In Hamburg’s heavy glam metal act Night Laser, Steamhammer/SPV has signed one of the most committed and hard-working German bands around right now. Founded in 2014, the quartet surrounding brothers Benno and Robert Hankers (vocals and bass) has released three studio albums to date and garnered an outstanding reputation as a live act at home and abroad.


Night Laser have already played more than 180 shows, having been to England three times, toured Italy and the Benelux countries, and delivered an awesome performance at the renowned Summer Breeze 2018. More recently, Night Laser were on a major European tour alongside DeVicious and Black Tiger in April 2022, with more shows scheduled for the coming months. Simultaneously, the musicians have started to write songs for their upcoming studio album, which is scheduled for release in spring 2023. “But there’ll probably be a lead single at the end of 2022,” says bassist Robert Hankers, already promising new material.


For him and his brother, signing the contract has been a real stroke of luck: “Lots of my favorite bands, like Freedom Call and The Unity, are with Steamhammer/SPV. This makes us even more thrilled to have signed with such a legendary label, where we feel we’re in perfect hands stylistically.”




Steamhammer label manager Olly Hahn is also pleased about this successful coup: “We’re proud and delighted to have enlisted Night Laser, one of the currently most committed new German metal bands, who have already proven their outstanding potential many times over with furioso live shows and three great studio albums. We look forward to a promising and fruitful collaboration.”


Photo from left to right: Frank Uhle (managing director SPV), Benno Hankers (vocals, Night Laser), Olly Hahn (label manager Steamhammer), Robert Hankers (bass, Night Laser)

Metalville Records has announced July 29 as the international release date for Live Fire, a brand new live album from Sweden's Torch.


Recorded at Sweden Rock Festival 2018, the Swedish metal legends present themselves in top form. The performance marked a triumphant return to the stage, and the overwhelming response from the many fans spurred the band on to deliver an exceptional performance. The show was recorded, but then put aside for the time being as the band was involved in work for their much-acclaimed comeback album Reignited.


Live Fire includes eight of the band's classics as well as a live version of "Feed The Flame," a song that was later included as a studio version on Reignited.




On Live Fire, Torch ignite a crashing firework. Raw, fast, heavy, and energetic - just as heavy metal should be.





Live Fire tracklisting:


"Beauty & The Beast"
"Mercenary"
"Feed The Flame"
"Battle Axe"
"Sweet Desire"
"Electrikiss"
"Thunderstruck"
"Watcher Of The Night"
"Warlock"


Lineup:


Dan Dark - vocals
Chris J First - guitar
Håkky - guitar
Ian Greg - bass
Steve Streaker - drums


(Photo - Robert Hellström)

With its driving hooks, twin lead guitars, lyrics saturated in working class lore, and the charismatic presence of singer/songwriter/bassist Phil Lynott, THIN LIZZY is undeniably one of the most influential bands in rock 'n' roll.

Mercury Studios salutes THIN LIZZY's legacy with the release of "Phil Lynott Songs For While I'm Away + Thin Lizzy The Boys Are Back In Town Live At The Sydney Opera House October 1978" on June 24. Pairing the acclaimed Phil Lynott documentary with a renowned live concert film, the set will be available as a 2xDVD+CD and Blu-ray+DVD+CD (with the Phil Lynott documentary on the Blu-ray).

"Songs For While I'm Away" chronicles the life and music of Phil Lynott, utilizing archival footage, interview snippets from the man himself, and music from both the THIN LIZZY and Phil Lynott solo catalog. Notable conversations with Midge Ure (ULTRAVOX, THIN LIZZY),Darren Wharton (THIN LIZZY),Scott Gorham (THIN LIZZY),Adam Clayton (U2),Huey Lewis (HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS),James Hetfield (METALLICA) and others, as well as Phil's wife Caroline Taraskevics and daughters Sarah Lynott and Cathleen Lynott reveal an all-encompassing look at Phil, from his 1950s' upbringing as a black boy in blue-collar Dublin to his rise to fame. Fully exploring his history and rippling impact on music, the film examines Lynott as a singer, songwriter, poet, father, and cultural icon.

Complementing this film is "The Boys Are Back In Town Live At The Sydney Opera House October 1978". Previously released on VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD, this version presents the show in the highest quality that has been made available, with not only cleaned up video and remixed audio from multi tracks, but five additional songs from this set that have never been officially released. This performance showcases the electricity of these original rock 'n' roll masters — Lynott, Scott Gorham (guitar, background vocals),Gary Moore (guitar / background vocals) and Mark Nauseef — delivering searing versions of their celebrated anthems, such as "Jailbreak", "The Boys Are Back In Town", "Bad Reputation" and "Me And The Boys".

Unveiling the story of Phil Lynott, then backing up the band's power and prowess with a dynamic performance, "Phil Lynott Songs For While I'm Away + Thin Lizzy The Boys Are Back In Town Live At The Sydney Opera House October 1978" echoes the importance of THIN LIZZY in the pantheon of rock music.

Ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing says that the band's upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame will bring about a "completeness" to the group's career. PRIEST will receive the Musical Excellence Award at the fall 2022 event, which will honor Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

In an interview with Danny Stoakes, Downing stated about the honor: "It brings about a completeness to a career after so long. It's no secret, we're all men of an age now — I'm 70 — and you start to look back. Together with winning several nominations and achieving a Grammy and the same thing happening now with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, I think it's job done."

The award for Musical Excellence — which was originally titled the "Sidemen" category when it debuted — is given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.

Back in 2010, when the Sidemen category was renamed the award for Musical Excellence, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation president Joel Peresman told The Plain Dealer the category "gives us flexibility to dive into some things and recognize some people who might not ordinarily get recognized."

JUDAS PRIEST is the second band to receive the award for Musical Excellence; the E STREET BAND was the first. Last year, late OZZY OSBOURNE and QUIET RIOT guitarist Randy Rhoads was one of the recipients of the Musical Excellence Award.

