JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford has admitted that it was his idea for the group to announce its plan to embark on the next leg of its 50th-anniversary tour as a quartet. "That all came from me, it didn't come from the band," Halford told Billboard, explaining that he thought since the band was founded as a four-piece it would be appropriate to return to that for a 50th-anniversary celebration. "Of course, that blew up in my face, didn't it? To have done something like a four-piece now would've been just not right, ridiculous, insane, crazy, off my rocker, have a cup of tea and relax. It's kind of water under the bridge now. I think my heart was in the right place, but I'm not the first musician to have a crazy idea."

On January 10, JUDAS PRIEST revealed that it would perform as a four-piece when it returns to the road in early March. A few hours later, the band's touring guitarist Andy Sneap, who co-produced the group's 2018 album "Firepower", released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he said that he was "incredibly disappointed" by PRIEST's decision to carry on as a quartet and thanked the Halford-fronted outfit for the "mind-blowing" opportunity to share the stage with one of his favorite bands. Meanwhile, PRIEST fans were understandably upset about the band's decision to forgo its classic twin-guitar attack sound and made their feelings known on social media. Some even called for the return of guitarist K.K. Downing, who joined PRIEST in 1970 and remained in the group until 2011.

On January 15, JUDAS PRIEST released a statement announcing that it was reversing its decision to tour as a four-piece, explaining that the bandmembers "decided unanimously" to continue their live shows "unchanged" with Rob, Ian Hill (bass), Richie Faulkner (guitar), Scott Travis (drums) and Andy.

Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT, began touring with PRIEST four years ago after longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton — who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower".

Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Downing parted ways with the band more than a decade ago and was replaced by Faulkner.

Last month, Downing said in an interview that it was "very, very strange" for PRIEST "to even think about" the possibility of going out as a quartet. "I'm like everybody else. I'm totally bemused," he told the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen" classic rock show. It was just so extreme and insulting in a way, I guess, and insulting to Glenn as well. It was kind of a slap in the face, saying, 'Okay, you two guys did it, but we think just one guy could do what…' It kind of made us and everything that we've done and created, saying it was all superfluous, really, and didn't really have the value that… I'm sure Glenn will agree with me that it does have a value."

Last November, JUDAS PRIEST announced the rescheduled "50 Heavy Metal Years" North American tour dates for March-April 2022. Support on the trek will come from QUEENSRŸCHE

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES), Michael Starr (STEEL PANTHER), Nita Strauss (ALICE COOPER) and Jason Hook (ex-FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) are among the musicians who paid tribute to legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen by performing a number of VAN HALEN classics with the all-star band THE STOWAWAYS on this year's ShipRocked cruise, which set sail from Galveston, Texas on January 22 and included stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico before returning on January 27. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of registered YouTube user Justin West).

Last year, Thal discussed VAN HALEN's fourth LP, 1981's "Fair Warning" ruring an appearance on the 100th episode of the "Infectious Groove" podcast. He said: "I was 12 years old, and up to this point, I was sort of like an Angus Young [AC/DC] kind of guitar player. I remember I was at a band practice, and there was a kid hanging out there who asked me if I heard VAN HALEN. I hadn't heard them before, so he played me a recording of the intro to 'Mean Street' on the just-released 'Fair Warning' album. And just like anybody that heard VAN HALEN for the first time, it blew my mind. I never heard that kind of guitar playing before. Still, to this day, I've never heard that kind of guitar playing ever again. That intro was just a sound I had never heard before, and it opened my eyes, my ears, my mind, my spirit, my entire being. It just changed the course of everything and how I looked at playing guitar and making music and the role that guitar has in a song and in music. And from there, I became a different kind of player. I started really experimenting and digging deep to find who I was. It will always be one of my favorite albums. And I am so grateful that I got to be on earth at the same time VAN HALEN was."

Thal previously spoke about Eddie Van Halen's influence on his playing in an October 2020 interview with the WDHA radio station. He stated at the time: "I heard 'Eruption' and I was just blown away immediately. It changed my life — it really changed my life, that moment, and I remember it vividly. I got a cassette of 'Eruption' and I went home and I spent months learning it. Just little by little and just hearing a couple of notes on a cassette, I would find 'em on the guitar, and a few more, and a few more, until I had the whole thing. Then I opened up the cassette, I unscrewed the four little screws on it, and I opened it up and I flipped the reel the other direction and I put it back together, so now everything was backwards, and then I learned it backwards."

He continued: "I had a cover band when I was 13 years old called PARADOX. And we played — half the set was RUSH and the other half was a bunch of VAN HALEN. [I was] the hugest VAN HALEN fan. I subscribed to Guitar World magazine and would read every Eddie Van Halen interview. And I started innovating — I started taking apart my guitar, then doing all the tricks that he was doing, [like] dipping your pickups in wax to change the amount of feedback, and all kinds of crazy stuff. And that's what made me start to really experiment and dig deep and try and find my own voice. Because nobody had as much of a personality and identity and unique spirit in their playing that they put out as he did as a guitar player. You can argue that, sure, but if you think about it, everything that he brought to the table — the guitar tone, the way he used a Variac to change the voltage and bring a different sound out of a Marshall amp and he created this new kind of tone that was called the 'brown sound.' And just the originality of his style — the way he played, the way he phrased everything, just what his fingers did and all the tapping that he did, like the big ending of 'Eruption' and then things like the intro to 'Little Guitars', quickly picking one string and hitting on notes on another string, like [there were] two people playing one guitar. There was so many things that he did. And also, the guitar's role in a song was completely different. It used to be, 'Okay, here's your rhythm track, and you overdub the leads.' But he made it this live personality of just this ripping high-energy entity in a song. And on albums too — he changed the way a guitar's role was on an album, where you would have breaks in between songs with little unique guitar parts and his long guitar intros and things that you just did not hear on rock albums — at least not like that. He absolutely was the number one game changer. And from that point on, after he was on the radar, everything changed."

Starr, who fronted ATOMIC PUNKS in the 1990s and early 2000s under the stage name David Lee Ralph, spoke about Eddie Van Halen's influence in an interview with Rock Titan TV. He said: "You don't realize how rooted in VAN HALEN one is until one heavy metal hero departs the world, and for me, that's what it's been like. I didn't even know what to post or say or do.

