During an appearance earlier today (Thursday, April 28) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show, BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler reflected on the making of the band's final album, "13". Released in 2013, it was SABBATH's first LP in 35 years to feature Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and singer Ozzy Osbourne.

Speaking about working with legendary producer Rick Rubin, who is notorious for being very "in and out" of the studio while records are being made, Geezer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Some of it I liked, some of it I didn't like particularly. It was a weird experience, especially with being told to forget that you're a heavy metal band. That was the first thing [Rick] said to us. He played us our very first album, and he said, 'Cast your mind back to then when there was no such thing as heavy metal or anything like that, and pretend it's the follow-up album to that,' which is a ridiculous thing to think."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that many other artists who have worked with Rubin walked away from the experience feeling a bit underwhelmed, Butler said: "I still don't know what he did. It's, like, 'Yeah, that's good.' 'No, don't do that.' And you go, 'Why?' [And he'd say], 'Just don't do it.' I think Ozzy one day went nuts 'cause he'd done, like, 10 different vocals, and Rick kept saying, 'Yeah, that's great, but do another one.' And Ozzy was, like, 'If it's great, why am I doing another one?' He just lost it. And that's the way it was. Tony wasn't happy with some of the stuff he was trying to make him play. He was making Tony get 1968 amps — as if that's gonna make it sound like back in 1968. It's mad. But it's good for publicity and it's good for the record company. If you've got Rick Rubin involved, then it must be good, kind of thing."

In an official documentary chronicling the making of the "13" album, Geezer was more complimentary about collaborating with Rubin, saying: "It's great with Rick Rubin in charge. He's got a great track record and he comes up with some great ideas. Some work, some don't, but it's worth trying."

When Iommi was asked about working with Rubin in a 2013 interview with Guitar Player magazine, he said: "It was fine once we got used to him. We didn't know how he was going to work, because through the writing period, we didn't see a lot of him. He'd say, 'Phone me up when you've got an idea and I'll come down.' So we'd have a track together and phone him up or e-mail him, and then he'd come down and say, 'Yeah, I like this part, but I don't like that part' or 'I like everything,' whatever it may be, and then he'd go. He was only there perhaps ten or 15 minutes at the most. We didn't know how he was going to approach recording. It was all a bit of a mystery to us… It's sort of left to the last minute, and then he throws it at you. He just pushes that much more, and that's difficult for a band like us. We've been around so long, it's hard to accept criticism from somebody we've never worked with. But we did, and it was good. It was really good. We might be working on a track, and he'd go, 'Oh no, it doesn't feel right. Try it again and try extending that part.' So we'd do it and then we'd be thinking to ourselves that it may be too long, but we'd do it anyway. And then he'd go, 'That doesn't feel right. Let's try another one.' And then he'd say, 'Okay I think we've got it, but do you want to just try another one?' So we would try another one, and he'd say, 'Okay, let's leave it now.' So we never knew exactly which one he was going to pick."

Asked in a 2021 interview with SPIN if he had learned anything from working with Rubin, Iommi quipped: "Yeah, I learned how to lie on the couch with a mic in my hand and say 'Next!' ... It was just different, the way he works. He wanted to find the original SABBATH sound. He said, 'Have you got your original amps?' I said, 'Rick, that was 50 years ago. Do you have any amps from 50 years ago? … I don't have them, they've blown up. They're gone long ago. I've got my own amps now.' He said, 'No, we need the old stuff.'

"So, I get to the studio, and there are 20 different bloody amps there. He goes, 'They're vintage amps.' I said, 'That doesn't mean they sound good; they're just old.' He went, 'Well, let's try them.' I tried them, and I didn't like any of them.

"So it was a bit of a backwards and forwards till he got used to me, and I got used to him, really," Iommi added. "But we did it, and the album was very basic. I'd done a lot of the songs from the last album in my studio at home. I thought the sound was better, to be honest. But there was more stuff involved; I put more instruments on it. He just wanted it very bare and very basic, which you know, was good."

Original SABBATH drummer Bill Ward in May 2012 announced that he was declining to join his former bandmates for its scheduled dates, as well as the recording of the new album, due to a contractual dispute. After SABBATH shot down Rubin's suggestion to replace Ward with Ginger Baker (CREAM) ("I thought, 'Bloody hell?'" Iommi told Rolling Stone magazine. "I just couldn't see that."),Rick suggested RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk.

A little over a decade ago, SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor blasted Rubin after they worked together on the band's 2004 album, "Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)", saying that "Rick Rubin showed up for 45 minutes a week. Rick Rubin would then, during that 45 minutes, lay on a couch, have a mic brought in next to his face so he wouldn't have to fucking move. I swear to God. And then he would be, like, 'Play it for me.' The engineer would play it. And he had shades on the whole time. Never mind the fact that there is no sun in the room it's all dark. You just look like an asshole at that point. And he would just stroke his huge beard and try and get as much food out of it as he could. And he would go, 'Play it again.' And then he'd be, like, 'Stop! Do that over.' And he had an assistant who was seven feet tall. He had that disease where you can't grow hair on your body, so he was just bald. He looked like Mr. Clean's neurotic cousin. But he basically ran Rick Rubin's life like, he was just fucking on it, on it, on it, on it. About half way through our precious 45 minutes, he would bring in this plate of shit. I assume it was food. It was bluish green. It smelled like someone had just plunged a fucking toilet somewhere. And he would eat it as fast as he could just get it in there, all over himself. Which is, when you're working, so wonderful to look at…"

Taylor added: "I will say this: I respect what Rick Rubin has done, I respect the work that he has done in the past to get to where he is now. But this is a huge but this is a J.Lo-sized 'but...' I will say this: The Rick Rubin of today is a thin, thin, thin shadow of the Rick Rubin that he was. He is overrated, he is overpaid, and I will never work with him again as long as I fucking live."

