ALL THAT REMAINS frontman Phil Labonte is the latest musician to take issue with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's suggestion that artists need to be more prolific in the streaming age.

For years, Spotify has been criticized for offering paltry payouts to musicians and songwriters, with some claiming that the service gives major-label artists an unfair advantage via playlist placement and other promotional avenues.

In an interview published in July 2020, Ek told Music Ally: "Even today on our marketplace, there's literally millions and millions of artists. What tends to be reported are the people that are unhappy, but we very rarely see anyone who's talking about… In the entire existence [of Spotify], I don't think I've ever seen a single artist saying, 'I'm happy with all the money I'm getting from streaming,' stating that publicly. In private, they have done that many times, but in public, they have no incentive to do it. But unequivocally, from the data, there are more and more artists that are able to live off streaming income in itself.

"There is a narrative fallacy here, combined with the fact that, obviously, some artists that used to do well in the past may not do well in this future landscape, where you can't record music once every three to four years and think that's going to be enough," he continued.

"The artists today that are making it realize that it's about creating a continuous engagement with their fans. It is about putting the work in, about the storytelling around the album, and about keeping a continuous dialogue with your fans.

"I feel, really, that the ones that aren't doing well in streaming are predominantly people who want to release music the way it used to be released," he added.

A number of notable artists have since fired back at Ek over his suggestion that artists need to churn out more content if they want to the same money they used to, with many in the music community — including TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider, former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach, ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and STRYPER's Michael Sweet — saying that's just not how the creative process works.

Labonte offered his take on Ek's comments during a recent appearance on "The Porcupine" podcast. Saying that he is "not a fan of Spotify personally," Phil explained that the streaming giant doesn't pay artists "well" for hosting their music on the platform. "And [Ek] made some snide remark about… He's, like, 'Musicians need to understand, it's not a thing where you put out a record every two years' and blah blah blah," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It's, like, you can be the person that came up with a creative, destructive force, and that's fine, and that's part of a free market and stuff, but when you're a dick about it, you're still a dick. If you're just, like, 'Well, you guys have gotta adapt to the market,' it's, like, look, there are a lot of artists that are in contracts that can't just put out music every couple of days. Thankfully, I'm almost out of my contract — I've got one more record, and we're recouped — so I'm in a uniquely good position; not 'uniquely,' but an exceedingly rare good position. Most artists aren't. So when he is so dismissive of the effect his creation has on the music industry and then to glibly act as if 0.0007 cents for every spin is fair, I don't think that's… At the very least, it's not someone that I wanna hang out with or someone that I wanna speak positively of. Maybe it's not illegal, maybe it's not immoral, but I'm kind of just, 'Well, you're kind of a pile, and I wouldn't wanna be your friend.'"

Earlier this month, Spotify reported a 24% increase in revenue in the quarter to $2.7 billion as total monthly active users jumped 18% to 406 million. The company reported a net loss of $39 million.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's Nikki Sixx has blasted PEARL JAM as "one of the most boring bands in history" after Eddie Vedder revealed that he "despised" the glam-metal scene of the late 1980s.

In an in-depth interview with The New York Times to promote his upcoming solo album, Vedder discussed a variety of topics, including what "ripples" of change he believes the Generation X / alternative rock culture of the early '90s may have been responsible for.

"You know, I used to work in San Diego loading gear at a club," Vedder said. "I'd end up being at shows that I wouldn't have chosen to go to — bands that monopolized late-'80s MTV. The metal bands that — I'm trying to be nice — I despised. 'Girls, Girls, Girls' and MÖTLEY CRÜE: [expletive] you. I hated it. I hated how it made the fellas look. I hated how it made the women look. It felt so vacuous."

The PEARL JAM singer continued: "GUNS N' ROSES came out and, thank God, at least had some teeth. But I'm circling back to say that one thing that I appreciated was that in Seattle and the alternative crowd, the girls could wear their combat boots and sweaters, and their hair looked like Cat Power's and not Heather Locklear's — nothing against her. They weren't selling themselves short. They could have an opinion and be respected. I think that's a change that lasted. It sounds so trite, but before then it was bustiers. The only person who wore a bustier in the '90s that I could appreciate was Perry Farrell."

