Volbeat have released a lyric video for "The Scared Stones", featured on their new album, Servant Of The Mind, out now via EMI Records. Watch the clip below:





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







Tracklisting:


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


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


"Temple Of Ekur" lyric video:





"Shotgun Blues" video:





"Becoming" lyric video:





"Shotgun Blues” lyric video:





"Wait A Minute My Girl" video:





"Dagen Før" lyric video:





Volbeat have announced a special, intimate show in London ahead of their June 2022 Download Festival performance, where they play directly underneath headliners Biffy Clyro and Korn on Sunday's main stage.


The one-off London date will take place at the 800-capacity O2 Academy Islington venue on May 21, a giant underplay for the band who have previously sold out the 48,250 capacity Telia Parken stadium back home in Denmark.

Respected Danish hard rock singer/songwriter, Ronnie Atkins of Pretty Maids, has released a video for his new song, "Rising Tide", featured on his upcoming studio album, Make It Count, out March 18. Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Make It Count on CD/LP/Digital here.


The electrifying melodic hard rock masterpiece Make It Count will be released almost one year to the day after the release of Atkins' last solo album, the critically acclaimed One Shot. Rather than hyperbole from the record label, we'll let Ronnie tell the story of Make It Count in his own words....


"Me and my great team of musicians followed exactly the same procedure as we did with One Shot, since I still feel a bit like I am racing against time because of my diagnosis. So, I basically sent my songs to Chris [Laney, producer], who would then work on a demo. When we were satisfied with the arrangements, I would then record the vocals and then the individual musicians laid down their tracks. I already had quite a few ideas from when One Shot was released back in March 2021 and continued writing on and off through the spring and summer of 2021. The album was then recorded between April and October 2021," explains Atkins.




"Let me also state that I felt pretty good during the whole process, at least physically. And this time, I had the chance to actually meet with some of the musicians in-person because the Covid-19 restrictions were not as tough as they were back in 2020 when we recorded the last album," adds Atkins.


As for the music, Ronnie says, "Once again it was quite an easy going process!! Some of the songs were written on piano and some of them on guitar. I write the way I write, which means that the melodies and toplines are the first priority. If I feel I got a good song with the right chord structure and a strong melody that sticks in my head, then I know I’m on to something good and from there it can only get better. And that’s when I send it on to Chris Laney, who then listens to it with a new set of ears and comes back with his input about the arrangement and additional little bits and pieces. As said, it is an easy going process since we’re on the same page and that’s a great way of collaborating. Style wise, it’s basically just melodic pop/rock songs, so to speak, that we turn into something suitable for those who followed me all those years. To me, a good song is a good song and then it’s a matter of how you wrap it up."


He continues, "Finally, the great thing about doing this is that I don’t have to argue with anyone whether it’s too pop or too lightweight, etc. I do what I do, 'cause that’s what I like and I’m my own boss for these solo albums and therefore, also the only one to take responsibility if it doesn’t live up to people's expectations. But, this is what I wanna do at this stage of my life and I think I’m convinced that “Make It Count“ is a great melodic rock album and I hope the fans won’t be disappointed."


As to the lyrical themes on the album, Ronnie says, "The lyrics are always the hardest part of an album from my perspective!! It’s way easier for me to write a song than a lyric, to be honest. But of course it varies. Sometimes you already have the title and the topic when you’re writing the song and at other times you’re just out of ideas. This time, it was tough at times since my health issues are somehow in my subconsciousness 24/7. No matter what I do, I’m being confronted with it everyday one way or the other. So, some of the songs are touching on this issue of course, can’t help it. That said, I’m also trying to give it a positive twist, meaning that we just have to get the best out of life and love the one we’re with while we’re here. It’s just impossible to write about sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll or whatever living with a life threatening disease and a dagger hangin' above your head!!! Or it is for me, at least! So, bottom line, I guess the lyrical content on this album is partly about the aforementioned topics, the climate, and in general, topics that make sense to everyone without being political."


Since the start of his rock 'n roll journey with Pretty Maids, Ronnie Atkins has consistently gifted fans with quality, melodic rock and Make It Count delivers again in spades.





Tracklisting:


"I've Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)"
"Unsung Heroes"
"Rising Tide"
"Remain To Remind Me"
"The Tracks We Leave Behind"
"All I Ask Of You"
"Grace"
"Let Love Lead The Way"
"Blood Cries Out"
"Easier To Leave (Than Being Left Behind)"
"Fallen"
"Make It Count"


"Rising Tide" video:





"Unsung Heroes" video:





Lineup:


Ronnie Atkins: Lead and backing vocals
Chris Laney: Rhythm & Lead guitar, keyboards
Allan Sørensen: Drums
Pontus Egberg: Bass
Morten Sandager: Keyboards
Linnéa Vikström Egg: Backing vocals
John Berg: Guitars
Oliver Hartmann: Guitars
Pontus Norgren: Guitars
Anders Ringman: Acoustic guitars


(Photo - Tallee Savage)

Cyhra guitarist Euge Valovirta has shared some new music along with the following message:


"Happy 2022 everyone! Let's start the year with a brand new song called 'The Boogie Boy' by yours truly. Available now on all major digital platforms.


I’ve been publishing videos on my YouTube channel quite often for the past two years since we haven’t been able to tour with Cyhra for the obvious reasons. Most of my videos starts with an intro song written specifically for that video about a certain amp, effect pedal etc. and 'The Boogie Boy' started as one of those. 




The title comes from the amps I used on the song; my Mesa/Boogie Mark V and my old Marshall JCM800 2203 (The Bad Boy). It’s also a reference to John Sykes, one of my all time favourite guitarists, since he was/is also known to use Boogie & Marshall amps and blend them (in the studio), like I did with this one, to get that pretty huge tone. 


I’ve been asked quite many times that are those intro songs available anywhere and ten of them are on my second solo album ‘Shooting From The Hip’ (2020). But I’ve written so many songs after the release of that album so I just thought that I’ll start to put them out every once in a while which someday will lead to the release of my third solo album. And some of the songs will appear on the next Cyhra album which we’ll start to record in early 2022."


"The Boogie Boy" is available here.

Guitarist Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth) has confirmed the release of early recordings from his old band Damn The Machine. Titled Day One, the compilation is available on CD and LP. Damn The Machine was founded by Poland and David Judson Clemmons in 1991 and released a self-titled album in 1993 before disbanding shortly after.





Poland says, “The tracks on Day One are the incredibly preserved and remastered 8-track demos, recorded in 1991 and 1992. All 12 Tracks, with light variations, raw and personal, David Judson Clemmons guitar left, Chris Poland guitar right. An example of the band in its purest form, before signing to A&M Records.”




Order at damnthemachine.com.

On March 11, rock icons KISS will release the next installment of their "Off The Soundboard" official live bootleg series with "Off The Soundboard: Live In Virginia Beach", recorded live at the Virginia Beach Amphitheatre on July 25, 2004. This is the second in a series of live releases by the band and will be available to stream and download, with a three-LP standard black vinyl set, a two-CD set, and a limited edition three-LP set pressed on 180-gram opaque green vinyl, all available exclusively through the official KISS online store.

"Off The Soundboard: Live In Virginia Beach" finds the legendary band in the midst of their "Rock The Nation" tour, which is notable for being the first full U.S. tour of the longstanding Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer lineup. The career-spanning 20-song set includes classic KISS tracks such as "Lick It Up", "I Love It Loud" and the worldwide smash and No. 11 1979 U.S. Billboard-charting "I Was Made For Lovin' You", as well as perennial KISS fan favorites "Makin' Love", "King Of The Night Time World" and "100,000 Years" that dig deep into the band's astonishing 40-plus-year back catalog.

KISS is globally recognized as one of the greatest live bands of all time and are the creators of what is universally considered the best live album ever, 1975's gold-certified and No. 9 Billboard-charting "Alive!" The "Off The Soundboard" series continues KISS's storied legacy of groundbreaking live albums with a document of the spectacular, larger-than-life extravaganza that is a KISS concert.

