Y&T frontman Dave Meniketti has announced that he is battling prostate cancer.

The 68-year-old guitarist/vocalist revealed his diagnosis in a social media post on Friday (February 18). He wrote: "After numerous blood tests, an extensive MRI, and last Friday's biopsy, I have been diagnosed with Prostate cancer. My doctor says we caught it early and the likelihood of surviving this is very high. Over 90% of patients with this type of cancer (thankfully mine is relatively slow growing) are cured and live out their life expectancy. Having spent a lifetime of staying on top of my health, and having caught this early, may be the reason why I should fully survive this.

"I urge everyone to listen to your bodies & get regular checkups. I know plenty of people that didn't do that, and it has been the difference between an extended life and death.

"Concerning how this affects upcoming shows, the Santa Cruz and Tracy Theatre shows will be unaffected by this and will go on as planned. But because of my lengthy treatment schedule, coming after those shows, we must cancel the Phoenix, Las Vegas, Hollywood, and San Juan Capistrano shows. Check the Y&T tour dates page for updates. We're expecting all other shows to remain intact.

"Though I'm generally not a person that believes entertainers need to share their medical issues in public, I felt it was just too hard to keep everyone in doubt…especially since many of you have been with us for Y&T's almost 50-year career and are like extended family.

"Regardless of this news, I am doing fine, feeling well, and look forward to getting this behind me and continuing to bring the music to you for many years to come."

Earlier in the month, Y&T rescheduled two shows due to Meniketti having to undergo what at the time was described as a "critical medical procedure" on February 11.

Meniketti is the only surviving member of the Y&T lineup — then known as YESTERDAY AND TODAY — that recorded the band's self-titled debut album.

Original Y&T rhythm guitarist Joey Alves died in March 2017 at the age of 63. Two founding Y&T musicians — Haze, 61, and Kennemore, 57, who both had left the lineup — died from complications of lung cancer: Kennemore on January 7, 2011, and Haze on September 11, 2016.

Y&T's current lineup is rounded out by guitarist John Nymann, drummer Mike Vanderhule and bassist Aaron Leigh.

The iconic Bay Area rockers' latest studio album, "Facemelter", came out in May 2010 via Frontiers.

In 2019, Y&T released its long-awaited documentary, "Y&T: On With The Show - The Documentary", on DVD and on Blu-ray.


First of all, I wanted to thank everyone who have sent nice thoughts my way after hearing I had to move shows for a...

Posted by Dave Meniketti on Friday, February 18, 2022

HALESTORM has released the official music video for "The Steeple", the second single from its upcoming fifth studio album album, "Back From The Dead". "The Steeple" follows the album's title track, "Back From The Dead", released last summer. That track marked HALESTORM's sixth No. 1 at rock radio, and met rave reviews: Rolling Stone called it "a biting, cathartic howler about overcoming obstacles — even death," and Consequence praised Hale's "powerhouse pipes" and lead guitarist Joe Hottinger's "blistering solo." Revolver declared it a "raucous, hard-rock rager about staying strong in the face of crushing adversity."

"Back From The Dead" is due out May 6 via Atlantic. The follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, MASTODON, ALICE IN CHAINS) with co-production by Scott Stevens (SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, NEW YEARS DAY).

According to a press release, "Back From The Dead" quickly evolved from songwriting exercises into a matter of survival for HALESTORM. Lead singer Lzzy Hale says: "We started writing this album about three months B.C. (Before COVID). Once we went into lockdown and were unable to perform and tour, I fell into a dark place and something of an identity crisis. This album is the story of me carving myself out of that abyss. It is a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, rediscovery, and still maintaining faith in humanity."

"Back From The Dead" track listing:

01. Back From The Dead

02. Wicked Ways

03. Strange Girl

04. Brightside

05. The Steeple

06. Terrible Things

07. My Redemption

08. Bombshell

09. I Come First

10. Psycho Crazy

11. Raise Your Horns

Last November, Lzzy told the 105.7 The Point radio station about the musical direction of the new HALESTORM material: "This album is absolutely a banger. It's on eleven. We have really just kind of exceeded all of the energy that has come before on these albums, both technically, music-wise, vocally, drum, lyric-wise. I think because of the roller-coaster ride when we were making this record, and just through the pandemic and all the different phases of that, we just kind of looked at each other, like, if the future is unknown and we don't know whether we're actually going to be out and playing these things, everything has to be, like I said, at eleven. It's HALESTORM elevated.

"It was kind of funny. My bass player, Josh [Smith], he was showing some new songs to his parents. And his dad is, like, 'Wow. You really just grabbed on to your sound.' And I'm, like, 'We have a sound?' [Laughs] I didn't really think about it that way before. But, yeah, it's very us."

According to Lzzy, she and her bandmates recorded the new HALESTORM album in a different way. "This is the first time that we've ever had dual producers," she explained. "We went back with Nick Raskulinecz [who helmed 'Vicious']. And then I ended up doing my vocals with Scott Stevens from THE EXIES. He's like a brother from another mother with me. We've written together before, and we've known each other for probably just shy of a decade now. He and I, we produced and did all the vocals for [HALESTORM's recently released single] 'Back From The Dead' with each other, because I went out to L.A. And then we ended up sending it to Nick, and Nick's, like, 'This is just absolutely amazing. We have to do every song this way.' So we kind of did it differently. We ended up with the bare bones of a demo. I ended up finishing all of my vocals — like dunzo — before we ended up building the track musically. So it's kind of like building a pyramid upside down. But it ended up really just having this different energy, because what we were able to do with the lyrics and melody and all the vocals being done would really accentuate all of that — matching the theme to whatever I was singing about, but also just kind of really supporting the vocals musically when we went in to do the guitars and drums and bass. It's so crazy — it definitely has this very forward, very aggressive nature to it because of the way that we did that."

The "Back From The Dead" title track was released in August. The official music video for the song, directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, features Lzzy and the rest of the band in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.

Lzzy and her brother Arejay formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz has revealed to Metal Hammer magazine that she moved to southern Germany temporarily during the pandemic in order to work on the band's upcoming album, "Deceivers", which is scheduled for a July 29 release via Century Media.

