HYPOCRISY has announced the departure of longtime drummer Reidar "Horgh" Horghagen.

The Swedish metallers shared the news of the Norwegian musician's exit in a social media post earlier today. They wrote: "Hey there! There's a thing you must know. Horgh is no longer part of HYPOCRISY. We hope you respect and accept this decision.

"It's not easy for us. We've played together for 18 crazy years filled with music, tours and friendship. So many countries, so many songs, and so many gigs with Horgh on stage with us. It's the end of a long interesting chapter, and the beginning of a new one.

"We are grateful to Horgh, this great musician and great man, for all we have achieved together. Also, we'd like to pass the message from him: 'I want to take this opportunity to thank the fans for the great support over the years, and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many of you as we toured around the world. Thanks to the band and crew for the time we spent together. I wish you all the best for the future.'"

A member of the Norwegian black metal band IMMORTAL since 1996, Horgh joined HYPOCRISY in January 2004 as the replacement for Lars Szöke.

HYPOCRISY will embark on the "Worship" tour this spring. The 28-date trek will kick off at Warsaw in Brooklyn, New York on April 29 and will make stops in Toronto, Los Angeles, and Austin before concluding in Baltimore at the Maryland Deathfest on May 29. Support on the trek will come from CARACH ANGREN, THE AGONIST and HIDEOUS DIVINITY.

HYPOCRISY's latest album, "Worship", was released last November via Nuclear Blast Records. The 11-track effort was recorded and mixed at frontman Peter Tägtgren's Abyss Studio AB in Sweden while mastering was completed by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers Audio Mastering. Designed by artist Blake Armstrong (KATAKLYSM, IN FLAMES, CARNIFEX), "Worship"'s artwork speaks to the history of the relationship between humanity and extraterrestrials.


Hey there! There's a thing you must know. Horgh is no longer part of Hypocrisy. We hope you respect and accept this...

Posted by Hypocrisy on Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Glam metal / sleaze rock merchants CrashDïet, announce the release of their upcoming album, Automaton, available for pre-sale now on digital, CD and vinyl, through Crusader Records / Golden Robot Records. The digital and CD formats are set to drop on April 29, with limited edition coloured vinyl due for release on September 9.


To celebrate the pre-sale of Automaton, CrashDïet serve up another delicacy in the form of a new single and video, "Together Whatever", which is available now on all digital platforms.


"Together Whatever" is a true party anthem! Exploding with raging guitars and scorching vocals, it's a tribute to the decadent good old days and the band’s early roots.







Automaton artwork and tracklisting:





"Automaton" 
"Together Whatever" 
"Shine On" 
"No Man's Land" 
"Darker Minds" 
"Dead Crusade" 
"Powerline" (feat. Michael Starr) 
"Resurrection Of The Damned"
"We Die Hard" 
"Shell Shock" 
"Unbroken" 
"I Can't Move On (Without You)" 


"No Man's Land" Lyric Video:





 

SEPULTURA drummer Eloy Casagrande will miss the remainder of the band's North American tour after breaking his right leg in a stage accident.

Earlier today, the 31-year-old Brazilian musician took to his Instagram to share X-ray photos of his fractured tibia and fibula bones, and he included the following message: "It is with deep sadness that I announce that I have unfortunately broken my right leg. Yesterday, at the El Paso show, during the break between songs I ended up falling off the stage and fracturing my tibia and fibula. I'm going back to Brazil to start the recovery. I'll see you soon! The tour will continue, but without me. More news coming soon. I ask for your support."

SEPULTURA's "North American Quadra" 2022 tour with SACRED REICH and CROWBAR kicked off on March 4 in Sacramento and is set to conclude on April 8 in Berkeley, California. SEPULTURA also has a six-date tour of Mexico scheduled for April 12-17.

This is not the first health issue that has plagued the "North American Quadra" 2022 tour. Last month, SACRED REICH was forced to cancel more than half dozen shows on the trek due to frontman Phil Rind's "ongoing respiratory illness."

Last summer, guitarist Andreas Kisser spoke to France's Loud TV about how Casagrande's addition to has affected SEPULTURA's sound.

"We're very lucky to have such great musicians here in Brazil, especially in drumming," he said. "We have great drummers and percussionists. You see [Carlos] Santana and all those great names, Paul Simon and stuff, always using some Brazilian here and there regarding the drum world. And Eloy started playing drums very early. He was made for SEPULTURA, man. I mean, he played in some other bands and stuff, but here with SEPULTURA, he's really exploding; he's really free to express himself the way he wants to, and SEPULTURA's music really provides that. And in exchange, he gave me especially to write many new possibilities. I think 'Machine Messiah' and 'Quadra' are the consequence of that interaction we have, which is great. It's so inspiring. It's fantastic.

"We are kind of always writing," he continued. "Sometimes he sends me some drum loops and I send him some riffs and stuff, and it's really cool that we build stuff from there. And he's a very professional guy — the best drummer in the world; at least for SEPULTURA he's the best. [Laughs]"

In February 2020, SEPULTURA singer Derrick Green told Australia's Everblack Media that Casagrande has had "a tremendous impact" on the group since he joined in 2011. "It's undeniable because he's such a strong force," he said. "He loves playing metal music. He's one of the most talented drummers I've ever seen, honestly. That power is consistent from beginning to the end. It really has rubbed off on all of us to really push ourselves further. He's such a perfect match for the band. He really is always influencing us in so many ways to really go beyond — above and beyond."

In 2019, Eloy told Drumtalk that he didn't care about the long-simmering feud between founding SEPULTURA members Max and Igor Cavalera and his current bandmates. "I respect all the history," he said. "I have total respect for the past drummers, Igor and Jean [Dolabella]. They are amazing guys, incredible guys, but we just live in the present. I really don't care what happened, what didn't happen. I respect all the music. I respect their music nowadays. It's just that we have to follow our path and that's it."

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA 10 years ago as the replacement for Dolabella.

SEPULTURA's latest album, "Quadra", was released in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was created at Sweden's Fascination Street Studios with renowned producer Jens Bogren.

SEPULTURA comprises Green, Kisser, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and Casagrande.




Just posted a photo https://t.co/dBzqvOTdld

— Eloy Casagrande (@eloycasagrandee) April 4, 2022

PRIMUS will release a new three-song EP titled "Conspiranoid" on April 22 via ATO Records. The effort includes the 11-minute epic "Conspiranoia", which can be heard below.

PRIMUS frontman Les Claypool told Consequence about the genesis for the single and its accompanying B-sides: "With our new studio in the works and some impending touring, we decided the world needed to be subjected to some new PRIMUS material. Not wanting, or even having the time for recording an entire album, the notion of a 'single' was tossed around. I'd been itching to record an opus — basically a long, winding, bastard of a song, reminiscent of some of the compositions I cut my teeth (or ears) on, in my music-hungry adolescence. I said to the fellas, 'Let's record a 20-minute song.' The end result was an 11-and-a-half minute, progressive hunk of sound called 'Conspiranoia'.

"'Conspiranoia' was sprouted from a seed I had planted in my notebook a year or so ago — a few lines commenting on the mental state of the contemporary world," he explained. "I watched the distrust and divide grow between friends, colleagues, relatives, and the general population because of the consumption and digesting of disinformation, misinformation, warped information, and flat-out fairy tales being perpetuated by anyone with a slight hint of web design aptitude. I was compelled to shed light on the ridiculousness of many of these perspectives and the lack of rational thought that was being applied in the interpretation of many such entities and theories.

"Because the single 'Conspiranoia' is of such length, I realized that for a B-side of the vinyl, we would need at least two tunes to fill out the real estate of the actual 12-inch disc," Les added. "I had the song 'Follow The Fool' in the chamber and we fleshed it out. [Guitarist] Larry Lalonde had the riff for the song that became 'Erin On The Side Of Caution', which I supplied the lyrics for by again pulling from my notebook of notions. Because all three songs were bred in an odd time of divide, confusion, angst, frustration, and social senility, the title 'Conspiranoid' seemed like an appropriate moniker for the EP."

