Bruce Dickinson says that felt that he "had to leave" IRON MAIDEN nearly 30 years ago in order to "learn what it was like" to live life away from the band.

Dickinson joined MAIDEN in 1981, replacing Paul Di'Anno, and made his recording debut with the band on the 1982 album "The Number Of The Beast". He quit the group in 1993, pursuing several solo projects, and rejoined in 1999.

Bruce touched upon his departure from MAIDEN during the question-and-answer portion of his March 23 spoken-word show at MTelus in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Asked about the reasons for his exit from the group, Dickinson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Honestly, I was as surprised as anybody else. I don't think people really believed that at the time. I just thought that if I stayed with MAIDEN forever, all I would learn about was what it was like to be in MAIDEN. And in order to learn what it was like outside MAIDEN, you have to leave, because, unless you left, nobody would take anything that you did seriously. It would always be, like, 'Oh, bless him. He's doing a solo record. Let him have his fun and then he can go back to being in IRON MAIDEN.' I hated that. So I thought, 'Fuck it. I'll just leave.' And [people said], 'What happens if your [solo] career doesn't work out?' I said, 'Well, that's God or fate saying maybe that's [for] the best.' And I said [it's] better [to take a chance] now and do something else with your life than sit there somewhere in fantasy world and end up just grumpy."

Back in 2019, Dickinson said that he had no interest in returning to MAIDEN more than 20 years ago if it meant only focusing on nostalgia.

"Well, all I needed to know was that we were not gonna come back as some sort of a reunion-type thing," he explained. "I didn't want to go back to the past. This was gonna be about putting a band together that was looking ahead to the future — to do a great new album and to really restart the whole impetus and direction of the band. And Steve [Harris, MAIDEN bassist and leader] said that's what he wanted to do, and I was, like, 'Okay. Let's do it.' And, of course, the first album we came out with after that was [2000's] 'Brave New World' — I think one of the best MAIDEN albums that we've ever done."

During Dickinson's absence from MAIDEN, the band released two albums with his successor, former WOLFSBANE singer Blaze Bayley — 1995's "The X Factor" and 1998's "Virtual XI" — which saw MAIDEN relegated to playing small theaters in America for the first time in years.

Bruce's two-month North American spoken-word tour kicked off on January 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and will run through the end of March.

Dickinson, who had a golf gall-size tumor on his tongue and another in the lymph node on the right side of his neck, got the all-clear in May 2015 after radiation and nine weeks of chemotherapy.

Bruce will hit the road with IRON MAIDEN for a new North American leg of the band's "Legacy Of The Beast" tour in September.

In a new interview with "Chris Akin Presents..." , TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon was asked if there are any plans for the band to work on a full-length album following the release of the "Cold Blue Steel" single, which came out last August. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Right now, after we did the 'Shock' album [in 2019] and the way things are right now, we're only gonna concentrate on one song at a time. We're pushing late 50s, mid 60s in our age, and the bottom line is there's no need to put the pressure on a deadline of you've gotta fabricate 10 songs by the first of June and force it. So, we're not gonna do that. We're gonna just write songs as they come and as we feel them, and put 'em out as singles right now. The whole idea of trying to cram an album for the sake of cramming an album doesn't appeal to us."

Pressed about whether TESLA will eventually compile all the standalone singles and release them as a full-length CD, Hannon said: "Absolutely. Maybe a box set. Maybe some kind of collection of some sort. We do have a lot of outtakes and some things that we're gonna work on. But right now I'm just happy doing one song at a time. And at the end of the year, if we're able to squeeze out eight or 10 of 'em, then we'll put 'em all together."

Earlier in the month, TESLA released the official lyric video for "Cold Blue Steel". The clip, directed by Brandon Gullion and produced by Hannon, is raw and high electric energy that takes fans back to the roots of TESLA.

Hannon stated: "'Cold Blue Steel' is influenced by current events of the world, just like our debut single 'Modern Day Cowboy' (1986), and touches on the subject fairly and open-minded by asking 'what's to blame?' when it comes to violence in the world. More importantly, the recording and production of the song and video are kept raw and real, just the way TESLA fans want to see and hear us. We are survivors and have been rocking for 35-plus years."

The 2022 radio remix version of "Cold Blue Steel" is being offered as the version for the airwaves with the guitars and vocals being cranked up louder and with the raw energy being preserved. Frank explained: "Some folks were reluctant to play the track with its explicit lyrics in the verse, so I created a clean version for radio with a bleep. As a bandmember and being the producer, we approve of these changes and really love the remixed audio enhancement for radio play. This is TESLA in real honest form and independently producing our music for the first time as an official release."

"Cold Blue Steel" is the first TESLA song to ever be produced by the bandmembers themselves.

"Producing ourselves is allowing us to creatively record new music and keep it as raw and real as possible," Hannon said.

Last December, Hannon told Let's Rock that the lyrics to "Cold Blue Steel" have been partially misinterpreted by some fans.

"We've been getting a lot of flak from people that only hear the couple of verses in the song, thinking it's about gun control," he said. "And in a way it is, but, really, it's so much deeper than that, the lyrics. We try to definitely not take sides and be political but we wanna sing about a situation. Something like what we did with 'Modern Day Cowboy' in the '80s; we sang about foreign lands and terrorist demands and 'bang bang, shoot 'em up' and how that attitude was still happening in the world at that time, being a gunfighter, cowboy situation, but we're not pointing fingers. And that's the same way with this song, but some people only hear parts of it and have been giving us some shit about it. But if you listen to the lyrics, it's asking a question, 'What's to blame? Let's get real.' And the song is really about people that you give 'em an inch, they take a mile — whether it's a politician, whether it's a crook, whether it's a police officer. And we support our police."

He added: "There's evil intentions in all parts of life, and that's what the song is really about — just observing and asking the question, 'What's to blame?' It's not talking about 'take away guns' or any of that shit. But it started off just being a fun poke at Ronnie Van Zant. That last lyric in the song, 'Just like Ronnie said, 'Let's dump 'em to the bottom of the sea,' that's where the song started for fun. And then we took it and tried to make it a little bit more serious."

TESLA has U.S. shows scheduled throughout the spring and summer.

The Sacramento-based quintet Graveshadow – who deftly mixes symphonic/gothic metal with elements of doom, thrash and epic progressive power metal – have unveiled the music video for “Soldier Of 34,” the new single from their forthcoming album, The Uncertain Hour. The band's third album will be released July 15, 2022.





“‘Solider Of 34’ was the first song completed for the record, and the first that Aaron [Robitsch – guitars] and I truly collaborated on,” explains guitarist William Lloyd Walker. “We wanted to create something that we felt was reflective of the band’s journey up until this point. The mournful melodies cast on top of these raw, aggressive rhythms we felt was the perfect backdrop for a story centered around losing those closest to you. We couldn’t be prouder of the way it turned out, and we feel it really represents all facets of what we want to accomplish this record. This is just the beginning; we can’t wait for the record to come out and share all that we’ve been working on with fans new and old alike.”




“Soldier Of 34” is the follow-up to the band’s 2020 single “Gwynnbleidd,” inspired by the Witcher series, that showcased the return of the band with several new members, including vocalist Rachl Raxx Quinn and bassist Luci Rae.





Joining the band officially is drummer Bones Padilla, formerly of Bay Area labelmates Cultural Warfare. “The Uncertain Hour” was produced by Miss May I guitarist Justin Aufdemkampe (Clutch, War of Ages), mastered by Roman Ismaylov (Crobot, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist) and features artwork by Roman Ismaylov (Battle Beast, Beast In Black). Pre-orders for CD and limited-edition (200) vinyl copies are available here.


The Uncertain Hour sees the new lineup for Graveshadow continue to refine the enticing mix of symphonic, gothic, doom, and epic progressive-metal elements, now augmented by the newfound energy that has been brought into the band by the soaring melodic vocals of Quinn and the rumbling rhythm section of Rae and Bones. The duo of Walker and Robitsch once again deliver a beautiful display of guitar histrionics that tastefully mix searing shred with warm melody. Graveshadow are back on the scene with a story to tell. Intertwining melodic highs and crushing lows to sweep listeners away on a journey of self-discovery, loss and the will to carry on.

In a new interview with The SDR Show, former GUNS N' ROSES and current SIXX:A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba weighed in on the notion that rock is dead, promoted mostly in recent years by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In my honest opinion, and I could be wrong… Everybody's, like, 'Rock's dead. Rock's dead.' Rock isn't dead at all, but I think it would be thriving way harder right now if we would all just kind of open our minds and be willing to collaborate with different genres. You know, METALLICA doing a song with Dolly Parton. How fucking random and cool [would that be]?