Rubin has worked with numerous artists over the years, including AC/DC, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, Johnny Cash, SLAYER, METALLICA and many more.

Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" was released that working with Rubin took some getting used to. "It was definitely frustrating at first, because Rick is kind of renowned for taking his time and, you know, we definitely took our time on this one, with six and a half months," he said. He sat us down, he's like, 'Do you realize that you can be just as extreme with a whisper as you can with a scream? The heavy stuff, you're obviously very good at, but at the same time, we're gonna break outside of this box.'"

SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root told Revolver magazine in 2008: "Rick was really attentive to what we needed as a band.... A lot of the guys in the band say Rick was unavailable. And yeah, he takes on a lot of projects at one time, but he also does things that are beneficial. He would listen to what we'd done, then have us retrack things that needed work. He's kind of like Big Brother up on the hill. Even though he wasn't there physically every day, he was."

In that same interview, Taylor said: "I wouldn't know what it's like to work with Rick Rubin. I only saw him about four times. Rick Rubin is a nice man. He's done a lot of good for a lot of people. He didn't do anything for me... if you're going to produce something, you're fucking there. I don't care who you are."


Thank you @geezerbutler for coming by my Vegas place today and joining me on #TrunkNation ! If you missed it now on the @SIRIUSXM app. Replay tonight 10-Mid ET @siriusxmvolume 106. Geez at 11P ET. Just another day at work in Vegas… awesome!! pic.twitter.com/a8NuK6aXFh

— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) April 28, 2022

"Waiting For A Girl Like You", “Urgent", "Break It Up", "Juke Box Hero". Foreigner’s timeless anthems continue to rock the charts, with ten multi-platinum albums, sixteen Top 30 hits and album sales now exceeding 80 million copies.


Now, as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the groundbreaking album, Foreigner 4, the band releases The Best Of Foreigner 4 Live: The Last Vegas Edition, a very special digitally recorded and mastered live performance of these principal tracks on a stunning red vinyl edition available at Walmart on May 6.


One of Foreigner’s most iconic works, 4 is certified eight times platinum by the RIAA making it one of the biggest rock albums of all time. It spent more weeks at #1 than any artist in the history of Atlantic Records, outpacing such giants of the era as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Genesis and many more.




The Best Of Foreigner 4 Live: The Las Vegas Edition includes several unique performances such as "Waiting For A Girl Like You" with a 56-piece orchestra and chorus. Other highlights include the opening songs, "Night Life" and "Woman In Black", which together illustrate the weight and musicality of this incredible band. One of the most important tracks is a stunning performance of "Juke Box Hero" featuring Led Zeppelin’s heir apparent, Jason Bonham on drums. The solo section gives a nod to their epic hit, "Whole Lotta Love".


Recently, Foreigner rocked the Las Vegas strip with an exclusive headlining residency show at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas in March and April 2022. The show, entitled The Best Of Foreigner 4 Live, was also a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Foreigner’s biggest selling album.





Foreigner’s lineup includes founder and Songwriters Hall of Fame member Mick Jones, the visionary maestro whose stylistic songwriting, indelible guitar hooks and multi-layered talents continue to escalate Foreigner‘s influence and guide the band to new horizons; lead singer Kelly Hansen, one of rock’s greatest showmen who has led Foreigner into the digital age while inspiring a whole new generation of fans; noted bassist Jeff Pilson; Michael Bluestein on keyboards; guitarist Bruce Watson; Chris Frazier on drums and guitarist Luis Maldonado.


Pre-order The Best Of Foreigner 4 Live: The Las Vegas Edition exclusively at Walmart.





Tracklisting:


Side One:
"Nightlife"
"Woman In Black"
"Break It Up"
"Urgent"


Side Two:
"Waiting For A Girl Like You"
"Girl On The Moon"
"Juke Box Hero"/"Whole Lotta Love"





(Photo - Karsten Staiger)

Wishbone Ash achieved considerable success in the 1970s, during which they were among England's most popular hard rock acts, achieving an incredible eight top 40 albums. Often regarded as one of the premiere UK live acts of the ’70s, they toured considerably throughout this period and into the following decades.





Madfish are now proud to present a new 10-LP box set containing five live concerts recorded between 1976 - 1980 from across the globe. Initially appearing on The Vintage Years CD box set in 2018, four of the concerts enclosed will be issued on vinyl for the first time, with a newly sourced and previously unreleased recording from the band’s October 1976 run of shows in Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo on the New England tour, exclusively available within.




Featuring the second classic Wishbone Ash line up of Andy Powell, Martin Turner, Laurie Wisefield and Steve Upton, these recordings showcase a band at their live best and firing on all cylinders across four different tours.


In-depth album notes and track-by-track ‘making of’ interviews by author and Wishbone expert Campbell Devine are on display within a lavish booklet which features a sleek design as well as rare live photographs, a replica ‘Wishbone News’ newspaper from the Front Page News tour and individually numbered certificate.





The live shows included are:


1. Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, October 1976 (New England tour)
2. Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 18th November 1976 (New England tour)
3. Marquee, London, 29th October 1977 (Front Page News tour)
4. Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, 30th October 1978 (No Smoke Without Fire tour)
5. Civic Hall, Guildford, 12th February 1980 (Just Testing tour)


With only 1,000 copies available this is a must-have for all Wishbone Ash fans.


