Dave Mustaine has confirmed that TESTAMENT bassist Steve DiGiorgio laid down the bass tracks on the new MEGADETH album, "The Sick, The Dying, And The Dead". Due on July 8, the follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" features a cover of DEAD KENNEDYS' "Police Truck" and Sammy Hagar's "This Planet's On Fire", the latter of which includes vocals from Hagar himself.

The MEGADETH leader shared the news of DiGiorgio's involvement in the LP in an interview with Jose Mangin of SiriusXM Liquid Metal. He said: "We obviously had that weird little…well, it wasn’t little, but we had something happen that we needed to make a decision on, and it set us back a little bit timing-wise, because we needed to recalibrate and find someone to perform the bass parts, and we found who I thought was the perfect fit for us while I decided what to do… Do you know who it was? …It was Steve DiGiorgio. You're the first person I told."

He continued: "It was a good choice. I didn't think about anybody else at the time. I was thinking about 'who's the hottest guy out there that can play these new songs?' [Mustaine's son] Justis told me one of the fastest songs we've ever written is on this record. I don't care what anybody says — bass may be less strings than guitar, but it's difficult to play, if you're like me. I have a real hard time playing the bass. I wrote the riff for 'Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?' for Pete's sake, but you know… having to jam some of those parts that fast, it just kills your fingers."

There has been speculation about DiGiorgio's involvement in the new MEGADETH LP since last July, based on a Cameo video Mustaine recorded in which he offered the first glimpse of the bassist that re-recorded David Ellefson's bass tracks on the much-anticipated MEGADETH effort. In the clip, the MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist could be seen walking around a studio where he showed engineer Chris Rakestraw sitting behind the studio console as well as the mystery bassist "hiding behind the chair on the floor." Although it was impossible to tell who the bassist was based on the video, the musician appeared to be using the same brand of Ibanez bass played by DiGiorgio.

DiGiorgio is widely renowned as a pioneer on the fretless bass in heavy metal music, having played with TESTAMENT, DEATH and SADUS, among others. Within his genre, Steve is respected for his playing skills, versatility and incredible technique. He has more than 40 studio album recordings and over 20 years of touring the world.

Two months ago, Mustaine confirmed that James LoMenzo will play bass for MEGADETH when the band returns to the road in April for the second U.S. leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year". Joining them will be co-headliners LAMB OF GOD along with special guests TRIVIUM and IN FLAMES.

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with returning original MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

In addition to MEGADETH, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION. For the past nine years, LoMenzo has been performing with iconic rocker John Fogerty.

LoMenzo played his first show with MEGADETH in nearly 12 years last August in Austin, Texas. The concert took place three months following Ellefson's dismissal from MEGADETH after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving him were posted on Twitter.

Ellefson laid down his bass tracks on MEGADETH's sixteenth LP in May 2020 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee. A short time later, he raved about his performance on the record, telling the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire" that his musical chemistry with MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren was comparable to the interplay between Geddy Lee and Neil Peart on classic RUSH albums. "I feel like on the new MEGADETH record, me and Dirk have those same moments," he said. "It's MEGADETH — it's not RUSH, obviously — but in the field of what we do, there were these moments that I was just going, 'Oh, my God.' This is me as a kid going, 'This is my Geddy/Neil moment right here.'"

In June 2021, Mustaine announced during an episode of his Gimme Radio program "The Dave Mustaine Show" that Ellefson's bass tracks would not be used on the new MEGADETH LP.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest depart

SKID ROW played its second show with ex-H.E.A.T. vocalist Erik Grönwall Wednesday night (March 30) at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.

SKID ROW's nine-song set included its new single, "The Gang's All Here", which was made available last Friday (March 25). The song is the title track of the band's upcoming album, which will arrive on October 14 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW's setlist was as follows:

01. Slave To The Grind

02. Big Guns

03. 18 And Life

04. Piece Of Me

05. Livin' On A Chain Gang

06. Monkey Business

07. I Remember You

08. The Gang's All Here

09. Youth Gone Wild

Fan-filmed video of the concert is available below.

Grönwall recently joined SKID ROW as the replacement for ZP Theart.

SKID ROW recorded "The Gang's All Here" in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo said in a statement: "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. 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."