"Everything always comes back in cycles. It's just not gonna come back as the rock we grew up on. It could sound like GDM," he added, referencing his recently launched dance/rock hybrid called Guitar Dance Music. "I'm not saying [it will], but it could be some form or mash of different influences. And it might sound a little different to us, but it's what the new kids [will embrace as their version of rock]."

Last December, Ashba performed at the Las Vegas Bowl's "ONEVEGAS" presented by Toyota, an event that brought the sports and entertainment community together at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to celebrate their collective year in sports while showing support for the Southern Nevada Sports Hall Of Fame and the Las Vegas Bowl philanthropic community partners. Ashba played his new single "Bella Ciao", a modern-day EDM-driven makeover of the Italian folk classic fueled by his signature guitar work.

"Bella Ciao" marked Ashba's first release of 2021 and followed a series of tracks that were released in late 2020 through Edgeout Records/UMG/UMe, including "Hypnotic", "Let's Dance" and "A Christmas Storm".

In December 2020, Ashba told "The Mark And HooGie Show" that he isn't concerned about getting any pushback from his rock fans over the musical direction of his new venture: "Honestly, I'm at a point in my career where I could give two fucks," he said. "I could care less. If people don't like it, kiss my ass. Go listen to SIXX:A.M. If what I'm doing right now isn't rock enough, I've got a rock band. They can go listen to that then.

"My fanbase, thank God, has been, throughout my whole career, just very, very accepting," he continued. "They know me — they know I'm always trying to really push myself as an artist outside the box.

"If I had to live within this box, I'd rather honestly not play music. Playing music is a form of art, and if I can't truly be an artist and be true to what it is inside — whatever that is that keeps me going… I have to stay inspired. You can only write so many three-chord rock songs. So, to me, this is something that I'm kind of more doing for myself, and I feel like I kind of have earned that at this point in my career. And I'm just having fun.

"Surprisingly… It was weird. I was totally expecting for all my fanbase just to hate it — not get it," Ashba added. "'Cause I really, really go deep down in EDM — I stayed very, very true to the EDM sound — and I really thought they were gonna hate it, and I was okay with that. 'Cause in my mind, I'm writing this for the EDM, the young kids that go to those festivals. This is full-on festival music. And surprisingly, I got no pushback. My rock fans really, really were freaking out on it, which kind of freaked me out. I was expecting them to really not get it or maybe push it aside. But they've been nothing but supportive. I'm very thankful that they gave it a chance."

ASHBA's "Let's Dance" single featured a guest appearance by James Michael, co-founder and lead singer of SIXX:A.M., which he and DJ formed with Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE).

Ashba told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the musical approach of his new effort: "I would go to a lot of EDM concerts, and their shows are so over the top and, you know, all these young kids just losing their minds, right? And the one thing that I've noticed is … it lacks guitar, you know, and I saw an opportunity, like five years ago, going, 'If I could take what I do and somehow inject it into this world.' A lot of kids are not being exposed to a lot of guitar in that world."

Although Ashba initially started work on the project as a collaboration with Michael — under the band name PYROMANTIC — it has since evolved into an Ashba solo venture, with Michael announcing in 2018 that he was stepping away from the group.

Falamh released their debut album The Unbound Beyond: I in 2020 and are now following it up with Aeons Effigy. A meticulous blend of black and death metal, it will appeal to a wide variety of listeners who enjoy melody, creative riffs and blast beats. Compared to the last release, Aeons Effigy keeps the tone of the first, although it is diverse in other ways, it is darker and more robust; however, the atmosphere remains the same. The band explains it in their own words:


“The concept for this EP is about the journey and discovery of oneself and the transformation effects that occur. Whether being steadfast or yielding, change is always inevitable and it’s how someone reacts that can determine the perspective and outcome. The lyrics reflect this by telling tales of different characters and how their reaction affects them.”


The tracks on this EP are taken from several sessions over the last few years. As for what to expect in the future, there is currently some new material in the very early stages of the writing process. The release of it will depend on how far Falamh is able to dig in and be happy with the results.




Aeons Effigy is just over 20 minutes in length, and was produced, mixed and mastered by the band at Chainsaw Media. The album artwork was done by guitarist/vocalist Kyle Tayler. There are many black and death metal influences present in the music, and the album is recommended for fans of Taake, Kampfar, and Agalloch.


Aeons Effigy is being released on March 25, 2022, but can be heard in full before it officially drops via its premiere on BraveWords!


Aeons Effigy by Falamh


Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Winds Of Silence”
“Blackened Waves”
“Benighted Weald”
“Aethereal Forger”

Black metal legend Ihsahn has criticized the current metal scene for its lack of "danger", claiming that R&B superstar The Weeknd is "edgier and more experimental."

The EMPEROR frontman, whose real name is Vegard Sverre Tveitan, voiced his opinion on The Weeknd after telling Metal Hammer magazine that he has recently been listening to the new album from the popular Canadian singer-songwriter, born Abel Tesfaye, titled "Dawn FM".

"It's so heavy," Ihsahn said. "Maybe it's just me being old and grumpy, but there's so much new metal coming out where there's no danger. I listen to a lot of commercial R&B like The Weeknd. That's darker and more edgy and more experimental than most new extreme metal bands, to be honest."

This is not the first time Ihsahn has praised an artist far removed from his own genre. Back in 2018, he claimed that his solo music has been influenced by "the bravery" of Kanye West's "Yeezus", which had been described by some as the controversial rapper's most divisive album.

"Let's be honest, as a person, the character, he's not the most easy to empathize with," Ihsahn said of West in an interview with the Czech Republic's Metalshop TV. "But sometimes your relationship with the person, the artist, if they act the way you don't [like], you bring that with you when you listen to the music. But in spite of that, there's no denying that it's so brave. And I think the kind of megalomaniac ego that goes behind it makes it that genius; that is so brave. There's no commercial thought when you do an album like that, when you just scream out this lyric: 'I am a God.' It's crazy, and I love it."

Ihsahn continued: "I have this theory that the really new creation in music, the real genius happens in the underground, where there's no money and people just do it for the artistic ambition, and all the way at the top where's so much money that they don't even care, and they can do anything. And there's all the rest in the middle who try to do the 'right' things and [make] those compromises to get the

This Halloween, Z2 Comics and Grammy-winning rock band HALESTORM will transform the group's barbed riffs and evocative narratives into sequential art for "Hyde Manor", a harrowing descent into one woman's fight with the darkest parts of herself. Twins Brittany and Brianna Winner (the "Twin Soul" series), artist Sara Scalia, and colorist DJ Alonso weave a tale of the celebrated group as they seek refuge in the titular Hyde Manor — a sprawling gothic estate perched on the remote end of the Oregon Coast.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2012 EP "Hello, It's Mz Hyde" and its ensuing LP, "The Strange Case Of…", the "Hyde Manor" graphic novel depicts the members of HALESTORM encountering sinister doppelgangers of themselves. Within the decrepit halls of Hyde Manor, mirror reflections independently talk back and photographs transform to reveal sordid prophecies, leading the band to slowly succumb to madness while recording a new album. The tale creaks and twists with doom-filled revelations, perfectly tied to HALESTORM's scorching discography.

"I'm so incredibly excited that this is finally happening," says HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale. "We are releasing a graphic novel! Penned by our beautiful badass friends the Winner twins and featuring a few of our favorite artists, the story takes you down a rabbit hole of good and evil. An epic battle of Darkness vs Light. Is it truth? Is it fantasy? You decide!"

"We've enjoyed HALESTORM's music for many years; being entrusted to co-create a world and story based on their work is truly an honor," co-writer Brianna Winner continues. "We wanted to create a story that reflects not only their music, but also their individual personalities."

"The graphic novel will be a dark, paranormal mystery starring the band members as the main characters," co-writer Brittany Winner elaborates. "The journey that unfolds will mirror their individual artistic journeys, so each of their personalities will really be able to shine."

HALESTORM, founded by siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale in their teens, has grown into a Grammy-winning, chart-topping trailblazer in today's rock music landscape. Along with Joe Hottinger and Josh Smith, the band surpassed a billion streams cumulatively and has sold out shows around the globe, with the San Jose Mercury News declaring them "the best hard rock band in the world" after their November 2021 show. On May 6, the band will release their fifth full-length studio album, "Back From The Dead". The title track, called "a biting but cathartic howler" by Rolling Stone, claimed the #1 spot at rock radio last fall, and the second single, "The Steeple", is nearing the top 10.