"I ended up staying in Europe for an entire year," she said. "I didn't want to risk being far away from our hub, which is basically in Sweden and Germany, and not being able to get back to it. I rented a car and found a little home for myself in southern Germany; I stayed there for a whole year. I set up a studio down there and continued working on a lot of solo material."

Asked if this means her long-in-the-works solo debut will finally arrive in the not-too-distant future, Alissa said: "Yeah, I'm working on that, but it's gonna come out way after 'Deceivers'. The ARCH ENEMY album is the one people should be looking forward to right now."

Back in 2017, Alissa said that her debut solo album would feature collaborations with a member of KAMELOT and at least one of her bandmates in ARCH ENEMY.

The ARCH ENEMY frontwoman said that the idea for a solo project came about as a suggestion from the band's former lead singer Angela Gossow, who has been managing ARCH ENEMY's career for more than a decade and also oversees Alissa's personal affairs.

"[Angela] was, like, 'Well, you need something. You need something that you can do, because I know you're a workaholic and you're not gonna be able to just sit there like this waiting for the next ARCH ENEMY tour,'" Alissa told France's Duke TV. "And she's totally right — I needed something else to be able to work on. And also, I have a lot of ideas that maybe don't sound like ARCH ENEMY and it would be kind of silly to just force them into ARCH ENEMY."

According to White-Gluz, her debut solo album will be released under the ALISSA banner because she wanted to "keep it simple" and "make it very clear who it is and what it is." In order to make the disc, Alissa "did a huge life overhaul," which included building a studio and investing a lot of time and money into learning how to engineer and record, program drums and improving at playing guitar. "Of course, on the album itself we're gonna have real musicians playing all of these things, but in terms of just getting the style down and the songwriting, it's something that I need to start on my own," she explained to Duke TV.

At the time of the Duke TV interview, half of Alissa's solo effort had been written, and it contained some musical surprises. "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY — it's pretty different — but I think it's pretty cool," she said. "For example, a song that I'm writing with Oliver [Palotai, keyboards] from KAMELOT doesn't sound like KAMELOT and it doesn't sound like ARCH ENEMY, but it's members of both."

Former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis, who joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014, didn't have any of his songwriting ideas included on the latter band's last album, "Will To Power", but will play a prominent role on Alissa's upcoming disc.

"Jeff didn't write with Michael [Amott, ARCH ENEMY guitarist and main songwriter], because Michael was already writing so well with Daniel [Erlandsson, ARCH ENEMY drummer] that we just actually had too many ideas," White-Gluz told France's Loud TV in a separate interview. "But all of Jeff's ideas are really good and I've heard them and they're gonna be released, so people will hear them… Jeff is gonna be one of my collaborators on my solo project, because how can you say no to that? [Laughs

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN singer Greg Puciato will release his sophomore solo album, "Mirrorcell", on June 17 via Federal Prisoner.

News of the hotly anticipated LP's impending arrival comes with today's premiere of "Lowered" and its Jim Louvau- and Tony Aguilera-directed video. Featuring a duet between Puciato and CODE ORANGE's Reba Meyers, the four-plus-minute song is evocative of the album's tone: a medley of raw insight and vulnerability juxtaposed against an exhilarating musical backdrop.

"When [Reba] came to the studio, we had, like, zero vocals for that song. I had been a little unusually stuck with that one lyrically and as far as vocal phrasings and melodies," Puciato explains. "Reba and I had such an explosion of musical and personal chemistry right away, and we ended up writing and recording all of the vocals in about six hours. It was one of the purest collaborations I've ever done, in terms of feeling, just really natural and explosive. She really blew me away overall. The combined energy was instant. That song turned into something really special because of that energy."

Puciato once again recorded all guitars and bass for the collection, and continued his long-running relationship producer Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, THE CURE, SNAPCASE). Chris Hornbrook (DHANI HARRISON, BIG BLACK DELTA) played drums on the nine-song album.

"Mirrorcell"'s arrival caps what has been a particularly prolific period for Puciato. From THE BLACK QUEEN to his debut solo album ("Child Soldier: Creator Of God"), KILLER BE KILLED's 2020 collection "Reluctant Hero", Puciato's contribution to Jerry Cantrell's "Brighten", and his recent collaboration with CARPENTER BRUT, the provocative frontman has shown just how diverse he is. Rolling Stone has said that "few singers live, breathe… their art like he does," or as Kerrang! so neatly surmised, Puciato is "a gifted artist taken at different temperatures."

"Mirrorcell" track listing:

01. In This Hell You Find Yourself

02 Reality Spiral

03. No More Lives to Go

04. Never Wanted That

05. Lowered

06. We

07. I, Eclipse

08. Rainbows Underground

09. All Waves to Nothing

"Mirrorcell" pre-orders are available now via Federal Prisoner's web site with the album available on a variety of formats including multiple limited-edition vinyl variants, a cassette, CD and an accompanying merch collection. A pair of limited-edition "Lowered" vinyl singles, and cassette, are also available.

Photo credit: Jim Louvau

SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith spoke to Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio about the lyrical inspiration for the band's seventh album, "Planet Zero", which will be released on April 22 via Atlantic Records. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In the most point-blank way I can say it, this album was written for the people by the people. And there's a lot to it. And I'm not even talking about just in this country when I say a statement like that. It's the freedoms of the individual from a global standpoint.

"We all know what we've been through in the last two years, entering year three of what is going on. But I think that the good thing is now people are starting to become more educated on things, they are starting to ask questions. But when I rewind and go back to June of 2020 [at the beginning of the songwriting process], when I left California, got to South Carolina with Eric [Bass, SHINEDOWN producer and bassist] and then the question became, 'Okay, what do we write about? How do we do it?' And we even talked at a certain point in time about having kind of the crystal-ball method, which is you're writing for three years from now. Because at the time, everything was in flux and it was intense. And when I got to South Carolina, that's immediately following that… That's when the height of protests had been happening, everything that had gone on with the injustice of what happened to George Floyd, but then how not just America but the world was rallying around this. And making the statement of… It comes down to a simple thing: what's right and wrong. And the wrong thing happened.