"Conspiranoid" EP track listing:

01. Conspiranoia

02. Follow The Fool

03. Erin On The Side Of Caution

Later this month, PRIMUS will embark on an extensive coast-to-coast extension of its wildly popular "A Tribute To Kings" tour, paying homage to prog-rock legends RUSH. "A Tribute To Kings" will find the Bay area trio performing RUSH's 1977 album "A Farewell To Kings" in its entirety, following a set of their own music. As Claypool told Rolling Stone, the tour is about paying tribute to a band that has given him so much inspiration over the years.

Pattern-Seeking Animals, the California-based progressive rock band featuring Ted Leonard (lead vocals & guitars), Jimmy Keegan (drums & vocals), Dave Meros (bass) and John Boegehold (keyboards), have released their third album, Only Passing Through, via InsideOut Music.


Order the album here, and watch a visualizer video for the track "Everdark Mountain" below.


Offering eight songs (and two bonus tracks) that are as varied as they are excellent, Only Passing Through is a work that will deliver on all fronts. From the opener "Everdark Mountain" to the weighty "Much Ado" and the 13-minute epic "Time Has A Way", the album has something to please fans in all quarters. If you ever wondered what Spaghetti Western Cinema would sound like in the world of 2022 prog, have a listen to "Said The Stranger". For some jazzier stylings, lend an ear to "Here With You With Me".




Boegehold is justifiably proud of the album: “Only Passing Through picks up where Prehensile Tales left off but soon takes several stylistic detours as it progresses. Everyone involved made this album a lot of fun to make and we're all looking forward to it finally being heard."





Tracklisting:


"Everdark Mountain"
"I Can't Stay Here Anymore"
"Time Has A Way"
"Rock Paper Scissors"
"Much Ado"
"Only Passing Through"
"Said The Stranger"
"Here With You With Me"


Bonus tracks:


"I'm Not Alright"
"Just Another Day At The Beach"


"Everdark Mountain" visualizer:





"Rock Paper Scissors" video:





"I Can't Stay Here Anymore" video:

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell, who had an acrimonious split with Ronnie James Dio in the mid-1980s when the two worked together in the first incarnation of Dio's solo band, has once again claimed that he and his DIO bandmates were earning "less than the crew."

Ronnie, Vivian, drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain collaborated on the first three DIO albums — 1983's "Holy Diver", 1984's "The Last In Line" and 1985's "Sacred Heart" — before Irishman Campbell left to join WHITESNAKE in 1987. Vivian later publicly took issue with Ronnie's need for total control of the band, claiming that finances played a major part in the bad blood that preceded his exit. Specifically, Campbell said that "it had become increasingly clear" to him that Ronnie's wife and manager Wendy "was determined to separate Ronnie from the band. She didn't see DIO as one creative unit. Ronnie knew better, but I suspect that in an effort to win back Wendy's love" after the couple split, "he was willing to bend to her whims. Thus began the beginning of the end for the original DIO band."

Asked in a new interview with the "Let There Be Talk" podcast with rock and roll comedian Dean Delray about the DIO financial situation while he was a member of the band, Vivian said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The money was pretty grim. That was the whole reason why I got fired from DIO — because I was a squeaky wheel. That night in London in that rehearsal room [after the DIO band was formed] when Ronnie sat us down and said, 'Here's the plan. This is what we're gonna do,' he had promised us all that by the third record, it would be an equity situation, because, basically, we had to work for next to nothing for the earlier records. And the only reason I bought a Ferrari was three reasons: number one, it was a garden-variety [production Ferrari], the cheapest one; number two, the exchange rate when I bought it… I was getting paid in dollars, and the exchange rate was very, very favorable to buy sterling at that time. And number three, I ate crew meal for years; I didn't spend a penny. Anything I earned, my per diems or whatever, went right into a bank account and [I said], 'I'm gonna buy a car.' 'Cause at the time, I was still living with my parents in Ireland, so when I wasn't working with DIO, I'd fly home. I'd be, like, 'Hey, mom. Hey, dad. I'm back.' So I didn't have any overhead; I had no bills. So I kept everything. It was the same [as] years earlier when I was saving up to buy a Gibson Les Paul; I just focused on it. I wanted a 308 GTB Ferrari, so I saved up for a few years and got it.

"But the money situation in DIO was really bleak," Campbell reiterated. "We earned less than the crew. So we didn't get any of those records — we got none of the t-shirts, we got none of the ticket sales, we got none of the record sales. But we were working towards that promise which was by the third album it would be an equity situation. And when we started working on the third record, that's when I started going, 'Hey, Ronnie, you got a moment?' And he kept pushing it off and pushing it off. And then eventually they fired me. But I was a squeaky wheel. And it was less a matter of the money. I mean, yeah, it would have been nice to get paid for that, but it's more principle. I'm big on principle. When somebody looks me in the eye and shakes my hand and we have a gentlemen's agreement, I uphold my end of the deal and I expect the same of people. Maybe I'm an idealist or an idiot for expecting that of human beings, but that's what I put out and that's what I give and that's what I expect from people. And so it was a question of principle much, much more so than it was a question of dollars. With me, the promise was made, and the rest of us toiled for several years in the belief that that contract would be fulfilled, and it never was. 'Cause ultimately Ronnie never told Wendy, and Wendy was his estranged wife but his manager, and therefore, by default, the band's manager. But she never saw it as being a band; he never kind of explained that aspect to her. She always saw Ronnie Dio kind of like Ozzy Osbourne; it didn't matter who was behind him. But Ronnie should have known better. The magic of that original band, that's where I really had a beef with Ronnie. He knew how good that band was, and for him to be so fearful of Wendy that he wouldn't even have the balls to tell her that, 'This is what I want. This is what I promised the guys. This is what we're gonna do.' She just kind of went, 'No, no. You're the star. You don't need them. Get somebody else to play guitar.'"

Last summer, Wendy said that it was important for her to detail Ronnie's falling out with Vivian in the singer's memoir, "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography", which she, along with writer Mick Wall, completed after Ronnie's death. "I wanted to, because I am so sick to death of hearing Vivian saying things like, 'Ronnie paid me a hundred dollars a week.' Well, how did he buy a Ferrari with a hundred dollars a week?" she told Ultimate Classic Rock. "Ronnie was always fair to his people. It costs a lot of money to put that show on. All of the time, we paid for everything — buses, trucks, hotels, per diems, lighting, sound and everything else. I think he treated the band very fairly. The problem is Vivian, for some reason, decided he wanted to be Ronnie. Well, you know, the band was called DIO. But the fact was that Ronnie had already been in RAINBOW and paid his dues and then in BLACK SABBATH and paid his dues. He wasn't just off the street and a nobody. I got really upset. I get really upset when I hear him saying all of the things about Ronnie. Ronnie isn't here to defend himself. I will. I have all of the paperwork to prove that. How much he did get paid. That just kind of upsets me that people will say, 'Oh, Ronnie was cheap.' Well, Ronnie was never ever cheap at all."

Asked if she thought there would have been a chance to build any sort of bridge between Ronnie and Vivian, Wendy said: "No. I don't think so, because there was too many nasty things by both of them said in the press, and I think you can't undo those things."

Campbell, Appice and Bain reunited in 2012 alongside singer Andrew Freeman to form LAST IN LINE. The band's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

In a 2019 interview with Ultimate Guitar, Vivian said that getting fired from DIO left a bad taste in his mouth "for so, so many years. I was so hurt by the whole process that after that, I did make a mistake of saying very hurtful things about Ronnie in the press, as indeed he said the same about me," he said. "I think that was a mistake for both of us to do that. But it was a very painful thing for me because I never wanted to leave that band. I was fully invested in it, I enjoyed it immensely, I believed in it, and I gave blood, sweat, and tears on everything over the course of three albums to build that band. And then to be unceremoniously dumped like that was very, very painful for me. So it took me a long time to come full circle. To be honest, I think it also took Ronnie's passing [in 2010] to be able to look at that in a different light and realize that it was as much Jimmy Bain's heritage and Vinny Appice's heritage and my heritage as it was Ronnie's — we all owned those records and that history. So now I've come to fully embrace it, whereas for many, many years it was too painful for me to listen to it. If it came on the radio, I would turn the radio off. I didn't own any of the records, I wanted nothing to do with it. And now I see it in an entirely different light. I realize that we owned it as much as Ronnie and that it's a joyous thing to embrace. It makes me incredibly happy to be on the stage with Vinny, and with Jimmy while he was alive, and to play that music again. It's something I'm very proud of. But it took me a long time to get here, and that's the reason why."

