During an appearance on this past Thursday's (January 27) episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", legendary rocker Alice Cooper confirmed that he is putting together ideas for the follow-up to last year's "Detroit Stories" LP. "I'm working on two albums right now, actually — two studio albums," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And all I can say is that one is written — totally written — and we'll be doing bed tracks for that one pretty soon. 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."

The 73-year-old singer went on to say that his longtime producer Bob Ezrin will once again be involved with both LPs, the first one of which will arrive later this year.

"It's kind of like the old days when you're touring and putting out records at the same time," Alice explained. "It kind of takes me back to when you're doing 'Love It To Death' and then you tour for 'Love It To Death'. While you're doing 'Love It To Death', you're writing 'Killer'. When 'Love It To Death' is over, 'Killer' comes out and then you go support that. And while you're doing 'Killer', you're writing 'School's Out'. So we're kind of piggybacking everything. And I kind of like that. It keeps everything moving. I don't like those big chunks of time when there's nothing going on."

Earlier this month, Alice's guitarist Nita Strauss revealed to 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."

Less than a year ago, Alice told Australia's Heavy that he wanted to record his next album on the road with the current lineup of his solo band. "I like it — I like the idea," he said. "I brought up the idea because my stage band is so tight. They're not even on ['Detroit Stories']. But they're so tight that they can play anything. And I said, 'Well, then why don't we write the songs on the road about the road? Let's write the songs about what happens on the road.' Or just it could be funny, it could be tragic, it could be whatever. I said, 'But let's make this album rock, like you guys do. And I'd love to play it live during soundchecks.' Instead of playing 'Eighteen' or 'School's Out' or doing a soundcheck every day, I said, 'Let's rehearse these songs.' And then, at one point, somewhere on the road when we have two days off, we'll set up the next gig and record them all — record them live in a venue.' And I said, 'That would be unique. Nobody's ever done that. So let's do something nobody's ever done.'"

Alice went on to say that he had every confidence that the members of his current solo band — Strauss, Tommy Henriksen (guitar), Ryan Roxie (guitar), Chuck Garric (bass) and Glen Sobel (drums) — would be able to rise to the occasion and make an album while on tour. "If you get the right players, you can do anything," he said. "I've got Nita Strauss in there. Nita is just a monster guitar player. She was voted 'Guitarist Of The Decade' magazine in Guitar magazine, and my drummer was voted 'Best Drummer In Rock' last year. And the great thing about this band is they never have a bad night; they're good every night. And they're all best friends. I never hear an argument; I never hear an ego pop up; I never hear anybody yelling at anybody unless it's funny. All I hear backstage is laughing."

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 alb

Swedish metal band, Secret Society, recently announced that guitarist/engineer/producer Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) is mixing and co-producing the band's new single, "Devil's Call", at Sweden's Sonic Train Studios.


The "Devil's Call" single will be released on January 28. A lyric video for the song is streaming below:







Secret Society features Rick Altzi (Masterplan, Herman Frank), Morten Sandager (ex-Pretty Maids, Ronnie Atkins) and Paul Sabu (Alice Cooper, David Bowie). Stay tuned for updates.

STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis has dropped $505,000 from the asking price of his Massachusetts home.

Lewis bought the 14,000-square-foot Worthington home for for $475,000 in 2001, around the time STAIND's "Break The Cycle" spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The LP went on to shift four million copies in the U.S. alone. He put the home on the market in August 2020 for $3.5 million, but that price came down on January 19, 2022 to $2.995 million.

According to the listing, the "unique four bedroom, five full bath/ three half bath main house includes an in-law apartment and an Olympic sized indoor/heated, salt water pool. Other special features include a Vantage Lighting System, an indoor/outdoor intercom system, a security system, a large game room and home office, a steam shower and overflow tub in the master bath, a humidification system, and a full house commercial generator. The horse barn includes an apartment as well as a fireproof walk-in vault."

A video tour of the home is available below.

The listing agent told The Boston Globe in 2020 that Lewis was selling in order to spend more time in Nashville, where he has been focusing on a country music solo career.

Lewis's new solo album, "Frayed At Both Ends", will be released on January 28.

Aaron first dipped his toes into country music with his 2011 EP, "Town Line". His second full-length album, "Sinner", arrived in the fall of 2016 and was followed by a stand-alone single, "Folded Flag".

Lewis released his third full-length country album, "State I'm In", in April 2019 via Big Machine imprint Valory Music.

STAIND has released seven albums since 1995, the latest being 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.

STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", in May 2021 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents.

STAIND played its first full live show in five years in September 2019 at the Louder Than Life music festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

Last summer, STAIND completed a U.S. tour as the support act for KORN.

Ex-Meliah Rage guitarist Anthony Nichols and co-conspirators Jon Hardy (vocals, bass), Steve Fry (drums), and Dan Dykes (lead guitar) will release Burn Pit, a sumptuously menacing four-song EP on Friday, January 28, 2022.


Burn Pit is Mexican Ape-Lord’s third release on Unable Records, following the acclaimed albums The Late Heavy Bombardment and Survival Cannibalism. Audio-savant producer Peter Rutcho is once again at the controls.







The tried-and-true Mexican Ape-Lord themes are all represented here: apex predators, ritualistic bloodshed, dangerous work, and inner demons. Through it all, the boys hammer out non-stop riffs, diabolical drum work, and insanely catchy leads. “We operate like an expeditionary force,” says Hardy. “Every member is a specialist.”


