A two-minute video of Matthias Jabs unboxing the bundle of SCORPIONS figures from KnuckleBonz, creator of the Rock Iconz music collectible series, can be seen below.

The SCORPIONS figures (set of three or separately) are available for order at this location. This set includes Rudolf Schenker Rock Iconz statue, Klaus Meine Rock Iconz statue and Matthias Jabs Rock Iconz statue.

All Rock Iconz statues are officially licensed, limited-edition collectibles. This is a fine-arts process where each statue is hand-cast, painted and numbered.

The statues are created in 1/9 scale. Each statue comes with a certificate of authenticity on the base of the statue.

Each statue sells for $155 and ships worldwide.

KnuckleBonz has been creating high-end statues since 2003 and continues to be dedicated to honoring music's greatest performers through master artistry in the limited-edition statue series called Rock Iconz. The company's goal is to capture a "live performance" moment in each limited edition.




Knucklebonz is proud to present Scorpions Rock Iconz,are now available for Pre Order -...

Posted by KnuckleBonz Rock Iconz on Monday, June 29, 2020

THE DEAD DAISIES have announced the return of drummer extraordinaire Brian Tichy to the musical collective of Glenn Hughes, Doug Aldrich and David Lowy.

Brian first joined THE DEAD DAISIES in 2013 during the U.S. "Uproar" tour and has regularly played with the band ever since, including highlights in Cuba, in Poland with an immense orchestra at the Woodstock Festival (Poland) and performed on the "Revolución" and "Make Some Noise" albums. He is also known for playing with WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER and OZZY OSBOURNE, among others.

Said Tichy: "Well, what a nice way to start off 2022. I'm excited to get behind the drum kit and do some powerful, groovy rocking with my good friends Doug Aldrich, Glenn Hughes and David Lowy in THE DEAD DAISIES. Looking forward to seeing you all out on tour this year."

Lowy stated: "We are thrilled to have Brian return to the DAISIES fold. He is an exceptional drummer and it’s great to have him taking command of the engine room. Tommy has decided to step away from THE DEAD DAISIES to pursue his own solo projects. We're really looking forward to getting into the studio and hitting those global stages in 2022."

The band added: "A huge thank you to the amazing Tommy Clufetos for rocking out with us. It was awesome to have him as part of the band in 2021. We wish him well."

THE DEAD DAISIES' latest album, "Holy Ground", was released in January 2021. Recorded at La Fabrique Studios in the south of France with producer Ben Grosse, the LP is the band's first to feature Hughes, who joined the group in 2019 as its new bassist and vocalist, replacing John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE) and Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY).

Drummer Deen Castronovo (JOURNEY) announced his exit from THE DEAD DAISIES in January 2021, two days after the band's publicist revealed that Clufetos would rejoin THE DEAD DAISIES when they hit the road in support of "Holy Ground". Clufetos previously toured with THE DEAD DAISIES in 2

Jag Panzer guitarist Mark Briody has checked in with the following update for the fans:


"The new Jag Panzer album is starting to shape up nicely. I’ve whittled down a ton of ideas into a set of songs I’m moving forward with. My bandmates have contributed some excellent ideas. This will be a concept album. We have a title and the artwork has been delivered (it’s spectacular). The conceptual ideas for design / photos, etc. are done. The album will be mixed analog. I’m excited about this!"


Jag Panzer's latest album is The Deviant Chord, released in 2017.







The Deviant Chord tracklisting:


"Born Of The Flame"
"Far Beyond All Fear"
"The Deviant Chord"
"Blacklist"
"Foggy Dew"
"Divine Intervention"
"Long Awaited Kiss"
"Salacious Behavior"
"Fire Of Our Spirit"
"Dare"

Soulseller Records presents From Beyond The Burial Mound, the full-length debut album from Spanish death metal maggots Sepulchral. The album will be released February 25 on CD, vinyl LP, and digital formats.


The album's first single, "Harbor Of Drifting Souls," is available on all digital platforms, and can be enjoyed now:







Sepulchral arise from the tomb with their first full-length album, packed with catchy, putrid, crusty death metal that will make you jump from your coffin! From Beyond The Burial Mound was recorded by the band members themselves, mixed and mastered by Gorka Pérez, and features cover art by Jaime P.S. Pre-orders can be placed now at this location.





Tracklisting:


"The Funerary Dirge"
"Harbor Of Drifting Souls"
"Ceremony Of Putrefaction"
"Sepulchral Fumes"
"Cursed Epitaph"
"Coffin Miasma"
"Tombstone Thrower"
"Caravan Of Putrid Flesh"
"Bastards From The Grave"
"Blood Freak" (Necrophagia cover)
"Eyes Like Burning Catacombs"


 


 

Cinematic metal icons Dark Sarah have started a crowdfunding campaign for their astonishing fifth studio album, Attack Of Orym. The beguiling new dimension, coalescing between crystal-clear vocals and propulsive hardness, draws you into the tempestuous maelstrom of their horror fantasy theme. Introducing the new villain Orym, the band invites you to choose your weapons and to join their epic battle against the dark forces!





Mark Jansen of Epica will sing the title role of Orym, the king of the forest folk. We´ll also hear a long time Dark Sarah guest JP Leppäluoto returning in the role of Dragon. Kasperi Heikkinen (Beast In Black)  will provide his talent on lead guitar.







Dark Sarah vocalist Heidi Parviainen on Attack Of Orym: “Our upcoming new album called Attack Of Orym is a concept album like its predecessors, and a continuation for the Grim -album which started a new story line with a modern horror fantasy theme. Musically, Attack Of Orym introduces yet again a more modern sound and a taste of what's to come in the future - with a 'Dark Sarah twist,' of course. We're very happy about this album and it has been really fun to make. Also creating the new visual brand and the Grim world has been an adventure already!”


Attack Of Orym album release date TBA.








(Photo credit: Marko Simonen)


 

Last summer, royal metal powerhouse, Hammer King, dropped a hammer strike with its Napalm Records debut, Hammer King. Now, the kings from Kaiserslautern, Germany return once more with their new “King Of Kings” music video, taken from the band's latest self-titled album.


