RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame later this month. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, March 31 at 11:30 a.m. PT at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard, adjacent to Amoeba Records.

The CHILI PEPPERS star will be unveiled by George Clinton, who produced the band's 1985 record "Freaky Styley", alongside Woody Harrelson, Bob Forrest and Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce chairwoman Nicole Mihalka.

Hollywood Walk Of Fame producer Ana Martinez said in a statement: "Our hometown Hollywood boys are finally coming to collect their star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. We have been waiting for them to break away from their busy schedules to dedicate their star, and we are thrilled to welcome them to our Walk Of Fame family."

The honor will come one day before the release of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' new album, "Unlimited Love". Due on April 1 via Warner, the band's first new LP with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006's "Stadium Arcadium" was once again produced by Rick Rubin who previously worked on "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" (1991), "Californication" (1999), "By The Way" (2002) and the aforementioned "Stadium Arcadium".

Frusciante originally joined RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS following the death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988. This lineup recorded two highly successful albums that brought the group mainstream popularity: "Mother's Milk" and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Sadly, Frusciante fell into a deep heroin addiction that caused him to leave the band while touring to support "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Frusciante rejoined CHILI PEPPERS six years later, playing on 1999 album "Californication", 2002's "By The Way" and 2006's "Stadium Arcadium" before quitting the band again in September 2009.

Photo credit: Sandy Kim

Rockshots Records has announced the signing of Onelegman for the release of their new album Event Horizon this coming October 2022.


The third full-length from the trio, Event Horizon is Onelegman’s most peculiar release to follow a new concept for each one of its tracks; to create a mosaic with sounds, lyrics, and graphics in order to show to the listener the direction of their journey. The band explains in further detail:


"We've always meant for our music to give listeners an odyssey and this intention was never stronger than on this third album. We have aimed high, but not necessarily far, we focus on the intimacy of humanity, sometimes on the unconscious, and to explore the universe to the limit of possible knowledge and consciousness. We titled the album "Event Horizon" because it is precisely that, an Event Horizon. This album is an auditory exploration of new worlds, the chaos theory, the last days of a star's life, the direction of time, entropy, the fourth dimension that is gravity, love as an elementary form of existence, existence as a mere force of attraction and repulsion between electrons, existence as creatures of God or as sons of physics and chemistry."




It is not the band's intention to translate the works of scientists such as Greene, Rovelli, Bertone, Hawking, Jim Al-Khalili, and Primo Levi into music, but to take inspiration from their treatises, terminologies, and thoughts to build cosmic and quantum images where they search for the true human essence, perhaps where life is born.


Singles, videos, and the album pre-order will be revealed in the coming months.


Onelegman is recommended for fans of Devin Townsend, Faith No More, and Alice In Chains.

LINKIN PARK's hit song "Numb" has surpassed one billion views on Spotify. It's the band's second track to reach that mark, following on from "In The End" which hit the milestone last June.

Back in November 2018, the music video for "Numb" surpassed one billion views on YouTube. Following the death of singer Chester Bennington in July 2017, fans of the group launched an unofficial campaign to get the "Numb" video to that milestone, a mission that was completed nearly a year and a half later.

"Numb" is taken from LINKIN PARK's 2003 sophomore album "Meteora". It was the 13th and final song on the LP and was released as the third single from the record. It topped the Alternative chart for 12 weeks and the Rock chart for three. The video, directed by band DJ Joe Hahn, is the oldest uploaded clip on YouTube to cross the one-billion mark.

The song was remixed as "Numb/Encore", a collaboration between the band and rapper Jay-Z. Featured on the album "Collision Course", it was a massive hit for both artists and earned them the Grammy Award for "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration."

LINKIN PARK vocalist Mike Shinoda recalled a while back that "Numb/Encore" was one of the first things he came up with when the band was first approached to work with Jay-Z. "I was on the road at the time," he said. "I immediately opened up my laptop and went to the store and bought his a capellas, and I made basically the single and the B-side, I made 'Numb/Encore' and sent them to him. So we were off to a good start and we basically just started this kind of working relationship from there."

LINKIN PARK has not performed together in public since October 2017, when the surviving members staged a tribute concert in Los Angeles to Bennington. The band has not officially announced whether it intends to carry on following the death of Bennington, who committed suicide in July 2017 at the age of 41.




.@linkinpark's #Numb has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify.