Z2 Comics and HALESTORM present "Hyde Manor" in both softcover and hardcover formats, as well as oversized hardcover deluxe, and an oversized hardcover deluxe edition. Alison Sampson provides cover art. Deluxe editions include gallery-ready prints courtesy of fan artist Egidija Guobyte, as well as a Lzzy Hale/Ms. Hyde two-sided coin, Ms. Hyde special-edition collector's card in a plastic frame, and an exclusive Halestorm: Hyde Manor deck of cards. Preorder yours today.

WDR Rockpalast has shared professionally filmed footage of doom metal legends, Pentagram, performing at the 2015 edition of Germany's Rock Hard Festival. Watch below.


Setlist:


"Sign Of The Wolf"
"Forever My Queen"
"The Ghoul"
"Review Your Choices"
"Starlady"
"Ask No More"
"When The Screams Come"
"All Your Sins"
"Dying World"
"Petrified"
"Relentless"
"Be Forewarned"
"Last Days Here"







Lineup:


Bobby Liebling - vocals
Matt Goldsbourgh - guitar
Greg Turley - bass
Pete Campbell - drums

Greenleaf have inked a deal with Magnetic Eye Records. The veteran desert rockers will finally be returning to detonate stages around Europe this year, and have already started to gather hot ideas for their next full-length to be released via the label.


Greenleaf comment: "Signing a new record deal with Magnetic Eye was a pretty easy decision for us", writes vocalist Arvid Hällagård, who can be seen while signing the contract together with his band mates below. "We already knew them to be good people who do this for the love of heavy music, which is exactly the only kind of people that we want to work with. With them by our side, we feel that we can continue to do what we do in harmony with our label. This is something you won't find every day."







Jadd Shickler welcomes Greenleaf: "I almost don't know where to begin in expressing my incredible pleasure at this signing", tells the Magnetic Eye director. "I've known guitarist and founder Tommi for more than 20 years, and I've been a fan of every band and project he's been part of. Yes, I liked Greenleaf when they were his low-pressure side project, but when they transformed into a proper band with the 'Trails and Passes' album, it was a 'holy crap' moment, because they instantly became one of my absolute favorite heavy rock outfits on earth, and have remained so ever since. Saying how pleased we are to welcome Greenleaf to the Magnetic Eye roster is a supreme understatement!"


Greenleaf have already announced a set of live dates in Europe including Hellfest.


Greenleaf live:


June
17 – Clisson, France – Hellfesst


July
2 – Gera, Germany – Graveyard Summer Fest
8 – Borlange, Sweden – Alive Festival


August
11 – Bagnes, Switzerland – Palp Festival


October
1 – Goteborg, Sweden – Musikenshus


December
8-9 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fuzz Festival 

TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider spoke to Tom La Vecchia of Armchair MBA about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting. Asked if he saw Seattle bands like NIRVANA and SOUNDGARDEN slowly gaining popularity of at the expense of 1980s metal, Dee said: "Well, no one saw it coming, but I was already dead and semi-buried before grunge hit. TWISTED arrived in the early '80s and then we hit our stride in the mid-'80s and by the late '80s, the band had broken up. I had a band called DESPERADO [with former IRON MAIDEN drummer Clive Burr and ex-GILLAN guitarist Bernie Tormé] that got shelved by Elektra Records; a lot of money we spent on that record. So I was sort of already removed as a featured artist by that point, and I was struggling trying to find my footing with DESPERADO and then WIDOWMAKER. And then I got the letter in the mail, certified letter, 'We have decided we're no longer doing what you do — look like you, sound like you, sing like you, write like you, perform like you. We actually don't want anything to do with anything you ever did. Sincerely, the music-buying public.' [Laughs] And that's when the bottom really fell out. I mean, imagine being a doctor who studied a form of medicine, and they found a cure for it. You're a cancer specialist — a specialist; it's what you dedicated your life to — and you get a pill that cures [cancer]. You're out of work. Grunge cured hair metal. So I was out of work."

Less than two years ago, Snider told Ultimate Guitar that he "loved" NIRVANA and other grunge bands when they emerged. "When they first came out, it wasn't even called grunge," he explained. "And this is the thing about titles — even heavy metal, punk, hair metal, those are not titles chosen by the artists; they're titles chosen by the writers. And usually as a negative connotation. Usually as a form of a putdown. And the artists that they called grunge, called punk, called heavy metal — they hated it. This is a fact, dude. I'm old. I know this, a fact: if you mentioned grunge to SOUNDGARDEN or PEARL JAM, they got physically violent with you. They were just a rock band. And if anything, SOUNDGARDEN, ALICE IN CHAINS, they were metal bands. They were touring with Ozzy [Osbourne]. It just became defined by some writers; they pigeonholed it and called it a new sound."

Dee continued: "When it first came out, I was, again, doing metal radio, and I was playing ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA on my show, and I was like, 'This is great, heavy new stuff.' So then it became defined as grunge, and then it was the hair metal killer, and that was awful.

"But I don't blame it on the music; hair metal did it to itself. It became too commercialized, and then it got unplugged and became nothing but power ballads and acoustic songs, and it wasn't metal anymore. It had to go; it had to change."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

Snider's TWISTED SISTER bandmate Jay Jay French told Daniel Sarkissian of the "Rock Is Dead?" documentary about the death of hair metal and arrival of grunge: "The only band that leapfrogged and saved themselves was GUNS N' ROSES. And my theory is that GUNS N' ROSES was not perceived as a joke. They came out of L.A., but I think that Axl [Rose], first of all, had a great voice. I think that they were perceived as real, not fake. Like, they were real junkies, not pretend junkies. So there's an authenticity. It's all about authenticity, and grunge is all about authenticity. People wanted authenticity, so they got it with grunge. It wiped out the perceived frivolousness of hair metal, which is, 'Hey, man. Let's party. Let's get the girls and drink.' I think people just got sick of that, and they wanted [something more] authentic."

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi told Newsday in a 2014 interview that the CRÜE album he sang on was a commercial disappointment because the music scene had changed, with hair metal brushed aside for grunge.

"Everybody was listening to ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN," Corabi said. "At that point, we were considered passé."

According to Corabi, CRÜE's ill-fated 1994 American tour " was a nightmare. We weren't selling tickets. It was just horrible," he said.

In 2019, former TNT singer Tony Harnell said that the rise of the grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image, was ultimately a positive thing for the rock genre because it "shined a really harsh light on how boring and repetitive" the '80s glam metal scene had become. He explained: "It was the same look, the same songwriters, the same producers, and it just started to be… Nobody was offering anything… Don't get me wrong, there were a few that got in there that were interesting and different, but, for the most part, they were all just sort of rehashes, slightly, of other bands."

In this new video below aimed at new guitar players, Sweetwater‘s Nick Bowcott dissects and demos how to play one of rock history‘s most ubiquitous riffs: Ritchie Blackmore‘s iconic four-note melody in the Deep Purple classic “Smoke On The Water“.





Bowcott previously offered lessons on Black Sabbath's “Paranoid”, Def Leppard's "Hysteria", the Jimi Hendrix classic, “Purple Haze”, Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell", the Rush track "Tom Sawyer", KISS' "Hotter Than Hell", and "Them Bones" by Alice In Chains:

Canada’s My Hollow has a new EP coming out, Fighting The Monsters, which will be their third since their inception in 2012. The new record boasts the heaviest music they have written and the addition of keyboards adds a new layer to their sound, infusing it with epic melodies. The latest single “Hell Or High Water” is progressive and wild, and bassist Sean De Faria details the particulars of the track:


“When I wrote the guitar parts for this song they ended up coming together really quickly. I remember feeling some stress and some loneliness at the time and I think that it comes through in the music. It's also a lot different structurally than most of our songs, which is something that I always try to bring to the table. It also features a longer instrumental section nearing the end which also has gotten positive feedback from the crowd during live performances. The vocals that Graham added feed into the feel of the music as well, that feeling of unrest and longing for closure are evident in the lyrics.”


The band expects newer fans, as well as established ones, will be able to find tangible qualities to enjoy about the new album. The new tunes don’t stray too far from their back catalogue, but they do possess more of a mature approach to the songwriting. The addition of keyboardist Matt Williams has also added a new dimension to the My Hollow sound.




Fighting The Monsters is slated for release on April 8, 2022.