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

JUDAS PRIEST was previously on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year's class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

On Wednesday (May 4),K.K. told Eonmusic about PRIEST being inducted into the Rock Hall: "Yeah, it's one of those things, I think; it was like the Grammy; when you get nominated that amount of times and don't win, when you actually do win, it takes the edge off it a bit, because you've failed a lot of times. But it's better to score the goal at the end of the game. Laughs]"

Asked if it feels like "a real triumph" that he will be able to stand with his "brothers in music" to receive the award, Downing said: "I'm not sure, really. I hadn't thought about that. Is that going to happen? Is it? I think it's November, and a lot can happen between now and then, mate."

As for whether he is thinking about possibly strapping on the guitar and playing with the guys again at the event, Downing said: "I thought about it briefly, when we were nominated, what would happen. But like I say, it's November and a lot of things can happen between now and then, especially with men of an age like us. But I think it's just a question of seeing how everything lies when it comes to them, really, because a lot of things can happen between now and then — a lot of things could get better, but they could get worse, or stay the same. You never know, do you?"

When asked what being inducted into the Rock Hall means to him personally, K.K. said: "I'm particularly delighted because as far as I know, the nominees when we failed last time were me, Glenn [Tipton, guitar], Ian [Hill, bass] and Rob [Halford, vocals], and Scott [Travis, drums], and [former members] Les Binks and Dave Holland. In that case, I'm really quite delighted for my buddies, really; Les and Dave, bless him, even though he's not here [Dave passed away on 16th January 2018). Obviously, a lot of cherished memories, a lot of gigs together, you know. They were an integral part for a long time. Dave did a lot — from 'British Steel' [1980] onwards, and when you think about it, it's quite a while, through to 'Ram It Down' [1988], through the period of the wonderful decade of the Eighties. It was the glory times. Like I say, I'm pleased for Dave, and Les, really. Les was there on those important albums as well."

On Tuesday (May 3),Halford told Billboard that PRIEST's former members are welcome to be part of the induction, and he feels any animosities can be set aside for the occasion.

"They have every right to be a part of the event," he said. "I'm very pleased for everybody. There's no bitterness. There's no angst. There's not that kind of stuff that's lingering. If there is you have to push all that away. You have to push it to the side and just understand and accept and respect this wonderful opportunity and what it represents in terms of recognition and a celebration."

Halford went on to say that Tipton — who's battling Parkinson's disease but was on the road playing during the encores of PRIEST's latest North American tour — will likely attend the ceremony.

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."

During a new interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's "Metal Global", SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine assured fans that there is no more talk of retirement, as there was back in 2010 with what was purported to be a final album and a farewell tour that never quite took hold. "No, we scratched that word [retirement] out of our [vocabulary]," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It's not there. We don't think about it and we don't talk about it and we take it as it comes.

"Who would have thought two years after the pandemic… The pandemic is not gone, unfortunately, but two years after this long, long break… We played the last show before we started [our residency] in Las Vegas on the 5th of March, 2020 in Singapore; that was the last show," he continued. "So it's scary. We never had such a long break. And then all of a sudden you're back in front of an audience, in front of the fans. But then you know it feels so good, and it still feels so good after all these years.

"We're just growing older and we do what we do and we hope our fans enjoy it as much as we do," Klaus added. "But who would have thought we're still around after celebrating 50 years of being recording artists — our first album came out in 1972 and now 'Rock Believer' looks like it hits the big time with the fans and so many positive reviews from all over the world. And after all these years, who would have thought? And it's a wonderful thing.

"But all we know is [that] the road ahead is way shorter than what's behind us. And we never take it for granted —we never take success for granted. We work hard on what we do because we still love it and we still enjoy it. But it's what it is. And I think every artist knows what I'm talking about, because to go out there, play a great show for the fans and not let 'em down, it takes a lot of preparation, takes a lot of work. And being the singer, you try to make sure your pipes are in a good condition.

"It's a lot of things," Meine said. "And we don't know what the future will bring. Take a look at the next corner, and you never know what's going on. But right now, life is good. We have a great new album out there. And we have a lot of fun. We enjoy it."

Meine previously discussed SCORPIONS' aborted retirement in a 2018 interview with SiriusXM. "The thing is we have a much different view now," Klaus said. "And it's a young generation — that's the fuel that keeps us going, and it's really motivating.

"To be honest, every other year, you take a look around the corner: 'Can we do this?' 'Can we still deliver on the same high level, the way we used to do it?'" he admitted. "And that's the only way, and it's only fun if you can go out there and play a great rock show, wherever you do it. Like in the last couple of weeks, we had so much fun. But then you get sick on the road, like I did last year with the severe laryngitis. What can you do? There's not a chance. And then sometimes, of course, you ask yourself, 'How long can we do this?' Especially for singers — and I know I'm not the only one. But it's always, sometimes you ask yourself, 'Klaus, c'mon, how long can you keep up this level?' And then you go out there, everything feels good."

Circling back to SCORPIONS' 2010 "farewell tour" announcement, Klaus told SiriusXM: "Of course, we had our moment of doubt when we said, 'Okay. Maybe we should retire. Maybe this is a good moment.' And then we realized we were wrong, because there's still a lot of sting in the tail, so to speak, and it still feels good. There's such a demand for the SCORPIONS, and we're one of the few bands who play this global stage. If there wasn't this kind of demand, of course, there's no point after so many years, and you'd better go, 'Well, I go home and take it easy.' But there's such a strong demand and that really feels good and challenging — it's a challenge. Of course, you don't do it for the business. It's a good business, yes, but you don't do it for the business and for the money — you do it for the fun, you do it for what's inside of you, what's in your blood, what's in your veins, and that's the rock and roll music. And you wanna go out and play in front of an audience, because that's what it's all about."

SCORPIONS' latest album, "Rock Believer", was released on February 25. The album was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Nearly a decade after first floating the possibility of no longer hitting the road, horror-punk icon Glenn Danzig has hinted that his tour with CRADLE OF FILTH and CROBOT might be his last. "I don't think I'm going to tour anymore," he told Revolver magazine in a new interview. "I'm just going to fly out to a show here or there. I'll maybe be down to do some one-offs. But I just don't see myself getting on a tour bus anymore … Yeah. I think I'm done."

