazil can be seen below.

Porto Alegre was the third stop on METALLICA's South American tour, which kicked off on April 27 in Santiago, Chile.

METALLICA's setlist for the Porto Alegre concert:

01. Whiplash
02. Ride The Lightning
03. Harvester Of Sorrow
04. Seek And Destroy
05. No Remorse
06. One
07. Sad But True
08. Moth Into Flame
09. The Unforgiven
10. For Whom The Bell Tolls
11. Fuel
12. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
13. Master Of Puppets

Encore:

14. Blackened
15. Nothing Else Matters
16. Enter Sandman

METALLICA played its first concert of 2022 on February 25 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show, which was reportedly attended by 60,000 fans, featured support from GRETA VAN FLEET and ICE NINE KILLS.

The Las Vegas show took place more than two months after METALLICA's two 40th-anniversary concerts at Chase Center in San Francisco, California which featured different setlists. They were part of METALLICA's "San Francisco Takeover", a four-day citywide celebration of the band's 40th anniversary that also included a film festival, photo exhibit and curated lineup of smaller venue shows featuring other acts.

In February, METALLICA announced it will perform only two summer stadium shows in 2022: Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York on August 11, and PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 14. Both shows will feature special guests GRETA VAN FLEET and ICE NINE KILLS.

METALLICA previously played at Highmark Stadium on July 25, 1992, and Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium on July 26, 1992.

This spring, METALLICA will perform at the BottleRock festival in Napa on May 27 and Boston Calling on May 29. The band also has a number of other South American and European dates scheduled for spring and early summer.

Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 15 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album),"Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", released in November 2016 and charting at No. 1 in 32 countries.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden's Polar Music Prize.

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale recently spoke to U.K.'s Rock Sound about her appreciation for the Swedish occult rock band GHOST. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This new [GHOST] album ['Impera'] I've listened to about 20 times now, and I'm obsessed with it.

"I love just the idea that you can have this heavy music that's almost religious satire and it has this comedic aspect to it and a smile, but also if you've ever been to a GHOST concert, there are people that legit think they're worshipping Satan… I just love all of those things together, in a nice little package, with this band."

Hale went on to praise GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge, calling him "a genius. He's such a smart man," she said. "And if you get to have a conversation [with him], he's the most interesting person, I think, that I've ever met — very well spoken.

"What I admire about him… I don't think I know any other band that does this, but Tobias always has a plan — he's thinking about five years ahead, where he needs to be with this band and this project," she explained. "I remember talking with Nick Raskulinecz, the same producer that just did our last record; he also did an album with GHOST. I remember him talking to me about how Tobias would show him all of these songs that were not meant for this specific record; they were meant for two records down the line. 'Cause he has a timeline and he has the story already figured out and all of the production already figured out. And [Nick] was, like, 'Oh, these are such great songs. We should record them.' And Tobias was, like, 'No. The world isn't ready yet.' [Laughs]"

She continued: "[Tobias has] done the same thing with me in the past where he's shown me some production drawings and little things that he's gonna be doing a couple of years from now. And then a couple of years would go by and we would go and see [GHOST in concert], [and we would be,] like, 'Oh, yeah. That was that thing he was talking about. That's amazing.' So just to be able to think like that I really admire, as far as just a career plan and a mission statement. Because I am completely not like that. I've tried the five-year-plan thing. And every time I make plans, we finally get to that point and something has changed, so I have to pivot and do something different. So I'm more of a living-in-the-now person. [Laughs] So we're the complete opposite, me and Tobias, in that aspect, but I definitely admire him for the way that he is."

Lzzy famously ended up dressing up as a nun for an onstage appearance during GHOST's October 6, 2015 performance at The Pageant in St. Louis, Missouri.

GHOST is continuing to tour in support of "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.

HALESTORM's fifth studio album album, "Back From The Dead", was released on May 6 via Atlantic. The follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" was produced by Raskulinecz, with co-production by Scott Stevens (SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, NEW YEARS DAY).