Known for their trademark performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock n roll. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and are America's No. 1 gold record award-winning group of all time in every category. Peerless as a live act, the band's illustrious legacy has been marked by record-breaking global tours during a remarkable 48-year career.

"Off The Soundboard: Live In Virginia Beach" track listing:

2CD

Disc 1

01. Love Gun

02. Deuce

03. Makin' Love

04. Lick It Up

05. Christine Sixteen

06. Tears Are Falling

07. She

08. Got To Choose

09. I Love It Loud

10. I Want You

Disc 2

01. Psycho Circus

02. King Of The Night Time World

03. War Machine

04. 100,000 Years

05. Unholy

06. Shout It Out Loud

07. I Was Made For Lovin' You

08. Detroit Rock City

09. God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II

10. Rock and Roll All Nite

3LP

Disc 1

01. Love Gun (Side A)

02. Deuce (Side A)

03. Makin' Love (Side A)

04. Lick It Up (Side A)

05. Christine Sixteen (Side B)

06. Tears Are Falling (Side B)

07. She (Side B)

08. Got To Choose (Side B)

Disc 2

01. I Love It Loud (Side A)

02. I Want You (Side A)

03. Psycho Circus (Side A)

04. King Of The Night Time World (Side B)

05. War Machine (Side B)

06. 100, 000 Years (Side B)

Disc 3

01. Unholy (Side A)

02. Shout It Out Loud (Side A)

03. I Was Made For Lovin' You (Side A)

04. Detroit Rock City (Side A)

05. God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II (Side B)

06. Rock And Roll All Nite (Side B)

The clip below features Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen performing rhe ReVamp song "Sweet Curse" with singer Henk Poort at her solo show at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands on September 1st, 2021.


Floor: "The ReVamp track that originally features Russell Allen from Symphony X on vocals! Now this ReVamp classic performed with Henk Poort live at AFAS Live together with the Marcel Fisser Band. We're starting to get deeper and deeper into the live show in Amsterdam."







The setlist was as follows:


Set 1:


"Ever Dream" (Nightwish)
"Storm In A Glass" (Northward) 
"Nemo" (Nightwish) 
"Mama" (Samantha Steenwijk cover) 
"Sweet Curse" (ReVamp song - with Henk Poort) 
"Dangerous Game" (from Jekyll & Hyde - with Henk Poort) 
"Euphoria" (Loreen)
"Face Your Demons" (After Forever) 
"Winner" (Tim Akkerman cover)


Set 2:


"Slow, Love, Slow" (Nightwish)
"Shallow" (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper cover) 
"Strong" (After Forever) 
"Élan" (Nightwish) 
"Energize Me" (After Forever) 
"Qué Se Siente" (Rolf Sanchez)
"Bridle Passion" (Northward) 
"Our Decades In The Sun" (Nightwish)
"Wolf And Dog" (ReVamp) 
"The Phantom Of The Opera" (Andrew Lloyd Webber cover - with Henk Poort)


"Storm In A Glass"





"Ever Dream"

With six weeks since the physical release of their latest project, Lordiversity, and only a mere three weeks since their latest single, "Demon Supreme", Lordi is now back with another single, this time… in a different style, one might say.


The new single, "Day Off Of The Devil", finds its influences in '70s hard rock. With the roots found in the early works of legends such as KISS and Alice Cooper, Lordi doesn’t simply reproduce - but rather take it and make it their own, not to say the least with the unique voice that sets Lordi aside from the rest.







Lordi is also releasing another album from Lordiversity digitally, Humanimals. Set in 1989, the album takes us back in time to an era that was dominated by a mindset "The bigger the hair, the better" and "The bigger the choruses, the better." This AOR / hair metal inspired album will most definitely make you wanna break out those spandex pants you know you have hidden in your closet. Admit it. You do.





Order Lordiversity here.


"Demon Supreme"

Guitar-shredding virtuoso George Lynch has reteamed with former DOKKEN bandmate Jeff Pilson for a set of new studio recordings that turn pop music classics into powerful metal anthems. The follow-up to 2020's "Heavy Hitters", tentatively titled "Heavy Hitters 2", will be released later in the year via Deadline Music, a subsidiary of Cleopatra Records, Inc.

In a new interview with Tone-Talk, Lynch confirmed that "Heavy Hitters 2" will contain 11 songs, including a cover of Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" and "an original Christmas song."

Pilson told Tone-Talk about the upcoming effort: "It's us doing covers, which is really fun. We kind of get to experiment a little bit. So we're doing another one of those. And I don't know when it'll come out. But it'll probably be done in the next couple of months."

Regarding how far into the recording process they are at the moment, Pilson said: "We just did the seventh song. But we're only doing musical beds right now. We haven't done vocals. And there's only a few bass tracks. Brian Tichy is gonna add the drums when we're done with the 11 songs. So we're seven songs in with musical beds, if that makes sense."

As for how they approach the material that they are covering, George quipped: "Basically, what we did is we took stupid songs that guys like THE ROLLING STONES and CROSBY, STILLS & NASH and guys like that, but we fixed them. Now we did them right, like they should have been done originally."

"Heavy Hitters" featured guest appearances by BULLETBOYS' Marq Torien, FISHBONE's Angelo Moore, EARSHOT's Wil Martin and the aforementioned Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE). The effort contained Lynch and Pilson's renditions of Rufus and Chaka Khan's "You Got The Love", Carole King's "I Feel The Earth", DURAN DURAN's "Ordinary World", Madonna's "Music", ONEREPUBLIC and Timbaland's "Apologize", Martha Reeves and THE VANDELLAS' "Nowhere To Run", Prince's "Kiss", R.E.M.'s "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and OASIS's "Champagne Supernova", among others.

A litte over a year ago, George and Jeff's former bandmate in DOKKEN Don Dokken criticized "Heavy Hitters" during an appearance on "The Classic Metal Show". After co-host Chris Akin named some of the songs which were reimagined by Pilson and Lynch, Don said: "But those are not heavy hitters. No offense, they are good songs, but those are vanilla tunes. [Sings 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)'] Did they rock 'em up or put some shredding guitar solos [in them]?

"They must be really bored," Dokken continued. "But, you know, everybody's got their mantra; everybody's got their financial things, I guess. If a record company is willing to give you money to put out pablum, then put out the pablum. But I hope my standards as a songwriter are a little higher than that. If I'm gonna do a remake, I'm gonna do something that was super cool, like 'Paint It Black' by THE [ROLLING] STONES or 'Revolution' by THE BEATLES or something that's awesome and do something like that. I'm not gonna do Carole King."

A few weeks later, Pilson responded to Dokken's comments during an interview with the "Rock 'N' Roll Icons With Bode James" podcast. He said: "First, let me give Don his due here. I'm sure he didn't hear it, and honestly, I'm not really concerned if he does or doesn't. But having not heard it, if I saw that list of tunes, I would say, yeah, there's some vanilla tunes in there. So that critique of his is true. The whole idea was to take tunes like that and make them cool, which I believe we did.

"I don't wanna go into Don's mind right now," he continued. "Yeah, I know him really well, and, yeah, I have an opinion of his modus operandi and what he's thinking. Let's put it this way: I wouldn't expect Don to say something nice about somebody he views as competition. I don't view him as competition. We're all musicians trying to do our thing. So I'm not gonna second-guess Don or try and get into his mind, 'cause I still love the guy — I really do. But he's always been like that; he will always critique things. That's his thing. That's fine. I wasn't so flattering of some of his DOKKEN records that he's done in the last [couple of decades]."

He added: "I still love Don, but I'm not doing this to please Don. [Laughs]"

Longstanding Brazilian death / thrash metal trio Claustrofobia has signed with Metal Assault Records for a two-album deal. Formed in 1994 by brothers Marcus and Caio D'Angelo, the band boasts a career spanning nearly three decades, a discography comprising six full-length albums and a DVD release, a multitude of international tours, high-profile live performances sharing stages with the likes of Iron Maiden, Slayer and Anthrax... and countless fans all over the world.


