KORN drummer Ray Luzier spoke to Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard magazine about the current status of the band's bassist, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu. Fieldy announced last June that he would sit out KORN's recent tour in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits."

Ray said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Bands are like marriages, especially a band of brothers that's been together as long as KORN has been. There's a lot of things you deal with. You're dealing with your personal family things you have at home, with loved ones getting sick and elderly people. Everybody has the same problems in that effect. But when you get people together as long as KORN has, you're gonna see lifetimes of problems and different things that occur within the band.

"As far as getting along with each other, we're all a bunch of brothers; everybody really likes each other's company," he continued. "I know a lot of my friends that are in very big bands right now that they can't be in the same room together; they can't stand each other's presence. They have separate buses. We're not like that. We're always hanging out in one dressing room sometimes and joking and laughing, but when the personal issues start interfering with the band, that's when it's time to address those situations and say, 'Hey, let's figure out how to deal with this so we can come back as a collective unit and make it better and stronger than everything else.'

"[Fieldy] reached that point where he was just going through a lot of personal things, and it's affecting everything," Luzier added. "We love him. He's our brother. We care immensely about him and miss him not being there. That [summer/fall 2021] tour was very weird, not having him out there. As great as [KORN's current touring bassist Roberto] 'Ra' Díaz [SUICIDAL TENDENCIES] is at playing bass, Fieldy is a huge part of KORN's sound and personality. So we just wish him the best, and time will tell what's gonna happen and everything."

Last month, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch told Spotlight Report that Fieldy was "just taking a little time to be with his family. He is a great dad," Welch said. "He has so many kids. He has adult kids, teenagers and young kids. He is just taking time, and we are giving him the time. We want everyone to be healthy and happy.

"I guess we will go and tour this record," Head continued, referencing KORN's recently released album "Requiem". "I don't know a lot more other than that. We love him very much and we hope to communicate with him during the year at some stage, to see where everyone is at."

Welch previously addressed Fieldy's position in KORN during a November 2021 interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine. At the time, he stated: "The best thing to do is stay at home, be with your family, and start processing. He's got to find that healing. I still struggle with it. I had a few slip-ups with my 'bad habits' three to four years ago, so I understand it, but I dealt with it by hitting it head-on and stopping it from becoming a problem. I'm not concerned because I know he's going to be okay."

KORN singer Jonathan Davis expressed a more worried outlook on Fieldy's predicament, saying: "I love him; he's my brother. But I watched somebody I care about die and I'm not going to fucking do that again. I refuse to. I will feel guilt for the rest of my fucking life because of that. I tried my hardest but perhaps if I'd been a little bit tougher there'd have been a different outcome. I pray that he can figure it out and get better and come back and be a huge part of this band again."

Despite the fact that he didn't join his KORN bandmates on their recent tour, Fieldy did play on "Requiem".

Earlier in November, KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer told "Loudwire Nights" host Toni Gonzalez about Fieldy: "Right now he's just taking some time to kinda figure out what makes him happy and figure out his happiness and what he wants to do with his life, I guess is the best way to put it. And make sure his mental health is at its best, because if your mental health isn't good, or you're not clear, you're gonna make bad choices.

"I make an example," he continued. "I had my own challenges through the years, and once you get clarity, your life becomes a lot easier to manage. We're just giving him time to, like, no pressure, just figure out what you want to do because we can still work and we can still go out and tour. But we miss him. We love the guy, and we want him to just be healthy."

Regarding how KORN ended up recruiting Díaz to fill in for Fieldy, Welch told 97.9 GRD: "Well, there's COVID and everything, so when we started talking about it, it was a thing where we wanted to be careful still and whatnot. 'Cause it was a couple, a few months ago or whatever. So we just started brainstorming and hitting up friends and whatnot. We need the slap — we need the slap bass, we need the finger playing, we need someone, 'cause Fieldy is unique — very unique. So it just kind of happened that way, man, where Ra, he was open because SUICIDAL is not going out until next year. I think Mike Muir has a back surgery or something this year. So it just worked out, man. He came down, we jammed. He's a really humble guy, and just very talented. He can play anything — from jazz to slap to anything. He played all the songs with, like, three mistakes out of 10 songs or something — little mistakes. I mean, not even mistakes — it was just, like, 'I thought I heard it that way.' They weren't even mistakes. So we were, like, 'Okay. You got it down.'"

