Swedish metallers SABATON have released the official lyric video for their new single, "Soldier Of Heaven". The track is taken from the band's tenth studio album, "The War To End All Wars", that will be released on March 4 via Nuclear Blast Records. Written and recorded during the COVID-19 global pandemic, the concept album of 11 brand-new songs once again dives deep into the atrocities, miracles, and events tied to the early 20th century's World War I. The tenth album of the Falun-based five-piece will be available in an impressive variety of exclusive formats, including CD, vinyl, and cassette, with most available in limited editions.

Between the several battlegrounds of WWI, there was no scene as hostile as the feared alpine front that involved a series of battles at the border between Austria, Hungary and Italy. High above in the alps, men would fight in the most extreme conditions to protect the borders. Today, these fights are infamously known as the so-called "White War", where many soldiers froze to death or were buried by dangerous avalanches. Their dead bodies remain under the snow until today. "Soldier Of Heaven" gives that overlooked chapter of WWI a voice, a tune and an impressive music video featuring both breathtaking special effects and the fatal beauty of this battlefield.

SABATON bassist Pär Sundström states about the song: "We already released the Christmas Truce and here comes another song which shows the diversity of the new album. In the early listening sessions of the new album this one was noted among most people as a top song and we know that this will be a powerful sing-a-long anthem on future concerts. So study the lyrics, get your ass to a show and make sure you kill corona in the process!"

"The War To End All Wars" track listing:

01. Sarajevo

02. Stormtroopers

03. Dreadnought

04. The Unkillable Soldier

05. Soldier Of Heaven

06. Hellfighters

07. Race To The Sea

08. Lady Of The Dark

09. The Valley Of Death

10. Christmas Truce

11. Versailles

In a recent interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, SABATON frontman Joakim Brodén said about the musical direction of the band's new material: "It's very much a SABATON album in that way. We've been an evolutionary band always and not a revolutionary band. There's always surprises on a SABATON album but we're never gonna flip the coin and do something totally different on every song on a new album. There's gonna be surprises on every album.

"It's always subjective," he continued. "I think it's pathetic when an artist goes, 'It's the best album we've ever made,' and they keep promoting the same tired line. I say it's up to the listener to decide that, but I know for a fact that everybody in the band, without even sitting in the same room together, because I sort of shipped out the pre-mixes to everyone, and everybody — this is the only time in our history this has happened — everybody came back with, 'Fuck. That sounds great.' Everybody is super happy with the production. We were always happy before, but it was, like, 'Maybe this, maybe that.' Now it was more like, 'Okay, yeah, I have some suggestions and ideas, but wow.' We're really happy with the sound."

SABATON is considered to be one the most important bands to emerge from the Swedish modern metal scene, having been honored with five Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards (including "Best Live Band" three different years) and nominated several times for the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards, the Grammis. In 2016, SABATON's "The Last Stand" album debuted at No. 1 in three different European countries and cracked the Top 3 in four others. Joakim Brodén (vocals), Pär Sundström (bass), Chris Rörland (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums) and Tommy Johansson (guitar) curate a festival of their own, Sabaton Open Air, that started back in 2008, as well as their own forward-thinking Sabaton Cruise which has been held since 2009.

Former Cradle of Filth backing vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva, who now fronts Torn Between Two Worlds, has revealed she is gearing up to release a cover of the Siouxsie And The Banshees classic "Cities In Dust".A release date will be revealed soon.










Torn Between Two Worlds, featuring former Angtoria bandmates Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn, will release a new single titled "Transparent" on January 14th. Sarah has opened up about writing the song.


Sarah: "This song was a bit of a challenge for me as this song is totally from scratch. It wasn’t written a few years ago like 'The Beauty Of Deception' was. 'All Eyes On Me' was also written a few years ago, but 80% of the lyrics lost, re-written and rearranged and the vocals recorded at my home, and “Hello” being a cover song (Adele). This is the first song lyric-wise that I have written in almost 10 years, I think, and when Chris sent me the music, I found it so difficult getting everything together. I recorded half a track and Chris and I just weren’t feeling it, so we took a big step back for a few months and let everything digest, because you can’t rush a song if you want people to believe in your music. Chris Rehn is a mindblowing composer and takes much pride in his arrangements, and for me, as silly as it sounds, I want him to be proud of the song and me. I can’t stress enough how its him that should be praised to high heaven, not me.


The song is based on fame and ego, people who take everything and everyone for granted, and takes pleasure in destroying everything and people, only to make themselves feel better. They love to take credit for absolutely everything, whilst others work their arses off, put their heart and soul into everything. Self destructive, compulsive liars who believes you are where you are today because of them. Surrounded by many for the wrong reasons, yet doesn’t actually doesn’t have much."


"Transparent" is now available for pre-order here.





Sarah recently posted the following message:


"There are two people in this world that make me so proud and reduce me to tears on a regular basis.... my beautiful son and.... Chris Rehn.