Pre-order here, and watch a video trailer below:

The North American Siege 2022, featuring Arch Enemy and Behemoth, plus special guests Napalm Death and Unto Others, landed at Toronto's Rebel venue on April 25. Behemoth have shared this recap video:





Remaining tour dates:




April
28 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
29 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
30 - Worcester, MA - Palladium


May
2 - Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theatre
4 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
7 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
9 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
10 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
11 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
13 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
15 - Los Angeles, CA - The Hollywood Palladium

Today, multi-Platinum selling and multi-JUNO award-nominated rock band, The Tea Party, announce their return to Canadian stages with their first tour in almost three years. The tour kicks off in Waterloo, ON on June 17, sees the band play 19 shows, and wraps in Kelowna, BC on August 6.


2021 saw the release of The Tea Party’s Sunshower EP, a companion piece to the 2019 Black River EP, that once again showcases their mastery of light and shade, and why they continue to occupy a unique place within the ever-changing musical landscape. The EP presents a message of hope in the face of one of the most challenging years we as a society have endured so far in the 21st century.


"The Beautiful", a track off the Sunshower EP, is currently at Canadian radio. Listen below:







“3 years is a long time…The band is incredibly excited to get back and perform in front of the best fans in the world,” said Jeff Burrows (drummer/percussionist). “This summer will not only invigorate fans of live music around the globe, but the bands as well. The Tea Party plans on taking full advantage of that, and looks forward to blowing minds across this great country.”


Never known to remain idle, The Tea Party also released a brand-new CD Deluxe Edition and Remastered Vinyl Edition of their iconic, self-titled album The Tea Party this past December via Universal Music Canada, 30 years since its initial “indie” release. The Deluxe Edition is available on 2CD plus an album, the Remastered Edition is available on 2LP pressed on 180g red vinyl and is also available on eAlbum, MFit + Hi-Res Audio.


Since releasing their major-label debut album Splendor Solis in 1993, The Tea Party, composed of Jeff Martin (singer/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist), Jeff Burrows (drummer/percussionist), and Stuart Chatwood (bassist and multi-instrumentalist), have come to be regarded as one of the world’s most innovative rock bands, with a sound that incorporates everything from traditional instrumentation from around the world, to cutting-edge digital technology.


Over the past three decades, the trio has gained the attention of fans on a worldwide level, with record sales approaching 3 million units, over 50 million career streams to date, receiving 14 JUNO Award nominations and 22 MuchMusic Award nominations, and touring around the globe. Now, after more than 30 years as a band, The Tea Party is ready to open a new chapter in its saga, a story that remains rooted in the goal to create new, ambitious, and thought-provoking music.





Tour dates:


June
17 - Waterloo, ON - Maxwell’s Outdoor Concert Series
19 - Burlington, ON - Sound of Music Festival
23 - Sarnia, ON - Bluewater Borderfest


July
1 - Orillia, ON - Casino Rama (The Tea Party & Moist)
2 - Toronto, ON - History (The Tea Party & Moist)
8 / 9 - Montreal, QC - Théâtre Corona
11 - Quebec City, QC - Festival D’été de Quebec
14 - Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Bluesfest
15 - Belleville, ON - Empire Rockfest
16 / 17 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
22 - Timmins, ON - Rock on The River
29 - St. John’s, NL - George Street Festival
30 - Truro, NS - Rock The Hub


August
2 - Edmonton, AB - Midway
3 - Calgary, AB - Grey Eagle Casino
5 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
6 - Kelowna, BC -Venue TBD

In a new interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 spoke about his involvement with the soundtrack to MÖTLEY CRÜE's biopic "The Dirt", based on CRÜE's 2001 New York Times bestselling autobiography. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm so proud [of being part of that]. Me and Nikki [Sixx, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] wrote on that. And dude, I fucking MÖTLEY CRÜE, and it was so cool for it to come to fruition. And to hear Vince [Neil, vocals] and Tommy [Lee, drums] and Mick [Mars, guitar] and, of course, Nikki doing that… I think that song really gave me a real excitement of collaborating with someone. And seeing the video and the history of it, it was really pretty incredible."

John 5 previously discussed his contribution to "The Dirt" soundtrack in a December 2019 interview with Milwaukee's 102.9 The Hog radio station. At the time, he said: "Me and Nikki are like two 15-year-olds who are just on the phone twenty thousand times a day and we hang out all the time. We'll go to the mall and we'll go ride bikes and we'll do ridiculous stuff like that. And so, of course, we like to play music together, and yeah, that's how that came about — writing music for 'The Dirt'. And those songs are killer."

He continued: "I'm so proud to be a part of MÖTLEY CRÜE history… And also, I wanna say, those guys — Mick and Nikki and Tommy and Vince — they just killed it in the studio too; it was, like, one or two takes. It's pretty incredible, it's pretty astounding what true professionals they are. It was really incredible."

Three years ago, John 5 was full of praise for Sixx, whom he called his "best friend." The guitarist told Outburn: "We love each other. He has inspired me and taught me so much about life in general. He's a phenomenal songwriter, lyricist, author, everything. He's always telling me to listen to this audio book or see this movie. He has a happy marriage, a happy life, a successful band he started from the ground up. He's one of the most inspiring people. He'll text me all the time to read something or try something. It's wonderful. He's a phenomenal photographer as well. I remember him telling me that he's going to take bass lessons again and get into playing with his fingers. He was so dedicated."

