DOWN guitarist Kirk Windstein has confirmed to Ghost Cult that the band is still planning to release a six-song EP of "obscure" cover songs. "A lot of people have been asking about that yet; that's true," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We just need to get our butts in a room together and pick the shit out and DOWN it up a little bit, so to speak. But that's the only thing in the future as of now. But it's something."

As for the possibility of DOWN staging the previously announced anniversary tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band's 1995-released classic debut album, "NOLA", after the trek was sidelined due to the global pandemic, Kirk said: "I sure hope so. I mean, we have [shows booked in] Dallas and I believe we have one in Atlanta, and we have [Welcome To] Rockville, we have a festival in Florida — as far as I know.

"But yeah, I'm optimistic [that we will be able to do a short 'NOLA' anniversary tour]," he continued. "I get it that maybe DOWN is not in a position to do a lot of touring anymore or anything, but for god's sake, we can at least do mainly Southeast of the United States, a bit of the Midwest — not to dick you over on the West Coast, but without going thousands of miles away — do something. But we'll see. Right now, of course, everyone's concern is just doing what we have booked already and hoping that that goes smoothly."

Joining Windstein in DOWN's current lineup are vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders.

Last August, DOWN took part in a very special in-person live and virtual experience. "NOLA Town Throwdown" was held at the Fillmore in New Orleans, Louisiana and featured fans attending the show in person as well as watching it in real time from the comfort of their living room.

In August 2020, DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of "NOLA" with a special livestreamed event. Dubbed "The Quarter Century Throwdown", the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience.

A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER), and HONKY.

Windstein announced his return to DOWN in 2019, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "NOLA", all of which have since been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.

Prior to the August 2020 livestream, DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.

Photo by Danin Drahos

In a new interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green, German metal queen Doro Pesch was asked if she has ever thought about writing an autobiography. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "At one time I started writing a book, and then I couldn't take it anymore. I really couldn't sleep anymore; I got nightmares. Because if you really wanna think about the truth, oh, man, it's worse than a horror movie. And I thought, man, I'd rather wanna move on, do more good stuff, give out good power, energy, records and do a great tour and not thinking about all the times where I almost lost my life — many times. It was so hardcore and actually almost unbelievable, I think. I haven't seen a movie that hardcore yet. So when I was starting to write, and I did it with another journalist, and then after a while, I called him up and I said, 'Hey, no more. I can't take it.' I'd rather concentrate on positive stuff. And of course, all the people, they like to see and to hear about all these intense stories or the dirt. Maybe when I'm not touring anymore, then I would write it. It was a lot of stuff which was so unbelievable. And you probably need to go to a therapist after you read that book, when it's finally done. Yeah, it's really unbelievable. And sometimes I don't even know how I survived it… Everything you can imagine was happening. So I don't wanna continue writing that book right now… It's the same like if you would think about maybe — I don't know if you were ever married or divorced — but it's like when you think of your divorce, oh, it drives you crazy."

She continued: "It was the worst nightmares. Sometimes I think, man, if it wouldn't have been for the fans or for people I love, which are the fans, I probably would have killed myself. It was, like, really, really bad. And I thought, wow… [There was] no light on the end of the tunnel sometimes. So I don't even know how something changed to the better."

Asked if the dark times were a constant through her life, Doro said: "Yes. Yes. Yeah. Even when I was a little child, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, man. Bad stuff. And when you're a child, there was no way out sometimes. So I don't even know why I can be so happy right now. But it's because of the music and the fans and all that stuff. I don't know. It stopped a few years ago. But I always try to put everything maybe into some interesting songs or lyrics. I can feel when people are in pain or when there's something going on and stuff, so I can be maybe more sensitive towards people who need some uplifting things or some good energy and stuff. I think that's important. So that's maybe the reason why I had to go through some stuff which was not pleasant. But I have a deeper understanding now."

Doro is currently working on material for a new studio album, tentatively due later in the year. The LP will be the follow-up to "Forever Warriors, Forever United", which came out in 2018. That double album featured 19 regular tracks and six bonus songs.

In celebration of 35 years of the "Triumph And Agony" album from her former band WARLOCK, Doro released "Triumph And Agony Live" in various formats, including CD, vinyl, cassette, DVD, Blu-ray, and a huge box set, last September through her own label, Rare Diamonds Productions. The "Triumph And Agony" artwork centered on Geoffrey Gillespie's famous original drawing of the "Warlock" embracing the blonde rock star.

MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren has released a new song from his long-running BENT SEA project.