If Chris and I had started Torn Between Two Worlds 10 years ago, maybe I wouldn't have lost so much faith in the music scene. I am so proud of 'Hello', so proud that yet again, I was reduced to tears, but proud tears. We love what we have done with it and yet again I can't praise Chris Rehn enough for his composing and vision.


I also wished my dad was still alive to hear this, he would have been so proud.


It's extremely likely we will do an EP..... for you..... and for us!


None of this would have been possible without your support and of course so many close friends pushing us. Thank you."


"The Beauty Of Deception"





"All Eyes On Me"





"Hello"

Intergalatic space metal outift Gloryhammer, who back in August parted ways with frontman Thomas Winkler, performed at the 2021 edition of Bloodstock Open Air, on August 15 at Catton Hall and Gardens, Walton-on-Trent, England. Pro-shot video of the band's full set can be seen below.


Setlist:


"The Siege Of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)
"Gloryhammer"
"Angus McFife"
"The Land Of Unicorns"
"Questlords Of Inverness, Ride To The Galactic Fortress!"
"The Hollywood Hootsman"
"Hootsforce"
"Masters Of The Galaxy"
"Universe On Fire"
"The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee"

Heavy metallers, Spirits Of Fire, recently announced their return with new vocalist Fabio Lione (Angra, ex-Rhapsody Of Fire), who joins original members Chris Caffery, Steve DiGiorgio, and Mark Zonder on their second album, Embrace The Unknown. The album will land on February 18.


Produced by Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Archon Angel, Sweet Oblivion), Embrace The Unknown sees Spirits Of Fire picking up where they left off on their debut, with Caffery's skillful songwriting and fiery fretwork leading the charge.


A new single and video, "Into The Mirror" is out today. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Embrace The Unknown on CD/LP/Digital here.




Heavy metal supergroup Spirits of Fire first formed in 2017, released their first single in late 2018, and unleashed their debut album in February 2019. Originally formed by Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Death, etc.), Mark Zonder (ex-Fates Warning, Warlord) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (ex-Judas Priest), the band's self-titled debut was met with fan and critical praise upon its release. As it approaches two years since the release of their debut, Spirits of Fire are now set to return with a new album, Embrace The Unknown that sees renowned Italian metal vocalist Fabio Lione taking over frontman duties for the band. Production this time comes courtesy of Aldo Lonobile, whose recent work on releases by Archon Angel featuring Zak Stevens, Sweet Oblivion featuring Geoff Tate, and his own band, Secret Sphere, makes him the perfect fit for the band.


Once again, the band worked on a set of songs that were primarily put together by Caffery, with Lione and Lonobile adding their own touches to Caffery's stellar songs. The final result sees a killer musical output that continues in the vein of “classic Priest meets Savatage” sound that the band has pursued since their formation. With Caffery's renowned guitar playing, the undeniable power of the rhythm section of Di Giorgio and Zonder, and the world class vocals of Lione, Embrace The Unknown sees Spirits Of Fire pushing their sonic stamp further and further. From the biting riffage of the charging "Embrace The Unknown", the band is firing on all cylinders and prepared to appease the heavy metal gods.


Spirits Of Fire are built to deliver classic in-your-face heavy metal and they have accomplished that goal on every level on Embrace The Unknown. From Lione's soaring vocals, to Caffery’s guitar pyrotechnics, to the propulsive and crushing rhythms of Di Giorgio and Zonder, the performances are stellar from beginning to end. There is no shortage of memorable, metal hymns to raise your fist and bang your head to on this all killer, no filler metal journey.





Tracklisting:


"A Second Chance"
"Resurrection"
"Wildest Dreams"
"Into The Mirror"
"Embrace The Unknown"
"My Confession"
"Sea Of Change"
"Shapes Of A Fragile Mind"
"Hearts In The Sand"
"House Of Pain"
"Remember My Name"
"Out In The Rain"


"Into The Mirror" video:





"A Second Chance" video:





Lineup:


Fabio Lione - Vocals
Christopher Caffery - Guitars
Steve Di Giorgio - Bass
Mark Zonder - Drums

Frontiers Music Srl recently announced the release of All The Way, the debut album from Kraemer, on January 28. Kraemer is a new musical collaboration that sees Finnish vocalist Erik Kraemer (Simulacrum) applying his vocals to melodic hard rock songs in the style of the classic Scandinavian school of the genre.


Watch a lyric video for the album's title track below, and pre-order/save All The Way here.