On Friday (February 4), Sixx took to his Twitter to respond to Vedder's comments, writing: "Made me laugh today reading how much the singer in PEARL JAM hated @MotleyCrue. Now considering that they're one of the most boring bands in history it's kind of a compliment isn't it?"

In response to fans' tweets, Sixx compared Vedder's vocal technique to singing with "marbles in your mouth", and wrote to a PEARL JAM fan who tweeted in defense of Vedder: "Remember there were zillions of brown haired bands for brown haired fans…..Go find them. You will know them by the bored look on their face."

Back in 2019, Sixx spoke to U.K.'s Kerrang! spoke about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting. Asked if it was fair that CRÜE was lumped in with bands such as POISON and WARRANT, Nikki replied: "I have to say that I don't think that NIRVANA and PEARL JAM killed the bands you mention, I think that they killed themselves. They were making copycat music. We, on the other hand, simply imploded."

He continued: "Forget about the lifestyle for a minute — the thing that ultimately allowed us to pull ourselves through was the music that we made, and how good we can be when we really put it together. Every great band has hills and valleys; they start at the bottom and if they're lucky they make it to the top of the mountain. But eventually you have to go down. Very few bands are lucky enough to become popular and stay popular forever. That's just the way music is — it changes, technology changes, fashion changes, and social outlooks change. But again, today a lot of bands are just so fucking safe."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi told Newsday in a 2014 interview that the CRÜE album he sang on was a commercial disappointment because the music scene had changed, with hair metal brushed aside for grunge.

"Everybody was listening to ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN," Corabi said. "At that point, we were considered passé."

According to Corabi, CRÜE's ill-fated 1994 American tour " was a nightmare. We weren't selling tickets. It was just horrible," he said.

After working with Corabi for two years on a follow-up album, "Generation Swine", CRÜE dropped the singer and reunited with Vince Neil.

Despite Neil's return, "Generation Swine" sold poorly when it was released in 1997.

Nikki Sixx photo credit: Jason Shaltz of SiriusXM / Eddie Vedder photo credit: Danny Clinch




Made me laugh today reading how much the singer in Pearl Jam hated @MotleyCrue. Now considering that they’re one of the most boring bands in history it’s kind of a compliment isn’t it?#TheStadiumTour #RocknRoll

— ? (@NikkiSixx) February 5, 2022








Or just sing to the baby with marbles In your mouth…Very zen.

— ? (@NikkiSixx) February 5, 2022








You’ll be fine. Remember there were zillions of brown haired bands for brown haired fans…..Go find them. You will know them by the bored look on their face ?

— ? (@NikkiSixx) February 5, 2022

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian was joined by his 10-year-old son Revel Young Ian on drums as they performed a rendition of the SEPULTURA classic "Terrritory" for an Instagram video which Scott shared earlier today (Tuesday, February 8).

Scott captioned the video: "WAR FOR TERRITORY!!! Garage-jamming this crusher with my hard-hitting man Rev. The whole thing will be up on YouTube soon."

Scott previously shared a video of him and Revel performing another SEPULTURA song, "Roots Bloody Roots".

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

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

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

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
























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EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting says that there are "no words" to describe how much he appreciates the support he has gotten from the heavy metal community during his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach.

The 56-year-old, who underwent a successful total gastrectomy in July 2021, discussed his ordeal in a new interview with Pamela Calderón of Chile's iRock.cl. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm so grateful to the metal community. It's a powerful force to have those vibrations behind you.

"Thanks to science, the medical science, they can't find any cancer in me right now," he continued. "So that's awesome. They did surgery [last] July the 12th, and I'm adjusting to a new lifestyle — a different type of relationship with food. But life is good. I don't have to get any more chemotherapy 'cause they got it all. So that's an awesome thing. They turned a bad situation around for me, so I'm very grateful.

"I don't even know how to thank everybody," Tom added. "There's no words to say how important [everybody's support] is. Fortunately, though, I get to live and say thanks to everybody."

This past December, Hunting told the "Put Up Your Dukes" podcast that he wants to use his experience as a cancer survivor to interact with others who may be going through a similar situation.

"I'm not qualified now, but I think in a couple of more months, they deem me qualified to talk to other people about this disease, and I'm gonna do it," he said. "'Cause I want people to know about it and I want people to get checked. Just going public with it — I don't do social media, but what I read on the EXODUS [sites] was, like, 'Hey, I'm having gut problems too,' and, 'I'm gonna go get checked out now.' I hope people get the answers they're looking for."