Grönwall sang on H.E.A.T.'s last four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012), "Tearing Down The Walls" (2014), "Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020) — before exiting the group in October 2020.

Grönwall was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021. A short time later, he wrote on his social media: "I am extremely privileged and grateful to live at a day and age where a disease like this is curable. There's been so much progress made in this field. My body is reacting well to the treatment but it's a long treatment and it's going to be the toughest challenge of my life so far, for me and my family."

Last September, Grönwall released his cover version of SKID ROW's "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms. At the time, he said about his version of the track: "This song was basically the starting point of my professional career as an artist. I performed this song during my 'Swedish Idol' audition back in 2009. 12 years later it's time to give this bad boy a try again. Here's my version of the SKID ROW song '18 And Life'."

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

Theart, a former member of DRAGONFORCE, joined SKID ROW in 2016 following the departure of Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER).

Sebastian Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of Bolan and guitarists Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by Theart, the South African-born, British-based singer who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.






Skid Row performing ‘I remember you’ (Zappo’s theater, Las Vegas, Mar 30, 2022).

They’ve still got it. What a fantastic live act! No lip synching, tremendous pipes, sheer electricity.

Posted by Amit Deshpande on Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Rising Swedish “adventure rock” stars, Hällas, return with an evocative, feel-good blend of nostalgic 70’s hard rock, prog, proto-metal, folk and psychedelic influences on their upcoming third studio album, Isle Of Wisdom, out April 8 via Napalm Records.


With its blend of 70’s rock, folk, and psychedelic influences, single “Elusion’s Gate” enchants. Now, the Swedes have released an official music video for the single. The video easily takes the atmosphere of the song and transforms it into epic images. The special video technique and imagery makes the video a dark and mysterious piece of art.







Isle Of Wisdom starts with synthy “Birth Into Darkness”, with an incredibly clever topline from the one of a kind vocals of singer and bassist Tommy Alexandersson. The musical journey continues with the mystical single “Earl’s Theme” embellished by choral voices, and proceeds with exceptional “Elusion’s Gate” - a piece that, by making room for the guitar lines of Alexander Moraitis and Marcus Petersson, highlights the overall epic and mysterious atmosphere of the album. Isle Of Wisdom was produced in collaboration with Linn Fijal and Vilma Colling at Riksmixningsverket studio, which has hosted the diverse likes of Arch Enemy, ABBA and Celine Dion. Comprised of eight bold opuses, Isle Of Wisdom is a deft new step in the noteworthy sonic trajectory of Hällas, cementing them as a band to watch.


This collection of fresh tracks allows the listener to emerge in a brand new realm soaked in mystery and retro atmosphere - key features of Hällas’ fantasy and sci-fi driven auditory aesthetic. Isle Of Wisdom, the successor to Hällas’ full-length offering Conundrum (Top 50 on the Swedish Charts, P3 Guld Award nominee), is set for release just before they hit the road on an extensive European tour.


Hällas on Isle Of Wisdom: "An escape from unwanted happenings doesn't always lead you towards the better as danger can be found in any universe or time. Welcome to the Isle of Wisdom."





Isle Of Wisdom will be available in the following formats:


- Die Hard Edition - 1LP Gatefold Marbled Violet/Black + poster and slipmat (Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive - limited to 300 copies worldwide)
- 1LP Gatefold Purple (Napalm Records Mailorder exclusive - limited to 300 copies worldwide)
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- CD Digipak
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Birth/Into Darkness"
"Advent Of Dawn"
"Earl's Theme"
"The Inner Chamber"
"Elusion's Gate"
"Gallivants (Of Space)"
"Stygian Depths"
"The Wind Carries The Word"


"Earl's Theme" visualizer:





"Stygian Depths":





Formed in 2011 and named after the main character featured in the stories of their lyrics - a knight in a parallel medieval universe destined to take part in a religious war caused by a tyrannical queen - Hällas are the originators of the "Adventure Rock" genre, devoting themselves to the aforementioned sonic fusion and eccentric imagery inspired by rock greats of yore with a fantastical twist.