Says the band: "Hammerous Folks! For ‘King Of Kings’, we gave our dear friend Ingo Spörl a carte blanche to create a final video for Hammer King. So this is the last chapter for this album - and we are about to begin a new chapter in the next weeks. Stay tuned! Royal gratitude to everyone of you for making Hammer King the success it was! God bless the King, may the King bless all of you."


Watch the official music video for “King Of Kings”:







Hammer King keeps it heavy with speedy riffs, energic grooves and fist-pumping choruses, devoting their existence to the one and only myth of the godly Hammer King. The new self-titled album starts off with blasting drums and brisk guitars on “Awaken The Thunder”, with frontman and guitarist Titan Fox V showing off his incredible vocal range, whereas tracks like “Atlantis” prove Hammer King’s ability to write catchy and memorable choruses. Hammer King tells the lore of the Hammer King himself, a wrathful and mighty war god, who is praised in tracks like anthemic “Baptized By The Hammer”, energetic and double-bass driven “In The Name Of The Hammer” and the hard-hitting “Hammerschlag”. Kneel before the king of kings, the Hammer King!


Order here.





Hammer King tracklisting:


"Awaken The Thunder"
"Baptized By The Hammer"
"Onward To Victory"
"Hammerschlag"
"Atlantis" (Epilogue)
"We Are The Kingdom"
"Into The Storm"
"Ashes To Ashes"
"In The Name Of The Hammer"
"Kings Of Kings"
"Holy" (Outro)
"Hammerschlag" (HK Version) Bonus Track (physical only)


“Ashes To Ashes” video:





“Awaken The Thunder” video:





“Atlantis" (Epilogue) video:





"Hammerschlag" lyric video:





Hammer King are:


Titan Fox V - vocals/guitar
Gino Wilde - guitar
Gladius Thundersword - bass
Dolph Aidan Macallan - drums


(Photo - Thommy S. Mardo)

No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost - Expanded Edition, will be released on March 31 in hardback standalone book and boxset versions, published by Cult Never Dies & Crypt Publications. Pre-order here.





Originally released in the US in 2019, where it was available exclusively from Decibel’s webstore in a limited run of 1000 copies, this expanded edition makes the work available worldwide. Completely redesigned, it is also expanded to include 60 pages of extra text, including a new chapter and period interviews from the 90s, as well as a new colour/gloss photo gallery.







Boxset edition limited to 500 copies featuring:


• Hardback edition of No Celebration: The Official Story of Paradise Lost - Expanded Edition, featuring 60 pages of extra text and a new colour/gloss photo section.
• Deluxe reinforced box with embossed hotfoil crown of thorns logo
• Certificate of Authenticity signed by all members of Paradise Lost
• 12 part art print set (high quality 300gsm prints)
• Exclusive bookmark
• Large high quality exclusive flag (size: 100cm x 70cm)








(Photo - Paradise Lost)

Veteran heavy metal band, Venom Inc., has issued a mysterious message, apparently teasing the release of their forthcoming new album. The follow-up to their 2017 debut release, Avé, will be released this year via Nuclear Blast Records. The recording was done between England, Portugal, and America, and the album has guitarist Jeff “Mantas” Dunn at the helm as producer once again.

The band's message states: "This monster black hole is THE MOST POWERFUL in the UNIVERSE! This supermassive Black Hole known as Cygnus X-1 (or in reference to its strength - VENOM INC and their NEW Album!) is the Heaviest Stellar Black Hole ever observed! Being about 21 times the mass of our sun. This Black Hole produces  the strongest energy waves ever discovered. It  is about 5million years old and It lies approximately 6000 light years away but is on its way to us on Earth in 2022 you will feel it’s immense energy!"

Stay tuned for updates on the new Venom Inc. album. Details will be revealed as they become available.

Musclebound metal superhero, Thor, has released a video for "Good Stuff", featured on his newest album, this year’s Alliance. The song features Prism's Al Harlow on rhythm and slide guitars. Watch below:





Be sure to check out Alliance, which features stellar guest appearances from the likes of W.A.S.P.'s Chris Holmes, Raven vocalist John Gallagher, Danko Jones, Anthrax's Neil Turbin, Ross “The Boss” Friedman and many more.




Order the CD and vinyl here. Order/save the digital edition here.





Tracklisting:


“We Need Musclerock” feat. John Gallagher (Raven)
“Niflhel (Realm Of The Dead)” feat. Björn Strid (Soilwork)
“The Ultimate Alliance” feat. Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.), Ross “The Boss” Friedman (Manowar), Nina Osegueda (A Sound Of Thunder) & Fang VonWrathenstein (Lords Of The Trident)
“Ode To Odin” feat. Dan Cleary (Striker)
“We Will Fight Forever” feat. Neil Turbin (Anthrax)
“Because We Are Strong”
“Rock Around The World” feat. Danko Jones
“Queen Of The Spiders” feat. Frank Soda (The Imps)
“Power Hungry”
“Bounty Hunter” feat. Frank Meyer (The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs) & Dennis Post (Warrior Soul)
“Battlements” feat. Trevor William Church (Haunt)
“Thor vs. The Juggernaut (War Of The Gods)” feat. Sean Peck (Death Dealer)
“Generation Now” feat. Joey Killingsworth (Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre)
“After The Laughter” feat. Martin Gummesson (Thundermaker)
“Good Stuff” feat. Al Harlow (Prism)
“Congregate” feat. Joey Roads & Sheldon Byer (Roadrash)
“We Will Fight Forever” (Reprise)


"Ode To Odin" lyric video:





"Queen Of The Spiders" video:





“Because We Are Strong” video:





Niflhel (Realm Of The Dead)":





“The Ultimate Alliance” video:

Frontiers Music Srl will release another stunning live performance from Alan Parsons and his incredibly skilled band of musicians, One Note Symphony: Live In Tel Aviv on February 11. The band's performance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will be available on 2CD + DVD, Blu-ray, 3xLP, and Digital formats.


Watch a performance of the track "Don't Answer Me" below, and pre-order/save One Note Symphony: Live In Tel Aviv here.