Danzig also stated that he is in no rush to make a new collection of original music. DANZIG's latest album, "Black Laden Crown", came out in May 2017 via Evilive Records/Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

"I write songs here and there," he said. "Lately, I seem to be writing more soundtrack stuff. I don't know that I'm ever going to do another album again. I might do an EP or I might just record some songs and put them out for free on the Internet. We'll see. It could be that right now I'm just not interested, and then a month from now I'll be in the studio. It depends. I've got to be excited about working in order to go do it. And right now I'm not that excited."

Glenn went on to say that there are "a bunch of different" reasons he is feeling less inspired to make new music. "I've been doing it so long, I've written so many songs — trying to get excited about it and bringing something new or something cool, it takes a little longer now," he said. "The other thing is that people are stealing music left and right. Nobody really buys music anymore. I still go in a real studio to record so I'm not some kid in my living room doing my record."

Acknowledging that "Black Laden Crown" seemed to be well received by his fans, Glenn said: "It came in Top 20 in Billboard, the first time since 'Danzig 4'. I don't know that it means that much anymore these days, because no one's buying, but it's kind of cool. People really liked 'Deth Red Sabaoth' [2010] and people really like 'Black Laden Crown'. So maybe I'll do an EP or something."

Danzig released a collection of Elvis Presley covers, "Danzig Sings Elvis", in April 2020 and has been focusing on making films, including last year's "Death Rider In The House Of Vampires" and his feature film directorial debut, "Verotika".

Glenn has been talking about the end of his touring career since at least 2015. At that time, he told Cleveland Scene: "I love being on stage and that's the great part of touring. I'll always do that. It's the bouncing around on a bus. That's the part I hate."

He continued: "I'm a workaholic. When you're on the road, you don't have all your stuff with you and you can't work.

"A long time ago, I stopped touring and my manager asked if I would tour if they let me fly home once in a while. We did a few West Coast tours and it worked. We tried it on a national level and it kind of works, so that's why we started doing shows again.

"If I retired, I would find other things to do. I just keep doing what I do."

Danzig added: "At some point, I'll stop touring. That's for sure."

DANZIG's U.S. tour, which kicked off last night (Thursday, May 5) in Reno, Nevada, will include a special show that will see Danzig and his bandmates perform the entire 1990 album "Danzig II: Lucifuge". The trek, featuring from CRADLE OF FILTH and CROBOT, will end on May 19 in Austin, Texas.

Last month, Glenn told the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire" that he is currently working on four different movie scripts, including sequels to "Death Rider In The House Of Vampires" and "Verotika".

When it debuted at the Cinepocalypse festival in Chicago in 2019, "Verotika" was compared by some reviewers to Tommy Wiseau's "The Room", the so-bad-it's-amazing drama which is considered one of the worst movies ever made.

Detroit death-doom force Temple Of Void’s Relapse debut, Summoning The Slayer, is out June 3rd. Today, Temple Of Void shares the second single “Hex, Curse, & Conjuration”, which can be heard below.


Temple Of Void comments: “This one is a banger. The shortest TOV song to date, I believe. Just ruthlessly stripped it down to the bare essentials. Ready to rip your face off on stage. Classic cave-man death metal harkening back to early Deicide and Morbid Angel output, but warped through the Temple Of Void perspective.”







The Michigan-based quintet featuring Alex Awn (guitars), Don Durr (guitars), Mike Erdody (vocals), Jason Pearce (drums), and Brent Satterly (bass), hunkered down during the last two years, expanding upon their brand of fusty, artfully brutish death-doom with equal parts process and imagination. The outcome is an album that feels massive yet sepulchral, exploratory yet distinguishable—as if crafted deep below and inspired by all the things (mentally and physically) that come with their subterranean endeavor. Summoning The Slayer creepily evolves Temple Of Void.


Produced, mixed, and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Sumerlands, Candy), Summoning The Slayer pairs long-time influences and a bevy of non-metal vectors into hulking columns of heavy and desolation. Focus tracks “Deathtouch”, “Hex, Curse, & Conjuration” and “The Transcending Horror” showcases Temple Of Void’s death-doom at its heights and their massive, crushing lows. But the group’s fourth album is more than that. The album’s capper, “Dissolution”, is one example of the Detroiters stretching out, the song’s ‘70s rock/singer-songwriter motifs hitting The Moody Blues and Nick Drake hard. Lyrically, Summoning The Slayer eschews commonplace horror tropes with a deeper, broader psychological discussion of the self. Temple Of Void’s ultimate death-doom metal journey is now complete.


Summoning The Slayer is out June 3 on LP/CD/CS/Digital. Physical pre-orders via Relapse.com are available here. Digital downloads/streaming at this location.





Tracklisting:


"Behind The Eye"
"Deathtouch"
"Engulfed"
"A Sequence Of Rot"
"Hex, Curse, & Conjuration"
"The Transcending Horror"
"Dissolution"


"Deathtouch" video:





(Photo - Brian Sheehan)


 

For more than two decades, Cult Of Luna has forged a sound that has grown incomparable to that of others. Ambitious, epic, visceral, drenched in emotion, and long regarded as one of Sweden's premiere metal acts, Cult Of Luna has a storied career with nine studio albums to their name, countless tours spanning the globe, and a win for "Best Metal Band of the Year" in Sweden, the band returned in 2022 with The Long Road North. Now, they're releasing an interactive gaming experience for the music video, "Cold Burn".


Instead of a traditional music video, Cult Of Luna creates an immersive audiovisual experience in collaboration with creative agency North Kingdom / NoA, where innovation and storytelling stand at their core.


The player's mission is to help a "lost light" to escape the darkness, and to find its way home through a dystopian maze. The player can also gather other lights and bring them to The Mother Light, at the center of the maze.