Hällas are:


Tommy Alexandersson - vocals / bass
Marcus Petersson - guitar
Kasper Eriksson - drums / percussion
Nicklas Malmquist - organ / synthesizer
Alexander Moraitis - guitar


(Photo - Marcus Carlsson)

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of Gräce's debut album, Hope on June 10, 2022. Gräce is a new band put together by singer Isra Dante Ramos, undoubtedly one of the most prolific and versatile vocalists, composers, and producers in the recent history of metal in Spain. First single and video, “Atreyu”, is streaming below. Preorder/save here.


"After over 20 years of working in the music world, I am really happy and proud to be now part of Frontiers Records. It is a gift and an award for me and my bandmates for which we are very grateful,” says Isra. "Gräce is a very important project for me. A new adventure that I consider fresh and liberating and that allows me to express myself in a very personal way. After many years within the more traditional metal framework, I wanted to enter a more experimental style, something embracing melodic metal and electronic elements with other different flavours that I wish to explore."


In 2018, Isra founded his new band Gräce where he handles the songwriting, production, and vocals. The line-up is completed by young, but experienced musicians, including guitarists Alberto Román and Jordi Costa, bassist Jared Camps, and drummer Joel Marco. This combination of talent gives Gräce its special freshness, where they have no fear of breaking stereotypes denoted by the confines of melodic metal.




Throughout his 20-year career, Isra Dante Ramos has been part of Spanish bands such as Alquimia and Avalanch, in which he worked alongside great musical masters like Alberto Rionda, Mike Terrana, Dirk Schlächter and Jorge Salán. With those bands, he toured throughout the entire world, sharing the stage with bands such as Scorpions, Europe, Nightwish, Rhapsody of Fire, and Angra, among others. Isra is also the founder of his own project, Amadeüs, which got him recognition in the Spanish speaking metal scene and helped him forge himself into the artist he is today. Additionally, he has also provided his voice on multiple collaborations, including Mägo de Oz, Celtian, Ankor, and Death & Legacy.





Tracklisting:


“Atreyu”
“The Nowhere Man”
“Blind Love”
“The Sinner”
“Snow White (At The End Of The World)”
“Evergarden” (feat. Ronnie Romero)
“Fiona”
“Together”
“Atomic Heart”
“Invincible”
“Hope”


“Atreyu” video:





Gräce are:
Isra Ramos (Vocals)
Jared Camps (Bass)
Alberto Román (Guitars)
Jordi Costa (Guitars)
Joel Marco (Drums)

Paul McCartney has paid tribute to FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins who died last Friday (March 25) at the age of 50.

Earlier today, THE BEATLES legend took to his social media to write: "Taylor's sudden death came as a shock to me and the people who knew and loved him. Not only was he a GREAT drummer but his personality was big and shiny and will be sorely missed by all who were lucky to live and work alongside him.

"I was asked by the FOO FIGHTERS to play on one of their tracks," he continued. "It turned out that they wanted me to play drums! - on one of Taylor's songs. This request came from a group with TWO amazing drummers! It was an incredible session and cemented my relationship with Taylor and the guys. Later they asked if I would induct them into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I sang with them on 'Get Back'. Taylor provided a powerhouse drum part. I'll never forget that night. All of which made it much more of a desperately sad shock to hear he had died.

"So thanks Taylor for sharing some glorious minutes with me. You were a true Rock and Roll hero and will always remain in my heart. God bless his family and band - Love Paul X".

Hawkins died at a hotel in Bogota, Colombia. Local officials said an ambulance was sent to the hotel after a man reported having chest pains. The FOO FIGHTERS drummer did not respond to resuscitation efforts and was declared dead, the city's health department said.

On Saturday, the Colombian attorney general's office announced that Hawkins had opioids, marijuana and other drugs in his system before he died. A toxicology report showed traces of 10 substances in his body, including anti-depressants, the office said. The statement added that the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences "will conduct the necessary medical studies to ascertain the cause of death" and that it "will continue the investigation and will report the results obtained within the framework thereof in a timely manner."

FOO FIGHTERS announced Hawkins's death on their Instagram account. "The FOO FIGHTERS family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins," the announcement read. "His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time."

The FOO FIGHTERS were scheduled to perform Friday at the Picnic Stereo festival in Bogota but their performance was canceled.