On how this very special performance came together, Alan says "We had been booked to play here with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and I thought it might be a great opportunity to record a video of the show. It’s a rare treat to perform with an orchestra, so I asked the IM3 Global Entertainment video team of Trinity Houston and David Minasian, who earlier that year had done a great job filming two of our live shows in the Netherlands and produced our latest music video, The NeverEnding Show, to join us and film this performance as well. As luck would have it, they agreed to make the trip to Tel Aviv, and hired a fantastic crew of local cameramen and technicians. We are all very proud of the final result."




"Whenever I have an opportunity to play with a Symphony Orchestra, I always try to incorporate songs into the setlist that we wouldn't otherwise be able to perform live, such as the epic "Silence and I" from the Eye In the Sky album. We also took advantage of this opportunity to play The Sorcerer's Apprentice from our latest studio album, The Secret. It's a new version of a well-known classical piece written by Frenchman Paul Dukas that originally appeared in the movie Fantasia. Tom Brooks, our keyboard player, is also an incredibly talented orchestral arranger. He arranged and conducted all of the orchestral pieces for this particular performance, using former Alan Parsons Project conductor Andrew Powell as inspiration for the scores of some of the other songs included in the show," continues Alan.


Alan and his band have played in Tel Aviv (and Haifa) three times previously in 2010, 2015 and in 2017 and were thrilled to return to Israel. "There is a special sense of excitement whenever we play there. To be given the honor to perform with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, who are one of the greatest orchestras in the world, was a fantastic experience," adds Alan.


Alan Parsons' career started when he was 19 years old and earned his first album credit on the Beatles "Abbey Road", an album recorded in the legendary London studios of the same name. He soon became a well respected studio engineer, working for Paul McCartney, John Miles, The Hollies, Al Stewart, and Pink Floyd, among others. He is particularly renowned for his work on the Pink Floyd masterpiece "The Dark Side of The Moon". Recorded in 1972, Parsons experimented with many of the most advanced recording techniques of the time, showcasing his forward thinking approach. In 1975, Alan formed The Alan Parsons Project along with executive producer, songwriter, and occasional singer, Eric Woolfson. The Project consisted of a revolving group of studio musicians and vocalists, often involving the members of two bands Alan had produced: Pilot (Ian Bairnson, Stuart Tosh, and David Paton) and (on the first album) Ambrosia. The Alan Parsons Project released ten acclaimed studio albums, but never toured live, even after several US and UK Top 20 hits. The Project released their final album in 1987.


Since then, Alan has released four albums under his own name, often featuring musicians that also appeared on the Project releases. In 1994, he started touring regularly as The Alan Parsons Live Project. In 2019, Alan returned with an acclaimed new studio album, his first in 15 years, entitled “The Secret”. The album was followed by a comprehensive world tour which saw Alan and his band perform new songs together with classic tracks from his catalogue.  As well as receiving gold and platinum awards from several countries, Parsons has received thirteen Grammy Award nominations for his engineering and production work. In 2019, he won a Grammy for "Best Immersive Album" for his 5.1 surround remix of the Eye In The Sky album.





Tracklisting:


CD1
"One Note Symphony"
"Damned If I Do"
"Don't Answer Me"
"Time"
"Breakdown/The Raven"
"Luciferama"
"Silence And I"
"I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You"
"Don't Let It Show"


CD2
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
"Standing On Higher Ground"
"As Lights Fall"
"I Can't Get There From Here"
"Prime Time"
"Sirius/Eye In The Sky"
"Old And Wise"
"(The System Of) Dr. Tarr And Professor Fether"
"Games People Play"


DVD/Blu-ray:
"One Note Symphony"
"Damned If I Do"
"Don't Answer Me"
"Time"
"Breakdown/The Raven"
"Miracle" * (DVD/Blu-ray only)
"Luciferama"
"Silence And I"
"I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You"
"Don't Let It Show"
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
"Standing On Higher Ground"
"As Lights Fall"
"I Can't Get There From Here"
"Prime Time"
"Sirius/Eye In The Sky"
"Old And Wise"
"(The System Of) Dr. Tarr And Professor Fether"
"Games People Play"


"Don't Answer Me" video:





"Standing On Higher Ground" video:





Lineup:


Alan Parsons: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Ukulele, Keyboards
P.J. Olsson: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion
Todd Cooper: Vocals, Sax, Recorder, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion
Jeff Kollman: Guitars, Vocals
Tom Brooks: Keyboards, Vocals, Orchestral Arranger and Conductor
Dan Tracey: Guitars, Vocals
Guy Erez: Bass, Vocals
Danny Thompson: Drums, Vocals
Jordan Asher Huffman: Guest Vocals
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

Thunderor is a relatively new band, just having started up in the midst of the Covid pandemic when drummer JJ Tartaglia (Skull Fist) felt a calling to develop his singing and front his own band. He is joined by ex-Skull Fist bandmate Jonny Nesta and Oscar Rangel (Operus, ex-Annihilator) to create a heavy '80s influenced power trio that knows how to rock fans. They are releasing their debut album “Fire It Up” this February, and now have a video up for the title track.


“Fire It Up”, as the name suggests, is an up-tempo, cheery track with two different choruses, massive hooks, and invasive melody. The lyrics are about motorcycle riding, romance, and escape. It’s a fun song that will make you crave the energy of live gigs once again. JJ Tartaglia explains in further detail:


​​“It’s the title track from the record, so it’s the perfect one to release as a single. If you pay attention you’ll notice there are actually two different choruses that happen back-to-back throughout the song, so no shortage of hooks! The song is for those who feel a longing for escape; you can cure that with motorcycles and romance.”




Originally intended to be straight-up heavy metal, the final direction of the band took a turn when Tartaglia realized the best way to complement his singing would be to add synths to all the songs resulting in a fresh take on NWOTHM, that encompasses hard rock and AOR. Lyrically, the album is an adventure, complete with motorcycles, romance, and danger. It inspires you to go after your life and to never give up.


It’s an original album that has enough familiarity to be suitable for Skull Fist fans and a good dosage of innovation that will catch the ears of new listeners. Tartaglia also cites that being a singing drummer definitely adds a unique twist and will allow for a creative setup when they hit the stage.


