Florida groove-prog masterminds Appeal To Authority have premiered their new video for “Black Aura”. 





Larry Schroeder, Vocals/Guitars/Keys, details the concept of "Black Aura": "When it came time to write and record the lyrics for this, over eight minutes of music we had constructed, I chose a subject matter that I was dealing with personally and that had a great effect on me. A close-to-home murder left me feeling many different and uncharted emotions in which family members, neighbors, and the community found themselves shockingly trying to make sense of it all. ‘Black Aura’ helped me process and deal with all of this and is a representation of the events that took place. A portrayal of pure unnecessary evil and darkness that this world endures. Teaming up once again with Thomas Crane of Kill Devil Films (Saliva, Todd La Torre) brought out the imagery that matches and fits the narrative." 




Appeal To Authority are excited to announce drummer Mark Nunnally has joined the band. Larry Schroeder shares "After the release of 'Pulling me Inside,' which Stan and I co-wrote, I felt that it was important to have a drummer that could escalate the tracks that Stan and I were writing. We wanted someone that would take the music to the next level. More energy, more complex and more engaging! After contacting Mark and letting him hear a couple of our tracks that were still unfinished and ready for drum tracks to replace our drum programming, we booked the studio and got to work to see if it was a fit! Ironically, the day Mark tracked the drums for 'Black Aura' was the same day we met. The three of us immediately clicked and Mark became a permanent member of the band!"

Sammy Hagar will release a new book, "Sammy's Cocktail Hits: 85 Personal Favorites From The Red Rocker", on March 29 via Skyhorse Publishing.

Hagar may be best known as the former frontman of the iconic band VAN HALEN. His fans know him as the Red Rocker and as the songwriter behind hits like "I Can't Drive 55", "Right Now" and "Why Can't This Be Love". However, music is just one of his passions.

Sammy is a businessman, a connoisseur of great cocktails, and the creator of Cabo Wabo Tequila, Sammy's Beach Bar Rums, and — along with his good friend and celebrity restaurateur Guy Fieri — a line of Santo Tequilas and Mezquila. He created Cabo Wabo Cantinas and Sammy's Beach Bar & Grills so people could hang out with their friends and families, have a few drinks, laugh, and enjoy the good times and unique cultures of the places he enjoys most — and the recipes in "Sammy's Cocktail Hits: 85 Personal Favorites From The Red Rocker" reflect those differences.

In addition to bartending basics and cocktail foundations, chapters include:

* Splash of Aloha! – Hawaii's coolest cocktails

* Mas Tequila – South of the Border cocktails

* Sinful Signatures – VIP, Vegas–inspired cocktails

* Tinseltown Twists with Cleveland Pre-Funk – an original mix of Hollywood and Cleveland's best cocktails

* Encore – More of Sammy's personal favorite cocktails

Enjoy drinks such as the Coconut Mojito, Maui Mama, Tiki Swizzle, Blanco Gimlet, Coco Loco, Coronarita, Santo Oaxaca, Santa Paloma, Brazilian Kiss, Vojito, Strawberry Surf, and Black & Blue Lemonade, and more.

Hagar says: "I have been working and studying the art of making and drinking cocktails for decades now, and have finally pulled together all my favorites, my knowledge on how to do it, and what we need to throw the best parties with the best cocktails and some tips on how to put it all together. I guarantee this is the only cocktail book you will ever need. It's kind of like my greatest hits from in front and behind the bar."

Hagar is one of rock music's most dynamic artists. He's earned the highest respect of the music industry with a Grammy Award and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Along his journey, he's become a dedicated philanthropist, a New York Times bestselling author, and auspicious entrepreneur. He's the owner of Cabo Wabo Cantinas, Sammy's Beach Bar and Grills, Sammy's Beach Bar Rum, and Santo Spirits, which he co-founded with Fieri.

Co-author James O. Fraioli is a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author. He has more than 40 published titles to his credit. His celebrated books have been featured on the Food Network, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", and in O, Vogue, People, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He is the founder and president of Culinary Book Creations.

George Lynch has commenced work on his second solo instrumental album. The LP will be the follow-up to "Seamless", which came out last August via Rat Pak Records.

On Tuesday (March 15), Lynch shared a new Instagram photo from the studio and included the following message: "Day 1 of preproduction of a new solo instrumental record Follow up to #seamless. Got my buddy chis tickling the mouse and just seeing where the wind takes us. #everydayisanadventure @ratpakrecords #guitarsattheendoftheworld #threechordsandthetruth @bigchrisflores".

For the recording of "Seamless", Lynch was backed by drummer Jimmy D'Anda and bassist Eric Loiselle.

Produced by Lynch, "Seamless" included three bonus tracks that were added to the album after the extra tracks were presented to the label.

Lynch previously said: "'Seamless' is my attempt at creating a guitar-driven instrumental record that delivers something outside the realm of what most people would expect from a guitar instrumental record coming from a semi-redeemed '80s hair shredder. I wanted the record to be challenging but not exhausting; personal without being belligerently self-indulgent and include a fair amount of guitar histrionics and pay tribute to the masters without making it sound like I'm competing to be the end all summation of all guitar legacies that preceded me. I also wanted the underlying music to be more than vehicles for solos; I wanted the compositions to be able to stand on their own."

Asked by Audio Ink Radio what made 2021 the right time to release his debut instrumental album, Lynch said: "The real story is I had written a record intending it to be a new LYNCH MOB record, and it didn't pan out, because none of the vocalists that I talked to and worked with on it could really come up with anything to go over it. Nobody was really feeling it, and that's the first time that's ever happened to me as long as I can remember where I completely failed at a record. It wasn't even salvageable. Looking at it and listening to what these singers were telling me, the critique of it was that it was just too intricate and too busy and too involved and wasn't leaving enough space for the vocals to put their footprint on it, and I got that. I'm usually aware of the kind of thing when I'm writing, so I don't know how that happened. I think I just got carried away and was having fun with the compositions. I think by default — a happy accident — I was making an instrumental record and didn't know it."

Starting in music in 1977, Lynch has long since been considered one of the most-notable guitar players of all time. His work with DOKKEN and LYNCH MOB has garnered him a legion of devoted fans around the globe. His creativity and musicianship has been showcased on over 50 albums since 1982 and 2022 will mark his 45th anniversary as a professional musician. Lynch continues to redefine guitar playing and songwriting while showing no signs of slowing down.

In recent years, Lynch has recorded albums with a number of different projects, including LYNCH MOB, KXM, SWEET & LYNCH, THE END MACHINE and DIRTY SHIRLEY. His most recent release was "Heavy Hitters", a collaboration with his former DOKKEN bandmate Jeff Pilson on a collection of studio recordings that turn pop music classics into metal anthems.

In 2020, Lynch told Guitar World magazine that staying "diversified" was key to making a living in rock music today. "Do everything," he said. "Be an engineer, be a composer, play every instrument you can, get endorsements, learn how to make a web site, be social-media savvy and keep your eye on everything."

Photo credit: Cat Parker
























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BLINK-182 drummer Travis Barker says it was "the lamest shit ever" for former CANNIBAL CORPSE singer Chris Barnes and others to criticize Kourtney Kardashian after the reality TV personality and social media star was photographed wearing one of CANNIBAL CORPSE's t-shirts.

In the widely circulated photo, Kardashian is seen sporting an "Eaten Back To Life"-era long-sleeve T-shirt from the death metal veterans while she and Barker, who is her fiancé, were in Venice for the Dolce & Gabbana show. Her stylist, Dani Michelle, had since confirmed to Vogue that Kourtney borrowed the shirt from Barker, who has a large collection of punk and metal t-shirts. "Kourt has told me before that his closet is an archive itself. She can pick any t-shirt to wear and it's the softest, coolest thing ever," Michelle told Vogue. "Sometimes she just wants to raid it."