Burn Pit’s release is accompanied by a lyric video for the song “Keep Hammering,” produced by Brandon Maxham. Check it out below:



Nichols, a prime mover of metal for over three decades, says, “We’re not about to stop making loud music just because the world is coming to an end.”

The band is currently working on its third full length album, Blunt Instrument, to be released in early 2023.

Columbus, OH based rock band South Of Eden has released their newest single, a cover of the 1984 Van Halen track "Drop Dead Legs", off of their breakout album, 1984. Directed by front-man Ehab Omran and edited by John Payne, "Drop Dead Legs" is only streamable from the band's YouTube and Facebook pages.





“‘Drop Dead Legs’ is one of many VH songs where the riff, lyrics, and groove come together to form a sound signature to those four dudes jamming in a room. Although we have played ‘Unchained’, ‘Running With The Devil’, ‘Beautiful Girls’ and more of their other tunes live, ‘Drop Dead Legs’ felt like the best choice to encapsulate everything we love about Van Halen! RIP to a legend.” - Ehab Omran (lead vocals, acoustic guitar)







 

Andy Timmons has presented the first reveal from his upcoming new studio album, titled Electric Truth, planned for a global release on April 1. A pre-order will go live this Friday. Preview the composition, “EWF”, below.


Says Andy: “This track epitomizes the record for me: A great band playing live in the studio - raw, funky, edgy… real. Very much inspired by the great guitarist Al McKay of Earth, Wind And Fire.”  


Reflecting on his connection to the instrument, Timmons shares, “Music and specifically the electric guitar has always been my solace and my foundation: something that I can always count on in good times and especially in bad. Something I can trust. In a world of so much misinformation and deceit I find music and playing music more important now than ever before. Electric Truth.”




He continues, “When my friend (producer and guitarist extraordinaire) Josh Smith invited me to his studio to record, I jumped at the chance. I was looking to do a record outside of my usual band just to change things up a bit. I was a fan of Josh’s playing, and really loved the bands he puts together so we decided I would just come out to L.A. as the “artist,” and he would produce and put the studio band together. We co-wrote a few things, and I wrote a few ballads as well. I’d say overall the record has a funky/earthy feel to it with plenty of melody. And it certainly rocks as well.”


Joining Timmons in the studio were drummer Lemar Carter (Joss Stone, Raphael Saadiq), bassist Travis Carlton (Larry Carlton, Robben Ford), and keyboardist Deron Johnson (Miles Davis, Stanley Clarke, Seal). Corry Pertile laid down vocals on a couple of tracks, while Smith performed on “Johnnie T”.

In a recent interview with "Anders Bøtters Tiny TV", Bruce Dickinson spoke about IRON MAIDEN's reputation as having the most loyal and dedicated fans of any band working today. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can't speak for every individual IRON MAIDEN fan, obviously, and I can't imagine what each of them is individually thinking and what kind of nuance they get out of what we do. 'Cause I think people get different things out of different parts of what we do. So some fans will really zone in on some bits. Some of the kind of rhythmic things that we do, some people will be big fans of that; some people will be big fans of Adrian's [Smith] guitar; some people will be nuts about vocals and therefore they'll follow some of my solo stuff. You've got all kinds of shades of opinion, but they all congregate around a central core, which is, 'Yeah, it's IRON MAIDEN, stupid.' That's it."

He continued: "We've retained the identity because we are commercially independent. We don't ever change what we do in response to external pressure. Everything we do is developed internally, and therefore even if we screw up, at least we screwed up for the right reasons. What that means is people trust you. So, some albums are better than others. Fine — I'm gonna let other people comment on that, 'cause I've got my opinions; other people have other opinions. And we know that — we're not stupid. But nevertheless, we don't go in there trying to make a rubbish album. We make the best album we can do that's in front of our face on the day, on the week, in the month of that period of our lives. And that's like a document for us, and it's where we were at when we did that right then. And I think for a lot of MAIDEN fans, albums work like that for them too. So the album becomes like a document for their life as well at the same time. And in order for that to work, you don't necessarily have to agree with what the band is doing at the time — and frequently, obviously, some people do and some people don't — but you've got to believe that the band is sincerely doing it for the right reasons, and therefore you still keep that loyalty."

Dickinson added: "To put it superficially, I would say that IRON MAIDEN fans are a little bit like plywood — we get a new layer every year, and they all just stick together, so eventually we get a table that's, like, ten feet thick. And people are going, 'How did you end up with a table ten feet thick?' I said, 'We just never lost a layer.' And, of course, we've got people that started in 1983, '84, and we've got people that started in the year 2000, 2005, 2015 — generations and generations. People whose first album was 'The Book Of Souls'. And then they went, 'Ah, I like this band. 'The Book Of Souls'. Cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah.' 'Oh my God. They did another bunch of albums. What's this thing? 'The Number Of The Beast'. I never heard about that. Oh, this is cool.' And you go back and you get a chance to rediscover all the discography."

Referencing MAIDEN's latest LP, "Senjutsu", which came out in September, Bruce said: "I think this album will deliver us a very new thick layer of plywood. And of course, where we exist — yeah, sure, we exist on albums and things, but where we really exist is on stage."

"Senjutsu", IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

MAIDEN's first two Paul Di'Anno-era albums, "Iron Maiden" (1980) and "Killers" (1981), as well as with those recorded with singer Blaze Bayley, "The X Factor" (1995) and "Virtual XI" (1998), all failed to dent the Top 40 in the U.S.