In a May 2011 interview with Brazil's Roadie Crew magazine, Wendy stated about the controversy surrounding Ronnie's relationship with Campbell (in 2003, Vivian called Ronnie "an awful businessman and, way more importantly, one of the vilest people in the industry."): "[Vivian] always said that he hated all the albums that he played on with Ronnie, and that was very hurtful to Ronnie. Very hurtful. Would you like someone who said something like that about your albums? He said a lot of things in the press that I don't wanna get into, because it really wasn't Ronnie's feud at all. Ronnie didn't fire him. I fired [Vivian]. He wanted as much money as Ronnie wanted. He thought he was as important as Ronnie was, and that was just wrong. But I don't wanna get into that. It's water under the bridge. It doesn't matter."

A video clip of Ronnie James Dio calling Campbell "a fucking asshole" and saying that "I hope he fucking dies" in reference to his former bandmate was posted on YouTube in October 2007. The two-minute clip was shot on March 30, 2007 while Ronnie was signing autographs for fans after HEAVEN & HELL's show at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. "He's a piece of shit," Dio said. "You ever heard the things he ever said about me? He called me the most despicable human being that ever lived. I went, 'I thought I gave you a chance and made you somebody. And now you're playing with who? DEF fucking who?' There's a fucking rock band for you to fucking have diarrhea with."

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French believes that "it's time for comedians to stop making fun of people's appearance[s]."

French made his comment just a couple of days after actor Will Smith stormed onstage during this year's live Oscars broadcast and smacked Chris Rock across the face before returning to his front-row seat and yelling a profanity-filled threat at the comedian.

The confrontation took place after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, calling Jade Pinkett Smith "G.I. Jane" in reference to her bald head, which she has previously explained is due to the medical condition alopecia.

On Tuesday (March 29), Jay Jay, who battled prostate cancer in 2018, took to his Twitter to write: "No one should ever hit another person like @willsmith did to @chrisrock . Among many issues this created at the #AcademyAwards2022 I think it's time for comedians to stop making fun of peoples (especially woman) appearance it is degrading and unnecessary".

When one person asked "Why especially women?", French responded: "Because woman, in general, are judged by their appearance far more than men and culturally we, as a society, need to move past that if we are to evolve. Having said that, insult humor is part of who we are so that may never happen".

One musician who apparently doesn't share French's opinion is FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares, who has been defending Rock on Twitter. In one exchange with a fan, Dino said that Rock "didn't know" Pinkett Smith had a medical condition and pointed out that Chris is "a comedian" who "was hired to roast the actors" as the host of this year's Oscars. He went on to say that he didn't think Rock's joke was "cruel," explaining that "people have said worse to [their] kids".

Other musicians, like KISS frontman Paul Stanley, have criticized Hollywood for giving Smith a standing ovation when it was announced at the Oscars that he won best actor for "King Richard". Smith's Oscar victory occurred several minutes after he slapped Rock.

On Monday, Paul tweeted: "Wait... Chris Rock makes a bad joke about Jada Pinkett's appearance. Will Smith walks onstage hits him in the face shouts out obscenities & later in tears accepts an Oscar saying 'Love makes you do crazy things' to a STANDING OVATION?!? WTF Hollywood. That's not WOKE. That's WEAK".

The following day, he elaborated: "What personal issues would embolden someone enough to walk onstage and ASSAULT another person? THEN how could an audience of people who believe themselves morally and socially conscious watch & spend the rest of the night cheering him? Sad and scary."

Although most people believe that stand-up comedy is about pushing boundaries and making people laugh and by its very nature is meant to provoke, in recent years telling jokes has become controversial, with some topics completely off limits. Several months ago, Dave Chappelle faced backlash for making quips about the trans community.

Smith first apologized about the incident at the Oscars, expressing his sorrow to the Academy and his fellow nominees in a tear-filled speech while accepting his "Best Actor" trophy. A day later, he went further in an Instagram post, saying that "violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive" and calling his behavior at the Academy Awards "unacceptable and inexcusable."

The Academy has condemned Smith's actions and started a formal review around the incident.

Chris is scheduled to make his first public appearance since the Oscars Wednesday night at Boston's Wilbur Theater, where he will perform as part of his "Ego Death" world tour.




No one should ever hit another person like @willsmith did to @chrisrock. Among many issues this created at the #AcademyAwards2022 I think it’s time for comedians to stop making fun of peoples (especially woman) appearance it is degrading and unnecessary

— Jay Jay French (@jayjayfrench) March 29, 2022








Because woman, in general, are judged by their appearance far more than men and culturally we, as a society, need to move past that if we are to evolve. Having said that, insult humor is part of who we are so that may never happen

— Jay Jay French (@jayjayfrench) March 30, 2022








No one made fun of her medical condition cause he didn’t know she had one ,you are reading it wrong. He’s a comedian that’s what he was hired to do roast the actors https://t.co/CIGmYbQggx

— Dino Cazares (@DinoCazares) March 29, 2022








Sure I get where u would think it could be insensitive because her going bald is hard for her to deal with even tho she said she doesn’t give a fuck but ultimately u know that’s not true,but I also don’t think it was a cruel joke.People have said worse to there kids https://t.co/XpCrATJr3G

— Dino Cazares (@DinoCazares) March 29, 2022








Wait... Chris Rock makes a bad joke about Jada Pinkett’s appearance. Will Smith walks onstage hits him in the face shouts out obscenities & later in tears accepts an Oscar saying “Love makes you do crazy things” to a STANDING OVATION?!? WTF Hollywood. That’s not WOKE. That’s WEAK

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) March 28, 2022








“Unacceptable Behavior”? What personal issues would embolden someone enough to walk onstage and ASSAULT another person? THEN how could an audience of people who believe themselves morally and socially conscious watch & spend the rest of the night cheering him? Sad and scary.

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) March 30, 2022

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho touched upon the subject of rock bands using pre-recorded backing tracks during live performances. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We use backing tracks for some songs, and everybody does. Unless you're GUNS N' ROSES… Let me rephrase that… If you're in Slash's band… GUNS N' ROSES has backing tracks. They have a keyboard player. It's just the way of the world right now. It doesn't mean we're not singing and not playing. If you're listening to a record, you go to a DEF LEPPARD gig and you hear 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' that was recorded with 25 tracks of guitars, you can't just go with two guitars on stage and in your right mind think there wasn't something building up the background there. It's just kind of the way that bands are. It doesn't make you any less of a band. 'Cause you know what? QUEEN used tracks in the '70s. If you don't believe me, watch it when they play 'Bohemian Rhapsody' live."

Back in July 2020, Jericho was accused by Sebastian Bach of using pre-recorded lead vocal tracks during live performances. Thef former SKID ROW frontman initially claimed Jericho was "miming to a tape" at FOZZY concerts in a social media post. In response, the wrestler-turned-rocker insisted that he had "never mimed anything ever" and challenged Bach to a "singoff" with "no effects, no tuning, no bullshit", saying "Bas is a great singer...but I'm better".