Last September, Barnes shared an article about Kourtney's latest wardrobe choice and he wrote simply: "Posers." He also tagged Vogue writer Liana Satenstein and wrote in a separate tweet, "here's my response", adding a thumbs down emoji to really express his disapproval.

Now, in a new Revolver interview with Barker, the BLINK-182 drummer has chimed in on the controversy, saying: "That's the lamest shit ever. Obviously my fiancée doesn't listen to CANNIBAL CORPSE, but I do. I grew up loving them. For [someone] to mention that in a negative light — fucking lame, you know? She's wearing it because she's [cool]. She's not claiming she knows every song. But I do! I bought every album, and I learned how to play every album.

"I grew up a punk-rock kid, [but] everything with punk rock — 'I'm more punk than you' — just fuck all that. Be stoked that people are into music. Music is beautiful! It changes people's lives. It creates the best memories. Just celebrate it, you know?

"But yeah ... I have a gang of CANNIBAL CORPSE t-shirts," he added with a laugh. "I still love them. I have a gang of KING DIAMOND t-shirts and rare SLAYER shirts because I fucking love those bands. I grew up on them. Even though I'm, you know, whatever the world wants to view me as — 'Oh, that's BLINK-182's drummer' — actually that guy was playing in a garage with a bunch of speed-metal kids listening to D.R.I. and S.O.D. I enjoyed every fucking minute of it."

Kourtney is just the latest in a growing trend of celebrities wearing heavy metal t-shirts as high fashion. Rapper Kanye West has previously been criticized for repping vintage band tees, and Kourtney's sister Kim Kardashian is regularly spotted wearing METALLICA t-shirts. Kim's maternal half-sibling Kendall Jenner was seen getting around in a SLAYER tee, and EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt — who also played with SLAYER for nearly a decade — apparently responded by wearing a t-shirt onstage that read "Kill The Kardashians".

After Kanye was seen wearing a TESTAMENT t-shirt in 2016, the band's guitarist Alex Skolnick reacted negatively in an online post, writing: "Goodness gracious. This whole decrepit clan must have picked up a pile of old concert t-shirts (the same pile Kourtney K's SLAYER shirt came from) which have somehow become a 'thing' in trendy fashion (who'd have thought?!!). Inconceivable that any of these pop-culture vultures know who the heck any of the bands are. My guess is he thinks it's a religious group (not the first time that's happened). That is, if he thinks at all, which lately seems unlikely. And I thought this time period couldn't get any weirder..."

Barnes exited CANNIBAL CORPSE in 1995, one year after the release of the band's "The Bleeding" album. He has since been replaced by George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher.

Photo credit: Jordan Knight

In a new interview with SoundMojo's "Innersleeve" podcast, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge elaborated on his recent comment that he is "a dictator and control freak" when it comes to the way he runs his band. "I try to be a control freak, or I am what you call a control freak," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "But just because I'm a control freak does not mean that I'm in control; it just means that I'm freakish about having control — that desire, because I like to do things my way. But I've also learned that almost nothing that I plan goes the way that I plan; it always ends up being a different version of what I had in mind. What I know now, just because I'm somewhat successful doing it, is that it usually turns out quite okay, and as long as I have it on my to-do list, I can perfect it later. But I did not know that before."

Forge continued: "When I had all the time in the world to come up with my schemes and plans, because I had nothing better to do — I was not successful at all — then it was easier to sort of have a hard, firm, hundred percent 'This is my plan and this is exactly how things are gonna pan out.' And then when it didn't, then you got to go back to the drawing table and it felt like a big defeat. Compare it to war — it may be tasteless in this time and age, but if you wanna compare it to it, it's like being a general in a war. You have to have an end goal. Yeah, we're taking that fortress over there. I don't really know exactly how — I have five different plans of getting there — I just know that we might take that village as well, we might lose that village, but at the end of the day, my hope is for us to control that fortress and I want to control that harbor. But you have to be pretty elastic when it comes to retreating, giving and taking, and losing some, winning some and all that."

GHOST has just released its fifth album, "Impera", via Loma Vista. Forge worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with producer Klas Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga.

Back in 2017, Forge was sued by four former members of the band after being dismissed by the group's founder the previous December. They accused the singer of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the band's album releases and world tours. The lawsuit was filed in the district court of Linköping, Sweden, where GHOST was originally based. It claimed that a partnership agreement existed between Forge and the four former members, all of whom performed anonymously in the band as Nameless Ghouls. As a result of the lawsuit, Forge was forced to reveal his identity after years of performing in a mask as Papa Emeritus. He has maintained that "no legal partnership" ever existed between him and the other members.

GHOST has just completed its co-headlining tour with VOLBEAT. The 26-date trek, which included special guests TWIN TEMPLE, kicked off on January 25 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada and concluded on March 3 in Anaheim, California.

In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the new character who would front the act for its next LP phase.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of "Prequelle".

Canadian rocker Danko Jones joined Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA on stage this past Wednesday (March 16) at The Opera House in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to perform the song "Sepulnation". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

Danko previously collaborated with SEPULTURA on a recording of "Sepulnation" during the weekly "SepulQuarta" video podcast in which the band invited other famous musicians from all over the world to not only discuss important topics but also perform a track from SEPULTURA's massive catalog together with the group. The resulting full-length compilation, also titled "SepulQuarta", was released in August 2021, with the album containing 15 classics featuring internationally renowned guests and friends.

Danko commented on his guest appearance with SEPULTURA: "In 2020, I participated in their 'SepulQuarta' series which birthed their 'SepulQuarta' album. Singing 'Sepulnation' meant a lot because I've been a fan since [1989's 'Beneath The Remains'] and consider myself part of the Sepulnation."

Shortly before the LP's release, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser said: "'SepulQuarta' was born at the very beginning of the pandemic when everything was halted. We had a new album out, but we couldn't tour for it. Therefore, we created this recurring event where we could talk with our fans around the world, play our music and exchange ideas. It was a blast! 'SepulQuarta' kept us alive and strong throughout one of the most difficult times in human history."

Obviously, the members of SEPULTURA were not the only musicians feeling this way, so they started to connect with friends and colleagues worldwide and asked them to not only be part of their weekly podcast, but also join them in playing one of SEPULTURA's classics tracks. From the safety of their homes, international stars like Devin Townsend, Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM), and many more recorded a SEPULTURA track together with the band, which were then mixed and mastered by Conrado Ruther for release.

SEPULTURA's current lineup comprises Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande.

SEPULTURA's latest studio 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.

RUSH has just released the official audio for "Limelight (Live In YYZ 1981)" from the upcoming "Moving Pictures - 40th Anniversary" set. Check it out below.

On April 15, UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records label groups continue the extensive RUSH 40th-anniversary album series with new, expanded editions of the band's groundbreaking 1981 release "Moving Pictures", embodying its well-deserved classic album status. "Moving Pictures - 40th Anniversary" will be available to fans in six distinct configurations, including the (1) Super Deluxe Edition, (2) three-CD Deluxe Edition, (3) five-LP Deluxe Edition, (4) one-LP Edition, (5), Digital Deluxe Edition, and (6) Dolby Atmos Digital Edition and can be pre-ordered here.

"Moving Pictures", RUSH's eighth studio album, was originally released on February 12, 1981, and its adventurous-yet-accessible music catapulted the forward-thinking Canadian band to even newer heights as it began navigating the demands of a new decade. The album's seven songs expertly blended RUSH's intrinsic prowess for channeling its progressive roots into radio-friendly arrangements, a template the band had mastered to a T all throughout its previous album, 1980's deservedly lauded "Permanent Waves". "Moving Pictures" was also the second of many RUSH recording sessions at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, which was ultimately nicknamed the trio's own personal Abbey Road recording studio.