"I didn't realize how much [Eddie] was a part of my life — inspiration, music-wise. That band was everything for me. And I'm sure it's the same for a lot of people. I always wanted to David Lee Roth. I always wanted to be Eddie. I can't play guitar that good, but… And thankfully, I got to meet Dave several times, and I also got to meet Eddie a couple of times before he passed away. And I'm grateful. I only met him briefly, like, 'Hey, what's up?' I met him at a place called Staples, back before Gary Cherone joined [VAN HALEN]. It was him and [his son] Wolfie in the checkout. I'm, like, 'Hey, Eddie. I'm a big fan.' He's, like, 'I know your band. ATOMIC PUNKS. You guys are pretty good.' And I was, like, 'Holy shit! Eddie Van Halen knows our tribute band.' That was a huge deal. Then I went to [VAN HALEN's] dress rehearsal when they first rejoined with Wolfie at the Forum [in Los Angeles]. And I was walking in front of the stage, and I saw Eddie walk up, and I just walked to the stage and shook his hand and said hi, and that was the end of it. So, to me, I look at Eddie as this just complete rock god.

"VAN HALEN was everything for me," Starr, whose real name is Ralph Saenz, repeated. "I love SCORPIONS. I love MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEEP PURPLE, CHEAP TRICK, RATT, BON JOVI, WHITE LION… I love all that stuff, but to me, it all started with VAN HALEN. Everyone tried to copy Dave and Eddie."

Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 after a years-long battle with cancer. He was 65 years old.

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die", the career-spanning documentary on the life and times of the legendary rock icon Ronnie James Dio, will receive its world premiere at this year's SXSW Film Festival.

This year, SXSW will take place in person in Austin, Texas from March 11 to March 20, with select films available online. Every film will have an in-person SXSW 2022 premiere as the festival readies for its first in-person edition since the pandemic forced its cancelation in 2020. Most films will also be available online to badgeholders for 48 hours after their physical premieres.

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die" is the first documentary about Dio to be fully authorized by the artist's estate. According to the film's official description, it "delves deep into his incredible rise from '50s doo-wop crooner to his early classic rock days in Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW, to replacing the iconic lead singer Ozzy Osbourne in BLACK SABBATH, to finally cement his legend with DIO. Ronnie's biography is completely unique to the tired sex, drugs and rock and roll clichés. The film is about perseverance, dreams and the power to believe in yourself."

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die" screenings:

* Paramount Theatre on March 17, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.

* Online only on March 18, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.

"Dio: Dreamers Never Die" was financed solely by BMG and was helmed by Don Argott and Demian Fenton ("Framing John DeLorean", "Believer", "Last Days Here"), produced by Don Argott and Sheena Joyce for 9.14 Pictures, and executive produced by Wendy Dio, wife and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, for Niji Productions and Kathy Rivkin Daum for BMG.

Ronnie James Dio's story transcends the standard rock documentary. Set against the backdrop of Dio's autobiography — half finished by Ronnie before his untimely death from stomach cancer in 2010 — the film chronicles the inspiring journey of his life, love, and storied career. Whether playing sold-out stadiums or battling illness, his powerful voice and gentle heart have had a profound influence on his family, friends, and fans around the world.

Wendy Dio recently told Argentinian journalist Lucas Gordon about "Dio: Dreamers Never Die": "I saw the first cut of it. It was very emotional. It's very different from [Dio's autobiography]. 'Cause the book finishes in 1986, with Ronnie playing Madison Square Garden. But the documentary goes all the way through his life till the end. And it was very emotional. I was watching it with my publicist and a person from BMG, who are funding the documentary. And we all cried. It was very emotional. But it's really interesting and really good. Rob Halford is great in it, talking about stories. Lita Ford [and] Jack Black [are also in it]. Eddie Trunk [SiriusXM radio personality] and Mick Wall [author of Dio's autobiography] both kind of narrated it and everything. I'm very pleased with it."

Last August, Wendy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about what fans can expect to see in the documentary: "There's a bunch of stuff from [old] Super 8 [tapes] and some other stuff. There's fantastic interviews with all kinds of different people about when they were working with Ronnie or what they were doing at the time, maybe supporting Ronnie. It's totally different to the [recently released Dio] book. And I'm very interested to see this cut. I'm excited, actually, to see it. And I think it's gonna be great."

In October 2019, Wendy told the WSOU radio station that the documentary "will go from Ronnie's childhood all the way through [to the end of his life]. I think they interviewed Jack Black, and I think they interviewed all of Ronnie's bandmembers and Doug Aldrich and, I think, Jeff Pilson. They were getting ready to go to Arizona to interview Rob Halford and Lita Ford. And then they were going into England to interview Tony Iommi. They already did Geezer [Butler]. So there will be very interesting stories from different people. I think it'll be a great thing, and it'll show people a lot of things that people have never seen before."

Ronnie James Dio passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Dio's autobiography, titled "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography", was released last July via Permuted Press

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS performed their new single, "The River Is Rising", last night (Wednesday, February 2) on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on ABC TV and Hulu. Slash also sat down with host Jimmy Kimmel for an interview before playing "The River Is Rising" on live TV for the first time.

As previously reported, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS will celebrate the release of their new album, "4", by performing it its entirety on Friday, February 11. The "Live At Studios 60" concert event will stream live and free on the Slash YouTube and Facebook at 11 a.m. Pacific / 2 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. GMT. The concert will be immediately followed by a live question-and-answer afterparty with Slash exclusively on YouTube Premium.

To join the afterparty and live Q&A, fans can sign up for a free, YouTube Premium one-month trial at this location.

"4" will be released 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 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 SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS 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 with their latest album "Living The Dream" (2018) singled out by the Los Angeles Times, Classic Rock, Guitar World, Loudwire, LA Weekly, and more, as their best songs to date.

