Ryo Okumoto, long-time keyboardist for prog rock group Spock’s Beard, is pleased to announce his new solo album, The Myth Of The Mostrophus, due out on July 29 via InsideOutMusic. The six song prog extravaganza features Okumoto’s signature style accompanied by the talents of a who’s who of progressive rock.


The album features guest appearances by a number of incredible musicians including current and former Spock’s Beard bandmates:


Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train, Spock’s Beard) - Drums & Vocals
Al Morse (Spock’s Beard) - Guitar
Dave Meros (Spock’s Beard) - Bass
Ted Leonard (Spock’s Beard. Transatlantic) - Vocals
Jimmy Keegan (Spock’s Beard) - Vocals
Steve Hackett (Genesis) - Guitar
Michael Sadler (Saga, ProgJect) - Vocals
Mike Keneally (Steve Vai, Frank Zappa, ProgJect) - Guitar
Jonathan Mover (Joe Satriani, ProgJect) - Drums
Marc Bonila (Keith Emerson/Kevin Gilbert) - Guitar
Doug Wimbish (Living Colour) – Bass
Randy McStine (McStine & Minnemann, Porcupine Tree) – Guitars & Vocals
Lyle Workman (Todd Rundgren) – Guitar
Michael Whiteman (I Am the Manic Whale) – Guitars & Vocals




Twenty years since Ryo Okumoto’s last solo album Coming Home (2002), work on the new album began in November 2000, when Okumoto reached out to I Am The Manic Whale vocalist/bassist Michael Whiteman, following that band’s performance on a livestream event that Okumoto had taken part in.  An exchange of demos resulted in the writing of the initial tracks for the album. Okumoto then reached out the fellow Spock’s Beard bandmates (Nick D’Virgilio, Alan Morse, Dave Meros, Ted Leonard and Jimmy Keegan) to join in and the album started to take shape before rounding out with additional guest stars through his Okumoto’s new group ProgJect including Michael Sadler, Jonathan Mover and Mike Keneally. With the additions of Steve Hackett, Marc Bonila, Doug Wimbish, Randy McStine, and Lyle Workman, the star-studded lineup was complete. The result is a prog rock tour de force from one of the most entertaining and influential artists of prog’s modern era.


Engineered and mixed by Rich Mouser, the album is now available for pre-order here. You can watch the trailer for the album below.





Tracklisting:


"Mirror Mirror"
"Turning Point"
"The Watchmaker (Time On His Side)"
"Maximum Velocity"
"Chrysalis"
"The Myth Of The Mostrophus"


Trailer:





(Photo - Alex Solca)

Currently on their sold out Tekkno European tour, Germany's Electric Callboy have shared live POV stage footage of the band performing their hit "The Scene" in Leipzig. Check out the official clip below.


Previously shared POV footage of "We Got The Moves" live in Hamburg and  "Pump It" in Hannover is also available.













Electric Callboy officially announced the release of their brand new studio album, Tekkno, out on September 9 via Century Media Records. This announcement comes after the band hits the Top 40 of the German single charts with their newest single “Spaceman” (#31 single charts).


After the band released their previous album in 2019, it's time again for an energy-charged musical firework. The ten track album includes the previously released fan favorite tracks "We Got The Moves", "Pump It" and Electric Callboy's current single, "Spaceman".


Electric Callboy vocalist and keyboardist, Kevin, states, “It feels so unbelievably good to finally present our new album Tekkno to the world. Created in a time without any live shows we put all our passion, energy and craziness into this one record. Never felt it more intense to write new music. With this announcement we celebrate the liberation from our daily studio routine back to many awesome live shows with you guys! We can’t wait to see you again soon!”





Tekkno will be released on September 9 in several formats such as Ltd. CD Digipak, Deluxe CD Box Set, 180-gram LP+CD incl. poster in various vinyl colors and on all digital platforms. The Deluxe Box Set will come along with the CD Digipak, bottle opener with different sounds, signature card game and 6-piece coaster set.


Tekkno is available to pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Pump It"
"We Got The Moves"
"Fuckboi" (feat. Conquer Divide)
"Spaceman" (feat. Finch)
"Mindreader"
"Arrow Of Love"
"Parasite"
"Tekkno Train"
"Hurrikan"
"Neon"


"Spaceman" video:





Electric Callboy is:


David (drums)
Daniel (bass)
Kevin (vocals, keys)
Nico (vocals)
Daniel (guitar)
Pascal (guitar)

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his Disney rendition of Sabaton's epic "Winged Hussars". Check it out below.


Johansson: "For this Disneyton song I decided to try to make it my own Disney version. Arrangements are made by me based on the melodies from the original song. So this time it's not a Disney melody - I just made the song sound like an epic Disney song."










Johansson recently shared his solo performance of Thin Lizzy's 1976 classic, "Emerald". Check it out below.


Johansson: "A cover of the Gary Moore version of Thin Lizzy's classic, 'Emerald'. Also a tribute to these great Charvel guitars put together by my friend Patrik Johansson."

AEROSMITH has canceled its previously announced June and July 2022 dates for its Las Vegas residency, "Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild", while singer Steven Tyler concentrates on "his health and recovery."

Earlier today (Tuesday, May 24),the hard rock legends released the following statement via social media: "As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years. After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery.

"We are truly sorry to inform our fans and friends that we must cancel our first set of Las Vegas Residency dates this June and July while he focuses on his well-being.

"We will continue our 2022 dates starting in September, and we’ll let you know any further updates as soon as we can. We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows.

