UK grindcore pioneers, Napalm Death, performed "On The Brink Of Extinction", from their 2009 album Time Waits For No Slave, at the 2021 edition of Bloodstock Open Air, held last August at Catton Hall and Gardens, Walton-on-Trent, England. Watch pro-shot video of the performance below:





Watch the band perform "Breed To Breathe" at the same show, below:







Continuing the fearless exploration of their legendary sound’s outer limits, Napalm Death recently announced the release of a new mini-album, entitled Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes, out February 11 via Century Media Records.


Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes is a partner recording to Napalm Death’s latest, much acclaimed Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism album from 2020, concluding matters through vital, tumultuous grindcore and shockwave ambience.


While currently on the road across North America, Napalm Death frontman Mark “Barney” Greenway checked in with the following comment about the upcoming release: “You can certainly consider “Resentment Is Always...” as an extension of - or partner recording to - the “Throes…” album. We had long since wanted to put a mini-album out – in the spirit of the old days – and found we had enough quality tracks even after all the “Throes...” bonus tracks to do that. Hopefully this mini holds some nice twists in its own right for people, and certainly covering “People Pie” by Slab! made us really stretch ourselves, which feels great artistically. In the end, resentment is certainly seismic – it can trigger the complete erosion of humanity in many situations. That was the point that I really wanted to hammer home overall.”


“Narcissus”, the furious opening track of the release, is being launched today as small foretaste of the mini-album. Check it out at full volume below.


““Narcissus” just seemed to fit the bill as one of those rampaging tracks that we always seem to gravitate towards as an album opener. The low-slung concrete mixer bassline at the start really ushers it in nicely. It was written at a time when the ‘alt-right’ was parading itself around, so lyrically I like to think it exposes the vanity and personality cult of that whole thing,” added Greenway.





The 8-track mini-album comes with a total playing time of 29 minutes and will be available as Ltd. CD Digipak, Vinyl as well as in the Digital Album format.


The vinyl edition will come as 12” (at 33 ⅓ RPM) on 180g vinyl, available in the following variants/limitations:


- Black LP - unlimited
- Transp. Red LP - 1500x copies via CM Distro & Webshop Europe & all US outlets
- Clear LP - 300x copies Nuclear Blast
- Silver LP - 300x copies via EMP
- Transp. Green LP - 500x copies via Napalm Death


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Narcissus"
"Resentment Always Simmers"
"By Proxy"
"People Pie" (Slab! Cover version)
"Man Bites Dogged"
"Slaver Through A Repeat Performance"
"Don't Need It" (Bad Brains cover version)
"Resentment Is Always Seismic (Dark Sky Burial Dirge)"


"Narcissus":





Napalm Death recently announced a next edition of their Campaign For Musical Destruction tour across Europe for February/March, this time featuring support by Doom, Siberian Meatgrinder and Show Me The Body. Dates below.





Tour dates:


February
3 - Magdeburg, Germany - Factory
4 - Wrocław, Poland - Concert Center A2
5 - Budapest, Hungary - A38
6 - Wien, Austria - Arena
7 - München, Germany - Backstage
9 - Manchester, UK - Club Academy
10 - Glasgow, UK - Classic Grand
11 - Buckley, UK - The Tivoli
12 - Birmingham, UK - Hammerfest
13 - London, UK - Electric Ballroom
15 - Paris, France - La Machine Du Moulin Rouge
16 - Besançon, France - La Rodia
17 - Marseille, France - Le Jas Rod
18 - Biarritz, France - Atabal
19 - Mérignac, France - Krakato
22 - Paderno Dugnano, Italy - Slaughter Club
23 - Nürnberg, Gerrmany - Z-Bau
24 - Brno, Czech Republic - Sonor
25 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2
26 - Herford, Germany - X-Herford
27 - Utrecht, The Netherlands - Tivoli


March
1 - Hamburg, Germany - Gruenspan
2 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
3 - Lindau, Germany - Club Vaudeville
4 - Mannheim, Germany - Alte Feuerwache
5 - Berlin, Germany - Astra
6 - Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Dynamo


Arch Enemy and Behemoth will return to the states to co-headline "The North American Siege 2022" tour. Set to kick off in April, the trek also features Napalm Death and Unto Others as special guests.


See below for all dates; purchase tickets starting Friday, January 21 at 10 AM, local time, at archenemy.net, or behemoth.pl.





Tour dates:


April
16 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
18 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theatre
19 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
21 - St Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
22 - Atlanta, GA - The Eastern
23 - Charlotte. NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
25 - Toronto, ON - Rebel
26 - Montreal, QC - Mtelus
28 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
29 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore Philadelphia
30 - Worcester, MA - Palladium


May
2 - Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theatre
4 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
7 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
9 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SoDo
10 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
11 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
13 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
15 - Los Angeles, CA - The Hollywood Palladium

Tony Martin, who fronted BLACK SABBATH from 1987 to 1991 and then again from 1993 to 1997, told the "Metal Mayhem ROC" podcast that he only met Ronnie James Dio once — and he described it as a "short-lived" experience. "Actually, [BLACK SABBATH guitarist] Tony Iommi had invited me backstage to one of the 'Dehumanizer' shows here in England," he recalled. "I was backstage, and Ronnie was not happy — nah, he was not happy. I think he was really angry with Tony Iommi for inviting me back there.

"I tried to catch his eye backstage," Martin stated about Dio. "It was a relatively big affair, with people all over the place. And every time he walked past me, I went, 'Ronnie!' And he disappeared. 'Ronnie!' Eventually, I managed to catch his attention. I said, 'Ronnie! Come here.' So he walked over, and he just stared at me. And I thought maybe he was gonna hit me or something; he just stared. And I was trying to explain. I said, 'Ronnie, I love what you do, man. I'm a big fan.' And I said, 'You're a hard act to follow.' And he said, 'Good,' and walked off. That was it. [Laughs] He didn't stay. He just said 'good' and walked off. So that was my only conversation with Ronnie James Dio. [Laughs]"

Martin continued: "[Ronnie] wasn't happy that I was there. He must have thought he was being put on the spot. Iommi, obviously, hadn't told him that I was gonna be there. And after the 'Dehumanizer' thing is when I rejoined. So there was stuff going on in the background and I don't know what the issues were. But they hadn't been getting on well. Tony Iommi told me that it hadn't gone well with Ronnie. And I was back there after that. So my name has been attached to SABBATH for 11 years, more or less, without too much of a break."

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 Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

Earlier in the month, Martin confirmed to Almost Human that he recorded some demos for SABBATH's "Dehumanizer" album during a period when Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler were having a hard time getting along with a returning Ronnie James Dio.

In a 1992 interview with Guitar World magazine, Iommi stated about the "Dehumanizer" period: "Getting back together with Ronnie James Dio was a little rough in the beginning — there were all kinds of egos bouncing around. We had been separated for 10 years, and it took us a long time to get to know each other again.

"Tony Martin had been our singer for the last three albums, and I must admit, I did feel bad that we had to let him go. But the truth is he wanted to get out. He was getting more into writing for other people instead of performing SABBATH material. He understood the situation with Ronnie, so it really wasn't a problem.

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.

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.