The ‘80s-infused heavy metal is recommended for fans of Saxon, Twisted Sister and Skull Fist.


Fire It Up comes out on February 25th, 2022 via Boonsdale Records. Preorder here.





Tracklisting:


“Fire It Up”
“How We Roll”
“All Or Nothing”
“Dangerous Times”
“Thunderor”
“On The Run”
“Into The Storm”
“We Can Make It”
“Cold Tears”


"Fire It Up" video:





"How We Roll":





In additional news, Thunderor's March 2022 European tour with Traveler has been rescheduled to June with dates TBA along with Mexico dates with U.D.O. also in June.


(Photo by: Rae Chatten)

March 18 will see the release of melodic rock stalwarts FM official's thirteenth studio album, the appropriately titled Thirteen. Produced by the band, Thirteen is yet another high-quality album that furthers the band’s standing as one of the premiere melodic rock entities in the world.


The first single and video from the album, "Waiting On Love", is out today. See the video below, and pre-order/save Thirteen on CD/LP/Digital here. Signed copies of the album can be pre-ordered from the official band store at the link above or directly, here.


The band's current, and longest running, lineup, in place since 2008, has spent the last decade plus writing, recording, and touring and thus is an incredibly gelled and cohesive unit. The rhythm section of bassist Merv Goldsworthy and drummer Pete Jupp anchor FM with a rock-solid backbone, while guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick delivers delicious hooks and melodies with keyboardist Jem Davis adds lush layers to the band's dynamic sound. And what more could be said about Steve "The Voice" Overland, whose golden pipes have easily withstood the test of time and who still sings like an angel, while adding delightful guitar parts to the proceedings. The five-piece once again bonds together as the mighty unit FM on Thirteen and delivers beautiful melodic rock that their fans have come to expect.







Tracklisting:


"Shaking The Tree"
"Waiting On Love"
"Talk Is Cheap"
"Turn This Car Around"
"Love And War"
"Long Road Home"
"Be Lucky"
"Every Man Needs A Woman"
"Just Got Started"
"Fight Fire With Fire"
"Be True To Yourself"


Waiting On Love" video:





Lineup:


Steve Overland - Vocals, Guitar
Merv Goldsworthy - Bass
Pete Jupp - Drums
Jem Davis - Keyboards
Jim Kirkpatrick - Guitar

Barney Ribeiro (pictured right), guitarist for Dubai-based extreme metallers Nervecell, has checked in with the following update:


"As some of you may know or have noticed, things have been rather quiet in the Nervecell camp lately. Without going into much detail, let me begin by making it official that Rajeh (James) Khazaal and Rami Mustafa are no longer in Nervecell. After 20 years of being together and touring the world, we have been through all the possible highs and lows, success, stress, compromises and achievements that come with being in a full-time band. More than anything else though, together we experienced what having dreams come true felt like. And those are the memories that will never go away. I will always be grateful for the contributions both members made during their time in the band and wish them both the best in their future endeavors. 


I’ve learnt that with time people change, their priorities change and inevitably their personalities also start to alter. I’ll be lying if I said I didn’t change in the way I approach being in a band today, as opposed to when I started the band in 2000. But for what it’s worth mentioning, I will go on record and say this only because I believe YOU the fans deserve the right to know. There really weren’t any musical or personal differences amongst us. But based on my conversations with both members individually, after asking all the tuff questions and initiating the way forward going into the New Year 2022, it became very evident that I was the only one fighting for this cause. 




My priorities have always been of the highest order when it comes to Nervecell. I know the struggle involved, and I’ve never taken a second of it for granted. More importantly, I know why I’m still here doing it - purely for the love of it! I’m still that same kid with that same desire and fire that burns inside. So rest assured, I have every intention to continue on with Nervecell. I humbly ask for your patience, as I start to access the challenges that lay ahead, including finding the right replacements to fill in these shoes. Fortunately, I have a select few friends / musicians within my immediate network, who I’ve consulted with and who have been super supportive towards me as I take on this next chapter. 


This is definitely not the last you will hear from me / Nervecell." 

As the anticipation grows for the brand-new STABBING WESTWARD album "Chasing Ghosts" to be released — the band's first new LP in more than 20 years — the four-piece gives another taste of the new music with their latest single, "Ghost".

Fans who buy the physical or digital edition of the single will be gifted with several additional tracks including remixes of "Ghost" led by STABBING WESTWARD frontman Christopher Hall and Assemblage 23 along with a reworking of early hit "Why", from 1996 RIAA-certified gold album "Wither Blister Burn & Peel".

"Chasing Ghosts" will be out March 18 via COP International Records. It features 10 tracks that showcase the industrial rock band's characteristic sound with a modern sheen that picks up right where they left off with their last full-length in 2001. With the new tracks, STABBING WESTWARD has not only managed stay true to their original sound, but also expanded it to fit the frantic new reality of the 21st century.

"Ghost" follows the single "I Am Nothing" that was released in November 2021, with Loudwire saying, "20 years later, [STABBING WESTWARD] are back in the studio making the same intense electro-goth bangers they were doing two decades earlier. Now, the compressed crunchy guitar riffs, steady pounding beats, and signature wail of singer Christopher Hall highlight a tension that seems to fit perfectly this day and age."

"Chasing Ghosts" will feature brand-new songs as well as re-workings of the band's acclaimed 2020 reunion EP "Dead And Gone" that finds original founding members Christopher Hall (vocals/guitar) and Walter Flakus (keyboards/programming) honing in on the incredible partnership that once produced a string of hits that dominated alternative radio and film soundtracks, including "Shame", "Save Yourself" and "What Do I Have to Do?" — and resulted in two gold records.

To recreate that original chemistry, the band recruited the legendary producer John Fryer to again helm "Chasing Ghosts". Fryer, whose production credits include DEPECHE MODE, NINE INCH NAILS, 4AD, COCTEAU TWINS and LOVE AND ROCKETS, originally worked with STABBING WESTWARD on their best-selling early releases "Ungod" (1994) and "Wither Blister Burn + Peel" (1996). "Chasing Ghosts" was also mastered by Tom Baker who, like Fryer, worked with STABBING WESTWARD on their early releases and is part of the reassembled production team on the latest album. The current STABBING WESTWARD band lineup also includes Carlton Bost (guitars and programming) and Bobby Amaro (drums).