"I'm not saying those drugs that they give you for your gut are bad. They get you by. But if you're having what you think is a gut problem, tell 'em you wanna get scoped. 'Cause some of those scans and some of those tests, they won't pick up what's going on inside there.

"Since I'm on this journey, dude, they're fucking scanning me constantly," Tom added. "'Cause they wanna see how I'm reacting to what they're doing too. So it's all part of the science and the evolution of the science. If they can help me live — and I love my life — and I can help them develop the science to help the next batch of people who you know are gonna get this shit, that's a win-win."

Hunting rejoined his EXODUS bandmates on stage in early October at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

EXODUS tapped John Tempesta to play drums for the band at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in August and at Full Terror Assault in Cave In Rock, Illinois in September while Hunting was recovering from surgery. Tempesta was a member of EXODUS from 1989 until 1993 and played on the band's albums "Impact Is Imminent" (1990) and "Force Of Habit" (1992).

A GoFundMe campaign to help Hunting with medical expenses had previously raised more than $114,000 — including $5,000 from Tom's former EXODUS bandmate, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, and $1,500 from FOZZY singer and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

EXODUS released its new album, "Persona Non Grata", on November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

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

AGNOSTIC FRONT vocalist Roger Miret, who revealed last September that his cancer was in remission, offered an update on his health during a new appearance on the "Smokin Word" podcast, hosted by Hoya Roc from MADBALL. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm good now. But I was in a place [early last year] where I just needed to be in my own head — just wrap around everything. Between everything that's going on in life, and then throw this shit at it, I was not in a good place. But, man, I sit back and think about it now, I've been through a lot of shit — I've been through a lot of hard shit — and I'm, like, man, I keep going through all this fucking crazy hard shit, but my head's pretty together. Don't get me wrong — there's a lot of nights you stay up thinking and thinking and thinking and thinking. When you hear 'cancer,' the first thing you think is you're gonna die tomorrow. And you've got kids, and you start thinking and thinking, thinking about, 'Man, somehow, some way I'll pull through.' I figured I've gotta pull through. And that was the same situation back in the late '80s when I got incarcerated. I was, like, you pull through — you hold your head up high and pull through. Even back then, in the late '80s, when I had to go through incarceration, it was good for me to be by myself; I needed to… [This time] I didn't wanna see nobody, I didn't wanna talk to nobody. I did a lot of walks by myself. I did a lot of self-isolation. And when everything got finally put out there, I'm grateful that a lot of people gave me my space. 'Cause I know a lot of people worldwide, and everybody was concerned, everybody's, like, 'What's happening?' And I get it, but I really didn't wanna talk about anything; I just wanted to be in my space. The only person I talked to were doctors — so many fucking doctors; so many fucking injections, surgeries, scans. I've got more poison in my body… I'm actually surprised I'm walking."

Asked when fans can expect to see him back on stage with his AGNOSTIC FRONT bandmates, Roger said: "The truth is I'm still under doctor care, and I go there once a month to this one guy, and every few months another one. I just flew to Seattle — I was just in Seattle on Monday and I had to go see a doctor on Tuesday and came back on Wednesday. Just like that. I went to go see a specialist in Seattle 'cause I can't keep playing these games. 'Cause I've got two other concerns. I'm not completely out of the woods. That was the one that was really bad, but I've got two other concerns. Somebody told me about this doctor up there, so I flew out there… He fitted me in. He scanned everything, and I'll know in two more weeks. So I've gotta get all these clearances, but I'm being optimistic, being positive. I've just gotta figure out how to get moving again. 'Cause when you sing, you sing from your gut. But I keep leaving things scheduled. We were supposed to tour in March. In a way I'm glad we're not now, 'cause that's pretty damn close. But I was leaving things open.

"It's hard," he continued. "When you hit the stage and you're, like, 'I'm gonna take it easy,' that don't happen. You just go crazy. But I've really gotta take it easy 'cause I've either gotta focus on breathing, 'cause I've gotta sing, or just jump around like a jerk and let everybody else sing. I can't do both right now. And I'm still not ready; there's still some nerve damage I'm dealing with. I'm in PT, physical therapy, for one, and the other one, it was attached to a nerve bundle. The first operation, they had to pull my bladder off — everything was pulled away — and the doctor told my wife that it's possible [there would be] some nerve damage 'cause it was attached to a nerve bundle. They thought it was gonna be, like, a two-and-a-half-hour surgery; it was almost six hours, and they had to go really careful around the nerves. There's two issues I'm dealing with, and one of the PTs is working the other one. I don't know yet, but they say, 'Give it some time.'"