Nine months ago, Fieldy broke the news of his absence from KORN's summer trek, writing in a social media update: "To all KORN fans worldwide. The past 6 years I've been dealing with some personal issues that at times have caused me to fall back on some of my bad habits and has caused some tension with the people around me. It's been suggested to me to take some time off to heal. I'm going to respect what was asked of me and take that time. Unfortunately you will not see me on stage with my band. I will be working towards getting the bad habits out of my system. In the meantime I will be staying creative to keep my mind & soul in a good place.

"I'm thankful for all of your support, patience & understanding as we all have something that we deal with.

"Jonathan, Munky, Ray and Head, I love you and I don't want to bring any tension or bad vibes to the circle."

A short time later, KORN's official social media shared Fieldy's statement, along with the following message: "We love and support our brother, Fieldy. Health and family always comes first."

Back in 2017, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo's then-12-year-old son Tye Trujillo filled in on bass for KORN's South American tour after Fieldy was unable to make the shows due to "unforeseen circumstances."

Fieldy's 2009 memoir, "Got The Life: My Journey Of Addiction, Faith, Recovery And Korn", detailed his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction during KORN's early years and how he became a born-again Christian to help get his life together and get sober.

Fieldy's STILLWELL side project released its third album, "Supernatural Miracle", in September 2020.

"Requiem" was released on February 4 via Loma Vista Recordings.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has called out Kim Kardashian over her recent advice encouraging women in business to work harder.

A new clip from a recent profile of Kardashian and her famous family for Variety has gone viral after the 41-year-old told women to "get your fucking ass up and work" to be successful in business.

"I have the best advice for women in business," Kardashian said. "Get your fucking ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.

"You have to surround yourself with people that want to work," Kardashian continued. "Have a good work environment where everyone loves what they do because you have one life. No toxic work environments and show up and do the work."

Earlier today, Stanley shared an article about Kardashian's comments and criticized the media personality, socialite and businesswoman for implying that all women, including those with fewer economic advantages than her, just weren't working hard enough.

"The irony here would be funny if it wasn't such an insult to millions of women who struggle to achieve and put food on the table while battling a system of inequality and inequities," Paul wrote. "Kim, You were born rich. Embrace it with grace by not being blind."

In the Variety interview, Kim took offense over the public assumption that she's "famous for being famous" and attributed her family's success to its work ethic.

"We focus on the positive," she said. "We work our asses off. If that's what you think, then sorry. We just don't have the energy for that. We don't have to sing or dance or act; we get to live our lives — and hey, we made it. I don't know what to tell you."

Stanley previously touched upon the subject of hard work in a December 2020 interview with "Lipps Service With Scott Lipps". Speaking about the fact that his parents were not necessarily supportive when he told them he wanted to get into music early on, he said: "I was determined, and as other people were pursuing careers in medicine and things like that, I spent seven days a week, 24 hours a day, figuring how am I going to do this. Because it doesn't happen on its own.

"If you have a goal and if you've really done an assessment of yourself and you truly believe you're capable of doing it, the only thing that's in your way is hard work," Paul continued. "Obstacles? Sure, there's always obstacles. There's people who tell you what's impossible, and those people are always the ones who failed.

"So, if I can be a light for anybody at this point in my life, I tell people, 'You can do it if it's really within your power to do it.' I wasn't an idiot. I never pursued becoming a mathematician because I'm an idiot at math. But if you truly know innately that you can do something, then you can."