With artwork by David Seidman (who has worked with COHEED AND CAMBRIA and is known for his ethereal and surrealistic imagery), formats include digital, six-panel digipack CD, and limited-edition vinyl, including a run of 2,000 double-gatefold 180-gram black vinyl with an additional insert. Exclusive limited-edition merch will also be announced soon.

The full track listing for "Chasing Ghosts" is as follows:

01. I Am Nothing

02. Damaged Goods

03. Cold

04. Push

05. Wasteland

06. Ctrl Z

07. Crawl

08. Dead & Gone

09. Ghost

10. The End

Ghost by Stabbing Westward

SHINEDOWN will release its seventh album, "Planet Zero", on April 22 via Atlantic Records. The official lyric video for the LP's title track can be seen below.

Vocalist Brent Smith stated about the new disc: "If we shut each other down and allow ourselves to be divided by the information we consume and the way we talk to each other, we lose our humanity. When you look outside of your phone, you'll see there are so many people doing good things and trying to take care of each other. But we're starting to see parts of society slip into an unknown. 'Planet Zero' was written for all of us. The fact is that we're all here on this planet no matter what, so it's time to actually move forward together with empathy, perseverance and strength. With that said… welcome to PLANET ZERO."

Track listing:

01. 2184

02. No Sleep Tonight

03. Planet Zero

04. Welcome

05. Dysfunctional You

06. Dead Don't Die

07. Standardized Experiences

08. America Burning

09. Do Not Panic

10. A Symptom Of Being Human

11. Hope

12. A More Utopian Future

13. Clueless And Dramatic

14. Sure Is Fun

15. Daylight

16. This Is A Warning

17. The Saints Of Violence And Innuendo

18. Army Of The Underappreciated

19. Delete

20. What You Wanted

Last month, Smith told 95.9 The Rat's Carl Craft about the new LP's more "stripped-down" approach: "We wanted to push everything to the front. And what I mean by that is we've proven that we can make these records that there's a lot of musicianship involved in it, and we have layered our records over the years because we love music and we love sound and we try to make really cinematic records. So with that, you have a lot of instrumentation that is not just drums, bass, guitar and vocals — we use orchestras, we use a lot of synthesizers, we use a lot of techniques that… We don't believe in… Don't tie your hands up when you're making a record. Make the record that you wanna make. And ultimately, though, what we wanted to do with this album was make it just as ferocious as the other records but not utilizing so much of some of the style that we've done in the past with layering and layering guitars, adding lots of synth beds, stacking the vocals."

He continued: "I come from the Freddie Mercury school when it comes to vocals and layering and backgrounds and things of that nature because I try — I say 'try' — try to use my voice as an instrument. But this is about really less is more. So the majority of this record is authentically drums, bass, guitar. There are piano songs; there's two really, really very intense-subject-matter piano songs that are gonna be in SHINEDOWN seven. But we wanted to make a real rock record, we wanted to make a real record where we focus on just making sure that the band is being heard the way the band needs to be heard. So, not a lot of layering. It doesn't mean it's any less powerful; it's just we're not dealing with a lot of stacks. We're just putting things left to right stereo, pushing everything to the front. The vocals aren't layered a ton — not a lot of effects on the vocals, so not a lot of delays and reverbs and things like that. A lot of the vocals on the record are dry and kind of right up in your face."

Smith also talked about the lyrical themes covered on the new SHINEDOWN album, saying they were inspired at least in part by the ongoing pandemic and resulting impact on the community, residents and businesses.

"Going through everything that the world went through last year, and we wrote the majority of the record last year, and this year, we couldn't turn a blind eye to everything that was going on," he said. "And we talk on this record, and we express on this record — we're not trying to dance around certain subject matter. We're trying to be very honest and very real. In a lot of ways, this is a very humanitarian record."

Asked if SHINEDOWN will "piss people off" with some of the lyrical positions that are taken on the upcoming LP, Smith said: "Possibly. But the thing about it is I don't necessarily think it's about pissing people off; it's about understanding what we all went through but where we need to go now. I think that it gets lost. It's never supposed to be about… And I say this because I'm being very, very bold and very honest about it. This country, it's not called the Divided States Of America; it's called the United States Of America, and we want people to understand that that comes down to the people; that comes down to us. And us being able to not only work with each other, to grow with one another. But when you have certain people in power that do not have your best interests in mind, you have to stand up and make your voice heard. When I see what's going on in regards to people's freedom of speech and it being censored and people being pushed into a corner because of their opinions and what have you. You need to be able to have constructive conversations with each other in order to get actual action to happen for positive change."

Regarding the first single from SHINEDOWN's seventh album, Brent said: "It honestly addresses everything that society has dealt with from a planetary platform, if you will — not just here in the U.S., but the whole world — what the last 18 months has been like, and, at least in our opinion, how we've gotta move forward.

"Listen, the record… We're talking about things that we've never talked about before," he revealed. "We're opening up the conversation into different subject matters that SHINEDOWN has never addressed. We have the full support of our label, our management and hopefully our fanbase, whether they've been there from day one or they're just kind of finding out who we are. But it's a record that I think some people will consider controversial, I think some people will consider to be very provocative, especially for SHINEDOWN, but it's also something that we feel that it is very important and that it is necessary… Don't get me wrong either — there's a lot of triumph on this record, but there's also a lot of having to take a step back and go, 'What's really going on? And how do we stop it from happening if it's going to be something negative on the human race as a whole?' Our society, the way that we live with one another, we share this planet with a lot of different organisms and creatures. It's not just about us. It's important that everybody really takes a step back and doesn't always make it about them. We have to work together — like, all of us; we've really gotta start working together with each other and really creating a positive change forward for not only society but also for this beautiful planet that we've been given."

The follow-up to 2018's "Attention Attention" was recorded in part at a new studio in Charleston, South Carolina spearheaded by the group's bassist and producer Eric Bass.

In October, SHINEDOWN announced its 2022 North American tour, "Shinedown Live In Concert", which is set to kick off in San Francisco on January 26.