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.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS will kick off a North American headlining tour on February 8, in Portland, Oregon and hit 28 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.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA has shared the official music video for the brand new song "Watchtower". The track embodies everything Revolver recently said about the band: "THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA have proven time and time again that it's possible to never stop sonically experimenting... and never lose their own crushing identity."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA vocalist Mike Hranica commented: "The idea of this song is about a person being intentionally difficult even though happiness wants to find him/her.

"In handling my own mental health struggles, I've found that I oftentimes never choose contentment on a fundamental basis: almost like I've skipped Step One. The narrator of 'Watchtower' is afraid to approach Step One and instead flees to perceive his/her life as a sort of passive overlooker instead."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA will be back on tour this spring, hitting the road with BEARTOOTH, SILVERSTEIN and ERRA. All dates are below.

In fall 2021, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA issued the video for the brand new, self-produced song "Sacrifice". The band also released the "ZII" EP via Solid State Records, in May of last year. It was a discordant, dissonant exercise in excellence. The original "Zombie" EP dropped all the way back in August 2010 and remains an intense fan favorite. While not a chronological release in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA catalog, "ZII" was the next chapter.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA has positioned itself for meaningful reinvention. Following their 2005 emergence, they served up 2009's seminal "With Roots Above And Branches Below". In its wake, the group achieved two back-to-back Top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 with the "Zombie" EP (2010) and "Dead Throne" (2011). The group kept up a prolific pace on "8:18" (2013), "Space" EP (2015) and "Transit Blues" (2016) and "The Act" (2019). This output of new music garnered widespread acclaim from Kerrang!, Revolver, Rock Sound, New Noise and Alternative Press who proclaimed it "an impressive step forward." In addition to selling out countless headline shows, the musicians toured with everyone from SLIPKNOT to SLAYER. Not to mention, their total stream tally impressively clocking over 200 million in 2022.

MACHINE HEAD bassist Jared MacEachern has confirmed to Primordial Radio that the band has completed work on its new full-length album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Mixing and mastering is done. It is ready."

According to MacEachern, "there is a frontrunner" for the title of the new LP, which is tentatively due this summer. He also said the follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis" will include the three songs that were featured on last summer's "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single: "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky".

Asked about his contributions to the new MACHINE HEAD album, Jared said: "I think that I was very aware from day one that Robb [Flynn, guitar/vocals] is the leader, he's the creative leader, the musical leader… We all have our inputs but I think it's always understood that ultimately the decision is up to him for how things go. But, yeah, I definitely made contributions and I feel great about those contributions and I'm asked about my opinion on certain things. But, like I said, I'm following his lead."

As for the musical direction of the new MACHINE HEAD material, Jared said: "It's a pretty — to use Robb's word… I believe he used the word 'colossal' the other day. It's a pretty big, epic-sounding album. We've been toying around with the order, but I've been listening, sitting down, taking the time to listen to it all the way through, and the way it goes, it's a ride — a really great, heavy, beautiful, melodic, raging, thrashing ride."

Much of the new MACHINE HEAD album was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with producer Zack Ohren.

This past December, Flynn offered an update on the album's progress during an episode of his "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast. He said: "I'm in the studio right now. In fact, we started yesterday — Zack and I were in the recording studio finishing up the new album, working on the new album. It's coming along. Right now, they're setting up in there. They've got Navene Koperweis [of] ENTHEOS, ANIMALS AS LEADERS and a million other bands — he is setting up drums and he's gonna be laying down some heat with the drums. Yeah, it's going really good — [it's] been really, really productive. And we're kind of getting towards the end here, man — we're getting towards the finish line. The finish line is in sight, and I haven't been able to say that for a long time."

He continued: "If you recall, Navene is the dude who played on '[Become The] Firestorm', 'Arrows In Words From The Sky', 'My Hands Are Empty', he played on 'Circle The Drain'. Yeah, it's comfortable. [He's] a local guy, which really helps.

"We're probably gonna be dropping some new songs pretty soon," Robb added. "Then the record will be dropping probably end of summer. We've gotta wait till the vinyl all lines up 'cause the vinyl takes fucking forever now. Nine-month lead time on vinyl. Adele just shifted 130 thousand copies of vinyl first week. Dude, it's crazy. All these fucking major labels are clogging up all of the vinyl pressing plants now. So, yeah, it's been a challenge. But we'll be dropping some songs on the DSPs, digital service providers."

Flynn and MacEachern previously said that they were "making great progress on at least six different new songs, including a 10-minute-plus epic."

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Flynn previously said all three tracks from the "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single as well as "My Hands Are Empty", would be included on the band's next full-length studio album. "And the other stuff is just gonna stay kind of in whatever void it came out in — and probably be released on a collection of songs with a bunch of other B-sides at some point, a physical version," he told the "Behind The Vinyl" podcast last June. "But for now, these four songs, and then some future songs, are gonna make up the next record."

Asked if the "turbulent" nature of the last couple of years was a good thing for him creatively, Flynn said: "Oh, totally. I'm an impatient man. [Laughs] I want it, and I want it now. And the music business can be mind-numbingly slow at times. And certainly with the pandemic now, just the lead time to set up a record is, like, seven months. Vinyl is fucking seven months. If I turned in a record today — done, mastered, finished, artwork, everything — we're not gonna get the vinyl until seven months from now. I'm, like, 'This is fucking crazy.' And I don't wanna wait; I just wanna put it out.

"When I started in the [1980s] thrash scene, bands put out demos and fucking rehearsals and new songs every month or two," he explained. "I had every EXODUS song released just from bootlegs and from demos and stuff like that. Same with METALLICA. And it was just so much faster. And the world has just kind of shifted into this extremely slow — certainly the metal world has. And I wanted to bring it back to that… Yes, I'm not releasing a cassette tape, but yeah, I'm putting it out so that if the diehards wanna hear it, you can fucking hear it. And consistently do that — consistently put out music so that it's constantly giving the fans, the diehard fans, the Head Cases, the ones who fucking live and breathe this shit, something to chew on every three or four months. And I really dig it. I think it's amazing. And I think that we have the technology — thanks to Spotify and all the streaming services now — [so that] we can do this shit. So why not?"