"Wraithlike Horror", a collaboration with Lawrence Mackrory (DARKANE, F.K.Ü.) on vocals, Jesper Liveröd (NASUM) on bass and Todd Haug (POWERMAD, GRAVHAUG) on lead guitar, is the ninth in a series of songs Dirk has dubbed "Instagrind".

In May 2020, Verbeuren released the first "Instagrind" song from BENT SEA, "Grind To A Halt", a collaboration with MIDNIGHT mastermind Athenar on vocals. It was followed by "Sycophant Legions", a collaboration with FEASTEM's Petri Eskelinen on vocals and Jesper Liveröd on bass; "Nothing Blasts Forever", a collaboration with DRUGS OF FAITH's Richard Johnson on vocals; "Quietus", a collaboration with Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES) on vocals and Liveröd on bass; "Anger Mgmt", a collaboration with Keijo Niinimaa (ROTTEN SOUND) on vocals and Liveröd on bass; "The Instant Grind", a collaboration with Leon Del Muerte (IMPALED, MURDER CONSTRUCT) on vocals and lead guitar; "Downed At A Gulp", a collaboration with Dave Witte (MUNICIPAL WASTE) on drums, Mike Paparo (INTER ARMA) on vocals and Brett Bamberger (REVOCATION) on bass; and "Destroy The Autocrats", a collaboration with Omid Torn (BATTLETORN) on vocals and Jesper Liveröd (NASUM) on bass.

In a 2016 interview with All About The Rock, Dirk stated about BENT SEA: "BENT SEA is a spur-of-the-moment type thing without any business plan. The idea from the get-go was basically 'no pressure' and I intend to keep it that way."

Back in 2012, Dirk told PureGrainAudio about BENT SEA's formation: "It just sort of happened. I used to play guitar, but in recent years my focus was exclusively on drums. My wife had been encouraging me to write my own music, so I decided to give it a shot. The result turned out to be BENT SEA."

Regarding the project's name, the 47-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based musician said: "It's taken from a song by British experimental duo ENDVRA which I accidentally came across in my tape-trading days. Their music has absolutely nothing to do with grindcore, but somehow BENT SEA popped up in my mind. I like that it's atypical, and that it conjures apocalyptic images echoing the intensity of my music."

Verbeuren had been playing with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH in 2016 as the replacement for Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD), who called Dirk "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

In interview with the KATT Rock 100.5 FM radio station, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine described Dirk as "one of the most pleasant, easy-to-get-along-with guys I've ever met in my life. I'll walk up to him and he'll smile and lean forward and pat me on the back. He goes [adopts thin accent], 'How's it going, buddy?' I could say, 'Oh, man…'… anything. 'Oh, okay, buddy.' [He] smiles and pats me, 'cause he's just a happy guy. I've never, ever, ever seen him not smile."

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian was joined by his 10-year-old son Revel Young Ian on drums as they performed a rendition of the HELMET classic "In The Meantime" for an Instagram video which Scott shared on Saturday (February 26).

Scott captioned the clip: "IN THE MEANTIME. For your weekend. PEACE. UA #helmet #pagehamilton".

Scott previously shared videos of him and Revel performing the SEPULTURA songs "Roots Bloody Roots" and "Territory", as well as SYSTEM OF A DOWN's "Bounce" and KORN's "Here To Stay".

Revel is apparently a gifted multi-instrumentalist who joined the FOO FIGHTERS on stage in September 2019 at the Bourbon & Beyond festival in Louisville, Kentucky to perform "Everlong" on guitar when he was just eight years old.

Back in 2014, Ian told Horns Up Rocks that his then-three-old son was a big fan of METALLICA, THE BEATLES and AC/DC and that he could already tell the difference between Bon Scott's voice and that of Brian Johnson.

"He knows a lot of the stuff that he hears or sees in the house," Scott said at the time. "But what's really cool is that he actually recognizes and knows the difference between Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, which is pretty cool, I think, for an almost three-year-old. Anytime AC/DC is on, he'll go, 'That's Bon singing.' And then when it's not Bon, he'll say, 'That's not Bon singing.' He knows. That's pretty cool, I think."

Asked whether metal musicians should be parents, Ian said it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He added: "I think you have to take that on a case-by-case basis. I couldn't say enough about having a child; I think it's the greatest thing ever in the whole world. But I do think that there are a lot of people on this planet, not necessarily metal musicians, that shouldn't be parents."
























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A post shared by Scott Ian (@scottianthrax)

French prog metal band, Wyvern, have unleashed the second video "Black Medicine" of the Radiations series. Watch below. "Black Medicine" is taken from the band's upcoming album, Radiations, due for release via Wormholedeath worldwide.