The album's lead-off track, "Tom Sawyer", became one of RUSH's most cherished FM favorites in addition to taking its rightful place as a perpetual concert staple for decades to come. Next, the band shifts into the multi-generational dreamscape of "Red Barchetta", which chronicles the thrills and chills of a high-stakes backroads car race. The instrumental barnburner "YYZ", lovingly named after the airport identification code for Toronto's Pearson International Airport, runs the gamut of the band's forever impressive progressive chops in under four minutes flat. Side A closes out with the observational luminescence of "Limelight", a timeless, if not prescient look at how introverted artists grapple with public demands while trying to maintain a personal level of earned privacy.

Side B commences with the expansive palette of "The Camera Eye", a multi-layered, ten-minute-long travelogue that takes a bird's eye view of the inherent hustle and bustle of New York City counterbalanced with the intense energy and deep-rooted history of London. "Witch Hunt" (subtitled as being "Part III of Fear") offers a grim view of prejudice and mob mentality, while the album wraps up with the angular, cutting-edge "Vital Signs", a propulsive track that clearly foreshadows a number of the more adventurous musical directions RUSH would undertake as the ever-shifting 1980s continued to unfold.

The Super Deluxe Edition includes three CDs, one Blu-ray Audio disc, and five high-quality 180-gram black vinyl LPs. The set encompasses the Abbey Road Mastering Studios 2015 remastered edition of the album for the first time on CD, along with two discs of previously unreleased and newly restored bonus live content newly mixed from the original analog live multi-tracks by RUSH's original producer, Terry Brown, featuring the band's complete, unreleased Toronto concert from Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, on March 25, 1981 (designated here as "Live In YYZ 1981"). The fourth bonus disc is a Blu-ray Audio disc with the core album newly mixed from the original multi-tracks in Dolby Atmos (a RUSH catalog first!), Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound as done by noted producer/engineer Richard Chycki, alongside the previously available PCM Stereo mix. Also included on the Blu-ray are four bonus videos: a brand-new video for "YYZ" plus three remastered vintage promo videos for "Tom Sawyer", "Limelight" and "Vital Signs". Additionally, all of the vinyl in the Super Deluxe Edition has been cut via half-speed Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) (another RUSH catalog first!) on five 180-gram audiophile LPs.

The Super Deluxe Edition of "Moving Pictures - 40th Anniversary" will also include several exclusive items, including a 44-page hardcover book with unreleased photos and new artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme, along with new illustrations for each song; extensive liner notes by Kim Thayil (guitarist, SOUNDGARDEN), Les Claypool (bassist/vocalist, PRIMUS), Taylor Hawkins (drummer, FOO FIGHTERS), Bill Kelliher (guitarist, MASTODON), and Neil Sanderson (drummer, THREE DAYS GRACE); a Red Barchetta model car mounted on a black perch with an MP40 nameplate; two Neil Peart signature MP40 branded drumsticks; two metal-embossed guitar picks, one each with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson's respective signatures engraved on them; a replica of the "Moving Pictures" 1981 official tour program; an MP40 logo enamel pin; a 3D lenticular "Moving Pictures in motion" lithograph; an 18×24-inch Toronto 1981 concert poster; a replica concert ticket from the 1981 Maple Leaf Gardens show; a 12×36-inch Rush Through The Years 1973-1981 poster; a YYZ luggage tag; and a All Access World Tour '81 insert. All contents are housed in a premium lift-top box, which features movingly reimagined cover artwork by Hugh Syme.

The second configuration of "Moving Pictures - 40th Anniversary" will be released in a three-CD Deluxe Edition digipak that includes the newly remastered original album on CD 1 and the entire, unreleased 1981 Toronto concert on CDs 2 and 3. Extras include a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos and reimagined artwork by Syme, along with the aforementioned liner notes by Thayil, Claypool, Hawkins, Kelliher and Sanderson.

The third "Moving Pictures" configuration will be offered as a five-LP Deluxe Edition, all of it housed in a slipcase including a single-pocket jacket for the remastered original "Moving Pictures" on LP 1, and two gatefold jackets for LPs 2-5 that comprise all 19 tracks from the complete, unreleased "Live In YYZ" 1981 concert. As noted above, all vinyl has been cut for the first time ever via half-speed Direct to Metal Mastering (DMM) on 180-gram black audiophile vinyl. Extras include a 24-page booklet with unreleased photos, Syme's reimagined artwork and new illustrations, and the complete liner notes.

The fourth configuration is a one-LP eCommerce exclusive edition, featuring the first-ever half-speed DMM vinyl pressing. It comes newly wrapped in a limited-edition premium tip-on style gatefold jacket with printed sleeve, and each pressing comes with one of six randomly inserted Neil Peart hand-drawn lyrics sheets.

The fifth configuration, the Deluxe Digital Edition, features the original album and all 19 bonus live performances from Toronto, and is the digital equivalent to the three-CD Deluxe Edition.

Finally, the sixth configuration, the Dolby Atmos Digital Edition, is the digital equivalent of Richard Chycki's masterful Atmos mix of all seven tracks from the original album.

RUSH — bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist/vocalist Alex Lifeson, and drummer/lyricist Neil Peart — maintains a large and uniquely passionate worldwide fanbase that acknowledges and respects the band's singular, bold, and perpetually exploratory songcraft that combines sterling musicianship, complex compositions, and distinctive lyrical flair. RUSH has sold more than 25 million albums in the U.S. alone, with worldwide sales estimated at 45 million (and counting), and has been awarded 24 gold, 14 platinum, and three multi-platinum album distinctions. RUSH has received seven Grammy nominations, and the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 1994 and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013.

DEF LEPPARD will release its new album, "Diamond Star Halos", on May 27 via UMe. The 15-song follow-up to 2015's self-titled LP was produced by the band and longtime engineer Ronan McHugh.

Over the past two years, DEF LEPPARD recorded "Diamond Star Halos" simultaneously in three different countries with singer Joe Elliott in Ireland, bassist Rick Savage in England, and guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell and drummer Rick Allen in the United States. The band also enlisted Alison Krauss and David Bowie pianist Mike Garson to guest on the LP.

"It was joyful to do," Elliott told Billboard about the process. "As Sav says, at any one time there were possibly four songs getting worked on at once. And everybody was at home, so you didn't have to work on it constantly or be sitting around waiting to do your bit if we were all in the studio together or something. You could get on with doing other stuff. So it was a leisurely way of recording, but we could concentrate wholly on the record when we were actually recording. What we learned was it's not where your body is, it's where your mind's at. We were in three different countries, but we were all on the same page."

Collen added: "I think it's the best thing we've ever done. There was so much more energy by not having to go to a studio or a situation where you were waiting on anything. I'd finish something, send it to Joe in Ireland and he'd send it to Sav and…we'd just be back and forth, and when I'd wake up in the morning there'd be something new in my mailbox. It was constantly exciting. I don't think we don't want to go back to whatever that standard way was that we did before."

The artwork for "Diamond Star Halos" features images by world-renowned photographer and director Anton Corbijn, styling concepts by Maryam Malakpour and graphics by the U.K.-based Munden Brothers.

DEF LEPPARD will return to the road this summer as part of "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS. The trek was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Photo credit: Anton Corbijn

Dutch top rockers Wasteland Viper have presented their single and video "Too Blind To See", taken from the band's upcoming album Dead Men Tell No Tales, due for release on April 2022, via Wormholedeath worldwide.


