Dutch rockers Wasteland Viper have signed a licensing deal with Wormholedeath for their album Dead Men Tell No Tales, which is due for release on April 1st, 2022 via Wormholedeath worldwide.


Speaking of the upcoming release and the signing, the band explain, "We are very proud to announce that we’ve signed a record deal with Wormholedeath, an international acclaimed record label! We are also very thrilled to announce the worldwide release of our debut studio album, Dead Men Tell No Tales digitally on April 1st and the CD Jewelcase on May 27th. It was recorded and produced in Enschede (Netherlands) by Tom Meier. The very first single / video ‘Too Blind To See’ will be released on March 15th. Stay tuned!"


Wasteland Viper is a four-piece hard rock group from the Netherlands, formed in 2016. The band combines a punk / hardcore vibe with clean vocal melodies in a unique way. They really deliver a solid and original debut album with quite a lot of variation, melody and power. The influences are there, but each of the bandmembers really adds their own fingerprint to the overall sound. Songs like "Live By The Day", "Too Blind To See" and "Overdrive’"are perfect examples of this. The lyrics are about different subjects with one overall theme; Respect the little things in life and finding out who you are.




"We went to Tom Meier Studio Recordings for the recording and production of Dead Men Tell No Tales because we’ve succesfully worked on our EP Unleash The Beast before. Tom really pushed us to get the best performance possible and his liveroom has fantastic acoustics that are perfect for recording rock ‘n roll."





Tracklisting:


"Overdrive" 
"Black Snow"
"Dead Men Tell No Tales"
"Different World"
"Feeding The Madness"
"Too Blind To See"
"Nineteen-Fourteen"
"Live By The Day"
"Welcome To The Bar"
"Steed Of Steel"


Teaser video:





 

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's new album is "90 percent done" after the band was able to get a 78-piece orchestra to record its parts for the follow-up to 2016's "The Stage".

Earlier today, AVENGED singer M. Shadows shared new photos of the orchestra in the studio along with him and guitarist Synyster Gates giving their "thumbs up" to what they were hearing. "Twas worth the wait," the singer tweeted.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD drummer Brooks Wackerman also offered an update on the recording process, writing on Instagram: "Well… this happened on Tuesday. We – AVENGED SEVENFOLD – started writing this record 4 years ago and I can’t believe we are 90% done… One of the perks – in the creative process – is that we are able to track a 78-piece orchestra on our records. The fact that we are able to bring incredible musicians together to enhance our art still gives me chills…

"I can't wait for the the world to hear this… all I can say it's unlike anything we've ever released.. ALRIGHT and good night!"

Last month, M. Shadows confirmed to Metal Hammer that the band would complete the recording of its eighth studio album this month. "The record's been recorded for a year, but we haven't been able to put the real strings on it, because we couldn't fly out to Prague," he said. "When an orchestra have to social distance and they aren't sitting next to each other, they can get out of tune, and we have just finally got to a place where we can use this 70-piece orchestra as we intended. We finish the record in February, mix it in March."

Regarding the musical direction of the follow-up to "The Stage", M. Shadows said: "There are so many influences… We're very influenced by Kanye West. The thing about Kanye is that he is pulling from such great soul music. I didn't grow up with that stuff — my dad listened to BOSTON and Alice Cooper [and] I didn't get that taste of black music and old soul. So, diving deep into jazz musicians… We're not trying to do a jazz record, but the chord changes and progressions are so eye-opening to us."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD kept a low profile during 2019. A blood blister on M. Shadows's vocal cords forced the band to cancel a summer 2018 tour with PROPHETS OF RAGE and THREE DAYS GRACE.

"The Stage" was surprise-released in October 2016. The release of the disc, which was announced the night it went on sale, earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in 11 years. It sold 76 thousand copies in its first week, 73 thousand of which were physical.

"The Stage", AVENGED's debut for Capitol, sold less than half as many copies in its first week as the group's two previous efforts, 2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King".




Twas worth the wait. ?@RAFACORE pic.twitter.com/AEJA2uN9tS

— M. Shadows (@shadows_eth) February 10, 2022




























View this post on Instagram









































A post shared by Brooks Wackerman (@thebrookswackerman)

Dutch/Norwegian rockers THE GATHERING will release their first studio album in almost a decade, "Beautiful Distortion", in April via Psychonaut Records. Produced by Attie Bauw, who previously worked on 2006's "Home" and 1998's "How To Measure A Planet?", the band's 11th studio LP will contain eight songs with a running time of nearly 50 minutes.

The official music video for the album's second single, "We Rise", can be seen below.

THE GATHERING comments: "'Beautiful Distortion' is a typical eclectic THE GATHERING album, although it may be our most dynamic and melodic album to date. THE GATHERING's signature atmospheric and electronic rock sound is topped with the warm Nordic vocal lines by Silje Wergeland."