"Thank you for your understanding and for your support for Steven during this time.

"If you purchased your tickets via Ticketmaster, you will be refunded and will receive an email shortly with details, otherwise please contact your point of purchase for information on refunds."

Three years ago, Tyler — whose vast consumption of cocaine, heroin and alcohol in the 1970s earned him and bandmate Joe Perry the nickname "The Toxic Twins" — said that he had a lot of fun drinking and using drugs.

"You have a shot of Jack Daniel's and you play Madison Square Garden and you get offstage and you go clubbing with Jimmy Page — come on!" the 74-year-old said. "After two encores in Madison Square Garden, you don't go and play shuffleboard. Or Yahtzee, you know? You go and rock the fuck out. You've done something that you never thought you could, and you actually think that you are a super-being."

Tyler, who once said he "snorted half of Peru" (meaning cocaine, of course),said that his drug use got to a point where nothing mattered more.

"We would do cocaine to go up, quaaludes to come down," he said. "We would drink and then snort some coke until we thought we were straight. But that's not true — you're just drunk and coked out. It was more or less the thing to do, back then as well."

"I don't think there were any bands that even knew what sober was," he added.

"I was the kind of guy who would hate to be the guy who never came down because he never went up, if you can understand that. So I played with everything."

Tyler said that his drug use enhanced his performance at first but eventually took its toll. Over time, he noticed that he required more alcohol or drugs to get the same relief.

"It absolutely works for a while," he said. "But then things go wrong. You become addicted, it's something you do all the time, and suddenly it starts influencing your greatness. What happens with using is: It works in the beginning, but it doesn't work in the end. It takes you down. There's nothing but jail, insanity or death."

Asked if he missed anything about how he used to be, Tyler said: "I got a band that's still together, the guys are still alive, everyone's healthy. We play better than we did 50 years ago. I mean, there was a certain rawness when we played clubs and we were all fucked up. Sure, I get it. But the band is still together and still sought-after. People still want us for a million-plus dollars a night. And that's what's at risk if I use again. And my kids. My cats. My dogs. My beautiful fucking house in Maui. My girlfriend. Everything is at risk."

Since opening in April 2019 at Park MGM, "Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild" has received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. Variety called the show a "multi-sensory spectacular" while People described it as "an audible history of the group's five decades." The Wrap wrote "AEROSMITH still rocks, hard, not in spite of their five decades but because of them," with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution saying that the show "offers fiery spectacle, deep cuts and hits," and that they "are rock pioneers triumphing in a new environment."

As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years. After foot surgery to prepare...

Posted by Aerosmith on Tuesday, May 24, 2022

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN played the second show of the 2022 leg of their "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour Tuesday night (May 24) at Štark Arena, Belgrade, Serbia. It marked the band's second live appearance in 31 months.

As was the case with the May 22 concert at the Arena Zagreb in Zagreb, Croatia, MAIDEN opened the set with "Senjutsu", the title track of its latest studio album, and followed it up with two more songs from the same LP, "Stratego" and "The Writing On The Wall".

Other tracks aired during MAIDEN's performance included "Revelations", "Blood Brothers", "Sign Of The Cross", "Flight Of Icarus", "Fear Of The Dark", "Hallowed Be Thy Name", "The Number Of The Beast" and "Iron Maiden".

MAIDEN also played two encores, consisting of "The Trooper", "The Clansman", "Run To The Hills" and the closing track of the night, "Aces High".

The full setlist was as follows:

01. Senjutsu (live debut)
02. Stratego (live debut)
03. The Writing On The Wall (live debut)
04. Revelations
05. Blood Brothers (first performance since July 2017)
06. Sign Of The Cross
07. Flight Of Icarus
08. Fear Of The Dark
09. Hallowed Be Thy Name
10. The Number Of The Beast
11. Iron Maiden

Encore:

12. The Trooper
13. The Clansman
14. Run To The Hills

Encore 2:

15. Aces High

Prior to the Zagreb concert, IRON MAIDEN hadn't performed live in two and a half years — since the completion of its South American tour in October 2019.

Earlier this year, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson confirmed that the band is planning to stage a tour where it will perform its new album, "Senjutsu", in its entirety. The 63-year-old singer told the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast: "The plan we've got — it's not really a secret; I think everybody else has chatted about it — we will, I hope, we've talked about doing the entire ['Senjutsu'] album start to finish, but not this time around. And we all appreciate that that is something that really diehard fans will probably love and other people will go, 'Hmmm, I'm not gonna go see that.' So the answer is you play smaller venues so that they sell out with just your diehard fans. 'Cause it's a musical thing to do — it's a musical thing."

Dickinson went on to clarify that the 2022 leg of MAIDEN's "Legacy Of The Beast" tour, which is scheduled to hit North America in September and October, will once again focus primarily on a decades-spanning setlist of fan favorites.

"The 'Legacy Of The Beast' tour, people have all paid their money to see the 'Legacy Of The Beast' show, with Spitfires and flamethrowers and Icarus and everything that goes with," he said. "So they're gonna get all that. But the first three tracks are probably gonna be the first three tracks on the ['Senjutsu'] album. 'The Writing On The Wall' they already know, so everybody should know the first three tracks. And I just think [the] 'Senjutsu' [title track] is just such a great opening song — so dramatic. And then once you've done that — and we'll have a stage set to go with it — once you've done that, you're back to the kind of 'Legacy' world at that point. But I think 'The Writing On The Wall' is gonna be a great song — I mean, a crowd singalong song. You can imagine that. It'll be fantastic."