"The Dirt Soundtrack" featured four new MÖTLEY CRÜE songs, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", and CRÜE's unlikely cover of Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

"The Dirt", which debuted in March 2019 on Netflix, remains one of the highest-rated music films as voted by the audience on Rotten Tomatoes, the online review aggregation service that allows both critics and the public to rate movies. Movie critics were far less impressed by the film, which currently has a 36% critic score from 74 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.





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SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan spoke to Rodrigo Altaf of Sonic Perspectives about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting.

"When a musical genre becomes just a point of sale, that's kind of the beginning of the end for the genre, 'cause they'll sign a million bands that kind of sound like a band, and then it just dilutes everything," Rachel said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "So that's what was kind of happening right around when grunge came out. And then when grunge came out, it was the next big thing, and then it happened to them too. Every band that kind of resembled NIRVANA got signed, and they were nowhere near as good as NIRVANA. So it dilutes the market and eventually just poisons it."

Back in 2014, Bolan admitted to the Dallas Observer that "grunge put a lot of bands like us out of business. You just have to wait it out. We came back because people wanted to have fun again. There were some grunge bands that I liked, but it was such a different vibe and a different scene. People started to miss bands from our era. There was a certain nostalgia involved."

In recent years, other 1980s hard rock musicians have weighed in on grunge's impact on the glam-rock scene, including Bolan's onetime bandmate Sebastian Bach. Asked when he realized that there was a "shift" taking place and how he felt about it, Bach told the Fox Business program "Kennedy" in a 2016 interview: "I think I realized it when I saw the video for [NIRVANA's] 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. And there was never any video or song like that before; it was a new sound, and people were responding to it. But what goes around comes around. I mean, now the biggest tour in town is GUNS N' ROSES or AC/DC, who have the same singer. [Laughs] So, you know, music is cyclical, and people will always love rock and roll, 'cause it gets passed down through the generations. IRON MAIDEN has never been bigger than right now. It's kind of crazy."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

Earlier this year, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider told told Armchair MBA that "no one saw" the rise of grunge coming, but he admitted that he "was already dead and semi-buried before grunge hit. TWISTED arrived in the early '80s and then we hit our stride in the mid-'80s and by the late '80s, the band had broken up. I had a band called DESPERADO [with former IRON MAIDEN drummer Clive Burr and ex-GILLAN guitarist Bernie Tormé] that got shelved by Elektra Records; a lot of money we spent on that record. So I was sort of already removed as a featured artist by that point, and I was struggling trying to find my footing with DESPERADO and then WIDOWMAKER. And then I got the letter in the mail, certified letter, 'We have decided we're no longer doing what you do — look like you, sound like you, sing like you, write like you, perform like you. We actually don't want anything to do with anything you ever did. Sincerely, the music-buying public.' [Laughs] And that's when the bottom really fell out. I mean, imagine being a doctor who studied a form of medicine, and they found a cure for it. You're a cancer specialist — a specialist; it's what you dedicated your life to — and you get a pill that cures [cancer]. You're out of work. Grunge cured hair metal. So I was out of work."

Less than two years ago, Snider told Ultimate Guitar that he "loved" NIRVANA and other grunge bands when they emerged. "When they first came out, it wasn't even called grunge," he explained. "And this is the thing about titles — even heavy metal, punk, hair metal, those are not titles chosen by the artists; they're titles chosen by the writers. And usually as a negative connotation. Usually as a form of a putdown. And the artists that they called grunge, called punk, called heavy metal — they hated it. This is a fact, dude. I'm old. I know this, a fact: if you mentioned grunge to SOUNDGARDEN or PEARL JAM, they got physically violent with you. They were just a rock band. And if anything, SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, they were metal bands. They were touring with Ozzy [Osbourne]. It just became defined by some writers; they pigeonholed it and called it a new sound."

Dee continued: "When it first came out, I was, again, doing metal radio, and I was playing ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA on my show, and I was like, 'This is great, heavy new stuff.' So then it became defined as grunge, and then it was the hair metal killer, and that was awful. But I don't blame it on the music; hair metal did it to itself. It became too commercialized, and then it got unplugged and became nothing but power ballads and acoustic songs, and it wasn't metal anymore. It had to go; it had to change."

Snider's TWISTED SISTER bandmate Jay Jay French told Daniel Sarkissian of the "Rock Is Dead?" documentary about the death of hair metal and arrival of grunge: "The only band that leapfrogged and saved themselves was GUNS N' ROSES. And my theory is that GUNS N' ROSES was not perceived as a joke. They came out of L.A., but I think that Axl [Rose], first of all, had a great voice. I think that they were perceived as real, not fake. Like, they were real junkies, not pretend junkies. So there's an authenticity. It's all about authenticity, and grunge is all about authenticity. People wanted authenticity, so they got it with grunge. It wiped out the perceived frivolousness of hair metal, which is, 'Hey, man. Let's party. Let's get the girls and drink.' I think people just got sick of that, and they wanted [something more] authentic."

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi told Newsday in a 2014 interview that the CRÜE album he sang on was a commercial disappointment because the music scene had changed, with hair metal brushed aside for grunge. "Everybody was listening to ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN," Corabi said. "At that point, we were considered passé."

According to Corabi, CRÜE's ill-fated 1994 American tour " was a nightmare. We weren't selling tickets. It was just horrible," he said.

In 2019, former TNT singer Tony Harnell said that the rise of the grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image, was ultimately a positive thing for the rock genre because it "shined a really harsh light on how boring and repetitive" the '80s glam metal scene had become. He explained: "It was the same look, the same songwriters, the same producers, and it just started to be… Nobody was offering anything… Don't get me wrong, there were a few that got in there that were interesting and different, but, for the most part, they were all just sort of rehashes, slightly, of other bands."

