METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett has released a music video for his solo song "High Plains Drifter". The track opens the second side of Kirk's debut solo EP, "Portals", which will arrive on April 23 via Blackened Recordings across digital platforms, on CD, and as a Record Store Day-exclusive ocean blue vinyl EP (including a download card). The animated clip, directed by AWESOME + modest (Bo Burnham, THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, "U2: From The Sky Down"), creates an ever-morphing psychedelic dreamscape that perfectly complements the song.

Featuring contributions from Edwin Outwater (with whom Kirk had previously collaborated on METALLICA's "S&M²" concerts and releases), Jon Theodore of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (and Kirk's THE WEDDING BAND bandmate), members of the LA Philharmonic and more, "High Plains Drifter" shares a unique inspirational relationship with the 1973 cinematic classic of the same name. The song, Kirk explains, "was not meant to be specifically music for that film, but it was once it was written, I immediately thought it conveyed the same sentiment as the film, so the piece was christened accordingly.

"The music for 'High Plains Drifter' initially came from a flamenco piece I had written," he continues. "It was a two-and-a-half-minute piece, and I really liked it, but it was one of those riffs that would be hard to integrate into METALLICA. I knew I wanted to do something with it, even though it came out spontaneously. I had been sitting outside messing around with a flamenco acoustic guitar I'd just bought, and it flowed out in the moment. I was determined it would have a life. It would have its moment."

True to its title, "Portals" is a collection of gateways to musical and psychic destinations. Recorded around the world, from Los Angeles to Paris to Oahu, "Portals" is the result of Kirk's life's journeys and an invitation to tap into your own inner world. Heavily influenced by classical music, soundtracks, horror movies, and maybe a little Ennio Morricone, Kirk wanted the EP to span the decades and touch upon all the horror he loves. The idea behind the EP was to have all the songs flow into each other, so he relied on a whole cast of his friends to record the four songs.

Produced by Kirk, "Portals" is comprised of the songs "Maiden And The Monster" and "The Jinn" on side A, followed by "High Plains Drifter" and "The Incantation" on side B. The latter two were co-written with Outwater, who also contributed keyboards and led the orchestral players from the LA Philharmonic on "Portals".

Other familiar names amongst the "Portals" players include drummer Abraham Laboriel, Greg Fidelman on bass, Emmy-winning arranger Blake Neely and Bob Rock.

Says Hammett: "Initially, before I even had the idea for a solo EP, I was inspired by the need to create some sort of soundtrack music to accompany The Kirk Hammett Collection for the first 'It's Alive' exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, 2017. I wanted to conceive music to play on a loop in the background as people walked through the exhibit. I sat down one night with a progression, and before I knew it, all the parts were there for 'Maiden And The Monster'.

"The initial concept for 'Portals' started with that one song. Following that, I realized I could create different soundtrack moments. These songs are what I call 'audio cinematic'; I'm creating sounds and pieces of music for the movies playing in my head. Hopefully they'll create movies in other people's heads in a similar fashion."

"Portals" will be available to order on the Met Store and the Probity U.K. shop on Saturday, April 23.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

On July 29, extreme metal masters ARCH ENEMY will unleash their 11th studio album, "Deceivers", via Century Media Records. For fans who can't wait for the record's release, the band is now offering a new seven-inch single, "Sunset Over The Empire", due out May 20, with the title track also appearing on "Deceivers".

ARCH ENEMY's founder and chief songwriter Michael Amott comments: "I am thrilled that we are releasing our next single 'Sunset Over The Empire' not only digitally everywhere as usual, but also as a physical seven-inch vinyl record. I'm a big fan of the vinyl format myself and I think this killer-looking seven-inch will be a nice collector's item as it's a limited run. The B-side is an instrumental we've never released before on a record, and the A-side is one of my fave tracks off our new upcoming album 'Deceivers'!"