Eight months ago, MACHINE HEAD announced that it was abandoning plans to resume its "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour now that the pandemic is slowing down. Flynn said that the "Burn My Eyes" tour, which saw him and MacEachern play the band's classic debut album in its entirety for the first time ever, with original "Burn My Eyes"-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in, would not pick up at such a time as MACHINE HEAD can continue touring. Flynn also confirmed that MacEachern is still a member of MACHINE HEAD alongside new recruits, guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston.

MACHINE HEAD will team up with Sweden's Viking metal overlords AMON AMARTH for a co-headline "Vikings And Lionhearts" European arena tour in September and October. Support on the trek will come from THE HALO EFFECT, the new band featuring five former members of IN FLAMES: Peter Iwers, Daniel Svensson, Jesper Strömblad, Niclas Engelin and Mikael Stanne.

"Catharsis" was the final album to feature guitarist Phil Demmel and drummer Dave McClain, who both left MACHINE HEAD in October 2018.

Demmel, who was in MACHINE HEAD for nearly 16 years, during which time he played on five of the group's studio albums, told the "In The Pitts Of Metal And Motor Chaos" podcast that MACHINE HEAD ended up becoming a Robb Flynn solo project toward the end of his time with the group. "We weren't a band," he said. "That was Robb's trip, and we were basically just being told what was gonna happen… Everything had changed over time. Shit, we were together for 16 years and stuff changes after that. It's been the band that he started. So things shift, and as they weren't what we agreed to or what we wanted to be a part of, [Dave and I] just left. So we do our own thing, and [Robb] does his thing." Demmel also said that the musical side of MACHINE HEAD took a sharp turn for the worse during the writing stage for "Catharsis", an album he said he hated.

Grammy-winning hard rock band HALESTORM has announced "Back From The Dead", its fifth studio album, due out May 6 via Atlantic. The follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, MASTODON, ALICE IN CHAINS) with co-production by Scott Stevens (SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, NEW YEARS DAY).

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

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

"Back From The Dead" track listing:

01. Back From The Dead

02. Wicked Ways

03. Strange Girl

04. Brightside

05. The Steeple

06. Terrible Things

07. My Redemption

08. Bombshell

09. I Come First

10. Psycho Crazy

11. Raise Your Horns

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine

VOLBEAT played its first show with former SLAYER and TESTAMENT drummer Jon Dette last night (Saturday, January 29) at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. Dette is filling in for VOLBEAT's regular drummer, Jon Larsen, who tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, earlier in the week.

Fan-filmed video of the Portland concert can be seen below.

VOLBEAT canceled its show Friday (January 29) at Ford Idaho Center Arena in Nampa, Idaho as a result of Larsen's diagnosis.

VOLBEAT's co-headlining U.S. tour with GHOST will conclude on March 3 in Anaheim, California.

VOLBEAT's "Shotgun Blues" single, which is taken from the band's latest album, "Servant Of The Mind", recently topped both the Billboard Mainstream Rock and Mediabase Active Rock charts, the Danish/American group's tenth top-charter, and cemented VOLBEAT's record for having the most No. 1 singles on the Mainstream Rock chart by an artist based outside of North America.

Revolver called "Servant Of The Mind" "excellent… the darkest and heaviest VOLBEAT offering yet." For the LP, the band, which consists of Michael Poulsen (guitar, vocals), Larsen, Rob Caggiano (guitars) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass), took its signature heavy metal, psychobilly and punk 'n' roll sound up a notch while showcasing Poulsen's keen ability for songwriting and storytelling. "Rarely has such a successful band sounded so ravenous," says Kerrang! magazine of the album.

"Servant Of The Mind" was written and recorded during the shutdown and quarantine necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The LP includes the "double barrel" of summer songs the band released this past June: "Wait A Minute My Girl" and "Dagen Før" (featuring Stine Bramsen), the former of which became the band's ninth number one single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.






Volbeat was freaking bomb

Posted by Teresa Reeves on Sunday, January 30, 2022



Great show

Posted by Teresa Reeves on Saturday, January 29, 2022

POISON drummer Rikki Rockett has sided with Neil Young after the legendary singer demanded that his catalog be removed from Spotify in response to "fake information about vaccines" being "spread" on the platform via Joe Rogan's podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience". Young delivered an ultimatum, adding, "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both." Spotify announced a few days later that it would pull Young's music catalog from its platform.

"We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon," the company said in a statement. "We want all the world's music and audio content to be available to Spotify users. With that comes great responsibility in balancing both safety for listeners and freedom for creators."

A short time later, DISTURBED singer David Draiman weighed in on Spotify's move, tagging the company's chief executive Daniel Ek on Twitter and writing: "@eldsjal I applaud you and @Spotify for making the RIGHT call, preserving #FreeSpeech and not capitulating to the mob. I may not agree with everything @joerogan or his guests say, but they're entitled to have the forum to say it."

David later clarified his stance, writing: "Let me be clear. I do not support ANY artist blackmailing any entity to follow an agenda THEY believe in, wether it's @Neilyoung one one side of the spectrum or @EricClapton on the other. Music shouldn't be used to sow division. It should be used to bring people together IMHO".

Seemingly in response to Draiman's comments, Bach took to his Twitter to write: "Imagine calling yourself a rocker yet siding with some dude who has a podcast over @Neilyoung You can stick to listening to your podcast and I will stick to listening to Neil Young". This prompted Draiman to write: "I still love and will listen to @Neilyoung too brother, the same way I still love and will listen to you. Always continue to respect and admire the both of you brother. The only 'side' I'm on is the side of freedom, and you're free to have your opinion, of course."

Another musician that weighed in is Rockett, who shared Bach's tweet and wrote: "Joe is a very intelligent man, but he is wrong on this one. Gotta side with the artist. We don't get what we deserve from Spotify anyway!"

When Sebastian responded, "Hard to say how intelligent a guy is who has a podcast that willingly disseminates deadly misinformation to its own listeners. Maybe if Meatloaf didn't buy into this conspiracy he would still be with us today. Along with 4,000+ other people that died yesterday from this garbage", Rockett countered with: "It's not about intelligence, it’s about integrity."