The musicians playing with vocalist Erik Kraemer on All The Way include Alessandro Del Vecchio on bass, keyboards, and background vocals, Andrea Seveso (Robin McAuley) on guitars and Michele Sanna (Brother Against Brother) on drums. With a set of songs written by Del Vecchio, Marco Sivo, Pete Alpenborg (ex-Arctic Rain), Kristian Fyhr (Seventh Crystal), Jan Akesson (Infinite & Divine), Ulrick Lönnqvist, Fabio Dessi, and Carmine Martone, and outstanding production from the always in demand Del Vecchio, this record showcases the talents of one of the hottest up-and-coming vocalists of the European scene and will be an absolute delight for the ears of all melodic music lovers.




Erik Kraemer is a singer and performer who has years of experience touring in his homeland of Finland with different bands and has also starred in various musical productions. He is also known for being one of the singers of Finnish progressive metallers Simulacrum. Additionally, he has collaborated with Timo Tolkki (Timo Tolkki's Avalon, ex-Stratovarius) on the guitarist's Infinite Visions project and more recently on the Circus Of Rock project masterminded by Finnish drummer Mirka Rantanen (Raskasta Joulua, King Company).


Erik's musical adventure started at the age of eight when his mother started taking him to choir practices at the Turku Cathedral. At the same time, he also started piano lessons. All together, he sang for ten years in the choir and played piano for nine years. Classical music didn't appeal to him much though and he started listening to hard rock and heavy metal. Later, Erik graduated from the Turku University of Applied Sciences with a Bachelor of Social Services degree in 2013 and as a musician from the Turku Conservatory in 2016. He has acted in many theatre productions and perhaps his most known role is the interpretation of legendary Finnish singer Rauli Badding Somerjoki.





Tracklisting:


"Moment For Me"
"All The Way"
"The King Will Come"
"Eat Your Heart Out"
"Tonight"
"Take Me Back To"
"How Can I Survive"
"Cold Spell"
"Loving A Stranger"
"I'm In Love Again"
"Forever"


"All The Way" lyric video:





"Tonight" video:





Lineup:


Erik Kraemer - Vocals
Andrea Seveso - Guitars
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Bass, keyboards, backing vocals
Michele Sanna - Drums

Progressive power metal with symphonic influences creating an epic and heroic atmosphere topped with catchy, soaring vocals, melodic solos, thunderous drums, and massive orchestration (crafted by Peter Crowley): that's how the soundscapes of international outfit Induction could best be described.


Originally founded in 2014, the band left their first mark with first single, “The Outwitted Consecration” (2016) before officially entering the metal world with their self-titled debut album in 2019. Its enormously positive reception paved the way to touring across Europe alongside Brazilian power metallers Armored Dawn in November of the same year. It was a notable career start for the quintet that was unfortunately halted by the still-ongoing pandemic ultimately leading to a break (at least on the live front) that was to work on their sophomore album and renew their power. Atomic Fire Records is pleased to welcome Induction and their new lineup -- vocalist Craig Cairns (ex-Midnight Prophecy), guitarists Tim Kanoa Hansen and Marcos Rodriguez (ex-Rage), bassist Dominik Gusch, and drummer Kian Kiesling -- to its roster.


Comments Hansen of the new union, "I am very pleased to announce today that Induction and Atomic Fire Records are now partnered for musical ventures in the years to come. We are confident that we have found the right partners for our music and vision. Their incredibly capable and experienced team, sharing the passion and love for our music in the same way the band does itself, lets everyone involved look forward to an amazing future where Induction will be elevated to a new level and touch the hearts of many more people with our music."




Says Atomic Fire Records CEO Flori Milz, "When I got the debut album of the guys two years ago, I was totally excited. At that time, I tried to win the band for my own label Reaper Entertainment, but Reaper was still in its infancy and unfortunately nothing came into being. So, I'm even more happy that the band have now signed a worldwide contract with Atomic Fire Records. I'm still a very big fan and I'm really looking forward to our common future and of course the new album."


The first fruit of this partnership will be revealed in the form of a new single, "Sacrifice", on February 4th.


(Photo by Franz Schepers)


 

Michael Lang, a musical concert promoter, producer and artistic manager who is best known as the official producer of Woodstock Music Art Festival in 1969, died Saturday night (January 8) at the age of 77.

Lang died of complications from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at Sloan Kettering hospital in New York City, a representative said.

In 1968, after promoting a series of concert events in the Miami area, Lang (together with Marshall Brevetz) produced the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, which drew around 25,000 people on its first day with acts such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker, Arthur Brown and BLUE CHEER. After he moved to Woodstock, New York, and met Artie Kornfeld, a respected recording artist and composer, the two developed the concept for a major festival event to celebrate the 1960s social movements and planned to open a recording studio in Woodstock. With Kornfeld and partners John P. Roberts and Joel Rosenman, Lang set Woodstock into motion and it was held on Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969. Lang later served as a consultant to THE ROLLING STONES before establishing Just Sunshine Records and the Michael Lang Organization. He has produced albums for and managed dozens of acts, including Billy Joel, Joe Cocker and Rickie Lee Jones. Additionally, Lang produced the Woodstock '94 and Woodstock '99 festivals.

