The Dark Side Of The Moon, consisting of members of Feuerschwanz, Amaranthe and Ad Infinitum, have released the second single and music video since their formation - their version of Enya’s The Lord Of The Rings – The Two Towers theme, "May It Be". The original song is the soundtrack to one of the darkest storylines of the whole saga, spreading hope when there seems to be none left.


The Dark Side Of The Moon is accompanied by Charlotte Wessels on the song and video. The haunting duet passages of Melissa Bonny and the exceptional Dutch singer let the song shine in a completely new way. Energetic drumming and a great guitar solo add new highlights to the song that, already with the second song of their career, showcases the versatility and talent of this newly founded band.


The Dark Side Of The Moon on "May It Be": “Today we are proud to present our second song! On our musical quest through the mystic worlds of fantasy movies and games, we take you on a journey through Middle Earth, to the Undying Lands!! In honor of Tolkien’s unmatched epic tale, the 20 year anniversary of the movies and the upcoming series, we present you our version of “May It Be” - a version that you never would have expected - that’s a promise! And on top of that, we are beyond proud to have a very special guest in this song, the amazing Charlotte Wessels, who is riding with us to take this song to the next level!”




Watch the official music video for "May It Be":








With “May It Be” and the first single, "Jenny Of Oldstones", The Dark Side Of The Moon aim to transform musical themes from cinematography, TV shows and video games into powerful and epic modern metal tracks and add completely new elements via the trademark guitar playing of Hans Platz and versatile voice of Melissa Bonny, as well as the use of the harp. In doing so, The Dark Side Of The Moon will not limit themselves to cover versions, but will also write original songs.


The Dark Side Of The Moon started with a bet between Melissa Bonny and Hans Platz. Whoever lost owed the other a "dare". Hans won and challenged Melissa to record a metal version of "Jenny Of Oldstones" with him, and so the band began to turn their favorite cinematic themes into powerful metal songs.





The Dark Side Of The Moon are:


Melissa Bonny – vocals
Hans Platz – guitars
Morten Løwe Sørensen – drums
Jenny Diehl – harp


(Photo - Svenja Metzner)

The Two Minutes To Late Night crew are back with a cover of Judas Priest's "Screaming For Vengeance". Watch below.


A message states: "Vengeance! Vengeance! LEATHER! Please enjoy our 56th bedroom cover made with the support of Patreon. Become a Patreon patron today and get access to exclusive rewards like patches, t-shirts, even custom songs! Plus, you get to see every cover we make before it publicly premieres."


This cover features Brann Dailor (Mastodon, Arcadea), Gene Hoglan, Nili Brosh (Danny Elfman, Dethklok), Jonathan Donais (Anthrax, Shadows Fall), Phil "LandPhil" Hall (Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, Iron Reagan), and Jordan Olds aka Gwarsenio Hall.

Latvian hard rockers, Bloody Heels, have released a brand new single, "Dream Killers". The single serves as a preview of the band's upcoming studio album, which will be released this summer via Frontiers Music Srl.





"Dream Killers" offers fans the first glimpse of the massive musical leap the band has taken on their upcoming new album from their last studio album, the well-received Ignite The Sky.




Stream/download "Dream Killers" on your preferred music service here. Listen below:





The upcoming album, their third overall, follows their Frontiers debut, Ignite The Sky (2020). The preview single, "Dream Killers" will certainly please fans of the band's previous work, where strains of classic '80s hard rock were mixed with elements of heavy metal (and is still very much the case here), but touches of progressive rock, gothic rock/metal, and more modern rock are now identifiable in the mix, with spectacular results.


Stay tuned for more news on the band's upcoming album, which will be revealed in the coming weeks.


Lineup:


Vicky White - Vocals
Harry Rivers - Guitars
Gunn Everett - Bass
Gus Hawk - Drums

According to TMZ, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry has found a buyer for his home in Duxbury, Massachusetts.

The 14-room, 7-acre country gated estate, which had an asking price of $4.5 million, includes a heated pool in the shape of a Gibson guitar body, rooftop garden, three-stall barn, high-tech media room, exposed beams, three fireplaces, a gym and a billiards room.

The house, which Perry has owned for 33 years, includes his basement studio, where AEROSMITH recorded some of the 2001 album "Just Push Play" as well as 2004's "Honkin' On Bobo". Perry also used the facility to record three of his solo albums.

In recent years, Perry has been spending a lot of time in Los Angeles as well as his beach-front condo in Sarasota, Florida.

Last August, AEROSMITH and Universal Music Group (UMG), announced a worldwide alliance spanning the iconic group's entire discography, merchandise and audio-video projects. For the first time, in 2022 all of AEROSMITH's iconic recordings will be unified in one place ahead of the band's upcoming 50th anniversary through a new multifaceted partnership with UMG. In addition to supporting the band's consolidated catalog, this partnership will also make use of unprecedented access to the storied "Vindaloo Vaults" and personal archives of bandmembers Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford, who will actively help curate their collections of music, photos, video footage, artwork, journals, set lists and memorabilia. Future releases will offer fans access to never-before seen and heard gems, that will further cement the band's position as one of rock's most ground-breaking and reverential groups in history.

Inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001, AEROSMITH is tied for the most RIAA album certifications by an American group with 25 gold, 18 platinum, 12 multi-platinum and one diamond. As the band was founded in Boston in 1970, April 13 has been declared "Aerosmith Day" in Massachusetts by former governor William Weld.




Joe Perry doesn't have to dream on when it comes to unloading a prime piece of real estate -- 'cause the dude's got himself a buyer ... and the sale's about to make him a bundle. https://t.co/rnmPPNQU24

— TMZ (@TMZ) February 28, 2022








Rock star real estate: Aerosmith's Joe Perry lists Duxbury property for $4.5 millionhttps://t.co/QFO1XlbUxf pic.twitter.com/5r9gOGMMHF

— ╚» Isms (@StevenTylerisms) September 15, 2021

Currently on their Freedon 2022 Tour, Journey hit the Wells Fargo Center in Pittsburgh, PA on February 23rd. Single-cam video of the entire show can be viewed below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"Only the Young"
"Stone in Love"
"Don't Stop Believin'"
"Faithfully"
"I'll Be Alright Without You" (Derlatka on lead vocals)
"Ask the Lonely"
"Who's Crying Now"
"Mother, Father" (Castronovo on lead vocals)
"Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"
"Lights"
"The Way We Used to Be"§
"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'"
"Wheel in the Sky"
"Open Arms"
"Girl Can't Help It" (Derlatka on lead vocals)
"Send Her My Love"
"Be Good to Yourself"
"When You Love a Woman"
"Any Way You Want It"







Remaining tour dates:


February 
28 - TD Garden - Boston, MA


March 
2 - Little Caesars Arena - Detroit, MI
5 - Videotron Centre - Quebec City, QC
7 - Scotiabank Arena - Toronto, ON
8 - Times Union Center - Albany, NY
12 - Fiserv Forum - Milwaukee, WI
14 - Xcel Energy Center - Saint Paul, MN
16 - T-Mobile Center - Kansas City, MO
17 - Paycom Center - Oklahoma City, OK
19 - Simmons Bank Arena - North Little Rock, AR
21 - Enterprise Center - St. Louis, MO
24 - Vivint Arena - Salt Lake City, UT
27 - Moda Center - Portland, OR
28 - Climate Pledge Arena - Seattle, WA
31 - Chase Center - San Francisco, CA


April 
1 - Golden 1 Center - Sacramento, CA
4 - Honda Center - Anaheim, CA
5 - STAPLES Center - Los Angeles, CA


April 
7 - Pechanga Arena San Diego - San Diego, CA
9 - Gila River Arena - Glendale, AZ
11 - Ball Arena - Denver, CO
13 - American Airlines Center - Dallas, TX
15 - Smoothie King Center - New Orleans, LA
20 - Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
21 - Amway Center - Orlando, FL
24 - Heritage Bank Center - Cincinnati, OH
25 - State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GA
27 - Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN
28 - Spectrum Center - Charlotte, NC
30 - Schottenstein Center - Columbus, OH


May
2 - Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IL
4 - Van Andel Arena - Grand Rapids, MI
5 - Gainbridge Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN
7 - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse - Cleveland, OH
9 - Capital One Arena - Washington, D.C.
11 - XL Center - Hartford, CT

After months of teasing and multiple single releases, California rockers PAPA ROACH have officially announced that their new album, "Ego Trip", will be released April 8, 2022 via New Noize Records in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm).

The eleventh studio album of a career that continues to carve a fearless and singular path through a fourth decade, "Ego Trip" sees PAPA ROACH continuing to break new ground in a time when many are desperate for what they once knew. As vocalist Jacoby Shaddix explains: "Now isn't the time for comfort or conformity, but to be inspired and build something new. Something better, in order to channel something more."

In addition to today's announcement, and in celebration of their headline tour kicking off this evening, the iconic rock band have shared a new single with fans. "Cut The Line" carries the band's energetic, heavy guitar and drums and soaring choruses with the question "Are You Tangled Up Inside?". The accompanying music video which will be released on Friday, March 4 at 10 a.m. PST, brings the band back to the feeling of their original practice space in an intimate, smoky, in your face performance video.

"Cut The Line" joins previously released singles "Stand Up", "Dying To Believe", "Kill The Noise" (which held the no. 1 position on the Mainstream Rock chart for over a month) and genre-bending banger of a single "Swerve" featuring Jason Aalon Butler (FEVER 333) and Sueco, all pulled from a 2020 writing session with the iconic rock band and a tight-knit creative team including familiar collaborators Colin "Doc" Brittain, Nick Furlong, Jason Evigan and new team members WZRD BLD and Andrew Goldstein.