PEARL JAM drummer Matt Cameron was forced to miss the band's concert last night (Thursday, May 12) in Oakland, California after testing positive for COVID-19. It was the first time Cameron missed a PEARL JAM show since joining the band 24 years ago. Touring member Josh Klinghoffer and longtime Jeff Ament collaborator Richard Stuverud filled in behind the kit during the set. PEARL JAM also welcomed a fan to sit behind the kit for the concert's "Yellow Ledbetter" finale.

Klinghoffer was behind the kit for set opener, a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World", as well as "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town", "Why Go" and "Corduroy", before Stuverud stepped in for the tracks "Quick Escape" and "Superblood Wolfmoon".

Before launching into "Why Go", PEARL JAM singer Eddie Vedder told the crowd: "Matt Cameron is a true artist and he's a force of nature. However, even his superhero status could not prevent him from testing positive. This damn COVID thing yesterday. We've been scrambling for 24 hours because after 25 months of… We were supposed to be here 25 months ago. We've been waiting and we've been waiting. Postponing wasn't an option and for us neither was canceling. We didn't want to pull the plug and we couldn't pull the plug. We've got our group here, we've got our equipment here and, most importantly, you're here. So, lucky for us, we have some friends, and one of our friends has already been on our team this tour — the multi-talented, multi-faceted, multi-instrumentalist playing behind the drum kit right now, Mr. Josh Klinghoffer. Like the Shohei Ohtani of rock 'n' roll. Let's let the shit hit the fan and hopefully it's good shit."

Back in 2016, Cameron, who also sat behind the kit for SOUNDGARDEN and TEMPLE OF THE DOG, was asked in an interview with The Trap Set to compare working with SOUNDGARDEN to PEARL JAM. He responded: "It's just different band dynamics in general... I think my role in SOUNDGARDEN is a little bit more of a musical director role, whereas in PEARL JAM it's more of a supporting in the rhythm section kind of role. I think the collaboration I have in SOUNDGARDEN is bigger in the creative realm, but I feel very fortunate to be in two really fantastic bands."

The Pulse Of Radio asked Cameron a while back if he alters his style for either band. "I don't think I do," he said. "I mean, I'm just really trying to play my role in each group. I definitely feel like I support the vocal in both groups. The music around the vocal is a little bit different. But that's the way I've always considered my drumming, is vocal-influenced. I've been lucky enough to play with two of the best singers in modern day history, so I think that's always sort of been my strength as a drummer."

Following yesterday's sad news that The Black Dahlia Murder frontman, Trevor Strnad, has passed away at 41 years of age, Benediction/ex-Bolt Thrower vocalist, Dave Ingram, took to social media to share some very personal information.


Says Ingram: "A somewhat lengthy and personal post here. Pull up a chair, as this is really important.


This has been a long time coming, and I’ve put off posting it many times in the past for personal reasons. After awakening this morning to the incredibly sad news regarding the passing of Trevor Strnad from The Black Dahlia Murder I can be silent no more. Trevor was a really cool guy, and even before I rejoined Benediction he had a lot of kind words for me. A true gentleman has left us. While at the present time of my writing this no cause of death was given, but in their announcement the other band members shared the information for the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This compelled me to share this post to help spread awareness of mental health issues that many suffer in silence.




So here’s my story. In the year 2000 my sister Sarah took her own life. It was devastating. This, and the following aftershocks, affected me on so many levels. Some I saw, some I knew, many I did not. The mental breakdown and subsequent severe depression crippled me for years. My crisis point was reached in 2008, and I attempted suicide by taking an overdose.


I was lucky. On that day, in that moment, a piece of music and lines of lyrics made me regret what I had done, and I got myself to hospital. (I will forever be grateful to its composer. They know.) I went on to fight the black cloud of depression for many years, and I finally defeated it in 2021.


As I said, I was lucky. But there are so many that are not. That is why I am making this public. This isn’t the polishing and displaying of a Good Guy Badge, but the sharing of my story to hopefully help someone out there who is still silently tormented by mental health issues. To all of the people who are I say YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Please, talk to someone. Hell, even talk to me. I will always listen, and never turn my back on you. A link to a list of suicide crisis phone lines in various countries is in the comments. Remember, you are not alone.