Now headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Claustrofobia has completed their seventh full-length studio album. Produced by Adair Daufembach and Claustrofobia, recorded, mixed and mastered by Adair Daufembach in August 2020 at Northwood Sound Studio in Los Angeles, Unleeched, will be released by Metal Assault Records on March 11, 2022 on digital and physical formats.


The album's second single, "Corrupted Self", featuring guitarist Marc Rizzo (Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy) has premiered, along with a lyric video, which can be seen below. 




"It was great working with Claustrofobia. I have been a big fan of this band for a long time. They are one of the best metal bands out there today and from Brazil," said  Marc Rizzo.





"It's an honor to have Marc as a guest on our album, he's a guitar master and spent many years playing alongside Brazilian metal icons. He knows very well how metal runs in our veins. We've known each other for a few years in Brazil when we played with Soulfly and we've kept in touch ever since. Our last show before the pandemic was with Soulfly in Las Vegas, and that day he offered to do a guest appearance and we were flattered by his attitude. Most brutal song on the record," said Claustrofobia vocalist / guitarist Marcus D'Angelo.


Unleeched artwork and tracklisting:





"Stronger Than Faith" 
"The Encrypted" 
"Neuro Massacre" 
"Psychosapiens" 
"Corrupted Self" - feat. Marc Rizzo 
"Unleeched" 
"Snake Head"
"Crawling Back To Yourself" 
"2020 (March To Glory)" 


"Neuro Massacre" video:





 

TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy has collaborated with TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy on a new song called "Behold Our Power". The track, which was released under Heafy's name via his YouTube channel, was apparently written as the theme song for the 2022 installment of Poland's Mystic Festival. The event, which is scheduled to take place in June, will be headlined by JUDAS PRIEST, OPETH and MERCYFUL FATE.

TRIVIUM's tenth album, "In The Court Of The Dragon", was released last October via longtime label Roadrunner Records. The record was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur and recorded in the fall of 2020 at Full Sail University in Orlando. The album cover is an original oil painting by French artist Mathieu Nozieres.

Last fall, TRIVIUM completed a U.S. tour with MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD and HATEBREED.

TESTAMENT's latest album, "Titans Of Creation", came out in April 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by Billy and guitarist Eric Peterson, while Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios handled co-producing, recording and engineering. Andy Sneap was responsible for the mixing and mastering of the album. Eliran Kantor stepped up once again to create new artwork for the cover of this release.

In early 2020, TESTAMENT completed "The Bay Strikes Back" European tour with EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL.

The North American leg of "The Bay Strikes Back" tour was originally scheduled to kick off on October 6, 2021 at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California and make stops in Austin, New York, and Detroit before concluding on November 27, 2021 at The Fox in Oakland, California. The trek has since been rescheduled for April and May 2022.

Blacktop Mojo guitarist Chuck Wepfer has put together a playthrough video of how he plays "Do It For The Money", from his band's self-titled, fourth album. In the video below, Chuck is playing the song the way he plays it live, along to the album track. 





Order your copy of Blacktop Mojo at this location. Cover art and tracklisting are as follows:







"Wicked Woman"
"Bed Tundy"
"Latex"
"Rewind"
"Jealousy"
"Make Believe"
"Darlin' I Won't Tell"
"Do It For The Money"
"Hold Me Down"
"Cough"
"Stratus Melancholia"
"Tail Lights"











 

Former GUNS N' ROSES and current SIXX:A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba says that he played all the rhythm guitars on MÖTLEY CRÜE's "Saints Of Los Angeles" album.

The 49-year-old musician and producer, who is credited as a songwriter on all but two of "Saints Of Los Angeles"'s 13 tracks, discussed the extent of his involvement with the record during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" earlier this week.

When host Eddie Trunk asked Ashba about the session work he has done over the years, including recordings he might have done as a "ghost" musician on albums hard rock and heavy metal fans might be familiar with, DJ responded "MÖTLEY," referencing "Saints Of Los Angeles", before adding (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET), "I played all the rhythms on it. But Mick [Mars, MÖTLEY guitarist] was awesome. Mick was actually in the hospital at the time."

Mars spoke about the "Saints Of Los Angeles" songwriting and recording process in a 2008 interview with Ultimate Guitar. At the time, he said: "Mostly what we did was, I would come in with some riffs and things like that. We would record them, I would record them on Pro Tools because everybody was kind of doing their thing, you know? Like Tommy [Lee, drums] and Vince [Neil, vocals] already had their schedules already pre-planned so we had to kind of plan around that because they had already committed to doing that before. Doing what they needed to do, that is. And so what we did was, Nikki [Sixx, bass] and I would record some things, put them down on Pro Tools, cut 'em up, splice 'em together, put 'em together, however you want to call it. And had Tommy and Vince do their parts when they had time to do it. And it worked out pretty well.

Asked if the process felt a little disjointed, Mars said: "I like more like live-off-the-floor kind of thing. But we didn't really have the choice but to do it this way this time, and I think it turned out really, really well."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's first studio album since 2000's "New Tattoo", "Saints Of Los Angeles" sold 99,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release to debut at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Saints Of Los Angeles" was loosely based on the band's memoir "The Dirt", which was published in 2001.

In June 2008, CRÜE performed the "Saints of Los Angeles" title track on CBS's "The Late Show With David Letterman".

Over the years, Mars has publicly discussed his battle with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful form of chronic arthritis that causes vertebrae in the spine to fuse together, but has always said that the condition had never kept him from touring with CRÜE.




Thanks to @DjASHBA for dropping by my Vegas studio today to talk rock on #TrunkNation . Replays tonight 10-Mid ET @siriusxmvolume 106 or anytime @SIRIUSXM app. pic.twitter.com/n4S8ZnLzhG

— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) January 5, 2022

QUEENSRŸCHE has entered the studio to begin recording its new album for a tentative late 2022 release. Helming the effort once again is Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with the band on 2015's "Condition Hüman" and 2019's "The Verdict" LPs.

Earlier today, Zeuss took to his Instagram to share a photo of QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Casey Grillo's drum kit, and he included the following caption: "RŸCHE under way.. @caseyjgrillo"

This past November, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre told Canada's The Metal Voice about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's new album: "We have all the songs that we're gonna be recording. We're gonna press record at the very beginning of January."

Regarding the musical direction of the new QUEENSRŸCHE material, Todd said: "It doesn't sound like 'The Verdict'. It's its own new kind of thing. We really kind of just focused more on melodic hooks. I don't think we went in thinking, like, 'Oh, we need to sound old school or new or this.'"

He continued: "You know what we did on this record… Every other time, each guy would kind of submit their own song ideas and then we would kind of work on that. But what we did on this record was, other than Eddie [Jackson, bass] — Eddie has a couple of songs that are really cool that he wrote and then showed us kind of when they were pretty much done. And then Michael [Wilton, guitar] kind of wrote some interesting chords — still staying within the keys and everything. But we all got in a room with our producer [Chris 'Zeuss' Harris] here [in Florida], and we literally started from scratch. Like, 'Michael, what do you got?' [And he would] come up with a riff. And Casey would sit on the drums, or I would sit on the drums. We were all actually in a room and just tried it like the good old days. So this record was totally like that — the whole thing pretty much, minus one or two songs. And even that changed a little bit.

"I just burned a CD of all the demos to play in my car when I'm out driving around," La Torre added. "And it's cool. I hope people will like it. I think they're really good songs."

In early 2021, Wilton told The Metal Voice about the new QUEENSRŸCHE material: "Our producer, Zeuss, if this is any indication, he says it sounds like QUEENSRŸCHE … I think we're just going with our gut right now. You don't wanna take too many drastic chances in this day and age. So I think it's more of a continuation of 'The Verdict', maybe, in some sense. We're riding that wave. It's been good to us. [Laughs]"

In October, Wilton confirmed that returning guitarist Mike Stone will likely contribute guitar solos to the band's next studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past five years, Grillo has been filling in for QUEENSRŸCHE's original drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In early October, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against the band's fellow original members Wilton and Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge.