The irony here would be funny if it wasn’t such an insult to millions of women who struggle to achieve and put food on the table while battling a system of inequality and inequities. Kim, You were born rich. Embrace it with grace by not being blind. https://t.co/08OJSYLLOR

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) March 11, 2022

ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo spoke to the "Nothing Shocking" podcast about GOTHAM, his cover band with Scott Metaxas (PROPHET) on bass, Paul Crook (MEAT LOAF, ANTHRAX) on guitar, and Craig Scoppa on drums. Regarding how he got involved with the project, Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, GOTHAM was actually a band that they had in the '90s. I'm guessing it was Paul and Scott Metaxas from PROPHET. And I don't remember who the singer was at that point; I'm not sure of his name. Craig Scoppa was the drummer [and] still is. And it was just an industrial thing that they did; it was all [covers of MARILYN] MANSON and ROB ZOMBIE and KORN — you name it; really, really, really heavy stuff. And they hadn't played for years. And Scott and I were hanging out one day, and Paul came over. They were talking about putting GOTHAM back together, and I just said, 'Hell, I'll sing.' They were, like, 'What?' [And I said,] 'Yeah. Why not?' [I get to] step out of my comfort zone a little bit. Why not? But I've also injected a bunch of AC/DC into it, some AEROSMITH and stuff like that, but we heavy it up."

He continued: "We do mash-ups. So there's… we call it 'Led Zombie' — it's [LED ZEPPELIN's] 'Immigrant Song' to [WHITE] ZOMBIE's ['Thunder Kiss '65']. It works. But we do some other mash-ups like that. We do a cover version of 'Twilight Zone' that we mashed up. We do a lot of cool stuff. It's just a lot of fun. We go out and have fun, make a few dollars, have some drinks. And Paul Crook is just an amazing musician. You remember him from ANTHRAX and Meat Loaf. He's been Meat's music director for the last 15 years."

Mark Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer, Udo Dirkscheider. He can be heard on ACCEPT's last five studio albums: "Blood Of The Nations" (2010), "Stalingrad" (2012), "Blind Rage" (2014), "The Rise Of Chaos" (2017) and "Too Mean To Die" (2021).

In a 2018 interview with Metal Shock Finland, Tornillo stated about what it was like to first join ACCEPT: "It was frightening. When we first announced what was going to happen, there was really not many people on board with it. Online, there was a lot of naysayers, a lot of badmouthing. It was very disheartening. We all sat down and said, 'Look, we have to make an amazing record, or else we're gonna die here. This is going to be a swansong. We have to make an amazing record.' And that's what we did. We spent a lot of time writing 'Blood Of The Nations' and a lot of time recording it, and I think in retrospect, it paid off. If that album wasn't what it was, we wouldn't be here."

Asked about fans who have yet to "accept" him, Mark said: "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. I'm a purist too with certain things. I get it. But I think we've moved on. We're almost a different band at this point. We really are a different band at this point. We still pay tribute to the old ACCEPT by playing the old songs — I mean, we have the two people that wrote most of the songs, [so] we have to. That's always going to be part of ACCEPT's history. You can't change it. All we can change is the future. But everyone's entitled to their opinion, and I get it. I wish them all well, and I wish Udo well, and his band, you know. No hard feelings on my part, that's for sure."

HEART's Nancy Wilson has praised Dolly Parton for taking herself out of the running for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's 2022 class of inductees.

Earlier today, the 76-year-old country music legend asked the Hall to withdraw her name from the 2022 ballot, saying "I don't feel that I have earned the right. I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out."

Parton was one of 17 artists nominated for the Rock Hall class of 2022, along with Eminem, Lionel Richie, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, JUDAS PRIEST and Beck, among others.

Ballots are cast by an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists — including previous inductees — historians, music industry members and critics. Factors considered by voters consider include "an artist's musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique," according to a statement issued by the Hall.

Wilson, who was inducted into the Rock Hall in 2013 as a member of HEART, was asked about Parton's decision to bow out of the highly esteemed honor during an interview earlier today (Monday, March 14) with Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "How classy… It's really cool for her to step down like that, because the category is so broad. Like, Dionne Warwick is not a rock performer, and a lot of them are not, and they should make different categories under the bigger Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame moniker. They should have a Country Hall Of Fame and a Pop Hall Of Fame and a Rap Hall Of Fame and a Rock Hall Of Fame. I think that would be really smart, if they started to do that. 'Cause I've gotta vote for it, like, tomorrow."

Wilson, whose band was inducted into the Rock Hall by fellow Seattle native Chris Cornell of SOUNDGARDEN, continued: "It's really tough because Lionel Richie is in there. If you try to narrow it to what really is rock, it excludes too many others. So I think she's really a class act to have done that. It makes me wanna write a rock record with her… I should give her a call. She can do anything. She's written some of the best songs in our history. She can do it."