In the months that ensued, Bach brought up Jericho's alleged lip syncing on several occasions, most recently in January 2021 in an interview with The Aquarian Weekly. Asked specifically about his feud with Chris, Sebastian said: "I have an open mind about everyone. If I read on Blabbermouth.com [sic] that some band says, 'We're the future of rock 'n' roll and we are the next thing after THE ROLLING STONES,' I think, this must be incredible! What have I been missing out on? So, I checked out one video during which the singer was 100% miming to a tape on stage at The Rockpile in Toronto. I thought to myself, 'That's weird, that's not the next ROLLING STONES.' So, I watch another video where he was opening up for NICKELBACK in an arena and, again, he's miming to a tape. You can go watch it for yourself. Then someone said, 'Here's a clip of him singing live. Legit, bro.' And it's him miming to a tape again. It's crazy obvious. It is not my opinion, it's fact. It is not me starting a fight. But don't tell me what singing live is, 'cause I have never used tape. I don't even know how to do that."

Bach also addressed the fact that Jericho accused him of having a less-than-original stage name after Sebastian slammed Jericho for copying the name of a SKID ROW tour for FOZZY.

"I switched a couple of letters of my legal last name [Bierk]. Who's Mongoose McQueen?" Bach asked, referring to Jericho's original FOZZY stage name. "What kind of a stage name is that?

"How about this: professional wrestling sucks," he added. "Everyone wishes they were a rock star. It hilarious. Evidently, all you have to do is [record] a tape, go on stage, and jump around. You can jump off the drum riser and do jumping jacks. It doesn't matter if you are miming to tape."

Jericho's most public reaction to Bach's criticism came in a January 2021 tweet. At the time, he wrote: "I've been told that @sebastianbach continues to go out of his way to bury me. My response is this...be my guest! You are entitled to ur opinion & it doesn't affect me either way. I still dig ur work on the first 3 @OfficialSkidRow albums & look forward to ur new record."

When Bach first went public with his Jericho accusation, FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward called Sebastian "universally disliked" and said that seeing Bach "publicly go after the only guy that I have ever witness utter a nice word about him is sad."

Sebastian, who has been outspoken about rock bands using pre-recorded backing tracks during live shows, later tried to explain his outburst, writing: "I'm not trying to beat anybody at anything. I'm actually trying to say hey Chris maybe you're right maybe I'll stop singing live and prance around while the tape is playing just like you do Chris. I'm tired of trying so hard it's like beating my head against the wall."

After a self-proclaimed Bach fan called Sebastian "an asshat" on Twitter for firing "the first shots" in his war of words with Jericho, Bach came back with: "Hey man f*** you. I have spent my life learning how to sing live on stage. When someone comes along and mimes to a tape it sucks for all of the rest of us that don't. You want to go see a wrestling match good. Don't call it rock and roll".

In a new interview with Elliott Fullam of Little Punk People, DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li was asked about the material he and his bandmates have been working on for their upcoming ninth studio album. He said: "Well, you know, it's gonna be epic, triumphant, fun and catchy and uplifting. We're gonna carry on sounding like DRAGONFORCE."

Last month, Li told Finland's Chaoszine that DRAGONFORCE had "a lot of music written" for the follow-up to 2019's "Extreme Power Metal". "We haven't recorded it," he said. "So we're actually gonna look for a new record deal at the moment to do it.

"We don't do music for money, so we only release stuff when we want to and it sounds good," he explained. "We're not on a hamster wheel: 'You've gotta release an album every two years.' It's hard to be creative when you just force yourself to make good music, and every artist knows.

"We don't just make music now; we're content creators at the same time. We have a pause on YouTube at the moment, but we were posting every week before that. So if you want something — an art form; I don't know if you can call YouTube 'art form' — if you want something from us, there's always something coming from DRAGONFORCE, even if it's not new music. Right now you're getting [backstage and behind-the-scenes footage from] the shows [on our U.S. tour on our Twitch channel].

"When it comes, it'll be a good album that we'll be proud of," he added.

DRAGONFORCE is currently on the road in North America with FIREWIND, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS and SEVEN SPIRES.

DRAGONFORCE is continuing to tour in support of "Extreme Power Metal", which came out in September 2019. Produced in Los Angeles, California by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited, the LP was also recorded, in part, on Li's livestream channel on Twitch with participation from the fans.

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

DRAGONFORCE's 2020 European and North American tour dates marked the band's first with new bassist and backing vocalist Alicia Vigil (VIGIL OF WAR), who joined DRAGONFORCE in January of that year.

In August 2019, DRAGONFORCE parted ways with longtime bassist Frédéric Leclercq. He has since joined German thrashers KREATOR.

Latvian hard rockers Bloody Heels have announced their return with a new studio album, Rotten Romance on June 10, 2022. Today, the band has released a new single and video, the title track, from the album. Watch the “Rotten Romance” music video below. Preorder/save Rotten Romance here.


Rotten Romance, their third album overall, follows their Frontiers debut, Ignite The Sky (2020). While the band still shows nods to the great ‘80s hard rock scene in their sound, the new album presents a stylistic leap from the band that is delightfully unexpected and welcome. Not content to be stagnant in their musical approach, Bloody Heels have pushed their sound forward, proving that innovation within the confines of a genre is always possible when the will to push through barriers exists.


Rotten Romance will certainly please fans of the band's previous work, where strains of classic '80s hard rock were mixed with elements of heavy metal (and that is still very much the case here), but touches of progressive rock, gothic metal, and more modern rock are now identifiable in the mix and with spectacular results. Vocalist Vicky White's whisky-soaked sounding throat is in fine form here, while guitarist Harry Rivers, bassist Gunn Everett, and drummer Gus Hawk already superb playing has jumped up multiple levels. Intense, driving parts mix with atmospheric, sometimes dark breakdowns, giving the album's rhythm an enjoyable variety that works seamlessly.




Have Bloody Heels just provided the blueprint for how the class of bands paying respect to '80s hard rock and metal can actually push the genre into new, exciting, inventive territory? Only time will be the judge of that, but with "Rotten Romance" these Latvian upstarts have certainly thrown down a gauntlet for their peers to attempt to match.


Formed in 2012 in Riga, Latvia, Bloody Heels made a name for themselves with the EP Summer Nights (2014) and the studio albums Through Mystery (2017) and Ignite The Sky (2020). They’ve played shows all around Europe including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, and the Baltic States.





Tracklisting:


“Dream Killers”
“Rotten Romance”
“The Velvet”
“Distant Memory”
“Hour Of Sinners”
“Mirror Mirror”
“When The Rain And I Meet”
“Crow’s Lullaby”
“Burning Bridges”
“Angels Crying”
“Oblivion”


“Rotten Romance” video:





“Dream Killers”:





Line-up:
Vicky White - Vocals
Harry Rivers - Guitars
Gunn Everett - Bass
Gus Hawk - Drums

Baltimore progressive tech-death metal quintet, Greylotus, have announced that they've signed with The Artisan Era. The band is excited for what the future holds after forming this partnership with one of the preeminent, rising labels for technical/death metal; first and foremost, the release of their debut full-length.


Today, the band is pleased to share that their upcoming album, Dawnfall, will see a July 8 release via TAE.


Speaking on their signing with The Artisan Era, the band comments: "All of us in Greylotus are thrilled to be working with The Artisan Era among so many of our good friends in music. The Artisan Era truly is spearheading the modern metal scene and every release is an incredible display of writing, ingenuity, and talent. We have put every ounce of our being into writing our debut full length and are excited and honored to have The Artisan Era helping us share it with the world."




Speaking about their new album, the band comments: "Dawnfall serves as a follow-up statement to the Savior EP, which dealt with thrusting inner demons borne of trauma and mental health struggles out into the open, and accepting the reality of existing with them.


In the metaphor of the lotus’ life-cycle, Savior represented the stage in which the seed is buried under the mud - shelled in, unaware, and unable to budge from what it has known. Dawnfall embodies the process of breaking out of the shell and traveling toward the sun’s light, reaching through murky waters and currents, struggling to separate True North from tricks of the refracted light.


Dawnfall explores the self-doubt that accompanies the realization that healing is a non-linear process. It wanders through the pits of self-judgment and confronts what follows when an individual accepts that the best version of themselves is not constrained by perfection."