"Woodstock offered an environment for people to express their better selves, if you will," Lang told Pollstar in 2019. "It was probably the most peaceful event of its kind in history. That was because of expectations and what people wanted to create there."

Lang is survived by wife Tamara and his five children, Shala, Lariann, Molly, Harry and Laszlo.

CHEAP TRICK performed at today's (Sunday, January 9) Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.

The legendary rockers played from the Bud Light Touchdown Club during halftime.

Video footage and photos of their appearance can be found below.

Founded in 1974, CHEAP TRICK is an indisputable American institution, beloved around the globe for its instantly identifiable, hugely influential, brand of pop-rock 'n' roll. The bandmembers are true pioneers with an unparalleled streak of certifiably classic tunes, from "He's A Whore", "California Man" and "Dream Police" to "Surrender", "I Want You To Want Me" and the worldwide No. 1 hit single "The Flame".

2016 saw CHEAP TRICK inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, a long-overdue acknowledgment of a nearly five-decade career that has earned them more than 40 international gold and platinum certifications, myriad awards and industry honors, featured appearances on over 20 movie soundtracks, and total record sales well in excess of 20 million.

CHEAP TRICK's current lineup includes three of its original members: singer Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson. Drummer Bun E. Carlos stopped touring with the band in 2010 and was replaced by Nielsen's son Daxx.

SHADOWS FALL's Jason Bittner has uploaded a drum-cam video of the "Fire From The Sky" performance at the band's one-off show, which took place on December 18 at The Palladium in Worcester in their native Massachusetts.

Bittner said in a message accompanying the YouTube release of the video: "This is one of my all-time favorites by us.......here's the first drum cam video from the SHADOWS FALL sold out Reunion show in Worcester, MA December 18, 2021 - Enjoy!!"

In a new interview with the Podioslave Podcast, conducted just days after the reunion gig, SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair stated about the comeback performance (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was insane, man. It couldn't have gone any better than we could have hoped for. It was a long time coming. We sort of fizzled out as far as we never had a last big show to kind of head off into the sunset. We still all loved making music together, we all still loved playing shows, but life was just getting in the way. I was about to have my second kid; Paul [Romanko, bass] had already had a kid. It was just getting tough, so we sort of fizzled out. So, over the last few years, we would kind of, every now and then, just float the idea of, like, 'Yeah, we should probably play a show.' But then at five years, we were, like, 'All right. It's been long enough. We really wanna do this.' And we had a date, and we were all systems go, and then COVID happened. Literally, we were gonna announce probably three weeks before the world shut down. Thankfully, we didn't, so we could kind of just, like, 'All right…' It's not like we had to announce it and then retract. And it gave us some more time to really think about what we wanted to do.

"The key was for us we weren't trying to do like a quick throw-and-go, make-some-money-and-just-disappear thing," he explained. "We were, like, 'We want a sick bill that makes sense.' So once we got SWORN ENEMY, DARKEST HOUR and UNEARTH to sign on, we were, like, 'All right. That's where we wanna start. We want bands that make sense that are our crew.' And then we also wanted to get some local, kind of younger bands. Matt [Bachand, rhythm guitar] had been working with CARNIVORA forever. And we knew the WITHIN THE RUINS guys. And we were, like, 'All right, we've got our bill.' We knew it was gonna be at The Palladium before. That was like our backyard; that was like our hometown spot. We played so many metal fests and opened so many great shows [at that venue]."

Fair added: "And then we were, like, 'We also want to be razor-sharp prepared.' We were not known for rehearsing very diligently back in the day. We were kind of a lazy band when it came to practicing. We'd always get halfway through the set and be, like, 'We know 'Destroyer Of Senses'. We don't need to play it again.' And then you realize, 'We probably should have dusted it off.' So we really all focused and practiced like crazy, on our own and then together. And, man, that was probably as good as we've ever sounded. We were super ready. The crowd was incredible. We brought in an awesome crew and great production. We brought in the lights; we did the whole deal. We were, like, 'We're not nickel-and-diming this shit. It's gonna be a fucking party.' And it was, man. It was awesome. My family was out. I had the kids up on stage with me at one point. And Paul's kid came out. They got to see their dads being cool at least once, and not just on YouTube. The vibe was very celebratory. [There] was a crazy pit and people were going nuts, but it wasn't an angry vibe in there at all. It was very welcoming and very humbling as well."

SHADOWS FALL released a statement in August 2014 in which the bandmembers explained that financial difficulties made it virtually impossible for the group to continue as a full-time concern.

In August 2015, SHADOWS FALL played a few reunion shows on the U.S. East Coast, one year after completing what was being billed at the time as the band's "final" European tour.

SHADOWS FALL's latest album, "Fire From The Sky", released in May 2012 via Razor & Tie. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart.