According to Billboard, "Senjutsu" logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales. It trailed only FOO FIGHTERS' "Medicine At Midnight", which debuted on the Feb. 20 chart with 70,000 units (of which 64,000 were in album sales).

"Senjutsu" topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

In a new interview with "Heritage Musicians In Conversation With Joe Matera", TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French was asked how important veteran hard rock producer Tom Werman was to the commercial success of the band's triple-platinum "Stay Hungry" album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Boy, that's a complicated answer. Because Tom Werman, as a symbol, represented success, because he had enormous, multi-platinum successful records and artists — Ted Nugent and MÖTLEY CRÜE and CHEAP TRICK; I mean, he had a track record. So when the record label said, 'We'll get you Werman,' that was basically like telling Jimmy Stewart in 1940, 'We're getting you Frank Capra to direct your movie,' or someone telling you 'We're getting Francis Ford Coppola to direct a movie.' I mean, if you're getting those kinds of names, you're going, 'Oh, wow. That's heavyweight.' Werman was a heavyweight. Regardless of what anyone thinks of his records, how they sounded, he was a heavyweight. So he came on board. And it was controversial because Dee [Snider, TWISTED SISTER singer] didn't get along with him, and he didn't like a lot of the songs. Putting that aside, he knew how to make a record sound good on the radio. 'We're Not Gonna Take It' just exploded on the radio. So regardless of whatever personal issues we had with Werman, the fact is that you can't deny that he produced a record that has now sold six million copies. It's like AC/DC saying, 'Well, ['Back In Black' producer] Mutt Lange is bad' or 'terrible.' Well, I'm sorry — he sold you 18 million copies of a record. So it's unfair to just smear him. I don't wanna smear Werman. He did what he did, and life moves on.

"You ask a lot of bands if they like the way their records sound, a lot of 'em will say they don't," French reasoned. "It didn't matter what producer produced it. They'll go, 'It can always be better. Somebody else could have done it.' So we did our own version of it called 'Still Hungry'; we re-recorded everything. Are we the first artist to do that? No."

Two years ago, Snider slammed Werman over the producer's work on "Stay Hungry", saying that he had "begged" Tom to put the songs "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" on the LP. "[Tom] didn't want those two tracks on the record," Dee said during an appearance on "The Jasta Show". "I was on my knees in front of him… I wasn't begging on my knees, but because he was sitting and there was noise going on… And he's going, 'Eh, 'We're Not Gonna Take It', it's a little [hums melody mockingly]' I go, 'Trust me. It's gonna be edgier when we do it. That's the thing. It's catchy.' And his answer was, 'All right, if you really want it.' Okay, that was 'We're Not Gonna Take It'. And 'I Wanna Rock', he goes, 'Eh, I've done that thing already with MOLLY HATCHET. [hums galloping rhythm]' He was mocking my song. He actually presented me with SAXON songs to put on the 'Stay Hungry' album from [SAXON's] 'Strong Arm of The Law'. He goes, 'Check this out.' I go, 'Yeah, it's SAXON.' He goes, 'It's really good.' I said, 'Yeah, it's SAXON.' He goes, 'Nobody really knows them.' I said, 'We've toured with them. It's SAXON.' … He wanted us to cover SAXON songs. And I love SAXON, but in my community, it was current. It was their album that came out last. And he had this attitude, like, they were European, they weren't really big."

Werman later fired back at Snider over his comments, accusing the singer of "embellishing" the facts and denying that he had the power to singlehandedly pick the songs that were going to be include on the album.

"When an independent producer is hired by a label or a band, he is not given the authority to decide which songs are recorded," he told Full In Bloom. "It's a cooperative venture, Now, there's probably a very good chance that when they played me the demos of 'We're Not Gonna Take It', I said, 'Well, it sounds a little bit like a nursery rhyme.' Definitely catchy. But I probably needed a little bit of convincing. Getting down on his knees and begging? No. No. Dee Snider was there for the mixes. Dee Snider approved every single mix. So, really, if he doesn't like the album, it's just as much his fault as it might be fine. So, he blames somebody else…

"There's no question that my approach to recording music was more pop, but that's what worked," Werman explained. "That's what got people on the radio. That's why [CHEAP TRICK's] 'Surrender' was a hit. That's why [Ted Nugent's] 'Cat Scratch Fever' was a hit. That's why I made hit singles. That was the only way to sell millions of albums, which would have been confined or restricted to FM play only. He's got one of the most licensed songs in the history of recorded music probably, and he's bitching and bitching and bitching… It is mysterious to me."

Tom also addressed Dee's claim that Werman suggested having TWISTED SISTER cover a SAXON song on the LP.

"I committed the terrible crime of saying, 'Hey, I like this song. Maybe you could do it,'" Tom said. "[Dee] said, 'Woah, it's SAXON.' 'That's right. That's right. It's SAXON. I really like this.' And I think it was 'Strong Arm Of The Law' or something like that. SAXON was a good band. He said, 'We've toured with them. We know them.' But the way he put it, it was, like, 'What, in God's name, is a producer doing, suggesting to me, Dee Snider, who writes songs, that I should do a song that somebody else wrote?' We do it all the time. I've done cover songs with everybody. MÖTLEY CRÜE did 'Smokin' In The Boys Room'. POISON did 'Your Mama Don't Dance' — a Top 10 single. So I said it, I recommended it. And he goes nuts: 'He wanted me to do a SAXON song, for God's sake.' That's right, Dee. I wanted you to do that. And he said no. Did I force you to do it? No. Because I can't.