METALLICA was nominated for the very first "Hard Rock/Metal Performance" Grammy in 1989, but famously lost to JETHRO TULL, a band distinguished mainly by its heavy use of flute. Fans — and even some audience members — were rightly outraged, though TULL's record label tried to make light of the faux pas by placing a Billboard ad that read, "The flute is a heavy, metal instrument."

In a new interview with Goldmine magazine, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett claimed to have forgotten about JETHRO TULL and their music until recently.

"I just really got into prog about five years ago," Hammett said. "I wasn't into prog. Just accidentally I heard JETHRO TULL 'Stand Up' and I went, 'Wow.' I never ever had paid much attention to JETHRO TULL; I just never did. And it didn't help losing to them in 1989 for that Grammy," he said, laughing. "But that's really not the reason why I wasn't into JETHRO TULL, believe me," he continued. "I just never got around to it. Sometimes you just don't get around to certain things. So, I ended up checking out their entire catalog and now I'm a full-on JETHRO TULL fan."

Two months ago, JETHRO TULL leader Ian Anderson was asked in a new interview with the St. Louis, Missouri radio station KSHE 95 if he ever got a chance to "to rub in the face of METALLICA" the fact that his band won a "Hard Rock/Metal Performance" Grammy over the San Francisco Bay Area heavy metal giants. He said: "Well, I think METALLICA were actually very gentlemanly. At the time, they did say, when they did win the Grammy next year, as I predicted they would, they took out a page in Billboard thanking the record company, their friends and family for supporting them, the dog — I mean, they thanked everybody, including JETHRO TULL for not releasing a new album that year. They had a sense of humor about it. They took it on the chin even though everybody was busy telling them they were gonna win a Grammy and then, unfortunately, that year they didn't. But they were the hot new act, and surely they were gonna win it the following year, and, of course, they did."

Three years ago, on the 30th anniversary of that fateful day, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich took to his Instagram to reflect on his band's first Grammy loss, writing: "Today 30 years ago, February 22 '89, we played the Grammys for the first time and that was quite a mindfuck!!

"First time we were in front of a mainstream TV audience. First time mainstream America was exposed to whatever the hell it is we do. First time they had a hard rock/metal category on the Grammys. First time we were Grammy losers, since JETHRO TULL, somewhat unexpectedly to most people, walked away with the win.

"But all was not lost. The expressions of disgust from most members of the audience (other than Iggy!) is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. And I was rocking some pretty crazy hair that was edging dangerously close to a mullet! Happy days indeed!!"

After METALLICA lost the 1989 "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Recording" Grammy to JETHRO TULL, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS),parent company of the Grammys, separated the two genres in 1990 by creating categories for "Best Hard Rock Performance" and "Best Metal Performance". METALLICA won the "Best Metal Performance" award the next year, for "One", and has earned nearly a dozen so far.

When METALLICA's "Black" album won another "Best Metal Performance" Grammy in 1992, Ulrich "thanked" JETHRO TULL for not releasing an album in that year.

In a 2012 interview with Powerline, Anderson recounted that historic day when his band was given the award for best hard rock/metal performer.

"I probably get [the question] a lot more when I'm talking to American writers than I do [at home in England]," Anderson said. "It's not really a big deal over here. It was in a year where it was a new category for 'hard rock' forward slash 'metal' and that category still exists today … and we were, for some strange reason, nominated. And at the time, no one paid any attention to the fact that we were nominated. There was not a peep out of anyone. Because they thought there's no way JETHRO TULL are gonna win it. Nor IGGY POP, nor JANE'S ADDICTION. It's going to be METALLICA because they were the huge, new, straight-out-of-the-box, enormous, hit talent that year and everybody took it for granted that METALLICA were gonna win the Grammy, including METALLICA themselves. And when it was ordered to JETHRO TULL, to a barrage of boos and hisses and gasps of disbelief, I'd like to think that it wasn't that the six thousand voting members of the National Academy Of Recording Arts And Sciences were voting for JETHRO TULL as a heavy rock band or a heavy metal band. They gave us the award because we were a bunch of nice guys who never won a Grammy before. And sad to relate, even after all these years, there is still no category for best one-legged flute player. Otherwise, I'd be winning it every year."

Sao Paulo, Brazil-based metal band, Warred, have released their new single, "Controlling My Head", to be featured on the band's upcoming album, The Siren, out May 19. A video for the track can be found below.





"Controlling My Head" portrays the way people behave when facing the impositions made by society, so they can act like they agree with that. The lyrics show "the anguish of these people for trying to show what others want. It can be on their appearance, their ideology, but the important thing is to show others what they don't necessarily like, feel or think, as long as it goes with those impositions", according to singer Pedro Mion.




With a southern rock intro, a heavy - but cadenced pace, and with one of the strongest choruses on the album, "Controlling My Head" brings more examples of different influences of the band's members.


The single was recorded at Dual Noise Studios in Sao Paulo with renowned Brazilian metal producer Rogerio Wecko, and the video was shot at the theater inside the Morumbi Stadium, in Sao Paulo, featuring the actress Fernanda Santos, filmed, directed and edited by Jorge Torres and Raul Jacomini from Riff Filmes.





Warred was founded in 2012 by young band members and long time friends Arthur and Rodrigo. They both shared the same passion for old school metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest and more. After a few changes in the band formation, since 2020, the band stablished their identity, mixing the old school metal with modern metal influences.