A message states: "From harsh and strong riffs to smooth and soaring atmospheres, mixing amplified guitars with new and organic electronic sonorities, this is how the band wants to tell their stories."




Buy/stream the single here.

The clip below features Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen performing her song "Strong" at her solo show at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands on September 1st, 2021. 


Floor: "Dedicated to all people who have loved ones and friends who are suffering and show strength in tough times. I wrote this song for and about my mother who struggles with a chronic disease yet has always been there for me and my family. Performing this track always touches me and makes me emotional. Hope you are all doing well!"







The setlist was as follows:


Set 1:


"Ever Dream" (Nightwish)
"Storm In A Glass" (Northward) 
"Nemo" (Nightwish) 
"Mama" (Samantha Steenwijk cover) 
"Sweet Curse" (ReVamp song - with Henk Poort) 
"Dangerous Game" (from Jekyll & Hyde - with Henk Poort) 
"Euphoria" (Loreen)
"Face Your Demons" (After Forever)
"Winner" (Tim Akkerman cover)


Set 2:


"Slow, Love, Slow" (Nightwish)
"Shallow" (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper cover)
"Strong" (After Forever) 
"Élan" (Nightwish) 
"Energize Me" (After Forever) 
"Qué Se Siente" (Rolf Sanchez)
"Bridle Passion" (Northward) 
"Our Decades In The Sun" (Nightwish)
"Wolf And Dog" (ReVamp) 
"The Phantom Of The Opera" (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover - with Henk Poort)


"Ever Dream"





"Storm In A Glass"





"Dangerous Game"

Finnish post-hardcore ‘Violent Pop’ outfit Blind Channel are gearing up for the release of their new album, Lifestyles Of The Sick & Dangerous, which drops on July 8, 2022 via Century Media. Today, the band have released their third single and music video, “Bad Idea”, from the record. Preorder the album here.


“‘Bad Idea’ is a serenade of self-pity and an unsuccessful apology. In the lyrics, we’re getting personal and digging deeper than ever. The song came to life many years ago, when relationships ended in a very ugly manner and all you could think of was: ‘well I warned you,’” states Blind Channel about the new track.


In addition to the new music, Blind Channel will be joining From Ashes To New on their upcoming Still Panicking 2022 U.S. tour.







Tracklisting:


“Opinions”
“Dark Side”
“Don’t Fix Me”
“Bad Idea”
“Alive Or Only Burning”
“Balboa”
“National Heroes”
“We Are No Saints”
“Autopsy”
“Glory For The Greedy”
“Thank You For The Pain”


“Bad Idea” video:

Italian power metallers White Skull have signed with ROAR! Rock of Angels Records.


Sharp voice, screaming guitars, hammering rhythms, a stunning mixture of power and melody; the result is a high incendiary gradation sound, coming from the heart of five musicians! All this is White Skull! After two demo tapes, one EP, three compilations and ten full-length albums in a career that spans for over 30 years with countless club and festival live shows, it was about time for White Skull to find their rightful home under ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records to release their new and upcoming album.


Tony “Mad” Fontò comments on the signing: “The proposal to sign for ROAR came from our longtime friend Chris (Boltendahl, Grave Digger) who recommended these guys to us for our new album. There was an excellent feeling immediately, they made the important decisions quickly and a working plan dedicated to the future of the band. We're honored and excited to be part of the family Rock Of Angels Records, can't think of a better place to call home for White SkulL. Big news are coming. Stay tuned!”




The band’s following back catalogue albums are also now available on all digital platforms under ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records:


1999 - Tales From The North
2000 - Public Glory, Secret Agony
2002 - The Dark Age (both Spanish and English version)
2004 - The XIII Skull

I Am The Night have released a new music video and announced their new album coming this May. The new band, featuring Finnish metal legends, opens an ancient chasm of black metal born of an epic tradition.


Rising from the deep valleys of Kymi in southernmost Finland, I Am The Night is black metal rooted in the classic early ‘90s tradition, where walls of guitars and synthesizers raise the forces of darkness in a battle against the heavens and burning angels light up the night sky.


The band’s debut full-length album, with cover art by scene legend Necrolord, bears the title While The Gods Are Sleeping, and will be released on May 6, 2022. The record was birthed during the heaviest blizzard Finland had seen in years in the winter of 2021, with the band holed up at the Soundspiral Audio studio during the height of the pandemic. “This album, in a way, is both the thing that should not be and something we should have made flesh many moons ago already,” comments Markus Vanhala. He continues, “It is a passage back in time that dark forest of our minds through which we spent our youth traversing.”




Together with the album announcement, the band is set to release a second single from the album, titled “Ode To The Nightsky”. The music video for the song was created by Coldstore Productions and can be viewed below.


