Los Angeles-based industrial metal band Dawn Of Ashes have unveiled the highly anticipated, intensely graphic official music video for their single "EMDR". Completely NSFW, with disturbing imagery as analogies for the all-encompassing and often contradictory experiences of severe trauma patients, "EMDR" is not for the faint of heart, but serves as a uniquely explicit glimpse into a mind struggling to achieve balance and acceptance beyond suffering. "EMDR" is the lead single from the band's recently released and critically acclaimed new LP, Scars of the Broken, available physically and digitally through Artoffact Records.


Frontman Kristof Bathory: "The story behind the music video 'EMDR' is about a trauma victim undergoing EMDR therapy. She slips into a nightmare and is tormented by a trauma spirit in a sexual and disturbing way. She ends up being possessed by the spirit and eventually becomes that what she fears most.”







Tracklist:


"(Descending) Torn Inside"
"Love is Asphyxiation"
"The Despondent Hole"
"EMDR"
"Bane of Your Existence"
"(Limbo) Numb"
"It Comes in Waves"
"Heart Beats Cold"
"Turn It Shallow"
"Scars of the Broken"
"The Antidote"
"(Ascending) Catharsis"


"EDMR"

Finnish metal band Where's My Bible have unleashed the final track, "Chapter IV: Origin", from their new Circle EP, which was released on May 13th via Inverse Records. Check out the video below.


Singer Jussi Matilainen comments: "In a previous release, we didn’t want to reveal this one to be the final end where an old one has to die in order to replace a new one. The 'Origin' that concludes the story of EP's four songs tells how to be reborn and to accept things as they are. Like how you are perfect just the way you are. Maybe broken, but that doesn’t mean you’re weak. When you learn it, you are already on the right path and going far in your life. Because we all are here to learn until we die how to be human and get along with ourselves as well as others.


 Everything goes around the circle as our EP title says. Even if you do your best and accept things as they are, the circle can take you back to square one. But don't be discouraged! You did it once so you can do it again, more experienced and stronger than ever. 




 


The whole project was very tough in every way but also extremely awesome and instructive. Not only in the musical sense but also in terms of introspection. Be kind to eachother especially to yourself. Please, enjoy the journey of Circle...as we did."


Guitarist Toni Hinkkala continues: "As in the story of Circle, we have re-created ourselves and it feels absolutely awesome. The story ends with a song where we brought something old yet sounding like our new self. Thus, according to the name of EP, we made the circle complete." 





Tracklist:


"Chapter I: Escape"
"Chapter II: Void"
"Chapter III: Nest"
"Chapter IV: Origin"


"Chapter I: Escape"





"Chapter II: Void"





"Chapter III: Nest"





"Chapter IV: Origin"

On May 8th, Skid Row performed at the M3 Rock Festival in Columbia, MD. Fan-filmed video of the band's entire set is available below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"Slave To The Grind"
"The Threat"
"Big Guns"
"18 And Life"
"Piece Of Me"
"Livin' On A Chain Gang"
"Psycho Therapy"
"I Remember You"
"Psycho Love"
"Monkey Business"
"In A Darkened Room"
"Makin' A Mess"
"The Gang's All Here"
"Youth Gone Wild"







Former H.E.A.T. vocalist Erik Grönwall made his recording debut with Skid Row via the new single, "The  Gang's All Here", on March 25th.


Skid Row and earMUSIC join forces to announce the release of the new studio album, The Gang’s All Here, on October 14. This announcement coincides with the launch of the iconic hard rock band’s Las Vegas Residency (as the Scorpions’ special guests) this Saturday, as well as the debut of their brand-new single, the title track “The Gang’s All Here”. Watch a visualizer for the single below, and stream the song here.


“The Gang’s All Here” is an oath of triumph, exploding with powerful energy that makes us hunger for more. It is the logical next-generation leap of the band’s trademark sound that stomps out new ground – with singer Erik Grönwall (formerly of H.E.A.T, one of the best frontmen of this or any hard rock era) joining the family.


Produced by Grammy Award Winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Evanescence) and long-time fan, Skid Row are ablaze. They are re-energized, kicking their sound way up to modern Hard Rock Royalty.


“We are beyond excited to release this record. It has been a long time in the making and a lot of hard work has been put into it by the band and our producer Nick Raskulinecz. And the addition of Erik has lifted the songs to new heights. Add all this to the fact that we start our world tour in Las Vegas with the Scorpions residency this Saturday at Zappos Theater makes it easy to say that Skid Row is going to have a great year.” - Rachel Bolan and Snake Sabo


The Gang's All Here album can be pre-ordered here.





