In a new interview with the "(Don't) Quit Your Day Job" podcast, Jeff Scott Soto, the acclaimed American hard rock singer of Puerto Rican descent, was asked if he ever felt like he didn't get a fair shake or people treated him "shitty" just because of the slightly darker hue of his complexion. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Absolutely. Of course I went through it, especially in the '80s when this style of the hair bands, or whatever you wanna call them, and even the genre was flooded with so many bands that were… a lot of their frontmen were of Caucasian descent and had green eyes or blue eyes and they had blond hair. I didn't fit in that mold… Of course, there were exceptions. Stephen Pearcy [RATT] is Spanish. I believe Vince Neil [MÖTLEY CRÜE] is half Spanish, but they didn't come across with that look as much as I did. And [I thought], 'I need to shift how people see me first because my talent isn't gonna do it enough; it's not gonna do it alone. I have to make sure that I kind of fit and look the image as well as singing it,' because the way I looked when I was with Yngwie, it would not have worked for me in terms of trying to get and gain that side of notoriety had I not done something about it. So I was doing things like adding the bleached hair on portion of my hair, I grew it out longer, I was wearing different clothing. I tried to remold myself to kind of fit musically what I was trying to rebrand myself."

Soto is a man that needs virtually no introduction to any discerning melodic rock fan. Jeff launched his career at the young age of 18 years old in tremendous fashion as the lead vocalist for Yngwie Malmsteen's debut album, "Rising Force", and the sophomore effort, "Marching Out". That first step into the spotlight has led to a career that has seen Jeff play and work with an outstanding number of artists and genres from the AOR of EYES and TAKARA, to the hard rock and metal of TALISMAN, AXEL RUDI PELL, SOUL SIRKUS, and, of course, his time with the legendary JOURNEY. Jeff has also maintained a solo career over the past decades, while also recently joining up with the progressive metal supergroup SONS OF APOLLO.

Last October, Soto released his latest solo project, "The Duets Collection, Vol. 1". For this album, Soto wanted to do a career retrospective and re-record some of his favorite songs from his storied career, but with the twist that he invited friends to join him on duets of said songs. So, not only did he re-record these songs with his musical friends Jorge Salan, Howie Simon (guitars), Leo Mancini (guitars), Tony Dickinson (bass) and Edu Cominato (drums), but he called in some of his fellow rock friends/vocalists — including Erik Mårtensson (ECLIPSE, W.E.T.), Eric Martin (MR. BIG), Johnny Gioeli (HARDLINE), Deen Castronovo (REVOLUTION SAINTS, JOURNEY), Nathan James (INGLORIOUS), Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X), Renan Zonta (ELECTRIC MOB), Dino Jelusick (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), BJ (SPEKTRA, SOTO) and Aliro Netto (SHAMAN, QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA) — to create a unique duets album.

Fan-filmed video footage of SOULFLY performing a cover of FEAR FACTORY's "Replica" (after the intro to "Body Hammer") on February 15 at Goldfield in Roseville, California can be seen below.

FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares is once again playing guitar for SOULFLY on the Max Cavalera-fronted outfit's current U.S. tour. He previously performed with SOULFLY on the group's last U.S. run of dates, which took place in August and September of 2021.

SOULFLY kicked off its 35-date U.S. tour on February 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The trek will make stops in Seattle, Minneapolis, Nashville, and Baton Rouge before concluding in Gallup, New Mexico on March 19. Joining the band for select dates are SHORT FUSE and 200 STAB WOUNDS.

Prior to the launch of the tour, Cavalera commented: "SOULFLY would like to welcome back our brother/legend Dino Cazares to share the stage once again with us! Round One was amazing! The Tribe in other cities will now get the chance to see this epic lineup, playing classic trax and some surprises from our new record!"

Cazares added: "I will reenter the riff vortex with the SOULFLY Tribe! I look forward to rejoining Max and La Familia on their U.S. tour, destroying stages with an avalanche of classic anthems and brand new songs."

Last month, Max told Zippo Encore's "Art Of Rock" livestream series: "It's so cool that we have amazing friends like [Dino] in the industry. That you can call Dino up and he's available. So [it's] just really great… [Touring with him last year] was so much fun, man, because Dino… We grew up together. I was a huge FEAR FACTORY fan. I helped them get signed [to Roadrunner]. And then, of course, he plays on 'Eye For An Eye' on the first SOULFLY [album]; he plays guitars on it. So when we invited him to do that tour, it was a perfect match. And the fans, they lost their shit. It was so cool. Sometimes I would stay on the bus and I'd watch Dino get out of the bus and he'd just get mobbed; 10 kids would just surround him. I was, like, 'Oh, this is cool, man. This is what's up. This is some true metal shit right here.'"

In August, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences.

Rizzo joined SOULFLY in 2004, and appeared on all of the band's subsequent records, including "Prophecy" (2004), "Dark Ages" (2005), "Conquer" (2008), "Omen" (2010), "Enslaved" (2012), "Savages" (2013), "Archangel" (2015) and "Ritual" (2018). In 2007, Rizzo became a member of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, the side project of SEPULTURA co-founders, brothers Max and Igor Cavalera, and has performed on all CAVALERA CONSPIRACY releases including "Inflikted", "Blunt Force Trauma", "Pandemonium" and the critically acclaimed 2017 LP "Psychosis".

Max and his bandmates have spent the last few months working on the follow-up to 2018's "Ritual" at Platinum Underground in Phoenix, Arizona with producer Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, POWER TRIP and CODE ORANGE.

ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer, who pleaded guilty 10 months ago to his role in the Capitol riot, is continuing to cooperate with authorities while on pre-sentencing release.

In a joint status update filed on Friday (February 18) in federal court in Washington, D.C., United States attorney Matthew M. Graves wrote that the "government reports that Defendant Jon Schaffer continues to cooperate with the government." Prosecutors also asked for a May deadline for the filing of another status report in his case.

According to an April 2021 Justice Department press release, Schaffer has "acknowledged he is a founding lifetime member" of the right-wing Oath Keepers extremist group.

Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta granted the U.S. government's request to share sealed materials from the case involving Schaffer's role in the U.S. Capitol riot case as discovery to the three main Oath Keepers cases. Stewart Rhodes, the founder and leader of the Oath Keepers, and several of his deputies were charged with seditious conspiracy for their role in the U.S. Capitol Riot. Rhodes and his co-defendants are accused of bringing small arms to the Washington, D.C. area; engaging in combat training to prepare for the attack; and making plans to stage quick-reaction forces to support insurrectionists.

In December, a lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. accusing 31 members of Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys — including Schaffer — of "conspiring to terrorize the District" on January 6, 2021, calling their actions "a coordinated act of domestic terrorism." According to CNN, the lawsuit cites the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871, a federal law created after the Civil War to protect civil rights and, as District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine noted, "to protect against vigilantes and insurrectionists."

"I think the damages are substantial," Racine told The Washington Post. "If it so happens that it bankrupts or puts these individuals and entities in financial peril, so be it."

The 84-page complaint, which can be found at this location, describes Schaffer as "a founding, lifetime member of the Oath Keepers." It goes on to say: "Schaffer was criminally charged and indicted for his role in perpetrating the January 6th Attack. In connection with a promise to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in criminal cases related to the conspiracy to commit the January 6th Attack, Schaffer pleaded guilty to the entire Statement of Offense in the criminal action brought against him, which included two felony offenses: (1) trespass of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon and (2) obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress. The Criminal Complaint filed against Schaffer—as well as Schaffer's Plea Agreement and the accompanying Statement of Offense describing his conduct—are publicly available documents that are hereby incorporated into the Complaint by reference."

"No one bore the brunt of this gutless attack more than the courageous law enforcement officers including the men and women of the DC Metropolitan Police Department who went into the fire and violence with one objective in mind: remove the violent mob and restore our country's fragile democracy," Racine said at a news conference.

"The defendants, as you know, were not tourists, nor were they acting patriotically," he added. "They were vigilantes, members of a mob, insurrectionists who sought to crush our country's freedoms."

As part of his April 2021 plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer acknowledged that on January 6, 2021 he was in Washington to attend the "Stop The Steal" rally at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. to protest the results of the presidential election, which he believed were fraudulent. Schaffer wore a tactical vest and carried bear spray, a dangerous weapon and chemical irritant used to ward off bears. When the rally finished, Schaffer joined a large crowd that marched from the Ellipse to the Capitol, where a joint session of Congress, presided over by Vice President Michael Pence, was in session to certify the electoral college vote results. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., members of the mob forced entry into the Capitol building, disrupting the joint session and causing members of Congress and the Vice President to be evacuated from the House and Senate chambers.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer admitted that after arriving on Capitol grounds, he walked past barriers intended to restrict access to the public and to a set of locked doors on the Capitol's west side. At approximately 2:40 p.m., Schaffer positioned himself at the front of a crowd that broke open a set of doors being guarded by four U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers wearing riot gear. Schaffer admitted to being among the first individuals to push past the damaged doors and into the Capitol building, forcing officers to retreat. Schaffer and others advanced toward five or six backpedaling USCP officers while members of the mob swelled inside of the Capitol and overwhelmed the officers. The officers ultimately deployed a chemical irritant to disperse the mob. Schaffer was among the people who were sprayed in the face, after which he exited while holding his own bear spray in his hands.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases, according to CNN. In return for Schaffer's assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.