"Sunset Over The Empire" seven-inch single is available in the following versions:

* white vinyl (limited to 1000 copies; available via CM Distro Europe)

* transparent orange vinyl (limited to 500 copies; band exclusive)

"Sunset Over The Empire" track listing

01. Sunset Over The Empire

02. The Judging Eyes

"Sunset Over The Empire" will be released as a digital single, with an accompanying music video, in the coming weeks.

In a recent interview with Tampa Bay Creative Loafing, ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz stated about the band's decision to release more singles than usual this time around.

"I think over the course of the last couple of years everyone has had to rethink how they release because of the way music is consumed now," she said. "We put equal time into all the songs, but then, maybe only two or three of them get highlighted as singles. But that's not to say that the rest of the songs didn't take just as much time and energy and heart to create. We have fans who know every single song, but we wanted to give people an opportunity to discover a little bit more about our sound."

ARCH ENEMY played the first show of "The North American Siege 2022" tour with BEHEMOTH and NAPALM DEATH on April 16 at The Marquee in Tempe, Arizona. ARCH ENEMY's set included the three new songs the group released over the last few months: "Deceiver, Deceiver", "House Of Mirrors" and "Handshake With Hell".

Amott previously stated about "Deceivers": "Having just celebrated our 25th anniversary as a group and now releasing our 11th studio album, one could easily assume that we would be cruising along and going through the motions at this point. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to ARCH ENEMY and our new album, 'Deceivers'.

"It is, without a doubt, always a challenge to raise the bar each time in both the songwriting and production side of things, and it can feel a bit daunting before we get into it. But once we do get started and fully immerse ourselves in the creative process, it's really like there is nothing else in the world and we are very focused. And believe it or not, for the most part, we have a ton of fun making this music! Creating 'Deceivers' was no different. Once again we shut out the outside world and went deep into the artistic zone. I believe we pulled out some really interesting musical and lyrical themes this time, a few things might even raise an eyebrow or two — while retaining all the signature elements of the band. In the end, it's ARCH ENEMY at full speed and power."

After "The North American Siege 2022" tour, ARCH ENEMY will appear at select summer festivals before embarking on the rescheduled "European Siege 2022" trek (with BEHEMOTH, CARCASS, UNTO OTHERS) in the fall.

On the heels of the announcement last month that he is releasing a collection of Frank Sinatra covers to support NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society), Grammy Award-winning musician, producer, author and founding member of the hard rock bands ALTER BRIDGE, CREED and TREMONTI, Mark Tremonti has released another music video from his "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" album. The video for "Fly Me To The Moon" — shot in all black-and-white — documents Mark in the studio performing the timeless Sinatra classic with members of Frank's original band.

"Tremonti Sings Sinatra", and album of selections from Frank Sinatra's catalog, is being released as part of a new charity initiative created by Tremonti called Take A Chance For Charity. Proceeds from the album — scheduled for release on May 27 — will go to support NDSS and the work they do to advocate for and support individuals with Down syndrome and their families. Mark and his family were blessed to welcome their first daughter Stella last March — who was born with Down syndrome — and the idea for the project was born.

"For years, I've loved singing along to Frank's songs," Mark explains. "One night, I found an old video of him performing 'The Song Is You' from 1944. It made me want to dive into his vocal approach. I was all in and I wanted to do something with it. When we found out about our daughter Stella's Down syndrome diagnosis, the stars aligned. My obsession with Sinatra had its reason. Frank Sinatra raised more than a billion dollars for charity and that is a fact I wish the public the public knew more about. Beneath his cool and calm persona, he had a big heart. Doing this charity in his name was another way the stars had aligned. I decided to do this record to raise funds for families and individuals with Down syndrome. This project is the start of a new purpose that I will have for the rest of my life."