QUEENSRŸCHE recently pulled out of SCORPIONS' rescheduled "Sin City Nights" Las Vegas residency in order to support JUDAS PRIEST on the "50 Heavy Metal Years" North American tour dates in March-April 2022. The tour will kick off on March 4 in Peoria, Illinois and conclude on April 13 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
























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A post shared by Zeuss (@zeussproducer)

Female-led Eternal Frequency has released their anthemic new single and video for “Step Up”. Drawing inspiration from cult classic films such as The Matrix, Blade Runner, and The Fifth Element, the visuals for “Step Up” paired with the track’s quick-paced, industrial instrumentation and structure creates a high-intensity experience.


While the group’s sonic influences such as Spiritbox, Halestorm, and In This Moment may be evident through their releases, lead vocalist Emelle set out to create an empowering anthem focused on the music. With lyrics such as, “Little do you know / Glass ceilings can break,” Emelle erupts into the chorus that displays her full vocal prowess.


“Lyrically and melodically, I wanted to convey the hardships of being a woman in the rock music industry and how it is so easy to be pigeonholed and oversexualized when the music is what should matter the most,” Emelle explains of “Step Up”.







Jumping into the “Step Up” music video is nothing short of tumbling down the rabbit hole similar to the plot of The Matrix. The visual opens in a dimly-lit alley where Emelle walks toward a body bag lying on the ground. Neon images flash behind her on the walls similar to the post-apocalyptic cityscape in Blade Runner and CyberPunk.


Adorned in all black with her hood up, Emelle zips the body bag and begins walking through the neon-clad streets before realizing she’s being chased by unidentified individuals. The video jumps back and forth between each band member running from the “hunters” and their performance of the track through green digital rain similar to The Matrix.





“As far as the video goes, [myself] and the other members of Eternal Frequency are prisoners of conscience on the run from an unknown organization trying to pick [us] off one by one,” Emelle explains. “The reasons on why they are wanted fugitives is unknown until the story begins to unfold throughout the video.”


“‘Step Up’ is chapter one of a fictional three-part series that [myself] and [guitarist] Justin envisioned as a short film while the songs were being written. The band must find out who is hunting them and why. Or maybe... just maybe... are the hunted actually the hunters?”


​​The “Step Up” music video was directed and edited by Tom Flynn, and the visual effects were created by Kyle Monroe. The track was written and recorded by Eternal Frequency, and produced by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland of Atrium Audio.


Catch Eternal Frequency live at the following shows:


February
5 - Harrisburg, PA – XL Live
18 - Lancaster, PA – Tellus 360


(Photo credit: Justin Walters)


 

Midwest American symphonic metal band Shield Of Wings emerge from their hiatus, and make their thrilling entry into the new year with their debut single, "Wetland". The song is coupled with a captivating music video. "Wetland" is the first offering from their forthcoming debut full-length album, Unfinished, set to release February 11th. Sure to appeal to fans of symphonic metal giants Nightwish and Epica, Unfinished will bring into view ten bombastic compositions of poetic exploration.


Vocalist Lara Mordian comments on the "Wetland" filming process: ‘’Shooting 'Wetland', and wading through that cold, wet, filth, was a challenging albeit invigorating time for me. Prior to filming in late autumn, I was warned of the certain discomfort to come, but I was reassured by James that 'pain is temporary, film is forever,' and I embraced it.”







Each song from Unfinished explores themes of growth through self-examination, regret, sacrificial death and rebirth. From the "Crushing Hail" of the suffering which is inherent in life, the listener is carried through this journey, until the final track expounds upon the realization that we are all, in ways, "The Scarred Clay Reshaping". With bold, vast orchestral compositions soaring over chugging guitars, Shield Of Wings makes it abundantly clear that they are Unfinished, in more ways than one. Pre-order Unfinished now at this location.





Tracklisting:


"Crushing Hail"
"Native Colossus"
"Breathing"
"Frozen Harbor"
"Cedar"
"Wetland"
"Mind Of Myth"
"Sunfire Shower"
"Come Home"
"The Scarred Clay Reshaping"


(Photo by John Karpinsky)

Tosin Abasi, guitarist for groundbreaking, genre-defying instrumental trio Animals As Leaders, is featured in the clip below covering Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" acoustic with multi-isntrumentalist Matthew Hemerlein.





Animals As Leaders recently dropped brand new track, "Monomyth", their first in 5 years. You can now watch guitarist Tosin Abasi's  playthrough video for the song below.







"Monomyth" comes accompanied by a high-concept music video directed by Telavaya Reynolds and featuring choreography by Tlathui Maza / NOHBORDS. Find "Monomyth" on streaming platforms here, and watch the official video below.





Speaking on the band's new release, Tosin Abasi shares, "'Monomyth' is part fever dream, part ritual. Its imagery represents man's ceaseless attempts to translate transcendent ideas into movement. The conflation of struggle with meaning. Pain with significance. The ultimate failure of distilling perceived patterns in the world into knowledge."





The band also announced that they have signed a new deal with their current label home, world renowned independent powerhouse, Sumerian Records.

Finland’s Amoth featuring Pekka Montin of Ensiferum on vocals are sharing their next single and title track from their forthcoming album, "The Hour Of The Wolf" due out on January 28th.


Amoth guitaristTomi Ihanamäki: "This is a very very personal song lyrically. There was a time when I couldn’t even listen to the song without getting emotional. I think many people can appreciate the lyrics and reflect them to their own life. Musically there’s a lot going on. Lots of cool melodies and riffs and A LOT of solos. Many parts in this song, including the solos, were played and recorded at the hour of the wolf.


The hour of the wolf is the hour between night and dawn. The hour when most people die, when sleep is deepest, when nightmares are most real. It is the hour when the sleepless are haunted by their deepest fears, when ghosts and demons are most powerful."







Amoth is a melodic progressive heavy metal band with progressive elements from Helsinki, Finland. Their upcoming album The Hour Of The Wolf is a huge leap forward compared to their previous recordings Revenge (2016), Crossing Over (2011), and Wounded Faith (EP) (2008).


"This is by far our best album yet! Superior performances from all of the musicians. Much better production and songwriting. It’s not a fast-food album. Some of the songs are quite complex so it takes probably more than one listen to really get into!” comments Amoth guitarist and main songwriter Tomi Ihanamäki.


Amoth’s roots are strongly founded on ‘80s heavy metal, but branch out in different directions with elements from progressive rock, thrash, and even jazz brought to the table.


The new album features Pekka Montin of Ensiferum once again as the lead vocalist and for the first time, there are also keyboards on an Amoth recording. Fans can expect insane vocals and virtuoso-like playing from all members of the band. The nine songs are very diverse, taking sudden twists and turns into unexplored territory. Amoth even offers up two Steve Vai / Joe Satriani-style instrumentals on this new full-length with tracks "Wind Serenade Part I" and "Wind Serenade Part II".


Pre-order at Rockshots Records.





Tracklisting:


“Alice”
“The Man Who Watches The World Burn”
“Wounded Faith”
“Wind Serenade Part I”
“Wind Serenade Part II”
“We Own The Night”
“It Ain’t Over Yet”
“Traces In The Snow”
“The Hour Of The Wolf”


"Traces In The Snow":





"It Ain't Over Yet":





“The Man Who Watches The World Burn” video:





(Photo - Mia Bergius Photography)

Seven days into the New Year, the party isn't over yet: The Swedish metal heroes Amaranthe have released a remix of their new single "PvP" - a catchy, energetic piece built to break the dancefloors all over the world. Listen / download here.