The Gang's All Here tracklisting:


"Hell Or High Water"
"The Gang's All Here"
"Not Dead Yet"
"Time Bomb"
"Resurrected"
"Nowhere Fast"
"When The Lights Come On"
"Tear It Down"
"October's Song"
"World's On Fire"


"The Gang’s All Here" visualizer:

Absinthe Green, brainchild of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Eirini 'Absinthe Green', have released a new music video for the song "Give The Devil His Due", featuring Snowy Shaw (Memento Mori, King Diamond, Illwill, Dream Evil, Mad Architect) taken from the debut album Of Love And Pain, out in the fall of 2022.


"Of Love And Pain" is an amalgamation of Absinthe's musical influences and personal life experiences. Produced by renowned producer Hiili Hilesmaa (HIM, The 69 Eyes, Amorphis, Moonspell, Sentenced), it combines pop elements with aggressive guitars, solid, groovy drum beats and a variety of vocals that have the ability to pull diverse audiences together. 


Hiilesmaa comments, "True rock ‘n’ roll personality Absinthe Green has written a stylish debut album that combines classic, timeless Rock sound with raw energetic expression. What a great opening for a solo career!"

The clip below features Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen performing the band's hit "Amaranth" with SDP (Stone Deaf Production) - arranged by SDP in German - for Germany's Sing Meinen Song. This is the live audio from the show.


"Amaranth" was originally performed by vocalist Anette Olzon on the Nightwish album Dark Passion Play, released in 2007. Jansen replaced Olzon in 2012.










Jansen previously covered the SDP hit "Unikat" for Sing Meinen Song. Check it out below.

Following the release of their comeback album, Eyes Of Oblivion, which has gained them international chart success, Swedish high-energy rock'n'roll band The Hellacopters have announced the release of an EP called Through The Eyes Of The Hellacopters, due out on June 24, 2022.


It will contain the four bonus tracks that have previously only been available on the 2CD Box edition of Eyes Of Oblivion, namely "Eleanor Rigby" (The Beatles Cover), "Circus" (String Driven Thing Cover), "I Am The Hunted" (GBH Cover) and "I Ain't No Miracle Worker" (The Brogues Cover). The EP will be available as a limited 10'' vinyl and as a digital album. Preorder here.







Through The Eyes Of The Hellacopters is available in the following physical formats:


-10'' Vinyl (Clear) - ltd. to 500
-10'' Vinyl (Silver) - ltd. to 500
-10'' Vinyl (Gold) - ltd. to 500

Montreal’s Dead Velvet has a second single coming out, following on the heels of their well-received debut single “The Dogs”. This new single “Lonely Wreck” and its music video is streaming below.


According to the band, “Lonely Wreck” is more or less a song about being the last man standing at a party, and also the impact that the abuse of drugs and alcohol can have on an individual. Although the words may seem to glorify this lifestyle, they were more intended to shine a light on the contrast between the highest highs and lowest lows, because they tend to go hand in hand. It’s a kind of dirty homage to mental health. The band continues to explain the musical aspects behind the track:


“We want to write music that gets people’s blood pumping and we think we accomplished that with ‘Lonely Wreck’. The eerie sound hovering over the instruments throughout most of the track sets the mood right from the get-go. There’s a lot of motion and dynamic throughout the song, whether it’s from the creepy whispering and funky bass throughout the verses, the upbeat energy of the choruses, or the haunting sounds during the intro and outro. The song is definitely a trip.”




Dead Velvet has recurring themes throughout their songs, kind of like a set of ingredients that they use to cook their tracks with. As for the music video, death is once again a big part of the imagery, but instead of them being murdered, this time they focused on an individual struggling with addiction and the depression that comes with it who, eventually, loses control of his life and contemplates suicide.


Since the release of their debut, Dead Velvet has been getting a lot more hype than they anticipated. They have played a couple of shows, to wild crowds giving them solid encouragement to keep going strong. Listeners have grown fond of them, and the band can’t wait to release this new song to give them another taste.


They are recommended for fans of Deftones, Stray From The Path, and Korn.





(Photo – Joe Lyko – Dark Moon Productions)

Frontiers Music Srl has released Agenda 21, the new studio album from the recently reformed progressive metal band, Zero Hour.