The first single from Dawnfall'will be released next week.





Dawnfall tracklisting:


"Rectilinear Motion"
"Shadow Archetype"
"Currents"
"Chiaroscuro"
"Capgras Delusion"
"Syzygy"
"Hoarfrost"
"Dawnfall"
"Azure Rain"


- Album Artwork by Justin Abraham
- All music engineered by Andrew “Drewsif” Reynolds
- All music mixed and mastered by Odeholm Audio


Greylotus is:


Lee Mintz - Vocals
Ben Towles - Guitar
Sanjay Kumar - Guitar
Drewsif Reynolds - Bass
Matt Tillett - Drums

Guns N' Roses guitar icon Slash is featured in a new GQ interview discussing his new album, 4, and several other topics. Following is an excerpt from the interview.


GQ: When was the last time you were nervous before a show?


Slash: "Last night. I’m always nervous before shows. It’s a combination of anticipation and performance anxiety (laughs). It pretty much dissipates within the first couple of songs."




GQ: “The Path Less Followed” is a song of advice or warning to someone younger, about the trials of being a musician. Is touring still as exciting to you as it used to be?


Slash: "I love touring, but only because I love playing. And I go through whatever the fuck I have to go through to get up and play every night. It’s amazing what you’ll go through in order to do that (laughs). I don’t think there’s ever been a time when traveling on tour has been enjoyable. It’s always a pain in the ass, and more so now. First they had all the (airport) security to deal with, but now with COVID, it’s really fucking like pulling teeth."


Read the complete interview here.


Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators recently released their new album, entitled 4, via Gibson Records / BMG. The band have released the new single, "April Fool". Listen here, and/or below:





The group will celebrate the release of the new album by sharing it with fans around the world via a global streaming event to be held Friday, April 15, at 12 PM, PT in an exclusive partnership with premium concert livestream platform Veeps.


"Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - Live From Boston," shot on location this month during the group’s sold out House of Blues show, the full production, multi-camera streaming concert event will give fans around the globe the chance to see SMKC’s electrifying live show. The setlist will include classic favourites, as well as brand new songs from 4.


Tickets for “Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators - Live From Boston” are on sale now at Veeps; the show will be available for viewing for 48 hours after the event airs.


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:





(Top photo - Mat Hayward)

On July 1, traditional heavy metal's Haunt will release their seventh full-length, Windows Of Your Heart, via Iron Grip // Church Recordings. For a first preview of the record, a lyric video for the title track is streaming below.


To pre-order a copy of Windows of Your Heart, please visit Haunt’s Bandcamp or The Heavy Metal Store’s Bandcamp where the album is available in the following formats:


--digital album
--cassette (limited to 100 copies; Haunt Bandcamp exclusive)
--jewelcase CD (signed copies available exclusively at The Heavy Metal Store's Bandcamp)
--black vinyl (limited to 100 copies)
--milky clear w/ black & red splatter vinyl (limited to 250 copies)
--silver vinyl (limited to 200 copies; retail exclusive)
--transparent red w/ black pinwheel vinyl (limited to 200 copies)
--transparent red vinyl (limited to 200 copies; retail exclusive)
--half/half black/milky clear w/ red splatter vinyl (limited to 300 copies; Haunt Bandcamp exclusive)
--half/half red/milky clear w/ black splatter vinyl (limited to 300 copies; Haunt Bandcamp exclusive)
--picture disc vinyl (limited to 200 copies; Haunt Bandcamp exclusive)




Based in Fresno, California, Haunt is the brainchild of singer/guitarist Trevor William Church, and in July 2022, he proudly returns with new album, Windows Of Your Heart. For the most part, Church adhered to his tried-and-true methodologies for writing and recording this full-length - but, discerning listeners will notice a difference in the guitar solos this time around. Whereas on past Haunt records, the lead breaks were constructed around two-guitar tradeoffs, this time Church reinvented the solos with a single guitar, relying on pinch harmonics and whammy bar as key elements. However, longtime fans will be relieved to know that Haunt's trademark guitar harmonies remain fully intact and unsullied.


As on previous albums, Church built Windows Of Your Heart around a few key songs to be featured in the live set. The title track is one such foundational piece, featuring catchy riffs, big hooks and a slightly different guitar approach for Haunt that straddles the line between heavy metal and hard rock. As for other standout songs on the record, Church quickly points to the barn-burning opener, "Mercenaries", plus "Father Time" - which treads familiar lyrical territory for Haunt by musing on the dizzying speed with which time flies by. The single is also noteworthy for the readily discernible Ozzy-isms in Church's vocal melodies and timbre. The resemblance is not coincidental, but is an intentional tribute to the Prince of Darkness. Church explains, "Ozzy Osbourne gave me the courage to be a singer. He taught me how to be a singer. My music naturally goes toward that."


Album art by Brouemaster Visual Decay:





Tracklisting:


“Mercenaries”
“Running Hard”
“Barricade”
“Father Time”
“Windows Of Your Heart”
“Catch Me”
“No Control”
“Dream On It”
“Frozen In Time”
“Defender” 


“Windows Of Your Heart” lyric video:





On the live front, Church assembled a new line-up consisting of his longtime Beastmaker bandmate Andy Saldate on drums, Andy Lei on guitars, and Chris Fletcher on bass. "This is Haunt version 2.0," Church says. This new live configuration has already been battle-tested with eight shows under their belts, and many more to come - including a 20-date run through the western half of North America in April 2022, supported by Screamer, Traveler and Saber. The trek is highlighted by a stop at the prestigious Hell's Heroes Festival in Houston, Texas on April 23.


Dates:


April
7- Eugene, OR - Old Nick's Pub
8 - Vancouver, BC - The Wise Hall & Lounge
9 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
10 - Portland, OR - The High Water Marks
12 - Oakland, CA - Elbo Room Jack London 
13 - Sacramento, CA - Cafe Colonial
14 - Costa Mesa, CA - The Wayfarer
15 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
16 - Scottsdale, AZ - Pub Rock Live
17 - Albuquerque, NM - Moonlight Lounge
19 - El Paso, TX - Raves Club
20 - San Antonio, TX - 502 Bar
21 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It
22 - Dallas, TX - Three Links
23 - Houston, TX - Hell's Heroes Festival
26 - Denver, CO - HQ
27 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
28 - Las Vegas, NV - Count's Vamp'd
29 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
30 - Fresno, CA - Strummer's


(Photo – Andy Lei)

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe says that he "wouldn't mind" playing a show in the Czech Republic again if the circumstances were "right."

In 2012, Blythe was arrested in the Czech Republic and charged with manslaughter for allegedly pushing a 19-year-old fan offstage at a show two year prior and causing injuries that led to the fan's death. Blythe spent 37 days in a Prague prison before ultimately being found not guilty in 2013.

Randy addressed the possibility of performing in the Czech Republic during an appearance this past Wednesday (March 30) on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't rule it out. But it would have to be under the right circumstances. I mean, I'm [legally] allowed to go there. But unless things were worked out in advance with certain people, I think it would be rude to go back there. Because if I went back there to play a show, it would be huge news. And there's a family who's still missing a son there. So I don't wish them to be any more upset than they already are; they've suffered enough. So, if the circumstances were right and we had their blessing or whatever, I wouldn't mind going and playing a show and then donating the money to charity or something. But other than that, LAMB OF GOD really has no business going there, if the circumstances aren't right, 'cause I don't want to cause anyone any further emotional duress."

Randy previously touched upon the prospect of returning to the Czech Republic while answering fan questions during a June 2020 Reddit AMA. He said: "I would love to play in the Czech Republic again — I have nothing against the Czech people, and I was not mistreated there. Eventually I think we might play there again, but it will 100 percent have to be with the cooperation of the family of the young man who died, and I would want to give the money from the show to a charity they choose. If we played there, it would be a huge news story, and I do not wish to cause the young man's family anymore pain — they did no wrong, and were not cruel to me at all; in fact they showed me great kindness. But they have suffered enough, so it is out of respect to them we have not returned. I hope the Czech fans understand."