Tremonti has come together with surviving members of Frank Sinatra's orchestra, creating new takes on some of the classics and some deeper cuts from Frank's catalog. From the opening horns and piano of "I've Got You Under My Skin" to final vocal outro of "All Or Nothing At All", Tremonti showcases the signature vocal approach and exemplary musicianship that made Sinatra's work timeless. To see his vision through, Mark reached out to Sinatra's musical director Mike Smith who collected as many remaining members as possible of Frank's touring band to record the music for "Tremonti Sings Sinatra". Popular standards like "I've Got The World On A String", "My Way" and "That's Life" find new life in the hands of these incredible musicians. Tremonti — known for his guitar work that has won him countless accolades — leaves the instrument behind and just sings on the 14-track album. The artwork on the album cover is an original painting that Tremonti created especially for this project.

The track listing for "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" is:

01. I've Got You Under My Skin

02. I've Got The World On A String

03. I Fall In Love Too Easily

04. Wave

05. Fly Me To The Moon

06. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)

07. My Way

08. You Make Me Feel So Young

09. Luck Be A Lady

10. That's Life

11. Come Fly With Me

12. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

13. The Song Is You

14. All Or Nothing At All

A recently announced live performance of "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" with members of Frank's orchestra on May 14 in Orlando, Florida at The Abbey sold out in days.

Take A Chance For Charity is a new charity focused on giving artists, actors, athletes and anyone with a platform the ability to get out of their comfort zone. The idea is to have people get out of the genre they are known for to raise funds and awareness for the charity of their choice. An actor can sing, an athlete can dance, a musician can perform a song out of their musical genre - any artistic interpretation. This gives participants the ability to do something out of the ordinary — in fact, extraordinary — all in the name of charity. "Tremonti Sings Sinatra" will be the first release for the cause, the recipient being NDSS.

The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome. NDSS envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming communities. Founded in 1979, NDSS supports and advocates for the Down syndrome community by focusing on three key areas of programming: resources & support, policy and advocacy, and community engagement. Within these focus areas, NDSS engages in various activities, events, and programs on topics that are critical to our community such as federal and state advocacy and public policy, health and wellness, education, and employment. NDSS creates resources to support individuals with Down syndrome, their families, and caregivers across the lifespan and hosts awareness and engagement events throughout the country including the National Buddy Walk Program, the Times Square Video presentation and New York City Buddy Walk, Racing for 3.21 on World Down Syndrome Day, Run for 3.21, DC Golf Outing, the annual NDSS Gala & Auction, and various other events. Visit www.ndss.org for more information about NDSS.

Some quotes about "Tremonti Sings Sinatra":

Hank Cattaneo, Frank Sinatra's "Duets" producer: "Mark did a fantastic job on this record, His voice and take on the tunes are amazing!"

Slash (GUNS N' ROSES): "Mark's take on Sinatra is nothing short of uncanny. I could never have expected one of my fave metal guitarists to do such faithful renditions of Sinatra classics. Not only instrumentally, but vocally! And these recordings are for a cause near and dear to my heart; I was very close to an uncle who had Down syndrome when I was growing up. I fully appreciate and support Mark's commitment to NDSS."

Kirk Hammett (METALLICA): "Holy shit, I knew Mark was a ripping guitar player, but no way did I ever have a notion that he had golden pipes as well!!! Totally blown away. Totally into it. Let's hear more, Mark."

Chris Daughtry: "When Mark first played me a track from this project, my jaw dropped. Gave me chills! This is a side of Mark's voice that people need to hear and I'm certain they will be just as blown away as I was."

John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER): "Wow! I am absolutely blown away by Mark's performance on this album!! He delivers the songs authentically, embodying all that is Frank but giving us a glimpse of his own personality as well. I love the arrangements and the fact that some of Frank's original band members contributed to these tracks. Honestly, I've known Mark for a long time and know he is super talented but had no idea he was capable of channeling Old' Blue Eyes like that! Just absolutely beautifully done and what makes everything even that much more touching is the cause. I bet Mark's daughter Stella was in his heart during every step of the recording processes. Incredible!"