"If I had the power to keep one of Dee's songs off the album, then I would have had the power — the same power — to force him to put another song on the album," Werman explained. "Obviously, I don't have that power as a producer, and I never did, nor do many other producers. The producer is a hired gun; you fire him if you don't like him. In their case, [Dee] was pissed because he was forced to work with me by Doug Morris, who was a fairly successful record guy, songwriter, number two or three guy in the recorded music history, behind Clive [Davis] and Ahmet [Ertegun]. And he called me up and he said, 'Tom, you are the only producer I can think of who I think can make a hit with this band. And I really want this band to break a million in the United States.' So, of course, I said yes, and, of course, I knew that my job was to make them a commercial success.

"I really don't know what I could have done different to satisfy this guy," he added, referring to Dee. "I mean, the record that he made with the band, the re-record [of 'Stay Hungry'], that he said, 'That's the way we should have sounded,' I don't know who marketed it, but I understood that in the beginning, after it was released, it sold about 25 thousand records. CHEAP TRICK did the same thing.

"Years later, you're not so good. But at the time, you're great. They're selling millions of records — we love you. We love you, Tom. You're the best. And then, 20 years later, nah, he didn't get our sound right. He wasn't focused. He barely gave a damn about us. He tried to keep our best songs off the record. Whatever you like. It's just, like, I think I'll revise history here a little bit."

In a 2004 press release announcing the release of the re-recorded and expanded version of the classic 1984 album — under the aforementioned title "Still Hungry" — French said, "'Still Hungry' is 'Stay Hungry - The Way It Ought to Be'. It has an ultra-heavy sound, which is the way we wanted 'Stay Hungry' in the first place. But at that time rock records had a thin, very midrange kind of sound and so 'Stay Hungry' was recorded very lightly. We battled Atlantic Records and producer Tom Werman about it, but we lost. These re-recordings are faithful to the original arrangements, but they sound much heavier."

Guitarist Chad Gilbert of the long-running pop-punk band NEW FOUND GLORY says that he is "cancer free", less than two months after he was diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, a rare type of tumor that develops in the adrenal glands, small glands on the top of the kidneys.

A week after his diagnosis, the 40-year-old musician underwent successful surgery to remove the tumor and has since credited his wife and the hospital staff with saving his life.

Earlier today, Gilbert, who co-founded NEW FOUND GLORY in 1997, took to his Instagram to write: "Half a liver, a gallbladder, & one adrenal gland later, I am officially cancer free. All my tests and scans came back clear! I know there's the chance of it coming back later but I feel so good knowing what was in me is gone and if it ever does come back, we will see it from it's beginning. Let's not even worry about that though.

"I'm so lucky to still be here and so blessed that I had a super team that fixed me. My endocrinologist, surgeon, & oncologist teaming up and taking down my Pheochromocytoma more swiftly & efficiently than the Avengers could defeat Thanos in Infinity War. Love them and am forever grateful. And once again the biggest I love you and thank you to my wife for being tough, brave, and for saving me. Getting me through all of this and staying by my side while at the same time taking care of our baby girl Lily at home. All my ICU nurse family who I lived with for 2 weeks, who had to check me every hour to keep me safe. Thank you thank you!!! All you fans out there writing me the nicest messages when you all found out what happened. You already do enough as fans but that was awesome and kept me feeling loved. I am forever changed by this experience.

"2022 is gonna be awesome!!! Will be rocking in your faces soon enough. God bless !"

This was not Gilbert's first cancer scare. Back in 2010, he underwent thyroid surgery to remove a suspicious lump. While he was recovering from that operation, guitarist Anthony Raneri of BAYSIDE stepped in for Gilbert on NEW FOUND GLORY's tour.

Last month, NEW FOUND GLORY gave fans an early Christmas gift — a brand new holiday album, "December's Here", out now via Hopeless Records. NEW FOUND GLORY helped fans get into the holiday spirit with eleven original songs, including recent singles "Somber Christmas" and "Holiday Records".

Earlier in 2021, NEW FOUND GLORY released a new deluxe album, "Forever And Ever x Infinity...And Beyond!!!" "Forever And Ever x Infinity...And Beyond!!!" featured six new songs that the band wrote and recorded during the pandemic, including latest singles "Backseat" and "The Last Redeye".

NEW FOUND GLORY recently wrapped the "Pop Punk's Still Not Dead" tour, which featured support from LESS THAN JAKE, HOT MULLIGAN and LØLØ.

NEW FOUND GLORY is Gilbert, Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar) and Cyrus Bolooki (drums).
























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ASIA, one of the greatest and best-loved supergroups to emerge during the 1980s, is currently preparing for an extensive 40th-anniversary celebration, due to kick off in summer 2022. Featuring founding members Carl Palmer (ELP, CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN) and Geoff Downes (YES, THE BUGGLES), the group will also include longtime bassist/ vocalist Billy Sherwood (YES) and newest member, guitarist/ lead vocalist Marc Bonilla, (solo artist, KEITH EMERSON BAND). The band is currently being booked for a U.S. tour to start late summer this year.

"40 years of ASIA is a real musical milestone for us," says Downes. "The success we experienced with our early albums has carried us through and gave us the foundation when we reformed in 2006. ASIA has been together ever since, although we lost John in 2017 to cancer. Still, we have endured and will carry on now with Marc Bonilla, who we know will be a great addition to the band."