In response to Draiman's tweet, Rockett wrote "Science is not opinion. Neither is math", to which David replied: "Love and respect you too Rikki, and agree with you. Yet, both science and even math theorems continue to evolve, and sometimes calculations are corrected and can change. What will not change for me is the high opinion I hold for each of you". Rockett then responded: "This hasn't evolved. 2+2 will still be 4.", after which Draiman wrote: "On that…we agree lol".

Last July, Rockett revealed that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus after being vaccinated. The 60-year-old drummer, who is a cancer survivor, later said that that his recovery from COVID-19 "would be way worse" if he hadn't been vaccinated, "especially if it was the delta variant."

Rockett, whose real name is Richard Allan Ream, was diagnosed with oral cancer nearly seven years ago. Today Rikki is cancer-free, enjoys playing with his band, POISON, caring for his two children, and practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

"The Joe Rogan Experience" became a Spotify exclusive in 2020, when Rogan signed a multi-year exclusive licensing deal with the streaming giant.

Ek has defended Rogan in the past, including after an episode that featured the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in 2020.

"We want creators to create," Ek told The Financial Times at the time. "It's what they do best. We're not looking to play a role in what they should say."




Joe is a very intelligent man, but he is wrong on this one. Gotta side with the artist. We don’t get what we deserve from Spotify anyway!

— Rikki Rockett (@RikkiRockett) January 28, 2022








It’s not about intelligence, it’s about integrity.

— Rikki Rockett (@RikkiRockett) January 30, 2022








I still love and will listen to @Neilyoung too brother, the same way I still love and will listen to you.

Always continue to respect and admire the both of you brother. The only “side” I’m on is the side of freedom, and you’re free to have your opinion, of course.

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) January 27, 2022








Science is not opinion. Neither is math.

— Rikki Rockett (@RikkiRockett) January 28, 2022








This hasn’t evolved. 2+2 will still be 4.

— Rikki Rockett (@RikkiRockett) January 28, 2022








On that…we agree lol

— David Draiman (@davidmdraiman) January 28, 2022








And what do you practice?

— Rikki Rockett (@RikkiRockett) January 28, 2022








I know a guy who wore a helmet and got in a motorcycle accident. No joke!

— Rikki Rockett (@RikkiRockett) January 28, 2022

Los Angeles-based label Tallest Man Records has released a stunning flamenco-tinged cover of iconic rock anthem "Crazy Train" from THE STRING REVOLUTION featuring Steve Stevens. This collaboration came together to pay tribute to the legendary guitar player Randy Rhoads and in particular his love for classical guitar. Stevens has always been an admirer of Rhoads's, and THE STRING REVOLUTION, which is led by Janet Robin, has a special connection to Rhoads. Robin was his only female guitar student when she was nine years old.

"When I was told that Randy Rhoads was to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame I was thrilled," says Stevens. "Long overdue but so deserving. As I was contacted to contribute to a reimagining of Ozzy's 'Crazy Train'…in my mind, I had one requirement, that it not be in any way similar to the iconic original version. Upon hearing the track two things struck me immediately, it works so well as a Spanish guitar piece, and that Randy would have loved it. It's widely known that Randy was a beautiful classical guitarist, even continuing lessons through his Ozzy days. I hope we did you, proud buddy."

THE STRING REVOLUTION is four professional virtuoso guitar players who create distinctive sounds with their guitars: mimicking percussion, special effects, melodic grooves, bass lines, and more. They share a passion for many different musical styles and guitar techniques which has given THE STRING REVOLUTION a unique sound. This is evident in their studio recordings and live shows. A clear dedication and hard work ethic for the project brought THE STRING REVOLUTION together. In addition to Robin (who was named in the "Top 50 Acoustic Guitarist Bonus List" by Guitar Player magazine, 2017), who is also an acclaimed touring guitarist with the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, Meredith Brooks, AIR SUPPLY, and many more, THE STRING REVOLUTION is comprised of award-winning Austrian nylon-string guitarist Markus Illko, Swiss multi-credited producer, songwriter and guitarist Daniel Schwarz, and underground Los Angeles indie darling, artist and guitarist Art Zavala Jr.

"In arranging 'Crazy Train' with THE STRING REVOLUTION, we really tried to keep the energy and vibe of the original but we wanted to put our own stamp on it," says Robin. "As my guitar teacher Randy Rhoads used to say to me. 'Don't try to play like me. Play like yourself.' I really took that to heart and I feel TSR was on board with that same kind of thinking: be true to the original, but put a new, original spin on it. And that's what I think we did."

Rudy Sarzo, who played in Ozzy's band alongside Randy, said: "First time I heard Randy Rhoads play classical guitar was while we were both teaching at his family's music school, Musonia, during breaks between students. Shortly after, his compositions and recordings with Ozzy of such classics as 'Dee', 'Diary Of A Madman', 'Revelation Mother Earth' showcased his passion for classical guitar. Steve Stevens's 'Crazy Train: A (Flamenco) Tribute To Randy Rhoads' is a magnificent rendition of this heavy metal classic and gives us a glimpse into the musical style Randy might have been playing today."

Rhoads's sister Kathy Rhoads Dargenzio said: "Listening to THE STRING REVOLUTION's version of 'Crazy Train' puts a huge smile on my face! Janet Robin was one of Randy's students back in the day. To see and hear my brother's influence is bittersweet. He would have loved this. Thanks, Janet and the band, for keeping his flame burning bright! Nailed it!"