Tyler Connolly: "Okay this is so frickin' good! I had a smile on my face when I heard marks voice come in on 'I've Got You Under My Skin'. The production is fantastic, and I love that he has gifted the album to the NDSS (National Down Syndrome Society) Not surprised that he's killed it on this one. Congrats, Mark. This is amazing!"

Brent Smith (SHINEDOWN): "Once again, Mark Tremonti never ceases to amaze me. These renditions of some of the most beloved Sinatra tunes, are so eloquently done that it is remarkable. And what a beautiful gift to the NDSS. Much love, respect, and success to this incredible project."

James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER): "I met Mark around 10 years ago. First thing that struck me was his easy going, down-to-earth, respectful nature. That, to me, is a priority and a true measure of one's makeup. Mark's talent precedes him, I've listened to him since the '90s 'til present day. It wasn't until I listened to Mark's solo albums that I was able to fully realize his vocal abilities. What a great voice!!! A beautiful and unique sound, alongside perfect delivery, dynamics and feel.

"When asked for my take on Mark's Sinatra project, I really didn't know what to expect. I went into this from the perspective of what I've heard. I was asked to listen to two tracks. I listened to the whole damn thing!!! I was completely blown away. He sounds just like Frank, with just enough of his own vocal characteristics to infuse just the right amount of himself while honoring Frank's musicality. Mark did absolute justice to the number one iconic, legendary crooner of all time. A stellar job, nailing the inflections, nuances and all the subtleties in Frank's delivery that made him unparalleled. Bravo, Mark. An admirable endeavor and cause for NDSS. All the best, Mark, Vicky and lovely Stella."

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY has shared the official music video for the single "You Made Me Want To Live" from the band's latest album, "Doom Crew Inc.". You can now watch it below.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde commented: "BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's new video for 'You Made Me Want To Live' is so good it gave me temporary relief from my excruciating jock itch."

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's 11th studio album, "Doom Crew Inc.", was released last November via MNRK Heavy (formerly eOne Music).

In an interview with the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA, Wylde stated about the writing process for "Doom Crew Inc.": "The way it always goes, it's always the music first and then a melody. And then I've gotta find out something I wanna sing about. So then I'll write the lyrics. That's usually always the way it goes. And then, when it's all done, then the solos go on it. The painting's all done, and the solo is the frame that goes on the thing. So you can sit back and look at the whole thing. That's the way we pretty much always do it.

"We did the box set, and then we did videos for that, and then, after that, [my wife Barbaranne] was just, like, 'Maybe you guys can do a record,'" he recalled. "I said, 'All right. No problem.' So I said, 'How long till the guys come out?' [She said], 'You've got a month till the fellows come out.' So I was just, like, 'All right. Let me get started.' So I would just have a cup of coffee and just start writing riffs. You always get inspired by — for me, it's always Mount Riffmore, which is CREAM, MOUNTAIN, [LED] ZEPPELIN, [BLACK] SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE… If you're not getting inspired by the riffs those guys have created, it's just like… So I'll just go fishing and just start writing till you get to something you like.

"What we ended up doing [was] tracking about 30 songs and then whittled it down to the 12 that we have [on the album]," Zakk explained. "It's funny, 'cause the 'Farewell Ballad' thing has been sitting around on YouTube for probably about 11 years or something like that — just that instrumental strip of music. And so I was just, like, 'You know what? Let me just get around to finishing this thing.' 'Cause we had that bit of music, the chord progression that I wrote. So then I just finished it — I just wrote a melody, I wrote a song with that intro. So we finished that thing. And then 'Love Reign Down', the piano ballad, that was sitting around. I wrote that about my mother who passed away. That was during [the making of Ozzy Osbourne's] 'No More Tears', actually. I remember noodling on the piano at A&M and I wrote that song. So it was good to actually finally put that on an album. But the rest of it is all brand new. 'Set You Free' was pretty much right at the end, when we were tracking everything else. So that definitely popped in there late at the end of the whole thing. But the album's probably almost about a year old now, since we recorded it and finished it and mastered it and everything like that. But it's just been sitting in the can until right now."