"The fans have never left ASIA," says Palmer. "That first ASIA album with all those radio and MTV hits weaved the fabric of the music scene in the early 1980s. Those great songs like 'Heat Of The Moment', 'Sole Survivor' and 'Only Time Will Tell' still hold up today. When we play those songs and our other hits, we can see the entire audience singing along."

In December the multi-platinum selling English supergroup released its most ambitious collection to date: a 10-CD boxset "The Official Live Bootlegs Volume 1". Issued through BMG Records on December 3, the expansive set chronicles five complete performances of the original lineup captured between 1982 and 2010. The collection celebrates the huge appeal of the concert tours that followed ASIA's first two albums in 1982 and 1983. The success continued following ASIA's 25th-anniversary reunion in 2006 and three more highly acclaimed albums. The slipcase boxset features 5 x 2CD concerts from 1982 (Buffalo, NY, USA), 1983 (Worcester, MA, USA), 2007 (São Paulo, Brazil), 2008 (Tokyo, Japan) and 2010 (London, UK). The bootleg collection follows a previous 5 CD box set of studio recordings released in April, 2021.

Downes, Steve Howe (YES, guitars), Palmer and John Wetton (KING CRIMSON, UK, bass/vocals), took the world by storm with ASIA's eponymous debut album, globally the biggest-selling album of 1982, and the single "Heat Of The Moment". ASIA was a true "supergroup", pooling the talents of its four members who had already amassed tens of millions of record sales with their collective bands of the 1970s. Leaving behind their progressive roots, ASIA embraced the commercial FM rock sound that dominated U.S. airwaves and took that, and the new MTV video channel, by storm. The single "Heat Of The Moment" was a worldwide monster smash and their eponymous 1982 debut album spent an incredible nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart as ASIA became the biggest-selling album of the year and world tour dates sold out.

A second album, "Alpha", was released in 1983, followed by "Astra" in 1985. The four original members reconvened in 2006 for a world tour, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that incredible success, and the album "Phoenix" followed. While the members were still heavily involved in other projects, they came together again to record "Omega" in 2010 and "XXX" in 2012, both albums were acclaimed by their faithful fans and supported by more world tours. Howe stepped back from ASIA to concentrate on his work with YES and was absent for 2014's "Gravitas". Following this tour came the news of Wetton's treatment for cancer, a fight he sadly lost in 2017. ASIA was special guest of JOURNEY for an extensive U.S. tour in 2017, and in 2019 the band hit the road with YES for the "Royal Affair" tour.

"We are planning an extensive tour to celebrate our 40th," adds Downes, "and the music will feature all the hits the fans have embraced. Stay tuned! It will be show you won't want to mi

In a recent interview with the METALLICA fan-club magazine So What!, the band's former bassist Jason Newsted was asked how he dealt with the huge commercial success of METALLICA's 1991 self-titled album — better known as the "Black Album" — when it first happened. He said: "All of us experienced some kind of swelly head at different levels for different amounts of time through this three-year span. [It was] inevitable and impossible for it not to happen… I remember me personally, when I went shopping with [METALLICA guitarist] Kirk [Hammett] in Paris, and he took to me a couple of nice, nice stores, and I threw down a lot of money for some nice clothes and shoes and stuff. I'd never done that before. And I thought I was the shit… So I did get caught in the moment. I think that I've been really, really frugal with my earnings, and so that's why I still have them. But I did have a couple of moments there. But that was the time — dropping all this money for wine and fancy shit… And I think it lasted for about — I'd say five to six months, for myself, that it was just that 'walking on air.' Everywhere that you went, in the 55 countries that we played in, they're waiting for you when you fucking there… What are you supposed to do?"

When asked how he "caught himself" before going off the deep end, Newsted said: "I think when I came back home on the one break to be with my girl again, I just realized that that's not who I am. It just is not who I am. I pretended I was gonna get this fancy car and all that shit. I'm, like, 'Dude, you know that you'd rather have a '65 Mopar, '68 Mopar than you would that fucking Lamborghini bullshit anyway.' But those guys were driving Porsches and fancy cars and stuff, and I'm, like, 'I can afford that too.'"

You can now watch So What!'s entire one-hour interview with Newsted in four parts below.

Jason left METALLICA in 2001 but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, Hammett, and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.

The Black Album is one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed records of all time. Its 1991 release not only gave METALLICA its first No. 1 album in no fewer than 10 countries, including a four-week run at No. 1 in the U.S., its unrelenting series of singles — "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam" and "Sad But True" — fueled the band's rise to stadium headlining, radio and MTV dominating household name status. The album's reception from the press was similarly charged, building over the years from the top 10 of the 1991 Village Voice Pazz & Jop national critics poll to becoming a constant presence in the likes of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. The album's impact and relevance continue to grow — as proven by one indisputable fact: The Black Album remains unchallenged as the best-selling album in the history of Nielsen SoundScan, outselling every release in every genre over the past 30 years.

To commemorate its 30th anniversary, the Grammy-winning, 16-times-platinum-certified Black Album received its definitive re-release in September via the band's own Blackened Recordings.

Last year, Newsted sold his ranch in historic Sula, Montana. The listing price was $4.95 million but the final sale price wasn't disclosed.

Newsted and his wife Nicole have been longtime residents of Jupiter, Florida.

In October 2020, Newsted bought a home on Skaneateles Lake in the village of Skaneateles, New York for $6.1 million.

In late 2019, Jason sold his Walnut Creek, California house for $2.3 million.