Brought forth by underground titans of Finnish Metal, Markus Vanhala (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum), Janne Markkanen (ex-Omnium Gatherum), Okko Solanterä (Horizon Ignited), and Waltteri Väyrynen (Paradise Lost, Bodom After Midnight), the band’s origins date back to the dimly lit subterranean rehearsal rooms of the mid-nineties where the fires of Vanhala and Markkanen’s black metal zeal were ignited.


“Black metal art has been a continuous and serious pursuit in my personal life since my early teenage years”, explains guitarist Vanhala. He continues, “In The Nightside Eclipse, Storm Of The Light’s Bane and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas opened the gate to the dark side for me years ago, as can be heard from the music we make with I Am The Night.”


In recent years, I Am The Night rapidly began to gather flesh on its old bones, and in 2020 the spark burst into a full blaze when elder statesmen Vanhala and Markkanen hired younger cohorts Väyrynen and Solanteräto to help bring their morbid visions into reality. Vanhala states, “Our debut record, the result of a yearning for ancient darkness, turned out to be just the time capsule we wanted it to be, far removed from modern metal. I’ve seldom found anything interesting in post-90s Black Metal. We wanted to realize this in the underground way that felt fitting to the music, and chose to work with Svart Records.”


“Our songs are stories about the worship of night and the triumph of the powers of darkness. At night, sun to his slumber and shadows all over, the forces of the night rise to the heavens, cast angels out and usher in a new era of individual freedom”, vocalist Solaterä explains, “I Am The Night is a real band, not a project. It is unrestrained creation. A ray of darkness for us in the vacuum created by the pandemic. The future remains unseen, and all the better for it.”


Seldom has an instant classic band and timeless sound reached our ears at Svart Records, but we are certain that there will be hordes of new initiates, prepared to declare I Am The Night their favorite new ray of darkness. Preorders available at Svart Records.





Tracklisting:


“While The Gods Are Sleeping”
“Hear Me O’ Unmaker”
“Dawnbearer”
“Ode To The Nightsky”
“I Am The Night”
“The Owl”
“Among The Unseen Ones”
“Holocaust Of The Angels”


“Ode To The Nightsky”:

A fresh take on NWOBHM, Thunderor’s Fire It Up consists of nine energetic and catchy tunes supplemented with ‘80s synths and piano. Its purpose is to take the listener on an adventure full of motorcycle rides, whirlwind romance, and diving into danger. It’s a get-up and go album, inspiring one to give it all in life and never give up.


Founder/drummer/vocalist JJ Tartaglia of Skull Fist started the band with ex-Skull Fist bandmate Jonny Nesta and Oscar Rangel (Operus, ex-Annihilator) to create something new under his artistic vision. He expects the album to go over well with current Skull Fist fans and new listeners due to the originality and hooks in the songs. He explains further:


“I think we’ve created a truly original album with Fire It Up. It was a blast writing these songs and putting my personality into the lyrics for the first time. We’re proud to have done all of the tracking ourselves (it was a learning experience!) and to have done things the old-school way without any quantized drums or pitch correction. I think the result is a more natural-sounding recording which gives a better human connection and allows the songs to shine through with the real attitude. The songs on the album are meant to inspire a life journey – an adventure with friends, motorcycles, romance, danger, and victory. I hope it will be a soundtrack for your adventures.”




The album was produced by JJ Tartaglia; mixed by Chris Snow and mastered by Harry Hess. The album artwork was created by Daniel Porta. The majority of Tartaglia’s lyrics come from his perspectives on life and some stories as well. Throughout the album, there is a theme of longing for escape and refusing to just settle.


Along with the album's release day, Thunderor is sharing their latest music video for "Dangerous Times", a catchy ‘80s style piano-driven song about romance and love, reminiscent of Toto and Journey that features a massive synth middle section.


The ‘80s-infused heavy metal is recommended for fans of Saxon, Twisted Sister and Skull Fist.


Fire It Up is out now on via Boonsdale Records. Order here.





Tracklisting:


“Fire It Up”
“How We Roll”
“All Or Nothing”
“Dangerous Times”
“Thunderor”
“On The Run”
“Into The Storm”
“We Can Make It”
“Cold Tears”


"Dangerous Times":





"Fire It Up" video:





"How We Roll":





In additional news, Thunderor's March 2022 European tour with Traveler has been rescheduled to June with dates TBA along with Mexico dates with U.D.O. also in June.


(Photo by: Rae Chatten)

Las Vegas rockers Crash Midnight have launched a new single with “You’re Gone”. The Sin City boys are dialing it back with a ballad with heartfelt lyrics and a powerful, emotional chorus with a clear and tight production. 