The single has been rebuilt in the real-time tool Unreal Engine, to dynamically adapt to how the player navigates the gaming experience's world. This makes each experience unique in the dynamic version.


The gaming experience can be found on Steam and is created by Swedish creative agency North Kingdom / NoA, with long-running experience of collaborating with gaming and tech companies such as EA, Riot Games, and Google.


"For as long as we have known Linus Johansson of North Kingdom, which spans from the Leave me here video in 2004, he's always tried to push interactivity and blur the line between the artist and the art. So it came as no surprise to us when he suggested making a video game out of the Cold burn video. "Go right ahead," we said and now we are as intrigued by the result as we hope you are," Johannes Persson of Cult of Luna comments.


Explore the gaming experience here.


(Photo - Silvia Grav)

Queen’s The Platinum Collection will be released on vinyl for the first time as a limited-edition 6LP coloured vinyl box set, on June 17 through EMI. Watch an unboxing video below.


Released for the first time on vinyl, Queen’s compilation The Platinum Collection, featuring all three of their Greatest Hits albums, shows their unrivalled track record of chart-topping, award-winning, record-breaking rock and pop classics. With four songwriters in the band – Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon - Queen created a glorious legacy of all-time anthems that still ring out across the ages. For past and future fans alike, they will rock you!


Living up to its name, The Platinum Collection was recently certified by the UK music industry organisation the BPI as having gone 8 x Platinum, representing sales of 2.4 million achieved since its June 2011 re-release as part of Queen’s 40th-anniversary celebrations.




June 17 will see the limited edition 6LP colour vinyl set released in a slipcase with brand new artwork. Each piece of vinyl will be a different colour and come in its own individually designed sleeve. The set also comes with an exclusive 24-page 12″ photo booklet.





Queen Greatest Hits, first released in 1981, is the best-selling album of all time in the UK, having sold over 6.8 million copies, with global sales in excess of 25 million. Spanning Queen’s triumphant first act, from 1974 to 1980, Greatest Hits includes some of the world’s most beloved rock standards, including the stadium-sized symphonic chart-topper "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the roof-raising "We Are The Champions", which was named the most catchy song of all time by a team of scientists in 2011. But this album also dazzles with its stylistically promiscuous range, from the crowd-rousing "We Will Rock You", the tongue in cheek "Fat Bottomed Girls", the stomp-stomp-stomp late 70’s disco-inspired "Another One Bites the Dust", to the finger-snapping jukebox retro-rock homage "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and the soaring, impassioned, gospel-fired Aretha-isms of "Somebody To Love".


Queen Greatest Hits II, originally released shortly before Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991, has sold over 19 million copies worldwide. It spans 1981 to 1991, the period which followed Queen having dropped their famous no synthesizers rule elevating them to new heights of creativity. Opening up their guitar-heavy sound to embrace funk, disco and electronics resulted in rich rewards, transforming these former Seventies glam rockers into a glossy, streamlined, emphatically contemporary super-group. Rebooted and rewired, Queen produced some of their most immortal hits during this imperial Eighties phase. Built around an improvised studio jam, their infectious David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure" became a global chart-topping smash. The retro-futurist epic "Radio Gaga" and the humorously romantic "I Want To Break Free" stand as testaments to their early mastery of synthesizers, while the muscular ripcord riffs of "Hammer To Fall" and octave-vaulting grand-piano acrobatics of "It’s a Hard Life" are vintage Queen both sonically and lyrically. Officially the tenth best-selling album of all time in the UK, Greatest Hits 2 also features the tender sentiments of "Friends Will Be Friends", the planet-sized synth-rock fanfares of "One Vision", and the heroically defiant swan song "The Show Must Go On", featuring Freddie in his last days still playing shamelessly to the gallery.


Queen Greatest Hits III, rarely available on vinyl, features their latter-day songs, the band members’ solo hits and the band’s collaborations with other artists including Elton John, Montserrat Caballé, George Michael and Wyclef Jean.


Undimmed by time or fashion, The Platinum Collection is a reminder that Queen were always colourful, always dynamic, always ablaze with passion and pride.





Coming soon, Queen - The Platinum Collection. Complete Scores Collector’s Edition.


At last... a collector's edition fit for Queen!.The new Queen Platinum Collection is a hardcover edition featuring full-band transcriptions for nearly 50 classics from the iconic band. Every instrument, every note, every lyric, and every nuance of every song is carefully transcribed. It's beautifully packaged in a protective sturdy slipcase.





Available for pre-order here.

Ritual doom metal act Frayle announce they have aligned forces with The Oracle Management, and are now part of the roster that also includes Cradle Of Filth, DevilDriver, Jinjer, Wednesday 13 and more; all represented by co-owners of The Oracle Management Dez and Anahstasia Fafara.


The signing comes as Frayle gets ready to release a new album, Skin & Sorrow, on July 8th via Aqualamb Records.


Says Dez Fafara of signing the band, “Frayle is one of the best bands I’ve heard in a very long time and the exact type of music that I seek out to personally listen to! The visuals behind the band, along with the musicianship and Gwyn fronting, makes Frayle a band that is a must-see live. We at The Oracle Management look forward to guiding their career and watching them succeed. Please catch them live as special guests of Cradle Of Filth, dates below! Special thank you goes to Jeremy Saffer for introducing us to the band and their music. For dark hearts everywhere I present Frayle!” 







In one of the first orders of business, Frayle has joined on for the upcoming Cradle Of Filth Existence Is Futile Headlining Tour, on the off dates from COF’s trek with Danzig. The tour begins May 12th and hits 17 cities across North America – full details are below.


Says Frayle, “Music is magick. We look forward to conjuring the Heavy Witch Doom as we share the stage with the legendary Cradle Of Filth.”


And Dani Filth adds, “We are extremely excited for Frayle to be sharing our headline dates across the U.S. and Canada as we very much enjoy introducing bands with a flair for the beauteous, the unusual and the downright heavy. And Frayle ticks all these boxes with massive aplomb! Joining them will be Chicago’s rabid thrash metal outfit Misfire, making for an awesomely eclectic touring party! See you there!”