Stevens is one of the most original guitarists to emerge from the '80s rock scene, best known for his 41-year partnership with Billy Idol, his work on Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana", his Grammy Award-winning performance on "Top Gun Anthem" and his work with Vince Neil on "Exposed". Stevens has also lent his unmistakable sound and style to many hit records, including Pink's "Try This", Diana Ross's "Eaten Alive", Joni Mitchell's "Chalk Mark In A Rainstorm", Robert Palmer's "Don't Explain", THE THOMPSON TWINS' "Here's To Future Days", Ric Ocasek's "This Side Of Paradise", Peter Criss's "Let Me Rock You", Juno Reactor's "Shango", "Hokata" and "Pistolero", Kyosuke Himuro's "Beat Haze Odyssey", Steve Lukather's "Lukather" and on his solo outings with STEVE STEVENS ATOMIC PLAYBOYS' "Atomic Playboys", BOZZIO LEVIN STEVENS's "Black Light Syndrome" and "Situation Dangerous" and the critically acclaimed solo releases "Flamenco A Go Go" and "Memory Crash". Stevens's catalog of hit songs that he co-wrote and performed alongside Idol includes "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without A Face" and "Flesh For Fantasy". They sound as fresh and relevant today as the day they were released, as evidenced by being recently covered by artists as varied as Miley Cyrus, GREEN DAY, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, HIM, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, CHILDREN OF BODOM, DOPE, DAUGHTRY, SUM 41, BLINK 182, DROWNING POOL, MURDERDOLLS, DEATHSTARS and THE DONNAS. Stevens co-wrote on the most recent Idol EP "Roadside", produced by Butch Walker featuring collaborations with hit-songwriters Sam Hollander, Tommy English, Joe Janiak and Grant Michaels. Stevens is currently working on new music with Idol and will be hitting the road with Idol this spring on their U.S. arena tour JOURNEY, then on to Europe where they will be playing major festivals in addition to dates where Idol will be supported by THE GO GO'S, then on to Rock In Rio alongside GREEN DAY.

Ted Nugent has blasted Neil Young for wanting to "censor people" after the legendary singer demanded that his catalog be removed from Spotify in response to "fake information about vaccines" being "spread" on the platform via Joe Rogan's podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience". Young delivered an ultimatum, adding, "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both." Spotify announced a few days later that it would pull Young's music catalog from its platform.

In a new interview with Kristi Leigh, a former reporter for the Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned KMPH-TV, Nugent was asked to weigh in on Young's position. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Number one, he's a Canadian so he started at the back of the shitkicker line. And I love my Canadian friends. Look what they're doing right now, the truckers in Canada," he added, referencing what started as a truckers' protest against COVID-19 mandates but has since snowballed into a blockade in the Canadian capital and gridlock at a U.S.-Canada border crossing. "That's the human instinct. That's the defiant middle-finger celebration of autonomy and good over evil. So Canadians are great people. But some of them, like Americans and everybody else in the world got so stoned that their brains got burnt. Have Ozzy [Osbourne] form a sentence for ya. And I love the man. But comfortably numb is uncomfortably dumb. And Neil Young is the poster child for that. I mean, [he sings] 'Rockin' In The Free World' but he wants to censor people? Hey, Neil, choose one. You can't do both, you dirtbag. He's just a sad… And I hope he's healthy and happy, but I think his brain is so burnt, he doesn't know what happy is anymore. If he is 'rockin' in the free world,' then he wants to censor somebody who's bringing information from world-renowned virologists and epidemiologists and calling that misinformation, but he's gonna quote Joe Biden as the decree of… Are you kidding me?

"When you do that much mind-destroying chemicals upon yourself, your brain is burnt and you struggle to find logic, truth and common sense," Ted added. "Neil Young has no common sense. He's out of his mind. And all you can do is pray for him and ignore his stupidity. That's what I do."

In the days after Neil had his music from Spotify removed, a handful of notable artists have pulled their music from the streaming giant, blaming the platform for spreading false information about coronavirus via Rogan's podcast.

Neil's wife and acclaimed actress Daryl Hannah took to Twitter to express criticism for Rogan's podcast and the eventual choice Spotify has made regarding Neil's ultimatum.

Daryl wrote: "sad to see some confuse censorship & free speech with the choice a private company has in deciding what they profit from a podcaster is free to say whatever they want Just as Neil is free to NOT have his music on a platform that makes $$$ of disinformation that harms folks".

In response, Rogan promised to "do my best, in the future, to balance things out," while Spotify said it would add content advisories to podcast episodes with information about COVID-19. In an almost 10-minute-long Instagram video posted on Monday, Rogan said he would "try harder to get people with differing opinions on" on his show, which averages 11 million listeners per episode.

"The Joe Rogan Experience" became a Spotify exclusive in 2020, when Rogan signed a multi-year exclusive licensing deal with the streaming giant.

Spotify's company's chief executive Daniel Ek has defended Rogan in the past, including after an episode that featured the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in 2020.

"We want creators to create," Ek told The Financial Times at the time. "It's what they do best. We're not looking to play a role in what they should say."




Ted Nugent reacts to Neil Young calling on Spotify to remove Joe Rogan…

Full interview coming soon!

Posted by Kristi Leigh on Sunday, January 30, 2022

David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills have requested that their labels remove their collective recordings from Spotify. In solidarity with their bandmate Neil Young, and in support of stopping harmful misinformation about COVID-19, they have decided to remove their records from the streaming platform including the recordings of CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG, CROSBY, STILLS & NASH and CROSBY & NASH, as well as Crosby's and Stills's solo projects. Nash has already begun the process to take down his solo recordings.

In a unified statement, the band members commented: "We support Neil and we agree with him that there is dangerous disinformation being aired on Spotify's Joe Rogan podcast. While we always value alternate points of view, knowingly spreading disinformation during this global pandemic has deadly consequences. Until real action is taken to show that a concern for humanity must be balanced with commerce, we don't want our music — or the music we made together — to be on the same platform."

Last month, Neil demanded that his catalog be removed from Spotify in response to "fake information about vaccines" being "spread" on the platform via Joe Rogan's podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience". Young delivered an ultimatum, adding, "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both." Spotify announced a few days later that it would pull Young's music catalog from its platform.

In the days after Neil had his music from Spotify removed, a handful of notable artists have pulled their music from the streaming giant, blaming the platform for spreading false information about coronavirus via Rogan's podcast.

Neil's wife and acclaimed actress Daryl Hannah took to Twitter to express criticism for Rogan's podcast and the eventual choice Spotify has made regarding Neil's ultimatum.

Daryl wrote: "sad to see some confuse censorship & free speech with the choice a private company has in deciding what they profit from a podcaster is free to say whatever they want Just as Neil is free to NOT have his music on a platform that makes $$$ of disinformation that harms folks".