Also as part of the agreement, the Justice Department has offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.

The 53-year-old musician was the first Capitol riot defendant to reach a plea deal.

The Indiana chapter of the Oath Keepers distanced itself from Schaffer after his arrest, claiming he was not a member of the local group. But the national organization, which sells lifetime memberships for $1,200, has not commented on his alleged affiliation with the group.

At a November 2020 Donald Trump rally in Washington, D.C., Schaffer was videotaped walking behind a Florida couple, Kelly Meggs and Connie Meggs, who were accused of being among 10 members of the Oath Keepers to have played a leading role in the Capitol assault. According to federal authorities, Kelly and Connie Meggs plotted for weeks ahead of the attack, attended training sessions and recruited others. Kelly Meggs is the head of the Oath Keepers' chapter in Florida.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.




Jon Schaffer, the Indiana heavy metal guitarist with Oath Keeper ties who was the first person to plead guilty in the Jan. 6 prosecutions (obstructing an official proceeding + carrying bear spray into the Capitol), is still cooperating, per status report filed this morning pic.twitter.com/Vqoc9bUNZT

— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) February 18, 2022

Fan-filmed video footage of Lita Ford's February 16 performance aboard the Rock Legends Cruise IX can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user Greg Perry).

Lita recently completed recording her long-awaited new solo album. The follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" was once again helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Ford's backing band, which continues to consist of guitarist Patrick Kennison, drummer Bobby Rock and bassist Marty O'Brien.

In January 2021, Lita told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that her new album contains "some of the best guitar playing" she has heard "in decades." She added: "And I'm not blowing smoke up my own ass, but Gary and I just nailed it with the guitar playing on this record.

"I'm a huge fan of people like Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter from Alice Cooper's 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. I mean, there's some really great duo guitar players — [JUDAS PRIEST's] Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing… Those guitar players don't exist anymore — they just don't exist. If you wanna hear them, you have to go back in time a little bit and dig them up into your favorite library, favorite music catalog. But I think Gary and I really nailed it on this next record. It's, like, oh my God. I'm crying — I'm just, like, crying listening to this stuff. It's so badass."

Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.

Six years ago, Lita released an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

During a recent interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner was asked what he thinks it would take for the band to reunite with the man he replaced in PRIEST, original guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know. It's not my relationship. I think it goes beyond the music. There's some stuff there that's obviously personal, and it's not my fight; it's not my relationship. I think if it was purely music or business, then maybe it could be a money thing or it could be a creative thing, but I think it goes beyond that. And it's up to the guys, really — it's up to the guys to sort of find out what that is, or not. They don't have to — there's no obligation for them. It's up to them.

"I've said it before, if it had ended differently, we might be in a different situation now," he continued. But that's just not the way it ended and that's not where we are now.

"I don't know what it would take to patch that up, but it's been 10 years of weirdness, really. It's been a bit unnecessary. And I said this the other week, really, and I hate to repeat myself, but they were brothers for 40 years. And I think, music aside, pick up the phone and have a chat, have a pint down the pub and just catch up and be buddies again more than anything else. But as I said before, it's not my relationship to nurture, really; it's up to them to handle.

"Obviously, it goes without saying, if Ken ever came back, I'd be willing to move over or do whatever it takes," Faulkner added. "It's JUDAS PRIEST. I'd be willing to get out or move over or wear a funny hat — or whatever it needs to do. But as I said, it's not my relationship to take care of, really."

Faulkner, nearly three decades Downing's junior, joined PRIEST in 2011 after K.K. left amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Back in 2019, Faulkner dismissed the criticism he received for supposedly trying to look too much like Downing. "Obviously, you get the [haters] — the 'clone' comments," Richie told the "Let There Be Talk" podcast. "I've got long blond hair, playing a flying V [guitar]… [Michael] Schenker, Zakk [Wylde], K.K., Randy Rhoads — all those guys. To say I was a Ken clone was fairly narrow-minded. There's tons of guys who have flying Vs and long hair.

"The thing is if I had dyed my hair black to be different, I would have been shot down," he continued. "You've gotta be real; you've gotta be who you are. And I grew up on Ken, I grew up on Glenn [Tipton, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist] and the guys that I mentioned. So you've just gotta be who you are. And I grew up with those guys, and I'm not ashamed. I wear it on my sleeve — they're all my influences, and I'm not afraid of that… There's no point in trying to hide it. But it's gotta be natural as well. And I think somehow it worked out organically. I didn't try to copy him. And as it goes on, you always try to do your own thing and make your own statement."

Four years ago, Downing said that he felt like he was "being cloned" when he first found out he was being replaced by Faulkner.

Downing, who announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2011 after nearly 42 years in the job, admitted to the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast that he was taken aback when he first saw his replacement.

"Richie, as far as I know, is a nice guy and obviously an excellent player," Downing said. "I was a bit disappointed when, basically… I think the idea was to replace me [with a lookalike], so I did feel as though I was kind of being cloned. But I'm not sure that was exactly fair to Richie. I mean, I could be off the mark here, but I think Richie had the right to bring himself to the stage with his own… portray his own image and ability to play the instrument the way that he does. But it is what it is."

He continued: "When Glenn retired from touring [in early 2018], the same didn't happen — obviously, [Tipton's replacement] Andy [Sneap] doesn't look anything like Glenn; he doesn't wear the same clothes, the red pants, guitars or anything like that. So I don't really know what's going on. But it is what it is."

In a 2011 interview with the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, PRIEST singer Rob Halford stated about Faulkner's physical resemblance to a younger Downing: "People are saying, 'It's a clone. You've got some of K.K.'s DNA.' It's just the way it turned out. We made, like, a secret search. When we knew K.K. was not gonna be making the tour, we did a lot of secret, kind of, searching for another player. And Richie just happened to be the guy. And he just happens to look a little bit of the K.K. image, you know?! I think it would be silly to say, 'We looked for a guitar player that looks like Ken.' What we want is a very good metal guitar player, and that's what Richie Faulkner is."

Edge Of Paradise have released a lyric video for new single "Believe", featured on their new studio album, The Unknown. Order / save The Unknown here, and watch the clip below. To delve deep into the art and the story of Believe, head here.





The Unknown is Edge Of Paradise's fourth studio album, coming on the heels of their Frontiers Music Srl debut, Universe. The band teamed up with renowned producer Howard Benson (Halestorm, My Chemical Romance, Seether) who, together with Mike Plotnikoff (Halestorm, Three Days Grace), and Neil Sanderson (Three Days Grace) helped the band craft their biggest sounding album yet. Add in mixing and mastering by Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, Volbeat, Pretty Maids) and you have a fool-proof recipe for a sonically stunning album. The Unknown builds upon where Universe left off, developing Edge Of Paradise's overall symphonic and metallic sound while bringing it to the next level. Gigantic hooks paired with monolithic guitar riffs in a spacious sea of symphonic sounds will immediately grab listeners and whisk them away on the band's sonic, and lyrical, journey.







Tracklisting:


"Digital Paradise"
"My Method Your Madness"
"Tidal Wave"
"The Unknown"
"Believe"
"False Idols"
"You Touch You Die"
"One Last Time"
"Leaving Earth"
"Bound To The Rhythm"
"My Method Your Madness" (Industrial Remix) Bonus Track


"Believe" video:





"Tidal Wave" lyric video:





"False Idols" video:





"The Unknown" video:





"My Method Your Madness" video:





"Digital Paradise" video:

TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider spoke to the New Orleans radio station Bayou 95.7 about his involvement in "America's Deadliest Concert: The Guest List", a documentary about the infamous GREAT WHITE concert fire nearly two decades ago that killed a hundred people and injured hundreds more. The film will receive its premiere on Reelz today (Sunday, February 20) to coincide with the event's 19th anniversary. A trailer for the documentary is available below.

Snider, who was interviewed for the film said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's hard to remember and listen to, but a hundred people burned to death, over two hundred were injured, and 65 kids lost one or both parents in a fire in a nightclub. GREAT WHITE was playing. And yeah, GREAT WHITE, they were vilified. Their pyro ignited the building, and wrong or right, they've been shouldering the blame for a long time.

"One of the things I like about this documentary, it's very well rounded and it actually allows Jack Russell [former GREAT WHITE singer, whose pyrotechnics ignited the deadly blaze on February 20, 2003 in Rhode Island] to speak," he continued. "I remember Jack from back when, and we toured together back in the heyday, and now he's a broken man. And people may say and rightfully so. But let me just say, was it stupid, was it foolish to set off pyro in a small club? Yes. Was it malicious? Not on your life. They would never, ever intentionally hurt any of their fans."