Eastern European emotional metalcore upstarts DRAG ME OUT, led by Denis "Stoff" Shaforostov, the charismatic frontman and former singer for MAKE ME FAMOUS and ASKING ALEXANDRIA, have released their brand new single, "Bullets In My Teeth". The track is taken from the band's second album, "Demons Away", which will be released on May 6 via their own label imprint Lödereih Music.

"Bullets In My Teeth" is an anthem for the heartbroken and the insecure state of mind that many people find themselves in today.

Denis comments on the new single: "'Bullets In My Teeth' not only marks our return to the heavy metal fray after splitting with our longtime label Sumerian Records but it is also a very personal song for me… Relationships of any kind, whether they be with your partner, bandmates or with your fans — it is no easy task. It can make you or break you… When I wrote this song, I was definitely breaking down. I hope it will help someone get back up like it did for me."

"Demons Away" is part one of a three-part concept album and starts off where DRAG ME OUT's previous release, "Pressure", left off. It contains 12 new songs filled with huge chunky riffs and punchy rhythms rushing over tight grooves with just enough soaring melodies and infectious hooks to start a mosh pit on the dance floor or in your living room.

Denis states about "Demons Away": "It is soaked in the paranormal vibes. Your spiritual journey begins here and now. Our main purpose is to shed the light on the things that really make you feel bad, anxious, weak or wrong. It is our call for you to face the pain and explore it at its energetic core as the truth lies deeper than it might seem. My demons truly showed me that they are in fact always standing somewhere in between my perception of life and the ultimate truth about our world."

"Demons Away" track listing:

01. Crystal Arms

02. With A Thunder We Rise

03. Blind & Blurred

04. Bullets In My Teeth

05. Cuz It's Meant To Be

06. I Swear I'm Not OK

07. Hymn For The Wicked

08. Let Me In

09. My Mistakes

10. No Feelings

11. The Watch Of The Buried

12. Save My Life

DRAG ME OUT is:

Denis "Stoff" Shaforostov - Vocals

Stas Belove - Guitars

Kir Medvedev - Bass

Chris Nokia - Drums

Denis recorded one album with ASKING ALEXANDRIA, "The Black", before exiting the band in October 2016. Guitarist Ben Bruce said in a video message that Shaforostov had "just stopped talking to us."

He added: "When Denis first joined the band, people within the music industry and fans alike, they all told us these different things about Denis's past, and we got many warnings, and we said, that's his past — forgive and forget; we don't know any of that side of things. So we gave him the benefit of the doubt, and, you know, there's no smoke without fire, and I guess we found that out the hard way."

Shaforostov has not spoken out about his departure from ASKING ALEXANDRIA, although he did tweet at one point that he "left AA because I can't be in a touring band at this point in my life. There's no drama and I don't want to be a part of it."

Singer Danny Worsnop rejoined ASKING ALEXANDRIA in the fall of 2016.

Transatlantic progressive metal outfit Monuments have announced their fourth album, In Stasis, which is set for a release April 15, 2022.


“We approached this album without the intention of a specific concept. However - three songs in, what was being written ended up sharing a common theme. This feeling of being stuck in the middle, a feeling we experience throughout our lives - within friendships and relationships, love to hate, life to death, belief or non-belief, being in power to total defeat, isolation to freedom. Over the past 2 years, we have been faced with many of these trials, and these struggles can be heard throughout the record. This record is a culmination of our greatest triumphs and our deepest struggles. We hope it resonates with you, and brings you closer to equilibrium. We'd like to thank guests Neema Askari (Form Subtract, ex Fellsilent, ex-Monuments), Spencer Sotelo (Periphery, King Mothership), and Mick Gordon (DOOM, Prey, Killer Instinct) for enhancing the record with their unique perspectives,” states Monuments.


In Stasis credits:
Produced, Recorded and Edited by John Browne, Andy Cizek and Mike Malyan
Co-Produced by Mick Gordon
Additional Engineering by Ross Halden, Justin Woodward and Adam Steel
Additional Editing by Charlie Abend and Evan Sammons
Mixing by George Lever at G1 Productions 
Mastering by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street 




Cover art by Visual Amnesia:





Tracklisting:


“No One Will Teach You” (feat. Neema Askari)
“Lavos”
“Cardinal Red”
“Opiate”
“Collapse”
“Arch Essence” (feat. Spencer Sotelo)
“Somnus”
“False Providence”
“Makeshift Harmony”
“The Cimmerian”


“Lavos” feat. Mick Gordon:





(Photo by Martyna Wisniewska @gingerdope)

Møtivatiøn, the new collaborative collective led by visionary Ø, today drops the sludge-powered filth of latest single, “Revelatiøn Denied,” featuring members of Obituary, Intoxicated (members of the Andrew W.K. band), and more. Now playing in video form via BrooklynVegan, the track comes by way of the cooperative’s debut full-length, The Infinite 8 Steps To Power / Money / More, set for release on February 22nd via Seeing Red Records.


A gargantuan project uniting an eclectic array of musicians, the premise of Møtivatiøn is simple: If you want to motivate yourself by motivating others and/or motivate others by motivating yourself, then your positive collaboration will be most welcome. Møtivatiøn’s immersive experience and teachings continually challenge and engage candidates searching for the best possible version of themselves. The ambitious effort boasts twelve stirring hymns brought to fruition by members of Faith No More, Throbbing Gristle, Agnostic Front, L7, Lunachicks, Toxic Holocaust, EyeHateGod, Black Anvil, High Reaper, and so many more.