Wergeland adds: "We wanted the artwork and title to reflect the times we have been in lately. Both with the pandemic, trying to be creative in isolation, all our everyday struggles, in private life, in relationships, and all that comes in life and with not being able to meet face to face. It symbolizes communication, or the lack of it, the interaction that has been out of balance. But at the same time, all the beauty that can come out of this distortion, such as new music, ideas and perspectives. It has been a long way, but we are so pleased and excited to soon reveal what we have been working on so hard for the past years."

The first single from "Beautiful Distortion", a song called "In Colour", was made available last October.

In February 2021, THE GATHERING drummer Hans Rutten told Portugal's Underground's Voice that he and his bandmates don't see 2013's "Afterwords" as the group's latest studio album. "We all see 'Disclosure' [2012] as our last studio album, and 'Afterwords' was more or less a 'Disclosure' after-party," he said. "Frank [Boeijen, keyboards] and René [Rutten, guitar] really wanted to do some extra things — to make remixes. We had some sounds going on and some ideas, so we devoped into a sort of — it's a mini album, maybe, but it's a long album. But that said, we don't see it as a full-length album of THE GATHERING, more as sort of an EP kind of thing."

Released in September 2013, "Afterwords" contained three songs that originally appeared on the "Afterlights" EP in 2012, two "Disclosure" remakes, three brand new THE GATHERING tracks and a cover version of a song called "Areas".

"Disclosure" arrived in September 2012 via THE GATHERING's own Psychonaut Records.

Silent Skies, the cinematic ambient project of Evergrey’s Tom S. Englund and classically trained pianist and composer Vikram Shankar (Redemption), have finally unveiled their second studio album and label debut, Nectar, via Napalm Records. A full album stream can be found below.


This spectacular full-length soaked in a melancholic atmosphere showcases the touching intensity of Silent Skies’ musical expression without holding anything back. Infinite, heartfelt Nectar enchants with sounds like pure poetry lifting off the page and wrapping around its listener with a gentle glow as it combines the reminiscence of the likes of producers and composers such as Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm and Ludovico Einaudi, and bands ranging from Sigur Rós to Anathema. The balance between haunting instrumentals and vocal intensity that complement each other in perfect harmony walks a delicate line where listeners are treated to the best of both worlds.


In 2017, the paths of Swedish progressive band Evergrey's vocalist Tom S. Englund and multi-instrumentalist Vikram Shankar crossed fatefully. Both artists set themselves free from limitations to captivate their listener with Nectar - a soulful ten-track offering, produced by Englund and Shankar themselves and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios.




Silent Skies on the new album: “We are tremendously proud to announce our second record, Nectar, is out now! Nectar represents an expansion and an elevation of all things that make us who we are; simultaneously grander and more intimate, more futuristic yet more organic and thoughtful. This record represents who we are, and it means so much to both of us, that we cannot wait to hear your feedback on it.”


With Gothenburg’s Evergrey known as one of the most prolific bands in progressive metal, Englund is by far no stranger to the scene. After partnering with North Carolina, USA-based piano player Vikram Shankar – who had already worked with greats like Anneke van Giersbergen – this fateful encounter, now known as Silent Skies, set its first milestone with the release of their spine-tingling debut Satellites back in 2020. Two years later, this fruitful collaboration returns with Nectar, marking the sequel of something that’s far more than just a side project of Englund’s. Rather, it’s the brainchild of two highly talented individual artists with deep knowledge and many years of experience, whose creativity and spirit culminates in an exceptional form of musical expression. Shankar’s sensitive yet intense piano tunes merge with the poignant vocal interpretation of Tom S. Englund to take the listener on a touching, melancholic ride that wanders through the darkest facets of life, while always leaving a spark of hope to hold on to. This otherworldly sonic collaboration is graced by the outstanding contributions of Leprous' cello player Raphael Weinroth-Browne, who appears on nearly every track of the album to spice up the stirring sound even more.


Silent Skies’ sophomore full-length sets off with the soulful, ethereal “Fallen From Heart”, immediately creating a tapestry of sound to get lost in. Tracks like delicate “Taper” and shimmering “Neverending” are dominated by the yearning vocals of Englund, but never fail to give Shankar’s instrumental virtuosity the well-deserved space to shine bright like the first sunray welcoming the day. Beautifully honest “Let It Hurt” addicts with its remarkable chorus hitting on point, blending cinematic strings and piano with hooky modern vocals. Darker realms lure with heart-breaking “Leaving”, combining gloomy ambient and infectious pop influences, and dramatically accented, heart-beating “Cold”, with its lingering electronic elements that build a tangible, gripping maelstrom of emotions. Instrumental title track “Nectar” closes this new chapter of Silent Skies but leaves its audience with a long-lasting impact and the key to a door that’s worth entering over and over again.