According to Dee, the deadly event "struck a chord in so many ways" with him when it happened. "I had, post-TWISTED SISTER, gone from arenas to the bars, just like GREAT WHITE had, and I played The Station nightclub," he explained. "The DJ, who was called Doctor Metal, he was this kid, and what he did with my show is what he did with GREAT WHITE — he introduced me and then jumped off the front of the stage into the front of the audience and rocked out, because he was that local guy, that fan. And he perished in the fire. There were so many people. To think that those same people who came to see me were probably at that GREAT WHITE show as well. So it just struck so many chords. And I got very involved in a concert event to help those people. Troy Luccketta from TESLA, myself… But more than the money we raised that night, it was a deadlock with the lawyers and the courts and the insurance companies for a decade. And because of the attention we brought to the plight of these people, 175 million dollars finally went through to help these people. But the truth of the matter is the scars, literally and figuratively, remain for that community. It's very tough."

Snider also touched upon the documentary's title, saying: "It's called 'The Guest List' because Jack had been in town at a tattoo parlor, getting a tattoo, and met a bunch of fans and put them on his personal guest list. The greatest honor ever to have a lead singer of a band that you like put you on their guest list. And in the documentary, their families are talking about how their brothers, their sisters, their wives, their friends called and said, 'I met Jack Russell. He put me on the list.' Jack put 'em on a list that turned into a death list — see those names, and they died. So it's an awful, awful remembrance. But certainly Jack was doing something nice for the fans that turned into an awful tragedy."

This past December, Russell told Tulsa Music Stream about the documentary: "We took three years shooting this thing. I mean, it was a long time. A lot of footage — a lot of footage. But it's really moving. It is really moving, touching, and it's a beautifully shot piece of film. It lets you know how beautiful music is and how music can heal everything, no matter what people think. There's a certain thing in music that is very healing, and it's helped a lot of people through the aftermath of the fire."

Russell also said that he wanted the tragedy to serve as a reminder to remain alert about public safety.

"Honestly, I haven't been asked a question about the fire in — I can't remember how many years now," he said. "It's been a long, long time. The public has a short memory, unfortunately. It was something that I hoped that people would remember, just because of the nature of it and the fact that we need to take care of ourselves when we're out at places; we need to be conscious of our safety."

Five years ago, Russell told Psycho Babble TV about the documentary: "What it is is partly my life story, as a kid growing up, and then it goes off into the fire, unfortunately, and the aftermath of that, and testimonies… not testimony, but… talks by the victims and their families and how it affected them."

Russell said that parts of the movie are especially hard for him to watch "because a lot of people blame me." He then corrected himself: "I wouldn't say a lot, but they're very vocal." Still, he said he understood why some believe he should be held accountable for what happened fifteen years ago. "I look at it like this: if it makes it easier for them to grieve the loss of somebody close to them, then my shoulders are big enough," he explained.

The fire at The Station nightclub in West Warwick began in an overcrowded club when pyrotechnics from Russell's GREAT WHITE ignited illegal soundproofing foam lining the club's walls.

"I've seen so many video tapes of pyro shooting off in that club with the foam — bigger stuff than we had — and it never happened," Jack told Psycho Babble TV." Why it happened that night… Who knows? I mean, it's like a plane crash — it takes all these little things to fall in line for that one big thing to happen. So [the movie] gave me the opportunity to talk about how I felt and for me to apologize. Not a guilty apology, but because I just…

"I mean, I feel horrible that it happened," he continued. "I lost a lot of friends that night — a lot of friends. People that I didn't even know were even there. And people have said, 'Well, he's not remorseful.' And they've gotta understand, when all this went down, my legal team, they said, 'You cannot ever say you're sorry, because it implies guilt.' And I'm, like, 'But I am sorry.' [And they told me], 'But you can't say it.'"

According to Russell, at least one "really beautiful" thing came out of the tragedy. "There was a man named Joe; they call him 'The Lizard Man,'" Jack said. "He was the worst, most badly burned of all the people. And he met his wife in the fire and they had a beautiful son. And his comment was, 'If this wouldn't have happened, I wouldn't have met the love of my life.'"

The singer said that the documentary, which he hopes will help bring him some closure, is "really well done. The guy [making it]… He's done Disney movies. He's actually from that town. So he had to be really unbiased, which he really was — he just told it. And it's really, really informative, and it delves into people's lives."

Russell added that he is "glad" the film was made. "It may not be the best thing in the world for me, but it's very cathartic," he said.

At least one relative of a Station fire victim was angered by Russell's plan to make a documentary about the incident and discuss it in the upcoming book.

"I think it's ruining all the positive strides that we're now making to heal here in Rhode Island," Jody King, whose brother Tracy was a bouncer at the Station, told the Associated Press in 2015. "If he wants to help, stay away, shut your mouth."

Russell's bandmate Ty Longley (guitar) was one of the people who perished in The Station blaze, which became the fourth deadliest fire in U.S. history.

In 2008, the band agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and families of the victims of the fire.

GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall founded the band with Russell in 1982. At the time of the fire, the group that was on the road was called JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE. Kendall later said he was asked to join Russell and his solo band on the tour to help boost attendance.

Official "America's Deadliest Concert: The Guest List" description: "Fates of the innocent and guilty collide in a small New England town when pyrotechnics from an 80's rock band spark America's deadliest rock concert.

"On the night of February 20th, 2003... America's deadliest rock concert began in West Warwick, Rhode Island, when the band GREAT WHITE ignited pyrotechnics inside a run-down roadhouse called The Station. The resulting conflagration killed 100 persons and grievously injured many others. It could fairly be said that music and rock culture drew one hundred innocent people to their deaths in The Station fire. 'The Guest List' explores how that same music and culture became sources of healing and comfort, at least for some, in the years thereafter.

"Many victims of The Station fire had been seduced by the siren song of rock celebrity. They met Jack Russell in the local Denny's, a nearby motel or at a tattoo parlor, where he generously added their names to the show's guest list. For many of those passionate fans, what appeared to be their very luckiest day turned out to be their last. Weeks after the fire, the actual charred, handwritten guest list was recovered from the club's ashes.

"The film contrasts Jack Russell's post-fire journey, in a search for redemption, with survivor Joe Kinan's rebirth, courage and inspiration. along the way, we meet other survivors and victims' families who have memorialized their loss through pursuits ranging from an exhibit of commemorative body art to re-immersion in the rock culture that initially brought them and their loved ones to the station nightclub. Throughout this journey we discover what many feel was legal injustice within local and state government.

"The documentary addresses timeless themes of personal responsibility, acceptance forgiveness and redemption. Its central characters struggle to cope in the aftermath of tragedy – some gracefully, and some less so. It is an object lesson in the tragic potential of poor decisions. 'The Guest List' remains timely, years after the station fire tragedy, as young people will always be attracted to concert events while some bands, promoters, and concert venues remain tempted to cut corners for cheap spectacle. 'The Guest List' is based in part on John Barylick's narrative non-fiction work, 'Killer Show: The Station Nightclub Fire, America's Deadliest Rock Concert'. The result is poignant footage contrasting very different life stories. the guest list is a strikingly visual film. No one who watches 'The Guest List' will enter a concert venue again without first checking for the exits."

"America's Deadliest Concert: The Guest List" includes interviews with Russell, Snider, Don Dokken (DOKKEN), Lita Ford and Michael Sweet (STRYPER).

Russell exited GREAT WHITE in December 2011 after he was unable to tour with the group due a series of injuries, including a perforated bowel and a shattered pelvis. Jack largely blamed these injuries on his alcohol and painkiller addictions as well as the prednisone drug he was prescribed.

Russell sued his onetime bandmates in 2012 over their continued use of the GREAT WHITE name after Jack had taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons. A short time later, Russell was countersued by Kendall, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie and drummer Audie Desbrow, claiming the vocalist's self-destructive behavior was damaging the GREAT WHITE name (they also alleged he was charging promoters less for his own touring version of GREAT WHITE). The parties settled in July 2013 without going to trial, with Russell now performing as JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE while the others are continuing as GREAT WHITE.












This is an IMPORTANT rock doc that EVERYONE needs to watch. The truth is ugly but should never be forgotten. "America's Deadliest Rock Concert: The Guest List" premiers Feb 20th on @ReelzChannel https://t.co/uQPOE13agm

— Dee Snider?? (@deesnider) February 5, 2022

SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine spoke to AXS TV about his band's upcoming Las Vegas residency, "Sin City Nights". The run of shows, which was originally slated to take place in July 2020 and was later pushed back to May 2021, will now happen in March-April, 2022 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

"We go to Vegas for nine shows, starting at the 26th of March until the middle of April," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And we're looking very much forward to that. It's a new show, a new production, and it's nice, for a change, that we don't have to travel every other day, waking up every morning in different cities, different places, different countries and continents. So we stay for quite a while there. It's great not only for the band, but also for the crews."

Asked if it's hard on the body to go back on the road after 50 years of touring, Klaus said: "It's not hard on the body after 50 years; it's harder on the body after two years' break. We never had a long break like this and we know it's quite a challenge to go back on the same level playing shows like we used to. It's two years ago by the time we will be back on the road, and this is something you have to work your body back to this level. Especially for me being the singer, you have to get those little pipes ready to rock and ready to roll, and it's impossible to do it from one day to the other. You have to prepare yourself. And it goes for the whole band."