○#LinkinPark #Meteora #MakeChesterProud #Spotify pic.twitter.com/5Ira8TaqDB

— Linkin Park Billboard (@linkinparkbb) March 18, 2022

In celebration of their recently released studio album, By Night, French metal frontrunners Dagoba return once more with the lyric video for “Sunfall”, featuring rigorous vocals and dominant blast beats.





On their beloved new album, By Night, the French bruisers once again put their stamp on the metal scene with their unique blend of metal and grooves.




Dagoba on “Sunfall”: "We are stoked to release a lyric video for our track 'Sunfall'. Although we already have released four video clips for our new album 'By Night', we had the feeling that also this track deserves a video… Now, you can all sing along at home to our single 'Sunfall’!"


Dagoba deftly aces the balancing act between harsh breakdowns, dense walls of sound and grooving passages with ease. Even in its hardest passages, the album never gets too overwhelming - one smashing track is followed by the next, moving breathlessly with ease. By Night is a beast of an album showcasing how far Dagoba can take a multitude of influences and styles and combine them effortlessly.


Dagoba on the creation process of By Night: “We live in challenging times, and that’s not only because of the strength-sapping pandemic. Sometimes the world seems to be a dark place. We know it’s an ambitious project, but we really want our fans to feel good, and contribute to their happiness. Therefore, we deliver our blend of metal music. During the weeks and months in the lockdown period we had so much time to have a focus on the album production. We could look at every detail in each track, and after all By Night has become our most accomplished album so far. We are really happy with the new record and cannot wait to share it with our fans and the world.”





Varying in individual territories, By Night is available digitally, as a CD (bundled with an exclusive t-shirt), as well as black and exclusive red transparent vinyl. Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Neons"
"The Hunt"
"Sunfall"
"Bellflower Drive"
"On The Run"
"Break"
"City Lights"
"Nightclub"
"Summer's Gone"
"The Last Crossing"
"Stellar"


“City Lights” video:





“On The Run” video:





"The Last Crossing" video:





"The Hunt" video:





Dagoba is:


Shawter - vocals/machines
Ritch DM - guitar
Kawa - bass
Theo - drums





(Photo - Morgane Khouni)

Metal Blade Records founder and CEO Brian Slagel spoke to Canada's The Metal Voice about the progress of the songwriting sessions for new studio albums from both KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had a really good conversation with [King Diamond, who fronts both KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE] the other day, and he's working on both KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE. I might have heard a demo or two that sounded really, really good.

"I don't know when either of these records are gonna come out, 'cause King likes to do things at his own speed," he explained. "It's, like, 'Hey, whatever works for you is totally fine with me.' But I was very happy with what I've heard so far. So hopefully everybody will be pretty happy.

"MERCYFUL FATE is doing a bunch of festivals this summer — knock on wood — as long as they don't get canceled. And then they're also playing Psycho [Las Vegas] fest in Las Vegas, which I think will definitely be the only U.S. date. There's a possibility there could be a Canadian date somewhere along the line here too. But we'll see.

"But there will be a new KING DIAMOND record, I'm hoping, in 2023. And there will also be a new MERCYFUL FATE record sometime soon-ish."

Last month, King said that he was working on lyrics for the long-awaited new album from his namesake band. Titled "The Institute", the group's first studio LP in 15 years is tentatively next year via Metal Blade.

Back in November 2019, KING DIAMOND released its first new song in 12 years, "Masquerade Of Madness". A month later, guitarist Andy La Rocque told The Metal Voice that he came up with the music for the track first before passing it off to King, who "needed to arrange a few things and change just a small few things for making it work with his vocals. And then, of course, he wrote the lyrics for it," the guitarist revealed. "So we [went] a little back and forth until he felt like, 'Okay, this is cool, man. This is the right key to sing in,' and all that."

La Rocque, whose real name is Anders Allhage, told The Metal Voice that the tentative plan is to release "The Institute" as "a single album" as part of a two-LP horror concept story, with the second part arriving at a later date. Andy also discussed his vision for the new KING DIAMOND album, saying that it will be filled with great "melodies, of course. Super important. Without melodies, there is no music," he explained. "I'm also envisioning a more organic sound of the album. If you look back to the older albums, when Mikkey [Dee] played [drums for the band], for example, it's, like, a little bit up and down in tempo, and that makes it dynamic and also organic. So that's one thing that I would like to hear on the next album, for sure. But building up a dynamic, kind of organic feel, the drummer is a really important thing here, of course. And I know that Matt Thompson [current KING DIAMOND drummer] is the right guy to do this, for sure."