"That, still to this day, is hard to digest for me personally, because it's just gut-wrenching and heartbreaking to remember," Smith continued. "I remember when we watched in real time a man get murdered on live television. And it still sticks with me. And it's difficult, because you don't wanna believe that that kind of evil still exists.

"The thing is that when we go back to June, July of 2020, when we were asking that question to each other, like, 'Let's talk about after we come out of this. Let's talk about what it's gonna be like when we come out of it.' And we were trying to do that, but it just kept getting more and more intense," Brent added. "And it kept getting more and more intense with the virus. And it kept getting more intense with how people were viewing each other and how things were being presented in this glass box here from certain media outlets and how that was becoming very divisive and how clickbait became this new way of selling or getting your media out there."

This past December, Smith told 95.9 The Rat's Carl Craft that the lyrical themes covered on the new SHINEDOWN album were inspired at least in part by the ongoing pandemic and resulting impact on the community, residents and businesses.

"Going through everything that the world went through last year, and we wrote the majority of the record [in 2020], and [in 2021], we couldn't turn a blind eye to everything that was going on," he said. "And we talk on this record, and we express on this record — we're not trying to dance around certain subject matter. We're trying to be very honest and very real. In a lot of ways, this is a very humanitarian record."

Asked if SHINEDOWN will "piss people off" with some of the lyrical positions that are taken on the upcoming LP, Smith said: "Possibly. But the thing about it is I don't necessarily think it's about pissing people off; it's about understanding what we all went through but where we need to go now. I think that it gets lost. It's never supposed to be about… And I say this because I'm being very, very bold and very honest about it. This country, it's not called the Divided States Of America; it's called the United States Of America, and we want people to understand that that comes down to the people; that comes down to us. And us being able to not only work with each other, to grow with one another. But when you have certain people in power that do not have your best interests in mind, you have to stand up and make your voice heard. When I see what's going on in regards to people's freedom of speech and it being censored and people being pushed into a corner because of their opinions and what have you. You need to be able to have constructive conversations with each other in order to get actual action to happen for positive change."

SHINEDOWN's 2022 North American tour, "Shinedown Live In Concert", kicked off on January 26 in San Francisco.

TOOL, which is currently on tour in support of its Grammy Award-winning album "Fear Inoculum", will take it back to their beginning, celebrating the 30th anniversary of its first commercially available release "Opiate", with a reimagined and extended version of the EP's title track and an accompanying short film. "Opiate²" is available via DSPs on March 1, with the Blu-ray only visual companion available on March 18.

Visual artist Dominic Hailstone ("Alien: Covenant", "The Eel") worked with TOOL guitarist Adam Jones on the 10-plus minute film, which is the band's first new video in 15 years. The clip continues TOOL's knack for merging the aural and visual worlds, creating an all-encompassing experience for the listener that has been a hallmark of the outfit since their inception. Hailstone and Jones also collaborated on the filmed pieces featured on the current "Fear Inoculum" tour.

The physical release features a Blu-ray housed in a 46-page art book with behind-the-scenes and making-of photos as well as interviews and insights from special guests.

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

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

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

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

GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan joined Eddie Vedder on stage Monday night (February 21) during the PEARL JAM singer's concert at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington to perform a cover of THE PRETENDERS song "Precious".

Vedder's backing band, THE EARTHLINGS, consists of drummer Chad Smith, keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Josh Klinghoffer, bassist Chris Chaney, guitarist/vocalist Glen Hansard, and guitarist Andrew Watt. The newly formed group gave their live debut at Vedder's own Ohana Festival last September.

Earlier this month, Vedder postponed his shows in San Diego and Los Angeles due to a COVID-19 outbreak in his touring party.

Eddie's concert with his new band THE EARTHLINGS at The Magnolia in San Diego, originally scheduled for February 15, will now take place February 27, while the show at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, originally slated for February 17, has been pushed back to February 25.

Eddie's new solo album, "Earthling", was released on February 11 via Seattle Surf/Republic Records. The LP, which was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Andrew Watt, is Vedder's first album since 2011's "Ukulele Songs".

"Earthling" illuminates every side of Vedder and includes collaborations with some of music's most iconic legends including Stevie Wonder, Ringo Starr, Elton John, as well as Watt, Smith and Klinghoffer.

Vedder has served as PEARL JAM's frontman, in addition to a guitarist and primary lyricist, since 1990. Inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 as a member of PEARL JAM, Vedder's trademark vocal style inspired a generation. His energetic and unvarnished stage presence coupled with his honest conversations with the audience led PEARL JAM as pioneers in live performances and social justice.

Vedder's signature ethos carries into his solo work. His first project came out in 2007 with the soundtrack album for the film "Into The Wild" and earned him a Golden Globe for the song "Guaranteed". In 2012, Vedder's sophomore solo album, "Ukulele Songs", received a Grammy nomination for "Best Folk Album." Most recently, he collaborated with Glen Hansard for the "Flag Day Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" and has released tracks off his forthcoming solo album "Earthling".

Vedder's lyrics address many of the key issues of our times including gun violence, racism, and climate change. In addition to the activism inherent to the music, Vedder is an outspoken advocate for several progressive, social, and political causes, most notably abortion access and the environment. A longtime supporter of Surfrider Foundation, Vedder has most recently been vocal in banning offshore drilling along the U.S. coast.

"Though some may think there should be a separation between art, music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest," Vedder says.

In addition to his activism, Vedder and his wife Jill McCormick Vedder co-founded the EB Research Partnership, dedicated to finding a cure for epidermolysis bullosa, a family of rare genetic disorders that affects the skin. The Vedder family is active in supporting both the work of the organization and the children who are impacted by the disorder.

Vedder and his wife reside in Seattle with their two daughters.

SCORPIONS have shared the official lyric video for their new song "Seventh Sun". The track is taken from the band's 19th studio album, "Rock Believer", which will be released on February 25.

From the very first note of "Seventh Sun", guitarist Rudolf Schenker and his Flying V manage to spectacularly draw us into this powerful song in an almost mystical way, much in the tradition of SCORPIONS classics such as "Animal Magnetism" and "China White".