The band played Lollapalooza Chile on March 18 and Lollapalooza Argentina on March 20. They were scheduled to headline Lollapalooza Brasil on Sunday (March 27).

Hawkins has been open about his history of drug use. He overdosed on heroin in 2001 and spent a week in a coma, just four years after joining the FOO FIGHTERS.


Taylor's sudden death came as a shock to me and the people who knew and loved him. Not only was he a GREAT drummer but...

Posted by Paul McCartney on Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Due to "a family matter," guitarist Steve Morse will be taking a temporary hiatus from DEEP PURPLE live shows but remains a full member of the band. Steve's replacement for PURPLE's upcoming dates in May, June and July 2022 will be guitarist Simon McBride.

Morse effectively took over Ritchie Blackmore's DEEP PURPLE slot in 1994 and has since been in the group longer than Ritchie.

In a 1997 interview, Blackmore stated about Morse: "I'm just glad they [DEEP PURPLE] found a guitar player to carry on because I thought I was going to be shackled to this band for the rest of my life. It was like a ball-and-chain thing, and luckily, they said, 'Well, we found someone.' 'Thank God, I can get out!'

"I haven't listened much [to DEEP PURPLE's recent recordings]. I just know that Steve Morse [is a] brilliant player. I remember Steve Morse with the DIXIE DREGS; they're fantastic."

Morse's solo career has encompassed rock, country, funk, jazz, classical and fusion. Having started playing guitar around the age of 11, he later on attended University of Miami's School of Music, where he studied classical guitar and jazz. A "guitarist's guitarist", he was voted "Best Overall Guitarist" in the Guitar Player Readers' Poll for five consecutive years, before being removed from eligibility to open the award to other musicians, and being inducted into their Gallery Of Greats. His work has received seven Grammy Award nominations, and he has appeared on over 200 albums.

DEEP PURPLE's latest album, "Turning To Crime", came out in November via earMUSIC. The LP contains DEEP PURPLE's versions of great rock classics and musical jewels — including songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan, FLEETWOOD MAC, Bob Seger, CREAM and THE YARDBIRDS — carefully chosen by each member of the band.




Today, Deep Purple announce that due to a family matter, Steve Morse will be taking a temporary hiatus from Deep Purple live shows but remains a full member of the band. Steve’s replacement for the upcoming live shows in May, June and July 2022 will be guitarist Simon McBride. pic.twitter.com/7M3DUq3BpC

— Deep Purple (@_DeepPurple) March 31, 2022

TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy spoke to the "Let There Be Talk" podcast with rock and roll comedian Dean Delray about his upcoming first-ever solo album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I started talking about it and recruiting guitar players to write songs for me, to put together a record. And the first thing I tell 'em is I don't want it to be a TESTAMENT record; I don't want it to be heavy and thrash. I wanna do something that has the vibe of the old vinyl records, when you're doing it the one take, the big, clean, dry rock sound, where you can hear every instrument and not have sampled kicks and sampled everything under the sun and just have it real raw. I wanna do that. I wanna put it on and [have it] sound like an old UFO record or THIN LIZZY record or something."

He continued: "I think I have about six guitar players I spoke to so far to [help me] write — anywhere from Gary Holt [EXODUS, SLAYER] to Mark Morton from LAMB OF GOD. I even chatted with Joe Bonamassa. Just all kinds of different guys. And it's always just, 'Just write something that's not me.' I wanna be challenged. I want it to rock. I want it just to have that old feel."

Billy previously discussed his plans for a solo album during a summer 2021 appearance on the "Not These Two Fucking Guys" podcast. At the time, he said: "Well, it started [to be] in the works, but then things just kind of got held up. I was recruiting some guitar players over the last six months to write a record with me, and I was gonna use a different guitar player on every song to help me write songs. Mark Morton, I've talked to him; he wants to work [with me]. I also want Gary Holt to write some songs with me. Glen Drover [ex-MEGADETH] is gonna write some songs… I haven't approached my cousin Stef [Stephen Carpenter] from the DEFTONES yet, but I'm gonna see if he'll wanna write a song with me. I tried to reach out to Joe Bonamassa [to see if he wants to] write a song with me."

