In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked about his decision to enlist Canadian producer Bob Rock, who has been responsible for some of the biggest rock and metal albums of the last 30 years, including all of METALLICA's studio output during the 1990s and early 2000s, to mix his debut solo EP, "Portals".

"When it came time to get the stuff together, it was last summer," Hammett, who lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, said. Most of the stuff was recorded. But I still needed to do a few guitar parts here and there to add to the songs. All of it needed to be mixed. The four tracks needed to be mixed and I thought, 'How am I going to do this?' You know, I can't really travel to the mainland and do all of this stuff, because I have commitments in Hawaii and COVID is happening. But when things started to open up a little bit more too as well, I thought, 'Wait a second, Bob Rock's in Maui. I'm here in Oahu.' That's a short flight and I know that he would be the best person to do this because he loves guitar and this is all fuckin' guitar-oriented stuff. I mean, it's guitar-dominated. The guitar dominates everything. I thought, 'How about I give Bob a call?' I didn't want to bother Greg Fidelman, because he had his hands full with all sorts of other METALLICA stuff. I didn't really know who else to call. So you know, when I thought about Bob, I thought, 'That's great because Bob and I are friends.' We have a great working relationship. We love the same stuff. We love the same guitar players, the same guitars, the same amps, the same types of music. We have a history and we're buds."

Kirk continued: "So when [Bob] came over to Honolulu, it was really cool to see him again and be working with him again. You know, when I see Bob, the start of those days were like this: we'd talk about guitars and music for fuckin' two hours and then say, 'Oh, shit! We've got to start working!' Then we would work. I mean, we just have a mutual love for this kind of thing. I really didn't have anyone else to call. Like I said, I would have loved to have had Greg do it, but he was up to his neck in other METALLICA commitments, so Bob was the next best guy. You know, he came through for me and really helped me out. I am really appreciative of that."

Rock first teamed with METALLICA for the band's self-titled 1991 album (a.k.a. "The Black Album"). The Elektra set debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 281 weeks. Rock helmed METALLICA's subsequent albums, through 2003's "St. Anger".

Rock, 67, told Reuters in 2006 that he felt "20 years younger" after his split with METALLICA, whose last studio effort, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", was helmed by Greg Fidelman.

During the making of 2003's "St. Anger", a petition that some 1,500 fans signed subsequently was posted online calling for METALLICA to dump Rock, claiming he had too much influence on the band's sound.

"The criticism was hurtful for my kids, who read it and don't understand the circumstances," Rock told Reuters. "Sometimes, even with a great coach, a team keeps losing. You have to get new blood in there."

METALLICA co-manager Peter Mensch argued that Rock "nursed METALLICA out of almost complete collapse on that record. Bob is one of the five best producers on the planet. But it was time to shake things up."

"Portals" 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).

Joe Satriani has confirmed that he has been in discussions with Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth about taking part in an all-star VAN HALEN tribute project.

The 65-year-old guitarist addressed the rumor just days 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 the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen" classic rock show.

Joe said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been talking with Alex and Dave for about a year about doing something — a tour, something like that — that was gonna be a true tribute to [late VAN HALEN guitarist] Eddie [Van Halen] and the VAN HALEN legacy.

"For me, it was a terrifying prospect of doing something like that, but I realized that it was something that would be a real labor of love for me. I was just so honored to take on the challenge.

"It's very complicated," Satriani continued. "And all I can really say about it is that if it does happen, I know we'll make it the greatest thing ever for the fans and we'll all celebrate together not only the great Eddie Van Halen but the legacy that that band created, the amazing amount of music and the goodwill and good vibes they created as a band."

Satriani 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.

"These things are always happening in the music industry, and you're supposed to keep very quiet about it [laughs], because sometimes they don't work out," he said. "There's usually about 10 crazy ideas that float around and musicians are always, like, 'Okay, I won't say anything about this 'cause it may not work out. I don't wanna hurt this person's feelings or disrupt any other business plans.' So, yeah, we were all pretty shocked that Jason wanted to go public with it 'cause we were all sworn to silence. [Laughs]"

Satriani also talked about what it has been like to be in regular contact with Alex while putting together all the pieces for a possible VAN HALEN tour.