An album that sprouted almost by mistake in the throes of a global lockdown, its seeds were planted when the quartet entered a COVID-secure mansion in Temecula, California in the summer of 2020. What started as an escape and an exercise in keeping the creative juices flowing, in a world that had completely ground to a halt, quickly grew into something bigger. Purposeful, provocative, and just the right side of the line between confident and cocky ("I really hope [the album title] stops a few people in their tracks," cackles Jacoby), "Ego Trip" is PAPA ROACH — completed by guitarist Jerry Horton, bassist Tobin Esperance and drummer Tony Palermo — at its boldest and most brilliant.

PAPA ROACH will kick off its North American "Kill The Noise" tour, featuring very special guests HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and BAD WOLVES with a sold out show in Anaheim, California tonight. The tour, produced by Live Nation, will make stops in the United States and Canada, marking the band's first headlining tour in three years.

In what is gearing up to be a very busy year for the band, PAPA ROACH recently announced their return to Mexico City on April 4th at Pepsi Center - a special co-headline event with SIMPLE PLAN, and opening act EMO NITE spinning eclectic nostalgic hits throughout the evening. PAPA ROACH were also part of a massive announcement for this year's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California along with MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, FOO FIGHTERS, SLIPKNOT, KISS, BRING ME THE HORIZON, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE and more.

One of the most incendiary and popular tracks on MINISTRY's latest album "Moral Hygiene" is undoubtedly "Sabotage Is Sex", the blistering collaboration between the one and only Al Jourgensen and his frequent collaborator Jello Biafra, the great mind behind the DEAD KENNEDYS. The two famously kickstarted their side project LARD in the late '80s, a fusion of industrial and punk, and this latest collaboration may be a hint of things yet to come.

While "Sabotage Is Sex" has been pleasing ears since "Moral Hygiene" was released October 1 via Nuclear Blast Records, fans now have even more to feast on with the powerhouse new video — featuring both music icons and marking the first time Biafra has ever appeared in a music video.

Created by director Joel Smith of Mad Minute Productions (previous work includes Activision, Audi, BLACK EYED PEAS, U2, X Games), the gritty, black-and-white video makes a number of bold statements as only Jourgensen and Biafra can about the state of society in 2022, focusing on the corruption of the powers that be, racial injustice and the infringement on the rights of Americans.

Says Jourgensen of the piece: "Jello and I have been friends and music collaborators for decades. I had no idea he'd never done a video before and I'm honored to pop that creative cherry for him on 'Sabotage Is Sex'. It's crazy how tech savvy we've all gotten yet somehow it all seems very punk rock to shoot a video at home with just an iPhone. Who knows, maybe one day there will be a LARD video?"

Adds Biafra: "My compliments to the chef!! Not like any other MINISTRY video either. It's amazing what can be done dirt cheap in your bedroom, with some kool found footage and a few clever ideas. Two phones, two takes and my work is done. Fun! I knew there'd finally come a day where I could bust out those Fez hats kids stole from their parents, and threw at DEAD KENNEDYS on our '85 'FrankenChrist' tour."

MINISTRY will debut the new songs from "Moral Hygiene" on the upcoming "Industrial Strength" tour, kicking off March 2, alongside celebrating the 30th anniversary of seminal album "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste". In addition to Jourgensen, the full band includes drummer Roy Mayorga, guitarists Cesar Soto and Monte Pittman, bassist Paul D'Amour and keyboardist John Bechdel. Special guests THE MELVINS and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY will share the stage nightly as the tour's special guests.

Due to overwhelming demand, MINISTRY added 13 new dates with the tour now running through April 18.

"Moral Hygiene" is MINISTRY's 15th studio album and added to many "best of 2021" year-end lists, including Loudwire, Consequence Of Sound, Punk News and XS Rock (where it was ranked the No. 1 album of the year). It features some of the project's strongest and most inspired material to date, the creative masterwork of founder and creator Jourgensen who spent the pandemic pause ruminating on the new world we as a society have found ourselves in — while pondering just what we are going to do about it.

The 10 tracks are a follow-up to 2018's lauded "AmeriKKKant" and put forth Jourgensen's societal manifesto and plea for civilization to get back to a set of standards that lives up to and embraces our humanity. Previous singles have included "Alert Level" (sounding the alarm on the state society is in), "Good Trouble" (a rallying cry to fight for human rights in homage to civil rights leader John Lewis), "Disinformation" (the dangers of consuming mass media without critical thinking) and "Search And Destroy" (the unique take on THE STOOGES classic). The latter features guitar virtuoso Billy Morrison (Billy Idol, ROYAL MACHINES) who is also heavily featured on a number of songs on the album.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach, whose band kicked off a headlining tour on January 28 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has uploaded two new installments of his YouTube tour blog in which he reflected on the last couple of weeks of the trek.