Miret went on to say that he is "hoping" he can make AGNOSTIC FRONT's tour dates in May but cautioned that "everything keeps getting pushed."

After Miret was diagnosed with cancer in early 2021, a long road of tests and diagnoses led to a complex initial surgery and lengthy hospital stay. Even though the original surgery was complicated, the results were extremely positive. The cancer was successfully removed and Roger is now in complete remission and all signs of cancer have disappeared.

In early October, Roger said that he underwent another surgery after "running a fever for two weeks straight" and developing "an infection."

A GoFundMe page has been launched where fans can donate to help Roger pay medical care costs.

Born in Cuba, Miret fled with his family to the U.S. to escape the Castro regime. He joined AGNOSTIC FRONT in 1983, and the seminal New York harcore group released classics like "United Blood", "Victim In Pain" and "Cause For Alarm" over the next several years.

In 2017, Miret released a memoir, "My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts, And Glory", which documented his struggles to adapt to life in the U.S. after his family fled the Castro regime. According to the Phoenix New Times, the book delved into many facets of Miret's life: the grinding poverty of his childhood; living as a teenager squatter; becoming deeply enmeshed in downtown New York’s hardcore scene; and later turning to drug-running to support his family.

In addition to fronting AGNOSTIC FRONT, Miret has also played with ROGER MIRET AND THE DISASTERS and is a member of THE ALLIGATORS.

For the past several years, Roger has resided in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Professionally filmed video of METALLICA performing the song "Dirty Window" on December 19, 2021 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California can be seen below. The show was the second of METALLICA's two 40th-anniversary concerts which featured different setlists. They were part of METALLICA's "San Francisco Takeover", a four-day citywide celebration of the band's 40th anniversary that also included a film festival, photo exhibit and curated lineup of smaller venue shows featuring other acts.

The 40th-anniversary shows marked METALLICA's return to Chase Center for the first time since the September 2019 "S&M²" concerts that also served as the venue's grand opening. Those two shows grossed more than $4.1 million over the course of its two nights, according to reports submitted to Pollstar's Boxoffice, and the band ranked at No. 4 on Pollstar's worldwide touring chart that same year with a global gross of $175 million.

Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 2.5 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album), "Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", released in November 2016 and charting at No. 1 in 32 countries.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden's Polar Music Prize.

On December 16, San Francisco mayor London Breed presented Ulrich and bassist Robert Trujillo with a special declaration marking the day as "Metallica Day" in the city.

"When you talk about San Francisco," Breed said at the news conference, "you talk about cable cars and then you talk about METALLICA."

EVANESCENCE and WITHIN TEMPTATION's "Worlds Collide" European tour has once again been postponed. The trek, which was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to March/April 2022, will now kick off in the fall.

EVANESCENCE said in a statement: "As the world is slowly reopening again, we felt very optimistic about the tour actually taking place in March and April. However - in a lot of countries there currently still are restrictions and we are forced to make a decision right now for logistical reasons.

"We are aware that many fans are preparing to make their plans to attend the shows, some of which involve travel and given the uncertainty as to exactly when certain countries will lift their restrictions, we are left with no choice but to reschedule the tour, hopefully for the final time. We expect to be able to announce the new dates in the next few days, which we anticipate will be in November and early December of this year.

"All tickets, including meet & greet packages and VIP upgrades will remain valid.

"We know you understand that many things are still outside of our control but we are very optimistic that we WILL be performing these shows and we kindly ask that you bear with us one more time while we arrange the tour so it can actually happen.

"Stay tuned for the new dates in the next few days. We miss and love you, and we will definitely see again. Stay safe."

EVANESCENCE's latest album, "The Bitter Truth", charted at No. 4 in the U.K., making it the band's fourth Top Five album in the country. EVANESCENCE's first full-length release of all-new material in a decade, "The Bitter Truth" also debuted as the top-selling rock and alternative album in the U.S., according to Nielsen Music Connect.