SHADOWS FALL members Jon Donais and Matt Bachand recently launched a new project called LIVING WRECKAGE, in which they are joined by guitarist Matt LeBreton (DOWNPOUR), drummer Jon Morency (LET US PREY) and vocalist Jeff Gard DEATH RAY VISION.

Vocalist/bassist Burke Shelley of legendary Welsh rockers BUDGIE has died at the age of 71. The news of his passing was shared earlier today by his daughter Ela. She wrote on Facebook: "It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my father, John Burke Shelley. He passed away this evening in his sleep at Heath Hospital in Cardiff, his birth town. He was 71 years old. Please respect the family during this time.

"With love, His four children: Ela, Osian, Dimitri and Nathaniel."

Two years ago, Shelley said that he was suffering from aortic aneurysm — a dangerous and abnormal swelling of the main artery that supplies blood to the body. He was also batting Stickler syndrome, a genetic disorder that can cause serious vision, hearing and joint problems. At the time, he told Wales Online that he turned down surgery because of the risk that it would cause irreparable spinal damage.

"I want to live what life I have left and not be crippled," he said. "I've got faith in God and have no worries about where I'm going. So I'll just go when He decides to take me and, in the meantime, I'll carry on doing what I want to do. Simple as that."

Shelley said the surgery he had in 2010 for aortic aneurysm resulted in damage to his diaphragm, leaving him unable to sing properly.

Often thought of as a cross between BLACK SABBATH and RUSH, the underappreciated outfit has influenced countless acts, despite enduring countless line-up shifts throughout their history.

The group originally formed in 1967 in Cardiff, Wales, comprised of Shelley (vocals, bass), Tony Bourge (guitar) and Ray Phillips (drums), and by the early 1970s they'd inked a deal with MCA Records.

This early lineup remains BUDGIE's most definitive, due to the fact that it spawned three of the group's finest albums — 1971's self-titled debut, 1972's "Squawk" and 1973's "Never Turn Your Back On A Friend" — while the group's quirky song titles became somewhat of a trademark for the trio (such ditties as "Nude Disintegrating Parachutist Woman", "Hot As A Docker's Armpit", "In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter's Hand" and "You're The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk").

Despite building a sizeable following in their homeland (while never breaking out of cult status stateside), Phillips left the group prior to their fourth album, 1974's "In For the Kill!", replaced by newcomer Pete Boot, which would in turn set off a flurry of steady lineup changes over the years for the group (the only constant BUDGIE member from the beginning was Shelley). Further releases were issued throughout the '70s, including 1975's "Bandolier".

Shelley and company would remain together for a few more years before splitting up quietly by the mid-'80s. But almost as soon as they disbanded, several high-profile groups began covering BUDGIE classics, including METALLICA ("Crash Course In Brain Surgery" and "Breadfan"), IRON MAIDEN ("I Can't See My Feelings"), while back in their early club days VAN HALEN was known to cover the title track from "In For The Kill!"

Former JUDAS PRIEST touring guitarist Andy Sneap says that he is "incredibly" disappointed by the band's decision to perform as a quartet on its upcoming tour.

Sneap, who co-produced PRIEST's latest album, "Firepower", began touring with the band four years ago after longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton — who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of the LP.

Earlier today, the British heavy metal legends released a statement in which they said that they were planning to return to the road as "an even more powerful, relentless four-piece heavy metal band." They also thanked Andy for all he has "done and continuing to be in the production team" for the group's next studio album.

Now, Andy has released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he said that he wasn't involved in PRIEST's decision to carry on as a quartet and thanked the Rob Halford-fronted outfit for the "mind-blowing" opportunity to share the stage with one of his favorite bands.

Sneap said: "Rob called me last Monday and said they wanted to move on as a four-piece, which I find incredibly disappointing after this amount of time but I respect his decision as they obviously have a vision how they want this to play out.

"This always was a temporary situation, and like I've said before, I'll always help the band any way I can, and that applies going forward also," he continued.

"I've been a huge fan of the band since the early '80s and it was mind-blowing to play onstage with the guys and quite frankly terrifying in the beginning at such short notice.

"We are moving forward with the new album next month and look forward to making a killer follow-up to 'Firepower'," he added.

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.

Two and a half years ago, Sneap said that he would continue to play guitar for JUDAS PRIEST "as long as they want me to." During an appearance on the "Talking Bollocks" podcast, Sneap stated: "It'd be great if Glenn was up there doing it. That's the thing that really… it's always in the back of my mind; it really is. But it's just nice that he asked me to do it. As long as they want me to help out, I'll help 'em out. That's kind of the way I'm looking at it, really."