If there are any organizations out there in the music scene that give help and support to people with mental health issues that are reading this, then please do contact me. Maybe we can work together in furthering awareness of these problems, and getting people the help they need. And please, feel free to share this. Thank you.


Trevor Strnad, R.I.P."

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

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

In a new interview with Danny Stoakes, Downing was asked which song or songs he would like to perform with PRIEST at the induction ceremony. He responded: "Oh, wow. I don't really know what the setup would or could be — whether Glenn" — who's battling Parkinson's disease but was on the road playing during the encores of PRIEST's latest North American tour, performing "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight" — "would be there and we all would… I know Glenn is just playing some of the more shorter kind of songs. And if that's the situation, then I'm sure the songs would be whatever Glenn would be able to feel comfortable with. And that's okay, and that's fine. But I don't think it's about, really, what the repertoire would be; I think it's just about would this and could this happen in the way that people want to and expect it to happen. We'll have to see. But it's [early days], and it's over six months away, so anything could happen between now and then. And it depends what people want to happen, myself included. I'm gonna have a good think."

Downing reiterated that there are still a lot of unknowns about how the induction ceremony will go down and whether PRIEST will be expected to perform at the event.

"I don't know what's gonna happen, mate," he said. "The ceremony's some time in November. I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know how everybody feels. Like I said, up until [last week], it was just a thought in the back of the memory. But now the hurdle of being inducted has been jumped, so we're on the other side of that now. Obviously, it remains feasible and possible, but I don't know. Anything could happen between now and then. We'll see what happens. But it is, I suppose, for all intents and purposes, a kind of celebration of everything that's been achieved over many, many decades, and do we all wanna be a part of that celebration just for one night. We'll see how everybody feels about that. But certainly, like with the Grammy achievement and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, once we get into those rocking chairs, whenever that might be [laughs], at some point in the future, it'll certainly help us to rock a bit faster than everybody else around us, I think, really."

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

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

In February, Hill and Halford told Billboard that they would be happy to stand alongside Downing at a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction later this year. "It's not a problem to us, no," Hill said. "Ken was an integral part of this band for a very, very long time. He deserves to be there along with the rest of us." Halford predicted that, "It won't be as awkward as Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss with KISS's Rock Hall induction]. I don't think it'll be awkward at all. I think you have to let all of that go because it's the night that matters. It's the moment that matters — but, again, the proverbial saying, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Romanian symphonic black metal act Syn Ze Sase Tri have released a new song called "Ultimul lup" (The last wolf) – check out the music video for the song below:





This is the band's first song in several years, a song that will be included on the band's new album. The album is planned to be released later this year via Aural Music/Code666.







Music and text were written by Alex "Corbu" Mihai, the solo was done by Toni Dijmănescu, mix and mastered by Mihai "Mtz" Neagoe, and video production Manderseit Pictures.


"Even if it has been a long time since we released Zaul Mos, we are sure that this new album will please your ears and that the wait was worth it. Expect something epic and more aggressive than what you are used to. Details about the album, cover and tracks that will be included on the album, will be released to the public soon. Until then enjoy the song and we can't wait to hear your thoughts about it!" states the band.

Veteran Japanese metallers LOUDNESS will release their new studio album, "Sunburst", on July 29 outside Japan via earMUSIC. The effort was originally made available in Japan last December.

During a career spanning over 40 years, LOUDNESS built a rich musical foundation with many studio albums, EPs and live albums. With "Sunburst", they've added another milestone to the great catalogue, their 29th studio album, to be precise.

"Sunburst" is the first official double studio album in LOUDNESS's impressive career, making it particularly special as it can be considered a celebration of the band's rich musical history. The 16 songs represent the classic LOUDNESS sound and style, highly acclaimed by fans and critics alike. Written mostly by original member and guitarist Akira Takasaki, the majority of songs are sung in Japanese, representing their appreciation of their origin and roots.