Shortly after its arrival in March 2021, "The Bitter Truth" rose to the top of the iTunes album charts in 22 countries. Recorded during the pandemic, it confronts the dark realities of the world head-on. Yet its resounding message is one of light, and that pushing through is better than giving up.

A kiss-off to the naysayers and the cheats in the rearview mirror, "Better Without You" explodes with the "metal catharsis" that runs through 'The Bitter Truth'" (Los Angeles Times). The official music video for the track was directed by filmmaker Eric D. Howell ("Ana's Playground", "Voice From The Stone"), who also directed the video for EVANESCENCE's "Use My Voice".

EVANESCENCE's new music was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who also worked on 2011's self-titled LP.

Despite not being able to tour, WITHIN TEMPTATION is still moving full speed ahead, having released three singles during the pandemic: "Entertain You", "The Purge" and "Shed My Skin", the latter of which is a collaboration with the German metalcore band ANNISOKAY.

The "Shed My Skin" music video received its official premiere one day prior to WITHIN TEMPTATION's digital show "The Aftermath - A Show In A Virtual Reality", which was held last July.


As the world is slowly reopening again, we felt very optimistic about the tour actually taking place in March and April....

Posted by Evanescence on Friday, February 11, 2022

STÖNER, the supergroup formed by desert rock godfathers and long-time compadres Brant Bjork (founding member of KYUSS, also former member of FU MANCHU), Nick Oliveri (MONDO GENERATOR, former member of KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) and Ryan Güt, will release its sophomore album, "Totally...", on May 6 via Heavy Psych Sounds. The LP's first single, "A Million Beers", can be streamed below.

"Totally..." was once again recorded in Joshua Tree, California by Yosef Sanborn and features guest appearances by Greg Hetson (CIRCLE JERKS) and Mario Lalli (YAWNING MAN) on guitar.

Track listing:

01. Party March

02. A Million Beers

03. Strawberry Creek (Dirty Feet)

04. Spacedude & The Burn

05. Stöner Theme

06. Turn It Around Now

07. Driving Miss Lazy

08. Great American Sage

STÖNER's debut album, "Stoners Rule", came out in June 2021 via Heavy Psych Sounds.

Brant told Outlaws Of The Sun about how STÖNER came together: "Nick called me up and wanted to jam. So we got together and we were having a blast and this felt right. It was cool all of us playing together. It felt like we were kids starting out again just playing for the fun of it without any outside pressure.

"We all put our musical influences into this via original jam sessions," he added. "This feels like a mixture of punk rock, metal, blues rock and hard rock. Some stuff we're already known for and some stuff that will surprise and hopefully entertain people."

Brant went on to call STÖNER "a full-time thing. We've got long-term plans for STÖNER and the music that we create."

According to Bjork, "it's been nothing but fun playing with Nick and my drummer Ryan Güt. I wanted to do something different and STÖNER allowed me the opportunity to do this," he said. "This project feels right for me especially during the pandemic. It feels good vibing new ideas off Nick, who is one of my closest friends."

While promoting his critically acclaimed Las Vegas Strip residency "Sammy Hagar & Friends", Sammy Hagar spoke to Fox5 KVVU-TV about the inspiration for his classic song "I Can't Drive 55". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Listen, it's stood the test of time. It's been around long enough where it came back around to have a whole new meaning — like all great songs do. [Laughs]

"Originally it was a protest song about that I didn't wanna go — when they lowered the speed limit — and now it's a protest song that I can't get where I'm going; I'm always late," he explained.

"I Can't Drive 55" was the lead single and first track from Hagar's eighth studio album, "VOA", which came out in 1984.

Sammy wrote the song in response to receiving a speeding ticket in New York State for driving 62 miles per hour on a road with a 55 miles-per-hour speed limit, which was the highest permissible speed limit in the United States at the time due to the National Maximum Speed Law enacted in 1974.