SHINEDOWN's film "Attention Attention", a cinematic experience of the band's 2018 studio album of the same name, premiered worldwide in September.

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine

Part one of a new documentary celebrating the 15th anniversary of ALL THAT REMAINS' breakthrough album "The Fall Of Ideals" is available below.

ALL THAT REMAINS will embark on "The Fall Of Ideals" 15th-anniversary trek this spring, kicking off on March 12 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and running through May 20 in Hartford, Connecticut. MISS MAY I, VARIALS and TALLAH will serve as support. ALL THAT REMAINS will perform "The Fall Of Ideals" in full on this run.

"The Fall Of Ideals" was reissued last November. The best-selling title features such fan favorites as "This Calling", "Six" and "The Air That I Breathe". In addition to the wide release, the band has exclusive colored vinyl variants with deluxe packaging available only at the band's webstore.

Originally released in 2006, "The Fall Of Ideals" launched a new era for ALL THAT REMAINS — finding the band moving away from the death metal of their first two albums (2002's "Behind Silence And Solitude" and 2004's "This Darkened Heart") and settling into the melodic metalcore that defined their career. "The Fall Of Ideals" also introduced fans to the band's longtime bassist Jeanne Sagan and marked their only album to feature drummer Shannon Lucas. The newcomers joined founding members Phil Labonte (vocals) and Oli Herbert (lead guitars), as well as rhythm guitarist Mike Martin.

In the studio, the Massachusetts quintet partnered with two prominent metal artists: KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's Adam Dutkiewicz, who served as producer, and SOILWORK's Peter Wichers, who engineered the sessions. The dynamic, 11-song set found the musicians pushing their sonic boundaries, while Labonte showcased his broad vocal range — from epic, extended screams and in-your-face growls to emotive choruses. The album spawned a variety of enduring favorites, including the hard-driving "This Calling", which featured in the soundtracks to "Saw III" and "Masters Of Horror II", as well as singles "The Air That I Breathe" and "Not Alone". Other highlights included the guitar-forward "Whispers (I Hear You)" and the dramatic "Six", which appeared in "Guitar Hero II".

Upon its release in the summer of 2006, "The Fall Of Ideals" was embraced by fans, becoming the band's first album to break the Billboard 200 (peaking at No. 75) and eventually selling more than 450,000 units. The album also caught the attention of critics. Pop Matters hailed, "ALL THAT REMAINS has made the kind of stylistic leap that most bands can only wish they could pull off… 'The Fall Of Ideals' [is] invigorating from start to finish, and could very well be the metalcore album of the year." BLABBERMOUTH.NET praised, "ALL THAT REMAINS effortlessly blends thrashy twin guitar fireworks and Phil Labonte's raging vocals with soaring clean vocals and overall tunefulness…There is no denying that those guys play their asses off here and the result is immensely gratifying." Lambgoat simply declared, "The entire band executes the songs perfectly," adding that "the production…is full and crisp."

"We're so thankful to everyone who has kept this disc in their hearts for the past 15 years," said Labonte. "We are proud to celebrate the reissue and can't wait to tell you about all the other cool things we have in store."

In the 15 years since "The Fall Of Ideals", ALL THAT REMAINS have built an undeniable legacy as one of this century's most consistent purveyors of heavy music with a bulletproof canon of arena-worthy anthems. Currently consisting of Labonte and Martin, as well as drummer Jason Costa, and lead guitarist Jason Richardson, the band continues to defy the odds of its genre. To date, they have sold more than a million albums worldwide, earning five consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart, and boasting more than 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify — an unprecedented feat for any metal band. In 2018, ALL THAT REMAINS released their widely acclaimed ninth studio album, "Victim Of The New Disease".

GHOST kicked off its co-headlining tour with VOLBEAT last night (Tuesday, January 25) at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. During its 16-song set, GHOST performed the recently released single "Hunter's Moon", a cover of METALLICA's "Enter Sandman" and debuted another song from its upcoming "Impera" album, called "Kaisarion".

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Kaisarion (world premiere)

02. Rats

03. From The Pinnacle To The Pit

04. Mary On A Cross

05. Devil Church

06. Cirice

07. Hunter's Moon (live premiere)

08. Faith

09. Helvetesfönster (abridged)

10. Year Zero

11. Ritual

12. Mummy Dust

13. Kiss The Go-Goat

Encore:

14. Enter Sandman (METALLICA cover) (live premiere)

15. Dance Macabre

16. Square Hammer

GHOST's 26-date co-headlining U.S. arena tour with VOLBEAT and special guests TWIN TEMPLE will conclude on March 3 in Anaheim, California.

GHOST will release its fifth album, "Impera", on March 11 via Loma Vista/Concord. The official music video for the LP's latest single, "Call Me Little Sunshine", was lensed by iconic director Matt Mahurin and stars Ruby Modine.

According to a press release, "Impera" "finds GHOST transported literally hundreds of years forward from the 14th century Europe Black Plague era" of its previous album, 2018's "Prequelle". "The result is the most ambitious and lyrically incisive entry in the GHOST canon: Over the course of 'Impera''s 12-song cycle, empires rise and fall, would-be messiahs ply their hype (financial and spiritual alike), prophecies are foretold as the skies fill with celestial bodies divine and man-made… All in all, the most current and topical GHOST subject matter to date is set against a hypnotic and darkly colorful melodic backdrop making 'Impera' a listen like no other — yet unmistakably, quintessentially GHOST."

In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the new character who will front the act for its next LP phase.

GHOST leader Tobias Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of "Prequelle".

Canadian progressive sci-fi metal innovators VOIVOD have released the video for the title track of their upcoming studio album, "Synchro Anarchy". The clip was created by Syl Disjonk of 5600 K Productions and can be seen below.

VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin comments: "After coming back from the European tour with GWAR at the end of 2019, we took a break and got back together in early 2020 to record some new ideas and improvisations. After finishing one of these sessions, while untying my running shoes, I had a flash of a rhythm where I would skip one beat every bar. I told the band I had an idea and walked towards the drums but I stepped on one of my shoelaces, missed a step and almost fell on the drum kit.