Recently Frayle released the single and music video for “Skin & Sorrow”, the title track from their upcoming release. Directed by Frayle, the video is set in a barren field below a dead gray sky as frontwoman Gwyn Strang dons her best Puritanical ensemble while casting a number of spells, not the least of which is on the viewer entranced by her hypnotic mystique.





Catch Frayle on their upcoming tour with Cradle Of Filth. The full run of shows this spring is as follows:


May 
12 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave / Eagles Club 
20 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom 
22 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater 
23 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot 
25 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox 
26 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
29 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theatre
30 - Saskatoon, SK - Coors Event Centre


June
1 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue 
2 - Joliet, IL - The Forge 
3 - Flint, MI - The Machine Shop 
4 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House 
6 - Montréal, QC - Théâtre Corona 
7 - Quebec City, QC - Impérial Bell 
9 - Albany, NY - Empire Live 
10 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place 
11 - Harrisburg, PA - Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center 





 

Melodic death metal band, Blackwater Drowning, have unveiled the details for their debut album.


The North Carolina-based outfit is pleased to announce that their first full-length effort, titled Sonder//Satori, will see a July 8 release via Blood Blast Distribution. The first single from the upcoming LP, "Aberrant Leaves", will be released next week.


Commenting on Sonder//Satori, vocalist Morgan Riley shares: “We are so excited to finally release our debut full-length album! This is a culmination of all our collective years writing music separately and as a group, and we couldn’t be more proud. Sonder//Satori is a collection of songs about a wide range of subjects, ranging from addiction, betrayal, abuse of power, astrophysics, the corporate rat race, and personal growth. Sonder means realizing every stranger you meet has a life as vivid and fully realized as your own, and Satori is the inner experience of enlightenment, indescribable and unintelligible to reason and logic. Together, we felt it really spoke to the overall theme of wonder, growth, and great personal revelations, both good and bad. We are so thrilled to be partnering with Blood Blast for this release and can’t wait to see where we go together!”







Sonder//Satori tracklisting:


"The Fifth Element"
"Abyssal" (Feat. Brian Kingsland)
"Mortal Coil"
"Snake Juice"
"Saint"
"The Caged"
"Aberrant Leaves"
"Voyager"


- Album Artwork by Dixon Jong at Intuitive Designs
- Produced by Garrett Barefooot & John Berrier (Blackplate Production)


Lineup:


Morgan Riley - Vocals
Aria Novi - Bass & Vocals
Jeremy Bennett - Guitar
Ron Dalton - Guitar

Unbowed is a melodic death/black metal band formed in Guelph, ON, Canada in 2011. The band has to date released two full-length albums, two EPs, and two Singles. Unbowed consists of Ioan Tetlow (Vocals), Steven Rowlands (Guitars), Aiden Watkinson (Bass), Alex Snape (Guitars), and Cory Hofing (Drums). Unbowed is now gearing up to release their third full-length album and strongest effort to date, the ten song LP Colour The Soul. BraveWords is premiering new single and video for “The Holy Momentum” featuring Mother Of All’s Frederik Jensen – watch below!





The band comments:




“This song takes up the responsibility to represent the concept of ‘Lich’ which concerns itself with mind and body synchronicity. This concept can be found within ancient concepts leading back to the ancient myths of Mesopotamia. It is the symbolism of two serpents endlessly chasing one another, it is the DNA helix, etc. The symbol indicates movement, and an endless chase; thus creating a generation of energy and power, a concept crucial to the creation of all art forms. This is the left brain, right brain, Apollo and Dionysus, or mind and body. In order for one to generate the power and energy needed to go the distance along the journey, the soul must be nurtured by the experiences and stresses put on both mind and body. This song represents the endurance through all forms of extreme resistance against the path forward.”


Colour the Soul features artwork by illustrator Marta Sokołowska. Marta was also responsible for the artwork on Unbowed’s debut self-titled EP released in 2013. The album was written and recorded by Unbowed at Nomadic Arts Studios in Guelph, ON, Canada. Featuring guest appearances from Joel Violette (Thrawsunblat, Woods of Ypres), Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns (Finntroll, And Oceans, Dispyt) and Frederik Jensen (Mother Of All, Plained). The album was mixed and mastered by Alex Snape.


Preorder Colour The Soul on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Hero Lux”
“Eigi Einhamr”
“Fire Of Wode”
“Stream Of Life / Flow Of Death”
“The Holy Momentum” (feat. Frederik Jensen)
“As I Step Mountains Sway” (feat. Joel Violette)
“Home”
“The Anthem Of I”
“Umbra Cruciata” (feat. Mathias “Vreth” Lillmans)
“The Mourning Shade”

Colorado’s Buried Realm has a third album coming out, and like its two predecessors, it is chock full of heavy riffs, whiplash-inducing drums, and solos performed by a multitude of talented guests from around the world. This latest, self-titled offering has a third single entitled “Poison Palace”, which features the furious guitar work of Obscura’s Christian Münzner and drums by Heikki Saari (Finntroll). The man behind the project, Josh Dummer explains the track:


“It is the most abrasive and intense Buried Realm song. Lyrically, it is about people becoming chemically dependent, believing there is no other cure for their ailments. Ultimately, driving people to the point of mind-warping insanity.”


It is fitting that Münzner took up guitar duties on this track, it is a violent display of adrenaline and devastatingly heavy solos. Throughout the rest of the album, guests include musicians such as Dan Swanö and Christopher Amott (Dark Tranquillity, ex-Arch Enemy).




Dummer, who writes and performs all the music aside from drums, which are performed by Heikki Saari, says that his writing process usually stems from a riff/melody or beat. He quickly scratches tracks from what he hears to get the ideas down. Then he sorts through the files and builds them up in a DAW.


Previously, Buried Realm has released Embodiment Of The Divine in 2020 and The Ichor Carcinoma in 2017. All three albums have parallels both musically and lyrically and feature some of the same guests. On this third album, the biggest difference would be much better production.