In March 2019, King told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that the next album from his namesake band will be "absolutely gruesome" with a story set in a 1920s mental institution. "I chose that because I think it's a very creepy scenario," he explained. "And some of the things that go on that we're gonna show onstage is also things that certainly was going on back then, when medicine was beginning to take a beneficial turn in history and actually being able to help human beings live longer. But there was some experimentation going on, too, that was absolutely gruesome. Some of that is involved in the story, but it's something totally different. Once you get to the second part of the story, you will begin to suddenly understand that, 'What the hell is going on here? What is this really about?' 'Cause there's a whole different story that will not come to you till second part. But in the first part, you're gonna get to know a lot people at a certain place… Some of it takes place here, this world, and some of it takes place in a parallel world. And there's a correlation between what happened to me and what happens to some people in this place and where they suddenly appear. And you will find out why they are there, how they appear there and the places down the road. I won't say too much right now, but it's gonna be very creepy."

KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off the band's last album, 2007's "Give Me Your Soul … Please".

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

KING DIAMOND released a DVD/Blu-ray, "Songs For The Dead Live", in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The set captures 1987's seminal "Abigail" album in its entirety, twice, and in very different locales: Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia's Fillmore in November 2015. The performances feature KING DIAMOND's current band, comprising of guitarists La Rocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and Thompson.

MERCYFUL FATE's most recent studio album, "9", arrived in 1999.

The band's current lineup includes King Diamond, Hank Shermann on guitar, Bjarne T. Holm on drums, Mike Wead on guitar, and Joey Vera (ARMORED SAINT, FATES WARNING) on bass.

In 2019, it was announced Vera would be replacing original MERCYFUL FATE bassist Timi Hansen for the band's summer 2020 European festival appearances due to Hansen's cancer diagnosis. Hansen passed away in November 2019 and MERCYFUL FATE's 2020 summer festival appearances have since been rescheduled for 2021, and then for 2022, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

JUDAS PRIEST recently teamed with the rapidly growing entertainment brand Z2 Comics for an original graphic novel to be released in July, in time for the anniversary of the British heavy metal legends' highest-selling album, the indisputable classic "Screaming For Vengeance".

Several new photos of the members of JUDAS PRIEST posing with copies of the graphic novel can be seen below.

Teaming with writers Rantz Hoseley ("Comic Book Tattoo", "The Heroin Diaries") and Neil Kleid ("Savor"), and artist Christopher Mitten ("Hellboy And The B.P.R.D."), JUDAS PRIEST bestows upon its generations of fans the band's first-ever graphic novel.

500 years from now, a ring of cities orbit high above the surface of a dead world, controlled by a ruling elite that maintains power through manipulation and brutality. When a naïve engineer inadvertently threatens the status quo with his vital scientific discovery… a bloodstone... he is betrayed by those he trusted and cast out to the broken planet below. In the wreckage and desolation of a broken world where every day is a battle for survival, he must choose between accepting his new life in exile…or screaming for vengeance.

"I cannot overstate what an inspiration JUDAS PRIEST has been to me, personally," said Hoseley. "I was already a fan of the band when 'Screaming For Vengeance' was released, but no one was ready for the impact it had. That incredible cover art? Those songs? That album became my daily soundtrack and creative fuel, to the point where I wore the cassette out in my car. To be able to contribute to a project inspired by these songs that mean so much to me? Well, that is an honor and a responsibility I take very seriously."

To further celebrate the creative legacy of this monumental album and landmark anniversary, the graphic novel includes an extensive interview with original cover artist Doug Johnson in which he discusses the process of creating the award-winning album cover design, and the origin of the metallic bird of prey, now known as "The Hellion." Additionally, as part of the expansion of Z2's product offerings, newly appointed Z2 vice president of collectibles and Aggronautix founder Clint Weiler has designed a detailed Hellion statue, with working "electric eyes" in celebration of both the original album design, and the dramatic conclusion of the story in the "Screaming For Vengeance" graphic novel.

Certified double platinum in the United States, "Screaming For Vengeance" was released in July of 1982, and marked the beginning of the band's success in North America, transcending the "new wave of British heavy metal" sound they had come to define, and moving them into the mainstream despite a heavier-than-ever sound. The album's first single, "You've Got Another Thing Coming", would prove to be one of the biggest hard rock hits in history and continues to inspire fists in the air around the world to this day. The album was ranked No. 3 on Rolling Stone's 2017 list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time," and is celebrated throughout the world as one of the genre's most defining moments, ushering in the success of heavy music in the 1980s up through today.