Support on the KILLSWITCH ENGAGE tour is coming from AUGUST BURNS RED and ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones's current group LIGHT THE TORCH.

Last fall, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE completed a U.S. tour with SLIPKNOT, FEVER 333 and CODE ORANGE as part of the "Knotfest Roadshow". The band also appeared at several key festivals.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's latest album, "Atonement", was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc features guest appearances by Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. It marks the band's third full-length release since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

In July 2021, Leach and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz released the second album from their TIMES OF GRACE project, "Songs Of Loss And Separation", via the band's own imprint label, Wicked Good Records, distributed by ADA Worldwide.

TOOL, which is currently on tour in support of its Grammy Award-winning album "Fear Inoculum", has taken 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 now available via DSPs and can be streamed below, with the Blu-ray only visual companion coming 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").

Rob Halford has shared a short video of JUDAS PRIEST rehearsing for its upcoming U.S. tour.

On Monday (February 28), the 70-year-old singer took to his Instagram to post a short clip of him and his bandmates running through a rendition of the PRIEST classic "The Sentinel", and he captioned it: "kicking the metal tires maniacs".

Two days earlier, JUDAS PRIEST's Richie Faulkner, who underwent a life-saving surgery five months ago after the band's performance at the Louder Than Life festival, posted a photo of three of his guitars leaning against an amp, and he included the following message: "And we're back!! PRIEST rehearsals 2022!! Feels so good to be back after so much has happened. Having these US dates has really given me something to aim for as part of my recovery process, and the guitar, as always, has been my medicine throughout.

"It's gonna be emotional to see all those faces out there once again next week and I’m really looking forward to seeing you all. Thanks for all your support through all of this and see you all soon. Hopefully I can remember the stuff!"

On September 26, 2021, the 42-year-old British-born guitarist suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during the Louder Than Life performance, just a short distance from Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. It took the hospital's cardiothoracic surgery team, led by Dr. Siddharth Pahwa and also including Drs. Brian Ganzel and Mark Slaughter, approximately 10 hours to complete the surgery, an aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement with hemiarch replacement.

Two weeks after his surgery, Faulkner, who spent the last few months recovering at home in Nashville, told reporters that he experienced a sharp pain as he was stepping off the stage. "That's when it exploded," he said.

"The more I read about it, the more astonishing it is to me to think that I even made it to the hospital," he added. "The amount of time when I actually go the pain and when I turned up in the hospital and when we were actually operating, it was quite a lot of time. The more I read about it, the more unbelievable — that amount of time — I don't know how I'm still around today."

Pahwha told reporters that the chance of survival for anybody with Faulkner's ailment is about 10%.

"There are about 70% to 80% patients who have their aorta ruptured and never make it to the hospital," said Pahwa.

Faulkner said he had no history of heart complications and that the aliment came completely "out of the blue."

"My point is I don't even have high cholesterol and this could've been the end for me," he said. "If you can get yourselves checked — do it for me, please."

Aortic aneurysms are "balloon-like bulges in the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Dissections happen when the "force of blood pumping can split the layers of the artery wall, allowing blood to leak in between them."

Doctors said Faulkner will continue to be monitored and will receive a CT scan every six months for the first year.

After Louder Than Life, JUDAS PRIEST postponed the remainder of the U.S. dates on its 50th-anniversary tour, dubbed "50 Heavy Metal Years". The shows have since been rescheduled for March and April 2022.

Faulkner joined PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist K.K. Downing.

Richie was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

Faulkner and his girlfriend Mariah Lynch, daughter of former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch, welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Daisy Mae, in July 2020.
























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And we’re back!! Priest rehearsals 2022!! Feels so good to be back after so much has happened. Having these US dates has...

Posted by Richie Faulkner on Saturday, February 26, 2022

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have released their first official music video in nearly 14 years. Set to "Searching For My Love", a highlight from the duo's chart-topping, long-awaited new album "Raise The Roof", the visual follows a series of lonely travelers on a mystical journey up a mountaintop, through the smoke and fog, down dirt paths and into the ocean, crossing paths with mermaids and more in a quest to discover a deeper treasure.

"Searching For My Love" was directed and produced by Matt Mahurin and stars Julia Lucey and Rolan Meyer.

Originally written and recorded by Bobby Moore and THE RHYTHM ACES, "Searching For My Love" is a song that Plant first started singing as a teenager at school. He calls it "another nugget of beautiful lost soul music which has been ricocheting between me and Alison for a long time," and the two recently performed their arrangement on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", "CBS Saturday Morning" and NPR's "Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts".