In a new interview with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", JETHRO TULL's Ian Anderson was asked about his decades-long reputation as someone who doesn't shake hands with people. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've suffered from chest infections since I was quite young, and throat infections and upper respiratory tract infections. It's been a pretty constant problem for me intermittently. So I've got used to trying not to unnecessarily attract the common cold viruses, be they rhinoviruses or coronaviruses or the flu virus. Because it really is, for me, not just a question of three or four days of feeling a little under the weather; I usually end up [spending] four or six weeks with serious bronchitis and feeling really rough. And of course, chances are I'm on tour during that period.

"The last 20 years or so, I've carried a face mask in my hand luggage," he continued. "I remember the first time I bought one was actually in Tokyo, in the airport. And I remember buying a couple of more in Dubai airport. They were just there in case I needed them — if I was in an environment where I was particularly worried about getting a virus. And I've been an inveterate hand washer for many years. Playing the flute or the guitar, the last thing you want is greasy hands, either from shaking hands or opening doors or doing whatever. You really wanna have dry, clean hands when you're playing instruments. So nobody is allowed to touch my instruments and nobody is allowed to shake hands with me or otherwise contaminate me in those precious moments between leaving my dressing room and getting back to it. No one touches my microphone. I handle things that are potentially sources of contamination. I take care of that myself. I'd just almost prefer to do that.

"The idea of having a guitar roadie who unpacks your instrument, changes the strings and tunes it up for you — for God's sake, you want your bottom wiped as well?" Anderson said. "Somebody that hands you the soap in the shower? What's that all about? What wimps. You should take a pride in your instrument and take a pride in keeping it clean and keeping it in tune.

"These racks of guitars backstage that I see… I was teasing Joe Bonamassa about his 17 guitars or something he had aligned at the back of the stage. I said, 'Joe, what are those for? You can't possibly play all of those in a night.' He said, 'Well, I just have them with me in case I suddenly decide I want to play that one.' Meanwhile, of course, he's paying tens of thousands of dollars to ferry these things around the world, along with probably a couple of roadies who do nothing else other than look after his guitars. But it makes him and indeed other people feel secure. And I guess they're very proud of the instruments and very proud of their collection of guitars. But they do have to consign them to the grubby fingers of other people when it comes to the practicalities.

"I just cannot conceive of somebody changing my guitar strings for me," Ian added. "That is equivalent… If I was an armed policeman in the USA, strapping a Glock 17 to my thigh, I would not be entrusting to somebody else to even clean it or to load 20 rounds of 9 mil into the magazine and put it in and make sure everything was hunky-dory and hand me the gun back and send me out there into the cruel and crazy world. Would anybody? It's bad enough when movie actors can't be bothered to check their movie prop guns. I think stuff like that is so important. It feels like a matter of life and death when you go onstage with an instrument that it's gotta work for you. You don't wanna have that little element of doubt that maybe it's not quite in tune or mechanically it's not operating perfectly. So I think it feels like a matter of life and death, and indeed the embarrassment that comes from something not working properly, you really do die a death. And I've seen a lot of artists, including me, and that's happened to 'em onstage, and it's not a pretty sight.

"I remember the first time we played with Jimi Hendrix in Stockholm. Everything was going wrong for him. His guitar wasn't working. I mean, it was just terrible to watch. It was sad. And he was getting so frustrated and angry. He just couldn't get his guitar in tune. It was a white Gibson SG that he was playing unusually, and he couldn't get the damn thing to go in tune at all. But then SGs are just really not terribly good instruments, in my opinion, in spite of the fact that Tony Iommi [BLACK SABBATH] has made a very good living out of playing those things."

JETHRO TULL's first studio album of new material in over 18 years, "The Zealot Gene", will see a January 28 release on InsideOut Music.

George Lynch rejoined DOKKEN on stage on Sunday, January 16 at RokIsland Fest in Key West, Florida to perform three of the band's classic songs: "Kiss Of Death", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth And Nail". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Lynch had previously played the same three songs with DOKKEN on several occasions last summer and fall, including in West Hollywood, California; in Glenside, Pennsylvania; in Waukegan, Illinois; in Ashland, Virginia; in Moline, Illinois; and in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

Last March, Lynch was asked in an interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com if there has been any talk of more shows featuring the reunited classic lineup of DOKKEN. He responded: "I've actually been talking to Don [Dokken] a little bit, and we're both in agreement that that should probably happen — meaning some kind of a meaningful reunion done in the right way, carefully and with proper preparation and time and rehearsals and not just throwing it out there like we did last time." George went on to say that "the obvious choice" to replace DOKKEN's recently retired drummer "Wild" Mick Brown would be Mick's brother Steve, who can be heard playing alongside Lynch and ex-DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson on the latest THE END MACHINE album, "Phase2".

In a separate interview with Alamo True Metal, Lynch reflected on the last time DOKKEN's classic lineup — Dokken, Lynch, Pilson and Mick Brown — reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in 21 years the four musicians had hit the road together.

"I think I was slightly disappointed in it — not overwhelmingly disappointed, but I have some regrets," he said. "I wish we had prepared more. And I know we all feel that way. 'Cause of the logistics, we all had things we had to do right after the time we had allotted and beforehand. So we just were barely able to even pull it off with everybody else's pre-existing commitments. The fact that we got to do it at all was… you know, we were fortunate for even being able to pull it off. So we were a little underprepared, I feel. And yes, we were offered a good amount of money to go to Japan and do some other things, so it made it just kind of a no-brainer."

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018. In addition to the Japanese performance, the set included footage from the classic lineup's only U.S. show in September 2016 at Badlands in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as well as newly recorded acoustic reworkings of "Heaven Sent" and "Will The Sun Rise". Also featured on "Return To The East Live (2016)" was "It's Just Another Day", the first DOKKEN track featuring the group's classic lineup since 1997's "Shadowlife".

Since completing the Japanese reunion dates, DOKKEN has continued to perform with the group's current lineup — including bassist Chris McCarvill, guitarist Jon Levin and drummer BJ Zampa (HOUSE OF LORDS).

DOKKEN recently finished recording a new studio album, tentatively due later this year via Silver Lining Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival. It will mark the group's first disc since 2012's "Broken Bones".

Over the past four years, Lynch has appeared on recordings by THE END MACHINE, KXM, ULTRAPHONIX and SWEET & LYNCH. He released his first-ever full-length instrumental album, "Seamless", last August via Rat Pak Records.

In an extensive new interview with Music Radar, Paradise Lost guitarist and co-founder, Greg Mackintosh, looks back on the band's discography.





In the following excerpt, Greg talks about the band's 2009 album, Faith Divides Us – Death Unites Us...




Music Radar: I'm going to use the term 'heavily majestic' to describe this album. How do you feel about it now?


Greg Mackintosh: "I think it's one of the most atmospheric records we did. It's got huge swathing melodies coming in and out, here and there. The song 'Last Regret' is a good example of that, and the title track too. I dusted off my string arrangement hat for that one, tried to do things a little more… pompous is the wrong word but it's walking that line.


"I hate symphonic metal, I detest symphonic metal, but in dribs and drabs if it's done right, it can sound amazing. And some some bands have done that and a lot of bands have failed at it. And that was my attempt at walking that line. Trying not to walk into cheese territory, but getting the storybook pictures in your mind type of thing.