Original members Jasun Tipton (guitars) and Erik Rosvold (vocals) have recruited bassist Andreas Blomqvist (Seventh Wonder) and drummer Roel van Helden to join them on this new chapter for Zero Hour.


Today, the band has released a playthrough video for the song "Democide". Watch the video below, and order/save Agenda 21 here.







Originally formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in '90s by Jasun and his brother Troy, Zero Hour released six studio albums from 1998 to 2008. Their self-titled debut (1998), The Towers Of Avarice (2001), Metamorphosis (2003), A Fragile Mind (2005), Specs Of Pictures Burnt Beyond (2006), and Dark Deceiver (2008). The genesis of Zero Hour was to create heavy, melodic, dark, intricate music with influences from diverse influences like the Dio-led years of Rainbow, The Pat Metheny Group, and Dream Theater.


Zero Hour dissolved after the release of their 2008 album Dark Deceiver, when Troy Tipton suffered an arm injury that prevented him from playing bass. After Jasun and Erik got back together to start the band back up, they recruited drummer Roel van Helden. Jasun and Roel had become friends after Roel’s group at the time, Sun Caged and Zero Hour played a gig as direct support for Liquid Tension Experiment. They stayed in contact and years later, Jasun caught up with Roel overseas and they chatted about making music together. Roel was then instrumental in bringing Andreas into the fold as one of Roel’s former bands had toured with Andreas' band Seventh Wonder.


Jasun structured the music for Agenda 21, tracking the guitars and keys. Roel then arranged the drums and entered Kohlekeller Studios to record the drums with Kai Stahlenberg. Andreas followed by arranging and recording his bass at Cross Back Studios. Erik Rosvold wrote the lyrics for the songs on Agenda 21 with the vocal melodies arranged by Erik and Jasun together as the vocals were recorded.





Agenda 21 tracklisting:


"Democide"
"Technocracy"
"Stigmata"
"Memento Mori"         
"Agenda 21"
"Patient Zero"


"Technocracy" video:





Lineup:


Erik Rosvold - Vocals
Jasun Tipton - Guitars and Keyboards
Andreas Blomqvist- Bass
Roel van Helden - Drums

The vinyl reissues of the Savatage titles, Gutter Ballet and Streets - A Rock Opera, have landed in the Top 10 of Germany's official Album Top 100 chart. Gutter Ballet debuts at #7 on the chart, with Streets - A Rock Opera landing at #9.


Savatage are a band of staggering power and unlimited creativity, establishing themselves at the 'cutting-edge' of the hard rock world, with a career spanning twelve albums.


August 2021 was the beginning of the extensive re-release campaign of the entire back-catalogue, which continues with the simultaneous release of two certified classics. Gutter Ballet explored a more 'progressive' palette, whilst Streets - A Rock Opera - considered to be their magnum opus - leaned in to the path of "concept album.










The two albums are now available as strictly limited heavyweight coloured LP gatefold collector’s edition, along with 180g black vinyl gatefold. Mastered for vinyl and reissued with the original cover design, specially enhanced artwork and extensive liner notes, they aren't just a must-have for Savatage fans, but for any vinyl aficionado.


More details here.

Texas-based Southern Gothic outfit, Oceans Of Slumber, have released their newest song, “Hearts Of Stone”. The track follows their previous release, “The Waters Rising”, which came out this past February. Both tracks are off Oceans Of Slumber’s upcoming album, Starlight And Ash, which is set for release on July 22. Watch the atmospheric visualizer video for “Hearts of Stone” below.


“Lost and alone from birth, a product of the institution of life on the streets. Trouble follows this person around like a badge of honor. Grief finding grievances, the perfect formula of despair,” states Cammie Beverly (vocals) about the song.


Starlight and Ash was produced by Joel Hamilton (Violet Road, Battle of Mice) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Yes, Voivod). The stunning artwork was created by Eliran Kantor (Testament, Heaven Shall Burn and many more).