In a 1994 interview on the show "In The Studio", Hagar said about how he wrote "I Can't Drive 55": "I was in a rent-a-car that wouldn't go much faster than 55 miles an hour. I was on my way back from Africa. I did a safari for three months throughout Africa. A really great vacation after [1982's] 'Three Lock Box'. I was traveling for 24 hours, I got to New York City, changed planes, Albany, New York. Got in a rent-a-car. Had a place in Lake Placid at the time, a little log cabin. I used to go there and write with my little boy. Aaron, at that time, went to North Country school when I was on tour. I would go there and see him. It was a really cool getaway. But it took two and a half hours to drive there from Albany. And I was driving from Albany, New York at 2:00 in the morning, burnt from all the travel. Cop stopped me for doing 62 on a four-lane road when there was no one else in sight. Then the guy gave me a ticket. I was doing 62. And he said, 'We give tickets around here for over 60.' And I said, 'I can't drive 55.' I grabbed a paper and a pen, and I swear the guy was writing the ticket and I was writing the lyrics. I got to Lake Placid, I had a guitar set-up there. And I wrote that song there on the spot."

The "I Can't Drive 55" music video was directed by Gil Bettman and was shot on location at the Saugus Speedway in Santa Clarita, California.

In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Metal Global, legendary guitarist Steve Vai spoke about the experience of reading reviews of his own work and how it affects — or doesn't affect — the way he approaches making music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've read a lot of reviews in the past. I've been doing press for 41 years, so I've read just about everything that could be written about. I don't even read my interviews now.

"What I've noticed in my career is that a good critic, a good music writer is a person that really enjoys music and also — and I know some people like this — when they listen to music, they're not criticizing it; they're critiquing it in line with their understanding of the artist, their understanding of the artist's career, their knowledge of when the artist has hit his sweet spots, when he's made his misses and what his potential is and what his focus was — him or her; whenever I say 'he,' it's always him or her — what the artist's focus was and what their potential was," he explained. "So a good critic will listen and keep all those things in mind and give a review based on — not their opinion. On their critique of that artist, it always helps if they like the artist. The critique of the artist's product based on where they're coming from and where they're trying to go. And I've found great guidance in certain reviews by certain critics of my work, because they know what I do, they know when I hit the mark, they know when I'm falling short and they listen to a new piece of work and I'm interested in what they have to say because they're right on usually; they can catch things that I kind of miss. Not that I think they may be correct or not, but a good critic can make an artist think, 'Hmm, okay. That makes sense.' And a bad critic just strings together adjectives to profess their own sense of false superiority by dismantling somebody else's career. So I avoid that. And you can recognize that when you read a critic that is really not a happy person."

A little over a year ago, Vai underwent shoulder surgery to repair an injury. That procedure was successful, enabling him to record his new album, "Inviolate". However, in preparing for a U.S. tour in support of the LP, it became clear that a new injury emerged that requires another surgery prohibiting the tour to be staged as previously announced.

The first U.S. leg of Vai's tour dates will now begin on September 28 in El Cajon, California and wrap the first week of December. The itinerary will now feature performances in 52 markets as opposed to the initial plan of staging 54 shows. All ticket and VIP purchases will be honored for the rescheduled date. Vai's performance in Atlanta, Georgia will now take place at the Variety Playhouse instead of The Eastern and due to scheduling conflicts, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Billings, Montana shows will no longer be a part of the tour.

Last February, Vai revealed that he had undergone shoulder and trigger finger surgeries, explaining that his shoulder had been "screwed up."

During an appearance on Tyler Larson's "Guitar Villains" podcast, Vai said that he sustained the finger injury by holding a tough chord for too long.

"Inviolate" was released on January 28 digitally and on CD via Favored Nations / Mascot Label Group.

Check out Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators rocking the SiriusXM Garage in Los Angeles with a riveting performance of the Elton John classic "Rocket Man", exclusively for The Howard Stern Show.





SMKC also knocked out "The River Is Rising", the first single from their new album, 4.







Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators have just kicked off their US tour in support of their new album, 4. Remaining dates on The River Is Rising Tour are listed in the official poster below. Get your tickets now at this location.





On Friday, February 11 at 11 AM, PT / 2 PM, ET, Gibson will celebrate the release of 4 by hosting Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators: Live At Studios 60 - a special, exclusive livestream performance of the album in its entirety, available only on Facebook and YouTube.


Watch a new video trailer below:





4 is Slash’s fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (Vocals), Brent Fitz (Drums), Todd Kerns (Bass & Vocals) And Frank Sidoris (Guitar & Vocals).