Olof Mörck comments: "Let's start this year with a bang! If you're still horizontal from the holiday's indulgences, here's what we ordinate to get you picked up in style: a danceable yet crushing remix of 'PvP', that works as well with your gaming session as it does in the club! Remixed by Elias Holmlid, who has previously lent his talents to 'Amaranthine' and 'Crystalline', this interpretation will hit harder than any New Year fireworks!"




"PvP" was the official anthem for the Swedish team at the international e-sports world championship. The video was directed by Poland's Grupa13, who previously worked with the band on 'Archangel' or 'Boom!'





Amaranthe recently released the music video for "PvP".





Directed by Poland's Grupa13, who previously worked with the band on "Archangel" and "BOOM!1", the video can be found below. Stream or download the song here.





Lineup:


Elize Ryd - vocals
Olof Mörck - guitars, keyboards
Henrik "GG6" Englund Wilhelmsson - vocals
Johan Andreassen - bass
Morten Løwe Sørensen - drums
Nils Molin - vocals

Swedish supreme rockers Dead Lord have released their new single “Sleeping My Day Away”. The band takes a bow to their Scandinavian colleagues from D-A-D for the cover track. Dead Lord’s new single is now available on all major streaming platforms here. The band has also shared a visualizer video, which features the spectacular cover artwork of their new EP Dystopia.





“Defenders of the night and snoozers, unite! Here's one fresh off the press that might sound familiar. Our fellow Scandinavians D-A-D cracked it quite some time ago, and we do agree that the nighttime sure is the right time. And the daytime is the not-so-ok-time. Here's our take on their fine little nugget. Let us all sleep our days away, all in the name of rock,” states Dead Lord vocalist Hakim Krim about the band’s take on ‘Sleeping My Day Away’.




Dystopia is a continuation and closing chapter for the band’s 2020 full-length LP, Surrender, the Dystopia EP starts off where that record ended, with the title track serving as a front bookend. 


The remainder of its tracklisting features a collection of cover versions from acts like D-A-D (“Sleeping My Day Away”), Winterhawk (“Ace In The Hole”), Moon Martin (“Hands Down”) and Rory Gallagher (“Moonchild”), before closing out with the Swedish version of “Letter From Allen St.”. The Dystopia EP, which features front cover artwork by Juan Machado, will see a March 11, 2022 release via Century Media Records.


Speaking on their new EP, Dead Lord guitarist and vocalist Hakim Krim finds the following words:


“Wax is the only thing that's eternal! We know this as well as do you. So at last, here's our latest single-gone-ep release, for you to enjoy. 6 tracks of something new, something old, something borrowed and something ice cold. A couple of unreleased tracks, homages to our fellow rockateers, if you will, along with some nuggets previously only digitally released, finally make their way to a face melting platter of rocking grooves. So even in the most dystopian of potential futures, where computers have long since lost to the nuclear storms, your record player will keep spinning. And rock will prevail!”


Preorders for Dystopia, which is set for release March 11, have also launched today and will be available in the following formats:


-Black LP
-Transp. Green LP (available at CM Distro only / limited to 300 units)
-Digital Album


Preorder here.





Tracklisting:


“Dystopia”
“Sleeping My Day Away”
“Ace In The Hole”
“Hands Down”
“Moonchild”
“I staden som aldrig slumrar till”


In addition to the release of their new EP, Dead Lord are also pleased to announce a next run of European live-shows for March 2022, supported by fellow Stockholmers The Riven.

QUEENSRŸCHE's Casey Grillo has confirmed to SW Wall Music in a new interview that he will be the featured drummer on the band's upcoming album, which is scheduled to be recorded later this month. "We've actually been doing writing sessions here in Florida," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We'll get together and do the writing and stuff. Over the last year, year and a half, Michael [Wilton, guitar] started sending me tracks, back during COVID, and I would just do some tracks to whatever he did. Some of those songs became what's gonna be on some of the record."

According to Grillo, the upcoming QUEENSRŸCHE LP won't be the first time he has recorded with the group. "I did do a couple of songs on their last record," referencing 2019's "The Verdict". "I did some percussion stuff on — it was like a bonus-type thing. I think it was only released in Europe. But I did a couple of songs for that. So I have actually recorded on a record with them [before] — but in a roundabout way."

Last May, Casey spoke to "Breaking Absolutes" host Peter Orullian about how he ended up getting the gig in QUEENSRŸCHE as the replacement for the band's original drummer Scott Rockenfield.

For the past five years, Grillo has been filling in for Rockenfield, who stepped away from QUEENSRŸCHE's touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

Asked how his working relationship with QUEENSRŸCHE came about, Casey said: "I was on my wife and I's 20-year anniversary on a boat; we were on a cruise ship. And we got married at a fun time of the year, which is spring break down here in Florida. So, March 16th is our anniversary, and we were, like, 'Let's go on a cruise ship.' … All of a sudden I get this phone call. And I'm, like, 'Wow, my phone's actually working,' 'cause we were kind of alongside Florida, so it wasn't too far off shore. And it's Todd La Torre, the singer from QUEENSRŸCHE. And he's, like, 'Hey, I've gotta talk to you.' I go, 'Man, I'm at sea right now. This is probably, like, eight dollars a minute.' He's, like, 'Go download Viber and call me back.' I didn't even get the Internet package. I was, like, 'I'm on vacation. I'm not gonna look at any business stuff. Nothing.' He goes, 'I'll pay for the Internet package. Just go get it.' I'm, like, 'Okay.' So I went and got Viber. I called him back, and I'm sitting there talking to him.

"My wife and I, we actually fell in love together listening to QUEENSRŸCHE," he continued. "QUEENSRŸCHE was kind of our music underneath the beginning of our relationship, when we started dating and stuff. So it was like our theme music behind us. The first show we ever went together to see was [QUEENSRŸCHE on the] 'Promised Land' [tour]. So we're huge fans. And I was a huge fan when I was a kid.

"So Todd's, like, 'There's a show that Scott can't do. His girlfriend's having a baby. Would you wanna do it?' I go, 'Yeah.' I go, 'When's the show?' And literally it was, like, eight days after I got off the cruise ship. [And I go], 'Dude I don't have any time to prepare for it.' And he's, like, 'Man, you can do this.' … He's, like, 'Download all these songs.' And there's stuff that I knew — the legacy stuff — but then there was all this stuff that I didn't know. So I'm, like, 'Wow, I'm gonna be working on this.' I told him on the phone, 'I don't think I can do this.' And the whole time my wife is kicking me under the table [laughs]: 'You're doing this.' So I listened to my wife, which I'm glad — she kicked me hard enough. And that's pretty much how it happened. And I went home. And eight days before I had to fly out, I was working eight, ten hours a day, and my wife was shoving food underneath the door of the studio: 'You stay out there until it's right.' And my first gig was on April Fool's Day 2017 in El Cajon, California."

Almost a year after playing his first show with QUEENSRŸCHE, Casey announced his exit from his previous band KAMELOT in order to pursue "other musical endeavors" as well as tend to his "rapidly growing" drumhead company DrumStatic.

As previously reported, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against the band's fellow original members Wilton (guitar) and Eddie Jackson (bass) last October, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. In the complaint, which has been obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Rockenfield claims that he took paternal leave of absence from QUEENSRŸCHE in February 2017 after his fiancée experienced complications during the birth of their son and had to have an emergency Cesarean delivery. According to the drummer, his leave of absence was approved by the members of QUEENSRŸCHE and he was to retain an equal one-third interest in all QUEENSRŸCHE companies (QR Companies), including Tri-Ryche Corporation, Melodisc LTD., Queensryche Merchandising, Inc., EMS Music, LLC and Queensryche Holdings, LLC.

Scott alleges that or about October 11, 2018, Wilton and Jackson purportedly "voted to dismiss Rockenfield from the QR Companies due in whole or in part to his taking of approved family leave. Rockenfield was informed of his purported dismissal from the QR Companies in a letter dated November 3, 2018." Rockfenfield also claims that Wilton and Jackson did not include him in the recording QUEENSRŸCHE's latest album, "The Verdict", "despite his availability and willingness to participate."