The album will be available in the following formats:


- Ltd. CD Digipak
- black LP & LP-Booklet
- 300x transp. light blue LP & LP-Booklet available at CM Distro Wholesale EU, CMDistro.de and EMP
- 300x dark green LP & LP-Booklet available from the band
- 1000x transp. orange LP & LP-Booklet available in the US
- Digital album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"The Waters Rising"
"Hearts Of Stone"
"The Lighthouse"
"Red Forest Roads"
"The Hanging Tree"
"Salvation"
"Star Altar"
"The Spring Of '21"
"Just A Day"
"House Of The Rising Sun"
"The Shipbuilder's Son"


"Hearts Of Stone" visualizer:





"The Waters Rising" video:





Fronted by the inimitable power, range, and grace of vocalist Cammie Beverly, Starlight and Ash posits Oceans Of Slumber in a league of their own. This is as much eloquent extensions of famed singer-songwriters Nick Cave and Chris Stapleton as it is the heartbreaking pulse of Type O Negative and Katatonia. Starlight And Ash isn’t metal, but its edges are.


Oceans Of Slumber is:


Cammie Beverly (vocals)
Xan Fernandez (guitar)
Jessie Santos (guitar)
Mathew Aleman (synth)
Semir Ozerkan (bass)
Dobber Beverly (drums and piano)


(Photo - TheHeavyGlow/Jamie LaCombe)

Greg Puciato, who recently wrapped up an extensive North American tour with Jerry Cantrell, has shared a second preview of his forthcoming album, Mirrorcell (July 1, Federal Prisoner) with today’s arrival of “Never Wanted That” and its accompanying video.


“This vid was a nice exercise in making do with what you have available to you, or the creative benefits of limitation,” explains Puciato of the Jim Louvau and Tony Aguilera directed video. “We filmed this in Baltimore, which was special to me, at like 3 a.m., while on the Cantrell tour. It was really the only time I had. We did multiple whole takes and this was the one. Jim and Tony, as usual, did an excellent job. At one point you can see me fuck up the words. I had to learn so many Cantrell songs that I forgot my own goddamned lyrics.”







Puciato once again recorded all guitars and bass for the collection, and continued his long-running relationship producer Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Cure, Snapcase). Chris Hornbrook (Dhani Harrison, Big Black Delta) played drums on the nine-song album.


Mirrorcell’s arrival caps what has been a particularly prolific period for Puciato. From The Black Queen, to his debut solo album (Child Soldier: Creator Of God), Killer Be Killed’s 2020 collection (Reluctant Hero), Puciato’s contribution to Jerry Cantrell’s Brighten, and his recent collaboration with Carpenter Brut, the provocative frontman has shown just how diverse he is.


Mirrorcell pre-orders are available now via Federal Prisoner’s website, here, with the album available on a variety of formats including multiple limited-edition vinyl variants, a cassette, CD and an accompanying merch collection. A pair of limited-edition “Lowered” vinyl singles, and cassette, are also available.





Tracklisting:


"In This Hell You Find Yourself"
"Reality Spiral"
"No More Lives To Go"
"Never Wanted That"
"Lowered"
"We"
"I, Eclipse"
"Rainbows Underground"
"All Waves To Nothing"


"Lowered" video:





(Photo - Jim Louvau​​​​​​​)

Baltimore-based death metal savants, Misery Index, have released their new record, Complete Control, via Century Media Records. Order here.


The band have released a guitar playthrough edit of the album opener, "Administer The Dagger". Watch below:







Complete Control was mixed by Will Putney, mastered by Jens Bogren / Fascination Street studios and features artwork by Matt Lombard, which can be seen below.


Complete Control, the seventh studio album and Century Media debut for Misery Index, is a riff-driven assault that captures the tension of the modern condition and channels it into 9 songs of ripping end-times death metal. Spewing with Orwellian invective and razor-sharp songwriting, Complete Control is a much-needed hammer to the face; a wake-up call for the disaffected and dispossessed.





Complete Control tracklisting:


"Administer The Dagger"
"The Eaters And The Eaten"
"Complete Control"
"Necessary Suffering"
"Rites Of Cruelty"
"Conspiracy Of None"
"Infiltrators"
"Reciprocal Repulsion"
"Now Defied!"


“Complete Control” video:





"Infiltrators" video:





"The Eaters And The Eaten" video:





Misery Index lineup:


Darin Morris: guitar
Mark Kloeppel: guitar, vocals
Adam Jarvis: drums
Jason Netherton: bass, vocals


(Photo - Ryan Philipps)

SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke to The Bogcast about the band's upcoming twelfth album, "Totem", which will be released on August 5 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2018's "Ritual" was recorded at Platinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino and Arthur Rizk with assistance from John Powers. Produced by Max alongside Arthur Rizk (KREATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CODE ORANGE),the LP boasts guest appearances from John Powers (ETERNAL CHAMPION),Chris Ulsh (POWER TRIP),and John Tardy (OBITUARY). Rizk was also responsible for playing lead guitar on the record. The artwork for the album was created by James Bousema.