Last June, Halford told Metal Pilgrim that Sneap would likely continue being the second guitarist for PRIEST in a live situation. "Andy is still standing in that spot for Glenn with Glenn's blessing," he said. "It's pretty much a given [that Andy will be going out on tour with us again]. And my gratitude to Andy. It couldn't have happened in a better way, if you wanna try and make something good out of it. It was a really important day when Glenn said, 'I think it's probably best if I step to the side and maybe we should let Andy come in.' That was just a really beautiful act of selflessness. That's Glenn treasuring PRIEST and PRIEST's reputation, particularly in live concert more than anything else. So bless Glenn for that. And as a result, Andy stepped in and did amazing work on the 'Firepower' tour, and we're looking forward to doing the same thing with him on this 50th-anniversary [tour]. And don't discount the fact that Glenn can show up. He plays the guitar differently, but there's no reason why Glenn can't show up and do some work. I mean, I've said to Glenn, 'Just walk out on stage and do that to everybody [flashes devil horns], and the people will just go fucking crazy, 'cause you are loved so much.' But I've got a feeling that Glenn's gonna be making the occasional appearance on this 50th-anniversary [tour]."

In 2019, Hill said that it was up to Sneap to decide if he wanted to carry on playing guitar for JUDAS PRIEST after the completion of the "Firepower" tour. "It is something to be discussed, really," he told "Talking Metal". "I mean, Andy is now, these days, first and foremost a producer. Whether he wants to go back and do that full time or not, it'll be a mutual decision when the time comes. Andy will be more than welcome to stay. He's done a tremendous job over the last year or so, really. He's done a great job stepping in for Glenn. It would have been very difficult if he hadn't been there, on such short notice, because we didn't realize that Glenn couldn't handle the intensity of touring anymore until… We were only about three weeks away from starting the tour [laughs], and Andy stepped in and did a great job. He pulled a real rabbit out of the hat in learning a complete setlist of songs in such a short period of time. He pulled it off anyway. And as time's gone on, obviously, his stage presence, he got more comfortable with that, and he's performing great now. So when the time comes… We'll give it to the end of this run and then see what everybody wants to do. As I say, he'll be more than welcome to carry on with us if that's his plan."

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

According to Rolling Stone, METALLICA and TOOL are among the artists who have have recruited dogs specially trained to sniff for traces of COVID-19 in members of their crew, entourage or anyone else who gets backstage.

METALLICA hired an Ohio-based firm, Bio Detection K9, for its fall shows in Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta and also at the band's 40th anniversary gigs in San Francisco last month.

"So far, knock on wood, the dogs have been knocking it out of the park," says John Peets of Q Prime, the management company that represents METALLICA. "We haven't had a dog miss anybody."

Bio Detection K9 has been in the business of using dogs to detect viruses, bacteria, and fungus for over a decade in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture and other government agencies. The company plans to channel efforts toward deploying COVID-detecting canine assets around the world, aiding the general population in resuming social and sporting events safely. Looking ahead, they plan to address upcoming biologic and medical challenges in a sustainable fashion, revolutionizing the way the world views a canine's ability to detect and prevent health concerns on a global scale.

Bio Detection K9 dogs are trained specifically for COVID-19 and its various strains, and do not respond to seasonal flus and colds.

The dogs are not used to search large crowds, just manageable groups.

"We don't search whole stadiums; that is not what we are there for," Shawn Reed, the director of training and operations for Bio Detection K9, told SWVA Today. "I don't take a dog and search a crowd of 60,000 people."

Wade Morrell, CEO of Priority One Canine, which recently bought Bio Detection K9, told WBNS that "there are about 100 employees" at a typical stadium or arena concert "and to search those 100 employees, it would take about five minutes. It takes longer to line everybody up and take their masks off than it does having the dogs go down the line and search them."

According to Morrell, testing is done by having participants line up four to six feet apart and removing a mask they’ve worn for about 10 minutes. The dogs then go down the line sniffing the masks and will stop and sit to indicate a COVID-19 positive participant.

"Because you have such a concentrated area of odor, there[s a higher probability the dogs will find it [in the mask]," Morrell s

Ted Nugent has once again repeated the baseless conspiracy theory that the riot at the U.S. Capitol was orchestrated by undercover FBI agents, Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

On January 6, 2021, supporters of former president Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, vandalized the building and assaulted police officers. Five people died, including a Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, and a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, Ashli Babbit, shot by police.

Many top political figures have accused Trump of personally inciting the attack by repeatedly intimating that his followers should take action in order to demand legislators address his baseless claims of voter fraud. At a rally preceding the riot, Trump gave an inflammatory speech, urging the crowd to go to the Capitol, "show strength" and "fight much harder."

In the wake of the attack, Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account, citing "the risk of further incitement of violence."

Nugent discussed the Capitol riot fallout during a January 6, 2022 YouTube livestream marking the first anniversary of the tragic event. The outspoken conservative rocker said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think January 6th, 2021 was a gift from God to further emphasize and prove just how rotten to the core, terminally dishonest, treasonously criminal the Democrat party is, especially this devilpunk who thinks he's the commander in chief. Are you listening and watching this monster of an America-hating, freedom-hating prick? Are you watching and listening to this guy? 'Well, that's awfully harsh, Ted.' Yes, it is extremely harsh because there are no gentle or civil terms to use to describe Joe Biden or Kamala Harris or, quite honestly, anybody in government right now.