With a gamut of musical influences ranging from Opeth to Kreator to Symphony X to old-school hair metal, Buried Realm is recommended for fans of Scar Symmetry, Children of Bodom, and Nevermore.


The self-titled album will be available on June 3, 2022.





Tracklisting:


"Entrance"
"Spectral Light"
"Poison Palace"
"The Iron Flame"
"Witch Bones"
"Where the Armless Phantoms Glide"
"Elder Gods"
"Quicksand Memory"
"He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)" (Alice Cooper cover)


"Poison Palace":





"Quicksand Memory":





"Spectral Light" lyric video:





Recording credits:


- All songs performed by: Josh Dummer
- All songs written by: Josh Dummer
- Produced by: Josh Dummer
- Mixed by: Ronnie Björnström
- Mastered by: Ronnie Björnström
- Album Artwork by: Pär Olofsson


Album band lineup:


- Josh Dummer - All instruments and vocals
- Heikki Saari - Drums


Guest performances:


- Bob Katsionis (Witch Bones)
- Christian Münzner (Poison Palace)
- Christofer Malmström (Elder Gods)
- Christopher Amott (The Iron Flame/ Quicksand Memory)
- Dan Swanö (Where the Armless Phantoms Glide)
- Dean Arnold (Spectral Light, Primalfrost)

During yesterday's (Tuesday, May 3) edition of "The Nightly Nuge", a news-style clip in which legendary rocker Ted Nugent offers his take on the news of our world every night, he was asked to name the best guitar player he has ever seen. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's so many. I'm gonna go ahead and give it to Eddie Van Halen because he was so diverse in not only his histrionics but his groove. He had an unbelievable organic sense of rhythm in his delivery of not just exciting lead guitar parts but his grind of a grooving rhythm as a white kid. He really defied the history of who can groove like that. 'Cause I come from the world of The Funk Brothers of Motown, so I know what the gods of groove look and sound like. And Eddie Van Halen, the times I jammed with him, and just listening to the records, you can tell he had an unbelievable, uncannySuperman sense of rhythm beyond just his outrageous athleticism on the guitar neck."

Two years ago, when Nugent was asked in an interview with Bushnell to name the greatest guitar player of all time, he said: "There are so many miracle workers on the guitar, and I've jammed with the best. I got to jam with B.B. King. I played bass with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley. I got to jam with Steve Winwood. I played with Stevie Ray Vaughan. I jammed with Eddie Van Halen and Billy Gibbons. I've been on stage with AEROSMITH, with Brad [Whitford] and Joe [Perry]. I've been on stage with HEART and played with those guys. I jammed for an hour with John Entwistle at the NAMM show in California years ago. I played with Brian May. There's so many gifted virtuosos. Derek St. Holmes, who was with me for years, is one of the greatest guitar players that ever lived. Rickey Medlocke, who was with BLACKFOOT, created incredible music with BLACKFOOT and now with LYNYRD SKYNYRD. Tommy Shaw, my fellow Damn Yankee, is just an unbelievable guitar virtuoso.

"So I've really been to the mountain top. I know that the founding fathers — Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Duane Eddy, Lonnie Mack — these guys invented this stuff, so we owe them everything.

"There's just so many unbelievably impacting, musically stimulating adventurous guitar masters out there. I've already named — I don't know, what have I named? Forty of 'em. There are so many that I revere them all.

"Dave Amato with REO SPEEDWAGON. Dave Amato played with me on the 'Little Miss Dangerous' tour and the 'Penetrator' tour. And people might not know the name Dave Amato, but what he plays with REO SPEEDWAGON is as good as any guitar playing on the planet. And I revere and admire those guys."

In a 1987 interview with Guitar World, Nugent called Jimi Hendrix "a master craftsman, a pilot of an emotional roller coaster who came the closest to anyone in the history of the guitar to master the unlimited dimensions of the tonal and lyrical capabilities of the instrument." As for Eddie Van Halen, Ted said the VAN HALEN axeman was "a contemporary leader of the pack with as much impact as any individual guitar player who ever lived — an innovator when innovation seemed to be attacked, an inspiration to every guitar player who wants to take the lyrical interpretation of the instrument beyond its confines." Nugent also weighed in on Yngwie Malmsteen, calling the Swedish six-stringer "a sensational technician — an innovative adapter of classical Baroque into a rock 'n' roll contemporary flash."

Nugent's new studio album, "Detroit Muscle", was released on April 29 via Pavement Music.

Ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing says that he is "delighted" to be inducted, along with his former bandmates, into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year. 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.

In an interview with Eonmusic conducted earlier today, Downing stated about the honor: "Yeah, it's one of those things, I think; it was like the Grammy; when you get nominated that amount of times and don't win, when you actually do win, it takes the edge off it a bit, because you've failed a lot of times. But it's better to score the goal at the end of the game. Laughs]"

Asked if it feels like "a real triumph" that he will be able to stand with his "brothers in music" to receive the award, Downing said: "I'm not sure, really. I hadn't thought about that. Is that going to happen? Is it? I think it's November, and a lot can happen between now and then, mate."

As for whether he is thinking about possibly strapping on the guitar and playing with the guys again at the event, Downing said: "I thought about it briefly, when we were nominated, what would happen. But like I say, it's November and a lot of things can happen between now and then, especially with men of an age like us. But I think it's just a question of seeing how everything lies when it comes to them, really, because a lot of things can happen between now and then — a lot of things could get better, but they could get worse, or stay the same. You never know, do you?"

When asked what being inducted into the Rock Hall means to him personally, K.K. said: "I'm particularly delighted because as far as I know, the nominees when we failed last time were me, Glenn [Tipton, guitar], Ian [Hill, bass] and Rob [Halford, vocals], and Scott [Travis, drums], and [former members] Les Binks and Dave Holland. In that case, I'm really quite delighted for my buddies, really; Les and Dave, bless him, even though he's not here [Dave passed away on 16th January 2018). Obviously, a lot of cherished memories, a lot of gigs together, you know. They were an integral part for a long time. Dave did a lot — from 'British Steel' [1980] onwards, and when you think about it, it's quite a while, through to 'Ram It Down' [1988], through the period of the wonderful decade of the Eighties. It was the glory times. Like I say, I'm pleased for Dave, and Les, really. Les was there on those important albums as well."