Blythe's prison experience inspired two songs on LAMB OF GOD's 2015 album "VII: Sturm Und Drang": "512", one of his three prison cell numbers, and "Still Echoes", written while he was in Pankrac Prison, a dilapidated facility built in the 1880s that had been used for executions by the Nazis during World War II. It also led him to write the memoir "Dark Days", in which he shared his whole side of the story publicly for the first time.

"I think artistically, it was a very valid choice to use those two songs because they come from a very real, very dark place," Blythe told the New York Post back in 2015. "I write about things that are impactful for my life that stir up emotion in me, that affect me, that have some sort of impact within my life. Not that going to prison has no impact in my life, but I was out of prison and I felt it would be disingenuous to use it as a creative well to draw from."

The 2022 leg of LAMB OF GOD's "The Metal Tour Of The Year" with MEGADETH will kick off on Saturday, April 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada and hit a further 21 cities before wrapping in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, May 15.

LAMB OF GOD recently entered a California studio with longtime producer Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM) to record some of its brand music, tentatively due later in the year.

LAMB OF GOD's upcoming effort will be the follow-up to the band's self-titled album, which was released in June 2020 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe. That LP marked LAMB OF GOD's first recordings with Art Cruz, who joined the band in July 2019 as the replacement for the group's founding drummer, Chris Adler.

"Lamb Of God" was recorded with Wilbur and included special guest appearances by Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED) and Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT

Brazil-based animator, Val Andrade, has released the latest cartoon in his series, "The Tales Of The Iron Maiden". The cartoon based on the Brave New World album track, "Dream Of Mirrors" (2000), can be seen below:





A selection of Andrade's previously released Iron Maiden-based cartoons can be seen below:

Italian female-fronted metal act, Cadaveria, are very excited to finally announce that their new album, entitled Emptiness, will be out on May 27.


Emptiness is Cadaveria's sixth album, coming almost eight years after their last full length, Silence. The band is very glad to announce that they have signed a deal with Time To Kill Records, who will release Emptiness on CD, double LP and cassette. A Spotify pre-save option is available here.


The album cover art was created by Roberto Toderico (Asphyx, Arch Enemy, Dark Funeral).







Cadaveria herself commented: "There is a lot to say about this new album, the artwork's meaning and about the title... We will reveal everything in the following weeks. In the meantime we want to thank everyone who made this opus possible and all Cadaveria fans who have been waiting for it for so long!"


The single "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", released in 2021, will be included On the new album. Watch the music video below:

Melodic metal unit, Serenity, mark an intense return with their new single ,“In The Name Of Scotland", shortly before kicking off the Symphonic Power Alliance Tour on April 6 in Munich.


“In The Name Of Scotland” heats up the anticipation for more music to come with stories of times long forgotten and catchy, heavy, emotive melodies, and comes along with a brand new music video portraying breathtaking scenery to carry the spirit of Scottish history. This deep reaching experience sets focus on the remarkable vocals of Georg Neuhauser, accompanied by gentle harmonies to cast a spell on the listener within the blink of an eye.


Throughout the past 20 years, Serenity have made a strong name for themselves. The band has toured with bands like Kemelot, Delain and Within Temptation, were awarded an Amadeus Austrian Music Award in 2017, and with their album, The Last Knight (2020), gathered high chart positions in Germany and Austria alike.







Serenity on the new song “In The Name Of Scotland”: "We are happy to finally be able to go on tour again and would like to introduce you to our new single 'In The Name Of Scotland'. The song is about the Scottish freedom fighter Robert the Bruce. A song that unfortunately couldn't be more up to date currently."


Listen to "In The Name Of Scotland" here, and watch the video below:





Serenity are:


Georg Neuhauser - lead vocals, backing vocals
Fabio D'Amore - bass, guitar, vocals
Andreas Schipflinger - drums, vocals
Chris Hermsdörfer - electric, acoustic & classical guitars, vocals, growls


(Photo - Thomas Buchberger)

On Wednesday, March 30, Dave Mustaine spoke to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the upcoming MEGADETH album, "The Sick, The Dying, And The Dead". Tentatively 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.

Regarding when fans can expect to hear some of the new MEGADETH music, Mustaine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We know that the whole entire thing is scheduled for July 8th. And the hopes are that we stay on schedule with that. And I know that we've got a single that is gonna be serviced to radio any day now. It's a song called 'Killing Time'. Obviously, that's [written about] somebody in my past, but it's not as obvious as it sounds; it's wasting your time, not time to kill things. And it had to do with some of the situations that myself and the different band guys have gotten themselves into with the band over time. And I'm sure a lot of people are gonna relate with that. So that one, it's gonna be sent to radio, gosh, any day now."

Asked if MEGADETH will perform a new song on the upcoming 2022 leg of "The Metal Tour Of The Year", which is scheduled to launch on Saturday, April 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mustaine said: "We have this track called 'Night Stalker', and we're hoping to use that as our new opening track. None of us are together yet, so we haven't had a chance to sit down and start getting all the hiccups worked out of the track other than when we were in the studio together. But once we use that for our opening track, it's got some sounds in it that is something we're gonna incorporate into the beginning of our show. And it's a track that we have… my buddy Ice-T had guested on."

Mustaine spoke in more detail about "Night Stalker" in a separate interview with Jose Mangin of SiriusXM Liquid Metal. He said: "It's a brutal song. I can't remember if that was the fastest one [on the new album] or not. But 'Night Stalker' is about the 160th Battalion with the United States Army, and it's all the black-ops helicopters that go in at night — nobody knows they're there; they're in, they're out. And I had my buddy Ice-T join me on a part in the middle of it, because Ice was a ranger for the army, and he did two tours over in Afghanistan, I think it was. I think that was back in '91, when I first met him. It might have been a little earlier than that, but I know he was a ranger. And I had just done something on his last record. But when I asked him, I thought it would be great to have him because of his bravado and then the fact that he's got real credibility as someone who was there. And then we've got several other guys to participate in the track just to make it as real as possible. We're going up to the base to go film a bunch of helicopter footage and sounds and stuff like that. We've got three videos that we're making for this record right now down in Brazil, and we're combining all that production and the stuff from the base, with the helicopters and everything together, to make this first three-song video offering up."

Regarding Hagar's contribution to "This Planet's On Fire", Mustaine told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "It's a super-heavy song. And the good thing about this [is] we didn't just do the song; [Sammy] played on it too. So we've got a little bit of some guitar; we've got a lot of bit of singing. I think it's super badass."

As for MEGADETH's decision to cover "Police Truck", Mustaine said: "It's no secret I'm a big DEAD KENNEDYS fan, and I had wanted to do 'Holiday In Cambodia', but my friends in LÄÄZ ROCKIT had done that, and I felt that [I would] just let them have their glory off of that rendition of that song, and if the time comes, I'm sure there's another song that'll stick out to me. And there was — it was the song 'Police Truck'. So we recorded that one."

A few days ago, Mustaine confirmed that TESTAMENT bassist Steve DiGiorgio laid down the bass tracks on "The Sick, The Dying, And The Dead".

There had 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.

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.

Three months ago, Mustaine revealed 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 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 departure.
























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Atomic Kings will release their debut album via ToneHouse Records. The band's lineup includes bassist Greg Chaisson (formerly of Badlands and Red Dragon Cartel), Ken Ronk on vocals, Ryan McKay on guitar, and Jimi Taft on drums.


Atomic Kings will be hitting the studio in May to record a full album of brand new songs that lay heavily in hard rock / blues based sounds of the 70’s and 80’s. “Atomic Kings doesn't sound like anything, but then again it sounds like everything that we love about the hard rock of the 70s and 80s with our own special twist!” The band is currently looking towards hitting a fall 2022 release.


The record will be co-produced by Atomic Kings and Jason Constantine (Jeff Duncan’s - Wanderlust) and will be mixed and mastered by Jason Constantine.