Addressing the fact that MAIDEN infuriated some fans by forcing them to sit through the band's then-new, 75-minute "A Matter Of Life And Death" album on tour in 2006, denying the crowd the greatest hits they'd come for, Bruce said: "Nobody has to buy a ticket. If you don't wanna go [see us play an entire new album live], you don't buy a ticket. It's gonna be plain as the nose on your face. This is gonna be what they're gonna do. So given that, don't complain that they did what they said they were gonna do."

Clocking in at a hefty 82 minutes, "Senjutsu" came out in September. It marks MAIDEN's second consecutive double album behind 2015's "The Book Of Souls" which is the longest MAIDEN album, with a running time of 92 minutes.

IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, "Senjutsu" was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

According to Billboard, "Senjutsu" logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales.

"Senjutsu" topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer, who pleaded guilty 13 months ago to his role in the Capitol riot, is continuing to cooperate with authorities while on pre-sentencing release.

In a joint status update filed last Wednesday (May 18) in federal court in Washington, D.C., Schaffer's attorney Andrew C. Marcantel of Attorneys For Freedom Law Firm wrote that Schaffer "remains on release under the supervision of the District of Columbia Pre-Trial Services Department. He has remained compliant with pre-trial release conditions. He has remained cooperative with law enforcement since his release." The attorney also asked for an "opportunity to file a further joint status update on or about October 28, 2022."

According to an April 2021 Justice Department press release, Schaffer has "acknowledged he is a founding lifetime member" of the right-wing Oath Keepers extremist group.

This past January, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta granted the U.S. government's request to share sealed materials from the case involving Schaffer's role in the U.S. Capitol riot case as discovery to the three main Oath Keepers cases. Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, and several of his deputies were charged with seditious conspiracy for their role in the U.S. Capitol Riot. Rhodes and his co-defendants are accused of bringing small arms to the Washington, D.C. area; engaging in combat training to prepare for the attack; and making plans to stage quick-reaction forces to support insurrectionists.

In December, a lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. accusing 31 members of Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys — including Schaffer — of "conspiring to terrorize the District" on January 6, 2021, calling their actions "a coordinated act of domestic terrorism." According to CNN, the lawsuit cites the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a federal law created after the Civil War to protect civil rights and, as District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine noted, "to protect against vigilantes and insurrectionists."

"I think the damages are substantial," Racine told The Washington Post. "If it so happens that it bankrupts or puts these individuals and entities in financial peril, so be it."

The 84-page complaint, which can be found at this location, describes Schaffer as "a founding, lifetime member of the Oath Keepers." It goes on to say: "Schaffer was criminally charged and indicted for his role in perpetrating the January 6th Attack. In connection with a promise to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in criminal cases related to the conspiracy to commit the January 6th Attack, Schaffer pleaded guilty to the entire Statement of Offense in the criminal action brought against him, which included two felony offenses: (1) trespass of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon and (2) obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress. The Criminal Complaint filed against Schaffer—as well as Schaffer's Plea Agreement and the accompanying Statement of Offense describing his conduct—are publicly available documents that are hereby incorporated into the Complaint by reference."

"No one bore the brunt of this gutless attack more than the courageous law enforcement officers including the men and women of the DC Metropolitan Police Department who went into the fire and violence with one objective in mind: remove the violent mob and restore our country's fragile democracy," Racine said at a news conference.

"The defendants, as you know, were not tourists, nor were they acting patriotically," he added. "They were vigilantes, members of a mob, insurrectionists who sought to crush our country's freedoms."

As part of his April 2021 plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer acknowledged that on January 6, 2021 he was in Washington to attend the "Stop The Steal" rally at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. to protest the results of the presidential election, which he believed were fraudulent. Schaffer wore a tactical vest and carried bear spray, a dangerous weapon and chemical irritant used to ward off bears. When the rally finished, Schaffer joined a large crowd that marched from the Ellipse to the Capitol, where a joint session of Congress, presided over by Vice President Michael Pence, was in session to certify the electoral college vote results. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., members of the mob forced entry into the Capitol building, disrupting the joint session and causing members of Congress and the Vice President to be evacuated from the House and Senate chambers.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer admitted that after arriving on Capitol grounds, he walked past barriers intended to restrict access to the public and to a set of locked doors on the Capitol's west side. At approximately 2:40 p.m., Schaffer positioned himself at the front of a crowd that broke open a set of doors being guarded by four U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers wearing riot gear. Schaffer admitted to being among the first individuals to push past the damaged doors and into the Capitol building, forcing officers to retreat. Schaffer and others advanced toward five or six backpedaling USCP officers while members of the mob swelled inside of the Capitol and overwhelmed the officers. The officers ultimately deployed a chemical irritant to disperse the mob. Schaffer was among the people who were sprayed in the face, after which he exited while holding his own bear spray in his hands.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases, according to CNN. In return for Schaffer's assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.

Also as part of the agreement, the Justice Department has offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.

The 54-year-old musician was the first Capitol riot defendant to reach a plea deal.

The Indiana chapter of the Oath Keepers distanced itself from Schaffer after his arrest, claiming he was not a member of the local group. But the national organization, which sells lifetime memberships for $1,200, has not commented on his alleged affiliation with the group.