"I have to say that just getting to know Alex has been really wonderful," Joe said. "He's a great human being, and, obviously, I can't imagine losing a brother that way, so soon. And they were really close; their relationship was really quite unique." As for Roth, the guitarist said: "I don't know Dave that well. I think I've only met him once — maybe when Steve [Vai] invited us to see the David Lee Roth tour. I was in Australia with Mick Jagger at the time, so we all went; it was quite an experience. But, yeah, I've only spoken to Dave on the phone a number of times over the last — I don't know — 25 years or so. But he's David Lee Roth; they're VAN HALEN. It's a big deal.

"Like I said before, if it ever does happen, it will be a great honor and a terrifying challenge," Satriani said. "Eddie, you can't reproduce what he did — you can't. You can learn the notes and you can be taught all the fingerings and get the gear and everything, but there was only one Eddie and he was the epitome of an original genius. But if it does happen, I know that Alex will make sure that it's the right way to do it."

Satriani went on to compare the experience of playing classic VAN HALEN songs to the challenge of performing in the band CHICKENFOOT in which he is joined by former VAN HALEN singer Sammy Hagar, ex-VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith.

"I looked at it from a musical point of view," he said. "I spent most of my life trying to memorize my own catalog — there are a lot of notes to memorize and to pull off a show and to stay focused on it. So every time something like this comes up, like CHICKENFOOT, it's, like, 'Okay, I've gotta make space in my brain for a whole other way of playing.' The great thing is when you get together with the guys in CHICKENFOOT, their personalities are so huge and they bring so much talent that you don't really have to be so big; you just be a part of something.

"But the thought of representing all the eras of VAN HALEN, that's pretty daunting; that's a lot of stuff," he admitted. "And just from a guitar player's point of view, Eddie progressed remarkably as a player and as an inventor, and those two things, they kind of went together from 'Van Halen I' all the way to the last album. And when you sit down to actually learn it and pull it off, you go, 'Wow! Not only do I need talent but I need [to use specific] gear,' 'cause certain things won't work unless you've got this amp and it's doing that. So that's also another thing."

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 Eddie any 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

Guitar legend Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne) is featured in a career-spanning interview with Metal Hammer. An excerpt from the chat is available below.


Q: You were born in New Jersey and raised by Catholic parents – so how does a good Catholic boy end up playing the Devil’s music?


Zakk: “Well, when I was 11 I discovered Black Sabbath. Before that I was a huge Elton John fan – still am – but when I was 11 years old I was in art class and my buddy Tommy was doing this sculpture of a jawless skull. It had a lightning bolt going through it and he’d written ‘Black Sabbath 666’ and I’m just like… ‘What’s that?!’ He’s like, ‘It’s a band my older brother listens to’, and I knew I needed to hear it. I got my mother to buy the record and I was terrified when I first listened to it!”




Q: So which Sabbath record was it?


Zakk: “It was (1975 compilation album) We Sold Our Soul For Rock’N’Roll, so not even a real Black Sabbath record! I was beyond terrified; I’d been raised Catholic and by halfway through that record I’d turned full Satanist. By the end I’d gone back to Catholicism just so’s I could thank God for creating Black Sabbath, ha ha ha!”


Q: Did your parents object to you bringing those kinds of records home?


Zakk: “Naw, they always supported me in everything I did. There were sports, then when I got into music they supported that too. They were awesome; whatever I had passion for they’d support me and that’s something I do for my kids too.”


Check out the complete interview here.


Continuing his long association with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde features on the singer's forthcoming album, alongside three legends in Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Tony Iommi.


Asked if he was blown away when he found out he would be co-starring alongside Clapton, Beck and Iommi, Zakk tells Guitar World: "Yeah! I was shocked when I heard it was happening and even more when I heard what they played. They’d already recorded their parts so I ended up re-recording rhythm tracks underneath what they’d done at my home studio. It came out awesome.


“With Eric, he went from John Mayall and Cream to his solo stuff, and it was always tasteful. The same goes for Jeff Beck. The whammy bar is a big part of his sound – he treats it almost like its own instrument which is amazing. Both of them are incredible songwriters. That’s the reason why we listen to them. It’s all about the musicality with those guys.”