Three months ago, SCORPIONS released the official music video for "Rock Believer"'s first single, "Peacemaker". The track features music courtesy of guitarist Rudolf Schenker and bassist Pawel Maciwoda and lyrics by singer Klaus Meine.

Asked in a recent interview with Chile's Radio Futuro what fans can expect to hear on "Rock Believer", Meine said: "Well, you can expect an album that is dedicated to all the rock believers in the world. And we're very excited after all these years. We thought, when you think about all the touring we did the last 10 years, after the release of 'Return To Forever' in 2015, the time was right to go back into the studio, to write new material, to write new songs and check out if the creativity is still working. The big aim was, the goal was to make a rock album — to make an album with lots of attitude, power and focus on the good old times and really enjoy the music and have some fun with the music. And that feels really good."

Speaking about the "Rock Believer" album title, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker said: "Look, we are around the world since 50 years or more. And when somebody can say he's a rock believer, then this is us. And of course, we meet our rock believers in front of us, our audience.

"So many people said rock is dead. It's not dead," he continued. "It's always coming back — sometimes, okay, more stronger [or] less strong — but in the end, it's great to play around the world in over 80 countries we've played so far, and all rock believers. It was always great to share the music with them together and be in connection with them. I mean, that's so amazing and so fantastic, that we are very happy to come out with a new album. And yeah, let's see what's happening."

Added Meine: "Over the years, we've heard people say lots of times that rock is dead. But there are still millions of rock believers out there all over the world that prove them wrong. Our fans are the best in the world. We'll see you someday somewhere out there, because we're rock believers, just like you."

Asked if "Peacemaker" is representative of "Rock Believer" as a whole, Klaus said: "It is an uptempo rock song, and this album really rocks. There are some heavy songs on the album, like when you think about 'China White' and 'Animal Magnetism', there's a track on the record that is really in the best way of those songs. There are many uptempo songs and, believe it or not, there are even faster songs than 'Peacemaker'. [Laughs] There's also a very beautiful ballad on the album, and I'm sure there are fans out there especially love the SCORPIONS ballads, and they will enjoy this record as well very much. 'Peacemaker' is the appetizer for what the album is all about. It rocks."

"Rock Believer" was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

"The album was written and recorded in the SCORPIONS DNA with core Schenker/Meine compositions," said Klaus. "We recorded the album as a band live in one room, like we did in the '80s."

SCORPIONS' new album will mark their first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Meine previously told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce "Rock Believer" was to bring "the old vibe from albums like 'Blackout', 'Love At First Sting' or even 'Lovedrive'. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude," he said. "If we get there, who knows — it's so many years later. But it's the spirit and it's the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs."

"Rock Believer" track listing:

01. Gas In The Tank

02. Roots In My Boots

03. Knock 'Em Dead

04. Rock Believer

05. Shining Of Your Soul

06. Seventh Sun

07. Hot And Cold

08. When I Lay My Bones To Rest

09. Peacemaker

10. Call Of The Wild

11. When You Know (Where You Come From)

12. Shoot For Your Heart

13. When Tomorrow Comes

14. Unleash The Beast

15. Crossing Borders

SCORPIONS will kick off their "Rock Believer" world tour in March in Las Vegas where the band will play nine shows as part of their residency at Planet Hollywood Hotel. Afterwards they will cross the Atlantic to Europe where they will play six concerts in France and six shows In Germany supported by Wolfgang Van Halen's new band MAMMOTH WVH.

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

Brent Smith (SHINEDOWN), Tad Doyle (TAD), LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton and SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS bassist/vocalist Todd Kerns are among the musicians who have reacted to the passing of Mark Lanegan. The former SCREAMING TREES frontman and erstwhile member of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE died earlier today (Tuesday, February 22) at the age of 57.

"Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland," his publicist said in a statement. "A beloved singer, songwriter, author and musician, he was 57 and is survived by his wife Shelley. No other information is available at this time. The family asks everyone to respect their privacy at this time."

Born November 25, 1964 in Ellensburg, Washington, Lanegan began his music career in the 1980s. In 1985, he became the vocalist for grunge group SCREAMING TREES; the group broke up in 2000. Lanegan would start a low-key solo career, but in 2004 Lanegan released his big breakthrough album "Bubblegum". In addition to leading the THE GUTTER TWINS, Lanegan was also involved in other musical projects, including hard rock band QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, long-term collaborations with Isobel Campbell; and undertaken some surprisingly eclectic collaborations, such as co-writing and providing vocals for "Black River" by the electronic outfit BOMB THE BASS. He also lent his vocal talent to the highly regarded album "Above" by supergroup MAD SEASON and penned the theme song for Anthony Bourdain's award-winning TV show "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" with QOTSA frontman Josh Homme.

Lanegan is featured on five of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's last six albums — 2000's "Rated R", 2002's "Songs For The Deaf", 2005's "Lullabies To Paralyze", 2007's "Era Vulgaris" and 2013's "...Like Clockwork".

Last December, Lanegan released a memoir titled "Devil In A Coma" via U.K. publisher White Rabbit. The book detailed a "terrifying account" of his battle with COVID-19 which left him "slipping in and out of a coma."

Lanegan's previous memoir, "Sing Backwards And Weep", was published in 2020 by White Rabbit.




I am so profoundly grateful to have had the chance to make music & become friends with Mark Lanegan. Few artists ever achieve the level of honesty & authenticity that he did.

He was absolutely brilliant.

Godspeed my friend. ?

— Mark Morton ?? (@MarkDuaneMorton) February 22, 2022








My heartfelt condolences to the surviving family and fans of the immense talent that was Mark Lanegan. ??☯️♾

— Tad Doyle (@TadDoyle_Tad) February 22, 2022








Rest In Peace, old friend. Truly. More and more the best are no longer with us. @marklanegan pic.twitter.com/KPyPC17xad

— moby XⓋX (@thelittleidiot) February 22, 2022








So very sad to hear of the passing of Mark Lanegan. #marklanegan #ripmarklanegan @marklanegan pic.twitter.com/Mhcatyiyug

— Todd Dammit Kerns (@todddammitkerns) February 22, 2022








Fuck. Mark Lanegan now?