“Why ToneHouse? Because for Atomic Kings, it was the first time we had finally heard the sound from a studio that we had been looking for. We also like their no nonsense, artist-first approach. It’s a refreshing change from your average record company.”


Founded in 2020, Tonehouse Records was started by Jason Constantine along with Jeff Duncan (Armored Saint / DC4) as a label dedicated to getting the artists the most bang for their buck. They sign bands to single album contracts that lay heavily on making sure the artist gets the majority share of their music sales.

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his solo performance of Steelheart's "I'll Never Let You Go". The song is talen from Steelheart's self-titled album, released in 1990.





Johansson previously shared his cover of Gary Moore's 1986 classic "Out In The Fields". Check it out below.

Former BON JOVI guitarist Richie Sambora has paid tribute to FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died more than a week ago at the age of 50. Speaking to Fox News' "Fox & Friends" last Thursday (March 31), he said about Taylor's passing (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, man. The FOOs are just a legendary band. It's such a shame, obviously, because sometimes the perils of being in the rock and roll business can kill you. I was a lucky guy that I just didn't like any of that crap that much. But Taylor was a great guy, an amazingly talented man, and they were one of the most successful bands in the world for a very long time. And we'd find ourselves on vacation together, just crossing paths and stuff like that. They were just a bunch of great guys. It's gonna be a loss. You don't even know what to say. It's kind of beyond words, really, because he was such a great guy — and a talent."

Sambora is no stranger to the rock and roll lifestyle. In 2008, he was arrested for DUI with his then-10-year-old daughter Ava in the car. The incident happened only a year after the guitarist had left rehab for alcohol and pill abuse. The arrest followed a year of personal trials during which his divorce to actress Heather Locklear was finalized, his relationship with Denise Richards fell apart and his father died of lung cancer.

"When I fell off that cliff, I realized who I was, unrelated to the band," Sambora told the Los Angeles Times in a 2012 interview. "I'd started to clean up [in 2007], but I slipped, and made those amends. I'm lucky I wasn't a guy who lost his family or relationships… I had cleaned up my act about 85% [in 2007]. But I was naïve. I just wanted to drink as a stress reliever, and I slipped again."

Hawkins was found dead on March 25 at the Four Seasons Casa Medina hotel in Bogota, Colombia while FOO FIGHTERS were on tour.

An official cause of death for Hawkins hasn't yet been released. But on March 26, Colombia's attorney general's office released a preliminary toxicology report, saying that medical examiners found evidence of 10 types of substances in Hawkins's body, including opioids, benzodiazepines, marijuana and antidepressants.

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".

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As the music world continues to mourn the loss of Foo Fighters drummer and joyous soul who touched millions of lives, Taylor Hawkins, we are reminded that the sounds and experiences created by Hawkins and his fellow bandmates continue to live on and inspire new generations of music fans the world over.


Today, Chicago’s own SOiL release a kinetic cover version of “Monkey Wrench,” the song that was, for many, their first introduction to the bleach blonde hurricane of arms and drumsticks that was Hawkins, who made his debut as the Foo’s skinman in the incredibly popular video for the song.


SOiL’s version of the track maintains the extreme high energy level of the song and offers a sneak preview of the band’s next full-length album.




“So it’s time to let the cat out of the bag” SOiL states. “We completed an 11-song covers album in September of 2021 and have been delayed in releasing it due to vinyl manufacturing shortages. In that time we have experienced the tragic loss of Taylor Hawkins. On our upcoming album, we had proudly covered the Foo Fighters’ classic song ‘Monkey Wrench,’ which was an inspiration to us early on in our career. We had the pleasure to meet Taylor on several occasions and he was the most down to earth and genuine person one could imagine. He was such a fun person to be around. The world didn’t just lose one of its best drummers, it lost one of its great human beings as well. We’d like to release our version of ‘Monkey Wrench’ early to pay tribute to Taylor and the Foo Fighters. We hope it adds a little light in this dark time.”


SOiL drummer TJ Taylor added: “Taylor’s energy, talent, and unmistakable presence behind the drum kit was second to none. Nobody hit those skins harder but with such finesse. He had a smile that could be seen from the back of the stadium. You can see his pure joy and infectious enthusiasm behind the drum kit and microphone. He was the backbone and the heart of one of the greatest bands of this century. My heart goes out to his family and band. I hope they will find comfort during this difficult time. This is our tribute to Taylor, and to the Foo Fighters. RIP Taylor.”


Stream the single here, and/or below:

Two months ago, on February 4th, Cannibal Corpse vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher released a solo album, titled Corpsegrinder. The 10-song effort is co-produced by Nick Bellmore (Dee Snider, Kingdom Of Sorrow) and Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed). 


Fisher recently spoke to Fraser Wilson of Distorted Sound about the Corpsegrinder album, an excerpt follows:


The idea behind Corpsegrinder may have come from Jamey Jasta, but was this a chance for Fisher to flex his creative muscles? Famously, Paul Mazurkiewicz [drums] and Alex Webster [bass] have been the two main songwriters and lyricists in Cannibal Corpse for decades, so did this offer Fisher a chance to to put pen to paper and tell his own stories, or try his hand at a bit of riff-magic?




Fisher: “Oh, no, Jamey wrote the lyrics, and Jamey and Charlie Belmore wrote the music. It’s probably not a secret that I don’t ever view myself as a lyricist at all. I’ve written a few songs, wrote a song in Monstrosity, I wrote lyrics for a song in Paths Of Possession, I’ve contributed here and there and I’ve written a few things, especially early on, in Cannibal Corpse. But I’ll sit and try to write some shit, if something’s pissing me off or I want to write about Warcraft or something, I’ll sit and write and I just hate it. I throw it away… I always look at my voice as another one of the instruments – I would never say I’m a composer.” 


“I’ve always thought of writing some music, but I don’t play guitar. Everyone has riffs in their head, but I never thought about doing a record where I wrote everything. But you know what, I’ll never say never, that’s a possibility somewhere down the line. If I wrote to Jamey tomorrow and said ‘Hey, I have 10 songs, I’m ready to go.’ We’d figure it out – because we do intend to do another record for sure, at least another one. But for this one, Jamey just had a bunch of songs ready and they were awesome, so I said ‘Let’s fucking do this.’ Dude, if I wrote my own songs, I like to think they’d have sounded like this.”





Corpsegrinder tracklisting


"Acid Vat" (feat. Erik Rutan)
"Bottom Dweller"
"On Wings Of Carnage"
"All Souls Get Torn"
"Death Is The Only Key"
"Crimson Proof"
"Devourer Of Souls"
"Defined By Your Demise"
"Master Of The Longest Night"
"Vaguely Human"


"Acid Vat" lyric video:





"On Wings Of Carnage":





(Album artwork by Dan Goldsworthy; concept by Corpsegrinder)


 

The Dead Daisies have been in a Los Angeles studio working on the follow-up to 2021's Holy Ground with producer Ben Grosse. The album is slated for release in August, with first single out late May. The band have shared the video footage below:





The Dead Daisies recently released a new digital single, "Long Way To Go" (Live From Daisyland). A video for the song can be viewed below.







Says the band: "Drum roll... the next single from our Live From Daisyland EP is out on your favourite digital platforms on Friday! Check out 'Long Way To Go' (Live), with the amazing crowd at Rock City Nottingham UK. There's also a-rockin' clip! Check it out!"





The Dead Daisies kick off their summer in style with a massive pan European jaunt that’s set to radiate some heat. The first string of dates are a combination of arena and amphitheatre shows with Judas Priest, Foreigner and Whitesnake, performing at some of the most famous and coveted festivals such as Graspop Belgium and Hellfest France.


Debuting in Germany, the band will also play a series of headline performances. Rejoining The Dead Daisies is drummer extraordinaire Brian Tichy who will unite with Glenn, Doug and David for a massive dose of undiluted rock, the first in Europe since 2018. These will also be the first shows with this lineup.