He continued: "We had the first rehearsals here in the studio playing the new set, putting the new songs in the setlist, and we will have more rehearsal days here in Peppermint Park [studios in Hannover, Germany] before we go to the U.S. But you have to build it up yourself. It will be different. But it will be also, especially going through this pandemic, for all of us — not only for the band, but also for the audience, for our fans — it will be very, very emotional, finally to come together, to enjoy a concert together. It will be different. It will be very emotional, I think."

SCORPIONS previously played a Las Vegas mini-residency in May 2016, consisting of five shows at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

SCORPIONS' 19th studio album, "Rock Believer", will be released on February 25, The LP 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.

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.

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.

Wicked lives for rock n’ roll. The kind that lights a fire in your blood and puts that crazy in your eyes. And the proof is certainly within their new album, The Last American Rock Band, which will be available in various formats (CD, vinyl and all digital & streaming services) on March 11.





And the same day, the band will be performing an album release party at Photo City Music Hall in Rochester, New York. New merch and music will be available at the show. Also, a teaser for the upcoming video, “Hot Stage Lights”, can be viewed below.




Band members Danny, Chad Michael, Scotty V and Gunnar make up the rock n’ roll brotherhood that has become known as Wicked, hailing from Rochester, NY. The Last American Rock Band is a celebration of the songs, stages, and fans that have made the band who they are over the years and brings a melodic hard rock mix of fan favorites, as well as a couple never heard before tracks, all produced by 6x Grammy-winning producer Ignacio Molino.


The album is the perfect representation of what the band has become known for over the years; a high energy, theatrical hard rock act, built on delivering an over-the-top live show with bombastic songs, and is high energy rock n’ roll built on the classics and inspired by the now.


“Making this album became a drinking game between who's guitar had to be tuned the most times.” - Scotty V
 
“It was such a rush to finally get these tracks recorded and released with just the right production, bringing a whole new life to them for our fans.” - Gunnar


“I'm so excited to finally get this music to our fans. We're living with our hearts on our sleeves and not looking back. This is only the beginning of honest to god, Wicked rock n’ roll!” - Chad Michael


“The Last American Rock Band is the perfect celebration of the band’s past and an exciting turning point for a new era of Wicked rock n roll to follow!” - Danny


For more information, head here.





(Photo - Tom Ende Photography)

ANNIHILATOR leader Jeff Waters has once again opened up about his battle with COVID-19, saying that it took him six months to "get [his] lungs back."

The 56-year-old guitarist/vocalist, who moved to the United Kingdom from his native Canada back in 2018, discussed his recent health issues in a new interview with Belgian Jasper. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I caught COVID in April 2020, in the beginning. I had a bad, nasty one. I didn't get as far as my friend Will Carroll from DEATH ANGEL where I got put into an induced coma in a hospital, but I got pretty close there for 12 days. It was one of those 'human sitting on your chest' and when you breathe in and out, it sounded like a crackling fire, like a bad asthma attack. And I made it through the 12 days without the ventilation, and I thought I was good. It took me six months to get my lungs back — six months. It was, like, 'What?' And then I had a hernia thing. It got bad and I had a surgery then. And then kidney stones from eating like crap. So since then, I've just done it all. I've been walking. I eat the most incredible diet that you would not believe… And I finally got the energy back. But, yeah, it was a year and a half of that."

He continued: "Compared to some of the people I know and that we know and that the world knows, I had it easy. I'm lucky that I'm relatively healthy and there are good people and I'm not in financial danger and [I have] a lot of friends and a lot of support. And you know what? Despite the ridiculous leadership here and the government of the U.K. — I didn't say that; I'm not political, publicly — but despite all that, they have an amazing health care system. And me as a Canadian who had a good life in Canada when I was there four years ago, the U.K. health care system is freakin' awesome. So I was a lucky guy compared to a lot of people."

earMusic recently announced a reissue series of (almost) the entire ANNIHILATOR catalog. Kicking off this extensive catalog campaign is "Metal II", which has been given an overhaul with Dave Lombardo (SLAYER) on drums and lead vocals "re-invented" by Stu Block (INTO ETERNITY, ICED EARTH). The guest list on the album iincludes: Willie Adler (LAMB OF GOD), Alexi Laiho (CHILDREN OF BODOM), Steve "Lips" Kudlow (ANVIL), Dan Beehler (EXCITER), Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES), Angela Gossow (ARCH ENEMY), Jeff Loomis (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE), Anders Björler (THE HAUNTED, AT THE GATES) and Corey Beaulieu (TRIVIUM).

In total, 18 records are going to be released over the next few years, including the original 2007 version of the "Metal" album.

Founded in 1984, ANNIHILATOR took the metal scene by storm with its debut 1989 release "Alice In Hell", upped the ante with 1990's "Never, Neverland" and has continued a non-stop career-pattern of releasing records and touring with many of the biggest bands in the metal genre (mostly outside North America) ever since; cementing ANNIHILATOR as the biggest-selling metal act in Canada's history.

The debut album from Riot Act, the band initially formed by former 'classic era' Riot members Rick Ventura and Lou Kouvaris is titled Closer To The Flame which is sure to please fans of the late ‘70s, early ‘80s era of Riot as well as fans of Montrose, Rival Sons, The Black Crowes, Tesla and fans of classic hard rock everywhere.


The album will also come with a 12 track bonus CD of classic Riot tracks recut, these recordings feature the final ever recordings of Lou Kouvaris, who tragically passed away of Covid-19 in early 2020.


Guitarist Rick Ventura: “Hoping to make some noise with our new video ‘Stand Or Fall’, a good ol' rocker that basically tells you to stand up for what you believe in or be cast off into the ether.”




Vocalist Don Chaffin: “Very excited to release the new ‘Stand Or Fall’ video, this one has some elements that remind me of AC/DC and the The Cult….straight ahead rock that makes you want to move and still has that Riot Act signature sound to it …. and yes, of course more cowbell!”


Statement from the band: "Riot Act’s new album is a culmination of emotions over the past two years. From the excitement of our early rehearsals, to the loss of our band mate, struggling through a pandemic and not knowing if we were going to continue, the four of us knew that the band had much to offer. The result of that renewed energy is Closer To The Flame and with joining forces with Global Rock Records we are ready for the world to hear this new music we have been working on for so long.


“Our very good friends and brothers in in Riot V of course continue their evolution of Riot onward, while as Riot Act we aim to recapture the early Riot sound of the 1977-1983 band and bringing that into a new era with our new music.


“Further illustrating that 'Riot members of all eras are family' Riot V guitarist Mike Flyntz is a special guest on the record, laying down a killer solo on the track "49er" a re-recording of the Riot - Narita era classic.”





Tracklisting:


“Closer To The Flame”
“Wanted”
“Straight For Your Heart”
“Smoking Gun”
“Almost There”
“Stand Or Fall”
“Love Come Round”
“Angelina”
“Right Between The Eyes”
“Rock Love And Roll”


“Stand Or Fall” video:





Riot Act will be touring the UK as support to Lillian Axe in the UK throughout August 2022.





Riot Act features former Riot guitarist Rick Ventura, Don Chaffin vocals, Paul Ranieri bass, and Claudio Galinski drums.

Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his Disney rendition of Sabaton's epic "Soldier Of Heaven". Check it out below.


Tommy: "Another Friday with a glorious mix between Sabaton and Disney with the lyrics from the new Sabaton song 'Soldier Of Heaven' to the classic Lion King song  'Can You Feel The Love Tonight'."













Johansson recently shared his solo performance of Gary Moore's 1986 classic "Thunder Rising". Check it out below.

The Crystal Method (who is Scott Kirkland) has teamed with pioneering UK breakbeat producer Hyper for a unique single -- “Post Punk” featuring legendary Stooges front man Iggy Pop. “Post Punk” will appear on The Crystal Method’s seventh studio album The Trip Out set for release April 15, 2022 on Ultra Records.





The brooding, mid-tempo “Post Punk” was produced alongside longtime Crystal Method ally Hyper (Guy Hatfield). From TCM vs Hyper single “Fire To Me” which appeared on the London original motion picture soundtrack to his remix of TCM classic “Busy Child,” the celebrated cinematic sound designer--whose recent credits include music for gaming and screens (Cyberpunk 2077, “Orange Is The New Black”)—steps into the studio with The Crystal Method for an album cut that is progressive and mesmerizing.




Borrowing a soundbite from Jim Jarmusch’s Stooges documentary Gimme Danger, the track is built upon distorted synths and heavy drums, while Iggy Pop—in his signature, gravelly voice—asserts his individuality. “I don’t want to be a punk. I don’t want to belong to any of it,” he pronounces. “I just want to be.”