— Ginger Wildheart (@GingerWildheart) February 22, 2022








Mark Lanegan rest easy mate. A real singer. ❤️

— Sleaford Mods (@sleafordmods) February 22, 2022








Hearing about Mark Lanegan passing away has properly stopped me in my tracks. I’m absolutely gutted. Met him on a couple of occasions and I was nervous because I loved him so much. He was a perfect gentleman, really kind. One of THE great singers of the last 30 years. So sad ?

— Badly Drawn Boy (@badly_drawn_boy) February 22, 2022








Mark Lanegan was a lovely man. He led a wild life that some of us could only dream of. He leaves us with fantastic words and music! Thank god that through all of that he will live forever. RIP Mark. Sleep well. Love Hooky. X pic.twitter.com/Xnx76y68YC

— Peter Hook (@peterhook) February 22, 2022








Oh no. Terrible news that Mark Lanegan has left us. Safe travels man – you’ll be missed ?

— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) February 22, 2022








I love you. Rest In Peace Mark Lanegan, my brother. No words. Heartbroken. pic.twitter.com/nQblLQNjnA

— COLD CAVE (@ColdCave23) February 22, 2022








Terribly saddened to hear the news of the passing of Mark Lanegan. A very gifted artist blessed with honey dipped tones, gone far too soon.

— Garbage (@garbage) February 22, 2022




























View this post on Instagram









































A post shared by @thebrentsmith






























View this post on Instagram









































A post shared by Richard Patrick (@filter_richard_patrick)

LACUNA COIL has entered the studio to begin recording "a very special project." The Italian heavy rockers shared the news of the latest studio session in an Instagram post earlier today (Tuesday, February 22). The band uploaded a picture of the LACUNA COIL bandmembers drinking coffee at what appears to be a bar, and included the following message: "Ready for #day2 of the recording of a very special project."

Last June, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia told Revolver that she and her bandmates didn't use the coronavirus downtime to work on new music. "We didn't want to force the fact that because we were home, we had to write music," she explained. "We always thought that to write music, you need to be inspired. And inspiration comes from the outside, comes from experiences that you have, things that you live. At least this is valid for us.

"Everything we do in a regular life, in a normal life enriches us and gives us input that we can put in our music," she said. "And also we like to write together. So, if Marco [Coti Zelati, bass] creates the basis of the music together with the other musicians in the band, then Andrea [Ferro, vocals] and I jump in with the lyrics and vocal lines. But we do that together. We need to enter in songwriting mode. So we didn't really like the fact that we had to write separately just because we have to put a record [together] because it's quarantine. Now we are starting to collect ideas 'cause we feel a little bit happier."

Scabbia continued: "We didn't want anything connected to the negativity of the pandemic… That's why I used my time to do something completely different. Because I know that what I did that it's completely different from what I usually do will make me start again to do what I did before with passion — with the same passion. I was just afraid that if I would have used all the downtime making music when I didn't really want to, it would have had a negative influence on me. And it would have been, like, 'I really don't want to do that.' And I also wanted to prove to myself that, yeah, music is main passion. I love what I do for a living, and I hope that I can do it until the day I die. But I also wanted to show myself that I can be capable of doing something else as well."

Last summer, LACUNA COIL released a new live album, "Live From The Apocalypse", via Century Media. The effort was recorded at the band's special September 2020 livestream event where LACUNA COIL performed its latest album, "Black Anima", in its entirety.

In February 2021, LACUNA COIL took part in an initiative dubbed "L'Ultimo Concerto?" (Last Concert) to highlight the increasingly uncertain future of music venues. Instead of delivering live performances as part of a scheduled free virtual stream, each of around 130 Italian artists was filmed taking the stage at a different venue and then standing there in silence as a way of commemorating the one-year mark since the first Italian venues closed.
























View this post on Instagram









































A post shared by Lacuna Coil (@lacunacoilofficial)

Two decades into their venerable careers, Baltimore death metal savants MISERY INDEX are back with a new album, "Complete Control", which will be released worldwide on May 13 via Century Media Records. The LP was mixed by Will Putney and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street studios. The cover artwork was created by Matt Lombard.

"Complete Control" is described in a press release as "a riff-driven assault that captures the tension of the modern condition and channels it into nine songs of ripping end-times death metal. Spewing with Orwellian invective and razor-sharp songwriting, 'Complete Control' is a much-needed hammer to the face; a wake-up call for the disaffected and dispossessed."

"Complete Control" track listing:

01. Administer The Dagger

02. The Eaters And The Eaten

03. Complete Control

04. Necessary Suffering

05. Rites Of Cruelty

06. Conspiracy Of None

07. Infiltrators

08. Reciprocal Repulsion

09. Now Defied!

The LP's first single and video will launch on Friday, March 11 to support the start of the album's pre-order campaign.

In other news, MISERY INDEX's new song "Strategies Of Manipulation" is debuting as part of the Decibel Flexi Series, which will be featured with the next issue of Decibel magazine.

MISERY INDEX bassist/vocalist Jason Netherton states about "Complete Control": "We are super stoked to present our new album 'Complete Control' — a pandemic-spawned nine-track opus of vitriolic death metal which draws heavily on our enduring brutal hardcore and grindcore influences.

"We tracked the album in September and October of 2021, and it was subsequently mixed by Will Putney prior to being mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street studios. The cover features the visceral, uncanny work of visual artist Matt Lombard, which, to us, hammers home the contradictory forces of control and chaos which define our modern age.

"The album's central lyrical themes focus on these competing forces of control and chaos; they interrogate 'power' as something that is not always wielded with brute force in the modern age (through violence), but moreso as a control society where it manifests on a self-governing, individual level.

"Also, we are looking very much forward to hitting the road again this year! Starting with a run of dates with our old friends ORIGIN and WOLF KING in North America, leading into festival appearances, a West Coast U.S. tour and an EU headliner coming later this year. Until then, see you all soon and keep hammering the nails!".