"Sunburst" will be released as a digital album as well as a 2CD digipak edition with an extensive booklet that includes the English translation of all lyrics.

Disc 1:

01. Rising Sun
02. OEOEO
03. Yamato Damashii
04. Kaso Genjitsu (Virtual Reality)
05. Crazy World
06. Stand Or Fall
07. The Sanzu River
08. Nihon No Kokoro (The Heart Of Japan)

Disc 2:

01. Kagayakeru 80's (Shining 80's)
02. Emerald No Umi (Emerald Ocean)
03. Tengoku No Tobira (Heaven's Door)
04. All Will Be Fine With You
05. Fire In The Sky
06. Hunger For More
07. The Nakigara
08. Wonderland

LOUDNESS has dominated the Japanese heavy metal scene ever since its birth in 1981 with classic albums like "Thunder In The East" (1985) and "Lightning Strikes" (1986). Their last studio album, 2018's "Rise To Glory", was highly acclaimed both by the heavy metal maniacs and the critics.

LOUDNESS's lineup has changed multiple times since 1981, with the current incarnation consisting of three original members — lead singer Minoru Niihara, guitarist Akira Takasaki and bassist Masayoshi Yamashita — along with drummer Masayuki Suzuki, who joined the group in 2009.

Original LOUDNESS drummer Munetaka Higuchi died in 2008 after a year-long battle with liver cancer.

Former IRON MAIDEN frontman Paul Di'Anno, who has been receiving physiotherapy and lymphatic drainage treatments in Zagreb, Croatia in preparation for his upcoming knee surgery, has teamed up with several Croatian musicians to form a new project called WARHORSE. WARHORSE recently entered the studio to record three songs, two of which — "Stop The War" and "The Doubt Within" — will be released as a special DVD single along with Paul's video message to all fans who bought this single and thus helped raise funds for his upcoming operation. In addition to the single, each customer will receive a special event t-shirt, designed by Robert Štivičić (Crusader Art),made for Paul's first concert in seven years, which will be held in Zagreb on May 21. The show will be filmed and parts of it will be included in a documentary about Di'Anno, to be directed by Wes Orshoski, co-director and producer of the acclaimed 2010 film "Lemmy" about the MOTÖRHEAD icon. A livestream of the concert will also be made available.

The "Stop The War" / "The Doubt Within" single is limited to 666 copies, of which 333 are available for pre-sale (about 200 have already been sold),and the remaining 333 will be available at Paul's concert in Zagreb. Each DVD single will be signed by the band (including Paul) and will be accompanied by the aforementioned event t-shirt.

Di'Anno fans who want to purchase this special, limited and signed bundle can do so at www.maidencroatia.com/warhorse where the item can be ordered exclusively.

A fundraiser for Paul's upcoming surgery has been organized by his friends and fans coordinated by Kastro Pergjoni from the U.K. and Stjepan Juras from Croatia, in collaboration with the other members of WARHORSE. All proceeds from the single will be used to cover the costs of Paul's treatment and related needs.

The Zagreb concert will be free to attend and is being held as a way of thanking Paul's fans for their help during the most difficult time of his recovery. The show will take place at the Bikers Beer Factory, just a day before the big IRON MAIDEN gig at the Zagreb Arena.

Although no tickets are required to attend Paul's concert, the venue capacity is limited, so everyone is invited to come to the Bikers Beer Factory as early as possible the day of the shows and get a wristband.

WARHORSE DVD single details

01. Stop The War (3:30)

Lyrics: Hrvoje Madiraca, Paul Di'Anno
Music: Hrvoje Madiraca, Ante Pupačić Pupi

02. The Doubt Within (3:24)

Lyrics: Hrvoje Madiraca
Music: Hrvoje Madiraca, Ante Pupačić Pupi

Vocals: Paul Di'Anno
Guitars: Hrvoje Madiraca, Ante Pupačić Pupi
Bass: Becky Baldwin ("Stop The War"),Ante Pupačić Pupi ("The Doubt Within")
Drums: Petar Šantić ("Stop The War"),Danijel Stojan ("The Doubt Within")

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN — a self-titled effort in 1980 and "Killers" in 1981 — before being fired and replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

In February, Di'Anno told the "Još Jedan" podcast that his health was "better" than it was just a couple of months earlier but noted that he still "a lot of work to do — a lot of physio and stuff like that."