Singer Shaun Soho tells BraveWords about “You’re Gone”: "From the first time we played this song live, it was an absolute showstopper. Had both longtime fans and strangers coming up to us after the show asking about it and that hasn't stopped since. Having that kind of reaction to a song is something special so we took a lot of time recording and arranging this one to make sure it delivered and we're real happy with the way it came out.  




“Big shout-out to our co-producer, Tristan Hardin, for rolling up his sleeves and working with the near endless tweaks we made on this recording before we finally all signed off on it. This was the first ballad we worked on with him, but the cool thing is while there was a learning curve on the production side on this one, we feel like we've got a good system down now that will make things really streamlined for stuff like this in the future. It's a good thing, cause we have a few more of these on deck for recording over the next year."





The band is also announcing partnering with their friends at the Las Vegas rock bar, Corduroy, and Rock DJ "Gooch" from KOMP 92.3 Las Vegas to launch "CRASH MONDAYS" - THE PREMIER ROCK SCENE NIGHT IN LAS VEGAS. 





Join the band at Corduroy in downtown Las Vegas every Monday night starting March 7 for great drink specials, a special rock playlist curated by Gooch, and hang with all the up-and-coming Rock Bands in the Vegas scene.


More surprises and giveaways coming as the weekly event ramps up! Info at crashmidnight.com.


#ROCKNROLLISBACK

Denmark's Iotunn have released "Access All Worlds - An Acoustic Voyage", an acoustic and adventurous voyage through theAccess All Worlds" album. Check out the visualizer for the song below.


"We've had an incredible experience this past year since releasing Access All Worlds with the immense amount of support coming our way from around the World, so we wanted to mark the one-year day since the release of the album with something unique. Last year we released an acoustic live medley video and we have received a whole number of requests to release this for digital download and stream. Some of you have wrote us that this was your way into our album and that inspired us to do it just by making a cosmic and adventurous arrangement of it. We are very pleased to present this official 'Access All Worlds - An Acoustic Voyage' release and hope you will enjoy this voyage out there. Thank you all for your support!"


"Access All Worlds - An Acoustic Voyage" was recorded and programmed in Copenhagen, November 2020 & Western Jutland + The Faroe Islands, December/January 2021/2022 in Iotunn Studio and is available now worldwide through all digital platforms, here.







Iotunn lineup:


Jón Aldará: Vocals
Jens Nicolai Gräs: Guitar
Jesper Gräs: Guitar
Eskil Rask: Bass
Bjørn Wind Andersen: Drums

Vivaldi Metal Project’s lead vocalist, Tsena Koev, has released her new single, “The Traveller”. The song features vocal appearances by Snowy Shaw (ex-Therion, ex-King Diamond) and Rob Lundgren (Mentalist). Watch a lyric video below.


Tsena says: “Unfortunately, while some people are making music others make war. That is why we dedicate this song to all the innocent victims of the current military actions around the world. So many seek to escape, to find a safer place for their children and loved ones, in hope for a future, a life... Until this madness, this nightmare is over, they are doomed to have no home, to forever be Travellers.”


The author of the lyrics, music and arrangement is Zhivko Koev (Vivaldi Metal Project, Pagliacci), who also recorded the keyboards. The song also features a special guest appearance by Insane guitarist Nikolai (Koko) Ganchev, who recorded the guitar solo.




“The Traveller” was mixed and mastered by Petаr Makaveev. Below is the full list of musicians:


Tsena Koev - vocals, choir
Snowy Shaw - vocals
Rob Lundgren - vocals
Tsvetomir Voynov - guitars
Nikolay Ganchev - guitar solo
Vassil Ralchev - bass
Teodor Slavov - drums
Zhivko Koev - keyboards, choir





(Photo - Zhivko Koev)

Swedish progressive folk-fusion-rock band, Kaipa, return on April 29 with their 14th studio album, Urskog. Order on limited CD digipak, gatefold 180g 2LP + CD, and digital album here.


Urskog takes the listener on a breathtaking journey through the Swedish wilderness and the changing seasons. Hans Lundin's six new compositions draw influences from the landscapes he witnesses during his solitary countryside biking treks as well as from a less known part of his own vast song catalogue.


Hans comments: "Most of the songs were written in 2018. At the time I was working on the 6-CD box Hans Lundin: The Solo Years 1982-1989, and revisiting my old solo albums informed my songwriting process for Urskog. Listening to these old compositions influenced my new compositions in a general way; there were also few instances where I took a nice chord structure or a melodic fragment of an old song and turned it into something entirely new. I also sampled some sounds from the 80's that can be heard on the new album."