Read more of Zakk's interview with Guitar World here.

Former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 spoke to the "Brutally Delicious" podcast about his involvement in the upcoming documentary called "Dreams Of Distortion" about "following your dreams and never giving up." The documentary also features Rob Zombie, Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST), Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE), Peter Criss (KISS), K.D. Lang, Michael Anthony (VAN HALEN), Gary Rossington (LYNYRD SKYNYRD) and Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE).

John 5 said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The director got a hold of me and said, 'We wanna do a documentary on you.' And I was, like, 'Who am I? Abraham Lincoln?' But it's about inspiration and it's about going after your dreams. The documentary is called 'Dreams Of Distortion'. Because it's hard for people to leave their hometown; it's hard for people to leave their friends and their family — it's very difficult, almost impossible. But you just have to do it. If you wanna go after your dreams, you've gotta do it. And that's what I did. I came out to California and I did my best. I would call people — cold-call 'em. They didn't know who I was, and I would talk to people and I would ask people; I just was crazy.

"The documentary is about inspiration and going after your dreams and being obsessive — things like that. And there's a lot of people in the documentary."

John 5 also elaborated on the simple steps that he would take to achieve his dreams. He said: "My advice to people when they ask me… I try to do something every single day towards your dream. Because there's a lot of days in the year, and years can go by fast. But if you do one thing every day — one thing — if it's make a phone call or if it's play a gig or make a connection, that's something. And those things will build up and they'll add up. And that's exactly what I did."

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES will embark on the "Sinner" tour next week. The band consists of John 5 on guitar, Ian Ross on bass and drummer Alex Mercado. Opening 15 of the 27 stops are THE HAXANS, the spooky rock duo featuring NEW YEARS DAY frontwoman Ash Costello and ROB ZOMBIE bassist Piggy D. JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES will support FOZZY on some dates.

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES will be recording shows along the "Sinner" tour for a live album and video, with San Francisco and New York dates confirmed for the recordings so far.

John 5 has worked with a varied range of artists, performing as guitarist for some of the biggest headlining rock bands in the world such as ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON, as well as playing session with Paul Stanley, Rod Stewart, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and more. Slash has called John 5, "one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around" and Rob Zombie has dubbed him "a fucking shredder". John 5 has released seven solo albums to date, as well as a remix album, and has written music for the likes of MÖTLEY CRÜE, Steve Perry, Ricky Martin and others.

In 2015, following a series of web shows to celebrate the release of his solo album "Careful With That Axe", John 5 decided to take his solo set on tour and formed THE CREATURES band to support his live shows. Initially joined by long-term friend Rodger Carter on drums, the band continues touring to this day, and now work as a unit on 5's solo albums, including "Season Of The Witch", the live album "It's Alive", "Invasion" and 2021's "Sinner".

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of RUSH recently sat down for an interview in Toronto for "House Of Strombo", a free-form radio talk program hosted by Canadian television and radio personality George Stroumboulopoulos. In this exclusive conversation, Lee and Lifeson talked about the 40th anniversary of their eighth studio album "Moving Pictures", the loss of RUSH drummer Neil Peart, grieving in public, their new perspective on time, the music industry today, being booed off stage, getting high before rehearsals, Taylor Hawkins and more.

Reflecting on how he processed the fact that he would never play with RUSH again after the completion of the "R40" tour, which commemorated the 40th anniversary of Peart joining the band, Geddy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'd say Al and I have different ways of dealing with that. Al threw himself into little projects and bigger projects and he kept working throughout the whole thing, and that was a real tonic for him. And I can relate to that, 'cause when we went through our first set of tragedies with Neil, back when he lost his wife and daughter, I did that — I threw myself into my solo album, and it saved me in many ways; it fed me, let's put it like that. And so for myself, I turned to writing and I turned to book writing, and that was a way for me to — not compete with that moment and those feelings, but a way to take stock and recharge my batteries in a different way. So we handled it quite differently. But at the end of the day, it was a difficult thing to put aside. I mean, I don't think there are many bands that had a 45-year career that were as close as we were."