Nectar is available in the following formats:


- 6p Digisleeve
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- Digital Album


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"Fallen From Heart"
"Taper"
"Neverending"
"Let It Hurt"
"The One"
"Leaving"
"Cold"
"Better Days"
"Closer"
"Nectar"


Album stream:





“Let It Hurt” video:





"Leaving" video:





"Taper" video:





(Photo - Patric Ullaeus)

Mass Worship has released a visualizer video for “Empyrean Halls”. The track is off the band’s latest full-length album, Portal Tombs, which came out this past Friday.


“The human existence is but a blink of an eye to the universe. We came from nothing, to nothing we will return -- and the passage of time will deem us irrelevant”, states Mass Worship about “Empyrean Halls” that is also the concept of Portal Tombs in a nutshell.







Portal Tombs is a terrifying but electrifying exploration of the gloomy depths of human nature: a monolithic manifestation of the musical force that is Mass Worship. The album features guest appearances by Jonas Stålhammar of At The Gates, Mark ‘Barney’ Greenway of Napalm Death, and Jonas Renkse of Katatonia/Bloodbath.


“It’s pretty mind-blowing to have members of such inspirational pioneers on our own album”, says the band.


Drawing inspiration from bands such as At The Gates, Mastodon and Meshuggah, Mass Worship could be likened to many bands, but somehow forge their musical identity into something exceptionally distinctive and transcendent, and with enough confidence and conviction to win over even the most orthodox fans of the genre.


Order your copy of Portal Tombs at this location.





"Specular Void"
"Portal Tombs"
"Revel In Fear"
"Orcus Mouth"
"Unholy Mass"
"Dunes Of Bone"
"Scorched Earth"
"Empyrean Halls"
"Deliverence"


“Orcus Mouth” video:





"Portal Tombs"  guitar playthrough video:

Distortion Music Group, the new boutique metal label led by Maurizio Iacono (Kataklysm, Hard Impact Management) has signed up and coming surf ’n' slam death metal warriors, Stillbirth.


Speaking about signing with Distortion Music Group, the members of Stillbirth say: "The time has come to surf further and explore a new wave and in new territories. We are very happy that Maurizio and his team from Distortion Music Group will also get on board with us and ride the new waves together.


"After many years of working with Unique Leader Records, it's time for a change and we think Distortion Music Group will help us to master this change successfully. We are convinced of DMG's boutique concept and years of experience in the death metal universe will bring great results.




"For us, the independence of the creation of our art has always been in the foreground and with DMG we get a partner who supports this way of working and gives us the freedom to explore our art and music on our terms.


"The first new album under Distortion Music Group will be released in 2023 and we are already working on the new tunes and grooves. We are looking forward to the partnership with Maurizio and Distortion Music Group and to the organic growth together.”


Addressing the signing of Stillbirth, Distortion Music Group CEO Maurizio Iacono shares: “The buzz Stillbirth have been creating has resonated worldwide, these death metal surf maniacs deserve to be heard further and with conviction, together with our artist first mentality, we are excited to unleash the next chapter of Stillbirth’s creations, We look forward to their next album coming out in 2023!!"





Lineup:


Lucas Swiaczny - Vocals
Leonard Willi - Guitar
Jens Strack - Guitar
Martin Grupe - Drums
Lukas Kaminski - Bass

To celebrate five years since their biggest headline show to date, on February 4, 2017, Epica have released this high quality live video for "Beyond The Matrix, from Zénith Paris.





Watch "The Holographic Principle" and "Consign To Oblivion" from the same show:

2022 landmarks 30 years since the release of the Asia album, Aqua, on which John Payne was the band's lead vocalist.


The following 15 years featured seven more stunning Asia studio albums, Aria, Arena, Anthology, Aura, Archiva 1&2 and Silent Nation. This year also celebrates 40 years since the 1982 release of the first Asia album (Downes, Howe, Wetton, Palmer) that features the hits, “Heat Of The Moment” and “Only Time Will Tell.”


This tour will showcase the music of both Asia’s 1982 release and Asia’s 1992 release, Aqua.




The 90-minute show focuses on those two albums and a setlist that includes, “Who Will Stop the Rain,” “Someday,” “Heat Of The Moment,” “Only Time Will Tell,” “Back in Town,” “Lay Down Your Arms,” “Sole Survivor,” “Time Again,” “Love Under Fire,” “Heaven On Earth,” “Wildest Dreams,” “Here Comes The Feeling” and more.


Vocalist John Payne remarked: “This is going to be very nostalgic for me, I haven’t played some of these songs in 30 years and I’m extremely excited to do this tour with our band. We want the shows to sound as close to the original recordings as possible.”


Manager Lee Evans said: “The band is really on form and John’s vocals are as powerful as ever, It’s gonna be a knock-out show!”


The tour is being booked by their agent Rick Shoor in the US. Further details to follow.