The 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominees were announced in February, with Dolly appearing on the ballot for the first time.

Parton told Billboard last month that she never thought of herself as a rock 'n' roller "in any sense of the word, but I guess they judge it on the music and the influence certain songs have had, and I guess I've had songs with other people in that realm," she said: "I'm not expecting that I'll get in. But if I do, I'll immediately, next year, have to put out a great rock and roll album — which I've wanted to do for years, like a Linda Ronstadt or HEART kind of thing."

Parton was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1986, the Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1999 and the national Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2001.

In a new interview with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", TNT guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø confirmed that he has been in touch with the band's former singer Tony Harnell about a renewed collaboration. Speaking about the group's current status, Ronni said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've started writing new material, and I'm currently having good talks with Tony and the whole band. We have very much communication. And it's been 40 years [since TNT's formation]. But we're trying to bring the band back together and hopefully make one last tour of Europe and maybe America… I think we might wanna end the TNT chapter with dignity and do one last tour."

Last April, Harnell, who has been in and out of TNT several times throughout its four-decade existence, told "The Chuck Shute Podcast" that he didn't rule out returning to the band. "Ronni and I, contrary to popular belief, we talk often," he said. "Ronni's not a big technology guy, but he really loves FaceTime video. And it's kind of annoying, because I love him, but he'll call me early in the morning, 'cause he's overseas, so he'll call me early in the morning [for a] video chat, and I'm, like, in bed. But I love the guy. Whatever happens, we'll be on a beach someplace when we're in our 70s, laughing and hanging out.

"Most of the things that pushed us apart — again, contrary to popular belief — are business related," he continued. "I'll just leave it at that.

"'Never say never' is a good way to put it [regarding a possible new TNT album]. And there might be a time and a place."

Harnell's most recent split with TNT took place in October 2017, less than a year and a half after he rejoined the group. He later described his relationship with TNT in an "Unphiltered" interview as "a very long marriage. I'm here [in New York], they're there [in Norway] — they're across the pond really far away. It's a very difficult situation to be in without having a very unified business organization, and no matter what I did, I could not get the thing unified. We were just on two totally separate not only continents physically, but mentally, psychologically, we were on two different continents as well."

Harnell said that he "really, really wanted" his latest collaboration with TNT to work out. "In my opinion, this was gonna be it — we were gonna stay together until I didn't feel like singing anymore," he said. 'I was gonna do other things and do other projects and so forth, but my goal was that TNT would be my band for at least another five years, maybe 10 years or whatever, until it ran its course. So this was kind of an unexpected thing."

In a 2019 interview with "80's Glam Metalcast", Le Tekrø said that he was still on good terms with Harnell. "Definitely," he said. "We talk regularly and we're even discussing making a kind of Page/Plant album, a Harnell/Le Tekrø album, which could maybe lead into something in the future. But I think me and Tony Harnell — I'm speaking not on behalf of him, but on behalf of myself — we need a different playground to do more extensive hard rock with other ideas, whereas TNT is more limited to a [specific] sound. You see what I mean? So, we're definitely buddies, and that will last forever. We don't hate each other, and we never did. That was never the [case]."

TNT's latest studio album, "XIII", came out in June 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band's thirteenth LP was TNT's first to feature new vocalist Baol Bardot Bulsara, who replaced Harnell. Baol is a Spanish singer whose debut with TNT happened in front of 8,000 fans in November 2017 when the band opened for German hard rock legends the SCORPIONS in Oslo, Norway.

The second Volturian effort, Red Dragon, is a truly inspired and stylish rendering of the modern metal blueprint. A blend of the gothic and melancholic feeling of the exceptional debut, Crimson, with an even more refined pop vein and some extra subtle electronic layers.


Red Dragon will be released on May 20th via Scarlet Records


Each Red Dragon song displays a very contemporary sound, intriguing arrangements and charming sonic dynamics – not to mention the always masterful Federico Mondelli trademark songwriting.