In conjunction with a recent Metal Hammer retrospective on SKID ROW's 1989 self-titled debut, former vocalist Sebastian Bach spoke at length about the album with writer Clay Marshall. Select "outtakes" from the interview appear below (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his initial impressions of SKID ROW upon receiving the band's demo:

Sebastian: "My very first impression was, 'This guy [original vocalist Matt Fallon] is doing an impression of Jon Bon Jovi.' My vocal tastes were totally not that — my favorite singer was Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST, and I was no Rob Halford, but that was my favorite singer. There was 'Youth Gone Wild' on the tape and also '18 And Life', and those two songs stuck in my head. I said if I could reinvent the melody lines — especially in '18 And Life',' and put in some Halford-esque kind of notes — I could make this into something that I would really be proud of. You can go through the song and circle the lines — 'fingers to the bone,' 'child blew a child away.' Every single time my voice goes into that high register, that's me. Nobody wrote that — nobody said, 'Here's how the song goes. Here's how the melody goes.' I didn't understand at that young age that I was writing the melody line. People have told me, 'Why the fuck didn't you get a credit on the song?' I was a little kid — I didn't know anything. I was like, 'Can I sing this note?' Everybody's like, 'Fuck yes, you can. Sing that.' I didn't realize that that, in other bands, would entitle me to get my name on the song. The last thing I ever thought in a million years was that anybody would like us. [Laughs]"

On his contributions to "Makin' A Mess", the one track on "Skid Row" for which he received a songwriting credit:

Sebastian: "That was me and Rachel [Bolan, bass] and Snake [Sabo, guitar] sitting in a room in Rachel's house. I lived in Rachel's house in Rachel's childhood bedroom, next to his parents. We wrote that song in the office across from his television room. They'll tell you that we never got along, that we never liked each other, which was horseshit. [Laughs] You don't have somebody living in your fucking house that you don't get along with. That was us just sitting around, the three of us writing a tune... We rehearsed, like, every day. We rehearsed in Rachel's parents garage, and New Jersey is not California. We had space heaters, and it was cold in there, but we didn't even discuss it. We would just meet in the garage and work on music. We didn't play cover songs. Rachel and Snake were very prolific at that point and also wrote songs with [Jon] Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. We were always in the garage, working on tunes."

On the album's sound, and whether he thinks it still holds up today:

Sebastian: "I'm not a huge fan of remixes or remasters. I like the original copy of whatever album it is, because when you fuck around with it too much, it changes it into something it's not. Albums are a snapshot in time, and the first SKID ROW record is 1989. That's the way it sounded. The only thing I would say is that the drum sound is very of-the-times on the record, and an album like 'Appetite For Destruction' doesn't have this wacky kind of reverb that really dates it. At the time, you don't know — you're just trying your best to make something that you like. The records that age well are the ones that are just recordings of bands. That's why we all keep listening to the '70s albums by BLACK SABBATH and JUDAS PRIEST and KISS, because it's just the band — it's not all technology. That's the one thing I would say — that some of the production is a bit dated. There's way to know that when you're doing it."

On how the band was marketed:

Sebastian: "The very first SKID ROW poster that we ever put out, you can't even see us. People talk about the way we looked or our hair, but there was a very conscious marketing vibe of us being in black-and-white. The first poster is black-and-white — it's not even color. The only color is the logo, and it's a black-and-white picture. So is the album cover, and the back of the album – all black-and-white. I remember at the time, I was really into glam. When I met SKID ROW, I still used to tease my hair up [like] TIGERTAILZ, Pepsi Tate-style. It was Jon Bon Jovi who saw our pictures. We did a photo session, and me and Snake and Rachel, we all had huge hair. Nobody's ever seen that photo session, but Jon Bon Jovi just freaked out and said, 'You guys can't look like this. It's ridiculous.' Jon was taking us on tour, so we left the hair spray at home. It made it a lot easier to get ready for a show. [Laughs] I remember being confused, because everybody else was like the VINNIE VINCENT INVASION — glitter and the biggest hair and makeup and color, and 'Skid Row' came out black-and-white. I remember saying, 'It looks like a mistake — you can't even see us. It's just, like, shadows.' But it was absolutely perfect. There was [sic] no wrong moves made with the first SKID ROW record."

On the band's rapid rise:

Sebastian: "I remember the feeling that we're starting to get really big. I think it was a month into the BON JOVI tour [that] we played a place in Chicago called Rosemont Horizon. The tour had been going well up to that point, but that show on that night, I told the 20,000 people in front of me, 'Everybody, get up, man. It's time to rock n' roll.' I raised my hand, and the whole arena stood up for SKID ROW. I turned around and looked at Rachel saying, 'Oh my fucking god. This is really happening.' That moment when that whole arena stood up to their feet and put their hands in the air for us, that was the exact moment I thought it was going to be a success."

On temporarily getting kicked off the BON JOVI tour due to his frequent onstage profanity:

Sebastian: "We really looked up to MÖTLEY CRÜE. Vince Neil's raps in the '80s, he would go on stage and go, 'Hey Toronto! What the fuck? Look at all the fucking pussy here tonight, man!' [Laughs] He couldn't be more rude or foul-mouthed, and I was a Vince Neil fan. And also Dee Snider of TWISTED SISTER — every second word out of his mouth was 'fuck,' and I thought it was hilarious. The BON JOVI parents that would bring their daughters to the show didn't think it was so hilarious. [Laughs] We got kicked off for, like, one day, and then we were back on. I remember walking around the hotel somewhere in America with Snake, and we couldn't believe that we were kicked off the tour, but we thought it was, like, a badge of honor at the time — like, 'We're such badasses because we got kicked off the tour.' We would read about KISS getting kicked off tours, and VAN HALEN — nobody wanted to follow David Lee Roth or KISS's show, so we weren't too sad. [Laughs]."

Several weeks after the Metal Hammer interview was conducted, Bach — who parted ways with SKID ROW in 1996 — announced plans to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "Skid Row" by performing the album in its entirety during a tour that kicks off August 29 in Nashville, Tennessee. Last month, he issued an "open invitation" to his former SKID ROW bandmates to "get onstage and jam" during the tour, but so far, only original drummer Rob Affuso has accepted.

Video footage of IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson belting out an a cappella version of the song "Stranger In A Strange Land" during a recent stop on the 2022 U.S. leg of his spoken-word tour can be seen below.

"Stranger In A Strange Land" was originally released as the second single from MAIDEN's sixth studio album, "Somewhere In Time" which came out in 1986.

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.

Italian power metallers played their first live show in two years on February 19th at the Legend Club in Milan, Italy. It was the band's first show with the new members Fabiola Bellomo (lead guitar), Niso Tomasini (drums), and Francesco Zoff (bass). Fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed below. 


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"Neverending"
"Embrace the Night" (live debut)
"The Water Dancer" (live debut)
"In The Dark"
"Everwinter"
"Far Beyond" (live debut)
"Kings"
"I Am the Tyrant"
"Night Crawler" (Judas Priest cover)
"The Shieldmaiden"

Sam Astaroth, the Toronto-based frontman for Astaroth Incarnate, issued a message in October 2021 announcing the band had called it quits then. He has since made the decision to forge onward as a solo artist. Below is Sam's one take cover of Gostemane's "Fed Up" featuring guitarist Cody Johnstone.





Following is Sam's message announcing the end of Astaroth Incarnate:




"R.I.P. Astaroth Incarnate 2013-2021


Thank you, spawns, for the years of support.


Due to creative differences, the members of the band are going their separate ways and focusing on their individual projects.


From our humble beginnings back in 2013 with vocalist Sam Astaroth and first drummer Jake Theo and guitarist Pablo Sagastume (Netherheart) and his cousin Louis auditioning each other to Belphegor's Stigma Diabolicum to have come to this point, there are nothing but great memories to be reflected upon.


Our bassist Sergio (Where The Light Fades) joining the fold afterwards to finding our first live drummer Marina, getting the taste of playing shows, the exhilarating rush of connecting with our fans from on and off the stage, the feeling couldn't be compared to anything else.


Our drummer Emile Giordan (Working Girl) originally joined as a second guitarist and played one live show before switching to permanent drum duties. Our previous guitarist Ric Galvez (Malice Divine) being a part of our first EP Omnipotence to contributing solos on our second EP, a lot of epic Extreme Metal shows were had. Once Ashley Williams (Autumnal Reflection) joined as keyboardist, the band took a symphonic extreme metal direction and with the help of Spencer Creaghan's orchestration, we released our second EP Ascendance and our live shows took yet another leap forward with bloodwitches and surreal metaphoric theatrics.


During the covid lockdown being away from shows, we mostly spent time writing and recording new musical ideas and when we put all our ideas together and assessed how we want to represent ourselves and move forward with our musical careers, we felt like we've all grown differently so it felt best to go our separate ways.





As the visionary member of this band; I, Astaroth, couldn't have asked for a better experience for the last 8 years, being that this is the first band I have ever been in which I had the pleasure of seeing it grow from it's inception to re-creating my persona as Astaroth (from my pro-gaming days as t3h_mAstArOth since I was 16) and seeing my artistic career flourish thanks to this band.


I want everyone to check out all the other band member's individual projects I tagged,and if you like what you hear then show them some support as they are all great musicians and I am very thankful to have been able to spend quality time jamming, hanging out, playing shows and creating memorable experiences with such awesome people.


I also want to thank our producers Alex Oprea and Tyler Williams for handling our 2 EPs so professionally, all the promoters such as Dina, Gualberto (r.i.p.), Tristan, Jess, Kelly, Cristina, Craig, Max, Gillian, Shawn, JJ, Daniel, Aaron, Karina, Noel, etc who supported us with all the shows we played, all the venues we played at, our previous record label CDN Records, Train Records for printing our CDs, Chase from Threads of Society for all the merch we printed from you, our artists Dee Gozali (r.i.p.) and Marie Cherniy for our album artworks, our PR companies Kim & Jason and Curtis that helped with our album releases, Reka, Mike, Joe and Alan for all our music videos, Jordy, Jerome and Andrew for all the themed band photos, all the bloodwitches who ever performed with me on stage, Timothy, Gaia and Alina for singing with me on stage and all the amazing musicians and sick metal bands that we have ever shared the staged with. Thank you for your support, you all rule!