Beginning in June, Plant and Krauss will bring the music of 2021's T Bone Burnett-produced "Raise The Roof" and 2007's Grammy-sweeping "Raising Sand" on their first international tour in well over a decade. The run of bandshell and amphitheater shows includes stops at New York City's Forest Hills Stadium and Chicago's Jay Pritzker Pavilion, as well as top spots at Bonnaroo and Roskilde festival, and more.

"Raise The Roof" is currently in its 13th consecutive week at No. 1 on the Americana radio charts, following its debut in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rock, Americana/Folk, Bluegrass and Independent Albums charts, No. 3 on Top Country and Album Sales, and No. 5 in the U.K. Named one of the best albums of 2021 by Esquire, Mojo, Uncut and others, "Raise The Roof" amassed critical acclaim from The New York Times, New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Variety, Pitchfork, People, Associated Press, NPR and more, in addition to appearances on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert", "The Kelly Clarkson Show", CBS, PBS, MSNBC, the BBC and beyond.

Following the monumental debut of "Raising Sand", which won all six Grammy Awards for which it was nominated (including "Album" and "Record Of The Year"), Plant and Krauss "are still proof that sometimes the best things come from unlikely collaborators" (Entertainment Weekly). Across "Raise The Roof", the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer and 27-time Grammy-winning Bluegrass Hall Of Famer step further outside their comfort zone, expanding their unexpected, unparalleled partnership in remarkable new directions.

While sessions for the album began in Nashville in November 2019, wrapping just weeks before the world went into lockdown, Krauss remembers sending Plant the Randy Weeks/Lucinda Williams classic "Can't Let Go" at least 10 years ago — and "it seems like time hasn't passed at all" (NPR Music). Elsewhere on "Raise The Roof", Plant and Krauss reimagine songs from Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, THE EVERLY BROTHERS, Anne Briggs, Geeshie Wiley, Ola Belle Reed, Brenda Burns and more, with arrangements even more evocative and hypnotic than those on "Raising Sand".

"It's such a far cry from everything I've done before," said Plant. "I love the whole kaleidoscope of music that I've explored, but this is a place where you can think within the song, you can decide how to bring home an emotion. It's another blend that we've got, and long may we have more of them."

Photo by David McClister

VENOM INC., the band featuring original VENOM guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and ex-VENOM bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, will commemorate the 40th anniversary of VENOM's "Black Metal" album by performing it in its entirety on October 2 at the Keep It True festival at Posthalle in Würzburg, Germany.

Back in 2018, VENOM INC. recruited drummer Jeramie Kling to fill in for Anthony "Abaddon" Bray on a European tour while Abaddon stayed home to spend time with his newborn daughter. VENOM INC. has since completed several tours with Kling without ever making any official announcements about Bray's possible return to the group.

Dunn, Bray and Dolan released three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — "Prime Evil" (1989), "Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).

VOIVOD's Michel "Away" Langevin said: "To me, VENOM represent the start of a very important movement that has split into many more important movements. It was a revolution. After that moment, death metal, thrash metal, black metal and all these genres exploded and they all owe something to VENOM."

MAYHEM's Jørn "Necrobutcher" Stubberud stated: "I didn't know it back then because everything was fresh. We didn't know what we were looking for, but when I heard VENOM, that was it."

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

VENOM INC. has spent most of the last year working on its new album. The follow-up to 2017's "Avé" will once again be released on Nuclear Blast Records. The recording is being done between England, Portugal and America and it will have Dunn at the helm as producer once again.




VENOM INC to commemorate 'Black Metal' album 40th anniversary at Keep It True festival

- Return To Hammersmith -

On...

Posted by Jeff Mantas Dunn on Monday, February 28, 2022

Frontiers Music Srl will release of "Different Worlds", the debut album from SKILLS, on May 13. Skills features the eye-popping lineup of guitarist Brad Gillis (NIGHT RANGER, OZZY OSBOURNE), bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS, SONS OF APOLLO) drummer David Huff (GIANT) and vocalist Renan Zonta (ELECTRIC MOB). Today, fans can get their first taste of music from the band with the release of the single and video "Stop The World".

Skill is defined as "an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practiced it." In the perfect extension of the meaning of the word, SKILLS is an amazing new band put together from the vision of Frontiers president and A&R director Serafino Perugino. Cocky name for a band? Sure, but when said band features Gillis, Sheehan, Huff and Zonta, a little bravado is probably in order. SKILLS brings together the worlds of old and new in hard rock for a stunning debut album.

As is everyone who has heard him sing, Perugino was blown away by the abilities of Brazilian singer Renan Zonta upon first hearing him. Knowing how much Renan loves classic '80s hard rock, Perugino thought it would be cool to pair him with some monster players from that era. After sharing clips and music of Renan with some of the most outstanding musicians from the era, all of whom agreed that Renan's talent is undeniable, a new musical beast was born with Gillis, Sheehan and Huff joining the fold.