The drum tracks on "The Verdict" were laid down primarily by La Torre.

Boston-based progressive metal outfit Wilderun have released their fourth studio full-length, Epigone, via Century Media. To celebrate the new album, the band has dropped a one-take-lyric video for the track “Exhaler”, which was filmed by their vocalist and guitarist Evan Berry.





Speaking on the video for “Exhaler”, Evan comments: “‘Exhaler’ feels like a dream that precedes the core of Epigone, and like much of our previous album, muses on better times long gone.  There is almost a feeling of resentment towards past joys and prior clarity, as they seem to just become a dark mirror through which the current state of existence is poorly reflected.  Musically, this song stands out as very organic compared to much of the rest of the album, keeping to acoustic instruments and orchestrations, as opposed to some of the synthetic and darker textures we experiment with on the other tracks.  Hopefully this reflects those feelings of rose-colored nostalgia, versus the conflicted and cold reality of the present.




“I wanted the video to match that feeling of organic, earthly clarity, which is why I avoided any effects or editing of any sort, and the lyrics are written entirely with broken sticks found on that plot of land.  The track also holds a more consistent tone and energy than some of our other more frenetic and dynamic songs, so the one-shot approach felt very appropriate.”


Order the album here.





Tracklisting:


"Exhaler"
"Woolgatherer"
"Passenger"
"Identifier"
"Ambition"
"Distraction I"
"Distraction II"
"Distraction III"
"Distraction Nulla"
"Everything In Its Right Place" (Bonus - only on CD & digital)
"Exhaler" (Synth Mix - Bonus - only digital)


"Passenger" (Radio Edit) video:





About Wilderun’s Epigone:


With Epigone, Boston-bred aural imaginauts Wilderun take a deeper and darker step beyond their expansive, prog-leaning metal scores that so skillfully came together on 2019’s Veil of Imagination. The result is a record that is at once grandiose, complex, sophisticated and unexpectedly human. “This is certainly a “meta” record for me,” states guitarist and vocalist Evan Berry. “It’s the record that has the most to do with the artistic process.” Indeed, the nine-track-long offering: beginning with the haunting acoustic prelude, “Exhaler” and ending with a twenty-minute, four-part epic composition, “Distraction I-IV”, Epigone is nothing short of a journey into expression and ambition. It has all the earmarks that have made Wilderun a revelation unto themselves.


“This record has a different kind of inner turmoil than Veil,” says bassist and composer Dan Muller. “So much of that album was focused on the past and reminiscing on the progression from childhood to adulthood, and had a brighter, more flowery texture to it. This one is darker, and to me feels more introspective.” Admittedly, the universal pause and the frustration that came with the onset of a global pandemic of 2020 weighed heavily on the writing. “It was a frustrating time,” says Dan. “Things were starting to move in a direction that we had wanted them to for a while. We had signed to Century Media and were playing bigger shows like the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise. Then, suddenly, it felt like everything was ripped away from us. For me, that made it the hardest record we’ve ever had to write.”


Berry describes the arrangement process for Epigone as “solitary”, largely due to the Covid-restricted universe the band found itself in. Ideas were shuttled back and forth between members, and the band frustratingly never had the opportunity to meet as a whole before tracking commenced in early 2021.  And with traveling being too risky at the time, Wayne had to do all of his recording and orchestrating out of his home studio in California, while the rest of the band tracked in Syracuse, NY. In spite of that isolation, tracks like the driving “Passenger” speak volumes of Wilderun’s increasingly canny sonic reach as soaring, cinematic orchestrations flirt with Berry’s death metalized inclinations. According to Berry, even Wilderun’s flawlessly integrated orchestrations were pushed in new directions. Guitarist and composer Wayne Ingram (who has worked for noted film composer Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Company) focused on innovative and challenging compositions while Muller pushed his synth work to create a sense of atmosphere the band’s prior work only hinted at. The album’s mix by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Arch Enemy) sets the album’s standard to masterpiece proportions.


“There’s always a deep appreciation for the vibe and the atmosphere of folk and the heaviness of metal,” says Dan, “I think for us it comes down to this organic, esoteric atmosphere that incorporates a lot of different things.” That aesthetic is most pronounced when it comes to some of the album’s actual instrumentation. “This is probably the biggest number of folk instruments we’ve ever had on a record,” notes Dan.  “Sometimes it’s prominent. Sometimes it’s layered. There’s fewer keys and more acoustic passages. It’s a little more earthy and a little less theater.”


When it comes to scoring soundtracks for the theater of the mind, Wilderun isn’t merely pushing boundaries, they’re writing sublime symphonies and setting the standard in the process. “At its core, Wilderun is escapist, transformative,” says Dan. “Our criteria is very simple: As a listener, does it put me in a place that’s better than where I am now? Even though the music and lyrics are very introspective, this could be anyone’s story.”


Lineup:


Evan Anderson Berry – Vocals/Guitars/Piano
Dan Muller – Bass/Synths/Orchestrations
Jon Teachey – Drums
Joe Gettler – Lead Guitar
Wayne Ingram – Orchestrations

Steamhammer/SPV are opening the new year 2022 with a real bang, taking advantage of the increasingly upbeat mood after this never ending lockdown: Satan's Fall, one of the most promising metal bands from Finland, has signed with the Hanover-based label. After their successful Final Day debut album, the band has been working on material for their next studio album.


Satan's Fall comments regarding the signing: “We are more than excited to start working with such a legendary record company as SPV / Steamhammer. They understand what real heavy metal is all about, and it goes without saying that Satan’s Fall fits in perfectly. Steamhammer has released so many great records from our favorite artists – it’s a great honor to be part of this legacy.”


Guitarist Tomi Mäenpää adds: “The next record will be a celebration of melodic heavy metal. It’s full of juicy guitar melodies and solos, tight riffs, catchy choruses and most of all; it is pure heavy metal. The band also experienced member changes when Ville Aatsinki (drums) and Lassi Tiainen (guitar) dropped out last year. Satan's Fall is now introducing new lead guitarist Ville Koskinen. We are still looking for a regular drummer, but we have a great session drummer secured for the studio.“




Olly Hahn (Head of Steamhammer) is also thrilled with this successful coup: “For me Satan's Fall is one of the best new bands when it comes to original true Metal. I'm more than happy that the band has decided to join the Steamhammer roster and I'm sure that with the next album every Metalhead will know the name!“


Lineup:


Miika Kokko - vocals
Tomi Mäenpää - guitar
Ville Koskinen - guitar
Joni Petander - bass

Another year and the world is still dominated by pandemic restrictions... But there's musical hope at the end of the tunnel as 2022 sees the release of Scandinavian all-star band At The Movies' first two albums, available today via Atomic Fire Records. Ready to brighten all hard 'n' heavy fans globally with their uplifting movie hit adaptations, the group's arsenal features The Soundtrack Of Your Life - Vol. 2 (covers from the ‘90s) as well as a reissue of their debut album The Soundtrack Of Your Life - Vol. 1 (covers from the ‘80s).


Comments band leader Chris Laney, "Wow, it's release day. We never thought we would release two albums out of having fun... crazy! But here we are, twenty-two songs and videos later! I really hope it will be your soundtrack for at least 2022...because more will come out of this, that is for sure. Cheers!"
 
The band celebrates the release of both albums with a music video for “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.”


"This is one of those songs that a band like Kiss or Bon Jovi should have had back in the day, an instant feel-good rock song. I loved it from the get-go. I never really liked Belinda's vibrato, so I'm happy to have new voices on that one. I think most people wanna pop open a brewski and raise their glasses hearing this!"