"That album in particular, the way the album flows, it's definitely trying to paint a picture like the way you would tell a story. 'As Horizons End', the start of that song, I'm thinking of a storm coming from the distance over the ocean towards you. And that comes closer and closer and starts rumbling and then it ebbs away, and then something else comes in. It's all about that light and shade. You can be as heavy as you want but if everything is heavy surrounding it, it's not heavy at all. Nothing's heavy. So that the album particular taught me a lot about dynamics."


Read the complete interview at Music Radar.








(Photo - Paradise Lost)

In a new interview with Myglobalmind, Steve Vai spoke about what it was like for him to join Yngwie Malmsteen for a performance of the legendary Swedish guitarist's classic song "Black Star" during their joint "Generation Axe" tour, which took place over several legs between 2016 and 2019. He said: "I can't play like Yngwie; nobody can play like him. Nobody can play like me. Nobody can play like anybody. What I did was take the harmony or melody of the song and play it the way I would do it. It was challenging because there were a lot of little fast runs with his fingerings and his tonal center, which is different than mine. I had to work on it. I could do it, but when it came time as to playing against each other, I'm Steve, and he is Yngwie."

Referencing the rest of the "Generation Axe" bill, which included Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi, Vai continued: "That is one of the greatest things about that tour; they are all extremely confident in what they do. They don't compete with you at what you do. What happens is it forces us to compete with ourselves to be the best we can be. Zakk is being Zakk as best as he ever can be. We are all helping each other to push all sorts of aspects of being professional to stage appearance to communication to playing to off-stage etiquette."

"Generation Axe" saw the five musicians sharing a backing band and performing together in addition to playing individual sets. A year after their successful inaugural tour, the five guitarists reconvened for an 11-city tour of Asia that included a stop in Beijing, China. Select performances from that April 2017 concert appeared on a live recording, "Generation Axe - The Guitars That Destroyed The World: Live In China", which was released in June 2019 via earMUSIC.

Vai said the idea behind "Generation Axe" was "to create a seamless show with one backing band and five completely accomplished and astonishing guitarists that take to the stage in various configurations, performing some of their solo music and merging together as cohesive co-creators of lushly orchestrated guitar extravaganzas."

Vai described "Generation Axe" as "pure controlled chaos." "My favorite thing about 'Generation Axe' is the tour bus," he said. "Between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., when we're all hanging out in the lounge just rapping. I wake up in the morning [and] my jaw hurts from laughing so much. These guys, they're out of their minds."

Vocalist Dani "Filth" Davey of veteran British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH recently spoke to HeavyMetal.dk about how the pandemic affected the making of the band's new album, "Existence Is Futile". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The album was written before the pandemic. The drums, fortunately, were recorded before any lockdown which was, obviously, brilliant because our drummer [Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka] is from the Czech Republic, so he wouldn't have been able to get over to record. And in fact, [guitarist] Ashok [Marek Šmerda], who's also from the Czech Republic, didn't arrive in the studio until five months after Martin. But with the drums down and the fact that we demoed everything very extensively, I was able to carry on laying vocals down regardless of whether guitars were down or not. So, in that respect it affected us because we had to do things in strange orders, like drums, vocals [chuckles] and bass and everything else later on when, obviously, the lockdown was lifted and when people were able to travel."

He continued: "[The pandemic] didn't affect the lyricism, it didn't affect the ideology of the album because that was already cast in stone. But — maybe I'm wrong in saying this — I actually enjoyed the pandemic at that point because it afforded us a lot of time… well, not a lot of time, but more time than we usually would have. Me and the producer were literally working half days. Normally in a studio, you literally work 14, 16 hours a day. We were working, like, six hours a day. There was no rush. Everything was very relaxed, and it gave us the opportunity to be very critical. There was one song, 'The Dying Of The Embers', which literally [wasn't going to] make the album… We had another song which we'll leave for later — maybe another record, maybe not at all — that was going to be in its place, but we kind of worked on it and juggled things around and re-wrote the chorus, and it turned from a song I really didn't like to one of the best songs on the album. So that was one thing that the pandemic gave us."

"Existence Is Futile" was released in October. The LP was pieced together in isolation at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk with studio guru Scott Atkins (DEVILMENT, BENEDICTION, VADER). Horror icon Doug "Pinhead" Bradley made a welcome return to the CRADLE fold, lending his dulcet tones to the band's most politically astute song to date, the epic "Suffer Our Dominion" as well as the album bonus track "Sisters Of The Mist", which is the conclusion to the "Her Ghost In The Fog" trilogy that started over 20 years ago on the infamous and classic "Midian".

Eight months ago, CRADLE OF FILTH announced the addition of keyboardist Anabelle Iratni to the band's ranks.

Iratni, who previously played alongside Filth in DEVILMENT, as well as her own group VEILE, made her live debut with CRADLE OF FILTH on May 12, 2021 during the band's livestreamed concert.

Anabelle joined CRADLE OF FILTH as the replacement for Lindsay Schoolcraft, who announced her departure from the group in February 2020 after a seven-year run.

CRADLE OF FILTH is:

Dani Filth - Vocals

Richard Shaw - Guitar

Marek "Ashok" Šmerda - Guitar

Daniel Firth - Bass

Martin "Marthus" Skaroupka - Drums

Anabelle Iratni - Keyboards & backing vocals

EVERY TIME I DIE singer has Keith Buckley has offered a lengthy explanation of the circumstances that led to the band's breakup, calling the split "inevitable" and insisting that "our problems with each other go back decades."

On December 3, the Buffalo-based outfit announced that it would play the last three concerts of its recent tour without Buckley, explaining that the frontman was taking time off from the road to "rest and prepare" for the band's holiday shows, the annual events dubbed "'TID The Season".

Buckley later issued a statement on social media in which he accused his brother, EVERY TIME I DIE guitarist Jordan Buckley, and his other bandmates of platting "to replace me this entire time." He added that he was being "ostracized" from the band he had "built for 20 years because I made a decision to do whatever it took to be a good human being."

Keith Buckley managed to set aside his issues with the rest of EVERY TIME I DIE long enough to play the aforementioned "'TID The Season" concerts in the band's hometown of Buffalo, on December 10 and December 11. But this past Monday (January 17), Jordan Buckley (lead guitar), Andy Williams (rhythm guitar), Stephen Micciche (bass) and Clayton "Goose" Holyoak (drums) issued a statement in which they confirmed that they were unable to reach an agreement with their estranged singer and were indeed going their separate ways. Within hours, Keith Buckley responded by sharing a letter sent to him by law firm Savur Law, dated December 20, 2021, saying that it had been retained by the rest of the band "for legal representation in connection with a separation agreement" between them and Buckley.

Earlier today (Wednesday, January 19), Keith returned to social media with a statement in which he detailed the recent behind-the-scenes correspondence between him and the other members of EVERY TIME I DIE and explained how the decision was made to end the band after a more-than-20-year run.

He wrote: "There is absolutely no hate in my heart when I say that whatever is going on with the guys from now on is between them and their God. Any emotional/ mental connection I had to them was thoroughly severed when I got that letter on Dec. 20th. That was where our paths finally diverged completely.