The award for Musical Excellence — which was originally titled the "Sidemen" category when it debuted — is given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.

Back in 2010, when the Sidemen category was renamed the award for Musical Excellence, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation president Joel Peresman told The Plain Dealer the category "gives us flexibility to dive into some things and recognize some people who might not ordinarily get recognized."

JUDAS PRIEST is the second band to receive the award for Musical Excellence; the E STREET BAND was the first. Last year, late OZZY OSBOURNE and QUIET RIOT guitarist Randy Rhoads was one of the recipients of the Musical Excellence Award.

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

JUDAS PRIEST was previously on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year's class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

On Tuesday (May 3),Halford told Billboard that PRIEST's former members are welcome to be part of the induction, and he feels any animosities can be set aside for the occasion.

"They have every right to be a part of the event," he said. "I'm very pleased for everybody. There's no bitterness. There's no angst. There's not that kind of stuff that's lingering. If there is you have to push all that away. You have to push it to the side and just understand and accept and respect this wonderful opportunity and what it represents in terms of recognition and a celebration."

Halford went on to say that Tipton — who's battling Parkinson's disease but was on the road playing during the encores of PRIEST's latest North American tour — will likely attend the ceremony.

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."

Iberian black/death metal outfit Noctem has joined the MNRK Heavy roster with plans to release their sixth full-length later this year.


Comments the band, “Brothers and sisters, this is a new beginning and a big step forward on the ungodly path that Noctem has been following for the last twenty years. We walk this path of thorns with joy and armed with faith and fury. And now, everything is ready, we are ready, more avid for blood and lust than ever. Today we rise once again without redemption, with our arms open to embrace fate and these chaotic times. We are eager to share this new work with you who have chosen us. Soon we have more news… until then, stay true, stay wild, stay impenitent.”


MNRK Heavy’s Scott Givens, SVP, Rock & Metal, Music says, “Noctem have long been an artist I have had great respect for and when the opportunity came to join forces with them, MNRK Heavy seized it without question."




Based out of Valencia, Spain, Noctem has a vast career spanning more than two decades with an impressive discography consisting of five full-length studio albums, two demos, and one live LP, all centered on topics of ancient civilizations, mythology, and misanthropy. The band has previously worked with the likes of Prosthetic and Metal Blade Records.


Standing among the most active metal acts in Spain, the band has toured relentlessly over the years sharing stages with such metal luminaries as Marduk, Batushka, Napalm Death, Immolation, and many others throughout Europe, Asia, Russia, and North America, as well as having appeared at numerous major metal festivals around the globe.


Further info on the band’s upcoming new full-length will be unveiled in the coming weeks. You have been warned.  


Noctem:
Beleth - vocals
Varu - bass
Voor - drums
Moss - guitars
Tobal - guitars

During a new appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ, GHOST leader Tobias Forge was asked how many "stage members" he has had in his band over the years. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "How many stage members? I don't know exactly — 15 maybe. Something like that. But on the recordings, I've used the same drummer for most records — a guy named Ludvig Kennberg. But he's been drumming on the majority of the records — from the first one to the third one, fourth one, and one of the EPs and stuff in the middle — but never with us live. So that relationship is sort of one standalone thing that feels like… Whenever we get together and we're recording, it feels like a great… 'Here we are again.' That is sort of one thing, and then the live band has always been different."

Regarding how he goes about choosing the musicians for GHOST, Tobias said: "If we were to change anyone now, it would have most likely been on recommendation, because there's definitely a combination… Originally, I put a band together [which] was based more on proximity than ability or professionality. And that will end up being a problem if you're not very lucky and you sort of just end up being RUSH — three best friends ever just being the greatest band together as well. But that is not very common…

"Basically, what is very important for me nowadays, and I've been trying to do this for the most part… And to be clear, I obviously look to the band first, but to me, the crew is very much an extension of the band," he explained. "And just overall, I'm very, very picky when it comes to people and attitudes amongst the band and the crew so that we have a very sturdy, friendly, professional team for the most part. I mean, obviously, on a big tour like this where it's 40 people — our buses is about 40 people, even more so — and then we have two [other] bands with us, of course, amongst 50 [or] 60 people, I can't curate everyone. But I'm really, really trying to get people that aren't privy to bullying and screaming and being a fucking dick."

Back in 2017, Forge was sued by four former members of GHOST after being dismissed by the group's founder the previous December. They accused the singer of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the band's album releases and world tours. The lawsuit was filed in the district court of Linköping, Sweden, where GHOST was originally based. It claimed that a partnership agreement existed between Forge and the four former members, all of whom performed anonymously in the band as Nameless Ghouls. As a result of the lawsuit, Forge was forced to reveal his identity after years of performing in a mask as Papa Emeritus. He has maintained that "no legal partnership" ever existed between him and the other members, that they were paid a fixed salary to perform as his backing band, and that they were essentially session musicians.

Forge later told The Pulse Of Radio that the lawsuit only inspired him to work harder at making GHOST a success. "I had a situation that urgently told me to salvage the situation and reclaim what is mine and also justify that it was mine to begin with," he said. "It's just growing pains, and all this has just been — it's the result of things going well, not the opposite."

GHOST is continuing to tour in support of its fifth album, "Impera", 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.

Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

American heavy metal band, Lords Of The Trident, have released the final single and music video from their new album, The Offering. Fans can check out the new music video for "Dance Of Control" below.





"For our final music video drop we decided to go out with a bang, so we rented a mansion to film the very aristocratic-sounding 'Dance Of Contol'! This was filmed at the Paine Mansion in Oshkosh, WI. Unfortunately they didn't have a harpsichord on the premise, so you'll just have to imagine us in full armour shredding those parts, haha!" - Fang VonWrathenstein (vocals)







With The Offering finally released worldwide, Lords Of The Trident have spared no time engaging with their fans through a new campaign that puts their loyal supporters first.