The new album opens with “The Frozen Dead of the Night”, a 19 minute epic that takes us from the cold and bleak midwinter into the spring and its promise to start life anew. The album's closing song “The Bitter Setting Sun” mirrors this theme as it's time to say goodbye to the summer as we watch the leaves falling and recall memories from summer nights when the sun refused to set. The title track “Urskog” takes us deep into the heart of the Swedish primeval forest, evoking images of old folklore with its Swedish lyrics.


While the rest of the band's lineup remains intact, Urskog introduces new drummer Darby Todd from London, UK. Guitarist Per Nilsson explains: "When the time came around to start tracking drums, Morgan wasn't available within any reasonable timeframe so on Morgan's own suggestion, we decided to amicably part ways. Morgan's fantastic and imaginative drumming has adorned the music of Kaipa for almost two decades and eight albums, but for what it's worth, we felt that this could be an opportunity to bring some new grooves and new sounds into Kaipa. While Hans had a few ideas for the drummer position I only had one person in mind, someone whose creativity and chops rival those of Morgan's but with more of a hard-hitting rock edge, and upon seeing a few videos of this guy bashing the skins Hans was convinced too. So, it brings us great joy to present to you mr Darby Todd as the new drummer for Kaipa! Darby has a resumé fitting a musician of his caliber, having played with Devin Townsend, The Darkness, Gary Moore, Martin Barre and many more, and while the guy is capable of expertly playing everything from death metal to soft jazz, he's got a strong own voice on his instrument and it's been exciting hearing him take these six new Kaipa tunes to the skies... and beyond!"


Lineup:


Hans Lundin – keyboards, vocals
Per Nilsson – guitars
Jonas Reingold – bass
Darby Todd – drums
Patrik Lundström – vocals
Aleena Gibson – vocals

Video footage of IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson belting out an a cappella version of the song "Road To Hell" during his February 23 spoken-word show at Stafford Centre in Houston, Texas can be seen below.

"Road To Hell" originally appeared on Bruce's fourth solo album, "Accident Of Birth", which was released in 1997, through Castle Communications sublabel Raw Power in the U.K. and CMC International in the U.S. In addition to being Dickinson's second collaboration with guitarist/producer Roy Z, the LP marked a reunion between Dickinson and then-ex-IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith; both Dickinson and Smith would later return to their former band in early 1999.

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

Bruce's spoken-word show is split into two parts. The first section sees him take a humorous and often satirical look at the world from his own very personal perspective, treating the audience to private insights into his drive and ambition, peppered with plenty of MAIDEN anecdotes, and a myriad of other experiences encompassing not just the giddy heights but also the extreme lows, as told first-hand in his inimitable anarchic style, punctuated with photographs, videos and sometimes even erupting into song a cappella, to illustrate a point. The final section of the evening is devoted entirely to the aforementioned question-and-answer session, with the opportunity to pose questions on any subject whatsoever. As Bruce's answers are all completely improvised — the more left-field and quirky the question, the more interesting and compelling the response is likely to be.

Dickinson is considered one of the world's most storied musicians. Aside from decades spent delivering high-octane performances with his larger-than-life persona in IRON MAIDEN, Bruce has lived an extraordinary off-stage existence too. A true polymath, his accomplishments include: pilot and airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, beer brewer, motivational speaker, film scriptwriter, twice-published novelist and Sunday Times best-selling author, radio presenter, TV actor, sports commentator and international fencer — to name but a few.

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

"Hey everyone - our 35th Anniversary CD/DVD set is available again," says The Quireboys. "If you haven't already grabbed a copy, don't miss out as we are told this will be the very last time these will be made!"


Due to overwhelming demand - 35 & Live - the audio CD and live DVD of the lad's 35th Anniversary performance at London's prestigious Kentish Town Forum in 2019 has now been re-released.


So if you missed out the first time - don't miss out again! The new stock of this fantastic collector's set will be ready for shipment in late March / early April. Pre-order your copy now at this location.







Tracklisting:


"Hey You"
"There She Goes Again"
"Misled"
"Roses & Rings"
"Man On The Loose"
"Take Me Home"
"Sweet Mary Ann"
"Whippin’ Boy"
"I Don’t Love You Anymore"
"Long Time Comin’"
"7 O’Clock"
"Mona Lisa Smiled"
"7 Deadly Sins"
"Original Black Eyed Son"
"This Is Rock’N’Roll"
"Sex Party"
"Mayfair"


English rock 'n' roll band, The Quireboys, will make a triumphant and welcome return to the States to finish what they started back in 2020. The lads were in the throws of a stunning country-wide tour when the pandemic hit - and have been itching to get back ever since. That time is now, and May 2022 sees the band - most famous for their hit album A Bit Of What You Fancy - embark on a fresh tour of the US taking in New York, Denver, Las Vegas and many more cities across the country including a stop at the prestigious M3 Festival in Baltimore. The tour will reach a triumphant conclusion at the world-famous Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood - and for the tour The Quireboys are joined by the amazing Midnight Devils and Steve Ramone. Confirmed dates can be found in the official tour poster seen below.