Paul went on to blast the U.K.'s free-at-the-point-of-use National Health Service (NHS),saying: "Fucking NHS sucks. I was a defender of them big time. But the nurses are awesome and all the workers. It's the fucking bureaucracy bullshit — the management and the people who run the NHS are just total assholes. But the poor heroes — the nurses and the staff — they're great, but their hands are tied. So they didn't know what to do. They just dumped me."

Di'Anno, who will turn 64 on May 17, outlined some of the recent health issues he has battled that have kept him from performing for seven years.

"I caught sepsis [when an infection you already have triggers a chain reaction throughout your body] in 2015, and it almost killed me," he said. "And I spent eight months in a hospital in England. You've got a crucial 45 minutes to get as many antibiotics in you before you die, and they managed to do that, which was great. Then I spent eight months in a hospital, and then another three months in a care home. And while I was in there getting things done, on hospital visits, I caught MRSA [Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, an infection caused by a type of staph bacteria that's become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections] there twice, in the hospital. So that was it. So it kept delaying things and delaying things… And then they took this knee out put this cement thing in. And it was only supposed to be in there for a year. And the first time they put that in, it broke, so they cut me open again and put another in. And that one is still in here. And while it's been in there this long, it's going toxic. So, what the fuck are they doing over there at the NHS?"

Di'Anno reportedly underwent an operation in 2016 to remove a "rugby ball-sized abscess" on his lungs and required a knee-replacement operation on both knees after getting involved in several motorcycle accidents over the years. As a result, Di'Anno was forced to sit down while performing at his most recent shows.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE will release its new album, "Scoring The End Of The World", on June 10 via Roadrunner Records. The LP's third single, "Slaughterhouse", featuring a guest appearance by KNOCKED LOOSE's Bryan Garris, can be streamed below.

Building on the anticipation for "Scoring The End Of The World", "Slaughterhouse" follows the previously released singles "Masterpiece" and "Cyberhex", the official videos for which quickly trended Top 10 on YouTube and have since amassed over six million views. Furthermore, "Masterpiece" continues to grow at the Active Rock radio format, jumping into the Top 30 this week and continuing to grow in audience.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE frontman Chris "Motionless" Cerulli stated about "Masterpiece": "'Masterpiece' is a song which I feel embodies the raw and brutally honest nature of what makes MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. It took me many years to fully recognize that these are the types of songs that truly are the lifeblood of the relationship between the band and our fans. There is something really powerful and magical in being able to write a song that not only expresses your own deepest emotions and feelings, but to write something that may express the feelings of those who find it hard to articulate their own at times. It is on another level of special. In my own experience as a listener, these types of songs have always offered comfort amidst the pain, and 'Masterpiece' is my way of returning that energy back to the universe for others to potentially find and carry with them. We're all going through something dark in our heads on a daily basis, so why not go through it together?"

"Masterpiece" hinges on ominous clean guitars as Chris delivers a heart-wrenching refrain asking, "So how do I apologize and put the tears back in your eyes?" In the visual, the band delivers a performance in an abandoned home, sifting through discarded memories of a past life before a final blaze burns it all down.

In March, the Scranton, Pennsylvania quintet shared the first single "Cyberhex", along with an official music video directed by the band's guitarist Ricky Olson and Logan Beaver.

In an interview with Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz, Chris stated about "Cyberhex": "We were trying to decide what was the first song, and it was interesting that everybody in the band all felt the same way. Normally when you're working with labels, they wanna put out the song that's like the big radio song or the easier digestible track, whatever, and we just never really wanted to do that. And even though there were moments when we've been, unfortunately, kind of forced to do that, this time I feel like we're in a spot in our career where we're just, like, 'No. We're gonna go ahead and do what we want.' And we had a good track record of doing what we want versus what other people influence us to want to do, and this song is definitely on pace to really help the album and the whole rollout. So it feels really cool.