Graced by the heartful interpretation of frontwoman Federica Lanna, lyrically and aesthetically inspired by Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon (the novel who gave birth to the Hannibal Lecter myth) and Alan Moore and Frank Miller’s graphic novels, the new Volturian record will wrap the listeners into a warm blanket to open their eyes in a thrilling scarlet light.





Tracklist:


"Rebirth"
"Stay"
"Harley"
"Empty World"
"Torn Asunder"
"Burn It Up"
"Distant Caress"
"Bury Me"
"Freeze"
"Descent"


Volturian is:


Federica Lanna - vocals
Federico Mondelli (Frozen Crown) - guitar & keyboards
Massimiliano Rossi - bass
Andrea Zannin - drums

Shotgun Mistress have released an unplugged version of the hit ballad, "May She Never Walk Alone", out now through Crusader Records.


After a string of successful singles that gathered global interest, the Melbourne-based rockers released their debut self-titled album in July 2021, which was met with strong critical acclaim, brandishing monster arena ready tracks such as "Glorious Machine", "Collide" and "Bleed Me Out".


"May She Never Walk Alone" describes the transience of life, exquisitely portrayed in a heady and dynamic ballad. While harnessing the expressive tonal colours of a string section, this masterful track mixes eloquence with a dash of spirit-fuelled raw energy. "May She Never Walk Alone" is painfully poignant. For the fallen who we all know, and for those we don’t. 










Shotgun Mistress released their self-titled debut album via Crusader Records in July 2021. The album caused a huge stir upon release, crashing in at #7 on the Australian overall iTunes Albums Chart and #2 on the Rock Albums Chart.


Shotgun Mistress is an explosive dose of pure indie contemporary hard rock at its most searing and exuberant. After a year of remarkable single releases, chart and radio play gains, Shotgun Mistress continues to solidify its position at the vanguard of Australian rock with this new album.


To celebrate the release of the album, the band released a video clip for their hit single "Bleed Me Out".





From the relentless charge of the opening track "Born And Raised", to the restrained haunting cadences of the closing "May She Never Walk Alone", this collection of songs utilizes a blistering sonic arsenal to explore heightened emotional and personal terrain. Shotgun Mistress’s amalgamation of Vesuvian guitar fire, supercharged bass and drums and unleashed vocals is at times cathartic, seen in "No Friend Of Mine", as well as intense and rousing, such as in the track that started it all - "Save Me From Myself".


Amid the myriad of grinding power riffs and chant-inducing choruses, alongside the thunderous dynamics and gritty narratives, the band’s full panoramic vehemence blazes. Voracious and uncompromising, Shotgun Mistress’s debut album is a definitive statement from a band beginning their ascent, a multi-layered yet single-minded rock album that both transcends the times, while maintaining a wildly coherent response to them.





Tracklisting:


"Born 'N' Raised"
"Devil in Disguise"
"Bleed Me Out"
"No Friend of Mine"
"Collide"
"Natural Disaster"
"Save Me From Myself"
"Glorious Machine"
"Pretty Little Thing"
"Analyse"
"Grave Mistake"
"Technicolour Faded"
"May She Never Walk Alone"


Shotgun Mistress was formed by Matt Wilcock (The Berzerker, Akercocke, Abramelin), internationally renowned death-metal demon guitarist best known for playing at light speeds. He hooked up with “Diamond” David Lee on drums to jam out LA Strip-era rock. Ben Curnow (Earth) joined on bass, along with vocalist Glenn Patrick (Collegians).


Shotgun Mistress is the first Australian band to join Golden Robot’s new metal label Crusader Records.

Frontiers Music Srl is presenting the upcoming release of Different Worlds, the debut album from Skills, on May 13, 2022. Skills features the eye-popping line-up of vocalist Renan Zonta (Electric Mob), guitarist Brad Gillis (Night Ranger, Ozzy Osbourne), bassist Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, The Winery Dogs, Sons Of Apollo), and drummer David Huff (Giant). The band has just released a second single and music video, the ballad “Just When I Needed You”.


Pre-order/save Different Worlds on CD/Color Vinyl/Digital here.