"Doom Crew Inc." was made available digitally on CD and vinyl plus a deluxe edition that includes vinyl, CD longbox, cassette and more. The 12-track album is both a tribute to the band's "first to bleed, last to leave" road crew and a salute to the legion whose support, stretching back to 1998, rivals that of the KISS Army.

The songs are odes to celebration and mourning, the soundtracks to jubilant evenings and bewildering days recorded in Wylde's home studio, the Black Vatican. On this album, Zakk trades solos and twin-guitar parts with Dario Lorina, backed by the rumble of longtime bassist John "J.D." DeServio and powerhouse drummer Jeff Fabb.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and ANTHRAX will team up for a 24-date North American tour this summer. The five-week trek will kick off on Tuesday, July 26 at Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona and wrap up on Sunday, August 28 at the Fillmore in Philadelphia. Both bands will play headline sets. HATEBREED, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "Perseverance" album, will be special guest.

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson recently spent time in Southern California with his longtime collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez working on material for his next solo album.

On Wednesday (April 20), Roy took to his social media to share a few photos from the studio and he included the following message: "I just can't wait for you all to hear the fruits of our collaborative efforts."

Last month, Bruce told Consequence about the progress of the songwriting sessions for his new solo LP: "I've been working on it, on and off, since [2005's] 'Tyranny Of Souls'. But between lockdowns and albums and MAIDEN tours and everything else, I'm looking for a clear space to actually nail and say, 'Okay, this is what it's gonna be,' and get Roy to put some backing tracks down. And then we can do it. So we're at the point now where we've already got — I don't know — anywhere between 50 and 70 percent of the material for the album, depend[ing] on what we pick, from things we've already got. And I think we'd like to tweak it a little bit. So I've got some time. When I finish this [U.S. spoken-word tour] in March, I've got three weeks in L.A. And so I'm gonna be tweaking a few things with Roy. And we'll see where we get to. And if we get to the point where we can start putting backing tracks down, then I'll be off touring with MAIDEN and he can be chipping away doing the backing tracks. And the technology exists now, of course, which didn't exist back in the day, to just get on a Zoom call with him and take a listen. We were already going that way on 'Tyranny Of Souls'. He actually sent me a CD of the backing tracks — just rough; no guitar solos; just rough — and I put a set of headphones on. I was in Japan on tour at the time, and I just walked the streets of Tokyo at, like, nine in the morning with a notepad, mentally writing words and melodies, and then just flew back to L.A. and did the vocals. And that worked out great; 'Tyranny Of Souls' is a great album."

Back in December 2017, Dickinson said that his next solo LP would likely include a reworked version of "If Eternity Should Fail", the opening track on IRON MAIDEN's 2015 disc "The Book Of Souls". At the time, he said that he had about "half" of his seventh record already written and he also confirmed that "If Eternity Should Fail" was originally penned as a Dickinson solo track.

He told Finland's Kaaos TV that the original plan was for his next solo record to be "a whole concept album, which was gonna be called 'If Eternity Should Fail'. And 'If Eternity Should Fail' was the title track to my new solo album," he said. "And a bit like [Dickinson's 1989 solo song] 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter' [laughs], it got commandeered for IRON MAIDEN. So if I did do another solo album, which I think I will, I might just stick to my original plan and have that as the title track. I mean, I did write it — it was the first track that I wrote for it. So, yeah, I'd probably still include that song. But it would be… the feel would be slightly different — not very much, though — from the MAIDEN version."