Originally performed by Belinda Carlisle and featured in the 1997 film Romy And Michele's High School Reunion, At The Movies' interpretation can be viewed below:





Order both albums combined as a limited box set (includes cassette tapes, walkman, sunglasses, and keychain) or separately in various formats (CD/DVD-digipak - DVDs include videos for all tracks - vinyl, and digital), or stream them via the links below:


- Vol. 1 (reissue)
- Vol. 2





The Soundtrack Of Your Life - Vol. 1 (Re-Release) tracklist:


"Intro"
"No Easy Way Out"
"Maniac"
"St. Elmo's Fire"
"A View To A Kill"
"(I've Had) The Time Of My Life"
"Wouldn't It Be Good"
"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)"
"The Power Of Love"
"The Heat Is On"
"The Neverending Story"
"Far From Over"
"Last Christmas" (Bonus Track)





The Soundtrack Of Your Life - Vol. 2 tracklist:


"Waiting For A Star To Fall"
"King Of Wishful Thinking"
"The One And Only"
"When You Say Nothing At All"
"(I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight"
"(You Drive Me) Crazy"
"Heaven Is A Place On Earth"
"Crush"
"I've Been Thinking About You"
"Venus"
"I Want It That Way"








(Photo - Christel Mentges)

According to Billboard, the vinyl resurgence had a significant impact on how listeners consumed music in 2021, growing by more than half. Yet last year also marked a quiet CD comeback.


Total US album sales increased by 6.3% last year from 2020, totalling 108.98 million (up from 102.48 million), according to MRC Data’s 2021 US Year-End Report. Overall sales grew for the first time in a decade, driven by a 51.4% increase in vinyl sales up to 41.72 million albums from 27.55 million in 2020. And for the first time since MRC Data started tracking music sales in 1991, vinyl albums outsold CD albums for the year.


Even if CDs aren’t the dominant physical format anymore, their 2021 sales give some cause for optimism. For the first time in 17 years, CD album sales increased - up 1.1% to 40.59 million albums sold in 2021, from 40.16 million in 2020. That’s the first yearly gain in CD sales since 2004, when more than 10 times those numbers of CDs were being sold (CD sales increased 4.6% to 665.5 million in 2004, from 636.5 million in 2003).




Helping to drive the overall CD uptick: Adele. Her new album, 30, was both 2021’s top-selling album across all physical and digital formats (1.464 million sold), as well as the top-selling CD album of the year (898,000 sold). Adele’s fourth full-length streaked to the top of the list in just a month-and-a-half of release, after being issued in mid-November, accounting for 2.15% of all CDs sold in the year. Hypothetically, had 30 not been released in 2021, total CD sales would have been down year-over-year.


Read more at Billboard.

German rock icons, Scorpions, will release their new album, Rock Believer, on February 25. Pre-order the album here.


Today, the band conclude a three-part documentary series detailing the journey of making the new album. Find all three segments below.







Rock Believer tracklisting:


"Gas In The Tank"              
"Roots In My Boots"              
"Knock 'Em Dead"              
"Rock Believer"              
"Shining Of Your Soul"              
"Seventh Sun"              
"Hot And Cold"              
"When I Lay My Bones To Rest"              
"Peacemaker"
"Call Of The Wild"              
"When You Know (Where You Come From)"              


Limited deluxe edition bonus tracks:


"Shoot For Your Heart"    
"When Tomorrow Comes"    
"Unleash The Beast"    
"Crossing Borders"    
"When You Know (Where You Come From)"


"Peacemaker" video:





Rock Believer - The Journey videos:


Part 1:





Part 2:





Part 3:





Scorpions will kick off their Rock Believer World Tour in March 2022 in Las Vegas, where the band will play nine shows as part of their residency at Planet Hollywood Hotel. Afterwards, they will cross the Atlantic to Europe where they will play six concerts in France and six shows in Germany supported by Wolfgang Van Halen’s new band, Mammoth WVH.


Skid Row will be the opening band for all nine shows of Scorpions' Sin City Nights 2022 Las Vegas residency, thereby replacing previously announced support act, Queensrÿche. Scorpions' stint in Vegas was originally supposed to happen in July 2020, then it got pushed back to May 2021, only to be rescheduled to March - April 2022 at Zappos Theater inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.


Tour dates:


March
​26 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV
30 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV


April
1 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV
3 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV
7 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV
9 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV
12 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV
14 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV
16 - Zappos Theater - Las Vegas, NV


May
10 - Altice Arena - Lisbon, Portugal
13 - Zenith Toulouse Metropole - Toulouse, France
15 - Zenith De Lille - Lille, France
17 - Accorhotels Arena - Paris, France
21 - Hallenstadion - Zurich, Switzerland
23 - Arena Di Verona - Verona, Italy
26 - O2 Arena - Prague, Czech Republic
28 - Tauron Arena - Kraków, Poland
30 - Laszlo Papp Sports Arena - Budapest, Hungary


June
3 - Rockfest - Helsinki, Finland
8 - Schleyerhalle - Stuttgart, Germany*
10 - Olympiahalle - Munich, Germany*
12 - Festhalle - Frankfurt, Germany*
16 - Mercedes-Benz Arena - Berlin, Germany*
17 - Zag Arena - Hannover, Germany*
19 - Westfalenhalle - Dortmund, Germany*
23 - Hellfest - Clisson, France
25 - Rock Imperium Festival - Cartagena, Spain
28 - Palais Nikaia - Nice, France
30 - Le Galaxie - Amneville, France


July
2 - Zenith D'Auvergne - Clermont-Ferrand, France


* with Mammoth WVH

Led Zeppelin have released Episode 7 of the new video series, The History Of Led Zeppelin IV.


"There are two types of songs on the disk - Blues-Rock and delicate ballads, each style is highly developed and exhibits the group's tightness." - Cash Box, November 1971


Learn more about "Going To California" below:







Watch Episodes 1 - 6 below:

Brothers In Arms is the brainchild of guitarist/composer Jack Frost (Savatage, Seven Witches, Lizzy Borden), who along with several recruited iconic rock brothers, has made it his mission to prove rock music will never die. The guys unified to take a stand against the doubters and cynics who have claimed that it's simply not possible to resurrect this celebrated music in which so many lasting and fond memories were built around. Banding together, Jack & the Brothers forged ahead with one main goal: To make quality music that would both represent and immortalize the days of the sold-out legendary rock venues, to show the world that rock is not just a thing of the past.


The Brothers are back with their latest single and video for the track “Make You Mine”. The song was written by Keith St. John and Angel keyboardist Charlie Calv, and also features a guest solo by Dave Amato of REO Speedwagon.


Keith had this to say about it: “Twas a thrill having playboy playmate Katie play the long lost homebound flame in the new Brothers in Arms video for 'Make You Mine'! At a time when COVID restrictions were at an all time high I think we got lucky and hopefully portrayed the essence of "spouse on the rock n roll road" while happenstance gave us accidental guest stars like Andrew Freeman, Britt Lightning, and many others! The biggest challenge was having only myself on set and Katie for just an hour while shooting on location and trying to keep it feeling fresh! Charlie Calv's keyboard riff performance as well as Dave Amato’s blazing axe were both shot remotely to helping build the stage for this iconic beauty! Pat Benatar’s bassist Mic Mahan 100% slays as the fortress for us all... and I hail Jack Frost for masterminding this song, this record, and including me as part of an amazing new refreshing collection of real deal killer rock music that digs way down!”




Charlie continues, “Jack had asked me to contribute some songs to the album and I just happened to have this musical idea I was working on so I sent over a demo of it and was really thrilled with the way it came out, the guys did a great job and Keith really just nailed the vibe and wrote some great melodies and lyrics to it."





Brothers In Arms also features Karl Wilcox (Diamond Head), Alex Jansen (Hardline), Andrew Freeman (Last In Line, Lynch Mob), Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot), Steve Overland (FM, Overland), Nick Walsh (Moxy, Slik Toxik), Jesse Damon (Silent Rage), Todd Poole (Roxy Blue, Saliva), plus special guest Mick Mahan (Pat Benatar).