Wasteland Viper is a four-piece hard rock group from the Netherlands, formed in 2016. The band combines a punk / hardcore vibe with clean vocal melodies in a unique way. They really deliver a solid and original debut album with quite a lot of variation, melody and power. The influences are there, but each of the bandmembers really adds their own fingerprint to the overall sound. Songs like "Live By The Day", "Too Blind To See" and "Overdrive’"are perfect examples of this. The lyrics are about different subjects with one overall theme; Respect the little things in life and finding out who you are.


"We went to Tom Meier Studio Recordings for the recording and production of Dead Men Tell No Tales because we’ve succesfully worked on our EP Unleash The Beast before. Tom really pushed us to get the best performance possible and his liveroom has fantastic acoustics that are perfect for recording rock ‘n roll."







Tracklisting:


"Overdrive" 
"Black Snow"
"Dead Men Tell No Tales"
"Different World"
"Feeding The Madness"
"Too Blind To See"
"Nineteen-Fourteen"
"Live By The Day"
"Welcome To The Bar"
"Steed Of Steel"


"Too Blind To See" video:





Teaser video:





(Photo – Maaike Ronhaar)

In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2018's "Firepower" album. He said: "The epidemic really halted the writing process. But the band was kicking ideas around before that. I think it's what every PRIEST fan would want to hear. There's no attempt to be clever or try and do something too risky. It's just down and out PRIEST. And as I say, I think it will be what every PRIEST fan will want."

Last month, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked by Remy Maxwell of Audacy Check In if he agreed with guitarist Richie Faulkner's recent comment that the band's upcoming album will be more musically "progressive" than "Firepower". He responded: "Yeah, the metal is there. But here's the thing: we've tried our best not to replicate anything that we've done. From 'Rocka Rolla' all the way through to 'Firepower', each record has had a distinctive character. And it's tough because fans go, 'We want another 'Painkiller',' 'We want another 'British Steel'.' And [it's, like], 'Dude, we've already done that.'

"Fans know that we're a band that is always full of adventure and trying new stuff," he continued. "And so, yeah, this has got probably some more progressive elements that we've never really delved into before. And that's exciting, because, again, it gives us and our fans another opportunity to see a different side of PRIEST. But it's still metal. There's just more of it. There are more notes than there were before."

In February, Faulkner told Canada's The Metal Voice about the progress of the songwriting sessions for PRIEST's next album: "Since the 'Firepower' tour, we all went our separate ways, like we do, and we've always got ideas coming up; me, Rob and Glenn, we sort of start to put ideas down. And we got together in early 2020 — me, Rob and Glenn; and [co-producer and touring guitarist] Andy Sneap was there as well — and we pooled all our ideas together and we started the first writing session. So we got together a batch of songs that were by no means finished, but they were developed enough that we could call them songs. So we could give them working titles. They were demos, if that makes sense. So we had a batch of demos. And then since then, we've been trying to find an opportunity where we can all get together and develop 'em further and record them. But, obviously, with the restrictions of the lockdown and the pandemic…"

He continued: "We wanna be together as a band to iron out those creases. If the three of us got together with a group of songs and we played them together, it's, like, 'Oh, that one needs a bit of fat trimmed there,' 'That's too long' or 'We need to put some more guitar solos in there.' It becomes evident when you play together what songs need. So we've been looking for an opportunity to do that. It's been tough with the travel restrictions — some of us live over here; some of us live over there — so it's been tough. But we have started recording some and getting it put together with those restrictions, because we wanna get it done, but it's obviously taking longer than we'd like, really, because of the pandemic. Obviously, now we've got the tour coming up and hopefully we can get on the road and stay on the road, so we're gonna work around that flow. So I wouldn't like to say when it's gonna be finished and when it's gonna be out, but we are working on it and we are dedicated to getting it done, getting those songs down and then getting it out to the world. But, obviously, we're nowhere near a release date, but we are dedicated on working on it and getting it done to the best of our ability, for sure."

As for the musical direction of the new PRIEST material, Faulkner said: "Whenever you start a record, you never know how it's gonna turn out. So you might start with an idea of what it's gonna be, and as it kind of rolls on, it comes out something different. So you don't quite know. And also it's really hard to sum up your own music, I find, without sounding really pretentious. But I think this one — it's not 'Firepower 2', I don't think. It's its own thing, it's its own animal. If anything, I would say it's a bit more progressive in places, and in places it's got a bit more of that 'Killing Machine' swagger."

Faulkner added: "I know everyone says, 'Oh, is it the next 'Painkiller'?' or 'Is it the next…?' whatever… I don't know if they'd ever done it, but I know we've never done it when I've been in the band; we've never tried to recreate an album. It's always we try to create an album that stands on its own legs. So I think it's definitely a little bit more progressive than 'Firepower' and, as I said, in places it's got a little bit of that 'Killing Machine' angry swagger attitude going on. But again, as I said, we're waiting to see what it turns out like, 'cause it could turn out completely different."

In March 2021, Halford confirmed that PRIEST's next album will see the band reuniting with the "Firepower" production team consisting of Sneap, longtime collaborator Tom Allom and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

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

Bassist Ian 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. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

Some of the other members of PRIEST have also dealt with various health setbacks in recent years. Halford recently publicly revealed that he battled prostate cancer during the pandemic. He previously mentioned his cancer battle in the new chapter added to the updated paperback edition of his autobiography, "Confess". In "Confess", Halford revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer after experiencing symptoms for at least a couple of years.

In July 2020, Rob underwent prostatectomy, an operation where the entire prostate gland is removed plus some of the tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles. After more cancer was found last year, he went through radiation treatments in April and May 2021 and eventually got then all-clear in June 2021. He also had an appendectomy after a tumor was discovered on his appendix.

Faulkner suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during the band's performance at the Louder Than Life festival in late September. Faulkner was rushed to the UofL Health - Jewish Hospital where the cardiothoracic surgery team needed approximately 10 hours to complete a life-saving surg

Saxon performed at Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival 2021 on Sunday, August 15, and you can now watch professionally filmed footage of the band's full set.


Setlist:


"Motorcycle Man"
"Battering Ram"
"Wheels Of Steel"
"They Played Rock And Roll"
"Strong Arm Of The Law"
"Denim And Leather"
"Thunderbolt"
"Never Surrender"
"The Eagle Has Landed"
"Dogs Of War"
"Solid Ball Of Rock"
"And The Bands Played On"
"Power And The Glory"
"747 (Strangers In The Night)"
"Princess Of The Night"







Saxon recently released their new album, Carpe Diem, via Silver Lining Music. Carpe Diem is available in a variety of formats and orders can be placed here.


Cover art by Paul R. Gregory.





Tracklisting:


"Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)"
"Age Of Steam"
"The Pilgrimage"
"Dambusters"
"Remember The Fallen"
"Super Nova"
"Lady In Gray"
"All For One"
"Black Is The Night"
"Living On the Limit"


"The Pilgrimage" video:





“Remember The Fallen” video:





"Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)" video:





Saxon lineup:


Biff Byford - Vocals
Paul Quinn - Guitar
Nigel Glockler - Drums
Doug Scarratt - Guitar
Nibbs Carter - Bass

Norwegian metallers Manifest premiered their new single “L.G.A.D.” via BraveWords! The song is a tribute to fallen Entombed legend L.G. Petrov, who passed away 1 year ago after battling cancer.


Manifest have issued the following comment regarding the song: “The death of L.G. Petrov in March last year came as very, very sad news. With his inhumane voice and unique charisma, L.G. was one of the greatest frontmen ever to be seen! We are sure he is giving the devil, and all of his friends, one hell of a time and we are dedicating this song to him. The legacy of L.G. Petrov deserves to live on forever!”