"The next track we put out will definitely be more like 'Another Life' and 'Voices'-type track," he continued, apparently referencing "Masterpiece". "I can understand why a label would want that, because if you look at our… Just go to Spotify — I mean, 'Another Life' and 'Voices'… 'Another Life' has double the amount of plays as the next highest song, which is 'Voices', and then the next highest song is 'Brand New Numb'. So, very obviously, people can say that they want the heavy tracks and we're going to deliver that, but the songs like 'Another Life' are really, at this point, I guess you would say our bread and butter, 'cause that's what people want. So, for us, it's, like, let's start it off really hot and really heavy and then we'll switch over to the more, like, here's the singalong track that just hits you hard and… We'll take a little break from the heavy. And we'll circulate back. That's what we do."

When "Cyberhex" was first released, Cerulli said: "'Cyberhex' is my love letter to you, our fans, for everything you have done for me over the course of some of the most mentally taxing few years I've had to go through. At times where I felt like my world was ending, as well as the world around us, it was always in my mind that I was able to turn to the special relationship we have created together for help, and I cannot thank you enough for that. Outside of my own personal experiences, it has been equally as fulfilling to me to see that in the face of tireless forces that continue to try and perpetuate hatred and negativity towards so many of us coexisting on this planet, we have all stood together to resist and fight back knowing that love and compassion will always prevail. We ARE the resistance. We ARE Cyberhex. I love you. Thank you."

"Scoring The End Of The World" fully encompasses the expanse of MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's dynamic, deep, and dark vision, and marks the band's first full-length body of work in three years since 2019's "Disguise". The latter has quietly made a major impact on rock music and culture. The single "Another Life" stands out as their most-streamed song ever with over 23 million YouTube views on the music video. The record claimed a spot on Loudwire's "50 Best Metal Albums of 2019," plus it ignited the creative renaissance that would set the stage for the statement-making "Scoring The End Of The World".

Having recently wrapped its massively successful triple co-headline "Trinity Of Terror" tour with BLACK VEIL BRIDES and ICE NINE KILLS, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE is set to make several U.S. festival appearances this year with anticipated performances slated for Sacramento, California's Aftershock festival (October 7) and Las Vegas, Nevada's When We Were Young festival (October 22, October 23, October 29). Additional upcoming international dates for MOTIONLESS IN WHITE include a summer run in Australia with I PREVAIL and then a 2023 European tour with BEARTOOTH.

Photo credit: Rockcandyphoto

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen, who is promoting her new solo single "Fire", was asked in a new interview with FaceCulture if she is planning to eventually release a full-length solo album. She said: "There are a lot more songs ready. There's not an album ready, but also because it would make no sense to have one. Due to the pandemic, there's an entire NIGHTWISH still not done and still yet to be done; as it looks like, we actually are gonna do that now. So before that, I cannot say, 'Okay, I come [out] with a solo album.' 'Cause then you also would like to do some more [solo] shows and do the right promotion and all of that, so there's no time for that — which is a luxury problem on itself. But it's fun. And that's also a big difference with this pop music thing — you can release singles. It's not an album-based world; it's completely different."

Jansen went on to call "Fire" "a statement and "the kick-off of everything. And from there I'll keep releasing singles. And the aim is to release the album in '23," she explained before clarifying that there are a lot of variables involved that could affect the timeline of the LP's arrival. "But the ambition is there. And everything is geared up to do that."

"Fire" was made available on March 25 via ADA, the division of Warner Music Group dedicated to independent label and artist distribution.

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two number one albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member. NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature." , which was also an international success.

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In 2019, Jansen participated in the popular Dutch TV show "Beste Zangers" where she scored a big hit with "Phantom Of The Opera" together with Henk Poort. She was recognized with a Dutch Popprijs award — a prestigious accolade for artists that has made important contributions to Dutch music. In the same year, her first solo tour sold out in less than 24 hours.

Jansen performed live with NIGHTWISH for the first time on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon. Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013.