"Everybody laughed, then I played the beat, which Chewy [guitarist Daniel Mongrain] recorded and named 'Away's Shoelace Incident'. This gave Snake [singer Denis Bélanger] the idea to write about these strange timings where somebody would stop to tie up his shoe only to be closely missed by a flying wheel of a car. At one point Snake had shorten the title to 'Shoelace' but I noticed in his lyrics the words 'Synchro Anarchy' and told him it would be a great name for the song.

"When we were done recording the songs, we all thought it would also be a good title for the album. It is really representative of the planet we live on and the way we had to build the LP out of snippets of ideas like a huge puzzle.

"For this single, we asked our good friend Syl Disjonk, who did the videos for 'The End Of Dormancy' and 'Kluskap 'O Kom', to film the band and work his magic. So here it is, the title track of the new album. Enjoy!"

"Synchro Anarchy" will be released on February 11 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2018's "The Wake" was produced by Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio and features cover artwork created by Langevin.

"Synchro Anarchy" track listing:

01. Paranormalium

02. Synchro Anarchy

03. Planet Eaters

04. Mind Clock

05. Sleeves Off

06. Holographic Thinking

07. The World Today

08. Quest For Nothing

09. Memory Failure

Langevin previously stated about "Synchro Anarchy": "We are eager to present our latest work, a real collaborative effort. The new album represents countless hours of writing, demoing, recording, mixing and so on. The band and Francis Perron at RadicArt Studio gave their very best to make it happen under unusual circumstances, which led us to call it 'Synchro Anarchy'. We feel that the sound and music are 100% VOIVOD, and we hope everyone will enjoy it as much as we had fun making it. We certainly can't wait to play it live."

When the official music video for "Planet Eaters" was first released, Langevin said: "On April 21st, 2021, an animated video for the song 'Nothingface' popped up online. The video was done by Pierre Menetrier on an Amiga computer in 1991, which I thought was beyond cool. The spectacular imagery and visual effects were just perfect for a VOIVOD song. After wrapping up the recording and mixing of the 'Synchro Anarchy' album, we all agreed on 'Planet Eaters' as the first single/video. We thought the song had a vintage 'Nothingface'/'Hatröss' vibe, so I immediately contacted Pierre and asked him if he could make a video for the song. Once again, the result is just mind-blowing. You just can't get more Voivodian than that!"

VOIVOD released a new live album, "Lost Machine - Live", in November 2020 via Century Media Records. The disc was recorded in Québec City during the worldwide touring cycle for "The Wake".

In the summer of 2020, VOIVOD released a new three-track 12-inch vinyl and digital EP titled "The End Of Dormancy" via Century Media Records. The EP is centered around a special "Metal Section" version of the title track (off VOIVOD's latest album, "The Wake") with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones. The complementary songs on this release are exclusive live versions of "The End Of Dormancy (Metal Section)" and the group's classic "The Unknown Knows", recorded at Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.

Progressive music titans DREAM THEATER have released the official music video for the song "Transcending Time" from their latest album, "A View From The Top Of The World". "Transcending Time" is the fourth video released from the band's 15th studio LP and is another CGI creation by long-time collaborator Wayne Joyner. The song has been a fan favorite since the album was released and is the shortest track on the set, clocking in at 6:24.

Last November, DREAM THEATER was announced as one of the "Best Metal Performance" nominees at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on April 3, 2022 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The progressive metal legends were nominated for their song "The Alien", the first single from "A View From The Top Of The World", which came out in October.

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci discussed his band's latest Grammy nomination during an appearance on MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast. He said: "The first [Grammy] nomination we had, FOO FIGHTERS were on there. And they won it. I remember Dave Grohl had said something like, 'Oh, they should have got this,' which I thought was nice. But this time, I don't know if I'm gonna remember all of [the other artists that were nominated], but I think it's GOJIRA and MASTODON [that we are up against], and it's a cool list. I remember there were a couple of years where I was surprised at the nominees — it seemed a little bit strange — but this seems appropriate. So we'll see. It's fun. It's an honor to get nominated. It's cool. Doing what we do and the way that we do it and getting recognized in that world is something that I never would have expected. And now for us, this is the third [nomination], so it's cool. It's a good feeling."

When "The Alien" was first released in August, Petrucci stated about the track: "It's the first one we wrote together. It gives people a window into what it was like when we initially met up after all of those months off. It has the adventure, the untraditional structure, the heaviness, and the hooks. It really set the tone for the album. James [LaBrie, vocals] wrote the lyrics about the idea of terraforming and looking beyond our Earth for alternative settlements. Since we're going beyond our planet, 'The Alien' turns out to be us. I thought it was a cool and creative lyric by James."

DREAM THEATER's previous Grammy nominations were for the song "On The Backs Of Angels", from 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album, and the single "The Enemy Inside" from 2013's "Dream Theater".

Two months ago, DREAM THEATER announced the rescheduled dates for its recently postponed North American leg of the "Top Of The World" tour. The shows will now kick off in Mesa, Arizona on February 2 and run seven weeks before ending in Austin, Texas on March 21. The tour will also make stops in Los Angeles, California; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; New York City and Dallas, Texas, among others, and will mark the first live performances of music from "A View From The Top Of The World". ARCH ECHO will be the opener on all dates in the United States and FALSET will be the opener on all of the dates in Canada.

"A View From The Top Of The World" marked DREAM THEATER's second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap.

Volbeat have released a lyric video for "Say No More", featured on their new album, Servant Of The Mind, out now via EMI Records. Watch the clip below:





Servant Of The Mind is available in standard/digipack CD, deluxe 2LP vinyl (with various limited-edition variants, more info below), a deluxe digital edition, plus a special box set (including 2CD digipack, 28pg booklet, bandana, and hip flask, housed in a metal box, available from the official Volbeat store). Order the album here.