In 2015, Dickinson told France's Hard Force magazine that "If Eternity Should Fail" ended up being used by IRON MAIDEN after bassist Steve Harris heard the demos that Bruce was working on for what was supposed to be his next solo album. "And [Steve] went, 'That's a really cool song. Can we use that? That's gonna be the opening song on the album,'" he recalled. "And I went, 'Yeah, okay.' And he was already writing, I think… He was already thinking of 'The Book Of Souls' as being the title, so he told me about the Mayan thing. And I'm, like, 'Yeah, that's cool. Okay. Yeah, I see where you're going.' But in my case, that song was written as part of a story. So the spoken word at the end is the beginning of a story that goes through the whole album. And one of the characters is Dr. Necropolis; he's the bad guy. And the good guy is Professor Lazarus; he raises people from the dead. So that introduces Necropolis in the spoken-word thing. And I asked Steve… I said, 'Look. Okay. I get having the song…' 'Cause it opens up with, 'Here is the soul of a man.' 'Yup. Get that. But what about the end?' I said, 'Will people understand what this is about? Because this is nothing to do with the Mayans or anything. This is to do with… I'd come up with a concept album that doesn't happen.' [Laughs] And he [went], 'No, no, no. It's just talking about souls and everything, and it sounds great.' I went, 'Okay.' [Laughs]"

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith. Since then, Dickinson has only released one more solo album (the aforementioned "Tyranny Of Souls") but has previously said that his solo career is not over.


Los Amigos por Vida! ♾?❤️?♾

Posted by Roy Z on Wednesday, April 20, 2022



I just can’t wait for you all to hear the fruits of our collaborative efforts.

Love and peace to all!??

Posted by Roy Z on Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Aimée Osbourne, the eldest daughter of Ozzy and Sharon, has shared a new song, "Against Mine", released under the ARO banner. Her first new track in two years, it exhibits her sultry, dark, and melodic electro-pop sound in all its glory.

ARO's debut album, "Vacare Adamaré", was released in 2020. Osbourne told Rolling Stone she plans on putting out singles rather than albums.

"I feel a different sense of freedom and excitement that comes from releasing a couple of songs or a single at a time," she said.

Regarding what her father thinks about her music, Aimée said: "My dad has responded really positively to a lot of it. It's been a really fun way to connect with him about being in the same industry now. He is so dedicated and his ability to continue working and creating, his appetite for that is so admirable, it's unbelievable. Nothing stands in his way when it comes to anything creative, whether it's painting, writing lyrics, melodies. From the minute he's awake to when he goes to sleep, that's what he does. And so to have that as an example has been such a gift and to feel like something to live up to has been a great way to connect with him."

Two years ago, Aimée opened up about her decision to not participate in the family's reality TV show, "The Osbournes". Aimée, who was only 15 years at the time, reportedly went as far as to move out of the family home in an effort to stay away from the cameras.

"To me, I'd grown up around having a pretty well-known dad anyway, and I always really valued my privacy within that family," the now-38-year-old told New York's Q104.3 radio station. "For me personally, for who I am, as far as morally, and also just to give myself a chance to actually develop into a human being as opposed to just being remembered for being a teenager, it didn't really line up with what I saw my future as. It definitely worked great for the rest of my family, but for me and who I am, I just knew it was never something that I would have been able to consider realistically."

That was not the first time Aimée had spoken about her refusal to appear in "The Osbournes". A few years earlier, she said: "I want to be a singer, and I felt if I'd stayed with 'The Osbournes' and done the whole thing, I would have been typecast right away."

She elaborated in a 2015 RollingStone.com interview, saying: "I don't think I will ever cross-contaminate my private life and my family life with my public and professional worlds. For me, nothing's more important than having a very clear boundary between the two. That's just part of who I am."

During an episode of "The Talk", Sharon admitted that she had feelings of guilt over her daughter's decision to leave home because she couldn't stand filming "The Osbournes".

"I know that my eldest girl, Aimée, left home at 16 and she couldn't live in our house because we were filming and it drove her insane," she said. "She felt, too, that she didn't want to grow up on camera. She hated the idea; it was appalling to her. And so she left at 16 and I regret every day that she did."

The "fly-on-the-wall" TV series, which became the highest rated original program in MTV's history, started in 2002 and ended in 2005. The show followed the lives of the BLACK SABBATH singer and his family, including Sharon's battle with cancer, as well as younger children Kelly and Jack Osbourne's stints in rehabilitation for drug and alcohol abuse.