"I need it to be crystal clear that after their Twitter statement (then deletion then retraction) on Dec 3rd, the letter I received on Dec. 20th was the only correspondence I received in reply to a request made for a conversation with them on Dec 7th.

"They did not reach out to me to resolve the issue before Tid The Season. After TTS there were no attempts at contact from anyone in the band (nor our management) until Dec 17th when our manager unexpectedly quit. Still, no group conversation transpired. On Dec. 20th I was sent a legal document stating I was no longer a member of EVERY TIME I DIE, but the other 4 members were. That's a factual order of events as I observed them and I need to establish this before going any further. This is MY Truth.

"After I overheard them talking about their plans to replace me while backstage in Asheville on Dec 3rd, I played the show (angrily) and immediately left the tour. You all know that. What you don't know is that as soon as I got home, I made multiple attempts to talk to them about their problems with me, since up to the day before the Asheville show I genuinely thought things were better than they had been in a very long time. If you saw me perform then you would know I felt that was true.

"After that Asheville show I tweeted that I was taking a break to protect my mental health because, honestly, I was fucking devastated. The following day they announced- without informing me- that they would continue on the tour and allow the fans to sing 'karaoke style'. Additionally, they quoted me as if I condoned or was even aware beforehand that it was something they were going to do. I found out on Twitter, the same way you did. They then retracted that statement and posted a message of support, claiming I was a 'crucial member'.

"Despite all this, because of their public announcement of support for me, I thought they wanted to make our resolution a priority. However, after days of being dismissed or outright ignored, my hope then became to try at least make TTS civil.

"On December 20th, 2021, I received a letter telling me that I was separated from 'the members of EVERY TIME I DIE' which included all of the members not named Keith Buckley. I was also given a cease and desist, forbidding me from using the name or logo. I immediately lawyered up. I then took the band's name off all promotional flyers for the book tour. I redesigned my social media accounts according to this request. I streamed on Twitch and didn't mention it. Check my work, I played by the rules even though their 'cease and desist' was not legally binding. I was honestly doing them a solid. For anyone concerned about legalities, I am still playing by the rules and am acting in accordance with the council of my lawyer.

"'The members of EVERY TIME I DIE' returned on Jan 5th with an offer to give me back the band and- instead of separating from me - asked me to take the ETID name back and continue without them, with the condition that they receive payments for using the name and all likenesses while I toured. The thing is, being given the band back and/or replacing them was not something I was interested in doing at this point in my life. Also, I do not see ETID as anything other than these specific members. I declined the offer on Jan 6th. If it was done, it was done, but I was still open to figuring out what was best for us all.

"After that I waited for a response, but quickly became uncomfortable with the fact that tickets to upcoming tours were still being sold. It is my understanding that they had, at this point, no acting manager and therefore no one to take responsibility for their decisions. According to my lawyer, no one was responding to his requests to talk either.

"On Jan. 17th, with pressure from promoters increasing, my lawyer sent them a proposed statement to discuss amongst ourselves. (Here it is for reference... 'In a desire for transparency I want to let you know that I received a letter from the band's lawyer firing me from EVERY TIME I DIE on Dec. 20th. there were no band discussions prior nor since. While the details are being legally worked out, know that I am in a good place and excited for whatever will come next. I wish everyone well and have no hate in my heart.') I said that I would release it in 24 hours ONLY if they did not respond with an alternate statement or an interest in collaborating on a new one. As I saw it, something had to be said. I was not going to lie to people to protect 'the members of EVERY TIME I DIE'. No response. Later that night I was texted by a friend telling me to check Twitter. There, I discover that they have announced on behalf of themselves that we officially disbanded after the second Christmas show.

"That is how I found out that the band I started when I was 19 years old was publicly over. In posting that without prior conversation, without legal consultation, without any personal sense of honor for the band we built, these men took away my ability to say goodbye to 20 years worth of sacrifice. That is one of the hardest things to stomach. After half my life in a van I don't even get access to an IG page worth of memories. That, coupled with the incongruous stories that are being told to manipulate and blur the narrative for anyone that might one day look back on this, are to me a wailing and gnashing of teeth.

"My truth is that the pandemic changed me. full stop. I looked at my life and I realized not only was I unhappy, I was exhausted from pretending I wasn't. So I stripped everything back until I found what I loved. Then I worked to nurture that Love and set boundaries around it. Any growth that has transpired after that has been, to me, miraculous.

"After I became sober, I acknowledged to the band the pain I had caused in the past and begged their forgiveness. I promised in return that I would allow the pain they caused me to heal completely and all hatchets would be forever buried. For those understandably unwilling to immediately forgive me, I promised my vigilance at finding the perfect balance of happiness and sacrifice. In return, my mental health was thrown into question when it suited them. Or instead, it was used as a weapon against me when my boundaries offended the consciences of those repeatedly trying to cross them.

"There are a lot of reasons this break up happened, but it could not have resulted in any other conclusion. This was inevitable. In all of its ugly confusion and negativity and rumor, our own deep familial dysfunction manicured it perfectly. Our problems with each other go back decades. We should have broken up in 2014 to be honest. But we didn't, for our own reasons. I can't speak for anyone else, but I continued beyond that point for no other reason than to connect with other people through my lyrics and live performance. In hindsight, I'm so thankful I stuck it out. 'FPU', 'Low Teens' and especially 'Radical are important records that I feel needed to be made. I still sense 'Radical' gaining importance, but the firm spiritual and political stance I took on that record became an insurmountable point of contention between Jordan and I. I, however, make no apologies for a single word.

"If we are friends, if we have met briefly or if we had a whole 4 conversation, if you have read anything I have written or truly heard anything I have said and feel seen, then please know how thankful I am for all the love you have provided me and for all the beauty you have shown me along this road. this is the beginning of a new one, I promise.

"To anyone just kinda concerned from a distance, trust me that I'm good. for real. I have had a month to process all of this. I am happy. You don't have to believe me. It won't change what I know to be true every moment of my blessed life. If you question my character, you can read any of my lyrics and see that I have been very transparent about my life and my struggles. And if you don't see me by now then I'm just not for you. It doesn't mean we can't mutually acknowledge that and go our own ways in peace. Unfollow me. Don't support anything with my name on it from now on, it's cool. We'll both be better off for it.

"Also, please do not send any hate towards anyone regarding this. I sincerely wish them everything they deserve.

"I have absolutely no plans to comment further.

"Perfect Love, Perfect Trust. Keith".

EVERY TIME I DIE's ninth studio album, "Radical", was released in October via Epitaph.

The band's LPs "The Big Dirty" (2007), "New Junk Aesthetic" (2009), "Ex Lives" (2012), "From Parts Unknown" (2014) and "Low Teens" all reached the top 50 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Both "Ex Lives" and "Low Teens" were No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock album chart.




this is my Truth. Read it if you want to know it. ? pic.twitter.com/HJvHUQDs1a

— keith buckley (@deathoftheparty) January 19, 2022

US metal band Extinction A.D. have unveiled their seething new single / video "Mastic", taken from the upcoming album, Culture Of Violence, due March 18th via Unique Leader.