"I articulated what today, January 6th, is and why it's a gift from God for people who possess the most important attribute and responsibility of an experimenter in self-government, which only happens in the United States Of America. And that attribute, that power, that definitive independent spirit is called critical thinking. You've got to critically think about everything now more than ever, I'm sure. But here's what critically thinking and the amassing of evidence and the identification of statistics, video footage, the statements by the enemies in the government."

Ted continued: "Here's what happened on January 6th, 2021. Trump held a rally in Washington, D.C., and the conservative families who… Unprecedented rallies throughout the campaign for President Trump. For the first time in the history of humankind, tens of thousands — I was there; I was there at the Trump rallies — ten, twenty, thirty, forty thousand people chanting for the first time in the history of politics globally, 'We love you. We love you.' Because he did so many great things for America. Securing our borders — not completely, but better than anybody. Negotiating energy independence, which, by the way — just an observation from the guitar player who didn't go to college; [I was] too busy learning important stuff — energy independence is actually better than energy dependency. Which is why we heard 'I love you' at the Donald Trump rallies. Unprecedented attendance.

"So what happened on January 6th is that the families that supported Donald Trump — 'We love you. We love you'; unprecedented numbers, unprecedented chanting — they decided to do a peaceful protest at the U.S. Capitol, but they were prodded on by this Epps prick, a government-fed instigator and agent provocateur," Nugent said, referencing the baseless claim that riots were stoked by a Trump supporter from Arizona who was falsely portrayed by some right-wing media outlets as an undercover FBI agent. "On January 6th of 2021, the conservative families who wouldn't break a window, wouldn't hurt a soul, had no guns, had no violence, had not done any rioting or arson, unlike Seattle and Portland and Black Lives Matter and Antifa… But you know, when they went to the Capitol, they were provoked and prodded by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation — allegedly. And that's where the violence erupted, that's where the vandalism occurred, that's where the criminality took place — at the hands of Democrat undercover punks wearing Trump regalia. Those weren't Trump supporters that did the violence and the vandalism — that was Black Lives Matter and Antifa and Federal Bureau of Investigation agent provocateurs. It's on film.

"I've had these debates with dirtbags, and some of the dirtbags are really close to me," Ted added. "'Well, you're a maniac because you can't see that those were Trump supporters breaking…' No, it wasn't. Those were Democrat and Federal Bureau of Investigation plants and agent provocateurs. In fact, the Trump supporters were saying, 'Don't breach the wall.' 'Don't break the windows,' 'Don't break in,' 'Don't go in' on film — the film that we've been allowed to see.

"So thank God for January 6th of 2021, because it was the Democrat gangsters that did all the violence and vandalism."

FBI director Christopher A. Wray testified repeatedly to the Senate Judiciary Committee that there was no evidence that Antifa, anarchists or provocateurs who didn't support Trump were involved in the Capitol siege.

More than 725 individuals have been charged with various crimes in connection with the deadly insurrection. Of those, 225 people were charged with assault or resisting arrest while more than 75 were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon against police officers. 640 people were charged with entering a restricted federal building or its grounds and another 75 were charged with entering a restricted area with a deadly weapon.

As result of the insurrection, Congress was forced to temporarily halt its counting of the 2020 Electoral College votes, a process that ultimately certified the election of President Joe Biden.

Sicknick, who was sprayed with a chemical substance during the riot, later collapsed and died.

Babbitt, who was a vocal supporter of Trump, was shot once by an officer as she tried to climb through the broken glass window of a door to the lobby of the Capitol, which had been barricaded from the inside with furniture. Her family told news outlets after her death that Babbitt had gone to Washington on January 6 to protest Congress's certification of President Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.

During a recent interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green, former HANOI ROCKS bassist Sami Yaffa discussed spending time with HANOI drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley and MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil on the day of the tragic car accident caused by Neil in December 1984 that killed Razzle, who was Vince's passenger.