"The Osbournes" was credited with being the first show where cameras followed celebrities around and led to a number of copycats like A&E's "Gene Simmons Family Jewels", which followed the life of KISS bassist Gene Simmons and his family, and A&E's "Growing Up Twisted", about the family of TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider.

Hard rock group POP EVIL has released a gritty new single, "Eye Of The Storm", along with an accompanying video directed by Sam Shapiro. The track is a powerful number that conveys the chaos of a hurricane through dark, electric instrumentals with a pummeling, chaotic metal maelstrom that contains an uplifting message at its center. The video is an allegory of the song's meaning and paints a picture of the storm with rapid, flashing lights and rain flooding the scene.

As for the song's lyrical plea, the band explains: "It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, at some point we all face a situation beyond our control. The wind howls at your door as darkness fills the sky and everything you know is being tested. You don't know if you can survive it. At times, it feels hopeless, but it's not. There is a path through the chaos and a way out of the confusion. You are stronger and closer than you think you are. The storm will pass. Don't let it bury you."

POP EVIL will begin its headlining tour on June 23 in Milwaukee at Summerfest, concluding on August 14 in Wichita at The Cotillion with special guests ZILLION and OXYMORRONS. POP EVIL will also support SHINEDOWN on its summer 2022 Canadian tour, starting on July 19 in Quebec City at Centre Videotron and ending on August 3 in Abbotsford at Abbotsford Centre.

POP EVIL celebrated its seventh career No. 1 single on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart in late 2021 with "Survivor" marking a historic milestone. "Survivor" joined the previous Top 10 single "Work" and No. 1 single "Breathe Again" from POP EVIL's latest album "Versatile", out now via MNRK Heavy. Over the course of its career, POP EVIL has achieved four gold singles with "Torn To Pieces" and "Trenches" from "Onyx", "Footsteps" from "Up" and "100 In A 55" from the band's debut studio album, "Lipstick On The Mirror".

POP EVIL's longtime bassist Matt DiRito announced his exit from the band last July, saying in a statement that "the details surrounding my departure are only known by a few people, and respectfully it will remain that way." He added: "Walking away from something I've helped build is not easy — but it is the best thing for the band, myself and our respective futures. POP EVIL will continue on and so will I, just not together." He has since been replaced by Joey "Chicago" Walser of EGYPT CENTRAL and DEVOUR THE DAY.

"Randy Rhoads: Reflections Of A Guitar Icon", a new documentary about legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, best known for his work with OZZY OSBOURNE, will be available on Video On Demand on Friday, May 6. The 85-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 (QUEOT RIOT), Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE), Bruce Kulick (KISS), Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO), Gary Moore, Dweezil Zappa, George Lynch (DOKKEN) and Ozzy Osbourne.

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."

Relis spent his late teens and his 20s in the California music scene. Andre was heavily inspired by metal bands such as QUIET RIOT and OZZY OSBOURNE. Randy always stuck out to Andre as one of the greats and inspired him to become the frontman of a touring punk band, RUBBERNECK. After years of touring, Andre transitioned into television and film production in the early 2000s. From that point on, Andre has been at the forefront of feature film and distribution for the last 20 years and in 2010 he founded VMI Worldwide, a Hollywood-based finance, production and distribution company which he runs today. Most recently, some of the more notable films Relis produced include "The Last Son" with Sam Worthington and Machine Gun Kelly, "Wander" starring Tommy Lee Jones and Aaron Eckhart, "Arkansas" starring Vince Vaughn and Liam Hemsworth, and "Grand Isle" starring Nicolas Cage and Kelsey Grammer. And on the directing side, Relis co-directed the 2016 feature documentary "NWA & Eazy E: Kings Of Compton", which was released by E1 Entertainment in North America.

Relis will be one of the leading producers of the Lemmy Kilmister biopic slated to shoot in 2022.