As for the musical direction of his solo LP, Billy said: "I want it to be different. And what I've told all these guys [is] that I wanna do a solo record, but I don't want it to resemble TESTAMENT; I wanna do something different. And the direction I wanna go is the old classic vinyl-sounding records — just real, clean and dry and big. Real tones — not compressed digital stuff. I want it to be classic sounding, but have it rock, have it bluesy. Have some metal, but just have it where [it doesn't sound like what people are used to hearing from me]."

He continued: "I've done these compilation records for this Cleopatra label, and I've done anything from Michael Jackson to Christmas songs. And every time people hear it, they go, 'Man, that's kind of cool.' And I was thinking about it — it's fun to do, and it's challenging and different. So when I think of a solo record, I want it to be different — I want every song to kind of have its own personality and stand on their own. So that was kind of my goal. If I do a solo record — maybe I'll do a few, but if I do one solo record, I want it to really be something that [is] challenging to me, different for me and different from [people's] expectations, when somebody puts it on, [but] that they'll enjoy it still.

"So that's what I wanted to do," Chuck added. "So I've been telling [the various guitar players], 'Just start writing. Put the song together for me. But don't think metal. Don't think TESTAMENT. Don't think the bands you're in. Just write something cool that's got a vibe. And give it to me. Let me do my thing on it.'"

Earlier this month, TESTAMENT announced the return of drummer Dave Lombardo to the group's ranks.

An original member of thrash metal legends SLAYER, Lombardo was the guest drummer on TESTAMENT's 1999 studio album "The Gathering", which also marked the first time the band worked with then-up-and-coming British producer/engineer Andy Sneap. "The Gathering" was widely considered to be an improvement over 1997's "Demonic", an album that saw Billy employ a more guttural style of vocals and was released at a time when thrash acts as TESTAMENT had fallen out of favor.

In January, TESTAMENT parted ways with its longtime drummer Gene Hoglan. Hoglan originally played drums on "Demonic", but didn't stick around long enough to do any touring with the band. He officially joined TESTAMENT in 2011 and played on the group's last three albums: 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", 2016's "Brotherhood Of The Snake" and 2020's "Titans Of Creation".

TESTAMENT, EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL played the sole 2021 date of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour" last November at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. The gig took place less than two months after the three bands shared the stage at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento.

"The Bay Strikes Back Tour" was originally scheduled to kick off on October 6 at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California and make stops in Austin, New York, and Detroit before concluding in Oakland. The tour has since been rescheduled to take place in April and May 2022.

Norwegian solo metal artist Anniken will be releasing her debut album Climb Out of Hell on May 13, 2022 via Rockshots Records.


Today, she shares her tribute to one of her teenage influences, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. She explains further.


"This song is an homage to Chester Bennington. I tried to give the sound some hints of nu metal. The riff is more rhythmical. The lyrics are about how Chester’s voice was a light in the darkness of difficult teenage years. I loved Linkin Park, especially their album Hybrid Theory. After Chester’s death, I couldn’t listen to their songs for a while. It was just too sad. Then one day I listened to their album One More Light on a flight back home from a holiday in the UK. The sound was quite different than that of Hybrid Theory, but I loved it. And the song ‘One More Light’ is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking songs I have ever heard. I decided then to write some sort of response to that song, as a message to Chester. Just to say Thank you!"




Anniken has been a part of the Norwegian heavy metal scene for years with her band Darkest Sins, the studio project Ana – Metal for Charity, as well as being a part of her husband Marius Danielsen’s trilogy Legend of Valley Doom, both in the studio and with the live band. While in Darkest Sins she opened for bands such as Anthrax, Jorn, TNT, and UDO along with Legend of Valley Doom she has worked with legendary musicians such as Ralf Scheepers, Amanda Somerville, Roland Grapow, Matt Barlow, Doogie White, Jennifer Batten, and also actor John Rhys-Davies from the Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones movies.


Writing her own songs and having a profound love of lyrics, Anniken is now progressing into her solo endeavours. Anniken's debut album "Climb Out of Hell" features nine tracks, a few of them co-written with her husband Marius Danielsen.


It is a varied metal album that is melodic, raw, and catchy with different types of songs for every kind of metal fan. Some slow, some fast, most of them heavy. Some of the songs have a deeper meaning to them, while others are just exactly what you think they are.