British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley, who fronted IRON MAIDEN more than 20 years ago, spoke to Metal Pilgrim 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. Addressing the cyclical nature of trends, he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For a few of is, metal never went away. And we didn't want grunge. I think largely the journalists said [about grunge], 'This is the next big thing.'

"When I was in WOLFSBANE, we are happy-go-lucky guys, trying to be positive and enjoying life. Grunge comes, they're all looking at their shoes, they're miserable, they're suicidal — the opposite of WOLFSBANE, and the opposite of a lot of bands at the time.

"The people that really loved this music carried on," he continued. "There's something about it. And grunge had its place, but it didn't last — those bands didn't really last. I think it's a difference in values.

"Metal isn't really getting bigger. It's just slowly going out and we refuse to let metal go. And when you see metal live and you see a band that believes and plays well, it's irresistible. It is the devil's music — we know that because it's completely irresistible and you'll do anything to hear more of it.

"Metal is something that grips you in a certain way," Blaze added. "It transcends fashion. If things go in circles… Well, I've been unpopular and unfashionable for most of the 35 years that I've been going, but I'm still going. So I'm trying not to be popular and not to be fashionable, and then my music, my brand of metal will just keep going. And every so often, every 10 years, there'll be a little bump where people go, 'Oh, Blaze Bayley,' and then then I'll just be where I was before.

"The most important thing, man, is that it comes from the heart. There's something about metal that absorbs me, transforms me [and] takes me out of the normal world and away from everyday problems.

"When it's great, to me, when it's done well by masters, then metal is absolutely the best music. When it's done badly by people who just take every cliché and don't do anything original, it's the worst music. And this is the curse that we have in heavy metal — it can be the best and it can be the worst, and sometimes it can be on the same album."

The 58-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, recorded two studio albums with IRON MAIDEN — the aforementioned "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI" — before Bruce Dickinson returned to the group. The MAIDEN albums he appeared on sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012's "Wolfsbane Saves The World", the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group's self-titled 1994 effort.

Blaze's latest solo album, "War Within Me", came out in April 2021. All songs were written and produced by Blaze and guitarist Christopher Appleton.

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The Boo Crew" podcast, KORN frontman Jonathan Davis discussed the band's constantly evolving sound. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it has to do with the chemistry between each of us in the band. I think the biggest thing and the most important thing is that we all get along so well. I've been around so many big bands that hate each other, to the point where they can't even be in the same room [and] they have to be on different sides of the stage. They only see each other on stage and then they go [their own] way. Which is fine, but when you're trying to create and do something, you can't have that bullshit going on, when you're trying to write and do something.

"[In KORN], everybody respects everybody," he continued. "If someone has an idea and we wanna do it, we always try it. And we're really democratic bandmembers — everyone's equal [and] everyone has their equal share.

"We've just been lucky," Davis added. "I don't know. We get in a room and we start making this music and it just comes from somewhere else. It's not like we physically sit there or mentally go 'we're gonna do this' and 'we're gonna go in this direction' and 'we're gonna do that.' We get together and we make this music and it comes out different every time. It's really special. And I really enjoy being in this band."

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

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

Canadian hardcore punk heavyweights, Cancer Bats, will release their new album, Psychic Jailbreak, on April 15 through their own label, Bat Skull Records in partnership with New Damage Records in Canada.


Psychic Jailbreak is Cancer Bats’ seventh studio album but is the band’s first album to be written and recorded by the current lineup of Liam Cormier (lead vocalist), Jaye Schwarzer (bass and guitar) and Mike Peters (drums), following the departure of founding member and guitarist Scott Middleton.


The follow up to 2018’s Juno nominated album The Spark That Moves, Psychic Jailbreak sees the beloved metal stalwarts stepping up their game once again, eagerly pushing themselves both musically and lyrically beyond what they have achieved as a band to date. A record that is destined to invigorate fans with its punishing drum patterns, memorable riffs and infectious choruses, Psychic Jailbreak is available to pre-save/order here.




To give fans a little taste of what they can expect on their forthcoming album, today, Cancer Bats have shared the title track and first single, “Psychic Jailbreak”, and its accompanying video. Lead vocalist Liam Cormier had this to say about the track, “We needed to kick things off with a total banger of a track that makes you want to pump your fist in the air, smash your head to the beat, all while screaming the call to action REJECT THE FALLACY OF TIME!" Cormier continues, “The concept of a Psychic Jailbreak is to completely change one’s perspective on something, in this case it’s our ideas of fixed linear time.”


Filmed by Sid Tang and edited by Mitch Barnes, the video for “Psychic Jailbreak” is a collection of footage capturing the recording process for their latest release. It features performances of all 3 members tracking their parts, behind the scenes shots of what life in the studio entailed, as well as Cormier’s handwritten lyrics animated over top of each scene.


“My goal was to capture the intensity and power of the band, while still showing how relaxed and fun the whole recording session was,” shares Sid Tang.


View the video for “Psychic Jailbreak” below.