At a November 2020 Donald Trump rally in Washington, D.C., Schaffer was videotaped walking behind a Florida couple, Kelly Meggs and Connie Meggs, who were accused of being among 10 members of the Oath Keepers to have played a leading role in the Capitol assault. According to federal authorities, Kelly and Connie Meggs plotted for weeks ahead of the attack, attended training sessions and recruited others. Kelly Meggs is the head of the Oath Keepers' chapter in Florida.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.
Jon Schaffer, the first Jan. 6 defendant to plead guilty and the first person with ties to the Oath Keepers to agree to cooperate w/ the feds, "has remained cooperative," per status report — no sentencing date means his cooperation agreement is still active pic.twitter.com/vH6I24Cl3u

— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) May 19, 2022

Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH),David Draiman (DISTURBED),Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman (THE OFFSPRING),Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW),Peter Frampton and Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO) are among the rockers who have reacted on social media to the reports that 18 students and a teacher were killed during a Texas school shooting at an elementary school Tuesday afternoon (May 24).

The shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Rolando Ramos, was killed by police. The chief of police for the school district said they believe the shooter acted alone.

The shooting happened at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which is approximately an hour and a half west of San Antonio. Students were finishing out their final days of classes when Romas entered the school with a handgun and possibly a rifle, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

"He shot and killed — horrifically, incomprehensibly — 14 students and killed a teacher," Abbott said.

Today's shooting in Uvalde is the second-deadliest school shooting in Texas history, the second deadliest elementary school shooting in the country, behind Sandy Hook (2012),and the fifth deadliest school shooting in U.S. history when considering both public schools and universities.

Earlier today, Bach shared a Los Angeles Times article about the latest shooting and wrote in an accompanying message: "Enough of this bullshit. @POTUS please help for Gods Sakes & the safety of our children anyone who thinks this is normal is quite obviously sick in the head #GunControlNow".

He added: "Imagine if it were illegal to possess a machine gun in this country like it's illegal in every other country on the planet Earth".

BLACK SABBATH's Geezer Butler tweeted: "Here we go again - another U.S. president giving his useless 'thoughts & prayers' to the victims while doing nothing to stop 18 year old kids from legally buying ASSAULT RIFLES, for the purpose of killing. God forbid they buy alcohol at that age. #WhatAreWeDoing".

Aldrich wrote: "This shit has got to stop… kids need to be safe #Uvalde. From today on, every school needs a security guard immediately… until we can fix the cause of sick psycho persons w guns, we need our schools in the world protected… from today on #protectschools #NoMoreSchoolShootings".

He continued: "Just watching @cnn in #germany and @wolfblitzer says what can the #potus do to help? NOTHING YOU JACKASS! Until the politicians get this shit sorted , the school districts need to protect the schools with security. HIRE SECURITY TODAY w our tax dollars #Uvalde".
Dear God…no…

💔💔💔https://t.co/HG2p4GrFli

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) May 24, 2022


Here we go again - another U.S. president giving his useless ‘thoughts & prayers’ to the victims while doing nothing to stop 18 year old kids from legally buying ASSAULT RIFLES, for the purpose of killing. God forbid they buy alcohol at that age.#WhatAreWeDoing

— Geezer Butler (@geezerbutler) May 25, 2022


Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Gotta look at mental health, guns, education, security…. but we won’t.

— M. Shadows (@shadows_eth) May 25, 2022


Enough of this bullshit. @POTUS please help for Gods Sakes & the safety of our children anyone who thinks this is normal is quite obviously sick in the head #GunControlNowhttps://t.co/JtrgVYHy2s

— Sebastian Bach (@sebastianbach) May 24, 2022


All the idiot rockers who won't shut the fck up about guns and/or @POTUS need to try and comprehend this in their fcked up feeble brains 🖕 https://t.co/lrm4Logv3y

— Sebastian Bach (@sebastianbach) May 25, 2022


So in other words you and Heidi are doing exactly nothing. Go to hell https://t.co/rueG42oKQp

— Sebastian Bach (@sebastianbach) May 24, 2022


When I was in school, Congress made an effort to “protect” kids from, yes, song lyrics (bipartisan, so anyone who claims “It was all Tipper & Dems!” GTFO). Point being: IF ONLY THE SAME CONCERN ONCE SHOWN FOR “PROTECTING” KIDS FROM MUSIC (??!) WAS APPLIED TO ASSAULT WEAPONS TODAY

— Alex Skolnick 🇺🇦 (@AlexSkolnick) May 25, 2022


Well said. One thing to add:

FUCK THEIR “THOUGHTS & PRAYERS”#Uvalde

— Alex Skolnick 🇺🇦 (@AlexSkolnick) May 24, 2022


Heartbroken by the news in Texas today. Unimaginable 😭

— JB Brubaker (@JBBrubaker) May 24, 2022


You enabled this.

— JB Brubaker (@JBBrubaker) May 24, 2022


Heart goes out to those family and friends of the kids lost in Texas school shooting.. so so terrible and sick that someone would do this… my sincere condolences ☹

— DOUG ALDRICH (@Douglas_Aldrich) May 24, 2022


From today on, every school needs a security guard immediately… until we can fix the cause of sick psycho persons w guns, we need our schools in the world protected… from today on#protectschools#NoMoreSchoolShootings

— DOUG ALDRICH (@Douglas_Aldrich) May 24, 2022


Just watching @cnn in #germany and @wolfblitzer says what can the #potus do to help?

NOTHING YOU JACKASS!