Most importantly, I can't end this post without showing my utmost gratitude to each and everyone of you Spawns for believing in Astaroth Incarnate and making my first band experience memorable for a lifetime! I have had the best time getting to know you, meet you at shows, talk to you online and in person, genuinely connect with you and thoroughly enjoy your positive energy towards this band. I am a fan of you! never stop being your awesome self!


This is a new beginning for me and aside from the musical projects I am currently involved in or which I have contributed my vocals to (Iomair, Haven Dream, My Frost, In Veil). I feel like I am about to embark on a very personal adventure and fully discover myself in a newly reinvigorated dark Demonic light. I would love for you to be a part of this exciting new stage of my musical career so come follow my activities Linktr.ee/SamAstaroth as I'll be able to connect with you more closely than ever before. The artistic journey of Astaroth shall continue as a solo project under my artist name Sam Astaroth.


It's been a wild ride and none of it would have been possible without your love and support. Thank you so much, spawns!

Brazilian hard rockers Wicked Razor have released the energetic track "Back 2 The 80's" as a single and music video, featuring renowned musicians from the Brazilian scene - Rodrigo Marenna (vocals/Marenna) and Alexsandro Gabrielli (guitar/Fighter).


Influenced by bands like Guns N' Roses, WASP and Mötley Crüe, and because of the track's title itself, which already opens up a true nostalgic ode to the fervent 80's, Wicked Razor vigorously bring together the exquisite union between hard rock and glam rock with the weight of heavy metal, all equipped with an aggressive footprint.

"Back 2 The 80's" will be featured on the upcoming debut album from Wicked Razor entitled, The Bad Boys Guide, to be released later this year.







(Photo by Gabriel Lunardi)


 

During his February 19 spoken-word show at Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Missouri, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson recalled how he personally flew Royal Air Force pilots home from Afghanistan to RAF Wittering in 2008, taking control of a Boeing 747 chartered by the Ministry of Defence to transport RAF pilots back to the U.K. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One of the jobs that we had at the airline I worked for, we had an airplane permanently allocated to the military to go and take people places — not to wars, but we'd take them to bases. And sometimes we flew people back. And sometimes we flew people back who had been in Afghanistan, for example, been in a war. They would go somewhere for two or three weeks to try and readjust and then we'd take them back. And one particular flight, we were the flying the Royal Air Force Regiment, which is RAF boots on the ground, soldiers. And they'd been to Afghanistan. It was an unusual flight 'cause we were returning them to their actual home base — not to a military airfield and then they get on a coach and they go back to their barracks. Where they were based had a runway, and we were told to go direct there. They had taken some casualties and they had lost some people. But they were all really cheerful; the best passengers you could ever have in the military — I mean, seriously… And we flew them into a place called the RAF Wittering, which is where they invented the Harrier Jump Jet. So, as we were coming in to land, we stopped and we blew the reverse thrust. And I had a female co-pilot, first officer. And we were looking out, and all really close to the runway were families, kids, all the families and wives and everybody of all the soldiers, and they were all [holding signs saying], 'You're my hero, daddy' and everything else. I mean, it was very emotional. And we actually had to stop the airplane 'cause my co-pilot was welling up and so was I. We were both trying not to [cry]. I went, 'Okay, we're gonna stop. We're gonna blow our noses, make sure we can fucking see where we're going and then do the job. 'Cause this is really exceptional.' The last thing you wanna do is go, 'It was so emotional, we ended up in a fucking ditch.' So, we dropped them off and that was it. So that was one of the more memorable flights — the sort of thing we used to do."

Two years ago, Dickinson was officially attested into the Royal Air Force, the United Kingdom's aerial warfare force. The British singer was awarded the role of Honorary Group Captain.

Bruce has held a commercial pilot's license for more than 20 years.

Dickinson had other connections with the RAF, having completed an emergency landing at RAF Halton in 2015. He was flying his Fokker triplane when it began to run low on fuel.

Last month, Bruce, who flew his group around the world in their customized jumbo jet dubbed Ed Force One, named after MAIDEN's iconic mascot Eddie, told the Associated Press that he will not be sitting in the pilot's seat when he and his bandmates return to the road later this year. "Oh, no, no, no, no," he said. "We're going to be flying and I'm going to be in the back. Hey, look, I'm 63 — I'm 64 in August. You know, when you get to 65, if you're an airline pilot, they just take you out the back and shoot, right? So, I'm going to be sitting in the back being the backseat driver."

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), commercial pilots have to retire at age 65. There is currently no maximum age limit for being a private pilot or for being an Air Force pilot.

Dickinson gained a commercial pilot's license after learning to fly in the 1990s. In 2012 he set up Cardiff Aviation, an aircraft maintenance company which has since changed its name to Caerdav.

Bruce, who spent a few years flying planes for Astraeus Airlines, told CNN in a 2007 interview: "Aviation's been kicking around my family for as long as I can remember; my uncle was in the RAF. But I always thought I was too stupid. I was useless at maths and majored in history at university, so I thought history majors don't become pilots, let alone rock stars. And then our drummer learned to fly, so I said, 'If a drummer can learn to fly, then anyone can.'"

Dickinson told Wales Online that he still gets a thrill out of flying, but that it's a totally different sensation to playing live.

"The satisfaction flying airplanes is getting the job done, but the satisfaction with playing live is external, looking out at all the people looking at you," he said. "With an airliner, it's all internal. If you've got passengers, nobody goes, 'Wow! Wasn't that great?' They're thinking about the rest of their day. Your job as an airline pilot is to deliver them safely and be invisible. That's quite nice for me because it's completely the opposite to what I do when I sing."

Bruce will hit the road with IRON MAIDEN for a new North American leg of the band's "Legacy Of The Beast" tour in September.

Los Angeles groundbreaking pioneers of the rap/hardcore hybrid and outspoken sociopolitical activists DOWNSET have officially joined forces with Nuclear Blast Records and are currently plotting one of the genre's greatest comebacks. To mark the occasion, the band has partnered with the label to reissue the controversial demos that helped ignite a street led movement around the world, "Anger/Ritual" seven-inch single and "About Ta Blast" seven-inch single, which were initially released 30 years ago.

Commenting on the signing to Nuclear Blast, founding guitarist Rogelio Lozano says: "Being signed to Nuclear Blast is a big honor for me. It's a great organization/record label and working with the people there has been nothing but pleasant, professional experience. Nuclear Blast is the #1 heavy metal label in the world with so many great bands and amazing album releases. It gives my band and me the feeling of being a part of something special. We feel right at home, excited and look forward into the re-release of the first two original 7" records as a reissued bundle, as well as our forthcoming sixth album!

"Look out for a mix of old-school sound and 12 songs featuring the new era of DOWNSET in 2022. With our new lineup, Bobby Blood Ponte on drums, Phillip Gonzales on bass, myself on guitar and OG Rey Oropeza on vocals, we plan on continuing the legacy with future albums to come. WE ARE BACK!!"

Additionally, DOWNSET has revealed a new music video today for the bonus demo track "Breed The Killer" which features vintage live footage of them performing the song. Watch the video below.

"Anger/Ritual" 7" track listing:

01. Anger (Demo)

02. Ritual (Spoken Protest) (Demo)

"About Ta Blast" 7" track listing:

01. About Ta Blast (Demo)

02. Body Cry (Demo)

03. Breed The Killer (Demo)

Monumental progress doesn't occur overnight. Some of man kind's most powerful words don't come from education or privilege, but erupt from the pain and roughness of the streets; they smolder through the cracks in the concrete until eventually grand truths are revealed, and the winds of change slowly emerge. It is with these notions in mind that old-school hardcore kings DOWNSET began to surface in Los Angeles, California in the early 1980s.

The genesis of DOWNSET itself was not one of entitlement or handouts, either. Originally formed with a straight edge mentality under the name of SOCIAL JUSTICE, the members of DOWNSET have been fighting against societal injustice for a long time. Oropeza began using graffiti as its own language for change in about 1982. "I would hit the streets… and when you hit the streets there's violence, there's racial injustice; it's not just violence in the sense of someone pulling out a gun on someone else, there's a violence that can happen to anybody, you can be rich, poor, male, female… and these things affect people for the rest of their lives," he explains. The group eventually released demos and shifted from SOCIAL JUSTICE to DOWNSET. "It has multiple meanings," explains Lozano (CYPRESS HILL, POWERFLO). "Some people are set up in life, some are down with a set, but it also means to start off underprivileged; to have a life full of disadvantages." All of these notions and inspirations eventually procured a self-titled studio album that was released in 1994 via Mercury Records.