Gene Simmons has invited Ace Frehley to take part in KISS's "End Of The Road" tour, saying "the fans would love" to see the band reunited with its original guitarist.

Earlier today, Simmons took to his Twitter to wish Frehley a happy 71st birthday, and he added: "The invitations still stand. Jump up on stage with us for encores. The fans would love it."

Three years ago, Frehley said that he was up playing with KISS again, but only if the price is right. Speaking to Rock Candy magazine, he said: "It would be nice to go back out again with them. But it's not my call. I think we have a really good relationship now. I text Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman] back and forth and we've worked together, as I have with Gene. I would seriously consider it, but the money would have to be right. I'm not gonna take [current KISS guitarist] Tommy Thayer's salary.

"It would certainly sell more tickets with me involved," Ace added. "I have a gut feeling it will happen."

At the time, Ace acknowledged that he wasn't always the easiest to work with in KISS, given his acknowledged problems with drink and drugs.

"I know that I put those guys through hell in the past," he conceded. "Sometimes I was too drunk at soundchecks, but sobriety has made me more dependable and reliable." Frehley said that he had been sober since 2006 and would be fighting fit to rejoin the self-styled "Hottest Band In The World" for what would be an unforgettable experience, especially if original drummer Peter Criss were to come back into the fold.

"It would be really exciting," he said. "Not just for me, but also for the fans. I'm ready. I feel reborn."

In the months after KISS announced "End Of The Road", fans wondered openly if Frehley and Criss would be involved in the tour, especially considering the apparent recent goodwill between Paul and Gene and Ace. Frehley's latest album "Spaceman" — a title suggested by Simmons himself — features two songs the pair wrote together, and the duo completed a joint summer tour of Australia, after which Frehley fired his solo backing band and hired Simmons's.

Four years ago, Frehley told VintageRock.com that "the only way" he would "seriously consider" taking part in "End Of The Road" is "if I took back my make-up and costume and my character — which I designed." He added that Thayer "is not a bad guitar player, but he basically just mimics everything I wrote, and tries to imitate my persona. He's been doing it for [20] years," he said. "But the reality is I'm the original guy. And nobody can really copy the way I play guitar."

Asked if he would still consider participating in the tour if Criss was not involved, Ace said: "I think it would be great if Peter was involved. Obviously, at this point in his life, he wouldn’t be able to do a two-hour show. But I can see if we worked out a situation where Peter came out at the end and did three or four songs — sang 'Beth', did 'Black Diamond' and a couple of others, I think that would be fun."

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Simmons and Stanley, alongside later band additions, Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Criss and Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.
Happy Birthday Ace @ace_frehley. And many more…The invitations still stand. Jump up on stage with us for encores. The fans would love it.

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) April 27, 2022

FuZZrd has issued a live video for “Monster Carnival”, which can be seen below. The audio recording is currently available on all streaming platforms. Singer and guitarist Brett Petrusek shares, “It was such a great feeling to release Near Life Experience and play our first handful of shows to close 2021. I've always visualized 2022 as the beginning for us and felt fortunate that we were afforded a really nice head start to craft our sound, our vibe and our content.  We're fired up to bring it live in the year ahead as we continue to build on the foundation we've created as a group." 


Guitarist Eric Fairchild offers, “It has been thrilling to finally be in a room playing music for people again. To feel that energy, and reignite that fire in all of us. As the 2022 show schedule takes shape, I can't wait to raise the bar and show people what FuZZrd is all about."







The band filmed their performance at the Southern Theater on December 11th 2021, staged the week Near Life Experience was released. As the studio debut hit the street, Petrusek reflected, “I'm so very proud of what we have accomplished this past year. It's gratifying to see and hear the album in its completed form. It's a powerhouse and definitely fits in the category of ‘album I've always wanted to make.’  The chemistry with our producer Jeremy Tappero continued to flourish and we all grew as musicians. I love the songs and sound we've created.  It's fresh, and new, and noticeably doesn't chase trends.  It stays true to its heavy rock roots. It's so awesome to be a part of FuZZrd coming to life, playing live shows, and sharing our music. The whole of what we have created is truly rewarding. I'm totally grateful to have this group." 





Upcoming FuZZrd shows include:


May
20 - Fridley, MN - Route 47 – Lakes Jam Pre-Party


June
23 - Brainerd, MN - Lakes Jam Festival (with Warrant, Tesla)


For further details, visit FuZZrd on Facebook.


 

CHEVELLE has canceled one concert and postponed another after the band's drummer, Sam Loeffler, tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

On Wednesday (April 27),CHEVELLE issued the following statement: "We are really bummed to announce that we have made the unavoidable decisions to reschedule the Visit New Orleans show on Fri, April 29th at the The Fillmore New Orleans to Thurs, Sept 22nd and cancel the Beale Street Music Festival on Sat, April 30th in Memphis Travel due to Sam testing positive for Covid.

"Ticket holders from either show can obtain refunds from their original point of sale and all rescheduled tickets are still valid."

CHEVELLE has been touring in support of its ninth album, "Niratias", out now via Epic Records.

"Niratias" is one of CHEVELLE's most provocative records to date. Teaming with longtime producer Joe Barresi (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE),CHEVELLE recorded throughout 2019 and 2020 and ultimately pieced together an inimitable body of work. The album artwork was designed by Boris Vallejo — the famed and award-winning artist is responsible for the posters used for films like "Knightriders" and "National Lampoon's Vacation", as well as iconic '70s and '80s science fiction novel covers and magazines (such as Heavy Metal).