"Judas Priest: Screaming For Vengeance" will be released in both softcover and hardcover formats in finer bookstores, comic shops and record stores everywhere in July 2022, with special limited deluxe and super deluxe versions featuring an exclusive anniversary vinyl LP, prints and more available to preorder now exclusively through the Z2 web site.


Judas Priest: Screaming For Vengeance

Expected release July 2022

Z2comics.com/judaspriest

Posted by Judas Priest on Tuesday, March 22, 2022

ANTHRAX has apparently resumed work on material for the band's next studio album.

Earlier today (Tuesday, March 22), the group's social media was updated with a photo of guitarist Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante and bassist Frank Bello in what appears to be a recording studio, along with the caption: " Forging new metal in an undisclosed location…. #anthrax".

Ian discussed the progress of the songwriting sessions for ANTHRAX's follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" during a July 2021 appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. At the time, he said: "We've been at it for a little while now. We actually started writing in '19 — pre-COVID — and kind of stepped away from things when COVID happened. We were all separate and apart and we would kind of revisit some of the demos, but we weren't actively working on it. And that's actually started up again over the last couple of months, as far as kind of reopening the books on the new material and thinking about it and working on it.

"Yeah, it's the same as it's always been," he said. "I would have to think by the time we get to the other side of the writing process and we decide we're ready to go record it, I would have to assume it's certainly going to represent this time in our lives. And the world having gone through a pandemic, I would imagine certainly that's in some way, shape or form going to come out through this next record. I can't tell you how yet, but I would have to think it's going to."

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".
























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A post shared by Anthrax (@anthrax)

Norwegian metal icons, Abbath, will release their new album, Dread Reaver, on March 25 via Season Of Mist. An advanced album stream can be found below.


The album can be pre-ordered in various formats here. Pre-save the album here.


Riff-maestro Abbath Doom Occulta cements his place among the metal hierarchy with Dread Reaver, his third album with eponymous project Abbath. His signature blend of blistering speed metal, traditional metal influences, and touch of ice cold black metal creates a sound and style that is distinctly his. Its spirited, balls-to-the-walls energy certifies Dread Reaver as the quintessential anthem for total metal mayhem.




Album artwork by Francisco Munoz (photo) and Bjørn Stian Bjoarvik & Agata Kasprowicz (layout).





Tracklisting:


"Acid Haze"
"Scarred Core"
"Dream Cull"
"Myrmidon"
"The Deep Unbound"
"Septentrion"
"Trapped Under Ice"
"The Book Of Breath"
"Dread Reaver"


Album stream:





"The Book Of Breath" lyric video:





"Dread Reaver" visualizer:





"Dream Cull" video:





Abbath are joining forces with Swedish black metal outfit, Watain, for a co-headlining European tour, launching in September.


The Chariots Of Fire tour will kick off at the Elysee Montmartre in Paris, France, and will wreak havoc in 13 more countries before a final curtain at the Vanha venue in Helsinki, Finland. A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.


Special guests will be Tribulation and Bølzer for all shows.





Tour dates:


September
15 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre
16 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
17 - Munich, Germany - Backstage  
18 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
20 - Toulouse, France - Le Bikini  
22 - Lisbon, Portugal - Lisboa Ao Vivo
23 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
24 - Barcelona, Spain - Apolo  
25 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur  
27 - Zurich, Switzerland - Komplex 457
28 - Filderstadt, Germany - Filharmonie
29 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013  
30 - London, England - Earth


October
2 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
4 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle  
5 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
6 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
7 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fallan
9 - Helsinki, Finland - Vanha

Legendary Rotting Christ leader, Sakis Tolis, has released his new solo album, Among The Fires Of Hell. A full audio stream can be found below.


Says Sakis: "My dear friends, I can proudly announce the release of my first solo album, Among The Fires Of Hell, in full and exclusively free of charge via my socials."







Tracklisting:


"My Salvation"
"Among The Fires Of Hell"
"The Dawn Of A New Age"
"We The Fallen Angels"
"Ad Astra"
"Live With Passion (Die With Honour)"
"I Name You Under Our Cult"
"The Silence"
"Nocturnal Hecate"


Album stream:





"Among The Fires Of Hell" video:

Wisconsin-based death metal band, Jungle Rot, will release their new album, A Call To Arms, on May 13 via Unique Leader Records. A visualizer for the first single, "Total Extinction", can be found below.


A Call To Arms sees the first Unique Leader offering emerge with a punishing Dan Swano mix and eerie Voodoo themed artwork - a brutal culmination of the band's past sound melding with a slick, devastating polish bringing them firmly into 2022.