On the new single, the band comment: "Choosing to be an outlier in society so you can go on a path that gives you a higher fulfilment than a stacked bank account is exactly what the modern world is against. We've based our entire lives around following that road and have been forced to make many sacrifices along the way that other people have crumbled under at just the thought of. If you know Mastic, New York, you know it's a very nuanced place. If you don't, you're better off staying where you are."







Pre-order Culture Of Violence now at this location. Cover art and tracklisting are as follows:





"Culture Of Violence"
"Dominion"
"Thirteen"
"Mastic"
"1992"
"Heads Will Roll"
"Behind The Times"
"Star Spangled Banner"
"Praise The Fraud"
"National Disaster"


Formed in 2013 on Long Island, Extinction A.D. are an intense metal band with modern power and frenetic energy. The band have released two full-lengths and two EPs, and have shared stages with the likes of Obituary, Thy Art Is Murder, Havok, Municipal Waste, Testament, Suicidal Tendencies, Exodus, Kvelertak, Harm’s Way and more. 


Extinction A.D will tour the USA 18th January - 20th February with Cattle Decapitation, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life and Creeping Death, and follow that with a headline run alongside Rhythm Of Fear.


Dates:


w/ Cattle Decapitation, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life and Creeping Death:



January
18 - San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick
19 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
20 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720
21 - Berkeley, CA - The Cornerstone 
22 - Reno, NV - Cargo
24 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater 
25 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon 
27 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall 
28 - Colorado Springs, CO - The Black Sheep
29 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater 
31 - Belvidere, IL - The Apollo AC


February
1 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
2 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
3 - Hobart, IN - Hobart Art Theater
4 - Columbus, OH - The Foundry
5 - Lexington, KY - Manchester Music Hall
6 - Detroit, MI - The Shelter
8 - Worcester, MA - Palladium Upstairs
9 - NYC, NY - Le Poisson Rouge
11 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft
12 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
14 - Houston, TX - Secret Group
15 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
16 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It
19 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
20 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater


Extinction A.D. only:


February
22 – Odessa, TX – Cactus House
23 – Little Rock, AR – Vinos
24 – Memphis, TN  The Hi Tone
25 – Chattanooga, TN – The Spot


w/ Rhythm Of Fear:


March
15 - Worcester, MA - Ralph's Rock Diner
16 - Manchester, NH - Angel City Music Hall
17 - Quebec City, QC - La Source de La Martinière
18 - Montreal, QC - Cabaret Foufs
19 - Ottawa, ON - Brass Monkey
20 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison
21 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
22 - Altoona, PA - McGarvey's Bar
23 - Harrisburg, PA - HMAC
24 - Richmond, VA - The Camel
25 - Kearny, NJ - Jimmy's Bar & Grill
26 - Amityville, NY - Amityville Music Hall


 

As part of his ongoing Quarantine Project, Devin Townsend will perform his '98 Infinity album front to back for his next livestream. He has shared a new trailer for the event. Check it out below.





Townsend previously iissued the following message:




"We're going live on Saturday, February 5th, 12noon PST / 3pm EST / 8pm GMT / 9pm CET / 7am AEDT (next day). If you can't make it at that time, no fear: we'll record the show and keep it available for another 48hrs.


Tickets go live on Friday, Jan 7th at 15:00 CET and are exclusively available on DevinTownsendShop.com. We've also added a show-exclusive t-shirt and the option to bundle with the ticket for a discounted price.


Note: the t-shirts are pre-orders and ship from the United Kingdom the week prior to the livestream."


Townsend has said he will perform Infinity in the original album sequence, with songs included from the Christeen EP.

A new video clip has been uploaded to the official Children Of Bodom YouTube channel, which remains active through the band's former members Janne Wirman (keyboards), Henkka Seppälä (bass) and Jaska Raatikainen (drums).


"In 2018 we did a tour called No Place Like Home. This clip is more like Jaska's point of view, in Tavastia, Helsinki."







Ykä Järvinen at scratchnbake recently shared rare footage of Children Of Bodom in action back in 1997, performing at Tavastia in Helsinki, Finland.





Järvinen previously shared unreleased single cam footage of Children Of Bodom performing The Ramones classic "Somebody Put Something In My Drink" at Tavastia on December 30th, 2014. Check it out below.


The remaining COB members commented on the footage:


"In the end of 2014 we did a small tour in Finland called Bodom Xmas Bash. One of the shows was part of the legendary New Years celebration aka Helldone Festival that took place in Tavastia, Helsinki. Here’s a small memory of that show."

In celebration of “Come On Come On” being featured on the Peacemaker series (out now on HBO Max) and with permission from director James Gunn himself, Action Show Studios decided to make an insane video. Watch this!





When director James Gunn was looking for a truly rocking and raunchy song to include as part of the Peacemaker show on HBO Max (starring WWE wrestler John Cena as the role of Christopher Smith/Peacemaker), he couldn’t have made a better selection than the Nashville Pussy classic, “Come On Come On”.




It appears that Gunn is a fan of The Pussy, in a Twitter exchange between mutual friend actor Earl W. Brown (‘Deadwood,’ ‘Something About Mary’), Gunn admitted to personally choosing the Grammy-nominated Nashville Pussy and song “Come On Come On” for the Peacemaker’series, and texted, “It has great placement in the first episode.”


The first episode, entitled A Whole New Whirled, premiered on Thursday, January 13, and the song (which was originally included on the band’s 2005 album, Get Some!) was included as part of the show’s official Spotify playlist last week.





The release of the official (and explicit) Red Band trailer for Peacemaker, which can be seen below, perfectly coincides with the release of Nashville Pussy’s latest album, Eaten Alive (of which the CD was issued on December 24, and the double gatefold vinyl on January 14). Recorded in the UK, this is Nashville Pussy’s Live at Leeds and one of most unrelenting concert albums since Motörhead’s No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith. To order, head here.


Nashville Pussy is especially honored to be included in Peacemaker. “It’s great seeing someone who shares our sense of humor, and it is especially an honor to have our lyrics used as actual dialogue by John Cena!”





 

Seattle heavy metal practitioners Dark Meditation have unveiled their new video for “Desolation Days”, which can be seen below. The track comes by way of the band’s Polluted Temples full-length, set for release January 28th via Satanik Royalty Records.


Dark Meditation may hail from Seattle, but their sound is steeped in traditions associated with other corners of the globe — England’s working-class cities, frosty Scandinavian towns, Southern California meccas of the ‘80s. Or as the band puts it, Dark Meditation sounds like the bastard amalgamation of Venom and Judas Priest fighting it out on the Sunset Strip while Danzig and King Diamond cheer them on. While such reference points may suggest a nexus of evil kitsch and arena-level theatrics, the band’s debut album Polluted Temples comes from a place of down-and-out urgency and punk ethics, adopting the gloomy anthems and riff worship of heavy metal titans for their sonic exorcisms rather than their rock n’ roll panache. It’s an album that basks in big hooks, righteous guitar work, and an arena-level stomp without compromising any grit, grime, or guts.


Comments the band of their latest single, “‘Desolation Days’ is a commentary on the disparity between people and our continued march to oblivion, how no matter hard you might try it seems like you can’t keep up with the world and in each passing day, people or institutions manipulate emotions/relationships to get what they want without a care for the toll it takes on society. Fittingly, it’s a righteous strut of mid-tempo death rock with heavy metal flourishes culminating in a fitting chant for the end of days."