Alex added: "I know right after the tour, both Ged and I felt like we still had a lot of gas in the tank. The show looked great; we were playing really, really well. If we could just squeeze out another 150 shows."

Geddy continued: "Let's be honest: it was frustrating to end when we ended. I was frustrated, because I worked so hard on that tour in terms of design and putting it all together and the whole concept of going backwards, a chronology that exposes itself or exploits itself while going back in time. And so I was really proud of it. I wanted to take it to Europe to play for the European fans, I wanted to take it to South America, and that wasn't gonna happen. So it was truncated in my view, in my mind, and I had to swallow that because I had to think of my friend's needs and what he wanted. But it was frustrating. So we walked away from that, and we went to do our other things — I went traveling, Alex was golfing — and then Neil got sick. And so what do you do with all those feelings? You just throw them away, because they don't mean anything anymore."

Asked if he initially thought after the last show of the "R40" tour that there was a chance that RUSH would play again, Geddy said: "Yeah, I thought maybe [Neil will] have three months at home and get sick of that and wanna come back on the road and play with the boys. You never know. Of course, I had a feeling that wouldn't be the case, and I think Al did as well, but you never know. Regardless, we just went on with our lives, and then he got sick and everything changed."

Lee also talked about having to grieve in a public context after Peart died in January 2020 following a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

"That's why [Neil] didn't want anyone to know [about his illness]," Geddy said. "He just didn't. He wanted to keep it in the house. And we did. And that was hard. I can't tell you it was easy, 'cause it was not easy. And it was ongoing. His diagnosis was… He was given 18 months at the most, and it went on three and a half years. And so that was a constant flow of us going to see him, giving him support. What his family had to live through was really difficult. So it was a lot of back-and-forth. And when you're in that state, it's very hard to function normally, because you can't talk to anybody about it, 'cause no one's supposed to know. And so people hear rumblings and they bring things up to you, and you deflect it. And so that feels, on one hand, it feels dishonest, but on the other hand you're being loyal to your friend. So fuck the dishonesty part. That wins. I would say that was the most difficult time for us to move forward, during that whole thing, because we were in this bubble of grief sort of walking towards an inevitable and terrible conclusion."

Lifeson previously reflected on RUSH's final tour, which concluded on August 1, 2015 at the Forum in Los Angeles, during a June 2021 appearance on SiriuxXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Peart indicated at the time that he wanted to retire while he was still able to play well, along with a desire to spend more time at home with his young daughter.

"We were in our early 60s when that tour ended," Alex said. "After the number of dates that we did do, which was about half of what we would normally do, we were all starting to feel the fatigue, as you normally would. And had it been a normal tour, we have gone out for probably another month and then taken a month off, or maybe a couple of months off, and then picked it up for another three or four months.

"I think personally, and I think the same for Ged, we were really excited about the show, the presentation of the show, the whole concept of going back through our history," he continued. "I thought we were all playing really, really well, and I probably could have continued to do another 30 shows, and I think Geddy felt the same way. But it was becoming really difficult for Neil to play at that level, and unless he could play a hundred percent at that level, he really didn't wanna do any more shows, and he didn't wanna be that person that should have taken it. And it was hard for him — a three-hour show playing the way he played. It's a miracle that he was even able to play. And he had some issues through that tour — he had an infection on his feet and he could barely walk, never mind playing the bass drum the way he did. And he never complained or anything like that. So, it was time. And in retrospect, it couldn't have been better, because we were playing great, and we finished on such a high note. The fans were so happy — I mean, with the performance. All things were right. That was the great way to ensure our legacy and be remembered for those guys, for being that band that played that way. I honestly would hate to be working now, for example, and not being able to play a song because my fingers are just killing me and not playing as well and making all these mistakes. I made enough mistakes — way too many. So, all in all, it really turned out to be the opportune time for us to end a long career. Not a lot of bands lasted 40 years of that regular touring and many, many, many albums and all of that stuff."

RUSH waited three days to announce Peart's passing, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

Peart joined RUSH in 1974. He was considered one of the best rock drummers of all time, alongside John Bonham of LED ZEPPELIN; Keith Moon of THE WHO; and Ginger Baker of CREAM. Peart was also RUSH's primary lyricist, drawing inspiration from everything from sci-fi to Ayn Rand.

Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes has completed his sixth week of radiation therapy in his battle with cancer in throat and neck.

Earlier today (Monday, April 18), the 63-year-old musician's wife and manager, Cathy-Sarah Holmes, who first shared the news of his diagnosis in a social media post in February, issued the following update on his condition: "The second chemo made Chris really sick and made him throw up. He was unable to eat for few days which meant he's lost weight. Last Thursday was a better day where he restart to eat a little (2 complements) but today his throat is burning, so that eating is more and more difficult, then we are thinking maybe for 2 weeks it will be more easy for Chris to have a tube in his nose for eating. Just to give time for his throat heal and Chris to feel better. We will talk about that with the doctor tomorrow. The good news is Thursday (21st April) will be the last radiation. Even if we know that the 3 next weeks will be difficult at least he will heal at home, without having to go to the hospital every day .

"Chris is staying positive even being in the worst pain he's ever had."

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, the guitarist returned to W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Chris has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

Last year, Holmes told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that W.A.S.P. was "a group, a band" on the first LP. "And after that, the second album, it wasn't a group — it was a one-man show," he said. "And it's been a one-man show after that ever since. It's the way it is. Look at the records. It's the way it is in that band.

"W.A.S.P. never played any shows until I was in the band, so where does a band start — when they record or when they do their first show?" he continued. "I came in before the first show, and it was 'one for all, all for one.' But then when money came into it and fame, people changed — they change real bad. And I never changed. I don't change. I haven't changed the way I think, the way I am. I'm not gonna change. I am what I am.

"During the [making of the] second [album], I was told the manager wants to use Blackie's [Lawless, W.A.S.P. frontman] image [on the cover], which the manager didn't tell me that — Blackie told me that."

According to Chris, he, guitarist Randy Piper, drummer Tony Richards and Blackie were all part of W.A.S.P. initial management contract, but Blackie was the only one signed to the record label. "Everybody thinks we [all] signed to the label, but it wasn't [like that]," Holmes told "Trunk Nation".

"I never learned about the business till about 10 years ago," he explained. "How do you learn about the business? You've gotta be in there with the manager and all that stuff, so I was always kept from that… I put my trust into somebody, and [I found out later that he was] sticking a knife in my back. I didn't find that out until 2010 or '11.

"Once [W.A.S.P.] became [all about] one person, [my attitude was] 'Hey, I'll just do my thing, and leave me alone. I'll play my guitar.'"

Despite the fact that he only got songwriting credit on a couple of the songs on each of the first four W.A.S.P. records, Holmes was adamant that his input was essential to the band's overall sound.

"If I would have quit after the first album, the way I play guitar, the way I play is really important to writing those songs," he told "Trunk Nation".

"If I hadn't joined in the beginning, it would have never worked. Blackie told me that the first day, when he came and talked to me to play in W.A.S.P. He says, 'I've got this band. It's not gonna work unless you're in it.' He told me that to my face."

In October 2020, Chris said that he would never consider returning to W.A.S.P. unless Lawless agreed to pay him the publishing royalties that he allegedly owes him. He told Canada's The Metal Voice: "A lot of people think I made money from W.A.S.P. I've never gotten my royalties, or even my songwriting. All the stuff that I wrote, I've never gotten paid one penny. And you know whose fault it is? It's my my fault for not knowing the business, how it is. I trusted somebody.

"After every album, when the album is done, how they split up the publishing with the publishing contracts, the publishing companies — that's where the money comes from," he continued. "I was never told about when that meeting was. Because the other guys in the band never wrote — I was the only one [other than Blackie]. So I'm the only one that they have to screw over to get all the publishing. So I was never told. Then when I dug into it in about 2006 or [2007], I went into Sanctuary Music, had a lawyer go in to find out where all my publishing is, and I was written in as a session player into all the records. And if you don't know about it, and you're not told, and you don't see, you don't know. So I trusted Blackie Lawless about that. And when I found out, it really kind of yanked me wrong. It yanks me wrong — it makes me see he was sticking a knife in my back from the first day, from the first album, and not telling me, and being my best friend."