In SKILLS, you have a singer whose vocal range is stunning and can mix the extension and the power of the likes of Glenn Hughes and Sammy Hagar with the expression of Steven Tyler and some David Coverdale thrown in. Along with one of the world's most renowned, prolific bass players, a hugely respected, talented, and stunning guitar player, and an absolutely killer drummer, SKILLS is a force to be reckoned with. "Different Worlds" is an album which will appeal to the discerning ears of fans of classic '80s hard rock/melodic rock.

"Different Worlds" track listing:

01. Escape Machine

02. Blame It On The Night

03. Different Worlds

04. Losing The Track

05. Writings On The Wall

06. Show Me The Way

07. Just When I Needed You

08. Need To Fall

09. Stop The World

10. Hearts Of Stone

11. Don't Break My Heart

Lineup:

Renan Zonta - Vocals

Brad Gillis - Guitars

Billy Sheehan - Bass

David Huff - Drums

Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards, Backing Vocals

The eagerly awaited vinyl version of TOOL's critically-acclaimed fifth album, "Fear Inoculum", will arrive on April 8 via RCA Records, with the Grammy Award-winning release spread over 5 LPs and paired with new, extensive artwork.

TOOL guitarist Adam Jones reconceptualized the already impressive album packaging with each of the 180-gram vinyl discs emblazoned with a unique etching and accompanied by an elaborate pictorial booklet including never-before-seen artwork. The limited-edition set, which also features a new cover, is housed in a hard shell box.

TOOL has consistently elevated the concept of album art, from the groundbreaking "Fear Inoculum" CD release fronted by a 4" HD rechargeable screen with exclusive video footage ("Recusant Ad Infinitum") to "10,000 Days"' integrated stereoscopic lenses to "Ænima"'s lenticular jewel case, Jones has pushed the boundaries of what is possible. He has been twice nominated in the Grammy Awards' "Best Recording Package" category, taking home the trophy in 2007 for "10,000 Days".

Quite possibly the era's most highly anticipated album, "Fear Inoculum" arrived in August of 2019. Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the album earned heaps of critical praise with NPR saying, "'Fear Inoculum' was worth the 13-year wait," Revolver proclaiming the album "a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come" and Consequence saying the release finds "TOOL in peak performance."

"Fear Inoculum" ultra-deluxe vinyl track listing:

Disc 1: "Fear Inoculum" and "Pneuma"

Disc 2: "Invincible"

Disc 3: "Legion Inoculant" and "Descending"

Disc 4: "Culling Voices" and "Chocolate Chip Trip"

Disc 5: "7empest" and "Mockingbeat"

For more information and to pre-order, click here.

Earlier this week, TOOL also announced the impending arrival of "Opiate²", a reimagined and extended version of the 1992 EP's title track and an accompanying short film, marking the band’s first new video in 15 years. "Opiate²" will be available via DSPs on March 1, with the Blu-ray only visual companion available on March 18.

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 the aforementioned "Best Recording Package" 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").





























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In a new interview with Kylie Olsson's YouTube show "Life In Six Strings", former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing discussed his role with one of the oldest and most famous bands synonymous with the creation of heavy metal, along with BLACK SABBATH. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Bear in mind, I'm this young kid, just a young teenager, wanting to hear more of this music that I heard little bits of, but I was very hungry and frustrated that I didn't have enough of it, that I was compelled to create it. Because it didn't exist. Because I wanted more of it. I figured, 'Okay, I'll sit down and write the music that I would wanna listen to and hope there's lots more people out there like me that will [relate] to this music that will do for us — white working-class kids — it'll do for us what the blues music did for the people that were suffering, and it helped them through their working-class [struggle] and their oppression; maybe this music can do the same for us. And that's what heavy metal is, to me, around the world. And it brought us all together because we can all relate to it. So it's a very, very interesting subject. And it's why it's being created, because if you don't have the creators, you're not gonna have the audience that are gonna decide, 'I like that.' So you have to create it first. So, to me, we had, outside of the great progressive blues bands, we had… The next step of JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH, SCORPIONS, UFO, ACCEPT… So you have all of these bands, and eventually, the new wave of them, whoever that might be, starts to come in as well, and obviously, you had IRON MAIDEN, SAXON and you had the next level of so-called New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands. So this is the interesting concept. This is why I'm glad and feel so blessed to be born in '51. The beginning of heavy metal had to happen just around about the time that I was, like, 16, 17, let's say, 18, to wanna be able to create this for other people to wanna be able to listen to it."

Last summer, Downing, who has spent the last few months promoting the debut album from his new band KK'S PRIEST, discussed his five-decade relationship with the heavy metal genre in an interview with El Cuartel Del Metal. He said: "I owe everything — my whole life and my whole being — to metal. Because I was there at the very beginning when it didn't exist, and heavy rock didn't exist. Even rock didn't exist, really. We had rock and roll in the early '60s, but that was different; that was kind of Bill Haley and Elvis [Presley] and Chuck Berry. But we didn't have rock. We had blues, which turned into progressive blues, and that was great. There were so many great progressive blues bands. But we didn't seem to have the music that I really wanted more and more of. And so I set on the journey to try to be a part and create and assist as much as I could."