​Tracklisting:​


"Vultures"
"Fighting The Monsters" ft. Björn Strid (Soilwork)
"Hell Or High Water"
"Faded Through"
"The Iron Harvest"


"Hell Of High Water":





"Fighting The Monsters":





"Vultures" video:





(Photo - Brett Teskey)

K.K. Downing has disputed Glenn Tipton's claim that K.K. "never approached" any of the members of JUDAS PRIEST about returning to the band prior to Glenn announcing his retirement from touring.

In a recent interview with Guitar World magazine, Tipton said that he and the rest of PRIEST's current lineup weren't aware of Downing's desire to come back to the band when they made their decision to hire producer Andy Sneap to play guitar on the "Firepower" tour. "[K.K.] never approached any of the band and asked to rejoin, so for all we knew, he didn't want to rejoin," Glenn said. "He said he wanted to leave the band and then leave the music industry. He told us he was desperate for a new kind of life."

When Guitar World writer Jon Wiederhorn asked Tipton directly whether Downing expressed an interest in rejoining PRIEST for the "Firepower" tour, Glenn said: "No. Right before we got Richie [Faulkner to replace K.K. in 2011], [bassist] Ian [Hill] said, 'If you really want to come back, you'd better come back now' because we were moving on. But he didn't do anything. He didn't ask to come back."

The same day that BLABBERMOUTH.NET published some of Tipton's comments from the Guitar World interview, Downing released an audio statement to this web site disputing some of Glenn's assertions, including the suggestion that K.K. would have been accepted back into the JUDAS PRIEST camp for the "Firepower" tour.

Downing said: "There was not a position for me in the band until Glenn retired. And when he did, I quickly, obviously, stated that I was shocked and stunned not to receive a phone call [asking me to return to the band]. At that point, previous to that, working backwards, they were all in love with Richie, [as] posted on [BLABBERMOUTH.NET], stating that none of the fans are missing K.K. and Richie has brought a new energy to the band. Also Ian told me directly in person that Richie was a great guy and a great songwriter, despite only achieving two albums in the last 12 years. But that's curious.

"And on top of that, really, what the world doesn't know, really, [is] that the farewell tour [in 2011] that we were all planning to retire on and end the band, the 'Epitaph' tour, that was what I decided to not participate in," he continued. "That was it. That's what I thought I was doing — not leaving the band. Because we were all leaving the band; we were all going to finish the band and retire. So I thought that that's the only thing that I was doing — was not participating in the farewell tour, quite simply because I really didn't think, with everything that was happening, that I was going to enjoy the tour from a musical standpoint. And I didn't want to end my long, credible history and legacy doing a tour for the fans that I wasn't actually enjoying."

Downing added: "What people don't know is in April that year [2011], and I have the e-mails, I was speaking to Ian in April about changing my mind, 'cause all of my friends were encouraging me to just do the tour, saying, 'You started the band. You need to finish it.' So I was talking to Ian, on and off, over a week, and I actually told him that I was reconsidering and asked him to send me over the setlist, which he did. And I called him back and said, 'It looks great,' because setlists were always a bone of contention in the band, really. And the next day they released a press release that I retired from the band. This is what people don't know. So, obviously, I took from that they didn't want to include me. They had already kind of, obviously, anointed themselves and got familiar with Richie and it was a family and I was out. So, really, I consider myself ousted as much as anything else, because no one other than Ian got back to me, called me — no one from the management, nothing. So I felt pretty dejected about all of that, really. So if that was the way it was gonna be, that was the way it was gonna be. But, obviously, Glenn retiring was an ideal opportunity [for me to come back], because the musical thing and everything, the tension between me and Glenn on stage, more so than anything musically, I wasn't happy with. So [this would have been a chance for] me [to] play alongside, obviously, a very competent player like Richie."

According to Downing, he has written to his former bandmates in JUDAS PRIEST "on two or three occasions now — recently, probably since about 2017 — asking to be reinstated. But even when they chose to go as a four-piece [this past January, only to change their minds five days later], they never gave me any consideration, an opportunity to come back into the band," he said. "And I absolutely am totally convinced they never would previously, irrespective of what Glenn says."

K.K. went on to say that several business-related issues have arisen between him and JUDAS PRIEST which have contributed to the increased tension between the two camps.

"Since about 2017… Previously they upheld their promise, even though they never gave my any accounts, they would make disbursements to me for what I was promised — you know, part of what I was entitled to from everything that I was a part of; obviously merchandise, et cetera," he said. "And then that all stopped. I started to get legal letters. And I implored them, 'Don't go down this route. Let me come down. I'm happy to sit around a table and discuss any issues that need to be discussed.' And they said no. And so the legal letters kept coming. They've ousted me as a director [of the PRIEST company Judas Priest Music Limited]. They've kicked me off the board, as it's three of them and one of me. I'm still a 25 percent shareholder, but they said it's worthless, it isn't worth anything, and they don't pay me anything of anything that I was involved with — period. So anyone that goes out and buys the 50th-anniversary box set, I do not get anything from it. I've asked them if I'm gonna get anything from it and they haven't returned my e-mails. And it's the same with any of the merchandise that you see on sale at the venues or in retail or anywhere else."

Downing also once again said that PRIEST attempted to prevent him from using the KK'S PRIEST name for his new band, in which he is joined by ex-JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE). "Both me and my record label and management got legal letters when they tried to stop me going forward with my band, KK'S PRIEST," he said. "We chose to ignore the correspondence, taking the risk that they wouldn't take it any further. I'm glad to say that they haven't. But I'm not happy that they tried to stop me doing what I do, especially when they denied me the opportunity."

In the Guitar World interview, Tipton said that he was okay with JUDAS PRIEST and KK'S PRIEST existing at the same time. "I just wish [K.K. would] grow up a bit and stop saying ridiculous things," Glenn said. "I'd like to see both bands go on and enjoy heavy metal, as you should do. It would be nice to see our careers out together, even if we're in different bands."

K.K. left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties." Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

In his 2018 autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", Downing wrote that he told Tipton and PRIEST co-manager Jayne Andrews that he had "hated" them both "since 1985." Last year, he explained his outburst to Classic Rock magazine: "I was angry. Glenn had formed a relationship with Jayne from day one, and it felt a bit like a John-and-Yoko situation. I didn't like that."

Downing has called Faulkner his "clone" and revealed that he "never found" Tipton "to be particularly easy to get along with. Very early on, I was fully aware of the limited conditions under which he operated," K.K. wrote in his book. "If you were going to relate to him, you would do so entirely on his ter

Colombian police believe the death of FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins was drug related.

The 50-year-old musician was found dead in a hotel room at the Casa Medina in Bogota on Friday (March 25).

Earlier today (Saturday, March 26), the Office Of The Attorney General Of Colombia released a statement indicating that a urine toxicological test performed by officials on Taylor Hawkins's body preliminarily found 10 types of substances, including THC (marijuana), antidepressants, benzodiazepine and opioids.

In an official statement, the office said: "Colombia's National State Prosecution Service can confirm the following after the initial autopsy on the body of Taylor Hawkins:

"1) That in the toxicology test on Taylor Hawkins's urine 10 types of substances were preliminarily found, including marijuana, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opioids.

"2) The National Institute of Forensic Medicine is continuing its medical studies to be able to completely clarify the facts that led to Taylor Hawkins's death.

"3) Colombia’s National State Prosecution Service will continue with its investigation and reveal the results obtained as part of this investigation as appropriate."

A short time after Hawkins's death, the Metropolitan Police Of Bogota released a statement published by several news outlets in Colombia, including Bogota's El Tiempo, in which they said: "According to those close to him, the death could be related to the consumption of narcotic substances." But they cautioned: "The cause of death has yet to be established."

In a statement, the Bogota municipal government said the city's emergency center received a report of a patient with "chest pain" and sent an ambulance on Friday evening. Paramedics attempted to revive him but there was no response and Hawkins was declared dead at the hotel in northern Bogota, the statement added.

Luis Carlos Velez, the director of local radio station La FM, said that a police officer who entered Hawkins's hotel room had told prosecutors he saw a "cocaine-like" white powder. Colombian authorities also "found an empty beer can, an opened bottle of vodka, a Coca-Cola bottle and some other articles which are being analyzed," he said. But he added that "drug use has not been confirmed yet."

Fans, journalists and videographers began to gather outside Casa Medina after Hawkins's death was announced. Ambulances and police cars, including those of judicial police and forensic investigators, could be seen stationed outside of the hotel, which is located in the middle of the financial and commercial centers of Bogota in one of the most historic and traditional buildings of the city. A couple of hours later, Hawkins's body was finally brought out of the hotel, placed into a coroner's van and driven away.