This past February, Lawless shot down Holmes's claim that the guitarist was "screwed" out of receiving royalties on the W.A.S.P. albums that he performed on. Lawless discussed Holmes's tenure with W.A.S.P. in an interview with "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Asked to respond to Holmes's assertion in Chris's recently released documentary "Mean Man: The Story Of Chris Holmes" that he was financially taken advantage of during his time in the band, Lawless said: "I don't really know much about… I spoke to [former W.A.S.P. guitarist] Randy Piper a couple of years ago. I don't really know what's going on with the rest of the guys. And I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about with Chris about not being paid.

"Chris, at two different points in his musical career, received settlements from this band; he signed documents as such," Blackie explained. "And he was paid quite well.

"I haven't seen what you're talking about. The answer I'm giving you right now is based on what you just said to me."

The W.A.S.P. frontman went on to confirm that he hasn't seen Chris's documentary and was once again asked about Holmes's claim that there is money and songwriting credits that he didn't get that he's due. Lawless said simply: "That is not true."

During a November 2017 press conference in Moscow, Russia, Lawless was asked what he would say to those W.A.S.P. fans who continue to call for the band to reunite with Holmes. He responded: "People get divorced for certain reasons, and there's times when the kids want the parents to get back together, but sometimes it never happens. And this is one of those [times]. Sorry."


Firstly, I’m sorry to be late with the 6 week update.

The second chemo made Chris really sick and made him throw...

Posted by Chris Holmes & The Mean Men on Monday, April 18, 2022

Video of 3RD SECRET, the new band featuring SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil, NIRVANA bassist Krist Novoselic and SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM drummer Matt Cameron, performing the song "I Choose Me" in March at the Museum Of Pop Culture in Seattle can be seen below.

The group, whose lineup is rounded out by Bubba Dupree, guitarist for D.C. hardcore outfit VOID and alt-metal supergroup HATER (also featuring Cameron), and vocalists Jennifer Johnson and Jillian Raye (Novoselic's bandmate in GIANTS IN THE TREES), surprised-released its self-titled debut album, recorded and mixed by famed Seattle producer Jack Endino, on April 11.

Novoselic hinted at 3RD SECRET's existence in February, writing in a since-deleted tweet: "I am really busy trying to finish a record. In the middle of some hangups — looking for a mid-March release. But it's a secret, so don't tell anybody!"

"3rd Secret" track listing:

01. Rhythm Of The Ride

02. I Choose Me

03. Last Day Of August

04. Winter Solstice

05. Lies Fade Away

06. Live Without You

07. Right Stuff

08. Dead Sea

09. Diamond In The Cold

10. Somewhere In Time

11. The Yellow Dress

3RD SECRET marks Cameron and Thayil's first full-album collaboration following the 2017 death of SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell.

Thayil recently expressed his hope that he would re-team with his former bandmates on a new project. "I think the three of us have an interest in doing new things," he said of Cameron and SOUNDGARDEN bassist Ben Shepherd. "We certainly like working together."

Devin Townsend finally returned to UK shores with two shows at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall under the banner of "The Greatest Sets Of My Life" on April 16th and 17th. For these special evenings, Devin and his band performed fan favourites, his favourites, and hardly played songs.


Devin: "After two and a half years of abject chaos, I welcome you back into the live music world of wonder. We’ve put these two shows together to play all the songs that people seem to like, as well as songs that I want to play as well. I know it’s been crazy, lets get back into this."


Check out fan-filmed video from the second night below. The setlist, which was completely different from the April 16th show, was as follows:




"Seventh Wave"
"Stormbending"
"Higher"
"Coast"
"Truth"
"Om"
"Almost Again"
"Earth Day"
"Bad Devil"
"War"
"Dynamics" (live debut in regular concert)
"Funeral" 
"Bastard"
"The Death of Music"
"Thing Beyond Things"

Oklahoma City, OK based Hard Rock band Locust Grove has released the official music video for the title song off of their upcoming, debut LP, The Battle Of Locust. The second single, "The Battle Of Locust" was directed by Plains Media LLC at Cactus Jacks Pinball.