Anniken adds:


"Firstly, I want people to enjoy the music. Secondly, I want them to notice the lyrics. I love listening to music while reading them and trying to understand the stories that are being told. I hope that the listeners feel the same way. I like to also add, that some of the songs were written a while back. I had others that didn’t make the cut. Overall, it is fun to write with other artists and see how the songs turned out both in the studio and live. But writing with others also means compromising. And that is one of the main reasons behind starting my solo project. I wanted to show what I could do, without the guys (yes, the bands I’ve played with always consisted of all guys and me). It is, unfortunately, easy to underestimate female artists in metal. At least, that is my experience. There aren’t as many women within the genre as there are men. Very often I experienced that people just assumed everything was written by the men in the group. I don’t mind being ‘just the singer’, but I would love to show the world that I am, in fact, more."


Climb Out Of Hell can be preordered at the Rockshots Records webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Spotlight”
“Climb Out Of Hell”
“Back Then”
“Just Walk”
“Keep The Light”
“Star”
“No Name”
“Save Us”
“Amplified”


“Keep The Light” video:





Album Credits:
- All songs are written by Anniken, tracks 6,7 and 8 are co-written with Marius Danielsen.
- Cover/art is a compilation of two paintings by Sylvie Rasmussen, Anniken’s grandmother.
- Album is produced by Marius Danielsen.
- All lyrics are written by Anniken, except for the lyrics for Star, which are co-written with Marius Danielsen


Vocals: Anniken
Guitar and Bass by: Marius Danielsen
Orchestrations by: Gabriels (Tracks 1,2,3,4,6,7,9), Peter Danielsen (Tracks 5,6)
Drums by: Alessandro Kelvin
Choirs by: Marius Danielsen, David Åkesson
Growl vocals by: Brandon Bordman
Solos by: Gabriels (Track 1), Bill Hudson (Tracks 2,5), Nick Giannakos (Track 3), Fredrik Enochson (Track 4), Tommy Johansson (Track 5), Jimmy Hedlund (Track 6), Nils Courbaron (Track 7), Marius Danielsen (Track 8), Terry Wapram (Track 9)

The long-awaited 32-disc boxed set of Robert Fripp in the studio and in concert 1977 - 1983 will be released on May 27. The set will feature many previously unreleased tracks, outtakes and rarities as well as numbers tracks becoming on CD for the first time.


The largest in the series, Exposures is the ninth boxset release collecting King Crimson / Robert Fripp material from 1969 to 2008.


Featuring 32 discs (25xCD/4xDVD audio/4xBlu-Ray audio) presented in a 12” box with a 48-page booklet containing extensive notes by Sid Smith and Al Okada plus memorabilia such as tickets, posters, press releases, and more.




One of the most comprehensive boxed sets devoted to a single period of an artist’s career, Exposures features the complete collection of Robert Fripp’s studio and live solo material from 1977-1983, covering the period from the first Exposure sessions to the end of The League of Gentlemen and final Frippertronics concerts.


Steven Wilson mixes of Exposure (in two versions), “Under Heavy Manners,” The League of Gentlemen studio recordings and numerous unreleased tracks from the albums’ sessions appear in Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD 5.1 Surround and 24/96 hi-res stereo audio on Blu-Ray discs 1 and 4.


David Singleton mixes of “God Save The Queen,” “Let The Power Fall” and the “Washington Square Church” Frippertronics album appear in DTS-HD Surround (Quad/4.1) and in hi- res stereo ranging from 24/48 (WSC), 24/96 GSTQ) to 24/192 (LTPF) on Blu-Ray discs 1 and 4.


In addition, all editions and versions of Exposure (including previously unreleased), original masters of all of the albums from the period and a wealth of additional material, much of it previously unreleased appear on Blu-Ray in hi-res stereo audio on those discs.


Two further Blu-Ray discs present the complete DGM archive of Frippertronics loops, masters and concert performances - over 68 hours of music in 24/48 hi-res stereo.


Three DVDs feature the main albums in 5.1, quad and hi-res stereo. Twenty-five CDs present material including the earliest existing master loops, all of the albums in new Steven Wilson and David Singleton mixes, plus original mixes newly mastered and a number of studio and live discs featuring previously unreleased and/or music new to disc.