Pre-order the album here.







Tracklisting:


"A Call To Arms"
"Beyond the Grave"
"Genocidal Imperium"
"Asymmetric Warfare"
"Vengeance & Bloodlust"
"Maggot Infested"
"Death Squad"
"Haunting Future"
"Total Extinction"
"Population Suicide"


"Total Extinction" visualizer:





Jungle Rot have also announced the A Call To Arms US Tour with special guests, Internal Bleeding. Dates below.





Tour dates:


June
2 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
3 - Lincoln, NE - 1867 Bar
4 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
6 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
7 - Seattle, WA - Club Sur
8 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
9 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
10 - Anaheim, CA - Doll Hut
11 - San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick
12 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
13 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Underground
14 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
15 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
16 - Denver, CO - HQ
17 - Kansas City, MO - BLVD Nights
18 - Sturtevant, WI - Route 20

Heavy horror punk icon Wednesday 13 spoke to Brutal Planet Magazine about his upcoming album which is due later in the year. The follow-up to 2019's "Necrophaze" will mark the former MURDERDOLLS frontman's first release for Napalm Records, with whom he signed last year.

"I started writing music as soon as I got home [at the beginning of the pandemic], and by the time this whole thing was over, I think I wrote about 50 pieces of music, and I only liked about 10 songs out of it, or 10 songs made sense to me," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

"I found it really hard to be inspired during this time," Wednesday 13 admitted. "And I wasn't gonna force anything, but it was a really difficult time to write. Even though I had all the time in the world off to write, there was no inspiration, 'cause the world was kind of shit. So, like always, I had to go back to what makes me happy. When the real world's too real for me, I go into this world [at my home studio], with all my toys. So when I started writing this new record and writing new stuff, I started writing about stuff that makes me happy. Like Christine [from the Stephen King tale 'Christine', which involves a cursed car that's just as scary as most movie villains], the car. So now we have a new song on the new record about Christine. So I'm happy."

Asked if there will be any guest musicians on the new WEDNESDAY 13 album, like there were on "Necrophaze", the singer, whose real name is Joseph Poole, said: "No. The idea on this record was… I mean, it was cool to have the guests on the last record. I love that because I wanted it set up like a movie and I wanted it to feel like there was guests in the movie and the whole vibe of it. This record, like I said, having the two years off [and] and not being really inspired by anything, it was really important for me to make this record as close with us as we could. That's why we recorded it all together ourselves; we did it here at our house. Roman [Surman, lead guitar] was able to come over. We were able to track. Jack [Tankersley, guitar], everybody, came in. Troy [Doebbler, bass] did his parts. But instead of getting a producer or getting any outside input, I just wanted this to be all about us. I didn't need a producer coming in, going, 'You guys should do this.' I'm, like, 'You know what? We're in a weird space. Let us figure it out.' We don't need someone else who doesn't know what the hell is going on to tell us what to do. So this record, I really wanted it to be just about us. I'm producing the record, and there's no outside guests; it's just us. And from my point of view, or how I hear this record, it's definitely closer to the 'Transylvania [90210: Songs Of Death, Dying, And The Dead]' and 'Skeletons' kind of vibe. It's still got a spooky horror fun vibe to it, it's got its dark moments, but overall, I think it's more of a rock record than, like, the 'Condolences' album."

WEDNESDAY 13's "20 Years Of Fear" tour will kick off on March 23 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and will end on May 7 in Sacramento, California.

"Necrophaze" was released in September 2019. The LP was recorded by Michael Spreitzer, who is the producer, recording engineer and longtime guitarist of DEVILDRIVER, and is the first WEDNESDAY 13 record to feature guest spots, which include performances by Alice Cooper, Roy Mayorga of STONE SOUR (who provides an eerie, authentic, '80s-inspired synth soundtrack-score to the album), Alexi Laiho of CHILDREN OF BODOM, and Cristina Scabbia of LACUNA COIL. Also making an appearance on the album is Jeff Clayton, member of legendary punk bands ANTISEEN and GG Allin's MURDER JUNKIES.

In November 2020, WEDNESDAY 13 released an official music video for its cover of INXS's hit song "Devil Inside". The clip, filmed and directed by Vicente Cordero (3TEETH, SEPTEMBER MOURNING), premiered during the band's "Halloween Spooktacular!" event on October 31, 2020 live from Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist, Aldo Nova, has released a video for his new single, "King Of Deceit". The song is featured on the forthcoming 10-song EP, The Life And Times Of Eddie Gage. Watch below.