Until the politicians get this shit sorted , the school districts need to protect the schools with security. HIRE SECURITY TODAY w our tax dollars #Uvalde

— DOUG ALDRICH (@Douglas_Aldrich) May 24, 2022


In TX another school shooting allegedly by an 18 year old boy. 2 dead and many more injured. How many more must die or hurt before something is done to stop children/adults ease of obtaining fire arms. #momsdemandaction#EndGunViolence#schoolviolence

— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) May 24, 2022


No one can be untouched by this tragedy today I see it has made a lot of people rightly very angry I can’t stop thinking about all the parents who’ve lost a child today “They” say it will never end & I don’t believe that “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore”

— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) May 25, 2022


Watch this please https://t.co/QzBNHMLLWm

— Peter Frampton (@peterframpton) May 24, 2022


I see conflicting reports on the numbers but the totals don’t matter. The fact that there was a shooting at an elementary school that harmed any children is just disgusting and infuriating. What has happened to people? How has humanity fallen so far? My soul aches with sorrow.

— Brian Fair (@brianshadfall) May 24, 2022


Ugh. How many tragedies like this have to happen before we as a country do something, anything, to stop them? My heart goes out to the loved ones of those dead children & teacher. #GunControlNow

— Gnudz (@TheGnudz) May 24, 2022

In a new interview with Zisis Petkanas of Greece's Rock Overdose, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about his long-lasting working relationship with singer Mark Tornillo, who joined the band in 2009. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it just proves what I've always felt. It's a partnership, and unless you have the right partner, yeah, it's not gonna work. It's almost like a marriage or something. Just because it didn't work once with somebody else doesn't mean there's not the right person out there somewhere, and I think we found that right person. And he's got the right voice, he has a great attitude, he's got the looks, and he's a total metal freak. So I think we just have a winning team here."

When Petkanas asked Hoffmann about original ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider's comment that the band's current lineup is "not ACCEPT" anymore because Wolf is the only remaining original member left, the guitarist responded: "Yeah, yeah. Of course. I know. What else is new? Of course he's gonna say that. What else is he gonna talk about? See, that's the thing — if you constantly talk about something that happened 30 years ago, what does that tell you about your own career? That's all I have to say about that. I always think the proof is in the pudding — make some great music and the rest will sort itself out. And that's all we're trying to do. We're not trying to compete with anybody. We don't have to prove ourselves. We are ACCEPT and we make great albums. That's all I know."

Last month, Udo said in an interview with Australia's "Scars And Guitars" podcast that he has had no contact with Wolf in recent years. "And I don't wanna have any contact with him," he added. "I'm really good friends now again with [former ACCEPT bassist] Peter Baltes; he did all the bass guitars on [my new] cover album ['My Way'], for example. I still have a good relationship with [ex-ACCEPT drummer] Stefan Kaufmann. Over the years, he was the guitar player in U.D.O. [and] he was producing U.D.O. and stuff like that. And the only guy I don't wanna talk to — let's say it this way — is Wolf. There's a lot of reasons why. I wish him all the best. [He's] a great guitar player anyway, but for me to work with him again — never."

During the same chat, Udo was asked if he has ever had an opportunity to meet Tornillo. Dirkschneider said: "There was a festival, Masters Of Rock, happening in the Czech Republic, and I was a guest singer of LORDI — I did a song together with LORDI. And LORDI was headlining and ACCEPT was the special guest of this festival, not the headliner. And at the hotel, we [Mark and I] were waiting both for a driver, and he never said to me hello or something like that. Okay, I mean, what can I do? Why not say hello? I'm also really good friends with David Reece who did [ACCEPT's] 'Eat The Heat' album. We are really, really good friends; we talk sometimes on the phone and blah blah blah. I don't know… What I heard from Peter is that it was not allowed that he talk to me. Don't ask me. Forget it…"

Udo added: "He's a good singer, he's doing a good job now with ACCEPT, and I wish him good luck. And maybe one day [we will meet and speak to each other]. You never know."

Last December, Udo told Simfonia Metàl·lica that losing the rights to the ACCEPT name was the biggest mistake he made in his professional career. "This is the only thing I'm really not happy with," he said. "I was creating the name ACCEPT. And then, when we came — let's say in '80, '81, we had to sign a lot of documents. And sometimes you're not really looking on this. And then, in the end, when they fired me [from] my own band, I found a paper [saying] all the rights [to the ACCEPT name] go to Wolf Hoffmann. And that's really a big point, a bad point for me. The name is normally on me and not on Wolf Hoffmann."

He continued: "This was a big mistake — not really to look what you're signing. But anyway, this is history — [it happened] a long time ago. And I think in the end now, in a way I don't care. But sometimes [I think] I did a big mistake. But anyway, it happened."

Last year, Udo ruled out the possibility of a reunion with ACCEPT, telling TNT Radio Rock: "I don't wanna say anything bad. Wolf is a great guitar player. He's a great guy — I know that. But one thing, and that's why never ever can happen again a reunion or stuff like that, is he was stealing my name. A long time ago, in '81, when we had to sign some papers. I was really young, and, 'Yeah, okay,' I signed my contracts. There was some paper in between [all the others], and he [got] the rights [to the ACCEPT name]. But it was not Wolf [who orchestrated it]; I think it was now his wife. She was the manager of ACCEPT, and she was clever to put the [ACCEPT] name on Wolf Hoffmann. And this is the thing that makes me still angry — he was really stealing the name. I mean, I was making ACCEPT in '68.

"In the end, as a person, [he's] definitely a great guitar player, a great guy," Udo added. "It's history. I think I'm quite successful with U.D.O. If I want, I can do anytime a tour under [the name] DIRKSCHNEIDER and play ACCEPT songs. If I really say, 'Okay, I wanna do this again,' no problems at all. But the rest, in a way, is history.