Colombian music and entertainment journalist Alejandro Marin tweeted as news of the drummer's death emerged: "Don't begin to blame the country because Taylor died in Colombia if he died of an overdose. Don't be so stupid."

Bogota mayor Claudia López Hernández commented on Hawkins's death, writing in a Twitter message: "The world of music and Bogotá are in mourning for the death of the great Taylor Hawkins. To his family and friends, to the FOO FIGHTERS and to all his fans, our hugs and condolences."

The Bogotá District Health Secretariat said in a statement: "The District Department of Health mourns the death of this talented musician and drummer, widely recognized internationally for his work. In addition, the entity sends its message of condolences to the family, colleagues and followers."

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 are scheduled to headline Lollapalooza Brasil on Sunday (March 27).

Hawkins spent two weeks in a coma in 2001 after overdosing in London. He later told Kerrang! magazine: "Everyone has their own path and I took it too far. I was partying in London one night, and I mistakenly did something and it changed everything. I believed the bullshit myth of live hard and fast, die young.

"I'm not here to preach about not doing drugs, because I loved doing drugs, but I just got out of control for a while and it almost got me. I was heading down a road that was going to lead to even worse paths.

"Whether someone's sober, or they like a glass of wine with dinner, or they want a bottle of Jägermeister before they go onstage, or they like to smoke doobies all day long, everyone has their own path, and I took it too far," he added. I'm glad it got knocked on the head at that point. I wouldn't take anything away that I've done or been through either, because it's all part of the trip and the journey. I'm trying to be as candid as I can be. I go mountain biking now."

He said in 2018: "I was partying a lot. I wasn't a junkie per se, but I was partying. There was a year where the partying just got a little too heavy.

"Thank God on some level this guy gave me the wrong line with the wrong thing one night and I woke up going, 'What the fuck happened?' That was a real changing point for me."

In a separate interview with Beats 1, he said: "There's no happy ending with hard drugs," but declined to elaborate on his sobriety. "I don't really discuss how I live my life in that regard," he said. "I have my system that works for me."

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Hawkins joined FOO FIGHTERS in 1997. Prior to that, he played with the Orange County band SYLVIA and was also in the backing band for Sass Jordan. He also toured with Alanis Morissette as her drummer.

Hawkins was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last year as a member of the FOO FIGHTERS.

Hawkins's most recent work with FOO FIGHTERS included last year's "Medicine At Midnight" album, a collection of BEE GEES covers and FOO FIGHTERS' horror film "Studio 666".

Hawkins's solo project TAYLOR HAWKINS AND THE COATTAIL RIDERS released its first album in 2006, and a follow-up effort, "Get The Money", in 2019. Other side projects included THE BIRDS OF SATAN and the classic rock cover band CHEVY METAL. More recently, he formed the supergroup NHC with JANE'S ADDICTION members Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney.

Hawkins is survived by his wife Alison, whom he married in 2005, and their three children: Oliver Shane, Annabelle and Everleigh.




#ATENCIÓN | Comunicado oficial de la #Fiscalía General de la Nación sobre la muerte del ciudadano extranjero Taylor Hawkins, baterista de la banda Foo Fighters. pic.twitter.com/K3Z7Ss9wcO

— Fiscalía Colombia (@FiscaliaCol) March 26, 2022








#BreakingNews - Colombian authorities press release confirming 10 substances found #TaylorHawkins - Oficial release does not say overdose. Investigation continues pic.twitter.com/Mrfy07hSWG

— Luis Carlos Vélez ? (@lcvelez) March 26, 2022








#BreakingNews - At #TaylorHawkins room, Colombian authorities found: an empty beer can, an opened bottle of vodka, a Coca-Cola bottle, and some "other articles" being analyzed by authorities

— Luis Carlos Vélez ? (@lcvelez) March 26, 2022








#BreakingNews - A police officer, who entered the room, told @FiscaliaCol he saw a "cocaine" looking powder at #TaylorHawkins room. Drug use has not been confirmed yet

— Luis Carlos Vélez ? (@lcvelez) March 26, 2022








White powder found in Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins' five-star hotel room in Bogota after his sudden 'drug-related' death age 50https://t.co/VtnTAsJVVw @DailyMailUK

— Luis Carlos Vélez ? (@lcvelez) March 26, 2022








#ATENCIÓN

Con respecto al fallecimiento del músico estadounidense Taylor Hawkins en la localidad de Chapinero, que se produjo este viernes 25 de marzo en horas de la noche, informamos: pic.twitter.com/hdOJgGCxDi

— Secretaría Distrital de Salud (@SectorSalud) March 26, 2022








??#COLOMBIA ?#URGENTE | Según las primeras informaciones, uno de los integrantes de Foo Fighters encontró si vida al baterista Taylor Hawkins en el hotel Casa Medina en Bogotá.

La banda iba a presentarse hoy pasada las 7:30 p.m. en el Festival Estéreo Picnic. #RochexRB27 pic.twitter.com/poHGAJDHj7

— Rochex R. Robinson Bonilla (@RochexRB27) March 26, 2022








#ÚLTIMAHORA

Falleció Taylor Hawkins

La cadena RCN de Colombia ofrece un reporte de lo que ocurre en el Hotel Casa Medina, Four Seasons.

Unidades de criminalistica están presentes en el lugar para adelantar la investigación de rigor. Fans prenden velas en honor de #TaylorHawkins pic.twitter.com/OddHXbd2vF

— Diario Panamá (@DiarioPanama) March 26, 2022








#VicioNoticias ??? Llevan a Medicina Legal el cuerpo sin vida de Taylor Hawkins, baterista de la banda de rock Foo Fighters. Falleció en el hotel Casa Medina, en Bogotá. ???☹️? pic.twitter.com/jGv3QZnNnm

— Revista Vicio (@revista_vicio) March 26, 2022








#ÚltimoMomento | Este es el momento en que retiran el cuerpo del baterista de Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, en el hotel Casa Medina, en Bogotá, Colombia. Hasta el momento se desconocen las causas del fallecimiento. ?? pic.twitter.com/1CYzTWTf4o

— En Foco Noticias (@EnFocoNoticias1) March 26, 2022








Este es el momento en que retiran el cuerpo del baterista de Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, en el hotel Casa Medina. El músico falleció este viernes en Bogotá. pic.twitter.com/2kD9PcyfLf

— Ricky Ricón (@Ricardo7ok) March 26, 2022








#AFP , Member's of the Technical Investigation Team transport Foo Fighters' drummer Taylor Hawkins body from a hotel in Bogota on March 26, 2022. Drummer Taylor Hawkins of the multi-Grammy award-winning rock group Foo Fighters has died, his bandmates said in a statement Friday. pic.twitter.com/nyusonipvw

— Juan Barreto [email protected] (@jbarreto1974) March 26, 2022








La gente a esta hora empieza a aglomerar a los alrededores del Four Seasons hotel Casa Medina en Bogotá, tras conocer la muerte del baterista del Foo Fighters, Taylor Hawkins, de 50 años pic.twitter.com/vBLpMtNIvi

— Veeduría Ciudadana ?? (@Veedorciudad21) March 26, 2022








Algunos fanáticos de Foo Fighters (@foofighters) comienzan a llegar al hotel Casa Medina para encender velas como homenaje a Taylor Hawkins, baterista de la banda que falleció este viernes en Bogotá → https://t.co/KMOWLWiaXh pic.twitter.com/RGfpd7eR3k

— W Radio Colombia (@WRadioColombia) March 26, 2022








#Ahora l Así el panorama en el hotel Casa Medina en Bogotá, donde se hospeda la banda Foo Fighters. Esta noche fue confirmada la muerte de Taylor Hawkins.

Fotos @elespectador pic.twitter.com/xQIlujW9LG

— Diario El Mundo (@ElMundoSV) March 26, 2022








Fans lighting candles and leaving flowers outside the hotel where Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away last night in Bogotá, Colombia. Cause of death is still unknown.

Someone has written “Gracias” on the ground pic.twitter.com/1DfFnA1vke

— Megan Janetsky (@meganjanetsky) March 26, 2022








Forensic technicians work outside the Casa Medina hotel, where Taylor Hawkins, drummer of the band Foo Fighters, was staying and died hours before his presentation at the Estereo PicnicFestival,in Bogota,Colombia, March 26, 2022. REUTERS/Mariano Vimos #TaylorHawkins #FooFighters pic.twitter.com/hez5uGRHEW

— Mariano J. Vimos Maciá (@marianojosevimo) March 26, 2022








Mi experiencia en el hotel Four Seasons Casa Medina, esperando para intentar ver a los @foofighters.