For Psychic Jailbreak, Cancer Bats once again enlisted the watchful eyes and ears of producer JP Peters (Propagandhi) at his studio Private Ear Recordings in Winnipeg, MB. Over the course of three weeks, Cormier, Schwarzer and Peters saw their rough ideas exchanged in emails evolve from Garage Band home demos into thundering Cancer Bats songs. One after another, boxes were being ticked, Mike’s signature power house of drums laid the foundation, as track after track of Jaye’s guitars were layered on top of another, all while they referenced their favourite Entombed, Metallica and White Zombie guitar tones. All of this fuelling Cormier’s vocal fire, inspiring him to fully push what he had to offer both in lyrics and screams.  


“We knew this album had to be special,” shares Cormier. “Our band has never been one sole member tasked with all the writing.  Over the last 15 years of releasing albums, it’s been a collaboration of the 4 of us forming all musical ideas. That being said, we knew that the 3 remaining Bats would have to prove our worth with this next album. We wanted to show Cancer Bats fans that an exciting new future was in store for us. To say the stakes were high on this album, would be an understatement. We were all feeling a mix of excitement and nerves as we began tracking the 11 songs that would form this record.”  


As vocal melodies began taking shape and adding different dynamics into the mix like Brooklyn Doran singing a duet style on “Hammering On”, or Jaye’s distinct snarls filling out many a chorus, the whole album was starting to register as one of the best projects the band has ever worked on.


“On the final days, while adding the last bits of “skateboard noises” and guitar shreds, we were all feeling our confidence levels rise with each playback. This last years’ worth of long hours and many late nights writing, finally coming together as a whole and fully formed effort. We were proud as a band and felt this new offering was worthy to join in the legacy of Cancer Bats albums.”





Tracklisting:


"Radiate"
"The Hoof"
"Lonely Bong"
"Friday Night"
"Hammering On"
"Crocodiles"
"Shadow of Mercury"
"Keep On Breathin"
"Pressure Mind"
"Rollin Threes"
"Psychic Jailbreak"


"Psychic Jailbreak" video:





In support of their forthcoming release, Cancer Bats will be hitting the road with long-time friends and labelmates Comeback Kid. The Canadian dates will kick off March 17 and wrap up with two shows in Calgary (April 30/May 1). Tickets for all Cancer Bats Canadian tour dates are available now.

Dragonbreed is a collabaration of current and past Suidakra members with longtime friend and Graveworm vocalist Stefan Fiori. Following is an update from MDD Records:


"The guys of the Suidakra / Graveworm melodic death metal mash-up Dragonbreed have finished work on their debut longplayer. The stylistic and also personal journey back in time to the early days of the genre will be titled Necrohedron, and will be released on April 22nd via MDD Records. 


Raw, wild and inspired by the spirit of the early years, the quintet around Graveworm singer Stefano Fiori and Suidakra's Arkadius Antonik will play eight songs with a playing time of 38 minutes. Also on board: cover artist Kris Verwimp, who is not only responsible for the artwork, but also for the lyrical content, which is a concept story that has been lying untold in his drawer for a long time and now fits Dragonbreed like a glove. A first sample and further information will be available soon."







Check out Dragonbreed on social media here

In a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, Ted Nugent said that when it comes to musicians, they don't make them like they used to. "Musicians aren't as dedicated today," he said. 'I know there's a bunch of great ones. I mean, Joe Bonamassa is a young guy, and Kid Rock is not a young guy, but he's now. And I love what BIG & RICH do. I love the sincerity of Blake Shelton and Toby Keith, though I can't stand most country music. And GRETA VAN FLEET does a great job, and everything the FOO FIGHTERS do is awesome. But, it's not like Ted Nugent or Bob Seger or the AMBOY DUKES or ZZ TOP or CHEAP TRICK or MONTROSE or VAN HALEN. You know what I mean? Those bands, we just practiced more; we loved it more.

"So, that's why 'Detroit Muscle' is gonna be really significant to people who love that fire and that defiance and fun," he continued, referencing his upcoming album. "Music is supposed to be fun. Even when you articulate corruption and 'Dog Eat Dog' sabotage on the downtown streets and police cars overturned — yeah, I'm identifying social conditions, but I also am a master at escaping social outrageousness and replacing it with fun, defiant, 'We The People,' middle-finger-on-fire, grinding Motown funk brother outrageousness."

This past November, Nugent released the official lyric video for his new song "Come And Take It". The track will appear on "Detroit Muscle", which is due on April 29 via Pavement Music. The follow-up to 2018's "The Music Made Me Do It" was recorded with Ted's current band, which includes bassist Greg Smith and drummer Jason Hartless.