Regarding the lyrical themes covered on "Totem", Max said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The [first single] 'Superstition' was inspired by Superstition Mountains. I ended up doing a lot of reading about it and the whole Lost Dutchman. A lot of people died there. It's a really mysterious, mystic place, so I kind of made the lyrics kind of connected to that, which was pretty cool. In the actual chorus, it says, 'Superstition is harder than stone.' I'm referring to the mountain itself. That's a hard mountain. It's been there forever and probably will be there till the end of times.

"The whole record is inspired by nature," he continued. "That's why it's called 'Totem'. I don't know if you guys saw the cover, but we've got this totem pole with a bunch of different animals in it. Supposedly it's kind of like our spirit animals a little bit and our signs. There's almost like a lion mixed with a warthog and there's a goat with the horns. And there's an owl, eagle on top of it. And it's in the forest.

"So, yeah, the record was inspired by nature — the spirits in nature," Cavalera added. "I find that fascinating. I love that. I think the desert is very spiritual and very mysterious. And also the forest. We tour a lot, so we go to Iceland and Norway, and we all see those beautiful forests and stuff.

"So a lot of the record was inspired by, I guess you'd call it the worshipping of nature, almost as a god. A lot of natives have that belief — that nature is like a god that you worship. So I think that became the kind of focus point for the record. There's definitely songs that deal with different topics on it. There's a really cool song that's against cancer. We lost so many good people [to] cancer. I remember when I was writing the record, L.G. [Petrov] from ENTOMBED passed away, and Chuck [Schuldiner] from DEATH [died 20 years ago], and also family members that succumbed to cancer. And so I was, like, 'I wanna write a song against cancer' — a 'fuck you, cancer'-type letter, like a letter to cancer: 'Fuck you. You're not gonna bring all of us down. We're gonna fight you.' It's called 'Scouring The Vile'. That's one of the heaviest songs on the record. Also there's one that's kind of a little bit about society in general, and it's called 'Filth Upon Filth'. It's very, very 'Reign In Blood' influenced; I was listening to a lot of 'Reign In Blood' when I wrote that song. The tempo of it is a very killer SLAYER kind of groove. There is one song called 'The Damage Done'. It's about all the deforestation. I was reading a lot about the Amazon, how they're just raping and pillaging and destroying and that's like the lungs of the world. It's kind of up to us at least to talk about some of these topics, so I think it was kind of cool to give it a shot."

According to Max, "Totem" closes with a 10-minute track called "Spirit Animal". "It's a bit like an epic kind of song," he said. "It's really inspired by old heavy metal tracks, like closers of BLACK SABBATH albums that were really long, like eight [or] nine minutes long, like 'Heaven And Hell'-type shit. I wanted to write something like that. So it's got a lot of parts — tons of riffs. It's a riff fest. [Laughs] And it's great, 'cause it's also got… Richie from INCITE sings on it, my [step]son. And we've got Chris from POWER TRIP doing the solos on it. He's also in MAMMOTH GRINDER. He's a great musician. So he did the solos on 'Spirit Animal', and it came out sick."

The official lyric video for "Superstition", created by Aimed & Framed alongside 3D character artist Álvar Gómez Padilla, can be seen below.

"Totem" track listing:

01. Superstition
02. Scouring The Vile
03. Filth Upon Filth
04. Rot In Pain
05. The Damage Done
06. Totem
07. Ancestors
08. Ecstasy Of Gold
09. Soulfly XII
10. Spirit Animal

In a recent interview with the "Rez Metal" podcast, Max stated about "Totem": "It was created a little bit different. The majority was just me and my son Zyon playing together, so we kind of wrote the bulk of the material. And then I had a great producer friend, Arthur Rizk; he worked with POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE. Arthur is great, man. And I was curious how Arthur would make a SOULFLY record sound if he was in charge [of] it. And we created something that, to me, feels kind of like… It's almost like a biography of Max music. We cover everything from the early days all the way… So there's some black metal things, there's some death and thrash, there's some groove metal — there's everything. So the record really goes deep into all different areas of metal. So because of that, the album feels very diverse. At the end of the day, I just wanted to make a solid, full-on attitude record that just says, 'We're here to fuck shit up.' This is what we do. This is why I love playing metal, because of the energy it gives me.