In response, Rogan promised to "do my best, in the future, to balance things out," while Spotify said it would add content advisories to podcast episodes with information about COVID-19. In an almost 10-minute-long Instagram video posted on Monday, Rogan said he would "try harder to get people with differing opinions on" on his show, which averages 11 million listeners per episode.

"The Joe Rogan Experience" became a Spotify exclusive in 2020, when Rogan signed a multi-year exclusive licensing deal with the streaming giant.

Spotify's company's chief executive Daniel Ek has defended Rogan in the past, including after an episode that featured the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in 2020.

"We want creators to create," Ek told The Financial Times at the time. "It's what they do best. We're not looking to play a role in what they should say."




pic.twitter.com/yyhHTQi7fm

— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) February 2, 2022








Rogan promotes anti vaxer shit that is getting people killed

Dead …he’s not that stupid so he knows it’s a lie

He sells it anyway to make a lot of money

I’d rather I wasn’t in the same market place https://t.co/9QF0X3aEHO

— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) February 2, 2022








I don’t want to censor him …just don’t want to be in the same marketplace ….he is doing harm with antivaxer bullshit that gets people killed https://t.co/mfst4zv2aa

— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) February 2, 2022








If one of you can reach Taylor Swift I want very badly to speak with her

— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) February 1, 2022








The reason for wanting to speak with miss Swift is that she is the only one who has successfully kicked Spotifys ass

The only one

I think she could give us good advice

This isn’t over

— David Crosby (@thedavidcrosby) February 2, 2022

According to Rolling Stone, NIRVANA has responded to the second amended lawsuit against the band filed by the man who claims he was the baby featured on the cover of NIRVANA's "Nevermind" album.

In the latest filing in federal court in Los Angeles, lawyers for the group say Spencer Elden's latest complaint filed January 12 should be dismissed with prejudice. "This case must end", the filing states. NIRVANA says that "no amendment is possible to salvage [Elden's] claim. In his ever-shrinking pleading, Elden has now dismissed all but one of the myriad state- and federal-law claims he previously attempted to charge against defendants", the claim adds. "The time has run. Elden's decision to not sue these defendants for the past 30 years, despite his decades-long knowledge of their same and unvaried conduct, is dispositive of his claim. It is as simple as that."

Last August, Spencer Elden filed the lawsuit, alleging the photo of the baby reaching for a dollar in a swimming pool violated federal child pornography statutes and arguing child sexual exploitation. He also claimed the image on the cover was taken and used without his consent.

In December's motion to dismiss, NIRVANA, as well as Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, had asked the court to throw out the lawsuit, saying Elden's claim that the photograph on the "Nevermind" cover is child pornography is "not serious" and insisting that his claim is "barred by the applicable statute of limitations." Federal child pornography law has a 10-year statute of limitations, beginning when a victim "reasonably discovers" the violation itself or the harm caused by it.

On January 3, Judge Fernando M. Olguin, who was presiding over the case at the U.S. District Court in Central California, dismissed the case after Elden missed his December 30 deadline to file an opposition to the defendants' motion to dismiss. However, Elden had the option to refile an amended lawsuit by January 13, which he did.

In the amended lawsuit, Elden claims that NIRVANA "intentionally commercially marketed the child pornography depicting Spencer and leveraged the lascivious nature of his image to promote the 'Nevermind' album, the band, and NIRVANA's music, while earning, at a minimum, tens of millions of dollars in the aggregate." However, the second amended complaint drops a claim related to sex trafficking. Elden's prior suit alleged that the defendants did "knowingly benefit from participation in what they know or should know is a sex trafficking venture."

In their motion to dismiss, NIRVANA said: "Elden has spent three decades profiting from his celebrity as the self-anointed 'Nirvana Baby'. He has reenacted the photograph in exchange for a fee, many times; he has had the album title 'Nevermind' tattooed across his chest; he has appeared on a talk show wearing a self-parodying, nude-colored onesie; he has autographed copies of the album cover for sale on eBay; and he has used the connection to try to pick up women."

The motion added: "Elden's claim that the photograph on the 'Nevermind' album cover is 'child pornography' is, on its face, not serious. A brief examination of the photograph, or Elden's own conduct (not to mention the photograph's presence in the homes of millions of Americans who, on Elden's theory, are guilty of felony possession of child pornography) makes that clear.

"The 'Nevermind' cover photograph was taken in 1991. It was world-famous by no later than 1992. Long before 2011, as Elden has pled, Elden knew about the photograph, and knew that he (and not someone else) was the baby in the photograph. He has been fully aware of the facts of both the supposed 'violation' and 'injury' for decades.”

The motion went on to say: "In addition to his child pornography claim, Elden has alleged that the creation of the photograph for the album cover art entailed the sex trafficking of Elden when he was a baby. Setting aside that this premise is absurd, the statute Elden invokes to cover conduct in 1991, became effective on December 19, 2003 and has no retroactive application to conduct by a defendant that pre-dates its effective date."

Late last year, Elden amended his lawsuit against NIRVANA to include the allegation that the photographer hired to take the photo, Kirk Weddle, also shot images of Elden styled to look like Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. The new filing also drops former NIRVANA drummer Chad Channing as a defendant in the case.

According to Rolling Stone, Elden's first updated complaint cited personal journal entries from late NIRVANA frontman Kurt Cobain, which were published by Riverhead Books in 2002, in an apparent attempt to prove the claim that the photographer intended the cover image to be sexual in nature.

"Undated journals written by Cobain sketch the album cover in a sexual manner, with semen all over it," the document stated. "In several instances, the journals describe Cobain's twisted vision for the 'Nevermind' album cover, along with his emotional struggles: 'I like to make incisions into the belly of infants then fuck the incision until the child dies.'"

The documents also repeated the claim that Weddle intended to "trigger a visceral sexual response from the viewer" by activating "Spencer's 'gag reflex' before throwing him underwater in poses highlighting and emphasizing Spencer's exposed genitals." The documents add: "Weddle soon after produced photographs of Spencer dressed up and depicted as Hugh Hefner."

When Elden first filed his lawsuit against the surviving members of NIRVANA as well as the estate of Kurt Cobain in August, he alleged the photo of the baby reaching for a dollar in a swimming pool violated federal child pornography statutes and argued child sexual exploitation.