Originally conceived by vocalist A.D. Vick, guitarist Rane, and guitarist/synth player Ian as a recording project intended to provide personal catharsis, Dark Meditation came to serve as a crucial artistic outlet for the entire five-piece band — a salve during trying times. Along with compatriots JW Mullett (bass), and Will Klintberg (drums), the founding trio poured four years of blood, sweat, and equity into Polluted Temples, though the inner-band relationships go back even further. The members of Dark Meditation all cut their teeth and crossed paths in various niches of the underground, churning out visceral and vitriolic bangers in acts like Emeralds (SEA), O.S.S., R.I.P., and Wildildlife. A punk ethos permeated their earlier acts, and while they may have excised some of that primitivism in their current project, the members of Dark Meditation have not skimped on the aural punishment and physical intensity.


Recorded over two weeks during Seattle’s record-breaking heatwave of June 2021 by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, The Sword, Soundgarden), Polluted Temples is the culmination of nearly half a decade’s worth of work. Not only does it represent a triumph over recent adversities, it serves as a negation of ingrained prejudices and social mores. “Most of our songs deal with personal consequences of our actions and how it effects the world around us,” Vick says of his lyrics. “But there is also the looming specter of evangelical Christianity that I was brought up in and trying to break away from the dogmatic concepts that were pushed upon me in childhood.”


These themes are displayed on songs like “Haunt Of Fear,” where Vick explores the idea of the devil as an invented boogeyman used to govern by fear and instill hatred in the populace while the band lays down a thunderous foundation of first-wave black metal riffage, wailing pinch harmonics, and dueling guitar solos. On a similar tip, the album’s title track—a perfect blend of melodic gloom and pounding force bolstered by synth-colored choruses and heroic guitars—uses the biblical metaphor of the body as a temple to examine how physical pleasure-seeking turns people inward and away from the rest of humanity. This kind of social commentary manifests in the relentless chug of “Babalon.Money.Magick,” where the increasing disparity between the haves and have-nots is reflected Seattle’s new construction and tent cities. And it pops up again in the mid-tempo death rock strut of “Desolation Days,” where manipulative institutions and power-hungry people are brought to task for valuing the dollar over human lives.


Ultimately, Dark Meditation’s true power lies in their razor-sharp musicianship, addictive songwriting, and fist-pumping instrumentation. It’s no small wonder that the band’s early demos warranted an official release by Austria’s boutique black metal label Doctrina Carnis before they’d even played their first live show. Polluted Temples marks a substantial progression in both performance and production, and with that evolution comes the requisite support of a strong stateside label.


Polluted Temples will be released on LP and digital formats. Pre-order at the Satanik Royalty webshop.





Tracklisting:


“Horus Rising (Prelude)”
“Babalon.Money.Magick”
“Haunt Of Fear”
“Strange Caress (Of The Night)”
“Masters Coil”
“Desolation Days”
“The Howling Wild”
“Drink Of The Blade”
“Nocturnal Forever”
“Polluted Temples” 


“Haunt Of Fear” video:





(Photo by: Sarah Hammel)


 

Cosmic metallers Vanderlust, featuring members of S91 and Dreal, will be rocketing their self-titled debut album on April 15 via Rockshots Records.


Inviting fans into their universe with their first single "Scavengers of Kuiper Belt" this past December, the space musicians are ready to share their next musical constellation entitled "The Last Ganymedian", which is one of the two ballads on the album.


"It starts like a country-acoustic song (played by acoustic guitar) and then goes into metal riffing. This is a 90’s oriented song, slow and grungy. No prog-technical parts but very dynamic vocals and epic atmospheres. The last Ganymedian... should we still consider him a human being?," adds the band.




Find a visualizer for "The Last Ganymedian" below.


Birthed to travel the cosmos, Italy's Vanderlust is a power-heavy metal band with prog-thrash influences that tells tales of space travels, astronomy, space engineering, and sci-fi adventures.


"We tried to mix a prog-thrashy riffing in the roots of Megadeth, Vektor and Tool with epic vocal parts like Iron Maiden, Helloween, Angra, and Lione’s Rhapsody. We also put sci-fi elements in our songs, so you can hear also something from Voivod." adds the band.


This debut recording is like a stellar system with 12 different planets. The star at the center of the system represents the heavy-power metal around all the songs revolving. Despite all the tracks being irradiated by the same light, they are all different from each other. Vanderlust has fast thrash, slow and doom, shiny and brilliant to grunge, and darker songs. Like planets, which appear like simple small bright spots, but in reality, are all big worlds, Vanderlust's songs are more complex than they sound at first listen. In fact, you can easily sing along to some of the choruses even if there are complex riffs in the background. Vanderlust is particularly proud of the participation of opera singer Letizia Cappellini who does vocals on select tracks and helps the band further expand the vocal register of their compositions. The band also adds the presence of synths and electronic elements to the compositions to set the sci-fi mood of the lyrics.


"The main goal was to start a metal band that could be an inspiration for young people, a band that could tell them stories from the future when mankind will have overcome its limits and the solar system will be an entire human colony. This idea came to mind to founding members Francesco and Santo when they began their search for other members that could fit. Drummer Giacomo Mezzetti joined the space odyssey right before the covid-19 outbreak. Vocalist Riccardo Morello joined the band during the first lockdown in Italy, so the first song was entirely composed online, using videocalls and file sharing." adds the band.





Tracklisting:


Intro
"High Hopes"
"Orphan Planet"
"Forgotten Breed"
"The Last Ganymedian"
"Scavengers Of Kuiper Belt"
"Mass Effect Destruction"
"Requiem For An Ancient World"
"3 Suns"
"Dyson's Swarm"
"Ringworld"
"Ten Years Back"
"Zima Blue"

The Temperance Movement's White Bear-era YouTube acoustic session is available for streaming in full below. The video includes never-before-released footage of tracks such as "Three Bulleits" (Acoustic) and "Battle Lines" (Acoustic)".





The Temperance Movement have released their new collection Caught On Stage: Live & Acoustic, and recorded at the legendary Metropolis Studios in London.




This special release features a collection of rare live tracks recorded from various locations including intimate acoustic live shows, radio sessions with Planet Rock and rehearsal room recordings, compiled with the help of founding member and guitarist Paul Sayer. Simply a must-have for any fan of The Temperance Movement.


Order your copy here.





Tracklisting:


"Magnify" (Live Bear)
"Modern Massacre" (Live Bear)
"The Sun and Moon Roll around Too Soon" (Live Bear)
"I Hope I'm Not Losing My Mind" (Live Bear)
"Midnight Black" (Amazon Session)
"Only Friend" (Amazon Session)
"Ain't No Telling" (Live at Kore)
"Modern Massacre" (Live at Metropolis)
"Smouldering" (Planet Rock Session)
"Stay With Me" (Planet Rock Session)
"Take It Back"
"Lovers And Fighters" (Live in the Living Room)
"Only Friend" (Rehearsal Session)
"Battle Lines" (Acoustic)
"Do The Revelation" (Acoustic)
"Get Yourself Free" (Acoustic)
"Three Bulleits" (Acoustic)
"Time Won't Leave" (Acoustic)
"White Bear" (Acoustic)


"Modern Massacre" (Live at Metropolis):

Canada’s My Hollow has a new album coming out, entitled Fighting The Monsters, which they are anxious to release upon the world this year. Taking inspiration from modern death metal bands, they are continuously evolving and this next release from them is no exception.