Last month, at the overwhelming behest of the fans, the band launched a 30-day Kickstarter campaign with the goal of raising funds to press The Offering on vinyl. Lords Of The Trident are thrilled to share that the vinyl Kickstarter has already reached its goal, raising over $10,000 in less than 24 hours.





Now a new stretch goal has been established ($25,000), at which point the band will print their 2015 LP Frostburn on an ice-cold blue vinyl. The Kickstarter for the vinyl fundraiser can be found here.

















Lords Of The Trident have also announced the first wave of their 2022 tour dates. The band's return to live shows this year began with an epic album release show on April 2, where they were joined by none other than Grant Truesdell of Unleash The Archers. See below for the band's upcoming live shows, and expect to hear more announcements very soon.


Dates:


May
28 – Cincinnati, OH – Urban Artifact Brewing
29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café


July
28 – Minneapolis, MN – Amsterdam
29 – Duluth – Caddy Shack


August
19 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon

Professionally filmed video of METALLICA performing the song "Creeping Death" on April 30 at Campo Argentino de Polo in, Buenos Aires, Argentina can be seen below.

Buenos Aires was the second stop on METALLICA's South American tour, which kicked off three days earlier in Santiago, Chile.

METALLICA's setlist for the Buenos Aires concert:

01. Whiplash
02. Ride The Lightning
03. Fuel
04. Seek & Destroy
05. Holier Than Thou
06. One
07. Sad But True
08. Moth Into Flame
09. The Unforgiven
10. For Whom The Bell Tolls
11. Creeping Death
12. No Leaf Clover
13. Master Of Puppets

Encore:

14. Spit Out The Bone
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.

Finnish/British/Dutch symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH kicked off the North American leg of their "Human. :II: Nature." world tour last night (Wednesday, May 4) at History in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Fan-filmed video of the concert is available below.

NIGHTWISH's setlist was as follows:

01. Noise
02. Planet Hell
03. Tribal
04. Élan
05. Storytime
06. She Is My Sin
07. Harvest
08. 7 Days To The Wolves
09. Dark Chest Of Wonders
10. I Want My Tears Back
11. Ever Dream
12. Nemo
13. How's The Heart? (Acoustic)
14. Shoemaker
15. Last Ride Of The Day
16. Ghost Love Score
17. The Greatest Show On Earth

NIGHTWISH's North American tour will make stops in Montreal, New York, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco before concluding in Los Angeles for two back-to-back shows at The Wiltern on May 20 and May 21. Joining the band as the special guest are fellow Finns BEAST IN BLACK.

Last July, NIGHTWISH played a special "secret" concert in Oulu, Finland as a warm-up for its festival appearances in Finland. The gig marked NIGHTWISH's first fan-attended show in more than two and a half years. It was also NIGHTWISH's first proper concert with session bassist Jukka Koskinen's (WINTERSUN),who stepped into the group as the replacement for longtime NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist Marko "Marco" Hietala. Hietala announced his departure from the band in January 2021, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now."

Koskinen made his live debut with NIGHTWISH at the band's two interactive experiences in May 2021. The shows reportedly drew 150,000 viewers, setting the record for the largest paid virtual concert in Finland's history. Most of the viewers came from Europe and North America, but the performance was a truly global event, with fans in 108 countries purchasing tickets to the show and the box office gross exceeding one million euro.

In May 2021, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave the band "came as a bit of a surprise." He told Finland's Kaaos TV: "Marko informed us in December [of 2020 that he was leaving the band]. And even though he has been very open about his state and problems during the past years, it still came as a bit of a surprise for us. So it was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

NIGHTWISH's latest album, "Human. :II: Nature.", was released in April 2020. The follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", "Human. :II: Nature." is a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters, on CD 2.

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford spoke about his appreciation for the Swedish occult metal band GHOST. He said: "I'm so happy for [GHOST leader] Tobias [Forge], to see his ambition and his dreams become so real. He's worked really hard to make GHOST into this worldwide experience, you know? And the guy's a great talent, fantastic performer on stage. [His] songwriting… the records are wonderful. I've been following his career since way back."

Back in 2018, Halford said he was hoping to work with Forge at some point in the not-too-distant future. "I was in the dressing room with Tobias from GHOST, and we talked about collaborative opportunities," he said. "It's fun for musicians to step into each other's world. It's like different football teams — it's the same game but a different play. I'm just very curious to see where my voice can fit in."

Two years ago, Forge confirmed that he "spent some time" hanging out with Halford. "That was cool," he said. "He's a fan of GHOST, which is crazy, because saying I'm a fan of his is an understatement."

In a 2018 interview with France's "Heavy1" radio show, Forge praised PRIEST's songwriting skills while discussing his appreciation for music from the 1980s. He said: "I am a big fan of what most people would regard as 'well-written' music. I like music that moves me and makes me feel things and, more than often, it's music that, I guess, falls within a certain sort of pattern, but that could be anything from FLEETWOOD MAC to VENOM. But, yes, I do appreciate a song that has a little bit of a standardized sort of dramaturgical pattern. But I think pop music… I think that JUDAS PRIEST writes pop music. They have a very pop sensibility to their music."

Halford has always been a great supporter of young talent, telling Metal Hammer magazine four years ago that the heavy metal scene was "in great shape." He said: "We've seen metal grow from basically two bands — ourselves and BLACK SABBATH — and it's fantastic that wherever you go in the world now there are metal bands of all different sizes.

"I'm listening to POWER TRIP, I really like what they're doing, and even they reference the roots of metal in their work. I love ELECTRIC WIZARD from the U.K. It's so diverse, and I love it all as well.

"I'm more of a classic metal guy, but I like what a band like IN THIS MOMENT, who I worked with recently [on a song called 'Black Wedding'], are doing. Across the board, metal is in great shape."