A month after filing his lawsuit, Elden requested his genitalia be removed from "all future album covers" on the 30th anniversary of the project.

"Today, like each year on this date, our client Spencer Elden has had to brace himself for renewed unwanted attention from the media and fans alike throughout the world," his attorneys told USA Today. "This is a choice that he has never had."

The attorneys said that they planned on continuing the legal proceedings in order to "bring long-awaited privacy and dignity back to our client."

"We implore the NIRVANA defendants to right the wrongs of their past, by acknowledging the harm they have perpetrated and redacting the image of Mr. Elden's genitalia from further reproductions of 'Nevermind' because behind every cover is a person pleading for their privacy back," they added.

A deluxe 30th-anniversary reissue of "Nevermind", featuring its original cover artwork, was made available on November 12.

In Elden's complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, he claimed that his "identity and legal name are forever tied to the commercial sexual exploitation he experienced as a minor which has been distributed and sold worldwide from the time he was a baby to the present day."

According to the suit, the defendants "knowingly produced, possessed, and advertised commercial child pornography depicting Spencer, and they knowingly received value in exchange for doing so. … Despite this knowledge, defendants failed to take reasonable steps to protect Spencer and prevent his widespread sexual exploitation and image trafficking."

Elden claimed that his parents never signed a release authorizing the use of the photos, which were taken in a Pasadena aquatic center in 1990. He alleged that the band promised to cover his genitals with a sticker, which was never incorporated into the album art.

The suit further alleged the defendants "used child pornography depicting Spencer as an essential element of a record promotion scheme commonly utilized in the music industry to get attention, wherein album covers posed children in a sexually provocative manner to gain notoriety, drive sales, and garner media attention, and critical reviews."

Elden sought damages of either $150,000 from each of the defendants or unspecified damages to be determined at trial, attorney fees, an injunction to prohibit all parties "from continuing to engage in the unlawful acts and practices described herein," and a trial by jury.

"The permanent harm he has proximately suffered includes but is not limited to extreme and permanent emotional distress with physical manifestations, interference with his normal development and educational progress, lifelong loss of income earning capacity, loss of past and future wages, past and future expenses for medical and psychological treatment, loss of enjoyment of life, and other losses to be described and proven at trial of this matter," the lawsuit stated.

Elden's parents were reportedly paid only $200 for the photos, and the shoot lasted around 15 seconds.

In a 2016 interview with Time magazine, Elden said: "It's a trip. Everyone involved in the album has tons and tons of money. I feel like I'm the last little bit of grunge rock. I'm living in my mom's house and driving a Honda Civic.

"It's hard not to get upset when you hear how much money was involved," Elden added. "I go to a baseball game and think about it: 'Man, everybody at this baseball game has probably seen my little baby penis,' I feel like I got part of my human rights revoked."

"Nevermind" has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and was certified diamond by the RIAA for sales in excess of 10 million copies in the U.S. al

In a new interview with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Alice Cooper was asked how his relationship with Ted Nugent is "holding up right now" considering all the stuff that the legendary guitarist has said in the last few years. He responded: "Ted and I grew up together in Detroit, and he's always been the mouth that roared. When he gets going, nobody can stay with him. I kind of look at him as his own entity."

He continued: "I don't ever talk politics… I hate politics. I don't think rock and roll and politics belong in the same bed together, but a lot of people think it does — because we have a voice, and we should use our voice. But again, rock and roll should be anti-political, I think. When my parents started talking about politics, I would turn on THE [ROLLING] STONES as loud as I could. I don't want to hear politics, and I still feel that way.

"My music and my show is designed to give you a vacation from CNN, you know what I mean?" Cooper added. "I'm not preaching anything up there, and I'm not knocking anybody. If I do a thing like on 'Elected', which we would always do during the elections, and I'd bring out [Donald] Trump and Hillary [Clinton] to fight, and both of them would get wiped out! That's what was funny about it. If you're in the political theater, you'd better be able to take a joke. So, that's okay. I don't mind the satire of it, but I don't ever go up there and tell you who to vote for."

"Elected" was the first single from Cooper's iconic sixth studio album, "Billion Dollar Babies". The record reached No. 1 in the U.S. and U.K. and was certified platinum by the RIAA.

In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Cooper said that he keeps his political opinions to himself. "I don't like to mix politics and rock 'n' roll," he said. "I don't look at Bono, Sting and Bruce Springsteen as political. I look at them as being humanitarian. I'll contribute to anything humanitarian. Helping people who can't help themselves. But when musicians are telling people who to vote for, I think that's an abuse of power. You're telling your fans not to think for themselves, just to think like you. Rock 'n' roll is about freedom — and that's not freedom."

Six years ago, Cooper said that rock stars offering their political opinions is "the worst idea ever." "First of all, why do people think rock stars know more than they do?" he said. "That is the biggest fallacy in the world — if anything, we're dumber. We're not smarter than anybody else. I mean, why do you think we're rock stars?

"Trust me, we don't read magazines you don't read. Nobody calls us up and gives us as inside information on politics. We know less than you do. If I watch TV, it's 'Family Guy'.

"Rock 'n' roll was built to go as far away from politics as you could get. When my mom and dad talked about who to vote for, I'd go in the other room and put on THE BEATLES or ROLLING STONES — and I'm still like that."

Cooper, who considers himself a humanitarian, said that he had no problem with artists using their platform to highlight global issues if it benefited others.

He said: "I think what Bono does and what [Bruce] Springsteen does, Sting and all the people that raise money for others — that's humanitarian, and I'm all for that. But I don't think that's political."

In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Cooper stated about then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump: "He's an interesting character. It seems like he shoots himself in the foot every single day and gets more popular by doing it. It's the weirdest. It's like [Kurt] Vonnegut: Everything that shouldn't happen is happening."

Cooper previously said that he would even go so far as to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing just to make a point. During the 2004 election season, he said: "When I read the list of people who are supporting Kerry, if I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush."

He also mused about sitting between such political rocker icons as John Lennon and Harry Nilsson while they argued politics and thinking, "I don't ca