Over the course of its career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum "Wonder What's Next", which boasts the double-platinum smash "The Red" and the platinum hit "Send The Pain Below". "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" attained platinum status, while "Vena Sera" was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including "Sci-Fi Crimes" (2009),"Hats Off To The Bull" (2011),"La Gárgola" (2014) and "The North Corridor" (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.

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GUNS N' ROSES' "Sweet Child O' Mine" has topped Billboard's Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, just days after it was included in the new trailer for the upcoming movie "Thor: Love And Thunder". The track also re-entered the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart at No. 9.

According to Billboard, "Child" earned 4.7 million official U.S. streams, an 8% boost, and sold 1,600 downloads, up 181%, in the April 15-21 tracking week.

"Thor: Love And Thunder" finds Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced — a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr The God Butcher (Christian Bale),who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson),Korg (Taika Waititi) and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman),who — to Thor's surprise — inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance and stop him before it's too late.

Directed by Waititi ("Thor: Ragnarok", "Jojo Rabbit") and produced by Kevin Feige and Brad Winderbaum, "Thor: Love And Thunder" opens in theaters on July 8.

In a 2014 interview, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash said that he wasn't fond of "Sweet Child O' Mine" when it was first written. He explained: "GUNS N' ROSES was always a real hardcore, sort of, AC/DC kind of hard rock band with a lot of attitude. If we did any kind of ballads, it was bluesy. This was an uptempo ballad. That's one of the gayest things you can write. But at the same time, it's a great song — I'm not knocking it — but at the time, it just did not fit in with the rest of our, sot of, schtick. And, of course, it would be the biggest hit we ever had."

Slash told Metro nearly a decade ago that "Sweet Child O' Mine" was the most lucrative song he has composed. He said: "It's the most covered [song I have ever written]. There are some really good instrumental versions for the piano or violin, but I've been horrified by some muzak versions. I've been sitting in a doctor's office thinking, 'That sounds familiar,' and then realizing it's someone's interpretation of what I've written. That can be a creepy feeling."

Former Slik Toxik drummer Neal Busby has shared an official video for the song "Back Alley Rat" from his new project, Toxyk Chyld. Check it out below.


Busby: "Good old school hard rock in the style of L.A. bands from the early '80s. The band features myself, Todd Lefever - formerly of EMI artists Alpha Galates - on guitar, Robb Rocket of Manic Mouth on lead vocals, and my wife Huguette (Twirl) on bass guitar."


Watch for updates via the band's official Facebook page here.







After more than 30 years, Toronto-based Chyld - who were part of the scene that gave us Slik Toxik, Sven Gali, Winter Rose and Slash Puppet - made a comeback in 2019 with a new single, "Burning Alive". The band released a new single, "In The Field of Fire" in March 2021; the official lyric video is available below.


Chyld: "World War One was the first war of the industrial revolution age and it delivered new weapons of mass destruction never seen before. From mechanized killing machines like tanks and planes to poisonous gas, with one of the most deadly and menacing being the flame thrower."





Line-up:


Nick Walsh - lead vocals
Pete Dove - bass 
Todd Lefever - guitars
Neal Busby - drums


Chyld recently released an official video for new song "Ride Out". The song features Famous Underground / ex-Slik Toxik frontman Nick Walsh on vocals. Check it out below.


Walsh: "After a hang with my old friend and Slik Toxik band mate Neal Busby, catching up and sharing stories, Neal talked about how he and another old friend of mine, Pete Dove (Slash Puppet), were resurrecting their traditional heavy metal band from the '80s, Chyld. That day and conversation led to what you are about to hear and see. A song that I believe was written in 1983 at the height of that 'new' sound called heavy metal is now primed up for 2020. When I had the opportunity to take part, I couldn't pass up feeling 16 yrs old again."





From that era Chyld was born after guitarist Glen Cunningham met singer Rob Villemaire and joined forces with drummer Neal Busby. After a lengthy search bassist Pete Dove joined the ranks after his departure from another band. Chyld began rehearsals in Toronto with a diligent schedule that produced results very quickly, and with an arsenal of original songs they were ready to take on the Toronto metal club scene centered around the infamous venue, Larry's Hideaway.


In 1986 they recorded three songs, which resulted in the debut 7 inch single "Lite The Nite / Ye Morlok" being released on their own independent label Chyldysh Records. Sadly, it never got the attention it deserved at the time, but later achieved legendary status in the European metal world and sold on eBay for hundreds of dollars. Sadly, Chyld packed it in sometime in 1986 for reasons even the band cannot remember.


In 2012, inspired by the surge of interest in the old 7" single, Chyld reformed and recorded one old song, "Burning Alive". Tragically, it was the last song that singer Rob sang, as he passed away in 2017. His vocals sat in a computer for 7 years until drummer Neal Busby took the reins and decided the song had to be finished and recruited super fret demon Todd Lefever to record the guitars and get the song ready to be released to the world.

After releasing their introspective seventh album Mea Culpa, where it was already possible to perceive how the environment has influenced their music and what the world was living, Secret Rule, talented players of modern rock-metal, have prepared their new album The Resilient and present the first single - video "One More", out via 7HARD Records.





With a dark-cinematic opening, the first single "One More" cuts sharp like a razor blade without making any compromises. With distorted guitars, rumbly drums, and a really angry voice, Secret Rule express their position on the war speaking directly to the guilty who keep pursuing their interests for their dirty power games.







"One More" will be included in the upcoming album The Resilient out on June 17.


The pre-order will be open until May 25 on fundrazr.com.