Issues Ø of “Revelatiøn Denied,” “The Møtivatiøn Cøllective is well pleased by the pøsitive cøllabøratiøn from Erik [Payne], Gregg [Roberts], Mike [Radford], and John [Sutton] of Intoxicated and Kenny [Andrews] of Obituary. ‘Revelatiøn Denied’ contributes a unique strain of møtivatiønal power which we believe to be very effective for the purging and transmutation of the negative. This track is a sonic journey through the swamps of the human psyche; the darkness is thick, the air is heavy, and you are surrounded by a choir of creatures which threaten to pull you under and tear you apart. Only by remaining in motion will you survive. Having contributed their talents to Andrew W.K. since 1998, Erik and Gregg have been undeniably imbued with 'party power,' a highly motivational energy indeed. With Andrew's mysterious disappearance in fall of 2021, a higher level of creativity seems to have been activated-- the song was completed 24 hours after being contacted by the cøllective."




The Infinite 8 Steps To Power / Money / More will be released on LP and digital formats. Find pre-orders here.





The Infinite 8 Steps To Power / Money / More tracklisting:


"Step Øne (In 5 Easy Steps)" (Feat. Theo Kogan, Joel Grind, Lucy Pierce, Shane Trimble)
"Swalløw" (Feat. Theo Kogan, Roger Miret, Shane Trimble)
"Prisøn Løgic" (Feat. Mike IX Williams, Parris Mayhew, Gina Volpe, Shane Trimble)
"Cøntrol" (Feat. Paul Delaney, Theo Kogan)
"Initium Fire/Gøld" (Feat. Donita Sparks, Gina Volpe, Theo Kogan)
"Medi (C+T) Atiøn" (Feat. Paul Delaney, Theo Kogan, Victoria Starr)
"Helder Fan Eagen, Ferljøchte Fan Geast" (Feat. John Bart Van Der Wal, Thomas Haywood)
"Pay Tø Play" (Feat. Roger Miret, Roddy Bottum, Theo Kogan , Richie Long)
"Øpen" (Feat. Eddley Odowd, Theo Kogan)
"Revelation Denied" (Feat. Erik Payne, Gregg Roberts, Mike Radford, John Sutton, Kenny Andrews)
"Løgistics" (Feat. Norman Reedus, Matt Katz-Bohen, Theo Kogan, Shane Trimble)
"Spøils; Zenith" (Feat. Roddy Bottum, Victoria Starr, Genesis P Orridge, Norman Reedus, Eddley Odowd, Joe Letz, Andy Duval)


“Revelatiøn Denied” video:





"Prisøn Løgic":

Former Cradle Of Filth backing vocalist / keyboardist turned solo artist Lindsay Schoolctaft has released a haunting video for her track, "Twin Flame". The video was originally released on her Patreon to celebrate the creative community she has grown there.


Lindsay: "If you know about the Twin Flame phenomenon it is because you've experienced it yourself. You meet someone that you feel you've known forever. Everything changes around you: your life, your thoughts, your path and purpose. Intensely romantic or intensely painful, they are the mirror of your soul and ignite you to 'wake up' to who you truly are. 


This song came to me over the summer of 2021 and was recorded and released on my Patreon not long after. Some songs you can sit on for a while, but this one was on loop every night in my head, constantly reminding me that it wanted to be birthed. Once I had connected with Phantasma Photography over Twitter, the music video followed not long after and with so much ease. It's like it was all meant to be.




After deep diving into Twin Flame experiences shared all over the globe, Chris (Phantasma) and I started drawing up the visuals for the music video. Along with Chris's unique visual style and what resources we had available, we were able to create a smokey dreamland where the two halves of the Twin Flame long to find each other again.


While I'm usually known for releasing Gothic Metal tracks, it's abundantly clear that this song, while ethereal and gothic, is a bit of a departure from metal. While I have plans to release more metal tracks in 2022, on Patreon, I'm exploring other avenues of dark music. I am a huge fan of electronic and Trip-Hop artists like Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, and VAST and that influence shines through here.


Creating 'Twin Flame' was a new journey with sharing the whole creative process over Patreon. It took a bit of discipline to get out of my head, slow down, and document and share every step, but my Patrons truly appreciated it and because of that I know they feel a special connection to this track, too."





"Twin Flame" was written, produced, and performed by Lindsay Schoolcraft. Mixed and mastered by Tyler Williams of Monolithic Productions.


Cello by Dalai Cellai
Viola and violin by Dagda
Electronics and programming by Gaia Guarda


Music video by Chris Borshowa of Phantasma Photography 

During a recent appearance on "The Joe Piscopo Show", Ted Nugent paid tribute to iconic rock singer Meat Loaf, who died on January 20 at the age of 74. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This guy was so gifted. And more important than that, he was a funny son of a bitch. He was such a shining light of just good will and decency and the work ethic. I cannot rave enough about what Meat Loaf epitomized for life, liberty and pursuit of rock and roll happiness. What a driving force of nature he was."