Skills: "an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practiced it". In the perfect extension of the meaning of the word, Skills is an amazing new band put together from the vision of Frontiers President and A&R director Serafino Perugino. Cocky name for a band? Sure, but when said band features the eye-popping line-up of vocalist Renan Zonta, guitarist Brad Gillis, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer David Huff, then a little bravado is probably in order. Skills brings together the worlds of old and new in hard rock for a stunning debut album.




As is everyone who has heard him sing, Perugino was blown away by the abilities of Brazilian singer Renan Zonta upon first hearing him. Knowing how much Renan loves classic '80s hard rock, Perugino thought it would be cool to pair him with some monster players from that era. After sharing clips and music of Renan with some of the most outstanding musicians from the era, all of whom agreed that Renan’s talent is undeniable, a new musical beast was born with Brad Gillis, Billy Sheehan, and David Huff joining the fold.


In Skills, you have a singer whose vocal range is stunning and can mix the extension and the power of the likes of Glenn Hughes and Sammy Hagar with the expression of Steven Tyler and some David Coverdale thrown in. Along with one of the world's most renowned, prolific bass players, a hugely respected, talented, and stunning guitar player, and an absolutely killer drummer, Skills is a force to be reckoned with. “Different Worlds” is an album which will appeal to the discerning ears of fans of classic ‘80s hard rock/melodic rock.


So go ahead and crank up the volume and enjoy the 'skills' on display from these talented musicians from different eras of killer rock ‘n roll on Different Worlds.





Different Worlds tracklisting:


"Escape Machine"
"Blame It On The Night"
"Different Worlds"
"Losing The Track"
"Writings On The Wall"
"Show Me The Way"
"Just When I Needed You"
"Need To Fall"
"Stop The World"
"Hearts Of Stone"
"Don't Break My Heart"


"Just When I Needed You" video:





"Stop The World" video:





Lineup:


Renan Zonta - Vocals
Brad Gillis - Guitars
Billy Sheehan - Bass
David Huff - Drums
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards, Backing Vocals

Inglorious recently announced the release of their first ever live album, MMXXI Live At The Phoenix, on April 8. You can watch a performance of the band's track, "She Won't Let You Go", from the upcoming release below, and pre-order/save MMXXI Live At The Phoenix on CD+DVD/Blu-ray/LP/Digital here.


Nathan James says, “This album is a real true representation of what this band is now. After 18 months of doing no shows, I believe you can hear just how excited we are to finally be playing live again. It's also the first time we have played many of these songs. The team involved were amazing and the whole process took very little time to mix. It's a proper live rock album and I truly believe the visuals on the DVD really have captured the energy of Inglorious. I am so proud of this album and it's really cool for people who haven't yet seen us live to hear these guys playing the songs that have been around long before they joined the band. It's musically tight, loud, and the tracklist features songs from all five of our  albums so far...”


Set for release on CD/DVD, LP, Blu-ray, and Digital (audio only), MMXXI Live At The Phoenix was captured in September 2021 at Exeter Phoenix in Exeter, UK. The performance sees the British hard rockers unleashed on stage after being, like so many bands, stuck at home and unable to tour due to the worldwide pandemic. A formidable live band to begin with, the added dose of adrenaline makes for a stunning live performance showcasing songs from their four studio albums, Inglorious, II, Ride To Nowhere, and We Will Ride, and their most recent studio recording, the covers album Heroine.




The band's lineup, gelled and cohesive after having toured for the band's third album (Ride To Nowhere), writing and recording together for the fourth album (We Will Ride), and the recording of their covers album (Heroine), hit the stage on this tour with a passion and fury that can only come from being prevented from doing something you love for way too long. And, thankfully, one of these performances was captured for hard rock fans around the world to be able to see and hear this incredible live band in action. MMXXI Live At The Phoenix is a much needed documentation of this powerful band in the live setting.





MMXXI Live At The Phoenix tracklisting:


"She Won't Let You Go"
"Messiah"
"Breakaway"
"Where Are You Now?"
"Read All About It"
"Barracuda"
"Holy Water"
"He Will Provide"
"I Don't Need Your Loving"
"We Will Ride"
"Until I Die"


"She Won't Let You Go" video:





"I Don't Need Your Loving" video:





Lineup:


Nathan James – Lead Vocals
Danny De La Cruz – Guitar
Dan Stevens – Guitar
Vinnie Colla – Bass Guitar
Phil Beaver – Drums/Percussion

In a new interview with the Cleveland Scene, TOOL drummer Danny Carey said that the band's fans won't have to wait another 13 years for a new studio album, like they did prior to the arrival of 2019's "Fear Inoculum".