The first single “Vultures”, came about when guitarist Greg Gallagher set out to write something heavy based on a black metal fast tremolo guitar riff that, as he puts it, just totally crushed. This was one of the more difficult songs for him to write, but the finished product made the struggle completely worthwhile. Humorous and lighthearted, the video contrasts the pummelling drums and harsh riffs throughout the song, making the single heavily engaging both visually and sonically.


The video for the single was created by Jennifer White, the wife of vocalist Graham. She created all of the puppets, props and backgrounds by hand, all while serving as de facto director for the video.




The band explains further: “The music video for ‘Vultures’ was single-handedly designed and created by Graham’s amazing wife and very talented tattoo artist, Jennifer White. She has been creating our artwork for almost as long as we’ve been a band. Jen and Graham went over the details and she came back with a storyboard complete with different acts and scenes and it was clear at that moment that her talents were definitely not limited to static artwork. Then we saw the puppets she had created to go along with the storyboard; she poured hours into it and we think it turned out amazing. The level of detail in these puppets was way more than we were expecting, and it's so cool to see ourselves represented as puppets.”


Watch the video below.


Fighting The Monsters was mixed and mastered by Tyler Williams at Monolithic Productions and the artwork was done by Jennifer White. The EP is slated for release this coming spring.





​Tracklisting:​


"Vultures"
"Fighting The Monsters" ft. Björn Strid (Soilwork)
"Hell Or High Water"
"Faded Through"
"The Iron Harvest"


"Vultures" video:





(Photo - Brett Teskey)

Romanian metal band, Scarlet Aura, have released a music video for "In The Line Of Fire", featured on the band's album, Genesis Of Time released last September digitally, and as special limited-edition CD-digipak and double black orange splatter heavy weight 180g vinyl via Universal Music Romania and Silver City Records. Watch the Eugen Dediu-directed clip below.





Says the band: "“We wanted to write a song that is a powerful encouragement and a message to anyone to not lose hope and keep fighting one’s own battles no matter what. We were broken but that only made us stronger, we were laughed at but we always showed up better, we jumped and fell but had the power to not only walk but to fly again higher and higher as any battle in and outside of yourself can be won if you stand up for what you believe in!“







Lineup:


Aura Danciulescu – Lead Vocals
Mihai Danciulescu – Lead guitar, special FX and keyboards
Rene Nistor – Bass
Matthias Klaus – Drums

THE HALO EFFECT, the new project featuring five former members of the Swedish metal band IN FLAMES — Jesper Strömblad (guitar), Daniel Svensson (drums), Peter Iwers (bass), Niclas Engelin (guitar) and Mikael Stanne (vocals) — has released its second single, "Feel What I Believe". The track, the official music video for which can be seen below, will appear on THE HALO EFFECT's first album, due later in the year via Nuclear Blast.

Stanne comments: "'Feel What I Believe' is basically about how it felt growing up and discovering extreme metal in our late teens. Delving into something that was both frightening and alluring at the same time. And having that as the sole focus as you started playing in a band and in essence decided who you wanted to be. That confidence and laser focus is what still fascinates me. I love that this somehow endured over the years. This is basically us at 19 screaming, 'How don't you understand this?' And even if people around us didn't get it at the time, at least they could see our passion for it and that's what this song is about."

He adds: "The video is also reminiscent of the videos we saw growing up. A bunch of long-haired people in an abandoned warehouse playing loud music while trying to look cool, basically. What we did here though is bring it to another level thanks to Theo Gabay and his amazing team. I love that it captures the vibe of us playing and really enjoying what we do. Also it looks spectacular."

Last November, THE HALO EFFECT released its debut single, "Shadowminds".

Regarding how THE HALO EFFECT came together, Stanne told the "Heavy Hops" podcast (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "This is basically all my old friends from the area. Gothenburg is small, and it's always been very incestuous in terms of members, back and forth, in bands.

"I got asked by Niclas Engelin, who I've known since he… We played our first-ever show together with his old band; they were called SARCAZM, and we were still SEPTIC BROILER, before DARK TRANQUILLITY. So that's how far back we go. So he asked me, like, 'Let's play some music together.' And I was, like, 'Sure. It would be nice.' I was really deep into the writing and recording of the latest DARK TRANQUILLITY album, 'Moment', but I said, 'I'll be done soon.' 'Cause I was still kind of in the mode of sitting at home, recording and singing. So I was, like, 'Send me some songs. I'll see what I can do.' And then Peter Iwers called me as well and he was, like, 'I'm probably gonna be a part of this thing with Niclas. And it would be great if we could do it seriously. And we can probably get Daniel as well,' who played in IN FLAMES as well, 'and then maybe Jesper Strömblad as well.' And I was, like, 'That sounds fucking awesome.' That's totally old school. Even though we never played in that constellation in the early days of IN FLAMES, I was there, and Jesper was there, and then the other guys kind of joined later. So it was kind of, like, 'All right. Yeah, why not? Let's see what we can come up with.' So it's basically all the kind of old ex, weird members of IN FLAMES. But for me, it really is like… Daniel was in my younger brother's class when we grew up, so I started getting to know him because he got into death metal and he started his band SACRILEGE that I really loved. And Niclas was always kind of like a really, really proficient, great guitar player, playing in SARCAZM and tons of other bands that I always went to see, and we always hung out in the late '80s and early '90s. And Peter, of course, I knew, because he was the brother of Anders, who's been my friend forever. And Jesper I met during our first-ever shows in maybe '87, '88 — or something like that — hanging out at Valvet, which was the only kind of underground metal place here in Gothenburg in the late '80s and early '90s. So it kind of made perfect sense. So when we started talking about playing together, it was, like, 'Okay. What do we do then?' Should we just see if we can kind of pick up — not where we left off, but what we wanted to back then and see if we can update with what we have learned [through] our collective experiences. So that was kind of the idea. And it's been a blast — just being able to hang out with old friends. Because of touring schedules and all the stuff, in the recent 15 years or so, we never really get to see each other that much. But now we have. So it's been super, super, super cool."

On the topic of THE HALO EFFECT's musical direction, Mikael said: "Niclas started writing a few songs, just based on what he has and what he kind of digs. And I immediately felt, like, 'Oh, this is super cool. We're on to something here.' It's super heavy, it's melodic — it's all those things that we kind of grew up trying to do. Then Jesper got involved and he started changing a little bit of that or adding stuff to it. And we were, like, 'Okay, this is awesome.' It doesn't feel new at all, it doesn't feel super different, but at the same time, why should we? Let's focus on the things that we know best and try to kind of recapture that feeling that we had when we were kids, when we wanted to play together and that kind of playful atmosphere. Because the longer you play together with your main band or what have you, you try to constantly reinvent yourself, and so much energy goes into trying to be different from what you have done before. Whereas starting something new like this with a very familiar genre of music meant that you could be very free about it. It doesn't have to be anything in particular, it doesn't have to conform to any rules — it just needs to fucking kick ass and feel good. So that was the starting point. And then I tried, lyrically, to sing about or write about how it was growing up and how we felt and what was the thing that drove us to this extreme kind of music and all those things. It became kind of a thing that we always talked about: 'Do you remember this? Do you remember that old show? Do you remember that venue where we used to go and the long bus [ride] that took us all the way to that shitty youth center where we saw those bands?' or whatever. So it really became partly nostalgia but also kind of an appreciation for where we came from and how things turned out."