MISERY INDEX is (from left to right in photo by Ryan Philipps): Darin Morris (lead guitar), Adam Jarvis (drums), Mark Kloeppel (guitar and vocals) and Jason Netherton (bass and vocals).

Drummer Mario Duplantier of French progressive metallers GOJIRA spoke to Art Of Rock about his obsession with bodyboarding, a water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave that is carrying the surfer towards the shore. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's not like surfing. Bodyboarding is like a smaller board. Since I'm a kid, I'm bodyboarding. So yesterday I was in the water during wintertime. I try to go every day. I'm truly addicted to the ocean and to bodyboarding. [The water is] super cold [right now here in France]. And outside it's cold as well. But I have a good wet suit and all the gear."

Duplantier went on to say that he has gone surfing with METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo on a couple of occasions in the past. "When I was in California, he invited us to surf together," he said. "And he's also going in vacation in Biarritz, where I'm living right now in the Southwest of France; he's coming sometimes during the summer with his wife and kids. So every time he's here, we go surf together. He's such, such a cool dude and a cool person. And a good surfer as well."

Trujillo and METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett are frequent surfers. When they're not playing stadium-sized concerts, you may find them riding waves in Portugal or Morocco. Trujillo had even partnered with a famous Australian surf brand to market a line of boardshorts.

GOJIRA's latest album, "Fortitude", entered Billboard's Top Albums chart at No. 1 last May, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2), United Kingdom (No. 6), Australia (No. 3), Germany (No. 8), Belgium (No. 2), Netherlands (No. 4), Denmark (No. 3), Portugal (No. 4), Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).

"Fortitude" was highlighted by the singles "Another World", "Born For One Thing", "Into The Storm", "Amazonia" and "The Chant", a slow-burning track featuring some of GOJIRA's most melodic material to date.

Furthermore, GOJIRA concluded a month-long fundraising initiative in support of the indigenous-owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, the charitable campaign raised over $300,000 through an auction and raffle of one-of-a-kind items from the band and their friends in METALLICA, TOOL, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, Slash and more. All proceeds were donated to APIB to support their work aiding the indigenous tribes of the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.

Recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), "Fortitude" is GOJIRA's first album in five years and the follow-up to 2016's Grammy-nominated LP "Magma". A collection of songs urging humanity to imagine a new world and then make it happen, "Fortitude" has been earning widespread critical praise with Rolling Stone naming it one of their best albums of April 2021 and remarking "It's all the rage of death metal mixed with the conscience of punk rock and the musicality of progressive rock." NPR hailed "Another World" as "an apocalyptic banger," and Paste called "Into The Storm" a "much-needed revolutionary anthem." Stereogum declared, "hearing this band operating at their peak is a life-affirming thing," while Revolver attested "Fortitude" "could spark a revolution."

ABSENT IN BODY, the new band featuring AMENRA guitarist Mathieu J. Vandekerckhove, AMENRA frontman Colin H. Van Eeckhout, NEUROSIS vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly and former SEPULTURA drummer Igor Cavalera, will release its debut album, "Plague God", on March 25 via Relapse Records. The LP's second single, "Sarin", can be streamed below.

Van Eeckhout comments: "Humanity its demise as a self-fulfilling prophecy. The onslaught of information is not manageable for any empathic organism in this universe. Driven into a corner, overtaken by our own self-destructive ways, nature sends its beasts to settle things for good. Restore balance by fire, water, earth and wind. Until eventually mankind will eat itself. Facts are no longer facts, and science appears to have been driven from its throne by new gods of unintelligible information. The story told by a new breed, all awhile Sarin will sleep in your lungs tonight.

"The scream is mine. So loud. But no one came. A funeral pyre. Flames so high they burn the sky. The awful pain. Everywhere. On Gods domain. The coming rain. It will swallow everything.

"'Sarin' is also a direct hommage to Dwid Hellion, whom has written a song with INTEGRITY of the same title, without him we would never have been introduced to one another, and AIB would never have seen the light of day."

"Plague God" is bound by the same ideals of unity and fearlessly uncompromising honesty of expression that have driven the members' respective bands to imperious heights of reverence and groundbreaking sonic deliverance. "Plague God" is by turns devastating and sublime, drawn from musicians for whom life and art are inextricably bound.

Vandekerckhove commented: "We had not imposed any limitations or boundaries on ourselves to create this music. Everything happened without any compromise, we gathered and let inspiration run freely. It is the beauty and the strength of this album."

Cavalera stated: "It feels great to collaborate with such forward-thinking minds like Colin, Mathieu and Scott on ABSENT IN BODY. The music is dense and slowly brutal, very similar to the times we are living."

"The Acres/The Ache" music video was filmed and edited by Vandekerckhove.

"Plague God" track listing:

01. Rise From Ruins

02 In Spirit In Spite

03. Sarin

04. The Acres/The Ache

05. The Half Rising Man

In an era overrun by information, misinformation, unseen algorithms and viral contagion, to seek out what’s truly human in the face of overwhelming and unfathomable forces has perhaps become our most sacred of tasks. It’s an impulse that lies at the very heart of "Plague God".

Initially the brainchild of Vandekerckhove and Kelly, ABSENT IN BODY formed in 2017. Immediately recognizing their kinship, and with Van Eeckhout brought in on vocals and bass, what emerged is a reflection of the intervening years of turbulence, extending its scope as it navigates across five stretches of unstable terrain. From the opening "Rise From Ruins" with Cavalera's tribal beat emerging from foreboding, near-subsonic oscillations to explode in a tide of corrosive riffs and feral howls, through "Sarin"'s steadfast, procession-through-purgatory groove, to "The Half Rising Man"'s matrix of organic/mechanic evolution, it's an album in constant dialogue between the animalistic, the human and the industrial, and a hunger to distill a truth, something unpolluted from the fray.

Protest music is often perceived as a petition, or a counter-argument against a controlling force. There is another sense of protest, though, that of a machine under stress: articulating the pressures weighing down on it by means of an involuntary, primal response. It's these states of critical mass at which we must truly find ourselves, under duress maybe, but unblinded and alive. "Plague God" doesn't just give voice to these moments of truth, but in the band's deep kinship integral to every claustrophobic judder, every stretch of atmospheric dread and helpless alias assumed, lies a freedom we both forget and attain at our peril.