A musical style that was distinctly hardcore combined with Oropeza's MC abilities allowed DOWNSET to stand out from other metal acts, while still being able to achieve a variety of tours with some of the most prominent bands of the time. After member rearrangements, and the 1996 release of "Do We Speak A Dead Language", the band went on to join the original "Tattoo The Earth" tour in 2000 with the likes of SLAYER, SEPULTURA, MUDVAYNE and more. This all coincided perfectly with the release of "Check Your People", and once again the band was on the hustle. With more member changes and the release of "Universal" a few years later in 2004, followed up by self-released "One Blood" in 2014, the band went on hiatus.

DOWNSET is:

Rey Oropeza - Vocals

Rogelio Lozano - Guitar

Phillip Gonzales - Bass

Bobby Blood - Drums

Fan-filmed video of QUIET RIOT's February 18 performance at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut can be seen below. Also on the bill were Stephen Pearcy (RATT) and SLAUGHTER.

QUIET RIOT's current touring lineup includes bassist Rudy Sarzo who recently rejoined the band after an 18-year absence.

Rudy was one of the members of QUIET RIOT's "Metal Health" lineup. He played bass on the classic LP, which sold over ten million copies and spawned the hits "Cum On Feel The Noize" and "Metal Health" and on the follow-up record "Condition Critical".

Sarzo appeared in the most notable music videos in the MTV age and toured with the band until 1985 and again from 1997 to 2003. During his years out of the band, Sarzo was a member of OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, DIO, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, QUEENSRŸCHE and THE GUESS WHO.

Joining Sarzo in QUIET RIOT's current lineup are guitarist Alex Grossi, vocalist Jizzy Pearl and drummer Johnny Kelly.

Drummer Frankie Banali, who joined QUIET RIOT in 1982 and played on "Metal Health", died in August 2020 after a 16-month battle with pancreatic cancer. A month after Banali's death, QUIET RIOT announced that it would carry on.

Grossi was in the last version of the band, from 2004 through 2007, before founding singer Kevin DuBrow passed away, and was asked by Banali to return in 2010.

When QUIET RIOT's 2022 tour dates were first announced in January, Grossi said in a statement: "We can't wait to get back out there and see everyone. The first few shows with Rudy back have gone over really well and the audiences are very excited to see him perform these songs again."

Added Sarzo: "I'm excited to be back home and celebrate the QUIET RIOT legacy, which began 40 years ago next year with the recording of 'Metal Health', the first heavy metal album to reach #1 on the Billboard top 200 albums chart."

QUIET RIOT went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before settling on Pearl in 2013. Pearl announced his exit from QUIET RIOT in October 2016 and was briefly replaced by Seann Nichols, who played only five shows with the group before the March 2017 arrival of "American Idol" finalist James Durbin. Pearl returned to QUIET RIOT in September 2019.

For a complete list of upcoming QUIET RIOT shows, visit QuietRiot.Band.

Sarzo discussed his return to QUIET RIOT in a recent interview with Adika Live!. He said: "My decision, in addition to [it] being Frankie's request that I return to the band, was a decision that I had to meditate on it, because it is that important. Not meditate whether it was the right decision to make or not — no, that wasn't the point — it was to meditate about the timing of it. Because it could not be an abrupt decision that you drop everything you're doing and you change the band.

"Regina [Frankie's widow] and I, we sat and we talked about it, and we said, 'Okay, the best thing to do is to let everybody fulfill their commitments.' Because I have commitments to the band that I've been playing in for the last five years, THE GUESS WHO. And I wasn't about to tell them, 'Hey, I'm outta here, guys. Good luck.' I've never done that. So I have commitments with them. And QUIET RIOT has commitments with [longtime bassist] Chuck Wright. And we felt that the only thing that we can do, really — [we felt] that all these commitments must be fulfilled so our agreements with everybody is fulfilled."

Rudy went on to say that he has been "making the transition" and "embracing again the whole QUIET RIOT consciousness" by going "back and playing the songs" again. "And actually, it's been wonderful because, I've gotta tell you, to be able to go back to something that you did 40 years ago with the musician I am today, I'm looking at the songs a little bit different, as far as my own contributions," he said. "Of course, it's not gonna be something that is gonna turn into completely something else, but there are certain note choices that I can improve on."

Two short video clips of DEICIDE rehearsing with its new guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, INHUMAN CONDITION) can be seen below.

Earlier in the month, Nordberg spoke about how he landed the DEICIDE gig in an interview with "The Zach Moonshine Show". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In 2019, my band THE ABSENCE toured with DEICIDE in the U.S. And we got to know the guys and got along really well. And I actually found out that Glen [Benton, DEICIDE frontman] lives, like, two streets over from Jeramie [Kling, THE ABSENCE drummer] and I, where we live. So Jeramie and Glen became good buddies and they ride bikes all the times. It's a funny little thing, thinking about that. But long story short, [previous DEICIDE guitarist] Chris [Cannella], I believe he's the head of A&R at Dean Guitars so he's focusing on that for right now. I heard that they needed a guitar player, so I learned a couple of songs, made a couple of videos, and Glen saw 'em and liked what he saw. So we had a couple of practices, and bing bang boom, here we are."

Asked if he has worked on any new material with DEICIDE or if he has just been focusing on getting the old songs down, Taylor said: "Well, when they first asked me to start learning songs, they said, 'Start learning [the] 'Legion' [album], because this year is the 30th anniversary of 'Legion'. So later on in the year, we're gonna be playing it start to finish live. So that's been the main focus over the last couple of weeks — just hammering down those 'Legion' songs, which that's been a blast to just delve into those tunes and that songwriting… Right now, we're focusing on the 'Legion' stuff and then, obviously, me just trying to learn a full set. Otherwise, there is new songs that we've been working on. Like I said, we're kind of just focusing on the 'Legion' stuff for right now, but there's definitely a ton of killer new material on the way. I don't know what the time frame is — when we'll record or anything like that — but there is new music, and it's killer so far."

Cannella amicably left DEICIDE last month after a three-year run.

When Benton first announced Nordberg's addition to DEICIDE, he said in a statement: "We are pleased to announce and welcome Taylor Nordberg to the DEICIDE family! An amazing and accomplished guitarist who takes our sound to the next level and brings a profound level of professionalism that completes and compliments the DEICIDE machine!"

Cannella said in a separate statement: "Yes, it is true. I am no longer in DEICIDE. There is no drama and we all kept it quiet as to not lead into drama or speculation.

"I have all the love and respect for Glen, Steve and Kevin. I had so many great times over the last three years I cherish for a lifetime, especially the friendship.

"Cheers to all and thanks for all the love and support. I'm excited for what's to come."

Cannella joined DEICIDE in 2019 following the departure of guitarist Mark English.

English became a member of DEICIDE in 2016 after the exit of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.

DEICIDE's latest album, "Overtures Of Blasphemy", was released in September 2018 via Century Media.
























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Finnish death-doom spearhead Kuolemanlaakso, led by Swallow the Sun vocalist Mikko Kotamäki, have released the third and final single from their upcoming album 'Kuusumu'. The new song, titled "Surusta meri suolainen", is out today.





Commenting on the track, the band shares:




"Surusta meri suolainen is based on the Justinian plague breaking out in Europe in 541. There were so many corpses laying around in the streets of Constantinople in 542 that the Byzantine emperor Justinian I asked his subordinates to pile the carcasses on ships, transport them to the open sea and throw them overboard. After a while the waves brought these putrid bodies back to shore as humanary rafts. The title translates to ‘Sea Salty of Sorrow’, which refers to the tears of those who lost their loved ones."


Adding, "Musically it's basically a map of what this band is all about: heavy riffs, rich dynamics, different styles of vocals, and juicy twists and turns."





Kuusumu is Kuolemanlaakso’s first album in eight years and their most versatile work to date. In addition to the traditional Kuolemanlaakso heaviness, the album contains fast and bombastic material. The album was co-produced, mixed, mastered and engineered by the Triptykon and Dark Fortress guitarist V. Santura, with whom the band has worked with on all of their releases. The female vocals were performed by Lotta Ruutiainen from Luna Kills.


Kuusumu will be released in 2022 via Svart Records, with the CD version releasing on April 3 and vinyl following on July 29.  Preorder at SvartRecords.com.


The first digital single, "Katkeruuden malja", is streaming below:





"Tulessakävelijä":





Lineup:


Kotamäki - vocals
Laakso - guitar, backing vocals
Kouta - guitar
Usva - bass
Tiera - drums


(Photo - Riku Jokinen)

On the heels of his blistering first single from the upcoming album, Shades, acclaimed King’s X guitarist, songwriter, and co-vocalist Ty Tabor has released the album’s latest single, “Insane”.


The hard-hitting track features a devastating solo from Ty amongst thick layers of guitars and a tight rhythm section. “Insane” builds upon the brooding and intense atmosphere of first single “Sister Genocide,” laying the bedrock of Ty’s forthcoming solo offering out on March 4.


The static video for “Insane” can be seen below:







Shades is out on March 4 via Rat Pak Records. The upcoming album features 10 brand new songs with 3 bonus tracks and follows the successful release of 2018’s Alien Beans. Shades is available for pre-order in various configurations including CD, vinyl and digital download, here.