Downing is joined in KK'S PRIEST by former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals), along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", last October via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

FILTER's Richard Patrick and QUEENSRŸCHE's Todd La Torre have blasted SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan for saying that the COVID-19 pandemic "has always been about money."

On Sunday (February 27), Dolmayan, who was previously critical of vaccine mandates, saying they were akin to "self-imposed tyranny and mental slavery," took to his Instagram to share a Pokémon COVID-19 meme, and he included the following message: "And just like that covid will slowly go away. This is and has always been about money , covid was about money , Ukraine is about money. Resources equal wealth , stability , and power. Theres a game of chess being played by those in the real positions of power and we'd like to think we're the pawns but the truth is we're not even on the board."

When one of John's followers countered that "if it was about money then shops would have stayed open. Small business went bankrupt because of covid, it was never about money it was about saving lives", John fired back: "do you have any idea how much money Amazon made during Covid? Not to mention pharmaceutical companies ? Of course it's about money".

After BLABBERMOUTH.NET reported on Dolmayan's comments on Sunday, both Patrick and La Torre weighed in via Facebook, with Todd dismissing John's assessment as "moronic" and Patrick writing simply, "Not a very bright man…"

Patrick has been a vocal critic of former U.S. president Donald Trump and the Republican party for the last few years. Back in November 2020, he released a new FILTER video, "Murica", in which the main character was "a Trump-supporting, gun-loving, unmedicated, super-freak 'merican unhinged and at his wits' end," Patrick told Alternative Press at the time. "And he's trying to take control of something that is not out of control. And he's afraid. He's the super-afraid white male. The Trump-supporting nutbag that I hope I can reach.

"These guys that are so far right that they think CNN, NBC, ABC, MSNBC [and] BBC are all out to get our President Trump," he continued. "Like they're all in a conspiracy to be super-left-wing, crazy liars. I'm trying to make an attempt to show them what they look like. These are the guys that can only listen to Fox News and Breitbart and that type of news outlet. They believe every fucking thing that the Rush Limbaughs, the Alex Joneses [say] and listen to only the right wing, 'the truth, man.' They do their 'own research' and believe 9/11 was an inside job, President Obama wasn't a real citizen and the lunar landings were faked. Hillary Clinton personally went out and killed people in Benghazi and it's her fault, she's [a] criminal and 'lock her up.' It's those people that I'm portraying in the video.

"Who is the character aiming at at the end of the video? He's aiming at anyone from the left and at anyone from the normal middle. The regular folks who make up the country that are pretty much normal and just want to raise their kids and stay COVID-19-free and try and make a living."

Asked if he thought "Murica" was going to piss people off or it's going to be a rallying point, Patrick said: "I just wanted to show this surreal, crazy side of what America looks like. I literally am doing it just so the record shows that someone was willing to fuckin' say something about the right. Something about how crazy they are.

"A lot of my fans are from the right, and they're, like, 'Man, I like 'Hey Man, Nice Shot'. Why are you fucking talking about politics?' Because it has to be done. Someone has to say it. I'm not hearing a lot of hip-hop guys sayin' it. Country music represents the right. I'm not hearing anyone from the left say anything. Let the public record show that I tried something during this time period that at least maybe 100,000 fans are going to see on YouTube. At least I know that I said something, and I tried, and that's it."

A year ago, La Torre slammed COVID-19 science deniers and anti-maskers, telling Greece's "TV War": "Science is important. Skepticism is important. But in America, people, they don't believe what's happened over the last several years. People have gone from skepticism to just complete disbelief of anything and everything they hear or see. So you can have an epidemiologist that spent their life as an expert in this field, and then you have other people that just think it's B.S. — they don't believe it. So you have this weird thing where, as a matter of public safety, [some people say] 'You are infringing on my rights. This is America,' and that kind of mentality. And you say, 'Wait a minute. Your rights stop when you are in a public place, and now public health and safety is the concern.'

Asked if he thought things would change in the U.S. now that a new administration had moved into the White House, Todd said: "I think so. I mean, let's be honest: it's a very divided country; this country is very polarized. And you have to be careful. I mean, people have been mad at me: 'Oh, he's a liberal,' and blah blah blah, and, 'I don't wanna support the band he's in anymore,' or, 'I don't wanna buy his record because he's against Donald Trump,' for example, or whatever.

"Look, the facts are the facts," he continued. "And the world — you're in Europe; I've traveled all over — wasn't so favorable. And trying to work with our allies and get back into things that we can agree on that are bad for the environment. And civil rights. You don't ban countries because of their religion from flying into our country. So there are things that are just what I consider right and wrong. But I think that this administration will get things back to zero, in my opinion. But one of the things that I always think is important should be some type of socialized health care system.