A vibrant rock album fueled by memorable guitar hooks and compelling melodies, big choruses, and even bigger riffs; 4 builds on the legacy of Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators’ prior work. That sensibility comes through immediately on the opening track and first single, “The River Is Rising”. The group has unleashed “The River Is Rising” to radio. Watch the official video for “The River Is Rising”, shot on location in downtown Los Angeles with Gibson TV director Todd Harapiak, below.


Slash describes the creation of the song “The River Is Rising": “There’s two or three songs on the record that were written during the pandemic; everything else was written before. ‘The River Is Rising’ was one of the last songs I wrote before we started pre-production, and because it was so fresh and has a certain groove and energy to it, it was the first thing we really attacked. It’s the newest song on the record, and as for the double-time part, that was something that I came up with and tagged onto the end of the arrangement. Then when we were over at RCA, Dave Cobb suggested we do it right after the breakdown. So, we went straight into the fast part, and I just started doing the guitar solo over it. It was one of those things where we were jamming around, trying to fish out the arrangement, and it just happened.” While Myles Kennedy adds, “The lyric ultimately explores how humans can be brainwashed or indoctrinated by some sort of dangerous idea. Once we shot the demo back and forth a few times, I personally felt confident that we had the album opener. To me, it’s an important track.”


For 4, Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, TN, and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile), revealing a stunning new sound and style all captured live in the studio. Cobb shared the band’s desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals - a first for the group. The band’s previous albums over the last decade Apocalyptic Love, World on Fire, and Living The Dream have continued on an upward trajectory, all achieving Top 5 Billboard charting debuts in the U.S. and reaching the Top 10 on 12 major charts across the globe. To date, the three SMKC albums have now garnered 10 consecutive Top 5 Radio singles, spawned sold-out world tours, and have earned Slash and the band the best critical acclaim of their career.





The band has launched a DSP and physical pre-order in the following formats for 4, including a Deluxe Vinyl Box Set featuring a vinyl gatefold jacket in four colors (Black, Red, Blue, and Purple), randomly distributed inside a mirrored O-card. Each vinyl is 140g black vinyl and comes with a guitar pick, an Axe Heaven Custom Limited Edition 4 Slash Les Paul Mini-Guitar, CD softpack in one of the four colors above (also random), the O-card and a guitar pick, a Cassette Tape featuring an exclusive 4-song live rehearsal titled “Live Rehearsal Tape 5/28/21,” a 36-page photobook including an SMKC interview and handwritten lyrics, an embroidered sew-on patch, a Signed Lithograph (limited to the first 500 copies) and a pick tin with 4 custom Slash guitar picks. A Deluxe CD Box Set, a full album Cassette Tape, and Standard Vinyl and CD packages are also available. To view the full variety of 4 album packages available, go to Slashonline.com.





Tracklisting:


"The River Is Rising"
"Whatever Gets You By"
"C'est la Vie"
"The Path Less Followed"
"Actions Speak Louder Than Words"
"Spirit Love"
"Fill My World"
"April Fool"
"Call Off The Dogs"
"Fall Back To Earth"


"Call Off The Dogs":





"Fill My World":





"The River Is Rising" lyric video:





"The River Is Rising" official video:





The new album 4 has the added history-making distinction of being the first-ever album to be released on the new Gibson Records label, which is headquartered in the iconic American instrument brand Gibson’s hometown of Music City, Nashville, TN. In light of the 30-year partnership between Gibson and the Grammy Award-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Slash, it makes sense the new Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators’ album 4 will be released via Gibson Records - in partnership with BMG.


In another groundbreaking move, Gibson will commemorate Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators’ first studio album with Gibson Records, with a first-ever limited edition Slash Les Paul Standard 4 Album Edition guitar package that will be released on February 11, the same day as the album release. Only 250 Slash Les Paul Standard 4 Album Edition guitars will be made available for global release on Gibson.com and at select authorized Gibson dealers, and the unique guitar package also features the new SMKC album 4 on vinyl with an exclusive case inside that houses the vinyl, a 4 album guitar pick tin containing a variety of pick colors (8-count), a signed SMKC band portrait, and a 4 album decal sticker.






 

“Vicky's Eyes" (2022 Version) is the new video and single by Lars Eric Mattsson.





Taken from the album The Outsider which is out now and features ten different singers, 19 Tracks, 81 Minutes The guest singers: Elisa Pezzuto, Daphne Nisi, Johanna Mattsson, Göran Edman, Markku Kuikka, Conny Lind, Walle Wahlsten, Adrienn Antal, Niko Mattila. Lars is also handing vocals on some songs as well as providing backing vocals to most tracks.