"For example, I was working with Peter Baltes and Stefan Kaufmann together on the single 'Where The Angels Fly', and everybody was, like, 'Oh, what is this? This is more ACCEPT than ACCEPT is doing now at the moment.'"

Dirkschneider's long-running metal band U.D.O. released an album in July 2020 called "We Are One", featuring contributions from Baltes and Kaufmann. Baltes and Kaufmann also reunited with Dirkschneider in the studio to record an EP under the DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG banner, titled "Arising", which came out in August 2021.

In January 2021, Hoffmann was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he was surprised to see Baltes working with Dirkschneider on some new music last year. He responded: "Yeah, I probably shouldn't say much about that. Again, I can only speculate what that was all about. At the end of the day, we do our thing, and everybody has to know for themselves what they wanna do. Yeah, let me not say as much about that as I can, please."

Back in 2015, Hoffmann dismissed Dirkschneider's comment that the band's then-lineup — which included Baltes and Tornillo — performed live "without any emotion." "It's just hilarious at this point," Wolf said. "It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

In a new interview with Independent.ie, DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott explained how acclaimed bluegrass singer Alison Krauss came to guest on two songs on the band's upcoming album, "Diamond Star Halos". According to Elliott, he got to know her through LED ZEPPELIN's Robert Plant who has made two full-length records with Krauss.

"In 2020, Wolves [Plant's beloved football club] were playing Sheffield United [Elliott's club] and we were having the banter," Joe recalled. "He said, 'What are you up to, kid?' And I said, 'Don't tell anyone, but we're making a new album.' And he said, 'Oh, I have to tell Alison because, annoyingly, you're her favorite band.

"We'd known for a while she liked us, because she'd interviewed us for Q magazine," Elliott continued. "We've become an accidental favorite of a lot of country artists because our backing vocals were often arranged in a country-like harmonic way because Mutt Lange [who produced the band's bestselling albums] was a huge country fan and he'd say, 'Change that major to a minor' and we would and it would take [the song] away from that standard rock thing."

Word soon reached Elliott that Krauss was keen to be involved on the new album. "We sent her 'Lifeless' and 'This Guitar' and said, 'Pick whichever one you fancy because these are the two songs most appropriate for you' and she texted me back within an hour going, 'OMG, I can't pick one — I love them both.' And without asking the guys, I said, 'Why don't you do them both?' And she did."

"Diamond Star Halos" will arrive on May 27 via UMe. The follow-up to 2015's self-titled LP was recorded over the past two years simultaneously in three different countries with Elliott in Ireland, Rick Savage (bass) in England, and Phil Collen (guitar),Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) in the United States. Without the pressure of timelines or a fixed schedule, they poured all of their energy into crafting 15 meaningful tracks with a mixture of classic spirit meets modern fire. Thematically, they nodded to their earliest collective influences such as David Bowie, T.REX and MOTT THE HOOPLE, among others. The title itself notably references T.REX's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)".

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

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

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH frontman Ivan Moody injured his right eye after accidentally getting it exposed to a laser beam during the band's performance Thursday (May 19) at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Late Thursday night, Moody took to his Instagram to share a video explaining what happened. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "During the set I got overheated, and I walked back and I passed out… I was grabbing towards Charlie's [Engen, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH drummer] kit. And the heat — it was exhausting. Charlie almost passed out too. And I reached for a cymbal and I felt myself going under. And so I ran back. And I was okay. My [guys] helped me out. And as I'm coming back onstage, one of the lasers kicked backwards, 'cause I tripped basically over it, and it shot me in the eye. And these things are like… they basically have the power of a minor supernova; they're really bad. If you put your phone up to one of 'em, it'll actually black out your screen.

"So, anyway, I've gotta go back [home] to [Las] Vegas and I've gotta see a real eye doctor," he continued. "And hopefully it's okay. I can't see out of it right now. It's, like, have you ever stared at the sun or a lightbulb and you get that green light — it blackens it out. Imagine that times, like, a thousand. They thought my retina was separated; that's how bad it was.

"So when I go to Europe here in a couple of weeks, you all might be seeing me with a fucking patch on my eye," he said, referencing the fact that FIVE FINGER is scheduled to launch its European tour on June 12 at Austria's Nova Rock festival. "Go ahead. Make fun. Don't care. But it is what it is. I had a blast. Like I said, I'm really sorry. I felt like I got exhausted [during the Welcome To Rockville set] — the weight of the humidity. 85 percent humidity in 90-degree weather, it takes a toll. And I saw a lot of you falling down. And when I went to the E.R., there were a lot of you out there."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's ninth studio album, "AfterLife", will be released on August 19. The follow-up to 2020's "F8" was once again recorded at the Hideout Recording Studio, the Las Vegas, Nevada facility owned and operated by Kevin Churko, the Canadian record producer/engineer and songwriter who has worked on all of FIVE FINGER's albums beginning with the band's sophomore release, 2009's "War Is The Answer".

"AfterLife" will be FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's first album with its latest addition, renowned British virtuoso Andy James, who replaced Jason Hook in 2020. James was previously featured on "Broken World", a song that was included on the second installment of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction – Volume 2", which came out in the fall of 2020.

Last month, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH announced a 2022 U.S. headlining tour presented by Live Nation. Kicking off in Portland, Oregon on August 19, the trek will span over 30 dates, closing out on October 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The band will be joined on tour by rock icons MEGADETH, with additional support from THE HU and FIRE FROM THE GODS.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ivan L. Moody (@ivanmoody)

Near Dusk, the hard riffin’ mile high stoner rock, psychedelia and heavy blues drenched band, return with a brand-new single, "The Way It Goes", which is out now on all digital platforms via Iron Head Records / Golden Robot Records.