“L.G.A.D.” was produced by Manifest & Per Borten and mixed/mastered by Grammy award winning producer Oz Fritz. The track is now available on all streaming outlets. “L.G.A.D.” was recorded in Sørgården Studio, Norway, during the recording sessions for the new Manifest album, set for release later in the year via ViciSolum Productions/Sound Pollution distribution.

On January 21, Battle Beast unleashed their brand new masterpiece, Circus Of Doom, via Nuclear Blast. In true Battle Beast fashion, the 10 tracks blend true heavy metal with pop and rock-vibes, paired with Noora Louhimo’s unique voice.


Today, they release their brand new stand-alone single "The Lightbringer", that is also featured on the bonus version of Circus of Doom set to be released on April 29th. Check out the song here.


The band comments: "We’re really happy to present you these two missing pieces of Circus of Doom that didn’t quite fit the album, but still deserve to be blasted from loudspeakers around the world. 'Lightbringer' presents the more dark and orchestral side of Battle Beast, that knocks you down with a catchy chorus and an absolute hurricane of guitars. Hope you all dig this one!"




The bonus version of Circus of Doom features two previously unreleased tracks and will also be released on vinyl. You can pre-order it now on iTunes here.





Since its release, the album has entered the charts worldwide, including #1 in their home country, Finland. Below is an overview of official chart results:


Finland: #1
UK: #1 (Rock), #6 (Indie)
Sweden: #1 (Hard Rock), #5 (Physical)
Switzerland: #5
Germany: #9
US: #7 (Current Hard Music), #10 (Top New Artist)


Eero Sipilä comments: "We are so grateful to our fans around the world for making Circus of Doom such a huge success. We can’t wait to take this album on the road and get to thank all of you face-to-face! The circus is coming to town!”





Circus Of Doom was recorded at JKB Studios in Helsinki, Finland and produced and mixed by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, while the stunning artwork was created by Jan Yrlund.


Order/save Circus Of Doom digitally here. Order physical copies of the album in the format of you choice here.





Tracklisting:


"Circus Of Doom"
"Wings Of Light"
"Master Of Illusion"
"Where Angels Fear To Fly"
"Eye Of The Storm"
"Russian Roulette"
"Freedom"
"The Road To Avalon"
"Armageddon"
"Place That We Call Home"


"Wings Of Light" video:





"Where Angels Fear To Fly" video:





"Eye Of The Storm" video:





"Master Of Illusion" video:

Tama Drums has shared a playthrough video featuring Dimmu Borgir drummer Dariusz "Daray" Brzozowski  performing "The Empyrean Phoenix". Check it out below.





Black River, the Polish blackened rock ‘n’ roll band featuring Tomasz 'Orion' Wróblewski (Behemoth) and Dariusz "Daray" Brzozowski (Dimmu Borgir) are set to release their new single, "Joker", on March 22nd, via Crusader Records / Golden Robot Records. 'Joker' will be available on all digital platforms, and is available for pre-order/add/save now here.




"Joker" describes how we live in a seemingly nice world, where we can focus on self-development, earning money, and gigantic compulsive consumption; but in reality, this is an illusion that we choose to accept because it is easier to bear than the truth. "Joker" is fast and furious with an aggressive punk edge to it.





In December 2021, the band released the single, "Crossover Love". Check out the official video below.





Black River is another music band export product from Poland. The band consists of musicians from bands such as Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Vesania, Rootwater and Neolithic. Playing mean rock/metal with each new release the band gains a lot of new fans. They debuted in 2008 with the album Black River, which gained a lot of positive reviews and firmly established the band's position on the market, and not just in Poland.


After the success with their first album, they entered the studio once again in 2009 and the world saw another album entitled Black 'N' Roll. The album was released all over the world and received only positive reviews that brought the band to ever wider waters. Unfortunately, at that moment, the singer's health problems stopped Black River's activities for several years. They came back with a big bang in 2019 with their new album Humanoid and proved that they still know how one should use instruments to play Metal, the music that flows in their veins. Their music is a true and unbridled tribute to the tradition of heavy playing, on which Black River musicians grew up. Playing live concerts is their true strength where the band's professionalism and skills puts them at the top of the performers in its genre.2020 brings their new product Generation aXe that will get to know the world thanks to cooperation with Golden Robot Records.


Vocalist Maciej Taff about Generation aXe: "... one night I woke up very F***ing angry and couldn't sleep anymore, I realised that the level of this absurdity that surrounds us has exceeded all boundaries, that it is already unbearable, that this is not a world where we, our families and friends want to live. Half the world is starving, 70% of the population of known species have died out in the last 50 years, in many places there is nothing to breathe and the so-called civilisation does not deal with anything other than earning money at all costs. We met together and it was clear we all had the same anger, the same disagreement, the same fucking anger. We decided to express it in our music, to record a 3-4-track EP, vomit all this venom. We met for the first time during the rehearsal, we started talking, playing and ... after 2 weeks we were already in the studio, instead of 3 songs we wrote 11 without calculation, in full anger. I thought when we recorded it, it would "pass".... it hasn't passed...!"


Black River are:


Dariusz 'Daray' Brzozowski (drums)
Tomasz 'Orion' Wróblewski (bass)
Artur 'Art' Kempa (guitar)
Piotr 'Kay' Wtulich (guitar)
Maciej Taff (vocals)

Svart Records will debut Mother Of Light, the epic first album by dark folk songstress Anne K. O’Neill, under her Serpentent banner. As Serpentent, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist Anne K. O'Neill weaves a deep cinematic spell of gothic folk, combining elements of European folk music and neoclassical influences. 


Transfigured by her extraordinary, evocative vocal style, Serpentent’s Mother of Light is a lush saga. Unfastening her industrial roots, Serpentent sees O’Neill conjure monumental sonic narratives that are magnificently visual but fiercely vulnerable, her voice commanding an unconquerable presence. Emotionally charged, Serpentent sets the stage with songs of love and grief, magically distilled through eloquent landscapes of sound. Gothic classical neofolk or 80s-tinged neoclassical dark pop, only the listener can experience for themselves. Serpentent are that unique paradox, almost beyond genre, leaving you speechless and struggling to find words that can describe sheer beauty. 


With nods to Jung, Bataille, Camus, and Krishnamurti, Mother of Light’s themes serve as a rumination on the meanings of life and death making this debut Serpentent album an opus of philosophical observation. Featuring accompaniments by Joseph M. D'Auria on drums, Dylan Desmond on bass, and guest appearances from Lorraine Rath, Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe, Kakophonix, and Joy Von Spain, Mother of Light Together with artwork created by Anne K. O'Neill, Serpentent’s Mother of Light is an unflinching masterwork of artistry from cover to cover. 




O’Neill’s dark folk soundtracks, with her song-craft and voice bringing to mind Lisa Gerrard and Jocelyn Pook will appeal to fans of everything from Chelsea Wolfe, Darkher, Lindy-Fay Hella and Dead Can Dance to Emma Ruth Rundle, Enya, Mazzy Star and even Svart Records own Hexvessel. It’s hard not to believe that Serpentent is a prescient star whose moment has arrived. Mother of Light is a shining gem of darkness waiting to be discovered and explode into the mainstream. As explorer’s who have been there discovering many new artists as they emerge, take our word for it that Serpentent is one to seek out, to be there as the levee breaks. Allow Mother Of Light’s wave of life and death illuminate you.


The album Ancient Tomes Vol. 1: Mother Of Light is out on CD, double vinyl and digital formats on May 20, 2022. Preorder on Svart Records.