Says Aldo: “‘The King Of Deceit’ is a pivotal character in the story of Eddie Gage. He is the antagonist, or the villain, and although there are many villains in Eddie’s life--they’re all under the thumb of M. F. Stophalis, ‘The King Of Deceit.’”


“As Eddie is good and is light, ‘The King Of Deceit’ represents darkness and evil,” Aldo elaborates. “Even though the physical side of Eddie’s life is slightly based on mine, the rock opera really has its roots in religion and theology, and all the names of the characters must be decoded so that it all makes sense. Everything--the whole story--the characters and their actions are in the lyrics, and the lyrics are set to music that represent them. Eddie’s not just a rockstar but a messenger, who, through his music, convey a message of faith and hope, and make them believe in themselves, and ‘The King Of Deceit’ will do anything to stop this. I chose to do a theatrical video, in makeup and costume, because I wanted to bring the character to life. to paint a picture of what evil looks like, at least in Eddie’s eyes.”







Set for release on April 1, the songs on The Life And Times Of Eddie Gage mark the first chapter of his larger-than-life rock opera. The iconic Montreal maverick will subsequently release the triple disc Aldo Nova 2.0 Reloaded on April 19. It will feature 2.0 versions of nine classic songs from Aldo’s catalog, plus another disc with no lead vocal track and a third disc with no lead guitar track so fans can either sing along or play along with him.


The Life And Times Of Eddie Gage rock opera tells the story of Eddie Gage, a prodigious ingénue who breaks into the music industry only to be preyed upon by a nefarious suit Andy Christos, manipulated by a corporate overlord M.F. Stophalis, and tempted by a succubus Rati Ayida. Drugs, alcohol, and excess plunge him into despair until he realizes redemption on his own terms.


The musical journey of The Life And Times Of Eddie Gage began in 2008, when Aldo started to assemble what would become 25 songs (which Aldo will eventually release). Throughout the work, Aldo distills his often-unbelievable musical journey into the allegory of the rock opera, which he wrote, produced, arranged, engineered, and mixed entirely. The recording includes a 40-piece orchestra, a full gospel choir, Lee Levin on drums and mastering from the legendary Bob Ludwig. In addition, a one song bonus disc will accompany the collection with the soaring instrumental song "Les Anges.”


Following the release of The Life And Times Of Eddie Gage, Aldo will turn the page on the next chapter of this story with the three-disc Aldo Nova 2.0 Reloaded. The three-disc recording features nine classics from his catalog new recordings - not only as the 2.0 versions of the songs, but also as alternate versions with no lead vocal track and another with no lead guitar track so fans can finally either sing along or play with him.





The Life And Times Of Eddie Gage tracklisting:


"Hey Ladi Dadi"
"Free Your Mind"
"Follow The Road"
"King Of Deceit"
"The Bitch In Black"
"On The Way To The Psycho Ward"
"When All Is Said And Done"
"Say A Little Prayer"
"Burn Like The Sun"


Bonus Track: "Les Anges" (Composed, Arranged and Performed by Aldo Nova)


“Burn Like The Sun” video:





"Free Your Mind" video:








Aldo Nova 2.0 Reloaded tracklisting:
 
Disc One
"Blood On The Bricks" 2.0 - Reloaded
"Monkey On Your Back" 2.0 - Reloaded
"Under The Gun - War Suite" 2.0 - Reloaded
"Foolin' Yourself" 2.0 - Reloaded
"Ball And Chain" 2.0 Reloaded
"Paradise" 2.0 - Reloaded
"Modern World" 2.0 - Reloaded
"Fantasy" 2.0 - Reloaded
"I'm A Survivor" 2.0 – Reloaded
 
Disc Two
"Blood On The Bricks" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Vocal
"Monkey On Your Back" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Vocal
"Under The Gun - War Suite" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Vocal
"Foolin' Yourself" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Vocal
"Ball And Chain" 2.0 Reloaded - No Ld Vocal
"Modern World" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Vocal
"Fantasy" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Vocal
"I'm A Survivor" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Vocal
 
Disc Three
"Blood On The Bricks" 2.0 Reloaded - No Ld Guitar
"Monkey On Your Back" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Guitar
"Under The Gun - War Suite" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Guitar
"Foolin' Yourself" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Guitar
"Ball And Chain" 2.0 Reloaded - No Ld Guitar
"Paradise" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Guitar
"Modern World" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Guitar
"Fantasy" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Guitar
"I'm A Survivor" 2.0 Reloaded No Ld Guitar

Breed Of Aggression have released a lyric video for their second single, "I Am The Enemy". Watch below.