"Vince came to pick up me and Razzle," Sami said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We stayed at the Franklin Plaza Suites, or something like that, at LaBrea and Franklin. 'Cause Razzle and Vince were buddies, so he was going to pick up Razzle and show him around L.A. and all this stuff. And Razzle was, like, 'Sami, come along.' And he came with a tiny little sports car — it wasn't that car that ended up in an accident; it was another one; but [it was] a two-seater — and there was no room. And Razzle was just, like, 'Oh, fuck it, mate. Just hop on my fucking lap.' So it was three of us just cruising around L.A. And he showed us Santa Monica and Hollywood Boulevard and we drove all around L.A. And he was showing us places: 'There's The Troubadour' and 'There's the Rainbow' and 'There's Roxy' and 'There's the Whisky.' So we had a really nice afternoon with Vince. And then he said, 'Let's just go back to my house and my wife will cook some lunch, or whatever, and some dinner, and we'll hang out.' And that's what we ended up doing — we ended up hanging out, having some beers and smoke a little spliff and have a good time and talk about things. And little by little, it just turned into more of a party. But it wasn't really like a crazy party; it was just a bunch of people showed up. Andy [McCoy, HANOI guitarist] and Tommy [Lee, CRÜE drummer] came a little bit later and some of their friends. And we'd been kind of drinking beer all day. And I just said that I'm gonna take a nap. They actually asked me to go with them to go and pick up some more beer. And I said, 'I'm gonna take a nap.' And when I woke up, Mick Mars [CRÜE guitarist] was just kind of shaking me awake. And I wondered where everybody else was. And he said that there's been an accident. And we went to the hospital and I found out that my bro was gone. It was very heavy."

Neil's drunk-driving death car crash happened when he smashed his car into another vehicle in Redondo Beach, California, killing Razzle and seriously injuring two other occupants.

Vince was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol. His blood alcohol level was 0.17, which was over the legal limit.

Neil served half of a 30-day jail sentence, received five years probation and had to pay $2.6 million in restitution, as well as perform 200 hours of community service.

Two years ago, former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe told "The Classic Metal Show" that he was "not interested at all" in seeing MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Dirt" biopic. Monroe went on to say that the car accident "certainly destroyed a lot of people's lives. I've never blamed anybody — you can't blame anybody for an accident — but a lot of people's lives were shattered, "he said. "As well as the two teenagers who got paralyzed in the accident; I've heard that there was no mention of them either [in the film].

"It's a depressing subject and it's always like opening a can of worms," Michael continued. "And I just don't wanna get into all that. It's just useless."

Back in 2004, Monroe slammed MÖTLEY CRÜE for the band's decision to title a box set "Music To Crash Your Car To", calling the move beyond disrespectful and referring to the group's bassist Nikki Sixx as "shallow," "ignorant" and "stupid". "The 'Mostly Crude' gotta be as dumb as they are to have done that," he told Metal Sludge. "I'm not only talking about Razzle, but also for the other families involved in the accident... As we've previously stated: The most tasteless and murderous gimmick to cash in on the past we've ever heard of. There's nothing 'cool' or 'funny' about death or winding up a paraplegic for life. How low can you go? I'd say this gave bad taste a bad name."

Three years later, Monroe publicly apologized to Sixx, saying that his "unflattering comments" about the bassist were "really childish and stupid." He explained: "I just took it a bit personally when they called their album at the time 'Music to Crash Your Car To'. I thought it was inappropriate since it came across as if they were making fun of the accident, which I'm sure was not their intention."

In 2011, Monroe gave Sleaze Roxx his take on what happened that night: "There was an accident, and unfortunately our drummer was killed. As far as Vince Neil, I have nothing to say. It was an accident. What happened happened, and it can't be changed. Everybody suffered from the whole thing."

In 2005, McCoy slammed MÖTLEY CRÜE over their account of Razzle's death and CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx's heroin overdose, as published in CRÜE's best-selling band autobiography, "The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band". Asked by Norway's Metal Express to comment on the book's description of the events surrounding the accident that killed Razzle, McCoy said, "Bullshit. Pure lies. I was there. What happened was Razzle disappeared, and so did Vince. The rest of us were chilling out, man. And he had a wife who was seven months pregnant. After an hour or so, she started getting worried. So me and T-Bone, Tommy Lee [MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer], took his car and we went looking for him. We drove past this accident. So I was like, 'What color was the car he was driving around?' 'Hey, man, we just passed the fucking scene of an accident with a bright red sports car all smashed up.' I saw Razzle's hat on the street, I went up, 'What the fuck's happened?' They said, 'You have to go to this and this hospital.' In the hospital, I walk in with Tommy, and I was asking about Razzle, and this doctor walks up, 'Anybody here know this guy called Razzle?' I said, 'Yeah, I do, his family.' 'Sorry, your friend has passed away.' I thought he might have a broken leg or something. I had to call the band, and you don't tell this kind of news over the telephone. I asked them to come to the hospital. And it was a pretty sad scene altogether."

Even though HANOI ROCKS was formed in Finland, their trashy, hedonistic, decadent hard rock/pop-metal boogie influenced many Los Angeles acts, including MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N' ROSES.

HANOI ROCKS originally broke on to the hard rock scene in the first half of the 1980s, becoming one of the first Finnish bands to make an international impact. HANOI ROCKS's career was subsequently derailed after the death of Razzle. Internal tensions and the commercial disappointment that was 1985's "Rock & Roll Divorce" led to Monroe leaving the band that year, thus putting an early end to HANOI ROCKS.