Nugent, who is the national spokesman for pro-hunting lobbying group Hunter Nation, told Florida's 99 Rock WKSM radio station that "Come And Take It" is "a love song to the punks in our government who think that they have the right to infringe on our constitutionally guaranteed, God-given individual freedoms… I think it really represents the heartbeat, the pulse, the heartbreak, really, of thoughtful, critical-thinking Americans. Which, by the way, if you're not a critical thinker, you should probably move to Cuba where you're not allowed to be. Critical-thinking Americans that are rock solid in the asset column love this song — they love me, they love freedom, they love defiance, they love my middle finger on fire."

For The Metal Voice, Jimmy Kay and former Anthrax singer Neil Turbin interviewed singer Andreas "Gerre" Geremia from legendary German thrashers, Tankard. In the chat Gerre spoke about the bands upcoming 40 year anniversary box set from the Noise Record years, gave details of the bands upcoming studio album and spoke about the possibility of  The Big Teutonic 4 touring. Watch below:





The story of Tankard’s rise to one of the most revered thrash metal bands from their humble beginnings in Frankfurt Germany, began under their first name of Avenger in the early 1982. It was their Heavy Metal Vanguard and Alcoholic Metal demos changing hands in the era’s bustling underground tape-trading network that exposed them to the international metal community.




Positive word of mouth soon attracted the attention of Germany’s own metal start-up, Noise Records, which signed the newly re-christened Tankard (beer mug) to a deal. Tankard’s tenure at the label spawned seven studio albums, one live record, a live video and a compilation and established them as one of the most enduring on the thrash scene. One they still tour globally to this day, to their hordes of maniac forces fans.


Never taking themselves too seriously and fuelled by a love of beer, their unique take on ‘fast thrash-punk’ is pure anarchy with lots of fun. Their ’86 debut Zombie Attack was fast, furious and chaotic fun which set the table of what was to come. Following hot on the heels of their debut, 1987’s Chemical Invasion sealed their thrash chops, with 1988’s The Morning After cementing the band on the global scene. The Alien EP kept momentum in ’89 until the 1990’s dawned with the reflective, The Meaning Of Life. 1991 saw their live fury documented in Fat, Ugly & Live and also a legendary thrash fest in East Berlin was committed to film in the form of Open All Night. Tankard remained prolific through the tough times for thrash of the 1990’s, keeping the faith with the introspective Stone Cold Sober (1992), Two-Faced (1993) saw them bare their teeth against social injustice and The Tankard’(1995) took them back to the familiar surroundings of the pub.





For A Thousand Beers is a deluxe 40th anniversary celebration of Tankard’s Noise Records discography and is the definitive collection of their decade of recorded work and contains :


- Zombie Attack (splatter vinyl)
- Chemical Invasion (swirl vinyl)
- The Morning After (including Alien EP) (splatter vinyl)
- The Meaning Of Life (paint drop vinyl)
- Stone Cold Sober (splatter vinyl)
- Two-Faced (half/half colour vinyl)
- The Tankard (including Tankwart EP) (splatter vinyl)
- Fat, Ugly & Live DVD – containing ‘Open All Night’ concert film, ‘Fat, Ugly & Live’ album plus previously unreleased video concert from the Dynamo, Eindhoven 1987 and audio concert from Frankfurt 1988.
- 12” x 12”, 40 page hardback book of photography, quotes and lyrics from the first decade of the band’s existence. Contains rare and previously unseen photos from the era.


All housed in a case of beer box.





For A Thousand Beers will also be available as a 7xCDs and DVD clamshell box set containing all the studio albums, EP’s and the DVD with all the live concert bonus material.


Available on February 25, you can pre-order here, and watch a new video for "(Empty) Tankard" below.





(Photo - Axel Jusseits)

Longtime VIXEN bassist Share Ross has announced that she is "taking a hiatus" from the band. Her replacement is Julia Lage, formerly of the Latin Grammy-nominated Brazilian rock group BARRA DE SAIA and wife of Richie Kotzen, who recently completed a run of West Coast dates with her husband's SMITH/KOTZEN project.

Ross made the news of her departure public last night (Tuesday, February 8) during VIXEN's pre-Monsters Of Rock cruise concert at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida. After playing the first few songs of the set with her bandmates, Ross told the crowd that "life got a little complicated" and that "something has to give," resulting to her decision to "step away from VIXEN for a while." She then introduced her "amazing" replacement and urged the VIXEN fans to "graciously" open their arms and welcome Lage to the group. At that point, Julia and her new bandmates launched into the track "Streets In Paradise" and played the last couple of songs of the set with Ross watching the proceedings from the side of the stage.

The only remaining member of VIXEN's "classic" lineup is drummer Roxy Petrucci, who is also joined in the group by guitarist Britt Lightning (a.k.a. Brittany Denaro) and singer Lorraine Lewis.

In January 2019, VIXEN recruited Lewis as its new lead singer following the departure of Janet Gardner.

Lewis had already performed with VIXEN in March 2018 in Durant, Oklahoma while Gardner was recovering from surgery.