"I don't wanna describe the record too much — I'd rather have people hear it and see what they think — but to me, it feels like this is just a really, really energetic SOULFLY record," Cavalera added. "It's kind of cool to have that kind of… After so many records, if you can still put an energetic record out, it says something about your career; you're not slowing down — you're going, actually, the opposite way. So I'm more in the trenches than ever with this one. It feels like [I've been] rejuvenated; I feel like a young kid again playing metal. Those are great elements to have. Especially when you're getting older, a lot of people go more mild and slow down. I'm not one of those people. I wanna just get even more wild, get heavier. But always with the SOULFLY groove, 'cause I think that's a key element of SOULFLY; it's always been the groove. So we pay really close attention to the… We actually added a lot of percussion to it, so it kind of goes back to records like 'Primitive'; some of the grooves go back to songs like 'Primitive' and 'Boom', but some of the other stuff is super aggressive and it's like a lot of the current extreme metal that I listen to right now from a lot of other bands."

SOULFLY performed "Superstition" and "Filth Upon Filth" on its recent U.S. tour.

In April 2021, Max told Chris Enriquez of Saint Vitus Presents: Age Of Quarantine that Rizk took the new SOULFLY project "super seriously. He said, 'Hey, Max, I don't wanna do just another SOULFLY record. I wanna do the bestSOULFLY record,'" he recalled. 'I was, like, 'All right. I take the challenge. Let's do it, man.'"

In December 2020, Max told the "Sappenin' Podcast With Sean Smith" about the songwriting process for the new SOULFLY album: "The cool thing about Zyon, the way he plays drums, is he's a bit like a wild animal — he has no restraint, man, and he just unleashes on the drum kit. Pure, pure brutality power drumming, and I love that. So that takes me back to a lot of the early records that I like — a lot of the old ENTOMBED stuff and CARCASS and NAPALM DEATH; out-of-control shit. So I think we have that kind of spirit going on on a lot of the new tracks."

In August 2021, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. A permanent replacement guitarist has yet to be announced. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the summer 2021 U.S. tour and once again handled second-guitar duties on the band's most recent run of shows.

In June 2020, SOULFLY released a new digital EP, "Live Ritual NYC MMXIX". The effort was recorded at The Gramercy in New York City on February 11, 2019 while SOULFLY was on tour in support of its most recent full-length album, "Ritual". The audio for the EP was mixed and mastered by Charles Elliott (ABYSMAL DAWN) from Tastemaker Audio. Cover artwork was comprised of live photos taken by Rodrigo Fredes.

"Ritual" was released in October 2018 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015's "Archangel" was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA).

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor played a solo acoustic set Saturday (May 14) at the Spookala horror convention at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. Fan-filmed video of his performance can be seen below.

Earlier this week, Taylor launched The Taylor Foundation, a non-profit initiative that aims to help local organizations with their continued efforts to provide assistance and essential resources for members of the military and first responders living with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Corey partnered with Fandiem and BandsInTown to give fans a chance to win a trip to London, England to attend his concert at the Palladium on October 17, including two VIP passes, round-trip flights plus a three-night hotel stay for two.

For full details and contest rules, click here.

In February, Taylor released a new solo album, titled "CMFB…Sides", via Roadrunner Records. "CMFB…Sides" comprises nine previously unreleased B-sides, covers of tunes that inspired Corey, acoustic renditions, and live versions. The EP boasts acoustic takes on "Kansas" and "Halfway Down" from Taylor's 2020 full-length debut, "CMFT", and a powerhouse live medley of "Home" and STONE SOUR's famous "Come What(ever) May" finale "Zzyxz Rd".

"CMFT" made impressive debuts on charts around the world, entering at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Hard Rock Albums chart, while claiming No. 2 on Current Rock Albums, No. 6 on Vinyl Albums, and No. 9 on the Top Albums charts. Furthermore, "CMFT" landed Top 10 on the official album charts in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, with Top 20 debuts in the United Kingdom, Finland and Japan (international chart).

"CMFT" was recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston and Christian Martucci (guitar),Zach Throne (guitar),Jason Christopher (bass),and Dustin Schoenhofer (drums).