"The Way It Goes" is the first single lifted from Near Dusk’s forthcoming sophomore record and crosses all borders of modern rock ‘n’ roll. This track is about someone who’s destined to let you down every time. 







Laden with heavy woody riffs, slow driving tempos, and plenty of fuzz to go around, Near Dusk is fronted by guitarist and vocalist Matthew Orloff, low end soldier Kellen McInerney, and rhythm heathen Jon Orlof. 





 

Fan-filmed video of DISTURBED's entire May 21 performance at the MMRBQ at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey can be seen below.

During the concert, DISTURBED singer David Draiman told the crowd that the band's upcoming album is "heavy as fuck."

"We have a new record that will soon be released," the 49-year-old said before DISTURBED launched into the song "Voices" from the band's 2000 debut album "The Sickness". "And it's about 90 percent heavy as fuck. Now there's still 10 percent of caring, loving goodness [laughs] — 10 percent. Hey, for everybody that fell in love with 'The Sound Of Silence' [SIMON & GARFUNKEL] cover, I figured, you know… But the rest of it? 'Sickness'-, 'Ten Thousand Fists'-era DISTURBED, for sure. You excited about that? 'Cause I'll tell you we're really fucking excited about it."

Last month, DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren told "The Mistress Carrie Podcast" that he and his bandmates are "definitely in the middle of the process" of making a new album. "We have been writing, we have been recording," he said. "I'm very excited about everything that we're coming up with right now. It's feeling great, it's sounding great."

He continued: "We don't necessarily have a definitive time frame right now [for the album's release]. Coming off two years of a pandemic, we just have been taking our time in trying to put out the best record of our careers and top everything that we've ever done before.

"I think people are gonna be pleasantly surprised when they finally get a chance to hear this," Mike added.

Wengren's comments came just days after Draiman confirmed that DISTURBED has completed recording the new LP. Prior to that, Draiman shared a since-deleted Instagram photo of a whiteboard — which appeared to have been taken in a recording studio — charting DISTURBED's progress with recording. On the board, 10 songs were listed, featuring such titles as "Hey You", "Love To Hate" and "Part Of Me". David captioned the picture: "And that's a wrap people. #HolyShitIsThisGood #epic @disturbed". Also included on the whiteboard was the guitar tuning for each track, with most of them using "Standard C#", "Drop C#" or "Drop C" tuning. One track was also recorded in "Drop A#" tuning, while another is in "Drop B".

Draiman spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the new DISTURBED album during a recent appearance on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie. Regarding what it has been like for him and his bandmates to regroup in person after such a long time apart and once again launch the creative process, he said: "There's really nothing that replaces it. It was a continuing theme of conversation over the course of the week that we had together between our couple of shows we played in Indiana [in early November] and our performance over in Daytona for [the] Welcome To Rockville [festival]. There really is no substitute. There isn't. The energy and that realization when you've got something. Compare it to fishing, and you finally land a big one. [Laughs] It's incredibly, incredibly exciting. And we were on fire."

As for the musical direction of the new DISTURBED songs, Draiman said: "The material is somewhere between 'The Sickness' and 'Ten Thousand Fists' as far as where I would identify it as sonically. It's rhythmic, it's pummeling, it's anthemic, it's polysyncopated. It's meat-and-potatoes DISTURBED."

David also discussed DISTURBED's apparent decision to pursue a more aggressive musical approach on its next LP compared to "Evolution", on which nearly half the songs were either acoustic or semi-acoustic.

"It's a different sort of itch you're scratching," he said. "You can have the satisfaction that comes with, let's say, playing with your children peacefully somewhere and you can have a different sort of satisfaction in engaging in full-contact football with your buddies. It's just a different feel. They're both equally as gratifying but sometimes you just get a little taste more for one than the other. And right now we are definitely — we've got our teeth dug in to that style. We were dying to do the more aggressive stuff. We wanted to go back home. We wanted to go back to the 'groove so hard that you can't stop bobbing your head' kind of stuff. So, we're there, and we're loving it."

Prior to DISTURBED's appearance at the 2021 edition of Welcome To Rockville last November, Draiman told Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio that the band will likely do things slightly differently with the upcoming release. "The way that I see it happening is we're probably not gonna put out something in the traditional full-length; we're probably gonna be doing two separate releases," he explained. "So we'll probably have one geared for release — if everything works as planned — by the fall, and then maybe something the following year as well." When Brutus asked Draiman to clarify if that means that the next DISTURBED release will be an EP, David said: "Define it what you want, but it would like five or six songs at a pop — something like that.

"We live in an environment right now and in an age where people's consumption of music has been very soundbitish and very track-driven and very single-driven," he continued. "And there's definitely some beauty towards continuing to try and [make] things like concept records and telling a long story over the duration of a series of songs — there's huge merit to that — but I think that when you write 10 songs and three of them actually get worked at radio and maybe, if you're lucky, the fans are really familiar with half the record and the rest ends up sitting on a shelf, and if you do end up pulling it out one day, it's like an obscure, weird moment during the set, and it's almost like gratuitous for yourself. I don't wanna do that anymore. I wanna make everything count. I wanna make sure that we get the biggest bang for everything we're putting out there. I think that that should be easily attainable. It seems to be where the environment is going, and it seems to be — whether we like it or not — what the digital age has funneled us into."