"It was frustrating not having new material to play, but that time really flew by quickly," he said. "I guess that's just the nature of life. It's like when you have kids, and they're grown up, and you go, 'What happened?' It took a long time, but we did a lot of touring and tried to grow in different ways and take a break from each other to keep things fresh. We also wanted to bring in outside influences, so we would have something new to say to each other musically. It all came together really well on this one. I'm sure it won't take us this long for the next one. We even had some stuff left over from the last one that we'll develop. We have head starts on three or four new songs."

Carey also said TOOL is readying a live DVD that will be "a good mind blower for all the hardcore fans." He explained: "Most of it will be from the 'Lateralus' tour from 2002."

"Fear Inoculum" arrived in August 2019 following years of anticipation. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned heaps of critical praise, with NPR saying "Fear Inoculum" was "worth the 13-year wait," Revolver proclaiming the 10-track album "a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come" and Consequence Of Sound saying the release finds "TOOL in peak performance."

Two and a half years ago, the "Fear Inoculum" title track became the longest song to ever land in the Billboard Hot 100. The TOOL cut has a running time of 10 minutes 21 seconds, 24 seconds longer than the previous record holder, David Bowie's "Blackstar".

"Fear Inoculum" shifted approximately 270,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 248,000 of those in traditional album sales.

TOOL kicked off its 2022 tour in support of "Fear Inoculum" on January 10 at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. It marked the band's first live appearance since March 2020 when TOOL's trek was cut short following a gig in Portland, Oregon due to the burgeoning pandemic.

TOOL was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in January 2020 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. TOOL was nominated for "7empest", a track from "Fear Inoculum".

TOOL already had three previous Grammy Awards under its belt: "Best Metal Performance" in 1997 and 2001 for "Ænima" and "Schism", respectively, and "Best Recording Package" in 2006 for "10,000 Days".

TOOL formed in 1990 and has released five studio albums thus far: "Undertow" (1993), "Ænima" (1996), "Lateralus" (2001), "10,000 Days" (2006) and "Fear Inoculum"; two EPs: "72826" (1991) and "Opiate" (1992); and the limited-edition boxset, "Salival" (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: Best Metal Performance (1998, "Ænima"), "Best Metal Performance" (2002, "Schism"), "Best Recording Package" (2007, "10,000 Days") and "Best Metal Performance" (2020, "7empest"

UK rockers, Vega, are streaming their cover of the Def Leppard classic, "Animal", available on the digital version of the band's Anarchy And Unity album. Get the album here, and listen to the song below.


Anarchy And Unity, while not a departure from the band’s defined and classy sound, shows a band determined, mature, and ready for the next step in their career. It has a crisp sound and immaculate musicianship showcasing the great talents in the band. On the songwriting front, the band have returned with a more muscular sound, but no less full to the brim with melodies that will grab you from the first note to the last.  


Anarchy And Unity sees two new faces in the band, Billy Taylor (ex-Inglorious) on guitars and Pete Newdeck (Di'Anno) on drums. They join singer Nick Workman, guitarist Marcus Thurston, and the brothers Martin, keyboardist James and bassist Tom.







Tracklisting:


"Beautiful Lie"
"Sooner Or Later"
"End Of The Fade"
"Ain't Who I Am"
"Welcome To Wherever"
"Bring The Riot"
"Live For Me"
"Kneel To You"
"Glow"
"C'mon"
"Had Enough"
"2Die4"
"Animal" (Def Leppard cover) (Digital Bonus Track)


"Animal":





"Beautiful Lie":





"Ain't Who I Am" video:





"Sooner Or Later" video:





Lineup:


Nick Workman - Vocals
Tom Martin - Bass
James Martin - Keyboards
Marcus Thurston - Guitar
Billy Taylor - Guitar
Pete Newdeck – Drums