"CMFT" had been a long time coming for Taylor, with newly written tracks alongside some dating back to his teens. The album was highlighted by the singles "Culture Head", "HWY 666", "CMFT Must Be Stopped" (featuring Tech N9ne and Kid Bookie),and the Active Rock radio hit "Black Eyes Blue". Taylor also hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Songwriters chart following the unprecedented debut of "Black Eyes Blue" and "CMFT Must Be Stopped". Furthermore, Taylor debuted the pummeling "Culture Head" during WWE's NXT broadcast on the USA network, illuminating yet another facet of "CMFT" and showcasing the broad spectrum of this fiery and fearless rock 'n' roll opus, as Taylor touched on lifelong influences ranging from hard rock to classic rock, punk rock to hip-hop. 14-time world champion and EVP of global talent strategy and development at WWE, Triple H, also shared a WWE exclusive performance of Taylor and his band tearing through the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades".

Last year, Taylor made history as he reached No. 1 at Active Rock Radio with his powerful single "Black Eyes Blue". The achievement put Taylor in a class all his own, making him the first artist in the history of the format to reach No. 1 with three separate projects, following chart-topping efforts from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR.

Featured in Rolling Stone's "Fall Album Preview 2020," "CMFT" has been garnering widespread critical applause, with Forbes affirming, "Corey Taylor's singing is undeniably the best it's ever been. From SLIPKNOT's last album to his new solo material, Taylor is easily among the best sounding rock singers alive." Kerrang! raved, "Corey Taylor certainly couldn't have predicted how important a sense of uninhibited joy would be on his debut solo effort, it's just what 2020 needs — and, even more importantly, exactly what he delivers." The Daily Beast attested, "'CMFT' finds the singer broadening his horizons and showing off his considerable versatility," while Stereogum noted, "Corey Taylor's lived several lives in the span that it takes most of us to push through just one, and it's clear that he cherishes every experience he's had so far." New York magazine added that "CMFT" "bridges his vast tastes and influences, dabbling in punk rock, metal, reflective acoustic tunes, plaintive piano ballads, and hip-hop, with Taylor's power-house vocals and introspective lyrics acting as a guide."

Backstage with Corey Taylor from Slipknot / Stone Sour before his Spookala at World Equestrian Center – Ocala performance (and then announcing him prior to his performance).

Posted by Matt Knowles on Saturday, May 14, 2022

Meeting Corey Taylor & Spencer Charnas was dope asfff 🔥 🔥 Spookala

Posted by Justin Lovelady on Saturday, May 14, 2022

This is super special to me!!! Corey Taylor is my idol and he was so cool to meet in person…I gave him the finger he's…

Posted by Isabella King on Sunday, May 15, 2022

Today was just an incredible day. Aubree is 100% my child. But the best thing is she is a huge Slipknot fan like me….

Posted by Jack Asbury III on Saturday, May 14, 2022

Best birthday gift ever went to #spookala and got to realize a dream I’ve had for my whole life. Meeting Corey Taylor…

Posted by Bella Tindall on Saturday, May 14, 2022

Corey Taylor 🖤🖤🖤

Posted by Angela Scott on Saturday, May 14, 2022

Corey Taylor came by our booth today! We had such a great time getting to hang out with Corey a little bit & give him an...

Posted by Ghostbusters: Ecto Force of Florida on Sunday, May 15, 2022

Threeman Recordings will release the 25th anniversary edition of Entombed's classic album, DCLXVI: To Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth, on July 15. The album will be available on CD, vinyl, and digital.


Entombed was inducted into the Swedish Music Hall of Fame in 2014 with the following motivation: "Hard Rock is just as typical of growing up in medium-sized Swedish towns as football and mopeds. Hard Rock is Swedish folk music with studded wrist bands instead of tasseled garters. After two decades of Anglo-Saxon hard rock a Swedish band, Entombed, became one of the world leaders in death metal. A subculture that has spread throughout the world, mutated in various forms, and after 20 years continues to be just as vital. Entombed is part of the heavier internationalization of Swedish popular music - all categories."


The band was founded in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. With its catchy, versatile but still rock-hard music Entombed pioneered Scandinavian death metal, which was different from its American counterpart mainly by the characteristic, chainsaw-like guitar sound. The special sound they got by tuning down their guitars three full steps (to C or less), by using a maxed-out Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal, in combination with a guitar running through a Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal. The debut album Left Hand Path was released in 1990 and followed up the following year with Clandestine and Wolverine Blues in 1993.




For the 25th anniversary of DCLXVI: To Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth, the album is finally reissued and packaged as the band originally intended it.


The vinyl edition comes in a gatefold sleeve, while the CD version includes the classic poster booklet. The release was newly remastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studios.