“Rise & Fall” video:

Denver, Colorado-based melodic death metal unit Nightwraith has unveiled their latest video for “Genesthai.” The track comes off the band’s upcoming full-length, Offering, set for release on March 25 through Reaping Scythe Records.


A sonic experience that is both aggressive and textural, the songwriting on Offering is deliberate, concise, and thoughtful, while remaining heavy enough to please the death metal audience for which it was intended. Pulling inspiration from a wide array of bands and genres, Nightwraith has been refined into something truly unique. "It's like we took all the heavy parts from bands like Carcass and Enslaved and combined it with the warmth of classic bands like Thin Lizzy and Blue Oyster Cult," explains founding member Benjamin Pitts. "It has been really fun inserting rock guitar and organ tones into a genre that typically avoids these types of sounds."


Adds Pitts of latest single, “Genesthai,” “During the process of writing this song, I knew we were making something special. The chorus is reminiscent of some early 2000s material from bands we grew up listening to, like Poison The Well and Cave In. It has an emotional element to it that I don’t often hear from bands that identify as death metal. There’s some fun guitar work in this track, especially in the bridge section where there are two different melodies that sit on top of each other perfectly. The lead section, written by [guitarist] Igor [Panasewicz], holds influences akin to the styles of guitar legends like Eddie Van Halen and Glenn Tipton. There are also acoustic guitars that serve as rhythm accompaniment during the lead section, which is all very ‘on brand’ for our style of blackened dad rock!




“The production of the video is much more artistic and serious than our previous video release, ‘Hedonic Adaptation,’" he continues. “I think this showcases our range and I love how it primarily focuses on us playing our instruments, rather than us just ‘rocking out.’ It kind of ties together with the song’s lyrical theme, which is basically death of the ego. The line, ‘the ego dies,’ is important to the song because it means that we are able to see beyond ourselves and realize the bigger picture: that everything is connected and life is fleeting, yet beautiful. I love how the visual concept of the video revolves around water, this is also part of the lyrical theme and represents how we are constantly moving in parallel with our surroundings and becoming part of something greater than our individual selves.”


Offering was tracked at The Shadow Temple, engineered, mixed, and produced by Jacob St. Amand and mastered by Pete deBoer at World Famous Studios. The record comes cloaked in the cover art of Jerianne Fulton and includes guest vocals by Grant Netzorg of In The Company Of Serpents on the track, "The Snake And The Rope."


Offering will be released on CD, vinyl, cassette, and digital formats. Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Offering”
“Hedonic Adapation”
“Beguiler”
“Genesthai”
“The Great Acceleration”
“Shavano”
“Maranasati”
“The Snape And The Rope”


"Genesthai" video:





“Hedonic Adaptation” video:





(Photo by Holden Kudla)

Silver City, New Mexico-based underground rock group, TombSnakes, will release its debut EP, No Graves, on Friday, March 18 via Blank City Records.


Born during the Great Quarantine on 16 acres of harsh desert land and featuring members of True Widow, The Saint James Society, Form & Fate, and Vigilantics, TombSnakes packs a punch harder than ice picks and stilettos, with sounds borne of environments that exist beyond the pale of decent society - motels, roadside bars, sun-drenched small towns, places for outcasts. The No Graves EP is available for pre-order here.


The EP opener, "Concrete", is available for streaming below.




Says the band: "'Concrete' is two and a half minutes of sludgy punk rock riffs and post-hardcore energy with a vocal delivery reminiscent of Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto. There’s an abrasive guitar solo, punchy rhythms and lots of energy in sneering aggression. Put another way: It kicks ass."


"'Concrete’ is about that feelin’ of being locked in the city, and pushed in a corner," says TombSnakes vocalist Rafael Vigilantics. "We tried to write a song that felt like the moment when the scales tip from being brutalized by civilization to seeing anything as a weapon to free us from it; our voices, our instruments, our knuckles, shovels.”





"At the height of the pandemic, a small group of friends comprised of members from the Saint James Society, Vigilantics, Form & Fate and True Widow were shacked up together in Silver City, New Mexico, trying to make the best of lockdown," says TombSnakes bassist Brandon Burkart. "One day, we received a care package in the mail from Billy Gould of Faith No More. He has a company named YEBIGA that makes and imports a spirit called rakija, which is native to Eastern Europe. Later that day, while we're sitting around a table shooting dice and bullshitting, Nicole Estill from True Widow got a text that Riley Gale of Power Trip had passed away. He and Nicole were old Dallas friends. Each of us had actually been at the very last Power Trip show in Dallas before the shutdown. It was a fucking tragedy to get that news, even for those of us that didn't know him, personally. Naturally, we put on a Power Trip record and just drank and raged and headbanged and screamed. We got primitive out there. After crushing the better part of two bottles of Yebiga, [Power Trip's] 'If Not Us Then Who' came on where the lyric is 'If not now than when, if not us, then who?' In our drunken stomp, we took that literally, pulled out some instruments and wrote this track 'Two Shakes.' Sonically, we made no attempt to sound like any other band, but ethically we wanted to just get busy right then and there. I think that's translated in the urgency and immediacy of 'Two Shakes.' It felt like we had to write that song exactly when we did."


In addition to multi-instrumentalist Burkart, TombSnakes features poet/vocalist Raf Vigilantics, and guitarist Antonio Matta. The gang descended on a small recording studio in the Mimbres Valley and emerged having created one of the most honest, knuckle dragging, street punk records in some time. TombSnakes' debut EP, No Graves, is full of howling mantras and knife jab guitar riffs. The sound of TombSnakes is a rugged blend of punk, rock n roll, concrete, and psychedelic violence featuring bold notes of disdain and fear with a rowdy finish that is perfect for any real party. This is music for the sleepless; for those who feel something stirring in them, who long for fellowship and something real in the new America. Above being driving, vengeful, and dangerous, this record is just plain fuckin' fun. Pairs well with sex and street fights.





Tracklisting:


"Concrete"
"Two Shakes"
"Pulling Teeth"
"No Graves"
"Numbers"


"Two Shakes" video:

UK thrash / hardcore crossover band Cage Fight, which features TesseracT guitarist James Monteith and former Eths vocalist Rachel Aspe, will release their self-titled debut album on May 13 via Candlelight.


The band have released the video for new single, "Respect Ends". The video, satisfyingly played out by Cage Fight vocalist Rachel Aspe, arrives as a warning to those that attempt to prey on others.


The singer explains, "This song is dedicated to men (or in fact anyone) who thinks it's ok to harass, abuse, make inappropriate comments, or not take no for an answer, both in the real world but also online. It's also a message of solidarity to those who have been victims of such behavior. The video is symbolic of the frustration and damage this can cause, and it's something we, as a society, should not and will not accept. The final message is clear. If this is how you behave, stay the f**k away. Otherwise, you will regret it."







One of the most furious hardcore records to emerge from the UK in recent years, the anger and frustration of Cage Fight's self-titled debut album is the perfect catharsis for our times.


The album's artwork — a grabbing hand with the Cage Fight logo tattooed on the palm — visually portrays the violent rage at the core of the band's music. Legitimately inked by Aspe, a tattoo artist by trade, the process of creating the image is as impactful as the final artwork itself.





Tracklisting:


"Intro" (Feat. Jeremy Sylvester)
"The Mirror Shattered"
"Killer"
"Hope Castrated"
"Make A Decision"
"Guillotine"
"Cage Fight!"
"Shine Don’t Fade"
"One Minute"
"Tell Me What Real Is"
"Respect Ends"
"Eating Me Alive" (Feat. Trevor Strnad The Black Dahlia Murder)
"My Dreams"
"Bitch In The Pit" (Body Count cover)


"Shine Don’t Fade" video:

Icons of British hard rock, Thunder, have shared the second taste of their upcoming new album, Dopamine, out April 29 via BMG - a slab of optimistic arena-rock, "Dancing In The Sunshine".