Aún me parece increíble.

R.I.P. Taylor Hawkins ??️? pic.twitter.com/45Zae2VzqI

— Carlos Paz [SupraHumano] (@SupraHumanoBand) March 26, 2022








#ÚltimoMomento| Fanáticos de Foo Fighters comienzan a llegar al hotel Casa Medina, en Bogota, colombia, para encender velas como homenaje a Taylor Hawkins. Todavía se desconoce la causa de su fallecimiento. ?? pic.twitter.com/lADkwWpW2D

— En Foco Noticias (@EnFocoNoticias1) March 26, 2022








A esta hora fanáticos de Foo Fighters despiden al baterista Taylor Hawkins a las afueras del hotel Casa Medina, en el norte de Bogotá, donde el músico falleció. #VocesySonidos pic.twitter.com/xwt3JXfZNR

— BluRadio Colombia (@BluRadioCo) March 26, 2022








Seguidores de Taylor Hawkins y de Foo Fighters rinden tributo al baterista fallecido en Bogotá, en el hotel donde perdió la vida. Nos informa ⁦@PepeMoronReales⁩ en #RCNMundo ⁦@rcnradio⁩ pic.twitter.com/BevYYQSvnD

— Mao Socarrás (Ibarra) (@IbarraSocarras) March 26, 2022








Con velas, flores y carteles, seguidores de la banda Foo Fighters rinden homenaje a Taylor Hawkins, a las afueras del hotel donde se hospedaba en Bogotá pic.twitter.com/JEfwGKBiSs

— Alex Valdes (@SoyAlexValdes) March 26, 2022

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen spoke to Brazil's Wikimetal about how she has spent her downtime during the coronavirus pandemic. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was a shock for me in the beginning. When all this happened, it was very hard to understand where you were at. And I didn't even touch my grand piano that is just here next to me; I'm in my working room now. And there were months and months, I just walked past the instrument; I didn't even touch it. It was a hard hit — really hard to understand that I'm not able to work any longer; my work is not permitted; I cannot [work]. So when that wheel stopped, it was my first time ever to be without performing — in 25 years or so. I've been a performer all my life, and so that all was gone. So it is very hard to come out of that bubble and start being productive and inspired. But I did that.'

She continued: "I fought against the universe in the beginning, and then I said, 'Do not, because you cannot. You're just one individual. You are who you are. Find the happiness inside of you, and find the happiness around you, what you have at the moment.' I have my beautiful family, my beautiful daughter that I haven't been able to be the mother that she really has needed in many times when I'm on the road. I am here now. Use that time. So it was really, really important to realize that, hey, I can be happy and I can get inspired. Not necessarily the pandemic itself made me inspired, but then I saw the light that there are good things in life. And I started taking care of myself. And I've been super productive — written a lot of new songs. You have to keep on going."

Last year, Turunen released her first book, "Singing In My Blood", via Rocket 88. Written and compiled over the first year of lockdown, Tarja searched through scores of photos and memories to create a big, deluxe book about her life in music. There are contributions from friends and colleagues who've played a part in her music on stage, in the studio and at home, alongside lots of previously unseen intimate photos from childhood to the present day.

The 44-year-old Finnish-born singer, who currently lives in Spain (after previously residing in both Finland and Argentina), was fired from NIGHTWISH at the end of the band's 2005 tour by being presented with an open letter which was published on the NIGHTWISH web site at the same time. In the letter, the other members of NIGHTWISH wrote: "To you, unfortunately, business, money, and things that have nothing to do with emotions have become much more important."

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen later called the decision to part ways with Turunen "the most difficult thing I ever had to do." For her part, Tarja said the way she was kicked out of the group proved that her former bandmates were not her friends. "Maybe one day I'll forgive, but I will never forget," she said.

In a recent interview with Midwest Beatdown, SEVENDUST frontman Lajon Witherspoon spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for his long-in-the-works debut solo album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm still working on it. I was just recently in Nashville. I got to write some music with my buddy Jimmie Allen, which is a country artist. Yeah, man, I'm just taking my time on that. I'll be doing some more stuff on that once I get off [the road with SEVENDUST]. Actually, I'll be going back to Tennessee in April and finishing up some work. There's some interest in it. And I'm excited. I've probably got 13 songs now. And it's good."

Earlier this month, Lajon told the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire" that he expects his full-length solo debut to arrive "probably this year."

Most of the early sessions for Witherspoon's solo LP were overseen by RA's Daniel "Sahaj" Ticotin.

In January 2021, Lajon released a solo single, a cover of British singer Jacob Banks's 2017 song "Chainsmoking".

In September 2020, Lajon told Talking Metal that working on his solo LP has been fun. "I've not had any pressure," he said. "It hasn't been something that, 'Oh, I have to do this.' This is something I've done on my own.

"I've been working with a very close friend of mine, Sahaj, [who] is the lead singer from the band RA, which I think a lot of people out there would know," he continued. "[He's] an incredible friend and artist, and we write well together."

Asked about the musical direction of his solo material, Lajon said: "You can be on the avenue and hang out with my solo stuff. It's rock. It's a little bit of heavy, but I think it lends more towards a bluesy, soulful, more radio friendly… I'm not saying SEVENDUST isn't radio friendly, but I think this is more of a radio friendly… I don't know. It's a lot, a lot, a lot of melody. It's cool."

Witherspoon released the standalone solo single "Love Song" in 2017.

SEVENDUST's 13th studio album, "Blood & Stone", was released in October 2020 via Rise Records. The follow-up to 2018's "All I See Is War" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

In a new interview with Liz Barnes of Planet Rock's "My Planet Rocks", HEART singer Ann Wilson was asked if there are any plans for the band to return to activity once she completes the touring cycle for her upcoming solo album, "Fierce Bliss". She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, I think so, yeah. Because next year's the 50-year [anniversary] of when we actually got together and got going. Nancy [Wilson, Ann's sister and HEART guitarist] didn't join until '75, but the band got going in '73. So, yeah, we have a bunch of stuff planned for next year. So I can definitely see HEART doing something."

Ann's comments come a month after Nancy Wilson spoke to Joe Rock of Long Island, New York's 102.3 WBAB radio station about why HEART has been inactive for most of the past three years.

"HEART had a big offer on the table last year for a bigger tour, but Ann wasn't interested in going out with my lineup of guys that we were out with before," she said. "She has a new lineup of guys that she wanted me to join up with. And I sort of [thought] I don't really know them and don't have loyalty yet for anybody like that."

HEART toured North America in the summer of 2019 after a nasty split that kept the Wilson sisters estranged for three years.

Ann and Nancy had a falling out during HEART's 2016 tour, when Ann's husband Dean Welter was arrested for assaulting Nancy's then-16-year-old twin sons in a backstage altercation at a gig near their hometown of Seattle. He pleaded guilty to two lesser assault charges to avoid jail time.

After completing HEART's 2016 tour, Nancy formed a new band called ROADCASE ROYALE and released an album, "First Things First". ROADCASE ROYALE featured three members of HEART along with Liv Warfield from Prince's NEW POWER GENERATION band and her guitarist Ryan Wilson.

In Nancy's new band NANCY WILSON'S HEART, she is joined in the group by her longtime collaborators, guitarist Ryan Waters, drummer Ben Smith, bassist Andy Stoller and keyboardist Dan Walker, along with powerhouse singer Kimberly Nichole.

Nancy's debut solo album, "You And Me", was released last May via Carry On Music. The LP was recorded primarily in her California home studio, working with bandmembers and special guests remotely.

"Fierce Bliss" will arrive on April 29 via Silver Lining Music

Billy Graziadei says that there has been "talk" about putting BIOHAZARD back together.

The group, which is acknowledged as one of the earliest outfits to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip-hop, has been out of the public eye since Scott Roberts left the band more than six years ago.

Roberts, who played guitar on BIOHAZARD's 2005 album "Means To An End", rejoined the group in June 2011 as the replacement for bassist and co-vocalist Evan Seinfeld. Scott fronted BIOHAZARD for nearly five years before exiting the band in February 2016.

Asked by Metal Injection about BIOHAZARD's current status, Billy said: "We talk often. I was with Evan at a memorial for my friend Scott [Koenig], and it was great to see him. Danny [Schuler, drums] and Bobby [Hambel, guitar] and I talk quite often, and during the pandemic there were a few people that wanted to play bass for us. And then during the pandemic, we were all discussing and had a heart to heart. And basically, the outcome was, like, life's too short. If we don't take away anything from this pandemic, it's, like, if we're going to do something, let's put the band back together again.