"'I Am The Enemy' is about inner struggle and staying strong when your buttons are being pushed. People tease, pile on stress, or condescend and as it eats away at you and builds up at some point you might burst. So you think about it a lot. It can feel great to unleash but you can also be your own worst enemy by letting yourself do so. - Susie Hoffman Beahm, Breed Of Aggression
 
"Writing this I was striving to have a song with a powerful groove to move the listener, Susie delivered on the lyrics to make it a powerful message, I think she executed it perfectly." - Scott McClellan, Breed Of Aggression







An accomplished guitarist and songwriter, Scott McClellan's solo album Brutal Intentions was released on Dark Star Records in 2019. He is the featured guitarist on ex-Black Sabbath frontman Tony Martin’s forthcoming solo album Thorns, set for 2022 release on Dark Star Records. In addition to Pantera tribute bands Domination and Cemeterygatez: America’s Number One Pantera Tribute Band, Scott has played in The Brain Chiggers and Brotherhood of Spine. McClellan is also an in-demand session guitarist and songwriter.


Susie Hoffman Beahm has been a staple in the music industry for over twenty years, teaming with top manufacturers on instruments that support children's discovery in the classroom and beyond. An advocate of school music programs and women's growth in the music industry, Susie frequently volunteers her time toward related causes. She has done session work on a variety of musical projects and is a member of the indie band Natural Oil and Heathen Soul.


The band's first album, This Is My War, delivers eight intense tracks produced by Destrophy frontman and guitarist, Ari Mihalopoulos, that boldly announce the arrival of this dynamic duo. This Is My War was released worldwide on Dark Star Records. Order here.





This is My War tracklisting:


"Dance With The Devil"
"Unmasked"
"This Is My War"
"I Am The Enemy"
"Cicada"
"Driver Of The Nail"
"We Are The Strong"
"Aftershock"


"Unmasked" video:





Breed Of Aggression is:


Scott McClellan - Guitar, Bass, Drums
Susie Hoffman Beahm - Vocals


Songwriters:
All tracks by Scott McClellan and Susie Hoffman Beahm
ASCAP


Produced by Scott McClellan and Susie Hoffman Beahm
Mixed and Engineered by Aristotle @ Inner Light Recording Studio
Recorded at Dreamography Studio and Inner Light Recording Studio

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has decried racism in America, saying it "has got to stop."

"Yes, [America is] racist," Gene told Metal Hammer in a new interview. "Yes, it's anti-Semitic. And yet, here in America, there are no limits. You can have an African American president, you can also have the alternate — a semi-racist, semi-extremist president — but anything's possible. Which is why I still worship the idea of America: it can get better and it will get better.

"People think of Martin Luther King, making great advancements for African Americans and just kind of smashing the door open to deal with it," he continued. "And you've got to deal with this thing. We've got to get along and stop treating African Americans, especially, so horribly in America. Racism has got to stop."

Last year, Simmons, whose Hungarian mother survived the Holocaust, joined more than 170 black and Jewish leaders from the entertainment industry launching the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance (BJEA), described by the organization as 'a joint initiative by black and Jewish entertainment industry professionals devoted to countering racism and anti-Semitism in the entertainment community.'

Gene told Daily Mail he was disgusted by the racism he sees in America and said society should take a hardline approach to those spreading prejudice and hate, comparing them to cockroaches.

"It is going to get better but you've got to confront it," he said. "You've got to turn on the light and go after those cockroaches. And don't just chase them out. Find out where they live. Identify them, make their lives miserable — legally. Shine the light on that cockroach. The guy with his drunken buddies hurling racial epithets, take photos of him. This guy's name is so-and-so and he lives right outside of Manchester and works in this garage. Guess what the garage is gonna do? They're going to fire his ass right away, because they don't want the attention of hiring a hate-monger.'

Simmons praised the Donald Trump administration for opening dialogue between Arab nations and Israel but added that "doesn't give him a pass in the hatred he spewed as a world leader.

"He was the fuel for the fire that enabled these extremists to storm the White House. Without a president like that in charge they wouldn't dare," he said.

"Cockroaches hide until they see a big one in the middle of the room."

Back in 2014, Simmons voiced his support of controversial Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, whose private, racist comments got him banned from the NBA for life. Additionally, he said he was on "Mel Gibson's side," when it came to getting flack for making questionable comments in private conversation.