DISTURBED performed live for the first time in nearly two years last September as one of the headliners of the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

In March 2021, DISTURBED's "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was officially canceled. The amphitheater tour, with very special guest STAIND and BAD WOLVES, was originally slated to take place in the summer of 2020 but was rescheduled to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was eventually scrapped altogether.

"The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was supposed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of DISTURBED's seminal album "The Sickness". On the tour, the band was expected to perform songs off the album, as well as tracks from "Evolution" and DISTURBED's extensive catalog.

In September 2020, DISTURBED released a cover version of Sting's 1993 single "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You".

Fan-filmed video of Ace Frehley's May 15 performance at Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls, New York can be seen below.

Featured songs:

00:00 Rip It Out
04:03 Rocket Ride
08:33 Love Theme From KISS
09:14 Hard Times
13:10 Shock Me
17:03 Guitar Solo

Last November, Ace said that he had collaborated with his longtime friend Peppy Castro on "some heavy songs."

Peppy reportedly taught Frehley how to play guitar and previously collaborated with KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons as a songwriter and performed on Frehley's and KISS frontman Paul Stanley's solo records.

In December 2020, Frehley told Talking Metal Live that he would start recording his next all-original album in 2021. The record will be the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne. At the time, he said that had "been writing all along. Plus, I have tracks that I've already recorded that I have to revisit and decide whether they have a chance to make it on my new studio record — [if they] have to be rewritten or [they're] just good the way they are," he explained. "And I've got people sending me song ideas constantly… So, little by little, it's an ongoing process, and it evolves as it goes."

Earlier in 2020, Frehley told Canada's iHeart Radio that he had "only written about three songs" for his next LP, and he added they were "not finished." He said: "Now that I'm [living] on the East Coast [after moving to New Jersey from Southern California], my engineer only lives an hour from me, Alex Salzman, who worked with me extensively on this last record, and he played a lot of bass guitar as well, So it's gonna be even easier, 'Origins Vol. 3' and the next [original] record."

Frehley's latest release was "Origins Vol. 2", the sequel to his 2016 collection of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist.

"Origins Vol. 2" featured cover versions of THE BEATLES' "I'm Down", DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'", LED ZEPPELIN's "Good Times Bad Times", THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", THE KINKS' "Lola" and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Manic Depression", among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune "She" also appeared as a bonus track. Guests on the set included CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Simmons's bass playing.

Ace Frehley, Flipp @ Strand Theater, Hudson Falls, NY - May 15, 2022

Ace Frehley??? Really???
What a coup for The...

Posted by Steve Catdeli Del Signore on Tuesday, May 17, 2022

ACE FREHLEY!!!!

Posted by The Strand Theatre Hudson Falls on Thursday, April 28, 2022

The life of late MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza was celebrated with a special livestream on Saturday, May 21 at the official Nick MenzaYouTube channel.

Fans got the opportunity to stream the live event and get a behind-the-scenes sneak preview of the upcoming feature-length Menza documentary film "This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza". This included an exclusive listening party of the film's soundtrack, including brand new video content, along with other bonus material.

Executive producer and film director Holly Mollohan from Screaming Butterfly Entertainment and documentary co-producer and Menza's former MEGADETH bandmate David Ellefson hosted the live virtual event for the sixth anniversary of Nick's passing and answered viewer questions on the making of the film. The event also featured a few guest musicians involved with the writing and recording of the film's soundtrack. These newly written songs feature previously recorded drum tracks by Menza and what's known to be his final studio drum recordings.

Menza, who was a member of MEGADETH from 1989 to 1998 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums, suffered a heart attack and collapsed during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: in May 2016 at the Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Ellefson reflected on Menza's passing in a recent interview with The Claw's Corner. He said: "Of course it's sad when someone leaves the planet 'cause we miss 'em. And I hear this footage with Nick, I see this footage, I hear interviews with him and stuff, and it's like he was sitting right here. So I feel that same thing. But how Nick died is… If you knew Nick and you lived on a tour bus with him, like we did, he would always say stuff like that: 'Oh, I'm gonna blow up on stage. I'm gonna blow your minds.' He'd say crazy stuff like 'Jesus was a hologram.' He would just say shit to just get a rise out of people and piss people off — just to see how far he could push it. So when he died on stage, I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of, like, 'Man, he freaking got away with it. He did it. He really did it.' And it's interesting, 'cause when he passed, he passed right away. They tried to revive him, and he was gone — I mean, he was probably gone before he hit the floor. And God bless him. That was it. Chris Poland told me about it, and I won't tell too much, 'cause a lot of the stuff's in the movie, but he told me the story about how they were kicking ass and having a great night and ready to start the next song, and then Nick was not there. It's a great story, and I don't wanna say really any more than that, because the story is great. The movie is gonna be really, really, really cool, and I'm really honored to be a part of it and to help tell the story of Nick's life and help out the family with grieving. They're kind of going through that whole process and get to the other side of it."

"This Was My Life" will be the first-ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life, including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic 'Rust In Peace' lineup."

"This Was My Life" will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with.

The cover photo for the film was shot by Los Angeles music photographer Alex Solca and designed by Brazilian artwork designer Alcides Burn of Burn Artworks.

The "This Was My Life" soundtrack will consist of eight or nine songs built around Nick's unearthed and previously unreleased drum riffs that Menza recorded for a project he started working on between 2013 and 2015. Ellefson played bass on a few of the tracks and is also serving as the project's executive producer.