"I'm the only member of the band that's still active in music," he continued. "I know the guys do things here and there, but it's what I do with what I love. It's me, so I'm going to keep going.

"With BIOHAZARD, it's always been a vibe thing with us. It's not like we sit down and say, 'Hey, in 2023, let's make an album. Let's go on tour and release the album mid-tour.' In a business sense, that'd be great. If I had the business sense that I have now, I would have been way more successful. But like I said, that was never my goal. It's still not my goal. My goal is music and art first. I probably won't be recognized for anything awesome until I'm dead and gone, but it's okay. I have other means to pay the bills and I have a great wife who supports me.

"BIOHAZARD is kind of like a vibe thing," Billy added. "It's like when the planets align and shit lines up, we do it. There's been different crazy twists and turns of our history, and I would imagine there will be in the future, but that's life. The pandemic was the fucking craziest curveball anyone ever thought would come, you know?"

In an August 2020 interview with the "Aftershocks" podcast, Roberts said that he left BIOHAZARD because he "wasn't happy" anymore. "There was one guy that I wasn't getting along with very well, and it made touring not fun anymore for me," he said. "My reason to stick around was to make a new record that was great and I'd be proud of and all that stuff, and then it became kind of clear that wasn't gonna happen, so I was, like, 'What am I doing it for?' So I quit."

According to Roberts, BIOHAZARD was "doing really good" on the live circuit before his decision to leave the group.

"I was actually in the band longer than anybody else that wasn't the original four guys," he said. "I was in the band twice, actually; I played guitar the first time. So I was in the band, like, seven years, I think. The second time, when I was singing, at first, we were, like, 'Is this gonna work?' 'Cause it's really hard to replace a singer. In history, how many times has that actually worked? IRON MAIDEN, AC/DC… a handful of times. At first, it was definitely weird; people didn't know what to expect. But in time, the shows were getting bigger again, we were headlining festivals again — it was rolling, it was happening, it was working. But it all kind of fell apart."

In a 2017 interview with "The Ex Man" podcast, Graziadei discussed Roberts's split from the group, saying that the other members of the band "got into some issues" with Scott once work began on a new studio album. "He just grew out of it," Billy claimed. "He was a fucking rigger in New York in the union, making tons of money, and leaving his family to go on tour for making a little bit of money, it didn't pay for him. So I think that started harboring some issues with him. And eventually we were in the studio doing the new record, and we had some exchanges back and forth, and he quit. And we were, like, 'Fuck! Here we are again.'"

Scott later responded to Billy's comments, saying that he quit BIOHAZARD because it was no longer fun. "I was okay with losing money on tour as long as I was enjoying myself," Roberts wrote on his Facebook page. "I would have kept doing that. The real problem was I wasn't getting along with one of the members and wasn't enjoying myself on tour with them anymore. The only other reason for me to keep doing it, was to make a new record that I was into and proud of. When another member of the band made it clear to me that wasn't going to happen, there was no reason for me to do it anymore. That's the simplest way I can explain it."

He added: "The only reason to be in a band is for the love of it. Not because it's a career. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, you shouldn't do it. That's my opinion, for what's it worth."

In "The Ex Man" interview, Billy said that BIOHAZARD's collaboration with Roberts "just worked. The band without Evan, in a small, hardcore way, it's like VAN HALEN without David Lee Roth. It was different, it was something new, but it was different… Scott had the fire that we all had, and it just seemed to work, and people accepted him. He was great, he fit great, his vibe was great, he was all about the music, loved hardcore, loved what we did, he was really into it, and it was fucking awesome. So we toured, we kept doing it. And we saw the crowds getting bigger and the people accepted him and the BIOHAZARD name... the brand started growing again; instead of being stagnant or declining, it started to grow. And the shows kept doing better and better. And we were, like, 'Cool. Let's keep this going.'"

Seinfeld made his final recorded appearance with BIOHAZARD on 2012's "Reborn In Defiance" album, which marked the first LP featuring the band's original lineup in 18 years.

Graziadei is currently a member of POWERFLO, which also features former FEAR FACTORY bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers, Sen Dog from CYPRESS HILL, and Rogelio Lozano from DOWNSET.

Billy's solo project, BILLYBIO, will release a new album, "Leaders And Liars", on March 25 via AFM Records

Heavy horror punk icon Wednesday 13 kicked off his 2022 U.S. headline tour, dubbed "20 Years Of Fear", last night (Wednesday, March 23) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prior to launching into the song "Nowhere" from MURDERDOLLS, his one-time project with late SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, he told the crowd: "This part of the show I'd like to make some noise for our brother Joey Jordison. He left us far too soon. He was one of the most talented people I ever met. And he's the reason any of you guys know who I am. So we picked a couple of songs, some of my favorite songs we liked to play with Joey. We're gonna take it back about 12 years ago to the [MURDERDOLLS' 2010 album] 'Women And Children Last'. This is called 'Nowhere'."

Jordison — who played guitar for MURDERDOLLS — died "peacefully in his sleep" last July of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.

Three years ago, Wednesday 13 told the "Talk Toomey" podcast that he has fond memories of his time with the MURDERDOLLS. "That was such a special time for me — both times, both records," he said. "I mean, we did a lot of cool stuff. But that very first time we came out, and the things we did, it was when nu-metal was dying, and we were just kind of like… I won't say 'breath of fresh air,' 'cause it definitely wasn't fresh; it was smelly. But we were something that kind of came in, and it was really amazing in certain places. In the U.K., it made me feel like THE BEATLES for five seconds. It was something I'll never forget. I'll never forget having your van almost rocked over by a hundred fans in the middle of Piccadilly Circus in London. That was pretty nuts."

MURDERDOLLS had been inactive since completing the touring cycle in support of "Women And Children Last", which came out in August 2010 via Roadrunner Records.

In 2018, Joey told the "Talk Toomey" podcast that he wasn't opposed to the idea of collaborating with Wednesday 13 on new music. "Never say never, man — I mean, that's life," he said. "It's kind of funny, 'cause we have a bunch of songs that have been written and a bunch that are ready to go. Timing is everything, man — not necessarily anything about, 'Oh, we need to do this to impress people,' or, 'We need to put out this record or do something like that.' Timing in life is everything, so we'll see. Only time will tell."

Jordison told CrypticRock.com in 2017 that he "would love to do another record" with MURDERDOLLS. He explained: "I have this punk rock and pop side of me that I don't really get to get out in other areas in my life. When we did that band, it was just pretty much to express fun, have a great time, and kind of throw a monkeywrench into what was going on in rock and metal at the time, and it worked."

Jordison — who played guitar for MURDERDOLLS — added that the tours he did with the MURDERDOLLS were "really awe-inspiring when you look in hindsight of what we accomplished in a short amount of time and the two records we did. I could not be more proud and happy of what we accomplished in that time," he said. "Everyone that was in that band, the couple of different personnels we employed, the MURDERDOLLS were killer."

Wednesday 13 reunited with onetime MURDERDOLLS members Eric Griffin and Acey Slade on stage for the first time in over a decade in August 2018 at Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood. The event, which celebrated the life of former MURDERDOLLS drummer Ben Graves, saw the trio performing some of the group's classic songs.

Graves, who also worked with PRETTY BOY FLOYD and DOPE, passed away in May 2018 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was only 45 years old.




‼️ Tonight it begins in Albuquerque NM @launchpadabq

WEDNESDAY 13’s “20 Years Of Fear” U.S. Headline Tour.

Tickets &...

Posted by Wednesday 13 on Wednesday, March 23, 2022

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Chris Kael has admitted that he relapsed with alcohol more than a year ago during the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the course of the last four years, Kael touted having a sober lifestyle, saying that he was the "strongest" he had ever been after coming out of rehab.

However, the 47-year-old told Jason Rockman of Canada's "The Rockman Power Hour" this week that he fell off the wagon as the coronavirus lockdown continued, saying that "it was not good."

"I got sober February 3rd, 2018," Chris said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "Were it not for a mishap during the pandemic, which I haven't spoken publicly about until today, a mishap over the pandemic, it would have been four years [sober]. But right now I think I am… I have to go back and look at the date, honestly."

He continued: "I remember I went to a concert and I was trying to do… I was, like, 'All right. I fell off the wagon. I've been back on the wagon. I'm going in. I'm gonna try to control drinking this time. I'm gonna allow myself to have two. And if I do two, cool.' Nope. Did three. Haven't had a drink since. I said, 'I can't do it.' Even trying to limit myself to two, I couldn't do that."