Tracklisting:


"To Ride, Shoot Straight And Speak The Truth"
"Like This With The Devil"
"Lights Out"
"Wound"
"They"
"Somewhat Peculiar"
"DCLXVI"
"Parasight"
"Damn Deal Done"
"Put Me Out"
"Just As Sad"
"Boats"
"Uffe's Horrorshow"
"Wreckage"


Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed from its American counterpart by its distinct guitar tone.


"Much of our catalogue has not been available for a long time as we've been searching for the best option to re-release these albums for fans worldwide...for years. With Sound Pollution we've found the ideal partner that helps us to do it our own way, so that the fans can be sure that the reissues are fully controlled by Entombed with full support and co-operation from Threeman Recordings (our own evil empire version of a record company through which we've been releasing all our stuff since the To Ride album (our fourth) in 1996 or was it 1997? Wikipedia say 1997 so I guess that's the truth. Anyway, we want to present these albums in the best possible way, so we're going to remaster all of them. We may even make an alternative and/or re-mix of some tracks or album available along the way as well as dig out some demo versions. Personally, I just can't get enough of that stuff myself when it comes to other people's music. Just love to hear things in different ways and get a glimpse of the process...absolutely love that. It's going to be fun to work on all that and give you updates on how it's all playing out. Been waiting a really long time to do this and I am very very excited to finally be here!" - Alex Hellid


Lineup:


Uffe Cederlund - Guitar
Jörgen Sandström - Bass
L-G Petrov - Vocals
Alex Hellid - Guitar
Nicke Andersson - Drums

The Music Universe is reporting that BMG is set to reissue five 1980’s Mötley Crüe albums individually on July 1. 1981’s Too Fast For Love, 1983’s Shout At The Devil, 1985’s Theatre Of Pain, 1987’s Girls, Girls, Girls, and 1989’s Dr. Feelgood will be reissued on digipak CD with remastered audio from 2021.


No bonus tracks appear to be included, but each will be packaged in either a shielding folder or book.


The reissue campaign is part of a new deal the group struck with the label in 2021 to acquire its entire catalog. The deal is valued at approximately $150 million, the largest single catalog acquisition since the company was founded in 2008. The agreement includes the iconic band’s entire recorded output spanning nine studio albums from their 1981 debut Too Fast For Love through the latest release in 2008 Saints Of Los Angeles, as well as several Platinum-selling live albums and compilation sets.







Confirmed dates for The Stadium Tour, featuring Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, are listed below.





June
16 - SunTrust Park - Atlanta, GA
18 - Hard Rock Stadium - Miami Gardens, FL
19 - Camping World Stadium - Orlando, FL
22 - Nationals Park - Washington, DC
24 - Citi Field - Flushing, NY
25 - Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
28 - Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, NC
30 - Nissan Stadium - Nashville, TN


July
2 - EverBank Field - Jacksonville, FL
5 - Busch Stadium - St Louis, MO
8 - Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL
10  - Comerica Park - Detroit, MI
12 - Hersheypark Stadium - Hershey, PA
14 - FirstEnergy Stadium - Cleveland, OH
15 - Great American Ballpark - Cincinnati, OH
17 - American Family Field - Milwaukee, WI
19 - Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City, MO
21 - Coors Field - Denver, CO


August
5 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA
6 - Fenway Park - Boston, MA
8 - Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON
10 - The Stadium Tour - Orchard Park, NY
12 - PNC Park - Pittsburgh, PA
14 - US Bank Stadium - Minneapolis, MN
16 - Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
19 - Minute Made Park - Houston, TX
21 - Alamodome - San Antonio, TX
22 - Globe Life Park in Arlington - Arlington, TX
25 - State Farm Stadium - Phoenix, AZ
27 - SoFi Stadium - Inglewood, CA
28 - Petco Park - San Diego, CA
31 - T-Mobile Park - Seattle, WA


September
2 - BC Place - Vancouver, BC
4 - Commonwealth Stadium - Edmonton, AB
7 - Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA
9 - Allegiant Stadium - Las Vegas, NV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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







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





(Photo - Mike Elliot)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





The tracklist is as follows:




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


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





p>Sarah recently opened up about writing the song.


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


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





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


"The Beauty Of Deception"





"All Eyes On Me"





"Hello"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe Satriani photo credit: Eduardo Peña Dolhun

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

METALLICA's setlist for the Porto Alegre concert:

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

Encore:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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