Speaking about his memories of his collaboration with Meat Loaf on 1976's "Free For All" album, Ted said: "I have a flood, a tsunami, a bombardment of incredible, funny, outrageous, bellyaching laughter moments. 'Cause if you're not having fun with me, you're weird. And everybody, especially Meat Loaf… He spent enough time in Detroit to learn the importance of cockiness, and he was very good at his cockiness. He was right up there with you and me, Joe. But every day in the studio… Number one, because we were all clean and sober, so our humor, our laughter, our passion, our work ethic was united to deliver the ultimate musical performance. So between me and Meat Loaf and [producer] Tom Werman and everybody in our team, it was an absolute orgy of laughter. But once the recording button was hit, it was serious, serious business without losing the sense of humor and the passion and the outrageousness, and, more important, the defiance. What defines Meat Loaf's best music? He was a defiant son of a bitch, and I love him for that. And that will always be with us."

According to TMZ, Meat Loaf was "seriously ill" with COVID-19 just days before his death. The singer was due to attend a business dinner earlier this week for a show he was working on based on his classic hit "I'd Do Anything For Love" but canceled after becoming sick.

Meat Loaf had reportedly been outspoken about vaccine mandates. In May, he posted a clip of Eric Clapton and Van Morrison's anti-lockdown song "Stand & Deliver", writing, "Listen and Learn." He also reportedly told a fan in a Cameo video three weeks ago that he recently had an endoscopy and complained about seemingly endless lockdowns and restrictions, telling the fan: "COVID's a drag, but you can blame China."

In one of his last interviews, Meat Loaf appeared to be losing patience with pandemic measures. Speaking to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in August, Meat Loaf said: "I understood stopping life for a little while, but they cannot continue to stop life because of politics. And right now they're stopping because of politics." He also claimed that masks are "useless" and a "nuisance" that only "make your nose itch and make it so you can't breathe." He complained about being asked to wear a mask on a plane and said, "If I die, I die, but I'm not going to be controlled."

Meat Loaf is survived by his two daughters, his son-in-law Scott Ian (ANTHRAX) and grandson Revel Young Ian.

Meat Loaf's amazing career spanned six decades and saw him sell over 100 million albums worldwide and star in over 65 movies, including "Fight Club", "Focus", "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Wayne's World".

His "Bat Out Of Hell" remains one of the 10 top-selling albums of all time.

No cause of death has yet been revealed.

The Dallas-born singer's real name was Marvin Lee Aday.

His 1993 hit "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" earned him a Grammy Award.

"Bat Out Of Hell" was also adapted as a stage musical, written by longtime collaborator Jim Steinman.

Rock legend and actor, Meat Loaf (real name Marvin Lee Aday), passed away on January 20 at the age of 74, and according to Mediaite, American radio personality, Howard Stern, is adding Meat Loaf to his list of anti-vaxxers he’s not pleased with.


“Poor Meat Loaf got sucked into some weird fucking cult,” Stern said on the latest edition of his SiriusXM radio show. “And somehow really believed that - he made a statement, ‘I’d rather die a free man than take that vaccine.’ And now he’s dead!”


Stern then called on his family to come out in support of vaccines following the singer’s death. “I wish the family would come forward and say, ‘Ya know, when Meat Loaf was laying there in the hospital and he couldn’t breathe, he said, ‘I made a mistake. I should have taken the vaccine.’ Like all these anti-vaxxers, they all say, ‘I made a mistake.'”




The news of the passing of Meat Loaf was shared via the official Meat Loaf Facebook page.


The message states: "Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight surrounded by his wife Deborah, daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends.


"His amazing career spanned 6 decades that saw him sell over 100 Million albums worldwide and star in over 65 movies, including Fight Club, Focus, Rocky Horror Picture Show and Wayne’s World.


"Bat Out of Hell remains one of the top 10 selling albums of all time.


"We know how much he meant to so many of you and we truly appreciate all of the love and support as we move through this time of grief in losing such an inspiring artist and beautiful man.


"We thank you for your understanding of our need for privacy at this time.


"From his heart to your souls… don’t ever stop rocking!"





















(Photo - Webster Public Relations)

Former ICED EARTH frontman Matt Barlow says that Jon Schaffer is doing "okay," more than one year after he was arrested for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot.

The 50-year-old singer, who is married to Schaffer's sister, touched upon his current relationship with ICED EARTH's founder, songwriter, guitarist and producer while doing press for his ASHES OF ARES project. Asked by Greece's "TV War" if he has talked to Jon in the 12 months since Schaffer was taken into federal custody, Matt said: "I have spoken to Jon, but we don't talk about that kind of stuff. He's okay. I mean, he's my brother-in-law."

ICED EARTH played its final show with Barlow at the 2011 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

Barlow announced his departure from ICED EARTH in March 2011. In a heartfelt statement, he cited his commitment to his family and the need for ICED EARTH to tour more as the reasons for his retirement; however, he committed to performing with ICED EARTH on all 2011 European festival dates, including Wacken Open Air.

A little over a year ago, Barlow reunited with Schaffer to celebrate the holiday season with an EP called "Winter Nights". Released under the SCHAFFER/BARLOW PROJECT banner, the effort contained the duo's unique spin on five Christmas classics and two ICED EARTH songs.

Last April, Schaffer pleaded guilty to his role in the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot. As part of the plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

ASHES OF ARES, which also features former ICED EARTH member Freddie Vidales, released its third studio album, "Emperors And Fools", on January 21 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels. The LP ends with the eleven-minute-long epic "Monster's Lament" which includes the long-imagined joining of forces between Barlow and another former ICED EARTH singer, Tim "Ripper" Owens.

"Emperors And Fools" was produced by ASHES OF ARES, and mixed and mastered by Byron Filson at Villain Recording in Phoenix, Arizona. The cover artwork was created by Kamil Pietruczynik.