From the opening chords of “Come Home,” it is clear that Ty Tabor’s trademark guitar tone lays the bedrock for his latest solo release Shades. Ty tackles a wide array of emotions and topics with layered harmonies, hooky pop sensibilities, and the total riffage that remains a crucial ingredient to the King’s X sound. Songs like “What You’re Thinking,” “One Drop Of Water,” and “Doesn’t Linger” show Ty’s penchant for crafting tunes with tremendous melodies, while songs like “Shallow,” and “Your Fantasy,” trend heavy and exemplify why Ty is one of the most influential guitarists of the last three decades.





Shades tracklisting:


"Come Home"
"Shallow"
"Your Fantasy"
"What You're Thinking"
"Sister Genocide"
"Best Day In A While"
"Insane"
"One Drop Of Water"
"Doesn’t Linger"
"Leaves Falling Down"
"Ashes" - (Bonus Track) [CD & Digital Download only]
"Political Nonsense" - (Bonus Track) [CD & Digital Download only]
"Ashes" (Acoustic) - (Bonus Track) [CD & Digital Download only]


"Sister Genocide" lyric video:





(Photo - Reames Photography)

Bruck Kulick recently announced: "Each week I will be sharing a video of the second set at the Stardust Theater, filmed by my wife Lisa from the balcony. It's a great way to 'be there.' Enjoy!"


Today he releases "All Hell's Breakin' Loose" from the show, which can be viewed below. A message states: "Here's a great song from Lick It Up that KISS never performs. It has an amazing main riff, as well as awesome rap style lyrics sung here by Todd Kerns. We dedicated it to Eric Carr, since he is a co-writer with Paul Stanley along with Gene and Vinnie. The crowd loved hearing this live!"







Kulick and his band have performed on the last three KISS Kruises: KKXIII, KKIX, and KKX. His band plays songs from the '80s and '90s that aren't usually performed by KISS. Joining guitarist Bruce Kulick in his band are: Todd Kerns - lead vocals / guitar, Zach Throne - vocals / bass, and Brent Fitz - drums / vocals.


Watch previous videos from the Kruise:




















Creatures Fest 2022 will take place Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 - 29 in Nashville, Tennessee at the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel. Get ready for three nights of live music. Bruce Kulick has been added to the lineup, which already included KISS alumni Ace Frehley and Vinnie Vincent. Organizers are calling this "The Holy Trinity."


Thus far, eleven Creatures Fest performers have been announced: Ace Frehley, Vinnie Vincent, Bruce Kulick, Quiet Riot, Enuff Z'Nuff, Vixen, Trixter (acoustic), Pretty Boy Floyd, Kuarantine, John Corabi, and Kore Rozzik.


Complete details, including ticket info, can be found at creaturesfest.com.

Former HANOI ROCKS guitarist Nasty Suicide (born Jan-Markus Stenfors) has revealed that he is battling prostate cancer. The 58-year-old musician discussed his diagnosis in a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine which focused primarily on promoting the upcoming debut album from his new band STENFORS.

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can talk about it. It's no secret. And it actually had a role to play in recording the [STENFORS] album as well. When we decided we're gonna do the album, everything was fine. But then, as soon as we started doing it, I got my diagnosis of prostate cancer. So that was, like, 'Oooh. What's gonna happen with the album then?' [laughs] was first at mind. Well, anyway, it didn't affect that at all — except that, obviously, then when I went into chemo in the summer while we were doing the recording bit by bit, it did affect, obviously — it affects everything; it goes everywhere, and it's nasty stuff [laughs], but it's supposed to take care of the cancer, so I've always taken it as a thing — you're supposed to feel like something. But it kind of affected me a little bit while we were doing the recording, but I think it went pretty well.

"So, I'm through the chemo part now and I've been through it for a few months and feeling really good," he continued. "Now we started the radiation phase, so until the end of March I'm going to radiation every day. So, bit by bit, they're giving the disease the dose that it needs."

As for his prognosis, Jan said: "It's been positive. Actually, the direction is really good. I'm pretty confident that it's just gonna be kind of chronic state; you have to go to checkups and give it a little dose of something every now and again. I feel good. I mean, I feel nothing from it."

Nasty Suicide is best known as one of the founding members of HANOI ROCKS, the legendary Finnish rock band whose trashy, hedonistic, decadent hard rock/pop-metal boogie influenced many Los Angeles acts, including GUNS N' ROSES and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

HANOI ROCKS originally broke on to the hard rock scene in the first half of the 1980s, becoming one of the first Finnish bands to make an international impact. HANOI ROCKS's career was subsequently derailed after drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley's 1984 death in a car accident caused by MÖTLEY CRÜE's Vince Neil. Internal tensions and the commercial disappointment that was 1985's "Rock & Roll Divorce" led to singer Michael Monroe leaving the band that year, thus putting an early end to HANOI ROCKS.

STENFORS's debut single, "Then It's Gone", was released on February 18. A full-length LP, "Family Album", will arrive in June.

After the breakup of HANOI ROCKS, Nasty Suicide and his former bandmate Andy McCoy recorded an acoustic album under the name THE SUICIDE TWINS which was released in 1986 and was titled "Silver Missiles And Nightingales". They also started THE CHERRY BOMBZ, which included Timo Caltio on bass (later replaced by Dave Tregunna), Terry Chimes on drums and singer Anita Chellemah. THE CHERRY BOMBZ released two EPs, "The Cherry Bombz" (1985) and "House Of Ecstasy" (1986) as well as a live album, "Coming Down Slow" (1986). After THE CHERRY BOMBZ, Nasty went on to form his own band CHEAP AND NASTY, which was active from 1990 to 1994. Suicide was also a member of Monroe's band DEMOLITION 23 in the early Nineties. After the breakup of DEMOLITION 23, Suicide recorded an album under his given name, titled "Vinegar Blood", in 1996; it was released in Finland only.

Former EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt has launched a new band called DIE HUMANE.

The news of Hunolt's project was shared by BLIND ILLUSION's Mark Biedermann who took to his Facebook Saturday night (February 19) to write: "Here's what's really going on. Rick Hunolt's new band DIE HUMANE is going to blow your mind. I wish I could share what he gave me but just know this it is fresh, new and different with amazing vocals and top notch Guitar playing! That is after one listen to one song. Now let me get back to you in a few minutes as I have just received more. Dang it's good to be in the loop! Thank you Rick!"

Hunolt — the other half of the famed EXODUS "H-Team" who is on every studio recording from 1985 through 2004 and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs such as "A Lesson In Violence" and "Deliver Us To Evil" — left EXODUS after the band's highly acclaimed 2004 reunion album, "Tempo Of The Damned". Following his departure, Hunolt was replaced by HEATHEN guitarist Lee Altus.

Rick discussed his exit from EXODUS during a November 2021 appearance on "Put Up Your Dukes", the new podcast hosted by ex-EXODUS singer Rob Dukes. He said: "During the recording of 'Tempo', Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] had just gotten clean a little while prior to that, and I was still using. But I've gotta say, Gary Holt — my hat's off to the man for… He never sweated me. Not once did Gary say, 'Dude, you're a piece of shit. I'm gonna fire you from the band if you don't get your shit together.' He never said nothing. He let it take its course, you know what I mean?

"I was a mess," Rick continued. "We all were, but everybody got better, and I didn't. I fell down the rabbit hole even worse, I think, because I was just so depressed. I couldn't stop. I don't know what was up… To the point where I was gonna lose my position in the band I'd been in for over 20 years — my best friends, my life. Yeah, it was dark as fuck.

"One day, after spending my life, giving everything that I had and the whole world to EXODUS, one day I woke up and I wasn't in EXODUS anymore," Hunolt added. "And that morning was, like… Dude, I can't even describe the emotions that I [was feeling]. I woke up and I wasn't in EXODUS anymore, dude. It damn near took me out, bro."

Rick revealed that he went through a particularly difficult period after splitting with EXODUS. "I had to reinvent myself at 40-plus years old, [with] two little kids," he said. "I ended up moving out of Oakland. I had to get the fuck out of there, 'cause we were living at the studio; it was bad. And then we moved in with my wife's mom and I got a job at the [discount chain] Dollar Tree and I ended up working there for, like, two or three years. I mean, I can go on and on and on. But long story short, I met a guy who knew who I was and offered me a job on his ranch. And the rest is history. He taught me how to live my life and make money."

Hunolt makes a guest appearance on EXODUS's new studio album, "Persona Non Grata", which was released in November via Nuclear Blast Records.

The San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' latest disc is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was their first release since the departure of Dukes, the group's lead singer of nine years, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Back in April 2019, Hunolt rejoined Holt and other EXODUS members Tom Hunting (drums) and Souza to perform several of the group's classic songs during a METAL ALLEGIANCE concert in San Francisco, California. More recently, Hunolt joined EXODUS on stage in August at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The original lineup of EXODUS consisted of guitarists Kirk Hammett (now in METALLICA) and Tim Agnello, Hunting and vocalist Keith Stewart. Holt joined the band in 1981, while Kirk left two years before EXODUS's debut album, "Bonded By Blood", saw the light of day.


Here's what's really going on. Rick Hunolt's new band DIE HUMANE is going to blow your mind.I wish I could share what he…

Posted by Mark Biedermann on Saturday, February 19, 2022