Prior to Lewis's addition to VIXEN, Petrucci, Ross and Denaro vowed to "expand upon the VIXEN legacy while remaining true to our musical roots."

Gardner, Petrucci and Ross are considered to be part of VIXEN's classic lineup, along with founding guitarist Jan Kuehnemund, who died of cancer in October 2013.

Gardner contributed lead vocals to VIXEN's most commercially successful studio albums — "Vixen" (1988), "Rev It Up" (1990) and "Tangerine" (1998) — as well as the group's latest release, 2018's live album "Live Fire".






It was announced at the start of the pre-party that Vixen had a big surprise during their show.

I've been to thousands...

Posted by Gary Allen on Tuesday, February 8, 2022





Vixen with NEW bassist.. Julia Lage-Oficial

Posted by Will To Rock on Tuesday, February 8, 2022



Vixen with their new bass player, Julia Lage! ?

Posted by Melissa Corcino Petersen on Tuesday, February 8, 2022





Good night ladies! @OfficialVixen at @MonstersCruise pre cruise party! #monstersofrockcruise pic.twitter.com/aP7BgwQ9Nl

— monstersofrockcruise (@MonstersCruise) February 9, 2022

First Signal, a musical union between Canadian vocalist Harry Hess (Harem Scarem) and Swedish drummer/producer Daniel Flores (The Murder Of My Sweet, Find Me), have announced the forthcoming release of their new album, Closer To The Edge, on April 8.


The new record, their fourth overall, offers up another outstanding collection of songs that continues the fine tradition they've now established over the course of their discography. The first single and video from the album, "Don't Let It End", is out today. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Closer To The Edge on CD/digital here.


Hess is, as always, on fire here and this is another outstanding production job by Flores. As with previous releases, this will be another must hear for fans of the AOR/melodic rock genre as, in 2022, it does not get any better than this. Pete Alpenborg (Arctic Rain), Guillermo Del Medio (Inner Stream), Alessandro Del Vecchio, Kristian Fyhr (Seventh Crystal), Herman Nori, and others have contributed their songwriting talents to this latest opus with spectacular results. “Closer to the Edge” is once again a total delight for AOR and melodic rock fans and an easy contender for AOR album of the year.




Started in 2010, First Signal started as a musical partnership between vocalist Harry Hess (Harem Scarem) and German producer Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Khymera). The seeds of this union were planted that same year when Frontiers President and Head of A&R, Serafino Perugino presented Hess some melodic rock songs which had the same vibe and magic as Harem Scarem, whom, at the time, were on a hiatus. The self-titled debut album was greeted with excellent reviews from the Melodic Rock faithful, so even when Harem Scarem rebooted to record an excellent comeback album, Thirteen, Hess was still keen to record some more excellent melodic rock songs that he had gathered from various songwriters under the First Signal banner.


So, the idea of another First Signal album continued to float around and with the help of Swedish producer/drummer Daniel Flores now stepping in for Ward, the second record, One Step Over The Line (2016), started to take shape. Once again, the inspiration behind the songs were the first two Harem Scarem albums, two absolute Melodic Rock classics, but, as with the debut, some new twists were thrown in the mix with the songs covering everything from AOR to Arena Hard Rock. The album was also greeted with much excitement from the Melodic Rock / AOR fanbase, especially in Europe. With that kind of reception, recording a third album, Line Of Fire (2019), was a no-brainer. With songs provided by Stan Meissner, Harry Hess, Henrik Hedström, Lars Edvall, Anderz Wrethov, Andreas Johansson, Carl Dixon, Bruce Turgon, Sören Kronqvist, Morgan Jensen, Hal Marabel, Daniel Palmqvist, Ulrick Lönnqvist, Nigel Bailey, and production duties handled again by Daniel Flores, “Line of Fire” was another awesome slab of great AOR/melodic rock for the 21st century.


And now, in 2022, the band continues the traditions they've established with their previous three releases on the fourth entry into their catalog, Closer To The Edge.





Tracklisting:


"Don't Let It End"
"I Don't Wanna Feel The Night Is Over"
"Show Me The Way"
"Don't Look Away"
"Irreplaceable"
"One More Time"
"Closer To The Edge"
"Angel With A Rose"
"Mystery"
"The Hurting One"
"Got To Believe"


"Don't Let It End" video:





Lineup:


Harry Hess - Vocals
Daniel Flores  - Drums
Andi Kravljaca - Guitars
Jonny Trobro - Bass

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS kicked off their 2022 North American tour last night (Tuesday, February 8) at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon.

The band's 21-song set included material from all four SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS albums, including four songs from the upcoming "4": "The River Is Rising", "Fill My World", "Call Off The Dogs" and "Whatever Gets You By". Also aired during the show were the SLASH'S SNAKEPIT song "Speed Parade" as well as covers of Lenny Kravitz's "Always On The Run" and Elton John's "Rocket Man".