“What a great way to start off 2022. I’m excited to get behind the drum kit and do some powerful, groovy rocking with my good friends Doug Aldrich, Glenn Hughes and David Lowy in The Dead Daisies! Looking forward to seeing you all out on tour this year!” - Brian Tichy


If you love to rock, then you’re in for one hell of a ride when the Daisies bring their hits, along with songs from Holy Ground and a couple of new tracks from the upcoming album to a venue near you.


“Hey loved ones, we cannot wait to come to Europe this summer and play for you all once again. There are so many beautiful cities to visit along the way. We are currently making a new record, so who knows hopefully we can bring a couple of new songs to you too!” - Glenn Hughes


You can book tickets here.





Tour dates:


June
3 - Stadtpark Freilichtbühne - Hamburg, Germany (with Foreigner)
4 - Spardawelt Freilichtbühne Killesberg - Stuttgart, Germany (with Foreigner)
5 - Buderus Arena - Wetzlar, Germany (with Foreigner)
8 - Zitadelle Spandau - Berlin, Germany (with Foreigner)
10 - Freilichtbühne Peißnitzinsel - Halle (Saale), Germany (with Foreigner)
13 - Matrix - Bochum, Germany
14 - Hirsch - Nuremberg, Germany
16 - Schlossgarten / Schloss - Bruchsal, Germany (with Foreigner)
18 - Hellfest - Clisson, France
19 - Graspop Festival - Dessel, Belgium
22 - Rockhal - Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg (with Judas Priest)
23 - Garage - Saarbrucken, Germany
25 - God Save The Kouign Fest - Penmarch, France
27 - Zenith - Munich, Germany (with Judas Priest)
29 - Conrad Sohm - Dornbirn, Austria
30 - Komma - Woergl, Austria


July
2 - Fabrique - Milan, Italy
3 - Castello Di San Giusto - Trieste, Italy
6 - SRC Tasmajdan - Belgrade, Serbia (with Whitesnake)
8 - Masters Of Rock - Vizovice, Czech Republic
9 - Hype Park - Krakow, Poland
11 - Budapest Arena - Budapest, Hungary, (with Judas Priest)
12 - Dvorana Stozice - Ljubljana, Slovenia (with Judas Priest)
15 - Faliro Olympic Indoor Hall - Athens, Greece (with Judas Priest)
17 - Midalidare Rock - Mogilovo, Bulgaria (with Judas Priest)
18 - Arenele Romane - Bucharest, Romania (with Judas Priest)
19 - Skenderija - Sarajevo, Bosnia (with Whitesnake)
26 - Theatre Antique - Vienne, France (with Judas Priest)
27 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
28 - Substage - Karlsruhe, Germany
30 - Freilichtbuhne Peißnitzinsel - Halle (Saale), Germany (with Judas Priest)
31 - Rudolf Weber Arena - Oberhausen, Germany (with Judas Priest)


August
2 - Brose Arena (Bab Bamberg Arena MBH) - Bamberg, Germany (with Judas Priest)
5 - Time To Rock Festival - Knislinge, Sweden


The Dead Daisies are Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple/Black Country Communion) on lead vocals and bass, lead guitarist Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake/Dio), rhythm guitar player David Lowy (Mink/Red Phoenix) and drummer Brian Tichy (Foreigner/Ozzy Osbourne).

Frontiers Music Srl presents Black Eye, a new musical project centred around the vocal talents of David Readman (Pink Cream 69). The band's self-titled debut album will be released on May 6.


Today, fans can get a taste of music from the band with the release of the lyric video for "Space Travel". Watch the clip below, and pre-order/save the new album here.


Musically, the driving principle behind Black Eye was to craft a melodic metal album with big choruses, powerful rhythms, and huge solos that would support the powerful voice of Readman, a world class singer. The band's name is a reference to the Black Eye Galaxy (also known as the Devil's Eye Galaxy), a spiral galaxy with a pinwheel shape that is visible in the constellation of Coma Berenices and is well known among amateur astronomers as it is clearly visible even with small telescopes.




The concept for Black Eye came together when Serafino Perugino, President and Head of A&R for Frontiers Records, came up with the idea to pair Readman and producer/guitarist/songwriter Aldo Lonobile together to craft a melodic metal album built upon the foundation of Readman's powerful voice. Produced by Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Archon Angel, Sweet Oblivion), who also plays guitar on the album, Black Eye is comprised of guitarist Luca Princiotta (DORO), who also participated in the songwriting, drummer David Folchitto (ex- Fleshgod Apocalypse, Stormlord), and bassist Andrea Arcangeli (DGM). Additionally, Antonio Agate (arranger for many artists, including Secret Sphere, Timo Tolkki's Avalon, Sweet Oblivion ft. Geoff Tate, and more) and Mattia Gosetti (Agarthic) provide keyboards and orchestra arrangements.


Readman has enjoyed a long-running career due to his impressive vocal talents. An English singer best known for being the vocalist of hard rock band Pink Cream 69, who worked with Frontiers over the years on multiple releases, and former vocalist of progressive metal band Adagio. Additionally, Readman released a solo album in 2007 and was also part of German guitarist Alex Beyrodt's band Voodoo Circle, from 2008 to 2016, returning in 2020. In 2015, two projects featuring Readman on lead vocals were revealed. The first, Room Experience, was a melodic rock project led by Italian musician Gianluca Firmo and they released a self-titled album released in May 2015. The second, Almanac, was a new heavy metal band led by former Rage guitarist Victor Smolski. In September 2016, Readman reformed the David Readman Band, his solo band that he had founded in Germany some years back. Never one to rest on his laurels, in 2017, it was announced that Readman had joined New Wave of British Heavy Metal legends Tank. In October 2017, another new project came out called Pendulum of Fortune, featuring Readman with Bodo Schopf, Franky R., and Vladimir Shevjakov.


Fans of European melodic metal masters, like Masterplan and Edguy, and everyone who has celebrated Readman's voice over the years in his various endeavours will find much to be pleased with here.





Tracklisting:


"The Hurricane"
"Space Travel"
"Break The Chains"
"No Turning Back"
"Darkest Night"
"Midnight Sunset"
"Under Enemy's Fire"
"The Landing"
"Don't Trust Anyone"
"When You're Gone"
"Time Stand Still"


"Space Travel" lyric video:





"The Hurricane" video:





Lineup:


David Readman - Vocals
Aldo Lonobile - Guitar
Luca Princiotta - Guitar
Andrea Arcangeli - Bass
David Folchitto - Drums


Keyboards & Orchestral Arrangements - Antoni Agate, Mattia Gosetti

Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY have released the official music video for the song "Ringin' In My Head". The track is taken from the band's seventh studio album, "The Human Condition", which was made available in 2020. The clip, which was shot in the Kentucky barn that BLACK STONE CHERRY uses as a rehearsal space, was directed by Tom Flynn and Mike Watts, who had previously worked on LAMB OF GOD's "Memento Mori".

"In 2020, when the world seemed to be falling apart, an older song we had started a few years earlier struck a nerve with us," said BLACK STONE CHERRY frontman Chris Robertson. "Lyrically it seemed too close to the times not to try and make the song something special. The result is guaranteed to give you a ringin' in your head."

BLACK STONE CHERRY guitarist Ben Wells told The Machine Shop about "Ringin' In My Head": "We wrote that song originally for the 'Family Tree' album, and the original demo version had a different second verse on it and a different bridge, and by the time it was time to go in the studio, we weren't all a 100 percent sold on it. But we loved it, so when it came time to do this album, we were looking at it, and we decided to rewrite the bridge on it and do some different things. But ironically enough, the words that we liked from the original are the ones that talk about the new disease creeping up and all this stuff. And it's so ironic that those lyrics mean so much more now than they would have had we had released this song three years ago. So I'm glad we didn't."

Last June, BLACK STONE CHERRY announced the departure of bassist Jon Lawhon. He has since been replaced on the road by Steve Jewell Jr., the guitarist from the Glasgow, Kentucky band OTIS.

The digital-only release of an expanded edition of "The Human Condition" was made available last August.