Founding STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bassist Robert DeLeo has confirmed that he is working on his first-ever solo album.

The 56-year-old musician has revealed on his Instagram that he is recording a total of 12 songs for the effort, which will include a guest appearance by Kara Britz, who has worked as a backing singer on NBC's "The Voice" and has backed up country artist Blake Shelton, as well as piano playing by producer, engineer and mixer Bill Appleberry and cello playing of Dave Eggar.

Among the tracks set to appear on the LP is "Anew", which can be previewed below.

Last summer, DeLeo discussed his upcoming solo album in an interview with Bass Player magazine. At the time, he stated about the set: "It's all acoustic bass, and I got a chance to sharpen up my acoustic guitar skills too. I wound up finding a guitarrón — you know, the Mexican bass? I found one that was converted to four strings and it was fretted, and it sounds unbelievable. I've reached out to people that I really wanted to write and collaborate with."

DeLeo has been discussing the possibility of releasing a solo album for at least the last two decades. Back in 2002, he said that he was "compiling a number of songs" that had not made their way on to STP records, "not because they're bad songs, [but] just because they never found a place. Though they're different from STP, they still mean a lot to me," he explained.

Just two months ago, Robert revealed that he had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. He later said that "it was rather mild, like flu mild."

In November, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS scrapped the remaining shows on their tour — including an appearance at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida — after a "member" of the band's "organization" tested positive for COVID-19.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS features three original members — Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz.

Singer Jeff Gutt, a 45-year-old Michigan native who spent time in the early-2000s nu-metal act DRY CELL, among other bands, and was a contestant on "The X Factor", joined STONE TEMPLE PILOTS after beating out roughly 15,000 hopefuls during an extended search that began more than a year earlier.

Original STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland, who reunited with the group in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus but was dismissed in 2013, died in December 2015 of a drug overdose.

Chester Bennington, who joined STP in early 2013, departed nearly three years later to spend more time with his main band LINKIN PARK. Bennington committed suicide in July 2017.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS released their first all-acoustic album, titled "Perdida", in February 2020. The disc was Gutt's second with STP. His recording debut with the group was on its self-titled seventh album, which arrived in March 2018.
























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SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor was one of the musicians who joined Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio to celebrate the 30th anniversary of PANTERA's classic sophomore major label album "Vulgar Display Of Power". Speaking about the impact the LP had on his musical upbringing, Taylor said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I remember where I was when that album came out, man. I was listening to that incessantly. I was working at the RV center that my grandma got me a job at. 'Cause I didn't wanna cut my hair and I couldn't work anywhere else, man, so I was washing RVs for nine hours a day during the day in the hottest summer I'd ever felt. And it was intense, dude. And all I had was that tape — I had that tape and [a cassette from] BEASTIE BOYS. So I kept trading those tapes back and forth. And when I needed a burst of energy, I'd put on 'Vulgar Display', and when I just wanted to chill and just kind of get into the rhythm of it, I would put on, I think it was [BEASTIE BOYS'] 'Check Your Head'. So it was, like, those two albums really fueled me that summer to get through it. And I just remember listening to that album and just going, 'Jesus, this is so heavy and yet so hummable.' That's the thing that I think people really lose with PANTERA — is that it was so incredibly heavy but the hooks were incredible, dude. I mean, it was like the next evolution of what METALLICA had kind of started to do. To this day, it's still one of my favorite albums."

Back in 2017, Taylor named PANTERA's 1994 effort "Far Beyond Driven" as one of his 10 favorite metal albums of all time. "That album is so sludgy," he told Rolling Stone. "I loved 'Vulgar Display Of Power', and obviously everybody gravitates toward that one just because it's got the songs, it's got the whatever. But to me, 'Far Beyond Driven' was the first example of what a modern metal production could sound like. It was so thick and the mix was a little angrier. To me, it was the first time that you could really hear how heavy they could go and how willing they were to just drive that shit home. And it's got my favorite PANTERA song on it, which is 'Becoming'. That song alone wins. Just when you thought you had some shit figured out, fuck you. You're done."