You can order the album now and there are limited edition bundles available (while supplies last), which can be ordered here. UK/European orders here.


Product Includes:


- Brothers In Arms - "Sunset and Clark" CD
- Brothers In Arms - Rock Is Not Dead T-Shirt
- Brothers In Arms - Sticker





Brothers In Arms tracklisting:


"Bitch Is Crazy"
"Last To Know"
"The City Never Sleeps"
"Feel The Love"
"Make You Mine"
"The Ties That Bind"
"Long Way From Love"
"My Heart Knows"
"Wasting Light"
"Voices Are Calling"


“The City Never Sleeps” lyric video:





"Bitch Is Crazy" video:





"Last To Know" video:

Swedish black metal pioneers DARK FUNERAL have released the music video for their new single "Let The Devil In". The track is taken from their upcoming full-length album, "We Are The Apocalypse", which will arrive on March 18 via Century Media Records.

The unforgiving darkness of this brand-new track perfectly fits the gory and sinister atmosphere of the video — filmed, directed and edited by Poland's Grupa13 — giving a good foretaste of what you can expect from "We Are The Apocalypse".

DARK FUNERAL guitarist and founder Lord Ahriman states: "It is with great pleasure that we can hereby offer you a first taste of our upcoming album 'We Are The Apocalypse' with the track 'Let The Devil In'. It may be a slightly different song from us, but it still holds the true darkness and spirit that is DARK FUNERAL. It was obvious to all of us that this would be the song that we set the bar with and premiere first. The song also comes with a video, which we recorded in Wroclaw, Poland together with Grupa13. It really was a great pleasure to work with such a professional team. The result is outstanding and fits this completely dark story that is 'Let The Devil In' very well."

Ahriman adds: "To me, 'Let The Devil In' comes in as a proof of the great deeds you can achieve when you turn to your innermost darkness and in harmony become one with your inner devil. Enjoy the darkness!"

"We Are The Apocalypse" track listing:

01. Nightfall

02. Let The Devil In

03. When Our Vengeance Is Done

04. Nosferatu

05. When I'm Gone

06. Beyond The Grave

07. A Beast To Praise

08. Leviathan

09. We Are The Apocalypse

DARK FUNERAL will play a very special album-release show on March 19 at Fållan in Stockholm, Sweden, supported by SAMAEL and ELEINE. The show will also be streamed online.

DARK FUNERAL's previous album, 2016's "Where Shadows Forever Reign", was the band's first release to feature vocalist Heljarmadr (GRÁ), whose vitriolic snarl found a perfect match alongside Lord Ahriman's trademark riffing.

DARK FUNERAL is:

Lord Ahriman - Guitar

Heljarmadr - Vocals

Chaq Mol - Guitar

Jalomaah - Drums

Adra Melek - Bass

Chris Caffery, who has been a member of SAVATAGE for more than 30 years, spoke to That Metal Interview about the possibility of new music from the cult metal outfit. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've been writing and talking about it now. It's the first time in a long time where I actually have been trading riffs and songs with Jon [Oliva, SAVATAGE frontman] over the phone, and I have some really cool things. I have this one song that I wrote that he really likes and it's kind of one that I think would be a good lead-off track for SAVATAGE. [We're] just calling it 'The Dungeous Are Calling Again' and it's a really, really, really cool metal song.

"We'll see what happens," he continued. "I know a lot of people would like to see a new SAVATAGE record. I think the cards are lining up. Whether or not it's gonna fall into place, we'll find out. I always tend to stay really positive and optimistic about it — I have for 20 years. So hopefully it does wind up happening. We're not getting any younger."

Caffery went on to say that plans are also afoot for SAVATAGE to release some vintage concert footage "in DVD form." He said: "There might be a couple of things people will be really happy to see pop up. 'Cause there was some stuff that we had, recorded some full concerts from 'The Wake Of Magellan' tour, and then there's some other footage that we might wanna try to [put out]. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything, really, that we could use from the Criss [Oliva] era as far as full concerts, which is very, very unfortunate. But we have some stuff from some of the other ones."

This past spring, Jon Oliva told That Metal Interview that he had been working with Caffery and guitarist Al Pitrelli on new SAVATAGE material "over the last couple of years." Oliva went on to say that he and his SAVATAGE bandmates "would all love" to make a new studio album. "But there's no deal with a record company to do it," he explained. "There's no plan — actual plan — saying we're gonna start recording SAVATAGE. There's no plan like that. All we're doing, as being musicians and songwriters, is we're compiling new material. So if we do get, 'Hey, why don't you guys do this? We've got a company that wants to give you guys [a deal], we're gonna be prepared.

"A lot of the fans, which it makes me upset, because SAVATAGE fans, I love them so much, because they have never, ever turned their backs on SAVATAGE — ever. And I just don't want to lead them down a road of false shit," he added. "If something happens where we say, 'Okay, we're ready to do this. Let's do it, guys,' I will be the first person to make a professional press release to tell everybody. But I just don't want to, because it's not solidified in stone right now. Do we wanna do it? You bet your fucking ass we wanna do it. But do we have the material for it? You bet your fucking ass we have enough material for another 10-year run. But all I can say is if we do a SAVATAGE thing, it's gonna fuck you people up — it's gonna be fucking blowaway."

SAVATAGE's last album release, "Poets And Madmen", in 2001 was highlighted by Jon Oliva's return as lead vocalist, replacing Zak Stevens, who left the band citing family reasons, and the departure of Al Pitrelli, who accepted an offer to join MEGADETH in 2000. Pitrelli did record solos for some songs prior to his departure. Another very limited U.S. tour followed, supported by FATES WARNING in the early shows, and then NEVERMORE for the remainder. Around this time, Jon chose Zak's replacement in the form of Damond Jiniya (DIET OF WORMS). Damond performed Zak's parts on tour, with Jon having an increased vocal role in proceedings.

This past September, Jon Oliva was arrested on the west central coast of Florida for driving under the influence as well as possession of a controlled substance. Police charged Oliva with possession of cocaine, which is a felony, and DUI, which is a misdemeanor. He has a court appearance scheduled for late January.

Back in 2016, Jon announced on social media that he suffered a stroke in April of that year. At the time, he said: "It was not as serious as it could have been, but it did leave me with some physical recovery challenges often associated with strokes."

Despite his health issues, Jon said that he didn't regret the way he had lived his life. He wrote: "I lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle since I was 18. It's all I knew and I enjoyed the ride very much. But there comes a time in everyone's life where you have to step back and make some life-changing decisions... which I have."

Shortly after SAVATAGE's reunion performance at the 2015 Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Oliva claimed that he felt better than he had in 20 years because he had "stopped drinking and eating" in preparation for the concert. He explained: "It's my voice that's freaking me out, because, even when I was in my late 20s, early 30s, doing songs like '24 Hours Ago' were always really hard to do. And, of course, I didn't realize that it was all the drugs and alcohol I was doing. But, after doing that, getting my act together and stuff, singing '24 Hours Ago', it's actually easy now. [Laughs]"

In addition to his work with SAVATAGE, Oliva is well known for co-creating the classical music-meets-prog rock and pyro act TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA alongside the project's founder Paul O'Neill. Oliva has reportedly remained involved in TSO's activities even after O'Neill's April 2017 death of an accidental drug overdose.

Jon's brother Criss, who was one of the founding members of SAVATAGE, was killed in October 1993 by a drunk driver when he and his wife Dawn were en route to the Livestock festival in Zephyrhills, Florida. The driver of the other car was found to have a drunk driving record of seven prior DUIs and having a blood alcohol content of .294 percent.

Rise Above Records recently announced the signing of doom metal machine Friends Of Hell. Brainchild of former Electric Wizard bassist, Tas Danazoglou, Friends Of Hell also feature the enigmatic talents of former Reverend Bizarre vocalist Albert Witchfinder.


The band will release their self-titled album on March 18. Check out the video for “Shadow Of The Impaler” below:







(Photo by Pete Voutilainen)