The band have also shared a lyric video for the track, which is a perfect pick-you-up and rallying cry against the current gloomy period of human history. Listen to the song here, see the lyric video below:







Dopamine is Thunder’s first ever double-album, and consists of 16 tracks - something that is resonant with the album’s themes.


Guitarist, songwriter and Thunder co-founder Luke Morley says: “'We didn’t set out to make a double album but as the writing and recording process went on we wandered into some interesting areas and then it became a case of 'can we afford to leave any of this off?’ In the end we did reduce it from 20 tunes to 16 but it wasn’t an easy choice.”


Satirical and urgent but never downcast, Dopamine was inspired by the world’s mass retreat to social media during the pandemic lockdowns, endlessly hunting for the next hit of happy hormones.


“I read a fascinating article by an American psychologist,” says Luke, “who said that social media forces us to become dopamine addicts. We’re validated and liked on social media, which releases the dopamine – and so we get addicted to it. We take more and more selfies in the hope of more and more validation, and the album cover reflects this. People are surrounded by amazing things that they’re missing because they’re so self-obsessed. Of course, you’ll have to get your hands on the physical album to see all of the amazing things I’m referring to.”


The new album comes at the perfect time for Thunder, whose lineup for the last quarter-century and more has been Luke and Danny Bowes (singer), plus Ben Matthews (guitar and keyboards), Chris Childs (bass) and Harry James (drums).


They’ve been riding a wave of success since their 2015 comeback album Wonder Days, releasing the acclaimed All The Right Noises last year. The record went Top 3 in the UK Albums Chart; a quite incredible feat for a British hard rock band into their 4th decade. Globally, it was one of their most successful albums to date. Giving them their first top 10 in Germany and Switzerland; their highest chart entry in Japan, Belgium, and Austria; and for the first time they charted in markets including France and Spain.


And make no mistake - the last 30 years have been a rollercoaster ride. Thunder had a start in life like few other bands, delivering a killer debut LP with 1990’s Backstreet Symphony and scoring a US record deal with the help of a keen fan, Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses. Songs like "Dirty Love" and "Low Life In High Places" - according to the late radio legend Tommy Vance, “the greatest ever single released by a rock band” – have gone on to enter the British rock canon.


Despite these early triumphs, rewarded with gold awards and one of the most enduring fanbases on the planet, changes in musical fashions and two breakups made Thunder’s progress a rocky road indeed.


All that changed with the current sequence of albums that kicked off seven years ago with Wonder Days. Too vital to be simply labelled veterans, too varied in style to be just another classic rock band.


Thunder are at the very peak of their considerable form, still offering fans doses of Dopamine after all these years.


The album will be available in CD and double LP vinyl, with exclusive lenticular cover versions available only from the Thunder online store, here.





Tracklisting:


CD1 / LP1
"The Western Sky"
"One Day We'll Be Free Again"
"Even If It Takes A Lifetime"
"Black"
"Unraveling"
"The Dead City"
"Last Orders"
"All The Way"


CD2 / LP2
"Dancing In The Sunshine"
"Big Pink Supermoon"
"Across The Nation"
"Just A Grifter"
"I Don't Believe The World"
"Disconnected"
"Is Anybody Out There?"
"No Smoke Without Fire"


"The Western Sky" video:

Ultimate Jam Night paid tribute to Randy Rhoads on March 15 at its long time residency location, The Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. On the night, former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young (and friends) performed the Ozzy Osbourne song, "Revelation (Mother Earth)". Watch video below.


A message from Jeff states: "Having the opportunity to honor Randy's music & memory on the very same stage where the young maestro cut his teeth with Quiet Riot was a true privilege. I met all these fine musicians, not 1 hour before we stepped on stage together, unrehearsed to throw down this Blizzard of Ozz EPIC... hope you enjoy the impromptu synergy."


Lineup:




Lucia Marco - Vocals
Jeff Young - Electric Guitar
Luis E. Villegas - Acoustic Guitar
Holly West - Bass
Tosha Jones - Drums
Chris Turbis - Keys
Emily V - Violin

In a new interview with Drew Stone of The New York Hardcore Chronicles Live!, former PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo was asked if he is working on any music at the moment. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just pretty much had a new studio installed next door [to my house], and we're working all kind of bugs out and whatnot. So I tell my guy, my engineer, I tell him, I said, 'Just program some drums, man. Give me some drums. Give me a different drum beat every day — up beat, down beat, whatever. Give me something.' So I'll walk in, there's a drumbeat, and I'll just pick up any instrument and just go right off the cuff. And it is some of the worst music you can imagine.

"I don't know, man," he continued. "I'm this close, man [holds two fingers close together] — I'm this close. I'm feeling something. We'll see what it is. I've got a couple of options. I just don't know, man. If it's gonna be metal, I wanna do it old school, man. I've been kind of feeling more [Rob] Halford lately, man, vocal-wise, just singing, using my range again. So, we'll see. It's gotta be right."

Less than two years ago, Anselmo told Revolver magazine that Halford is "hands down" the greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time. "Absolutely," he said and then hesitated for a few seconds before also giving major props to late BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and HEAVEN & HELL singer Ronnie James Dio. "Dio. Ronnie James Dio — my Lord, what a powerful presence. [Rob and Ronnie] both — if you were standing on the side [of the stage], they were the loudest freaking thing on that stage. If you went around the front, they were the loudest thing on that stage. So it was amazingly powerful."

In a 2010 interview with Antiquiet, Anselmo said about Dio: "Ronnie James Dio was probably one of the coolest motherfuckers in the biz. A lot of people could say that and just be talking nice, but I'm being very sincere here. PANTERA first did a gig with BLACK SABBATH and Dio in '93, I believe. It was in Italy. He was just the most down-to-earth motherfucker. He toked weed with us after the gig, he sent 'War Pigs' out to me. He was just a very, very engaging person. Really, really sweet, real down to earth. He kept in touch throughout the years, and DOWN ended up playing some shows with SABBATH and Dio a couple years ago. Once again, I just wanna let everybody know that this guy was just one of the true good guys of this entire fuckin' business, man."

Back in 2014, Anselmo told Rock Scene that Halford was a huge influence on him when he first started developing his singing style.

"I don't think I started maturing as a vocalist till I was 15," he said. "And then after I started to mature, everything happened really quickly, and my range grew mightily. And it was quick, it happened quick. By that time, I'd started jamming with older guys, whatnot, and I would come home from school every day and practice JUDAS PRIEST's 'Unleashed In The East' front to back and do it the way Rob Halford did it.

"People who think Rob Halford uses falsetto are sadly mistaken; that's a full-out voice, and that's how I learned," he continued. "And I never had falsetto; I've always sang full out. Eventually, when I found and wanted and needed to find my own identity, I purposely kind of abandoned that style because, in my mind, it had already been done before and done the best it could be.

"There's only one Rob Halford," he added. "I know there's some other guys that could sing very well and whatnot, but that style, I thought, had been done to death, and heavy metal needed a new attitude, I guess, brought to it instead. And it was already there; there was already the first METALLICA record and SLAYER, for sure and whatnot. And don't get me wrong, Tom [Araya] could hit those high falsetto notes, but that's not what SLAYER was about; it was more about aggression, especially vocally. So it was all happening around me. I just needed to get that perfect blend, man, of hardcore attitude from bands like AGNOSTIC FRONT, CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER… shit… obviously BLACK FLAG and… so many others. It's unbelievable how many influences I used and incorporated. I even used death metal moments and whatnot, cup the mic, shit like that, for effect. So I always evolved."