Tracklisting:


"Temple Of Ekur"
"Wait A Minute My Girl"
"The Sacred Stones"
"Shotgun Blues"
"The Devil Rages On"
"Say No More"
"Heaven’s Descent"
"Dagen Før" (feat. Stine Bramsen)
"The Passenger"
"Step Into Light"
"Becoming"
"Mindlock"
"Lasse’s Birgitta"
 
Deluxe 2 CD/2 LP and Digital Deluxe bonus tracks:


"Return To None" (Wolfbrigade cover)
"Domino" (The Cramps/Roy Orbison cover)
"Shotgun Blues" (feat. Dave Matrise from Jungle Rot)
"Dagen Før" (Michael Vox Version)


"The Devil Rages On" lyric video:





"The Scared Stones" lyric video:





"Temple Of Ekur" lyric video:





"Shotgun Blues" video:





"Becoming" lyric video:





"Shotgun Blues” lyric video:





"Wait A Minute My Girl" video:





"Dagen Før" lyric video:

During an appearance on "The Ron Keel Podcast", former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin confirmed that a new record deal has been secured to reissue the albums he recorded with the band. "I only found out yesterday," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I had no idea. You don't get information very much from the SABBATH camp, really; they're very protective of their thing. So I only found out yesterday that they've now got a record deal for them. And I don't know what date they're planning on to release this stuff, but it's this year. And what I do know is that it won't be individual albums; it'll be a box set of the Tony Martin era. But they've got a deal for it now, and that was always the problem before — it's not out there and you can't get it because it's not on sale. And similarly, you don't get royalties — I don't get paid a penny from the sales 'cause it's not on sale. So why would you? But now if that all changes and this year they manage to get that released, oh, man — there's gonna be a lot of Tony Martin stuff out there."

Martin also reflected on his time with SABBATH, saying: "It doesn't haunt me. It's not a bad thing. I've got a lot to be grateful for. SABBATH is the reason why you, and the world, knows about my voice. So there are things to be grateful for. It was hard work for me. I'm 12 years younger than the rest of the guys, so even just circle of friends was different — they're hanging out with Ian Gillan and Brian May, and my best friend is Dave down the road. So that was a gap. And also the experience — they were way ahead of me in experience, at least 12 years further up the road from me, and I never could quite catch them up; they will always have that much more experience than me. So that was hard work."

He continued: "When I first got the gig, it was actually 1986 that I was put on standby when they were with Glenn Hughes on the 'Seventh Star' album. And I don't know what the issues were, but something went wrong with Glenn and they put me on standby. That scared me to death, 'cause it's Glenn Hughes. I can't sing like Glenn Hughes; nobody can sing like Glenn Hughes. Only Glenn Hughes can sing like Glenn Hughes. So that was really scary. Then they got Ray Gillen in. Then he left — he left to join BLUE MURDER with John Sykes, so they called me again and said, 'You'd better come down to the studio and try this out.' And they gave me one song, which was 'The Shining' off 'Eternal Idol', and then two days later said, 'Okay. You've got the job. You've got a week to finish the album.' So right from the start it was scary — it was huge; suddenly being the frontman of BLACK SABBATH was just ridiculous. And yeah, the whole association with me and my voice lasted 11 years."

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987), "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), "Cross Purposes" (1994), "Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when guitarist Tony Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

Earlier in the month, Martin discussed the possibility of the LPs from his era of SABBATH being reissued in an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. At the time, he said: "We had a guy in BLACK SABBATH called Geoff Nicholls. He was the keyboard player. He died four years ago. And when we [were] at Geoff Nicholls's funeral service, I bumped into Tony Iommi there, and he said, 'I've got loads of stuff to play you. And we have to get together and see if we can write some new songs. And then maybe we can re-release the Tony Martin-era albums.' And I thought, 'Well, that's cool. Okay. Whatever.' Then the phone went dead for ages — months and months and months and months. So I called him back and he said, 'Come over to the house and we'll talk about it.' So I said, 'Okay.' So I went to his house and he said, 'We can't do it.' And I went, 'What?' He said, 'We can't do it.' I said, 'Why not?' He said because there's an agreement with the guys of SABBATH that they can only release something [new] under the SABBATH name if it's the original SABBATH members. Nobody else can record anything [new] under the SABBATH name…. What he said was what we can do is reissue the albums. We can't add anything to it. So what we're expecting, if he ever gets around to it, is for the Tony Martin-era albums, apart from 'Eternal Idol', 'cause that's owned by someone else, to be reissued. Remixed probably in the case of 'Forbidden', but I think it'll just be as it was… [We can add] only stuff that's already been recorded at the time."

According to Martin, he has already found loads of recordings in his personal collection that would be perfect for inclusion on proposed issues of the SABBATH albums from his era of the band.

"I've searched through… I've got hundreds of tapes — things from the writing sessions," he said. "I've got the tapes when Eddie Van Halen was with us writing on 'Cross Purposes'. I sent that over to Tony. That appeared on YouTube; I don't know how that got out. But I've got all sorts of stuff like that. And I thought that was the kind of thing that they would reissue the albums with. But I have no idea. You probably know more than me."

Six years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."

In 2018, Iommi spent time in the studio remixing "Forbidden" for a future release. The LP, which features Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, is often regarded as SABBATH's worst studio recording.

In a 2012 interview with Über Röck, Martin said that he was "surprised" to see Iommi criticizing him in the guitarist's "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath" book (referring to the Martin period, especially the touring phase following the release of "Cross Purposes" in 1994, Iommi lambasted his former singer as "unprofessional" and having "no stage presence"). Martin said: "I mean, they never said anything to me. Surely, if you've got a problem, the first person you should say something to is the person that's in the band with you... It sounds like a really stupid thing to say, as they didn't say anything to my face — and, if that's the case, then more fool them for not saying anything, because, you know, we could have fixed it. I said to them, endlessly, that if there was anything they wanted changed, done differently, just to say and we could fix it, but clearly, they didn't, they hadn't got the guts to, obviously, and to write about it in a book afterwards seems a bit daft to me. I'm not bitter about it, but it is surprising... It seems a bit stupid to say that after the event."

Martin's new solo album, "Thorns", arrived on January 14 via Battlegod Productions and Dark Star Records. Among the guest musicians appearing on the LP are Scott McClellan (who helped write the album), Danny "Danté" Needham (VENOM), Magnus Rosén (HAMMERFALL), Greg Smith (ALICE COOPER, RAINBOW, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) and Martin's youngest son Joe.