You can pre-order the Exposures box set via Inner Knot (US) here.

Recently signed to Crusader Records / Golden Robot Records, South African sleaze rockers L.A. Cobra have released their first single for the label, "She’s My Prison", which is available now on all digital platforms.


Formed in 2005, L.A. Cobra is the only sleaze / glam / hair metal band on the African continent. They are the “sleaze rocking hair metal stars” from Pretoria (home of multi-platinum rock superstars Seether), flying the '80s glam rock flag from the handlebars of their Harleys whilst making a name for themselves internationally and locally. 


"She’s My Prison", is an anthemic arena rock single that revolves around the restrictive nature of a failed relationship. The track features screaming guitars, thunderous drums and bass, and a sing-along chorus that fans will distinctly recognize as L.A. Cobra. 







L.A. Cobra has been let loose to cause a rebellion amongst the youth with their revival of the '80s glam era. Largely influenced by '80s rock bands like Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, W.A.S.P. and Skid Row, L.A. Cobra is all about girls, Harleys, big hair and a good time. 


The band is: Don Cobra on vocals and guitar, Slade on lead guitar, Ewil on bass guitar and Callie ‘The Animal’ on drums, bringing back those memorable guitar solos and “balls to the wall” hard rock shows we’re all starved for. With a modern twist from their song-writing as we know them, these guys are the real deal, and live rock and roll! 





 

Estranged THE QUIREBOYS singer Spike (real name Jonathan Gray) has apologized to his fans, just hours after his bandmates released a statement saying that he was no longer in the group.

Earlier today, the long-running U.K. rockers announced that they had parted ways with Spike and revealed their intention to continue as a five-piece, with longtime guitarist Guy Griffin handling the vocals.

A short time later, Spike took to his Twitter to write: "Just to clarify, I have received a letter from 3 of MY band members informing me that my services are no longer required to sing or perform with them.

"I will release an official statement shortly but for now, my sincere apologies go out to you all and I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all my fans who are supporting me through this difficult time. Many of you I have known for years and consider my friends. Thank you for your love and support.

"Rest assured I will see you at the bar very soon.

"THE QUIREBOYS founder, only original member and singer, God bless, Spike x"

THE QUIREBOYS most recently performed without Spike aboard this year's Monsters Of Rock cruise, which departed out of Miami, Florida on February 9.

THE QUIREBOYS put out their most recent album, the well-received "Amazing Disgrace", in 2019.

The band's debut LP, "A Bit of What You Fancy", was released in 1990 and included the song "Hey You", which was THE QUIREBOYS' biggest hit, reaching No. 14 in the U.K. singles chart and No. 5 in the U.S. Billboard Rock chart.

In 2020, THE QUIREBOYS were scheduled to celebrate their 35th anniversary with a tour. The trek, which ended up getting canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, would also have marked 30 years since the release of "A Bit Of What You Fancy".

Following the band's inception in London in 1984 — originally as THE CHOIRBOYS, then THE QUEERBOYS, before settling on the less controversial name of THE QUIREBOYS — there followed six years of hard graft and personnel changes.

THE QUIREBOYS played to 72,000 people at 1990's Monsters Of Rock at Donington with the likes of WHITESNAKE, AEROSMITH and POISON. They supported THE ROLLING STONES that same year in Newcastle, and opened for GUNS N' ROSES at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1987 and again a couple of years later on their "Use Your Illusion" tour.

The public's appetite for THE QUIREBOYS had returned and hasn't waned since — three further studio releases ("Well Oiled", "Homewreckers & Heartbreakers", "Halfpenny Dancer") were released on various labels from 2004 to 2009 before the band found their new, and permanent, home on Off Yer Rocka, the label of the renowned festival brand Hard Rock Hell.

An anniversary edition — fully re-recorded — of "A Bit Of What You Fancy" drew much acclaim in 2021.




pic.twitter.com/Pk7XwVKn6S

— The Quireboys Spike Official (@SpikeQuireboys) March 29, 2022






The Quireboys have parted company with Spike and will continue as a 5 piece with all other current members.

Posted by The Quireboys - This Is Rock And Roll on Tuesday, March 29, 2022