This (double) album is made out of 19 tracks (almost 81 minutes!) of classic melodic hard rock with a progressive touch including a few ballads and three instrumentals. Lars says it’s his most well crafted and probably also most accessible work to date and that no song could be left out as that would make the picture of where he is at this moment in life incomplete. “It was a huge joy to work with these excellent singers and I tried to give everyone material that would be perfect for each individual”. 


Production and recording credits:


Lars Eric Mattsson - Guitars, bass, keyboards and vocals


Lead vocals:
Göran Edman (“Now and Forever”)
Conny Lind (“Gold Digger”)
Adrienn Antal (“Raise My Sword”)
Daphne Nisi (“Where Are We Going?”)
Markku Kuikka (“Stare into the Abyss”)
Niko Mattila (“The Road I've Chosen”)
Johanna Mattsson (“Keep This Flame Alive”)
Walle Wahlsten (“Into the Battle”)
Elisa Pezzuti (“Sometimes I Wonder”)
Lars Eric Mattsson
(“The Sun Coming Down”, “It's Too Late”, “Who Are We Foolin'”, “I've Got the Funk”, “We All Bleed for Love (Vikings)”, “Broken Heart Blues”, “Vicky's Eyes”)


"Raise My Sword":

Wisconsin-based heavy metal outfit Lords Of The Trident have released the second single from their upcoming studio album, The Offering. The new track, "Charlatan", is out today - along with a thrilling new music video. Fans who are already members of the band's Patreon received a week's worth of early access to both the song + video ahead of the public release.


Talking about their new single "Charlatan", Lords of the Trident comment:


"Anyone who's seen a live Lords Of The Trident show knows that we're no stranger to pyrotechnics. This video was shot in complete darkness, with the only source of light coming from the burning cannon fuse! The plant in China that makes this specific type of fuse burned down in 2019, so we only have enough fuse for one take each. ...it took us a few takes (and a lot of coughing) to realize we should've probably opened a window during filming."




The full album (The Offering) is available right now for members of the Lords Of The Trident Patreon who pledge $5 or more. This pledge not only gets you an immediate copy of the new album, but also their three previous albums (Shadows From The Past, Pull The Plug, and Power Outage) as well as 20+ internet-exclusive singles, 25+ full-concert bootlegs, and a mountain of exclusive content for Patreon backers only. The full album will not be released publicly until April, so being a backer is the only way to hear it before it releases. 100% of the money pledged goes directly to the band and helps them play more shows, make more content, and survive the evils of the music industry.


More info here.


The Offering is the fifth full-length album by Lords Of The Trident (and their 10th release overall). This medieval concept album weaves a tragic story of a young boy sold into servitude, his arduous training to become a "Guardian", and the city that betrays him. Mixed and mastered by Grammy-nominated Jacob Hansen (engineer for Avantasia, Unleash the Archers, Volbeat, Amaranthe, and more), this is one of the best-sounding epics you'll hear. Filled with blazing solos, soaring vocals, complex drumming, and multi-layer musical composition, The Offering will take you on a heroic and tragic musical journey that will stay in your mind long after the album has finished.





The Offering tracklisting:


"Legend"
"Acolyte"
"Charlatan"
"Feed The Wolves"
"Carry the Weight"
"Offering To The Void"
"Champion"
"The Invitation"
"Dance Of Control"
"These Tower Walls"
"Power Of Evil"
"The Blade"
"Heart Of Ashes"


"Charlatan" video:





"Power Of Evil" video:

Knucklebonz has announced KISS Dynasty Rock Iconz statues are now available. The statues are taken from the costumes worn during KISS’ Dynasty period in 1979.





A description reads:




“Only 3000 sets are created. These KISS Dynasty era statues are now available for preorder. Ships estimated Late spring/ summer 2022. Exact date TBD.


“These exclusive KISS statues are hand-painted and numbered and come with a certificate of authenticity printed on the base of each collectible statue.


“These are officially licensed products. The KISS statues are created using a team of highly skilled artists. Each statue is sculpted and cast in poly-resin and then hand-painted in fine detail. These limited-edition statues created by KnuckleBonz are highly collectible.”


Find preorders at knucklebonz.com.