Stanne also talked about "Shadowminds", which was accompanied by a music video directed by Lucas Englund. He said: "It was one of the first songs that we wrote. We decided, like, 'Let's record a few songs, see if it works, see how it feels, see what we can come up with.' So we recorded three songs, and 'Shadowminds' was one of those. And we were really happy with all three of them. And we were, like, 'This feels great.' Because everything was written really fast. We went into the studio. Jesper put his spin on it. Then I wrote some lyrics in a day or in a couple of hours, sang it on a demo version and sent it to them, and they were, like, 'All right. Cool. Yeah. Let's record this super fast and see what happens.' Then we recorded a few more songs. And we couldn't decide on what would be the first single, because when we initially recorded these demos, it was just a way for us to present something to a label, see if someone is interested. So we were, like, 'Okay, but what song is most representative of this music, this band that we hardly even know yet.' So we played five songs to a bunch of friends and people who work in music, and they all kind of agreed this is probably the one. This feels most representative of what we are. It's a really intense song, it's melodic, it's heavy, and it's the first song that we eventually finished where we felt, like, 'Okay, this is a good direction. This is a good way of moving forward. And if we can have the songs be at least this kind of quality but in a different way, then we should be fine.' So that felt good. It was a great starting point — starting off with something that we were instantly very proud of and we felt like this is gonna be a song that's gonna stick for a while."

A founding member of IN FLAMES, Strömblad quit the band in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

Svensson, who joined IN FLAMES in 1998, announced in 2015 that he was leaving the group to focus on his family life.

A member of IN FLAMES since 1997, Iwers issued a statement in November 2016 saying that he was exiting the band "to pursue other endeavors."

Engelin has been sitting out IN FLAMES' tour dates for the past two and a half years but has never officially confirmed his departure from the band. Engelin's replacement for IN FLAMES' live shows for most of 2019 and early 2020 has been former MEGADETH and current ACT OF DEFIANCE guitarist Chris Broderick.

When Engelin was asked in an August 2020 interview with the "MetalBreak" podcast what his "future" with IN FLAMES was, he responded, "I choose to pass on that [question]," before quickly adding, "I'm still in the band."

As of 2020, Engelin was not listed as a member of IN FLAMES on the band's Facebook page (Broderick was), and he is not featured in any of IN FLAMES' current promotional photos from the group's record label, Nuclear Blast.

Shortly after leaving IN FLAMES, Iwers joined CYHRA, the band featuring vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE) and Strömblad. He announced his departure from that band in May 2018.

THE HALO EFFECT's first-ever tour will be as the support act for Swedish death metal giants AMON AMARTH and U.S. metallers MACHINE HEAD on 31 dates throughout Europe in the summer and fall of 2022.

TESTAMENT has parted ways with its longtime drummer Gene Hoglan.

The veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers announced Hoglan's exit from the group in a social media post earlier today.

The band wrote: "To all our TESTAMENT fans around the world,

"First off, we are beyond grateful to have had Gene Hoglan behind our drum throne for ten years, several albums and countless tour dates. Unfortunately, our brother Gene's additional tours and solo endeavors in 2022 conflict insurmountably with TESTAMENT's rescheduled dates after two years of lost time due to the pandemic. Rather than TESTAMENT having to reschedule upcoming dates (yet again) or Gene having to cancel his own plans, we have decided to amicably part ways.

"We understand that this announcement will cause some disappointment but rest assured: There is no drama, only the best of vibes between us. As Gene embarks upon a new chapter, we thank him from the bottom of our hearts for bringing the most powerful drum beats to TESTAMENT and heavy metal. We have no doubt he will continue to bring it as only he can. Gene Hoglan will always be family and we ask all of you to join us in wishing him only the best of luck going forward! Also rest assured that we will continue to deliver yet another top notch addition to TESTAMENT and will reveal soon!

"We will see you all on tour very soon!"

Hoglan added in a separate statement: "It's been a great ten years folks, and now it's time for me to move on from the mighty TESTAMENT. It merely comes down to the fact that schedules can be challenging to align for in-demand dudes like yours truly.

"I wish Chuck, Eric, Alex and Stevie D the absolute best of luck as they will continue to crush as always.

"I'm moving into an exciting new chapter of my career and free agency, with all that it will entail.

"I'll freely admit, I'm psyched. And I'm greatly looking forward to all the new opportunities the coming months and years are looking to bring, and again I wish my friends and family in TESTAMENT and their crew a fantastic future and all the best in '22 and beyond.

"Thank you gentlemen, for a great ride together."

TESTAMENT, EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL played the sole 2021 date of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour" last November at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. The gig took place less than two months after the three bands shared the stage at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento.

"The Bay Strikes Back Tour" was originally scheduled to kick off on October 6 at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California and make stops in Austin, New York, and Detroit before concluding in Oakland. The tour has since been rescheduled to take place in April and May 2022.

Two years ago, TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson told Midlands Metalheads Radio about the songwriting process for the band's latest album, 2020's "Titans Of Creation": "Since I write most of the material, having different drummers in the band [over the years] and different styles, getting Gene in the band, who is kind of like a human drum machine — I mean, he can pretty much play anything. So my imagination is kind of limitless as far as what I can picture [the drum patterns being behind the] guitar. And a lot of the times, too, I play a riff, he's worked with me so long now, he knows exactly in the ballpark of what beat is gonna go where. So it's a lot of fun."

Hoglan previously stated about how he approached his drumming with TESTAMENT: "With TESTAMENT, I try to be as 'Gene Hoglan' as I can be. I definitely want the drums to sound like what Eric's looking for and I'm always trying to capture and enhance his vision. So I don't mind when I get songs really demoed out. Cool, lemme learn what you put on the demo and lemme Gene-ize it and we'll take it from there. Touring with TESTAMENT is very enjoyable. It's a well-oiled, solid metal machine that knows what it's doing."


To all our Testament fans around the world,

First off, we are beyond grateful to have had Gene Hoglan ''Official...

Posted by Testament on Friday, January 21, 2022



For immediate release

It’s been a great ten years folks, and now it’s time for me to move on from the mighty...

Posted by Gene Hoglan ''Official Page'' on Friday, January 21, 2022

The first in a series of videos documenting the making of MACHINE HEAD's as-yet-untitled tenth studio album can be seen below.

Back in June 2021, MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern entered Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California with producer Zack Ohren to demo some new ideas for the band's follow-up to 2018's "Catharsis". With not a whole lot to track, things were off to a slow start, but eventually ideas started to flow.

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

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

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

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

Last June, MACHINE HEAD released the "Arrows In Words From The Sky" single. Featuring the tracks "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky", the effort was recorded at Sharkbite.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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