Secret Rule will promote the new album on tour in May and July.

Final Light, a one-time only project featuring Perturbator and Cult of Luna’s Johannes Persson, release their self-titled album on June 24 via Red Creek.


The project is the result of both a recently discovered kinship and the opportunity for Perturbator, at the request of Roadburn’s Walter Hoeijmakers, to do a commissioned piece with a musician of his choice for the festival’s 2020 iteration, which of course did not happen.


“It was an honour,” James Kent (Perturbator) recalls. “I immediately thought of Cult Of Luna. Even though my music is mostly electronic and synth-based, we both have a knack for creating atmospheres, so I thought it would be a very interesting match.”







Kent and Johannes first met only months beforehand, when Johannes attended one of the Frenchman’s shows in Stockholm. “I’ve been a fan for a long, long time,” Johannes says. “We had this creative discussion back and forth and we hit it off.”


As soon as the pair began work on their boundary-decimating songs, they knew that they had to be immortalized as an album. “It was immediate,” states Kent. “We had almost an hour of interesting music, so it would’ve been a shame to simply perform it and not do anything with it afterwards. It’s a project that I really want to share; it’s not only the fruit of a collaboration between me and one of my favourite musicians, but also very unique and once-in-a-lifetime.”


The pair unveiled the live version of Final Light last week, as the performed on Friday at Roadburn 2022.


A preview of Final Light arrives today with the release of “In The Void”, a nine-minute song that incorporates the best of the two forward-thinking musicians. All-consuming, electrified bass notes are answered by creeping six-string melodies, before alien synth lines dance beneath anguished screams.


Final Light physical and digital preorders are available now with the album available on a variety of limited-edition, color vinyl variants via Red Creek’s webstore with digital preorders available here.





Tracklisting:


“Nothing Will Bear Your Name”
“In The Void”
“It Came With The Water”
“Final Light”
“The Fall Of A Giant”
“Ruin To Decay”


“In The Void”:





(Photo credits: Andy Julia & Chad Michael Ward)

Following pandemic restrictions, Italian death metallers, Gory Blister, recently played their first gig in two years, which saw the live debut of new drummer, Gianluca D'Andria, who replaced drummer and original band member Joe Laviola, who left the band permanently in July 2020.


The concert took place at Centrale Rock Pub in Como on April 2, and the band filmed some songs. Watch the band perform "Shining Hades", from the album Graveyard Of Angels, below.


Raff Sangiorgio (guitar) states: "It was great and exciting! Lot of people came to see the show, and seeing from the stage their reaction during our live performance. It looks like they all had a blast. The pandemic restrictions were very strong in Italy, but slowly things are coming to normal or "new" normal let's say! We usually try to shoot our live shows with the means at our disposal, we did it this time too, so we decided to share on the Net a clip of this show."







Gory Blister are now completing work on their new album, and are preparing their next gigs. Stay tuned.

Sammy Hagar has shared another video from the vault. Below you can watch Van Halen perform "Why Can't This Be Love?" in Tokyo, Japan in February, 1989.





Watch Van Halen perform "5150" at the same show:







Sammy and Michael Anthony are celebrating the Van Hagar years of Van Halen... follow along at the Van Hagar Other Half Instagram, here.

Now available for pre-order, a lavish, fully illustrated book in which family, friends, colleagues, and fans talk to author Chris Welch about the life, work, and legacy of Keith Emerson from before The Nice and ELP through 3 to The Keith Emerson Band.


Illustrated throughout with previously unseen photos from family, friends, and professional photographers, this official celebration tells the remarkable tale of Keith’s musical evolution, his personal relationships, and the creation of his astounding musical legacy. Includes new interviews with Keith’s children, ex-wife, close personal friends, Mari Kawaguchi, Carl Palmer, Rick Wakeman, Lee Jackson, Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, Alan White, Dave Kilminster, Marc Bonilla, Rachel Flowers, Darius Brubeck, Geoff Downes and others.







The book draws on the private Emerson family archives for photographs of Keith at home, at work and play. Close family and friends share memories and stories from throughout his life, revealing the true man, while fellow musicians from the worlds of prog, rock and classical attest to Keith’s talent and dedication, while others who worked with him tell of his spirit, generosity and sense of humor.


Keith Emerson celebrates the life and legacy of the man who first played the Hammond organ like a lead guitarist, introduced the European classical music tradition to rock fans with The Nice and helped create the template for prog rock with the very first Moog synthesizers with ELP. He also wrote movie soundtracks, performed with world-renowned jazz musicians and toured the world as a solo artist. All of that and more is explored in this deluxe book.


Pre-order here and choose to have a name printed in the book and be a part of this unique project.

Brook Haven Farm, the custom home of Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is back in the news this spring, reports American Luxury. The fleet-finger Les Paul slinger initially listed the Massachusetts property in the late summer of last year, asking $4.5 million. The estate went to a new owner in the first week of the month, closing at $4.1 million.





The property is located in Duxbury, a bucolic corner of the state, and is located down the road from the Duxbury Yacht Club. The 7.18-acre estate’s two houses combine for a total of five bedrooms and six baths across 7,181 sq. ft. of interior space.




An idyllic spot with salt marsh in the distance, the property served as a quiet home base for the rocker. The unhurried atmosphere of the place is given ample expression in the water feature that distinguishes the entry to the main house. Interiors include a barn-like, pine plank-clad great room with a soaring ceiling and a stacked stone fireplace. Artisanal touches from its build era — it dates to 1974 — include stained glass.


Read more, and see more photos, at American Luxury.