"I don't think that Joe Biden is gonna quite go where I want it to go, but I think that it will start to give us some semblance of normalcy again, let things calm down without tweets every five seconds and all this divisiveness. I don't think it's good for any of us."

In the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Dolmayan repeatedly defended Donald Trump, saying that the opponents of America's 45th president "perpetuated and instigated a total shutdown of the economy" in the hopes that it would crash and that he would be blamed. Dolmayan also praised Trump and accused Democrats of "demonizing" the former president and "blaming him for everything under the sun." In addition, John called Democrats "the true bigots" who "fought to maintain slavery" and were "directly responsible for 70 plus million abortions, a large majority of whom were black." Dolmayan also supported Trump's claim that his administration had done more for the African-American community "than any president since Abraham Lincoln."





























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SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan says that the COVID-19 pandemic "has always been about money."

Earlier today (Sunday, February 27), the 48-year-old musician, who was previously critical of vaccine mandates, saying they were akin to "self-imposed tyranny and mental slavery," took to his Instagram to share a Pokémon COVID-19 meme, and he included the following message: "And just like that covid will slowly go away. This is and has always been about money , covid was about money , Ukraine is about money. Resources equal wealth , stability , and power. Theres a game of chess being played by those in the real positions of power and we'd like to think we're the pawns but the truth is we're not even on the board."

When one of John's followers countered that "if it was about money then shops would have stayed open. small business went bankrupt because of covid, it was never about money it was about saving lives", John fired back: "do you have any idea how much money Amazon made during Covid? Not to mention pharmaceutical companies ? Of course it's about money".

In the months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Dolmayan repeatedly defended Donald Trump, saying that the opponents of America's 45th president "perpetuated and instigated a total shutdown of the economy" in the hopes that it would crash and that he would be blamed. Dolmayan also praised Trump and accused Democrats of "demonizing" the former president and "blaming him for everything under the sun." In addition, John called Democrats "the true bigots" who "fought to maintain slavery" and were "directly responsible for 70 plus million abortions, a large majority of whom were black." Dolmayan also supported Trump's claim that his administration had done more for the African-American community "than any president since Abraham Lincoln."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian discussed his relationship with Dolmayan, who is also his brother-in-law, during an interview with Consequence Of Sound. He said: "We're very good friends, we're family, and he's my drummer in my band, so, of course, we've talked about many, many different things, including political views. When you don't agree with someone after a while about a certain topic … look, it doesn't mean that we don't agree about other stuff. We agree a lot about Armenian stuff, for example, a lot about family stuff, a lot of other things, a lot of personal stuff. But when it comes to American politics, we happen to be on the polar opposite ends of it, and we're both very passionate and vehement about our views, which is fine."

Serj continued: "I love and respect John very much, but I don't love and respect his American political views. And that's fine. And I can live with that and he can live with that because we respect and care for each other. And it's really just that. Have we talked about it? Yeah. But do we talk about it often? No, because there comes a point where when you don't see eye to eye on something, you just rather talk about something else."

In September 2020, Dolmayan defended his reasons for voicing his political views that are ideologically opposed to those of Tankian, telling the "Deviant Gentlemen" podcast: "SYSTEM OF A DOWN has a legacy of being left-leaning, which isn't always the case. Serj, of course, is responsible for the lyrics, but they didn't always represent the band in the way that we maybe wanted [them] to. There's four individuals in the band. I don't speak for any of the individuals except for myself, and neither does Serj. But because he had that platform of writing lyrics, the perception was out there that that's how the band felt at all times, where I don't even think Serj necessarily felt those ways at all times. You're supposed to have diversity of opinion even within your own mind, and you should judge things based on information that's presented to you.

"If you're a SYSTEM fan and you gravitate towards the music, you enjoy the music, but you don't necessarily agree with the perceived message, well, where do you go?" he continued. "If you think that Serj is the mouthpiece of the band, which he is, as far as vocally, but not necessarily for ideology, then you have nowhere to go. So I wanted to present a different view and to give kids out there who think differently and who are critical thinkers, not necessarily following the norm, that there is a different option, you can think differently, it's okay to have diversity of opinion, as long as it's done peaceably."

Asked if he has been approached by anybody in the music industry and told to tone down his political rhetoric on social media, John said: "No. My manager, he was just, like, 'Look, maybe you guys are going a little too far' — for both Serj and I. And we did have a private text conversation between me, [our manager] and Serj. And again, I think Serj views himself in a way where he's really doing the right thing. And he really does care about people. And he does a lot for individuals and our nation as well. He's really trying to help people, Serj. I believe he's a good person, inherently. But again, it's that moral high ground that they think they're on — that perceived moral high ground. It kind of blinds them to being open about ideas they might be wrong on."


























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