"If, because you say an off-color joke or make a racist rant privately, that causes you to lose a job — nobody would have a job," he told The Wall Street Journal. "Black people do it, Jews do it, Christians do it — everybody does it. It's called America. Free speech. Even if free speech insults other people. Privately. Publicly, that's different. I'm on the side of free speech in the privacy of your own home or privacy of the situation. Big brother has finally crawled in bed with

Former Overkill drummer, Sid Falck, has released more new music under his own name, Falck.





The new single, "Destiny Is All (Book Of Life)", is available on Bandcamp and all music streaming and outlet platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Facebook Music, Instagram Music. A video for the song can be found below.







Falck previously released the single, "Screams". Check it out below:

JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill spoke to The Aquarian Weekly about why he and his bandmates reversed their decision to remove guitarist Andy Sneap from their touring lineup. The U-turn came days after PRIEST's original announcement, in which the group said it had planned to resume its "50 Heavy Metal Years" tour as "an even more powerful, relentless four-piece heavy metal band." Sneap later released a statement expressing his disappointment with the decision, while fans were understandably upset about the band's choice to forgo its classic twin-guitar attack sound. Some even called for the return of guitarist K.K. Downing, who joined PRIEST in 1970 and remained in the group until 2011.

"When it became apparent that [PRIEST's longtime guitarist] Glenn Tipton wasn't going to be able to do the 'Firepower' tour [in 2018], the first thing that [singer] Rob [Halford] said was, 'Well, we'll carry on as a four-piece. We started out as a four-piece, so we can do it again,'" Hill recalled. "I'm a pragmatist, I see positives in most things, so at first I thought, 'Yeah, it'll work.' Then, when you start to think, you're, like, 'No. Really, all of our success is gained from the two guitars.'

"We decided to get Andy Sneap involved for that tour [in 2018]," Ian continued. "Andy was the perfect choice. He had just produced 'Firepower', so he knew all the new songs we'd be playing. He was a fan of the band, as well, so he knew all the old stuff. He was the perfect choice. Then suddenly, Rob gets the idea to do the four-piece thing again. He rang Andy up and told him. Andy was fine about it. But then we thought, 'There's been some [fan] comments and if we do it at all, this probably isn't the time.' So, we had a quick U-turn and asked Andy if he'd do it again. Thank goodness he said yes."

On January 15, JUDAS PRIEST released a statement announcing that it was reversing its decision to tour as a four-piece, explaining that the bandmembers "decided unanimously" to continue their live shows "unchanged" with Halford, Hill, Sneap, Richie Faulkner (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums).

Last month, Halford admitted to Billboard that PRIEST's short-lived plan to embark on its 50th-anniversary tour as a quartet was his idea. "Of course, that blew up in my face, didn't it?" he said. "To have done something like a four-piece now would've been just not right, ridiculous, insane, crazy, off my rocker, have a cup of tea and relax. It's kind of water under the bridge now. I think my heart was in the right place, but I'm not the first musician to have a crazy idea."

Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT, began touring with PRIEST four years ago after Tipton — who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower".

Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Downing parted ways with the band more than a decade ago and was replaced by Faulkner.

In January, Downing said in an interview that it was "very, very strange" for PRIEST "to even think about" the possibility of going out as a quartet. "I'm like everybody else. I'm totally bemused," he told the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen" classic rock show. "It was just so extreme and insulting in a way, I guess, and insulting to Glenn as well. It was kind of a slap in the face, saying, 'Okay, you two guys did it, but we think just one guy could do what…' It kind of made us and everything that we've done and created, saying it was all superfluous, really, and didn't really have the value that… I'm sure Glenn will agree with me that it does have a value."

PRIEST's current North American tour kicked off on March 4 at Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois and will conclude on April 13 at FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Support on the trek is coming from QUEENSRŸCHE.

JUDAS PRIEST was forced to postpone around two dozen North American shows on its rescheduled 50th-anniversary tour in late September after Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during a performance at the Louder Than Life festival. He ended up undergoing a 10-hour life-saving surgery a short distance away at Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentu

Toronto-based Red Handed Denial are gearing up to release their new album, I'd Rather Be Asleep, on June 3rd. They have release a new single, "Cloud 9", and the official video can be viewed below along with album details.


Pre-order I'd Rather Be Asleep here.







"Cloud 9"
"Carbon Copies"
"Fix Me"
"Rose"
"Father Said"
"Let The Colours Fade To Grey"
"Saint"
"Marked With A Curse"
"White Water"
"Spiral"


"Cloud 9"





"Father Said"





Photo by Jordy Clarke