Ted Nugent has expressed his support for those involved in the Canadian trucker protests, saying they "stand up for the best of humanity."

A three-week protest in downtown Ottawa initially focused on Canada's vaccine requirements for truckers entering the country but it morphed into a broader attack on COVID precautions and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government. As a result, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act granting authorities broader powers to stop the demonstrations in Ottawa and blockades of several Canada-U.S. border crossings.

Nugent weighed in on the trucker protests in a new interview with Eric Bolling, the host of Newsmax's "Eric Bolling The Balance". The outspoken 73-year-old rocker said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, Eric, you've got the right guy, 'cause my name is Ted Nugent. I'm the Motor City truckin' guitar player. I've got my own truck and I'm gonna join these truckers. These guys stand up for the best of humanity.

"It's really quite simple. You hear all this talk about, 'We're divided.' Well, of course we are. I'm divided between good against evil and dishonesty and rot and criminal corruption which describes Fidel Jr. up there in the snow land," he continued, apparently referencing a debunked claim that Fidel Castro was Trudeau's father.

"Those are great, great people up there," Ted added. "They live by work ethic and being the best that they can be. And certainly that describes the truckers here in America. I mean, I have campfires every hunting season with the teamsters and with those truck drivers. I know these guys. I am these guys. I've got a big zebra Ford Bronco with 900 horsepower that gives you exactly six hundred yards to the gallon. So I'm gonna go join those guys and make sure that the middle finger stays on fire, because good people support 'em, rotten people are against 'em. And old Fidel Jr. perfected that."

Addressing reports that Canadian authorities froze the finances associated with certain individuals and companies believed to be involved in the ongoing protests in Ottawa, Nugent said: "Well, again, I know these guys. I hunt in Canada every year. I rock and roll in Canada every year since 1967. They really are the salt of the earth. But the dynamic here is very powerful. There is no more polite society, there is no more kind, good will and decency than you will find in the citizens of Canada. They have taken it and they have taken it and taken it. When these polite, kind, tolerant people have had enough, that is an irrefutable indicator that we really have had enough.

"I didn't invent the middle finger, but I perfected it back in Detroit around 1958," Ted added. "And the citizens of Canada have found their middle finger and they're settin' it on fire and I couldn't be more proud. I'm gonna invite them to all come deer huntin' with me this year."

The so-called "freedom convoy," which started on January 28, has drawn support from right-wing extremists in Canada and abroad. The demonstrations have reportedly turned into a broader far-right movement, with some demonstrators waving Confederate and Nazi flags.

A number of other conservative figures in the U.S. have voiced their support for the Canadian truckers, including former president Donald Trump, who said there's "a lot of respect" for the protestors. Republican senator Ted Cruz has called the truckers "heroes" fighting for a righteous cause while Fox News' Sean Hannity sent "solidarity, love and support" to the demonstrators.

Canadian metal legends ANVIL have set "Impact Is Imminent" as the title of their 19th album, tentatively due in May. The cover artwork for the effort, which was recorded at a studio in Germany, can be found below.

Earlier in the month, ANVIL guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow told Canada's The Metal Voice about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2020's "Legal At Last" LP: "The new album is completed and mixed and done. What can I say? I can't wait till it comes out.

"The whole thing is a bit weird and odd because we put out an album and then never got to tour for it," he continued, referencing the aforementioned "Legal At Last". "So it's, like, where is the tour for the last album already? So, what is the last album, just spinning our wheels? What was that? What happened? Now I'm in a position where I'm putting out another album, and I'm gonna have to actually try to push both albums. It's, like, I don't know. I've never been in a position like that."

Lips added: "And then at the same time, while all this is going on, I got back from [recording in] Germany, of course, in October and have been writing songs since I got back. Because, of course, the last song I wrote was before I left — months before — so I had months of time off, not doing anything. So we started back in on it. We're at [song] number 10 already — for the next album."

"Legal At Last" came out in February 2020 via AFM Records.

ANVIL, a Toronto-based group, was formed in 1978 by childhood friends, Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner. Both came from Jewish families and had been playing music together since their teens. ANVIL is considered to have been an influence on many metal bands, including METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX.

Though initially a four-piece band, ANVIL's current lineup includes Kudlow, Reiner and bassist Chris Robertson.

ANVIL gained popularity and new fans since the 2008 theatrical documentary, "Anvil: The Story Of Anvil", which is currently available on Netflix. Made by former ANVIL roadie, filmmaker Sacha Gervasi, it became a cult hit, described by the Chicago Tribune as "a sort of real-life version of 'This Is Spinal Tap' with more appealing characters and real emotions."

In a 2015 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Lips stated about ANVIL's longevity: "We learned a very early and very brutal lesson in our younger years — you don't let up, ever. You keep the tank full and you keep driving it. You don't stop. 'Cause stopping means that you're gonna slip. So we've been on this survival-terror mode to keep it going."

In a new interview with Colombia's Radioacktiva, KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer spoke about what he would like his band's legacy to be. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think this band — well, I don't think; I know this band — in the past, like early '90s and the 2000s, we were not concerned about tomorrow so much. We were living in the moment. We were young. All we cared about was the party. 'We don't care about what happens tomorrow; we just care about today.' And that was fun. But now, with us all in our early 50s — it's hard to say [that we are that old]… it's hard to take that in [we are in our 50s]. But we don't feel like [we are that old] because the music keeps us so young. But at the same time, we have a lot of wisdom that we've collected along the way, and one of those things is we do care about how we're remembered; we care about what our children are gonna think of us; how we act now and how that's gonna carry on for a generation or two generations; how people remember our music; what we leave behind. All these things are just these new — it's a new insight and it's a new outlook for us. I guess, as seasoned songwriters, and we're all fathers now, we wanna be remembered as a band that helped people, not a band that couldn't help ourselves."

KORN's new album, "Requiem", was released on February 4 via Loma Vista Recordings. The band celebrated the LP's arrival with a special record-release event on February 3 at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California. "Requiem Mass" saw the Southern California heavy music pioneers perform an intimate set in front of a 300 attendees.