When Rockman commented that if having three drinks one night was the extent of Chris's relapse, it wasn't so bad, Kael countered with: "No, no. It was much worse before that. August of 2020, post-breakup, post-being in a house by myself, it was not good. So as I turned to not wanting to feel for a little while… Now, [I'm] back to it again — I'm doing my meetings, doing all the stuff, working with my sponsor, working the steps and all that stuff now."

Kael said that he actually tried to get sober a couple of years before he went into rehab. "I was trying to do it on my own — and I'd been vocal about, 'Yup. I gave it up. I did this,'" he said. "I did an interview with [comedian] Dean Delray and I was talking about it. A short time thereafter, I was out on the road and I caught a case of the fuckits with whatever I was going through at that point — overdramatizing everything 'cause that's what I liked to do back in the day. Now I'm much more centered, much more focused. But I had just poured a drink and I was walking off the bus and a fan came running up to me: 'Kael, I wanna thank you. You going sober made me think about myself going sober.' And there I am standing with a fucking [drink] in my hand. 'Yeah, man. I'm just doing what I can to help out.' And I felt like such garbage.

"So it was important for me, for my own accountability, to be vocal about it," Kael explained. "'Cause I'm a people pleaser — I wanna make people happy; I don't want people to be disappointed in me — so, in the beginning, it was very important for me to be vocal about it so that others would know and I kind of have that babysitter collectively around the world watching. I'm much better at self-accountability and not needing other people to have their eye on me. I think I'm out from under that rock at this point. But collectively, we do the groups, we do our meetings — all kinds of stuff. So I still have that support system — even tighter support system. My God, [during] the pandemic, I did more meetings in Zoom than I ever did before the pandemic.

"Obviously, COVID was awful, but if you look for the silver lining to things, you can turn a negative into a positive if you just clear your mind, look around and take a full scope of what's going on and just really continue to do the right thing," he added.

Kael previously opened up about his battle with alcohol and drug addiction in a February 2021 interview with MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Chris Kael. At the time, he stated about his decision to get sober: "I was doing blow, but I realized when I went to rehab, I was always the key bump guy. So just keeping the levels up just enough to fight any sort of depression. And then also through that time, Ivan [Moody, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH singer] was very much the focus of the issues [with drugs and alcohol] that he was going through at that point. No surprise and no secrets there — we've all seen the stuff that happened back then. But he was the focal point for everybody. So I was kind of able to hide in the background while he was dealing with his stuff. So I got to slide under the radar most of the time.

"The real decline for me started maybe two months before I cleaned up," he continued. "Just life situations — I was going through a divorce at the time… We got divorced after I got out of rehab, but the process had kind of been started before. And honestly, my goal going into rehab was — I wrote [my then-wife] a note; she may still have it; I'm sure she probably does. It was basically, like, 'Hey, I'm going to get help' and become the guy that she married in the first place and not this person I had become. So I very much wanted to get back and get out of rehab and go back to being married and whatnot. But it changed. And it was real bad probably the last three weeks of it. I didn't get too out of control. [There were] a couple of times here and there where I would really let go and there were indications that things were getting worse for me. But I basically ended up in just like a real depressed period, and I decided, 'Fuck, man. I can't do this anymore.' I called my buddy Greg, and he took me to rehab that day. And it was the weakest I've ever felt in my life, walking into that rehab. But then once I got out of rehab, I was, like, that's the fucking strongest I've ever been, is admitting that I can't deal with this and I need to figure something else out."

Kael went on to say that things got so bad for him at one point that he didn't always enjoy performing live. "When you're on stage at Wembley, sold-out show, and you're on stage going, 'Ah. Can we just get the fuck off here?', something's fucking wrong with your endorphin levels," he laughed. "My body was just so beat up. I never played fucked up on stage, but I definitely played tired from the night before many times. And that was one of those nights. My body was beat up from the night before. We probably had a day off in London. Me and my bass tech used to daydrink all day long."

Back in April 2018, Kael told the KLAQ radio station that he was "going through about an eight-ball of cocaine a week" at the height of his addiction. "That got to be the biggest problem for me," he revealed. "That and depression, the two things, were not good. I didn't realize it until I got into rehab that I was self-medicating with cocaine to get my dopamine levels up to fight the depression. I never even thought about that. And then when you come off it, you crash hard."

Kael first revealed his battle with addiction in a series of tweets, saying that his then-wife played a "major role" in helping him get clean. "Had she not busted me trying to restock after burning through $1300 in blow in two days in late January [2018], I truly believe that I would not be here today," he wrote.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's eighth album, "F8", was released in February 2020 via Better Noise Music. A follow-up effort is expected later this year.

ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott spoke to Knotfest.com about the musical direction of the band's 11th studio album, "Deceivers", which will arrive on July 29 via Century Media Records. He said: "We have a style that we've established in our 25-plus-year careers, but music is something that we still feel very passionate about. That is the driving force. There's always something that we haven't tried. Either 'We've never started a song like that,' or 'we've never used this kind of melody or chord structure,' there's always little new things you can try out. Music is pretty much endless. But we still stay true to the ARCH ENEMY sound. We don't want to stray too far from our roots. And I say that, but recently I listened to our first album, and it's so different compared to what we do now. So there has been a progression, but I think it's been an organic one. Something that has happened naturally. I think we, and maybe me in particular, think about that a lot. You want to have some new elements in every album, I think it's important. We want to do that, but we don't try to do too much in one go."

Amott went on to say that he and his ARCH ENEMY bandmates "are trying something different for this album: we are releasing more singles than we ever have before. It was an idea that came from our record label," he explained. "They wanted to do it this way, and it's a new way of working for us. Usually we release a maximum of two singles, and then the album's out and we're on tour, but these are different times. We haven't been able to tour, and, of course, people listen to music in a different way now, more on a single-based approach.

"All the songs on the album are a bit different and that's what makes it so hard to pick singles," he continued. "Some bands are great at writing the same type of song always. They're great songs, but they have a formula in a way. But there's so many different things that we do. We try to create varied albums with different emotions, different colors, and it makes it difficult when you pick the singles."

Last month, ARCH ENEMY released the official music video for its latest single, "Handshake With Hell", directed by Patric Ullaeus. Before "Handshake With Hell" arrived, fans were also able to check out the previously released album tracks, "Deceiver, Deceiver" and "House Of Mirrors".

This spring, ARCH ENEMY and BEHEMOTH will return to the states to co-headline "The North American Siege 2022" tour with NAPALM DEATH and UNTO OTHERS as special guests, before ARCH ENEMY appears at select summer festivals; the rescheduled "European Siege 2022" tour (with ARCH ENEMY, BEHEMOTH, CARCASS, UNTO OTHERS) will kick off in the fall.

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators recently released their new album, entitled 4, via Gibson Records / BMG. In celebration, the band performed live at SiriusXM, and today you can watch their performance of the Living The Dream album track, "Fill My World". Watch below:





The band also performed "Driving Rain" from Living The Dream, as well as the 4 album cut "Call Off The Dogs":










4 is Slash’s fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (Vocals), Brent Fitz (Drums), Todd Kerns (Bass & Vocals) And Frank Sidoris (Guitar & Vocals).


For 4, Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, TN, and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile), revealing a stunning new sound and style all captured live in the studio. Cobb shared the band’s desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals - a first for the group. The band’s previous albums over the last decade Apocalyptic Love, World on Fire, and Living The Dream have continued on an upward trajectory, all achieving Top 5 Billboard charting debuts in the U.S. and reaching the Top 10 on 12 major charts across the globe. To date, the three SMKC albums have now garnered 10 consecutive Top 5 Radio singles, spawned sold-out world tours, and have earned Slash and the band the best critical acclaim of their career.





Tracklisting:


"The River Is Rising"
"Whatever Gets You By"
"C'est la Vie"
"The Path Less Followed"
"Actions Speak Louder Than Words"
"Spirit Love"
"Fill My World"
"April Fool"
"Call Off The Dogs"
"Fall Back To Earth"


"Call Off The Dogs":





"Fill My World":





"The River Is Rising" lyric video:





"The River Is Rising" official video:

Sammy Hagar has shared another video from the vault. Below you can watch Van Halen perform the title track of their 1986 album, 5150, in Tokyo, Japan in February, 1989.





Sammy and Michael Anthony are celebrating the Van Hagar years of Van Halen... follow along at the Van Hagar Other Half Instagram, here.