"Vulgar Display of Power" was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2004, signifying shipments of more than two million units in the U.S. since its February 1992 release.

PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott passed away on June 22, 2018 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Vinnie Paul and his brother co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Up until his death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for the murder of Dimebag.

An official visualizer for the second single from Outlanders (Tarja Turunen and Torsten Stenzel), "The Cruellest Goodbye" featuring Al Di Meola, can be viewed below. Order/listen to the song here.





A message from Tarja states: "The song was written together with Harry Sommerdahl, co-writer of 'I Walk Alone', in 2008. Nevertheless, I didn’t quite feel that the song was having the character nor spirit for one of my rock album releases, but since I loved the song very much, I kept it always present for a later use. 'The Cruellest Goodbye' is a sad story about a forbidden love.




"Even though it was originally composed and arranged as a piano song, I always imagined it with acoustic guitars. Friday Night In San Francisco is a live album by three of the best acoustic guitar players in the world: Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía and it was the main reference and source of inspiration for the sound I was hoping for.


"I was living in Buenos Aires, Argentina back in 2013 when I got the news that Al Di Meola was having a concert in October the 2nd at the Gran Rex Theater. I took a chance to meet him and talk about my song. I visited him at his superb concert, and we had a glass of wine at the backstage after the show was over. Al was very kind and showed immediate interest to take part in our project. It was early stages for the whole idea, so I still didn´t have many references to give him, but one: to be himself.


"It’s amazing how openminded he was about the recordings and the outcome shows you the great effort he put on to the song. He is outstanding, virtuoso musician and made the song feel like there has always been a guitar involved since the birth of it.


"Not only he played several tracks with his acoustic trademark guitar sound, but also delighted us with an additional synthetized guitar that blends totally in synch with the programmed background.


"I am so grateful for Al to trust his talent with us.


"'The Cruellest Goodbye' went through few difficulties during the production process. Torsten’s computer hard drive really crashed several times, so I ended up recording vocals for the song 4 times spread though 13 years! Anyway, every time I did, it felt refreshing and new to me, so I didn’t mind about it and definitely enjoyed the process.


"I am very happy that 'The Cruellest Goodbye' finally find its home with Outlanders.


"The Cruellest Goodbye" lyric video:





Outlanders was created by Finnish soprano legend Tarja Turunen and EDM pioneer Torsten Stenzel. Both were able to recruit some of the most influential guitar players of our time to feature as guests on their songs.


They previously released the official visualizer for, "Closer To The Sky" featuring guitarist Trevor Rabin, best known as guitarist of prog rock icons YES, as well as a top Hollywood blockbuster movies score composer.





To learn more, visit Outlanders on Facebook, or their official website, tarja-outlanders.com.

Allegaeon are bringing the filth with "Vermin", the third video from their new album, DAMNUM, out today via Metal Blade Records.


Like any good mystery, "Vermin" peels back the layers of a compelling and dramatic story as explained by vocalist Riley McShane: "Allegaeon has been fortunate enough to have an incredibly supportive back end from day one. However, we have had some personal encounters with extremely predatory and ill-natured figures in this industry and 'Vermin' is dedicated to them. This song has a few lyrical easter eggs so have fun dissecting them and seeing what you can take out of it for yourself."







Order the new album here.





DAMNUM tracklisting:


"Bastards Of The Earth"
"Of Beasts And Worms"
"Into Embers"
"To Carry My Grief Through Torpor And Silence"
"Vermin"
"Called Home"
"Blight"
"The Dopamine Void Pt. 1"
"The Dopamine Void Pt. 2"
"Saturnine"
"In Mourning"
"Only Loss"


"Of Beasts And Worms" video:





"Into Embers" video:





Unboxing video:





Catch Allegaeon as their first tour behind DAMNUM kick offs with the band supporting Omnium Gatherum, beginning February 26 in Brooklyn, NY.





Tour dates:


February
26 - Brooklyn, NY - The Kingsland
27 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
28 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506


March
1 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Hell)
2 - Orlando, FL - The Haven
4 - Austin, TX - Come and Take it Live!
5 - Houston, TX - Satellite Bar
6 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
8 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater
9 - El Paso, TX - Rockhouse Bar & Grill
10 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
11 - San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick
12 - Los Angeles, CA - Catch One @ Jewel
13 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
14 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
15 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
16 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
18 - Calgary, AB - Dickens
19 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
20 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theater
21 - Minneapolis, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall
22 - Madison, WI - The Crucible
23 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
24 - Toronto, ON - Velvet Underground
25 - Montreal, QC - The Ritz
26 - Quebec City, QC - Source de la Martiniere
27 - Boston, MA - Middle East Downstairs