"Requiem" was produced by Chris Collier and KORN.

"Requiem" entered Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. The band sold 23,000 equivalent album units in the February 4-10 tracking week, according to Billboard. Of that sum, 20,000 units are from album sales. "Requiem" also landed at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. On the all-format Billboard 200, it arrived at No. 14.

The album's first single, "Start The Healing", is currently at No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.

KORN kicked off a short run of shows with SYSTEM OF A DOWN on January 31 in Phoenix, followed by dates in San Diego (February 1) and Los Angeles (February 4 and February 5). KORN's headlining tour with CHEVELLE and CODE ORANGE will launch March 4.

Former FOZZY drummer Frank Fontsere has once again opened up about his decision to leave the band, saying he "had no real investment in what was going on."

The 54-year-old musician's exit from FOZZY was officially announced on January 3. The band simultaneously named his replacement, former THROUGH FIRE drummer Grant Brooks.

Frank discussed his departure from FOZZY in a new interview with the "Talk Toomey" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been doing it a long time, and I still love playing, and I still love playing live, but I've never been the biggest fan of the traveling. I'm not Dora The Explorer; I don't really care about seeing exotic places or all that stuff. For me, it was always about the shows. I used to think, 'Man, it would be nice if I could just teleport to every show.' And especially having a kid — he's seven years old — I was missing him. We weren't spending tremendous amounts of time on the road, but still, it was just getting harder. And there were other factors too; there were other things I wanted to pursue. I kind of needed to figure out who I was, who Frank Fontsere was as opposed to Frank the drummer for FOZZY. That was the entirety of my identity, and I needed to figure out who I was and can I just go out there in the world and do something completely on my own.

"It had been years and years and years of 'the kind of success that will sustain me is just around the corner' or 'the kind of success that will sustain us is just around the corner' — it was always 'just around the corner.' And I couldn't take that anymore," he continued. "'Cause the band is doing well, but it's not like we flew around on private jets and stuff like that; there were still things to deal with. We would have tour buses and they were nice and everything, but there was still a lot of showering at truck stops and gyms and things like that. I'm not a snob — it's not like that's some kind of true hardship — but it just wears on you after a while when you get to be in your 50s, especially when you don't have any skin in the game. I didn't have any songwriting credits — I'm not a songwriter — and I had no control over what the band did at all; I had no say over what the band does. It was, like, when they say 'jump,' I say 'how high?' And it's not like they were dictators or anything like that — we had a good relationship — but ultimately, I feel like I'm working toward something, or at least I was trying to work toward something and I didn't have any real control over the outcome."

Frank added: "They say, 'Well, if you're gonna fail, fail on your own terms.' The band that follows their heart and does the music that means something to them, they think, 'Well, if we sell no records, at least I have the records and at least I can be proud of that.' And I didn't really have that; I had no real investment in what was going on."

Fontsere was a founding member of FOZZY, having formed the group in 1999 with singer Chris Jericho and Ward.

When FOZZY announced Fontsere's departure, the band said that he was "stepping down to focus on his family and other projects."

In a separate statement on his personal Facebook page, Brooks said that he was "super excited" about his new gig. He wrote: "So thankful for this amazing opportunity! Huge shoutout to Rich Ward, aka The Duke and Chris Jericho for reaching out to me and offering me the gig.

"My first shows will be on the Jericho Cruise setting sail from Miami, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas on March 14-18!"

FOZZY will release its new album, "Boombox", on April 15. The LP, which includes the top 10 singles "Nowhere To Run" and "Sane", was once again produced by Johnny Andrews.

FOZZY's "Save The World" 2022 U.S. tour, featuring special guests GFM, KRASHKARMA and THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR, starts on March 31 in Detroit, Michigan and wraps on May 16 in Sauget, Illinois. Additionally, to celebrate the arrival of "Boombox", FOZZY will play an album-release party on April 11 at Irving Plaza in New York City, where fans will be able to purchase and listen to the full album exclusively in advance of the release.

FOZZY debuted a brand new song, "Purifier", during its September 2021 concert in Flint, Michigan and has been performing it live ever since. Back in July, FOZZY played another new song, "The Vulture Club", during its concert in Iowa City, Iowa. The band also performed its latest single, "Sane", live for the first time.

In May, FOZZY dropped a video for its first new song in two years, the aforementioned "Sane", which hit one million views in its first two weeks. This first-of-its-kind video was filmed on the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet today.

In the summer of 2020, Chris revealed that FOZZY's next LP would contain 12 songs, including one cover.

Ward and Andrews once again did "the lion's share" of the songwriting for the new LP, which was recorded primarily in Atlanta, Georgia.

In addition to producing "Judas", Andrews previously co-wrote FOZZY's "Lights Go Out" track back in 2014. He has also written songs with the likes of ALL THAT REMAINS, THREE DAYS GRACE and HALESTORM.

In November 2020, FOZZY appeared in its first global live streaming event from Madison Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

FOZZY is Chris Jericho (vocals), Rich Ward (guitars, vocals), Grant Brooks (drums), Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).

Finnish dark metal band Kaamos Warriors have released a new single,  The track is taken from the upcoming fourth studio album, Spirit From The Void, which will released on April 8th via Inverse Records. 


The band comments: "'Varjojen Vaeltaja' represents the black metal influenced elements of our music creating a constantly growing dark and powerful melodic atmosphere."







Tracklist:


"In Blood and Spirit"
"Vapaus"
"The Flames of the Dragon"
"Varjojen Vaeltaja"
"Tyhjyyden Kulkija"
"Into Thy Light"
"Chamber of the Stars"
"Catacombs of Existence"
"Surun Mustat Siivet"


 


Kaamos Warriors was founded in 2018 by Jani Moilanen and Mikko Ojala in Kempele in northern Finland. The band refers to their music as atmospheric and melodic black metal. They have released three albums (Ikuisen Talven Sarastus, Shadows of Northern Chaos and Kirous). All albums has been released by Finnish Inverse Records. The fourth album, Spirit From The Void, will see daylight in the spring 2022.