"Huge shout out to Steve McAnally with Red Plains Media for filming and editing this amazing video for us! Thank You Cactus Jacks in Oklahoma City, OK for letting us use your arcade as our set for this video. Thank you to the parents that allowed your child to participate in our music video." - Locust Grove




Locust Grove will release The Battle Of Locust on June 3rd. The cover art and tracklisting are as follows:





"One Foot In The Grave"
"The Battle Of Locust"
"Bluebird"
"S.O.S."
"Sick Of It All"
"Heat My Blood"
"These Hands"
"Why Run"
"Hard To Change"
"Worth My Time"
"Learn To Crawl"
"Days Gone"


"Sick Of It All" lyric video:





Catch Locust Grove live:


June
3 - Whiskey Nights - Oklahoma City, OK 
4 - Legends Pub House and Venue - Chickasha, OK 
5 - The Venue Shrine - Tulsa, OK


For further details, visit Locust Grove on Facebook.


 

Colorado based heavy metal band Jag Panzer will enter the recording studio in June 2022 to record their new studio album entitled, The Hallowed. The album is the band’s second concept album. Mixing and mastering are scheduled to be completed in August 2022. The album will be recorded at various studios and mixed by Jim Morris at Morrisound Studios. The cover artwork has been completed by Dusan Markovic.


Back in January, Jag Panzer guitarist Mark Briody checked in with the following update:


"The new Jag Panzer album is starting to shape up nicely. I’ve whittled down a ton of ideas into a set of songs I’m moving forward with. My bandmates have contributed some excellent ideas. This will be a concept album. We have a title and the artwork has been delivered (it’s spectacular). The conceptual ideas for design / photos, etc. are done. The album will be mixed analog. I’m excited about this!"




Jag Panzer's latest album is The Deviant Chord, released in 2017.


 

Diamond Head performed on Ronnie James Dio Stage at Britain's Bloodstock Open Air 2021. You can now watch professionally filmed footage of the band performing "The Messanger". See below:





The first ever Diamond Head tribute album entitled "Are We Evil?", is coming soon. The compilation includes 9 heavy metal classics originally recorded by one of the most important and influential bands of the genre, Diamond Head, performed by young acts from Europe and North and South Americas: Ambush (Sweden), Black Mask (Mexico), Crystal Viper (Poland), Konquest (Italy), Midnight Spell (United States), Pounder (United States), Riot City (Canada), Traveler (Canada) And Twisted Tower Dire (United States).




The album has been produced and mastered by Bart Gabriel, who except working with acts such as Satan, Cirith Ungol and Sortilege, previously produced Riot, Exciter and Anvil tribute albums. Cover artwork of the album has been painted by Mario Lopez, Guatemalan artist who previously worked with acts such as Crystal Viper, Evil Invaders and Toxik.


"Well done to all the bands that have put time and effort into making this happen. It's the first time a bunch of Diamond Head songs have been covered for an album apart from Metallica obvs. My favourite is Ambush's version of 'Canterbury'. It's an awesome modern version and a great new arrangement. The singer does it proud. It's so good it makes we want to revive the song for the current Diamond Head shows as we have not played this live since 1984! I also really like the new versions of 'The Prince', 'It's Electric', 'Streets Of Gold' and 'Sweet & Innocent'. It's a real success for me, I am very surprised and flattered, for some reason I wasn't expecting this kind of quality," comments Diamond Head guitarist and founder, Brian Tatler.





"It was truly an interesting project, and it was super exciting to put this album together. Sure, many Metal fans immediately think of Metallica when you mention Diamond Head, but there's so much more there! They have an amazing back catalog, and they're without a doubt one of the most important bands when it comes to classic heavy metal, and metal in general," says Bart Gabriel. "I'm also very happy that the album was officially "blessed" by Brian Tatler and his crew - he's one of my favourite heavy metal guitarists, his riffs are absolutely stellar. That's why the witch from Am I Evil? which you can see on the cover of the album (and who was inspired by the Hammer Films icon, Ingrid Pitt!), is holding Brian's iconic Flying V guitar!," he adds.


CD & Digital version of the album will be released on Iron Oxide Records, while Lost Realm Records will take care of a limited deluxe vinyl LP edition.