The setlist was as follows:

01. Driving Rain

02. Shots Fired

03. My Antidote

04. Serve You Right

05. The River Is Rising

06. Bad Rain

07. Back From Cali

08. Withered Delilah

09. Always On The Run (Lenny Kravitz cover)

10. No More Heroes

11. Whatever Gets You By

12. Speed Parade (SLASH'S SNAKEPIT Cover)

13. Fill My World

14. The One You Loved Is Gone

15. Call Off The Dogs

16. Doctor Alibi

17. Rocket Man (Elton John Cover)

18. Nothing To Say

19. You're A Lie

20. World On Fire

Encore

21. Anastasia

Slash explained his decision to avoid performing material from GUNS N' ROSES on this tour, telling Ultimate Classic Rock: "I have to admit, I really missed playing the GUNS material when this thing first started, so it was a great outlet for me. But having gotten back with all my buddies in GUNS, after a while I was like, 'I don't really need to do it with Myles and Company,' so we don't have any GUNS songs in the set. That said, I sort of miss the occasional VELVET REVOLVER song. So I haven't put any VELVET songs in the set as of yet, but I might at some point put one, at least, just for the fun of doing it."

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS' tour will hit 27 other major cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Houston, and more, before wrapping up March 26 in Orlando, Florida.

Due on February 11 via Gibson Records in partnership with BMG, "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).

In October, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS released the official music video for the LP's first single, "The River Is Rising", shot on location in downtown Los Angeles with Gibson TV director Todd Harapiak.

For "4", Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, Tennessee 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 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. 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 AND THE CONSPIRATORS' album "4" will be released via Gibson Records.

Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, spoke to Toronto's 94.9 The Rock radio station about what it has been like to work with legendary Canadian producer Bob Ezrin on Alice's upcoming follow-up to last year's "Detroit Stories" album. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Bob definitely has his own style of working, his own personality, and as long as you understand that and that rapport, I think Bob is an amazing, amazing person. He's an amazing person to work with regardless, but I definitely think you have to understand his production style and his critique style and understand where he's going with everything in his specific vision. We had a great time making the record."

According to Nita, Bob gave her and her bandmates plenty of room to showcase their own styles during the recording process. "Who are any of us to tell Bob Ezrin how to make an Alice Cooper record?" she said. "He has a vision, he has it how he wants it, and it was our job to come in and execute it. And I think we did that to the very best of our ability and absolutely retained our personalities and our own style. He gave us a ton of freedom to express ourselves. He gave us a lot of notes, of course. I think Alice wanted us to make a record that sounds like his band, sounds like the live band, and I was really grateful that Bob and Alice gave us the opportunity to do exactly that."

Strauss also talked about the experience of sharing the stage with two other guitar players during Alice's live shows.

"I feel fortunate to be in a band with three great guitar players — myself and Ryan [Roxie] and Tommy Henriksen on guitar," she said. "And I feel like those two make me better every single day. I think Ryan is the best guitar player in the band. Tommy is by far the best musician and songwriter in the band; he writes a ton of the Alice stuff, even before this last record. So I just learn so much from both of them each and every time we step on stage together, and they've both made me a much better guitar player and a much better musician."

Last month, Alice revealed during an appearance on an episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he is working on two albums right now. "All I can say is that one is written — totally written — and we'll be doing bed tracks for that one pretty soon," he said. "And then the other one is just a touch in the future, but that's being written right now too. They're two entirely different kinds of albums, but they're Alice Cooper pure rock and roll albums. The two albums will really be hard rock albums."

Also last month, Nita told Detroit's WRIF radio station that she and her Cooper bandmates "recorded quite a bit of music" for his upcoming album. "The band did also have a huge part in the writing this time, which is the first time that's happened in the eight years that I've been in the band," she said. "So it was really, really fun — really exciting for us to get to work with a legend like Bob Ezrin. [It was] a huge, huge honor to be in the studio with him and Alice creating what we hope will be some more Alice Cooper music to just add to his legacy."

She added: "I'm on the [Alice Cooper] live DVD. I'm on the live album releases, the live tracks that are bonus tracks and stuff, but [this is my] first studio album with Alice. I'm actually the only person in the [current lineup of Alice's] band that hasn't recorded anything with Alice before, so this is huge for me. [I'm] very, very honored."

Released in February 2021, "Detroit Stories" was recorded with Ezrin, mostly in Royal Oak with Detroit musicians and featuring a mix of original material alongside covers of songs by Bob Seger, the MC5, Mitch Ryder's DETROIT and OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY.

In 2018, Cooper issued "A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris", a recording of his December 7, 2017 concert at the world-renowned Olympia venue in France. The effort captured Cooper and his current bandmates performing a choice selection of classic Cooper hits, in addition to some highlights from 2017's "Paranormal" album. Alice later said that he wanted to release a document of his band's onstage prowess because they "deserved a live album."