Italian guitarist Luke Fortini will release his new album, Technical Supremacy, through Lion Music on April 29 on digipak CD. 


Fortini comments on the new album:


“My new record Technical Supremacy is a totally instrumental project, with hints of neoclassical and progressive metal. This is a very technical release, a world that has always attracted me. In my small way, I think I have had musical experiences not just, nothing huge to be clear, but still some tours in Europe in the past and album recordings with metal bands, primarily with Hyperion and Imago Imperii (Italian metal bands where I already play for several years). Before the pandemic I also played in commercial cover bands, to make evenings in clubs and even weddings.”




On his main influences:


“My musical influences are varied, I try to make a complete list: Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne with Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen, Slash, Joe Satriani, Jason Becker, Guns N 'Roses, Death, Cannibal Corpse, Allan Holdsworth, Savatage , Gary Moore, Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius (not the latest, but the original ones with Timo Tolkki), Michael Jackson, Toto, Dream Theater, NicolÚ Paganini, Igor Stravinsky, Edvard Grieg and Alfred Schnittke.”





Tracklisting:


“Prelude”
“Technical Supremacy”
“Revenge”
“Megalodon”
“Opus Omnia”
“Il Diavolo”
“A Different Way”
“Mysterious Life Forms”
“Serial Killer”
“Walking On The Bridge”

Warner Music Entertainment (WME), the television and film division of Warner Music Group, has partnered with Highway West Entertainment on a forthcoming new feature-length documentary, "Far Behind: The Candlebox Story". The film will explore the beginnings of what the world would come to know as the grunge scene, following the iconic band CANDLEBOX on their rise to fame.

Guy Oseary, manager of legendary artists such as U2, Madonna and the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, will serve as executive producer on the project, along with Jack Piatt, director/producer and founder of Highway West Entertainment, who initiated the collaboration with CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin.

Martin said: ""The story of CANDLEBOX is one that's long overdue for a telling, and I cannot wait to share this documentary with the world — no holds barred, honest, painful, and as real as it gets. Ours is the story of an unknown band of young men who took the world by storm on their very first voyage, only to lose their way in an unforgiving ocean of bad decisions and disagreements over who would captain the ship. Though I've kept the CANDLEBOX name alive in the years since the original lineup split at the turn of the millennium — continuing to release relevant music and perform for legions of fans with the help of some of the most talented musicians around — there was magic between us four original guys. And now that we're touring together for the 30th anniversary, CANDLEBOX is a story of redemption as well."

Oseary added: "At 20 years old, I signed CANDLEBOX to Maverick Records. Their debut album sold more than four million copies, which gave me a spectacular start to my journey in the music business. For that I will always be indebted to them."

Piatt added: "I was in high school when the early '90s Seattle sound made its way to rural Ohio, and it left a huge impression on my life musically. CANDLEBOX plays a key role in this historic legacy. This is an important story for a lot of people, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to tell it."

Warner Music Entertainment president Charlie Cohen said: "CANDLEBOX's impact on the music scene in Seattle and beyond is undeniable. They helped mold the grunge sound into the globally renowned genre that it became, and we are incredibly excited to help tell their story with Guy, Jack, and the fantastic team at Highway West Entertainment."

CANDLEBOX first formed in 1990 and helped lay the groundwork for the grunge genre, alongside notable bands such as PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, and others. "Far Behind: The Candlebox Story" will feature footage and interviews with original band members Kevin Martin, Peter Klett, Scott Mercado and Bardi Martin, in addition to Guy Oseary, famed SOUNDGARDEN/ALICE IN CHAINS manager Susan Silver, and others. The band has sold over seven million albums worldwide, scoring the megahits "Far Behind" and "You", which have garnered over 100 million streams, decades after their initial release. The band's new album, "Wolves", has been in the top 10 on two Billboard charts (Hard Music Albums and Alternative Albums). The band is gearing up for a new tour starting this May.

Oseary and Piatt are joined by CANDLEBOX's manager and longtime music industry veteran Amy Decker, who will also serve as executive producer with fellow producer Caroline Hoste (founder, Hello Stranger Creative) as well as executive producer Charlie Cohen (WME).

The film went into production in summer 2021 and is gearing up for a fall 2022 rele

Silver City, New Mexico-based underground rock group, TombSnakes, will release its debut EP, No Graves, on March 18 via Blank City Records.


Born during the Great Quarantine on 16 acres of harsh desert land and featuring members of True Widow, The Saint James Society, Form & Fate, and Vigilantics, TombSnakes packs a punch harder than ice picks and stilettos, with sounds borne of environments that exist beyond the pale of decent society - motels, roadside bars, sun-drenched small towns, places for outcasts. The No Graves EP is available for pre-order here.


The first single/video from TombSnakes' No Graves EP is the dangerously electric "Two Shakes", which features guest vocals from True Widow's Nicole Estill. The song was written spontaneously the night the group heard of the passing of Power Trip frontman Riley Gale as TombSnakes bassist Brandon Burkart describes below.




“I didn’t make the record with these guys, but I happened to be with them before, during and afterwards, and I witnessed both the discipline and balls-out approach they had toward the whole thing; open to wherever the music was taking them, period," says Faith No More's Billy Gould. "This might also be the first American band to do something like this fueled on rakija, but whatever the case, they did it, and they created a great document.”


Watch the video below.


"At the height of the pandemic, a small group of friends comprised of members from the Saint James Society, Vigilantics, Form & Fate and True Widow were shacked up together in Silver City, New Mexico, trying to make the best of lockdown," says TombSnakes bassist Brandon Burkart. "One day, we received a care package in the mail from Billy Gould of Faith No More. He has a company named YEBIGA that makes and imports a spirit called rakija, which is native to Eastern Europe. Later that day, while we're sitting around a table shooting dice and bullshitting, Nicole Estill from True Widow got a text that Riley Gale of Power Trip had passed away. He and Nicole were old Dallas friends. Each of us had actually been at the very last Power Trip show in Dallas before the shutdown. It was a fucking tragedy to get that news, even for those of us that didn't know him, personally. Naturally, we put on a Power Trip record and just drank and raged and headbanged and screamed. We got primitive out there. After crushing the better part of two bottles of Yebiga, [Power Trip's] 'If Not Us Then Who' came on where the lyric is 'If not now than when, if not us, then who?' In our drunken stomp, we took that literally, pulled out some instruments and wrote this track 'Two Shakes.' Sonically, we made no attempt to sound like any other band, but ethically we wanted to just get busy right then and there. I think that's translated in the urgency and immediacy of 'Two Shakes.' It felt like we had to write that song exactly when we did."


In addition to multi-instrumentalist Burkart, TombSnakes features poet/vocalist Raf Vigilantics, and guitarist Antonio Matta. The gang descended on a small recording studio in the Mimbres Valley and emerged having created one of the most honest, knuckle dragging, street punk records in some time. TombSnakes' debut EP, No Graves, is full of howling mantras and knife jab guitar riffs. The sound of TombSnakes is a rugged blend of punk, rock n roll, concrete, and psychedelic violence featuring bold notes of disdain and fear with a rowdy finish that is perfect for any real party. This is music for the sleepless; for those who feel something stirring in them, who long for fellowship and something real in the new America. Above being driving, vengeful, and dangerous, this record is just plain fuckin' fun. Pairs well with sex and street fights.





Tracklisting:


"Concrete"
"Two Shakes"
"Pulling Teeth"
"No Graves"
"Numbers"


"Two Shakes" video: