UK-based label Cherry Red Records will release The Rods - Metal Will Never Die, The Official Live Bootleg 4 CD Box Set 1981-2010 on February 25, 2022.

The four CDs feature live sets from 1981, 1982, 2009 and 2010.


While every effort has been made to produce the best possible audio, limitations in the material drawn from various, non-standard, and unofficial sources means that the quality may not be up to the standard usually expected. All tracks have been included for their historical importance.


The Rods debut album, Rock Hard, was released in 1980, re-titled simply The Rods the following year. It was swiftly followed by the Full Throttle EP, material from these releases making up the bulk of CD 1 which was recorded across two concerts in 1981 and 1982 in the heavy metal stronghold city of El Paso, Texas.




Finding champions in the rock and metal press, especially UK’s Kerrang magazine, they released the Wild Dogs LP in 1982. Their rising popularity making them the perfect opening act for Iron Maiden on their Beast On The Road UK tour, which is captured on CD 2.


Reunited in 2008 after a two-decade abscence, Feinstein, Canedy and Bordonaro became once again firm festival favorites, especially in Europe as captured live at the Headbangers Open Air Festival in Germany in 2009 which is featured on CD 3.


Comeback album Vengeance was released in 2011 to positive reviews, featuring tracks that had been previously previewed at a performance in their hometown of Cortland, New York in 2010, which is featured on CD 4.





Tracklisting:


CD 1


El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, August 27, 1981


"Angels Never Run" 
"Get Ready To Rock ‘N’ Roll" 
"Crank It Up" 
"Drum Solo" 
"Power Lover"


El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, September 3, 1982


"Rockin’ And Rollin’ Again" 
"Waiting For Tomorrow" 
"Get Ready To Rock ‘N’ Roll" 
"Guitar Solo" 
"Too Hot To Stop" 
"Drum Solo" 
"Power Lover"


CD 2


Guildhall, Portsmouth, UK - March 8, 1982


"Rockin’ And Rollin’ Again" 
"Waiting For Tomorrow" 
"Get Ready To Rock ‘N’ Roll" 
"Nothing Going On In The City" 
"Too Hot To Stop" 
"Crank It Up" 
"Guitar Solo" 
"Getting Higher" 
"Rabid Thunder (Drum Solo)" 
"Power Lover"


CD 3


Headbangers Open Air Festival - Germany - July 25, 2009


"Make Me Believer / Raise Some Hell" 
"Hurricane" 
"Devil's Child" 
"Let Them Eat Metal" 
"Born To Rock" 
"Get Ready To Rock ‘N’ Roll" 
"Burned By Love" 
"Too Hot To Stop" 
"Rabid Thunder (Drum Solo)" 
"Violation" 
"Waiting For Tomorrow" 
"Hot City" 
"Cold Sweat And Blood" 
"Wild Dogs" 
"Nothing Going On In The City" 
"Crank It Up" 
"Power Lover" 
"The Night Lives To Rock"


CD 4


Cortland, New York, 2010


"Raise Some Hell"
"I Just Wanna Rock"
"Hurricane"
"Devil’s Child"
"Let Them Eat Metal"
"Born To Rock"
"Evil In Me"
"Burned By Love"
"Ride Free Or Die"
"Ace In The Hole"
"Drum Solo"
"Get Ready To Rock ‘N’ Roll"
"Metal Will Never Die"


Pre-order your copy of Metal Will Never Die - The Official Live Bootleg Box Set 1981-2010 now at this location.


 


 

Stratovarius, Rainbow keyboardist Jens Johansson has been announced as the next guest on Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s new Star One Album.





Says Lucassen, “Jens plays a solo in the track 'The Year of ‘41' of the new Star One album Revel In Time. Check out this video to see him play the solo and see his message at the end. I’m so glad Jens is part of the Star One crew once again with his amazing skills, thanks again my friend!”




The album will come as Ltd. 2CD Digipak, Ltd. Deluxe 3CD+Blu-Ray Artbook (incl. a poster of the cover artwork), and as 180g Gatefold 2LP (incl. the album on CD & an LP-Booklet).


CD2 features alternate versions of the same songs as CD1, but with different vocalists. Also available will be a 5.1 mix, a high-res audio version, and an exclusive, hour-long Behind The Scenes video, on the Blu-ray included in the Artbook.


Pre-order here.





Revel In Time tracklisting:


CD1:


"Fate Of Man"
"28 Days (Till The End Of Time)"
"Prescient"
"Back From The Past"
"Revel In Time"
"The Year Of ’41"
"Bridge Of Life"
"Today Is Yesterday"
"A Hand On The Clock"
"Beyond The Edge Of It All"
"Lost Children Of The Universe"


CD 2 features the same songs as CD 1, but with different vocalists.


"Prescient" video:





"Fate Of Man" video:





"Lost Children Of The Universe" lyric video:

“Raise My Sword" is the new video and single by Lars Eric Mattsson featuring Adrienn Antal.





Taken from the album The Outsider which is out now and features ten different singers, 19 Tracks, 81 Minutes The guest singers: Elisa Pezzuto, Daphne Nisi, Johanna Mattsson, Göran Edman, Markku Kuikka, Conny Lind, Walle Wahlsten, Adrienn Antal, Niko Mattila. Lars is also handing vocals on some songs as well as providing backing vocals to most tracks.




This (double) album is made out of 19 tracks (almost 81 minutes!) of classic melodic hard rock with a progressive touch including a few ballads and three instrumentals. Lars says it’s his most well crafted and probably also most accessible work to date and that no song could be left out as that would make the picture of where he is at this moment in life incomplete. “It was a huge joy to work with these excellent singers and I tried to give everyone material that would be perfect for each individual”. 


Production and recording credits:


Lars Eric Mattsson - Guitars, bass, keyboards and vocals


Lead vocals:
Göran Edman (“Now and Forever”)
Conny Lind (“Gold Digger”)
Adrienn Antal (“Raise My Sword”)
Daphne Nisi (“Where Are We Going?”)
Markku Kuikka (“Stare into the Abyss”)
Niko Mattila (“The Road I've Chosen”)
Johanna Mattsson (“Keep This Flame Alive”)
Walle Wahlsten (“Into the Battle”)
Elisa Pezzuti (“Sometimes I Wonder”)
Lars Eric Mattsson
(“The Sun Coming Down”, “It's Too Late”, “Who Are We Foolin'”, “I've Got the Funk”, “We All Bleed for Love (Vikings)”, “Broken Heart Blues”, “Vicky's Eyes”)

In a recent interview with Joe Rock, TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French revealed that he once threatened legal action to prevent iconic motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson from using the TWISTED SISTER name in connection with one of its products. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There were so many attempts to use the trademark, and I had to sue everybody — I had to keep suing people 'cause I have the trademark. And I got a phone call one day from a guy representing Harley-Davidson. He said, 'We wanna name our tire 'Twisted Sister', and we did our due diligence and found out you own the trademark. And we're calling you to let you know we're gonna use the name and we're gonna call the tire 'Twisted Sister'.' And I said to him, 'Are you really just calling me to tell me you're violating my trademark?' I was dumbfounded. I said, 'You're really calling me up, telling me you acknowledge I own the trademark, you're telling me you don't care that I own the trademark 'cause you're Harley-Davidson with 400 million dollars' worth of assets, and then you're gonna call a tire 'Twisted Sister' and you're gonna send me a couple of tires as a thank you. That's what you're saying to me, right?' And he says, 'Yeah.' And I said, 'Give me your numbers.' I take his number down. I hang up the phone and I'm just fucking livid. And I called [him back] and this is what I said to him. I said, 'Hey, man. Jay Jay French [here]. You know the phone number you called to reach me is a 212 number.' He goes, 'Yeah.' I said, 'You know what that means, don't you? I'm a New York guy. In fact, I'm a New York Jew.' That's what I said to him. I said, 'So this is exactly how this is gonna go down.' I said, 'Number one, I sued Six Flags and won.' He went, 'What?' I said, 'Yeah. And they're twice as big as Harley-Davidson. And I took 'em to court for three years and I won. Did you do the due diligence on that?' And he said, 'No, I didn't.' And I said, 'Well, you should do due diligence on that. Because I also took Urban Decay down.' And I said, 'So this is how it's gonna go down. If you fuck me like this, the first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna sign a band and call 'em the Harley-Davidsons. I'm gonna send you a couple of guitar picks and a fucking thank you.' And he said, 'How much do you want?' I said, 'I want 10 percent and two Fat Boys [motorcycles] a year.' … And I hung up on him. And he called me back the next day. He said, 'We've rescinded our use of the name.' And that was the end of that."

Back in 2013, the owners of the Twisted Sister House Of Hunger food truck in Minneapolis, Minnesota were forced to change the name of their business after they were threatened with legal action by French. In a cease-and-desist letter, French and his attorney wrote, "It is the opinion of our client, with which we concur, that your use of the name Twisted Sister will cause dilution of our client's famous mark and will cause confusion among consumers." In response, the proprietor of the food truck said, "I don't know how somebody can get a 20-foot aluminum box mixed up with an '80s rock band. We never refer to ourselves solely as Twisted Sister — we're in the food industry, not the entertainment industry." In the end, the food truck owner decided it wasn't worth the time or money of a court trial. He spent about $3,000 changing the company's name to House Of Hunger, but everything else stayed the same.

Addressing criticism from fans and other observers regarding TWISTED SISTER's decision to initiate the name dispute, French said in a statement at the time: "I get how stories like these appear like David vs. Goliath. I also get how easy it is to take cheap shots at my band because of our former image and the '80s-era MTV iconography. The fact of the matter is that trademark law doesn't give me a choice on who and what to defend. The law is very clear: either defend your trademark or lose rights to it.

"Over the last 35 years, I have defended my trademark against the biggest companies (Six Flags, Urban Decay, Harley-Davidson) as well as dozens of mom-and-pop companies," he continued. "The defense is almost always the same. They first claim that they never heard of the band and then they say that no one would confuse the two anyway. I have won every case. The unique juxtaposition of the words 'Twisted' and 'Sister' have never ever appeared in print prior to my band's use of it. This was established in the Six Flags case. The name is so unique, like LED ZEPPELIN, that any use would confuse the marketplace as either the product or service is owned or endorsed by us. Also, if I let one go, that just emboldens someone else with the rationale that 'you didn't bother them, so why go after me.' I have heard this many times before.

"When my band first started, we thought of calling ourselves 'THE MAX FACTOR.' it was a cute idea because we were a 'glam band.' My lawyer at the time then said to me: 'This is a bad idea for two reasons, 1. You will probably be sued for trademark violation and 2. Why would you want to trade on someone else's idea? Think of something original and unique, that way, should you succeed, you will be able to take credit for your own special creation.'

"I really don't understand why people feel the need to steal someone else's property," French added. "Perhaps they are just lazy. I think that the real reason they used our name and didn't call it The Beatles, Rolling Stones or Motley Crue House Of Hunger is that they knew that they would get sued and perhaps thought that we wouldn't notice.

"Sorry. We did.

"I believe in the American way of 'roll up your shirt sleeves' entrepreneurship. Be proud of your hard work and ingenuity. Be proud of being unique. Provide a service like we did that people love.

"I only wish for these guys to have this kind of success where you start from nothing, zero, against all odds and have a real career. Just please do it on your own terms, with your own ideas, providing a great product or service, just don't steal from others. That is not the American way.

"As you can see, I am proud of what we have created. We have learned that being original, true to yourself, working hard and giving back pays off in ways that one can't even imagine."

In a new interview with Collider, Lars Ulrich was asked whom he would like to see play him in a hypothetical METALLICA biopic. He laughed and said: "Yeah, well, they'd need a five-foot-seven, small, balding… I mean, we sort of joke about this all the time. We used to have kind of the standard answer back in the day, just because you'd get asked that every three months in interviews. James Spader would play me, the Cowardly Lion from 'The Wizard Of Oz' would play [James] Hetfield, and we'd joke about how Carlos Santana would play Kirk [Hammett]. We had all kinds of fun, but the question would beckon, what time period are we talking? Is it METALLICA in their youthful times, or now? There's so many incredibly talented people out there, and it's incredible how some actors can just transform. I think what Taron [Egerton] did as Elton John stands out as just being incredible casting, an incredible fit.

"But the biopic thing, I think that's more of a cautionary tale, which kind of falls in under the whole thing with autobiographies. I'm not sold on the idea. The idea of writing an autobiography I think is challenging, because I think you would have to be completely truthful, and to be 100 percent truthful, it's hard to tell the stories without bringing other people into it, and then you sort of get into that whole thing where maybe the protagonist in that particular story wouldn't want the story told. So, to me, it's kind of a dilemma of, these stories deserve the truth if you're going to talk about them, but at the same time, you can't take for granted that everybody who's involved in those stories wants those stories out there.

"It's a little bit like, you and I take a picture together, and then I put it up on my social media without asking you. So there's something about that I haven't quite figured out yet, but obviously as a creative undertaking, I would love to throw myself out into what METALLICA would look like in the medium of film. That's one of the main reasons we did 'Through The Never' six or seven years ago, but if it's going to be more of autobiography, I think that's going to be way more challenging because there's so many biopics where you kind of sit and roll your eyes. I guess somewhere I'm just kind of a stickler for the truth, for some reason, so if you're not gonna tell the truth, then maybe you shouldn't say anything at all. That's where it gets a little complicated for me, but let's see how it plays out."

METALLICA's 2004 documentary, "Some Kind Of Monster", followed the band through the three most turbulent years of their long career, during which they battled through addiction, lineup changes, fan backlash, personal turmoil and the near-disintegration of the group while making their "St. Anger" album. The band's second film, 2013's "Through The Never", weaved a postapocalyptic narrative (featuring the actor Dane DeHaan) through METALLICA concert footage.

Late last month, METALLICA broadcast a show to hundreds of drive-in and outdoor theaters across the U.S. and Canada, as part of the "Encore Drive-In Nights" series. The concert was filmed nearly three weeks earlier, on August 10, at the Gundlach Bundschu winery, about a 30-minute car ride from the band's headquarters in San Rafael, California, and was subsequently edited and mixed by the band's award-winning production team to the highest standards possible.

In a recent interview with Darren Paltrowitz, host of the "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz", CANDLEBOX's Kevin Martin was asked if he is the type of artist who works on music every single day. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, man. I'm not prolific at all. I probably don't deserve the success I've had. [Laughs] I don't work very hard at it. And that's a terrible thing to say, 'cause when I'm in the studio, I do. But I don't look at music that way. I don't have that desire. I guess it probably stopped… When I met my wife Natalie is when I really lost that kind of drive to just produce music every day. I fell madly in love, and I still am. So I think I'd much rather hang out with my wife and my son and go to the beach and vacation than I would write a song. I just don't find writing to be that cathartic for me. Unless I'm in the mood — if I'm in the mood to write, then I'll produce two or three songs in an hour. Like at soundcheck the other day, we wrote three things. But that's only if I'm triggered into it. I don't sit around with a guitar all day, with a notepad writing lyrics. I just have never been that guy. I don't know why. I just am not."

When Paltrowitz brought up DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE's Ben Gibbard, who has been quoted as saying that he treats songwriting like a dayjob, Martin said: "I was a drummer for years and years and years prior to singing for CANDLEBOX. And what I find is I don't like to reach for inspiration that way. I allow it to pretty much punch me in the face, and then I recognize it: 'Oh, that's a song.' I just am not that person. And Ben's a profoundly prolific motherfucker. I have every record that guy's ever released. I'm a huge fan. I love that he treats it like a dayjob because I always have new music from him. But one of the things that I think that happens in that is that sometimes, it's my opinion, that you can lose sight of what it is that you are writing about. If you're constantly reaching for something or looking for a story or you're trying to write about an experience that you had, sometimes I think that's forcing it. And again, that's just my opinion of things. I don't make records until I'm absolutely ready to make records, until I'm absolutely ready to say something. And that's just me. I think that musicians that can produce on the level of Ben, I mean, it's just shocking to me, but it's still brilliant that there are musicians out there that do that. I'm just not one of 'em."

CANDLEBOX's latest album, "Wolves", was released in September via Pavement Records. The LP was produced by Dean Dichoso at the legendary Henson Studios in Los Angeles, California. It is the Seattle-based rockers' follow-up to 2016's "Disappearing In Airports".

Most of the "Wolves" recordings were finished in August 2019, and Martin completed his vocals in January 2020.

Earlier this month, CANDLEBOX announced dates for the "Candlebox Unplugged" tour. The 14-show routing will kick off April 20 in Cincinnati, Ohio at Memorial Hall and hit the southern and East Coast states before culminating in a special two-show finale at City Winery in New York on May 7.

Gene Simmons spoke to TMZ Live about the KISS museum which is tentatively scheduled to open in Las Vegas in March. The 2,000-square-foot expansion of the glow-in-the dark attraction Kiss By Monster Mini Golf at the Rio Hotel & Casino will be attached to what will eventually become a 15,000-square-foot KISS-themed space in Masquerade Village.

"My personal collection is gonna be at the Rio hotel, and it's gonna be a chance for all the fans to go up there and see close to ten thousand items — lyrics and things and guitars," Gene said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "No band has got this. We are the juggernaut of them all in licensing and merchandising. But instead of being in one of my big houses, the fans will be able to go there, see, look, touch, take photos. And there will be video screens in the back so you'll be able to be up on stage with KISS, if you can imagine. And by the way, it's also in the inside of the Kiss Mini Golf where you can play golf. And you can get married at the Kiss Chapel. We have a little person wearing my makeup and it looks like this: 'Repeat after me: I was made for loving you.' 'I was made for loving you.' 'And then you were made for loving me.' And they get married."

Simmons previously showed off his KISS collection inside his Beverly Hills mansion in a video which you can see below.

The KISS museum launch will coincide with the return of the "End Of The Road" world tour, which kicked off in 2019. The trek will continue to wow audiences in 2022 with rescheduled shows and new additional concert dates.

KISS continues to be among the most merchandised bands in history and a pioneering force in the music merchandise and licensing industry, with KISS-branded merchandise available in major retailers around the globe, including Nordstrom, Macy's, Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic, Torrid, Tilly's, Pacsun, Cotton On, Revolve, Nasty Gal, Princess Polly, Target, Walmart and Kohl's, among many more.

Recent KISS deals in North America include Dead Sled Coffee, for pre-packaged coffee in the U.S.; a fashion and accessories collaboration with Robert Graham to launch in the U.S.; high-end apparel with Lauren Moshi in the U.S.; a line of seasonal apparel with Ugly Christmas Sweater for holiday 2021 in the U.S.; and more.

In the international marketplace, recent strategic partnerships include Brands For Fans for gin and dark rum in Europe, Japan, and Australia; Metal Departments for real money gambling worldwide; Fexpro for apparel and accessories in Mexico, Central America, and South America; Konnekt for apparel & accessories in Japan; and EastPak for bags, backpacks and accessories in U.S. Europe, Middle East, Asia and Canada; among many others.








There is a lot of stuff. And I mean, a lot. pic.twitter.com/lqXi0lnEB9

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) November 28, 2019

Mr. Big, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their chart-topping Lean Into It album with a remastered and expanded anniversary edition reissue, available digitally, on CD and as a highly collectible limited edition box set made up of five individual colored 7” singles via evoXS.


They have shared the "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" (minus guitar version) taken from the anniversary edition with the message: "Rock out as the lead guitarist on this classic Mr. Big track."







The 30th anniversary release of Lean Into it includes the previously unreleased track, "Stop Messing Around", fully produced by Kevin Elson, from Mr. Big’s 1990 Lean Into It studio session. Check out the just released official lyric video below.





First released in 1991, Lean Into It is the second studio album by the group, consisting of Paul Gilbert, Eric Martin, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey. This is the band's breakthrough album, with Lean Into It peaking at #15 on the Billboard 200 charts, while the single “To Be With You” hit and remained number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks. The follow-up single, “Just Take My Heart,” was a Top 20 hit, peaking at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100.


The million-selling album also contains the popular tracks “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy,” “Alive and Kickin” and “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind.” Lean Into It shows that Mr. Big could also strip away all the flash and 7-minute solos and simply create well-written songs with rhythm, groove and good melodies, making the band one of the iconic new wave of progressive “musician’s bands” who could play mind-blowing complicated riffs on their instruments at lightning speeds.


evoXS has remastered the album using the hi-resolution digital transfers from the original analogue master tapes for MQA-CD (2 CD), hybrid SACD, 180g Vinyl LP and Hi-Res digital. The hybrid multi-channel SACD plays on both SACD and regular CD players. MQA is an award-winning technology that delivers the sound of the studio. MQA-CD plays on all CD players. When a conventional CD player is connected to an MQA-enabled device, the CD will reveal the original master quality. The SACD has a new multi-track mix in 5.1 surround sound which provides the ultimate sound quality experience. The MQA-CD (2 CD) - Disc 1 contains the remastered tracks from the original album and Disc 2 contains the previously unreleased Kevin Elson produced tracks, “Stop Messing Around” and “Wild Wild Women,” hard to find bonus tracks and versions minus bass and guitar tracks, specially made for musicians to jam with.





Lean Into It MQA-CD tracklisting:


Disc 1


"Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)" (2021 Remastered)
"Alive and Kickin’" (2021 Remastered)
"Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" (2021 Remastered)
"CDFF-Lucky This Time" (2021 Remastered)
"Voodoo Kiss" (2021 Remastered)
"Never Say Never" (2021 Remastered)
"Just Take My Heart" (2021 Remastered)
"My Kinda Woman" (2021 Remastered)
"A Little Too Loose" (2021 Remastered)
"Road to Ruin" (2021 Remastered)
"To Be With You" (2021 Remastered)


Disc 2
"Stop Messing Around"
"Wild Wild Women"
"Just Take My Heart" (acoustic)
"Shadows" (2021 Remastered)
"Strike Like Lighting" (2021 Remastered)
"Love Makes You Strong" (2021 Remastered)
"Alive and Kickin’" (early version)
"Green-Tinted Sixties Mind (early version)
"To Be With You" (reggae version)
"Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)" (minus guitar version)
"Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" (minus guitar version)
"Love Makes You Strong" (minus bass version)
"Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)" (minus bass version)


Lean Into It SACD tracklisting:


"Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)"
"Alive and Kickin'"
"Green-Tinted Sixties Mind"
"CDFF-Lucky This Time"
"Voodoo Kiss"
"Never Say Never"
"Just Take My Heart"
"My Kinda Woman"
"A Little Too Loose"
"Road to Ruin"
"To Be With You"
"Love Makes You Strong" (Original Japan Bonus Track)


The Lean Into It - The Singles 7” box set contains four 7” colored vinyl singles with their European picture sleeves: “Just Take My Heart (edit),” “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song),” “To Be With You” and “Green Tinted Sixties Mind,” plus the bonus single “Strike Like Lightning” from the movie Navy Seals, which has never been released on 7” vinyl. The B-sides include the original hard to find tracks “To Be With You (live at NHK Hall Tokyo 1991)” and “Just Take My Heart (acoustic).”


The box set, which also includes a guitar pick and poster, is limited to 2,000 numbered copies.





Lean Into It - The Singles tracklisting:


Single 1


Side A: "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)"
Side B: "Road to Ruin"


Single 2


Side A: "To Be With You" (Single Version)
Side B: "Baba O' Riley" (Live at NHK Hall, Tokyo, Japan, September 26, 1991)


Single 3


Side A: "Just Take My Heart" (edit)
Side B: "To Be With You" (Live at NHK Hall, Tokyo, Japan, September 26, 1991)


Single 4


Side A: "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind"
Side B: "Just Take My Heart" (Acoustic)


Single 5


Side A: "Strike Like Lightning"
Side B: "Shadows"

German thrash metal veterans KREATOR will release their new album in the summer of 2022. The LP's first single will arrive "soon," according to KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza. The follow-up to 2017's "Gods Of Violence" was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.

Earlier today (December 31), Petrozza took to his Instagram to write: "Ok 2021, you are almost history.

"It was good to play a couple of shows and record a new album. Overall, it was a killer year and I will hopefully see a lot of you in 2022.

"Album coming in the summer, new single SOON!

"Stay sane and safe and eat your vegetables. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"#kreator #hate #thrash #über #metal #2022 #alles #hüa".

Earlier this year, Mille revealed to the official podcast of Italy's Metalitalia.com that the band would wait until the coronavirus pandemic has subsided before releasing an album.

"Last [year], in August, we felt that we were done [writing], and we were very enthusiastic about, like, 'Okay, this is almost an album. We have 12 songs. And we take the 10 best, or whatever we come up with.' And we already planned on going into the studio in February," he said. "Now it's February, and the world is still kind of fucked with the COVID. So we have to wait and be patient… I think going on a tour, the artwork, everything has to connect. So we'll wait until that's possible again, and then we'll put out the album."

On the topic of the musical direction of the follow-up to 2017's "Gods Of Violence" album, Mille said: "It's definitely different. It's hard for me to describe, but I think it's definitely more thrash again. It has a lot of melody, and it has a lot of traditional parts, and it has a lot of ingredients of the last four or five albums. But it also has some very old-school moments. I think it's definitely the next step."

KREATOR's next album will mark the band's first with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.

In September 2020, KREATOR guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö described the sessions for the band's new album to Italy's Poisoned Rock as "a lot of fun," adding that the "mood" in the band "is great. And the general vibe and the atmosphere is very good," he said. "[These are] creative times for KREATOR at the moment."

In March 2020, KREATOR surprise-released a new single, "666 - World Divided". The song was produced by Andy Sneap and Markus Ganter and was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios.

The music video for "666 - World Divided" was created under the direction of Jörn Heitmann, who was responsible for the music videos for "Radio" and "Ausländer" by RAMMSTEIN.

KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.

KREATOR's previously announced "State Of Unrest" European tour with LAMB OF GOD has been rescheduled for November/December 2022 in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

KREATOR released a new live set, "London Apocalypticon - Live At The Roundhouse", in February 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The effort was professionally filmed and recorded on December 16, 2018 at the Roundhouse in London, England.
























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A post shared by Mille Petrozza (@mille.petrozza)

Ted Nugent says that he hasn't been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame because the people that run the organization are "dishonest" and "rotten."

The conservative rocker, who been eligible for the honor as a solo artist since 2000, has enjoyed a remarkably successful and eventful musical career over the past five decades, but his music is increasingly overshadowed by his political outbursts.

Asked in a recent interview with Ruben Mosqueda of KNAC.COM why we have yet to see him in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Nugent responded: "Why am I not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? That has a lot to do with the fact that you can't always explain why people are rotten. Why do some people violate other people and commit vicious crimes and lie?

"I would like to think about what is going on with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame… I don't take it personal," he continued. "I think I'm in the ultimate Hall Of Fame. I went on stage a couple days in Abilene [Texas] with a great man Tim Montana. The Tim Montana band opened up for ZZ TOP to a packed house in Abilene. Tim Montana says, 'We learned 'Cat Scratch Fever'. Come up and play it with us.' I asked Billy Gibbons if that was okay to do, and he said, 'Oh yeah. I'd love to hear that.' They introduced me and the audience went berserk. So don't tell me what my Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is. I'm in the ultimate Hall Of Fame with real and true lovers of my music! There's nothing more important than that.

"I'm not offended that I'm not there. But not because of me, but for the fans. Why isn't a band like TRIUMPH in there, but Grandmaster Flash is?! That's just dishonest. Why are Patti Smith, ABBA and Madonna in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but not STYX?! Are you kidding me?! You can only explain that is that the people who made those decisions are just plain rotten people. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should genuflect to Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, the Motown Funk Brothers. Are you kidding me?! How dare you put Grandmaster Flash, ABBA and Madonna in that?!

"I'm not angry that I'm not in there because I'm having so much fun that it's stupid," Nugent added. "I have a new album called 'Detroit Muscle' which is another authoritative, rhythm and blues rock and roll from the Motor City. I'm surrounded by guitars and amps and I play with a bunch of killer musicians. My music is a flamethrower of fun, positive energy and piss and vinegar. That's the 'real' Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, since the people who run the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame have been dishonest.

"It would be an honor to be part of an institution that celebrates the founding fathers of rock and roll, like Chuck, Bo, Little Richard, James Brown and going back to Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters and SAM & DAVE and Wilson Pickett. I would be honored to share that. What a middle finger to the 'real' heroes of rock and roll and rhythm and blues to put in those other people. Grandmaster Flash?! Really?! Why don't we go down to Chuck Berry's grave and piss on it!!! Are you kidding me?! That's not a Ted Nugent presumption; that's not an opinion… The evidence is overwhelming.

"You wanna know how to get into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? You get 'high' with the board," Ted said. "I don't get high with anybody because I have campfires and I have the healing power of nature. I get high on high without poisoning my sacred temple. I call on God. I call on the good earth to help cleanse my soul and to help stimulate my very spirit.

"I know people say, 'Nugent is a radical and he dodged the draft.' That's a lie. They say, 'Oh, well, Nugent is a racist.' That's a lie. They say, 'Oh, Nugent adopted a nine-year old-girl.' That's a lie. They say, 'Nugent disrespected Native Americans.' That's a lie. Are you kidding me?! Around my campfires, we laugh till we cry about the attacks on me. They are just so stupid. Those people that say that are strangled by hate."

Ted has railed against the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame a number of times in the past, including in a 2017 interview with the Q103 radio station in Albany. At the time, he stated about his exclusion from the institution: "Jan Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone [magazine] and the boss hog at Rock And Roll Of Fame, he hates freedom, he hates the Second Amendment, he hates me, because I'm on the board of directors — quite proudly — of the National Rifle Association for, like, twenty-six years with some of the highest votes except for Charlton Heston [NRA's president]. And I couldn't be more proud of that, 'cause the NRA is the ultimate family, grassroots organization that fights for the right to defend ourselves. What kind of numbnut would be against that? And so I'm on the board of directors of the NRA, Jan Wenner hates the Second Amendment, so that's the only reason I'm not in the Rock And Roll Of Fame. And until they get their heads out of their ass, I'm more than happy to do what I do and do it with all the vim and vigor that I do it every night."

Nugent added: "Hey, write this down. My name is Ted Nugent. I am the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Eat me!"

Asked if he would show up for his Rock Hall induction if he eventually got the nod, Nugent said: "Oh, hell yes! And you know what I would do? I would lead… I've seen a lot of the ceremonies, and they're so moving. All of us that love music, how do you not just shed a tear of joy when you see Bob Seger and certainly ZZ TOP and Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and James Brown… Are you kidding me? These are the gods of the soundtrack of our quality of life. But you know what I will do? And I will do it. I will lead the most important moment in the history of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, because I will get on bended knee and I will say a prayer for Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley and Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and THE VENTURES and James Brown and Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding and the Motown Funk Brothers and THE BEATLES and THE [ROLLING] STONES and THE KINKS and Howlin' Wolf and Buddy Guy and B.B. King and Freddie King and Albert King… you know what I'm saying? Because Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is paying tribute and homage to geniuses who gave us the ultimate soundtrack for our American Dream. I'm all in, man, I'm genuinely moved, and I'm glad there is a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame."

Nugent went on to reiterate his belief that that rappers and non-rock artists like Madonna don't belong in the Hall Of Fame. "I mean, why don't you just piss on Chuck Berry's grave, you know what I mean?" he said.

According to Ted, the fact that both Patti Smith and Grandmaster Flash have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is the result of "political correctness," which he calls "a self-inflicted and embarrassing scourge." He added in a mocking tone: "Yeah, Grandmaster Flash is rock and roll. And I'm a gay pirate."

This past July, Nugent resigned from the board of the NRA after 26 years, saying he was stepping down "due to constant scheduling conflic

In the video below, drummer Sergi “Bobby” Verdeguer of progressive/melodic death metal outfit Persefone shows you his record collection.





Andorra’s extreme progressive metal unit, Persefone, recently announced the upcoming release of their long-awaited Napalm Records debut, entitled metanoia. Scheduled for release on February 4, metanoia crosses genre boundaries with ease, mesmerizing the listener with dynamic songwriting and technical precision and proving Persefone’s worthy position as longstanding favorites of progressive metal.




Featuring collaborations with standout artists like Steffen Kummerer (Obscura, Thulcandra), Einar Solberg (Leprous), Angel Vivaldi and Merethe Soltvedt (Two Steps From Hell), metanoia exploits the full potential of contrasts in every song, with each track representing a story evolving from beginning to end and constantly growing in strength - redefining typical musical boundaries. Mixed by David Castillo (Leprous, Soen, Opeth) and mastered by Tony Lindgren (Enslaved, Ihsahn, Sepultura), the new full-length stretches over 10 songs, each appearing to glide seamlessly from one to the next.


First single "Merkabah" promises an intense ride that reveals both the heaviest and most vulnerable sides of Persefone. An atmospheric entrance carries Miguel Espinosa’s deep, majestic voice, transitioning into an interplay of Marc Martins evil growls and Miguel’s clean vocals. Flickering guitar riffs front a spherical orchestra, spanning the song’s intensity to its maximum. Persefone guide progressive metal to a new chapter.


Persefone on "Merkabah”: "metanoia is all about a musical journey for a spiritual breakthrough. Merkabah is a vehicle to elevate, Merkabah asks for meditation and trust in the process. With this song we wanted to mark a pivotal moment in the album and write about a personal detour from the old self, a painful and needed transformation to reach new heights, to leave fear behind, to embrace life as the amazing experience we have been gifted with... "on my knees, I still believe".”


Watch the music video for "Merkabah" below.


Outstanding progressive/melodic death metal outfit Persefone is known for their band of rich soundscapes and technically precise work that sets new standards in modern extreme progressive metal. Founded in 2001, Persefone has released five studio albums, each one showcasing the band’s myriad of musical principles: high technicality, distinct melodies, plenty of head-turning riffs and musical acrobatics. The band has toured worldwide with notable acts like Obituary and Leprous, has hit stages at important festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Metal Days, Brutal Assault, ProgPower and 70,000 Tons of Metal, and is now set to release their new album, metanoia.


metanoia sets off with the opulent opener "Katabasis”, drawing dramatic, cinematic soundscapes mixed with electronic influences. The soft, clear vocals of Miguel Espinosa alternate with sharp growls and pierce through constantly changing riffs. Persefone balances soft passages with intense walls of sound on tracks like "Aware of Being Watched” - in which clean vocals and jazzy sections alternate with intense riffing carried by dense drumming - while solid, rich sound takes on orchestral dimensions on songs such as "Leap of Faith”. Vivid and dynamic instrumentation, tempo and rhythm make up the intense ride "Merkabah”, showcasing the band’s hardest yet most vulnerable sides as screams and blast beats are followed by soft instrumentation - spanning the song’s intensity to its maximum. A special surprise is the 11-minute masterpiece "Consciousness Pt III”, which continues a series of songs from the band’s fourth album Spiritual Migration (2013). The album closes with another opulent set of songs, "Anabasis Part I”, "Anabasis Part II” and "Anabasis Part III”. "Anabasis Part I” starts off with calm, dreamy piano sounds, drifting over to the intense "Anabasis Part II” and leading seamlessly into "Anabasis Part III”, gently closing the album with a cinematic outro.


Persefone about the new album: "metanoia is the next step in our personal pursuit for existential growth through music. This album is a call for a deep change, a call for an inner journey through fear and pain, a call for a leap into a meaningful and rooted place. Making this album has forced us to face many  musical and personal hurdles and fears, and the result of that confrontation lives within all the notes and words captured on this new chapter in our journey.  May you will find meaning in all this musical chaos.”





metanoia will be available in the following formats:


- Digipack
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 2LP Gatefold Clear (incl. Slipmat & Logopatch)
- 2LP Gatefold Marbled White & Black
- Digipack & Shirt Bundle
- Digital Full Length Album


Pre-order here.





metanoia tracklisting:


"Metanoia" ft. Einar Solberg
"Katabasis"
"Architecture Of The I"
"Leap Of Faith"
"Aware Of Being Watched"
"Merkabah"
"Consciousness Part III"
"Anabasis Part I"
"Anabasis Part II" ft. Steffen Kummerer, Angel Vivaldi und Merethe Soltvedt
"Anabasis Part III"


"Merkabah" video:





Persefone is:


Marc Martins - vocals
Miguel "Moe” Espinosa - keyboards and vocals
Carlos Lozano - guitar
Filipe Baldaia - guitar
Toni Mestre - bass
Sergi " Bobby” Verdeguer - drums


(Photo - Èric Rossell)

Total Metal Records will reissue Necronomicon’s seventh full-length album, Invictus, on vinyl on February 18. The German thrashers’ seventh album is old-school thrash metal with a modern punch. 





Vinyl variants:




200 copies on black
200 copies on blue
100 copies on special-color


A press release states:


“Band got a hell of a lot more pedigree than a lot of people realize. After hitting the scene during the first wave of Teutonic Thrash Metal, alongside their more famous contemporaries Destruction and Kreator, these guys seemed to fade very quickly into near-total obscurity. It wasn’t for a lack of output, rather it was a lack of the luck. They’ve been nothing if not persistent though, because aside from a hiatus at the latter end of the 90s, Necronomicon have diligently plugged away at supplying a steady string of always respectable releases over the years. Amongst them, this 2012 effort ranks quite highly indeed.


“What becomes quickly evident when listening to Invictus is how much more refined the new Necronomicon's approach is. This album certainly represents the zenith of the progression they have undergone over the years. Gone is the rough appeal, and in its place you'll find first-rate songwriting and a highly professional, up-to-date production style. What’s impressive is that in the process, they have managed to retain most of the manic energy that German thrash metal is so renowned for, even if it has become a little watered down by influences from the American Bay Area scene. The trade-off actually results in a much more interesting album. Stylistically speaking, this is straight-up thrash metal!”

38 years after their first rehearsal, seven years after their now mythical concert reunion at Metal Magic Festival, Danish cult heavy metal band Metal Cross is now ready to announce its first studio album, Soul Ripper. The upcoming full-length record shows a band on top of their game, melting together the classic heavy metal of their now cult ‘80s demos “Crucifying The Virgins” and “M.A.D.H.O.U.S.E.” with a renewed power and energy. It will indeed rip your soul and leave you thirsty for more from this Scandinavian heavy metal powerhouse.


It all began in 1983.


During the eighties and prior to the break up in 1989, Metal Cross released two demo tapes: “Metal Cross” and demo 2 “M.A.D.H.O.U.S.E.” The band also contributed on two compilation albums. The band played concerts all over Denmark and shared scenes with other major Danish metal bands such as Artillery and Invocater. Metal Cross played the bands last concert in the hometown of Randers on December 16, 1989 – shortly after the band dissolved.




In 2009, one of the band members were contacted by the record company Horror Records asking if the band would approve the company’s release of the band’s two demo tapes in a vinyl format. After a long period of time trying to retrieve the material from the old days, an agreement was reached to release the songs from the two old tapes. In addition, it was decided that the recording of the very last Metal Cross concert could also be used. In 2014 the double vinyl album “Metal Cross” was released. One LP with demo recordings and the other with the concert from 1989. In addition to this, a 7” bonus single with two live songs from another concert was released.


Following the release, Metal Cross was persuaded to play a single gig at the Metal Magic Festival in 2014. Prior to the festival performance, the band played a warm-up gig for Artillery. After 26 years, Artillery and Metal Cross stood on the same stage one more time! The two jobs exceeded all expectations, and Metal Cross is back in full action again, and has played several festival gigs in Denmark and always with great feedback from the audience.


In 2019 the former singer Henrik “Faxe” left the band and Esben Fosgerau Juhl took over his place and went directly into the studio. Metal Cross has since been doing and recording new material through the last couple of years and they’re now ready to end the long wait for a first album with “Soul Ripper”. Metal Cross ambitions are not to be mistaken. They will hit all the small underground stages, to the bigger festivals, and aim for a European tour as well.


Soul Ripper will be released on LP (marbled orange/black and marbled grey/white vinyl, each limited to 300 units), CD and digital formats via From The Vaults on February 25, 2022.





Tracklisting:


“My Time”
“Soul Ripper”
“Written In The Sand”
“Fall Of Cimbria”
“Distasteful Party”
“Memento Mori”
“The Drone”
“Vernal Equinox”


“Distasteful Party” video:





(Photo – Jasmin Quist)

KIX has offered an update on guitarist Ronnie Younkins, who is unable to tour with the band because he has been placed under house arrest after repeatedly getting in trouble with the police. Ronnie is being temporarily replaced by Bob Paré, an accomplished musician who studied at the Music Institute in Los Angeles and taught music theory and guitar at several institutions, including Western Maryland College and Maryland Institute of Music.

Earlier today — one day before Ronnie's 63rd birthday — KIX posted the following statement via social media: "Hey KIX fans! Thanks to everyone who has been asking about Ronnie. Straight away, we want to wish him a very Happy Birthday!

"Ronnie has been working hard on his rehabilitation and he is still on the long road to recovery. We speak to him often and he wants to thank everybody for the overwhelming outpour of well wishes and support. We love him and can't wait to welcome him back to where he belongs when he is 100% ready.

"We thank Bob Paré for stepping in and doing an amazing job. There is so much that goes on with KIX both on and off stage, and Bob has been a tremendous addition to the band in all ways. Sometimes fans don't see that part, so we wanted to give Bob all the credit he deserves for doing his best to fill some very big shoes while Ronnie works on his recovery, his family and his well being.

"We truly appreciate your continued patience and support. We look forward to the day that Ronnie is fully recovered.

"Happy New Year and Thanks! The godamn KIX band!

"#kixband #ryfo #ronnieyounkins".

Last month, KIX singer Steve Whiteman addressed Younkins's current condition in an interview with "The Chuck Shute Podcast". He said: "Last I spoke to [Ronnie], he's working, like, two normal jobs. He's still living in a rehabilitation clinic, and he still has a ways to go. Even when he's set free to go out into the world, like he did before, we still have to make sure that he's gonna be able to stay clean and sober. But right now he seems like he's doing really well. He's following all the rules and he's doing everything he can to get his life back in order."

Steve went on to say that Ronnie was sober for 20 years before relapsing and spiraling back down into addiction.

"He got Hep C, and he had to use intravenous needles to battle the Hep C, before the newer treatment came out," Whiteman said. "And we all think that that just kind of took his mentality back to the days when he was using. I mean, that's speculation, and you'd probably have to ask him that, but it seems like that's when things flipped for him."

Whiteman previously discussed Younkins's battle with addiction in a June 2021 interview with Sonic Perspectives. At the time, he said: "It's been an up-and-down adventure with Ronnie over the past five or six years. Sometimes he doesn't show up to gigs, and Brian Forsythe has to take over and play all the parts. Then he comes back for several months and does really well, only to fall off the wagon or get in trouble with the police. This last time, he got into trouble with the police and is currently in a halfway house under house arrest. That's the biggest reason he is not out with us now. We were looking at Bob Paré a couple of years ago when Ronnie was going through a bad stretch, but Ronnie bounced back. When he shows up, he does great, so we didn't make the move back then. This time we were forced to."

Whiteman clarified: "I'm not saying that Ronnie is out of the band. We are just saying [he is not gonna tour with us] until he gets it together [and] his family and these people that are helping him say he is good to go. We are not going to bring him in until he is ready. He has shown in the past he can't be sober on the road. Being out there in a rock and roll band is a very bad environment."

He added: "We have a long history of 40 years together. You want to give him the benefit that he is going to recover and do well. There have been so many times over the last five or six years [when] we didn't know if he was going to make it."

Four years ago, Younkins opened up about his drug addiction, saying that his "disease had gotten worse" after he relapsed several years earlier following two decades of sobriety.

Younkins missed a KIX concert in Pennsylvania in March 2017 when the rest of the group was unable to reach him. He was eventually found "not in great condition and very upset," according to TMZ. A month later, his bandmates revealed that he was "headed to a rehab facility" and promised that his spot in KIX would be "waiting for him" once he was ready to resume playing with the group.

While Younkins was in rehab, he took time out to join his KIX bandmates for a performance in June 2017 at the Sweden Rock Festival, where he gave a wide-ranging interview to Metal Rules that also touched upon his continued battle against substance abuse.

Speaking about his health, Ronnie said: "My disease has gotten worse. I had 21 years of sobriety at one point. Got sober and cleaned up in 1989, but I'd get on… A long story short, what led me back out was complacency in my program. I wasn't doing enough of my work for the AA program like I did in the early years. Then,I went on Hepatitis C treatment, or they should call it punishment, the old one that has many side effects, in 2010. One of them being insomnia, and the doctor put me on Ambien, and it fucked me up. It's a sleep drug, and I got hooked on it, and then I wasn't working the program, like with my mom's death — I worked through that at ten years sober. I worked through that with my sponsor. [My] dad died, like, in 2012. Some other shit had happened, and I worked through [it], and some serious things happened.

"We all have issues," he continued. "We all have shit happen in our lives and, you know, I worked through them in the program, but my when my father died, and I was complacent in the program, and I was already high on this fucking Ambien. I said, 'Fuck it.' And, I went out, and I started doing heroin and cocaine again within a month after my dad's death, and it's been nothing but downhill since. I've been through two rehabs, [in] 2014 [and] 2015."

Drug and alcohol rehab statistics show that the percentage of people who will relapse after rehab and even a period of some recovery ranges from 50% to 90%.

Most people do not manage to quit their addiction with their first attempt. They may try and fail a number of times before they manage to secure lasting sobriety.

For addicts that fall back into drug use, there is no guarantee that they will ever be able to stop again; their relapse may turn out to be a death sentence.

Over time, the life of the addict tends to deteriorate. This means that when people relapse, they may be going back to a life that is even worse than before.

Younkins added that he was "grateful" to his bandmates for standing by him through all his problems. "I love those guys in the band," he said. "They've been my brothers, all of them, and Brian's been a big help, because he's in the program as well, and yeah… So, I just want to get my shit together once and for all on a daily basis."

Bob was a session musician for several independent label releases, and has spent most of his long career performing live in the Maryland and Washington, D.C. area with various bands, including FORCER, EVER RISE, PROJECT: EUPHORIA and, most recently, the RUSH tribute band SUN DOGS with KIX bassist Mark Schenker.
























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Guesting on All Access Live, drummer Vinny Appice (Dio, Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell) looked back on the recording sessions for Dio's iconic debut album from 1983, Holy Diver.


Appice: "We wrote in a room together in Sound City (in Los Angeles, CA). Sound City, across the parking lot, they have three rehearsal rooms, and that's where we rehearsed and wrote this stuff. And writing, we'd come there, jam. 'Rainbow In The Dark'... I think I just started a beat, and somehow that chord, in the beginning, got in there, where I recorded everything on cassette, and so did Angelo (Arcuri), who was the engineer for Holy Diver, he was always in the room with rehearsals and all that. That's how all this stuff came about, jamming - smoked a lot of dope I did, and Ronnie, and Jimmy (Bain / bass), Vivian (Campbell / guitar) not so much, he just got a contact high in the room. But that's how that shit was written, and then we'd listen to it and go, 'That's cool, let's put it together.' The next night, we put it together.


There was one riff we jammed on one night, and then we came in the next night; we always started at 7:00pm, we didn't do the day thing. So we come in and go, 'Angelo, play that riff we played on the cassette.' So he played it, but he put the cassette in upside down. It was a Tascam, so it plays backward, so it started playing backward, and we're like, 'Oh, shit, you're fucking stoned.' And then we were, 'Wait a minute, that sounds really good...' We learned the riff backward, and that's in the song called 'Invisible.' We said, 'This is cool, let's put it together with the riff that goes forward,' it's backward, and we put it together, and it worked.




It was just open creativity, anything worked. There wasn't a negative word used in those sessions at all. We were having fun and just having a crack up."

To celebrate the life and times of MÖTÖRHEAD's iconic leader Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister, who passed away exactly six years ago — on December 28, 2015 — Revolver recently reached out to musicians who knew and/or admired him, including his old friend Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST. Speaking about his relationship with Lemmy, Rob said: "On a friendship level, I was always a little bit in awe of Lemmy because he was — and still is — this larger-than-life persona. When you talk to anybody about Lemmy, you see this mental picture in your head — the guy in the cowboy boots and the jeans and the bullet belt and the leather jacket and the mustache. His physical characteristics are really, really pronounced, so you've got all that wrapped up in his persona, as well."

Halford went on to say that people admired Lemmy as much for his attitude as they did for his music. "There should be a book of Lemmy quotes, because he never held back," Rob said. "That's what I loved about him. He epitomized this great virtue in rock and roll, which is not only music but speaking your mind. He always had an opinion on any matter in life, and it was always Lemmy-esque. [Laughs] He had a very unique way of looking at the world because he was a very smart man. He was a total bookworm and he loved his war history and memorabilia. His very astute way of talking and thinking made him remarkable."

Last month, Halford told the "SpeedFreaks" radio show that he was one of a number of Lemmy's close personal friends and associates who received bullet casings filled with his ashes after his death as a personal gift. He said: "When Lemmy passed away, I had this beautiful opportunity to speak at his memorial. We had a great get-together; all of us musicians from all over the world, we met in Hollywood and we talked about Lemmy and his great life and the things that he's left us. And then, not too far back, I get something in the mail from the Lemmy people; Lemmy's office, his manager and everybody still work tirelessly to keep his name with us, as he always will be. They sent me — it's a bullet [laughs], it's a bullet with some of Lemmy's ashes inside of it."

He continued: "This is nuts. This is the kind of thing that Lemmy would have loved to have done. However you choose to interpret what I've just said, that's entirely up to you. But to be thought of, to be brought into this small circle of friends where you actually own a little bit of Lemmy's ashes and you wear it around your neck on a pendant and he's close to your heart in the truest sense in terms of his mortal remains, that's just mind-blowingly powerful. To use an object like that to carry his remains is just so Lemmy — it's provocative, it makes you think, it makes you talk. But as far as having a beautiful part of Lemmy physically with me right now in my house, that's just magical."

Lemmy died at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.

He had dealt with several health issues over the last few years of his life, including heart trouble, forcing him to cut back on his famous smoking habits.

MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete one final European tour a couple of weeks before his death.

In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy will get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".

"Lemmy" will follow Kilmister's life growing up in Stoke-on-Trent, becoming a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and a member of seminal psychedelic rock band HAWKWIND before forming MOTÖRHEAD.

A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Legendary Canadian thrash metallers Razor recently completed work on the long-awaited follow-up to 1997’s Decibels. Cycle Of Contempt - the band’s ninth studio album - will be released sometime in 2022 via Relapse Records and will feature the following tracks:


“Flames Of Hatred”
“Jabroni”
“Off My Meds”
“A Bitter Pill”
“Crossed”
“First Great Hate”
“Cycle Of Contempt”
“Set-Up”
“Punch Your Face In”
“Fist Fighting”
“Darkness Falls”
“King Shit”


Upcoming Razor live show include:




May 
22 - Rickshaw Theatre - Vancouver, BC (with Sacrifice, Exciter, Witches Hammer)


June
3/4 - Very 'Eavy Festival - Stadskanaal, The Netherlands




Razor guitarist / founder Dave Carlo recently launched a fundraising campaign in support of his wife, Rose, who needs major help with cancer treatment.


A message from Dave follows...


"Hello, I am Dave Carlo. I am fundraising for my beautiful wife Rosanna. Rose is a fantastic wife, an even better mother to our two kids. Our son has autism and a number of extremely difficult challenges in his life. My daughter has Borderline Personality Disorder and OCD and she has attempted suicide three times over that last 5 years, thankfully without success. The last attempt was October 2020 where she jumped off a bridge and broke her back. Even though Rose was undergoing chemo at the time, she was at Patricia's bedside at the hospital at all hours during that time. Rose's devotion to her family is heroic.


In June 2020 Rose had a gallbladder attack and was scheduled to have her gallbladder removed. During that surgery they discovered cancer on the exterior of her gallbladder. Normally the prognosis for gallbladder cancer is very poor but because it was found incidentally, it was still at a very early stage. A follow up surgery to remove part of her liver and some regional lymph nodes unfortunately showed some cancer in her lymph nodes. She went through a year of chemo with limited results, and was referred for clinical trials at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto Canada. Unfortunately what appeared to be indifference to the need for Rose to get help in a timely manner led to constant delays and four months without any treatment whatsoever. Now the cancer has progressed from stage 2 to early stage 4 , completely because of the lack of action on the part of the people charged with her care.


Realizing that time was being wasted in a manner far more flippant that you would expect under these circumstances, I reached out to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota in October of 2021. Sending them all pathology slides, images and test reports (with the help of our fantastic GP doctor), we got a team of caregivers and doctors in place at the Mayo Clinic to provide guidance on what we need to do to help Rose.


Rose will likely have to go to Minnesota for treatment, but the costs are very high. The costs already incurred to cover all the reviews and analysis of reports at the Mayo Clinic has added up and will continue to increase as they get involved to help her moving forward. But their input and guidance is absolutely critical at this point to try and save my wife. My kids really need and depend on this wonderful lady (to speak nothing of what she means to me!!). We have reviewed the upcoming financial demands of her treatments and we are asking via fundraiser to try to raise around 50% of what is required. I honestly am a bit embarrassed to have to do this, but with my wife's life hanging in the balance, I have no choice. I would give my own life to save her if I could.


Rose just turned 61 years old. Her mother is alive and about to turn 88 years old, so if we can get Rose into remission, she has a strong chance of many years ahead of her.


If you are in a position to help and are willing to, we would be beyond grateful. Those of you who know me as a professional musician know I have committed to doing something to give back in any way I can to thank you for your help."


Visit the GoFundMe page here, and see a video message from Dave below:

In a new interview with Bass Musician Magazine, former FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Matt Snell discussed his involvement in KILL DEVIL HILL, the band that once featured former PANTERA bassist Rex Brown and legendary drummer Vinny Appice.

"We did a record during 2020. And it's done," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "There's a couple of little tweaks left, so we're working on the release plan for that. [Producer] Chris Collier actually did that record. He got a little bit busy doing the [new] KORN record, so we got put back for a couple of weeks, but he's finishing it up right now. So the record is amazing; it sounds actually fantastic. I'm super excited about it."

Regarding how he came to play bass for KILL DEVIL HILL, Matt said: "[KILL DEVIL HILL guitarist] Mark [Zavon] had reached out to me to play bass for him. And I've known [KILL DEVIL HILL singer] Dewey [Bragg] for 20-something years. We used to jam together in public storage back in the day, which is the same place… IN THIS MOMENT practiced there. We practiced there. DEADSETT, which became IN THIS MOMENT, and then FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, we were all this little village we had going on. So it was a no-brainer for me to join that band. It's fun, and playing with Johnny Kelly is a blessing. He's just a fantastic drummer. It's that slower kind of sludgier rock for me, so [there are] huge, fat bass grooves that I get lay down instead of having to play fifty thousand notes a second. It's a really fun vibe for me."

Snell added: "I remember I was listening to an old DOWN record [while I] was driving to work, and I'm, like, 'Man, I'd really like to be in a band like this.' I guess that was something I put off to God, 'cause he gave it to me."

Shortly after he left KILL DEVIL HILL in early 2014, Vinny said that the band's inability to gain significant traction with its music was a major factor in his decision. However, more recently, Vinny has suggested that he exited the group because he "couldn't deal with" the fact that some of his bandmates were consistently tardy for KILL DEVIL HILL activities by an hour and a half or even longer.

Vinny, who had previously played with BLACK SABBATH, DIO and HEAVEN & HELL, left KILL DEVIL HILL in March 2014. He has since been replaced by the aforementioned Johnny Kelly (DANZIG, TYPE O NEGATIVE).

KILL DEVIL HILL released its sophomore album, "Revolution Rise", in October 2013 via Century Media Records.

Back in 2019, Zavon confirmed that KILL DEVIL HILL had recruited Nico D'Arnese to play bass following the departure of Brown.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH parted ways with Snell in December 2010 but didn't announce his exit until April 2011. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory later told Gun Shy Assassin that Matt was fired, adding that the bassist "wasn't a writing member," ensuring that the band's sound wouldn't be affected.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's current bassist, Chris Kael, officially joined the band in June 2011.

U.S. melodic death metal band, Beyond Shadows, have announced the release of their new digital single “Tears Of Rain” on January 3, 2022.


Former Midian Drummer Chris Hawkins & Guitarist Daniel Shepherd’s self-produced single was once again recorded at Hellhound Studios in Rahway, NJ by Jerry Ramos who recorded their first EP “Wolf’s Blood” in 2020. This single will be on their next EP release Tears Of Rain coming out sometime in fall 2022.







“Recording this new song has been a difficult task,” says drummer Chris Hawkins. “With the Covid-19 pandemic and busy work schedules, it’s been rough getting together to work on new music.” But that all changed for the band in February 2021 when the stars and schedules aligned, and Daniel and Chris entered Hellhound Studios to record the track “Tears Of Rain”. It was perfect timing, Daniel Shepherd says: “On this new song, we wanted to deliver a sound that combined a contemporary death metal style, punctuated with melody and harmony, a beautiful intro, and include influences of old school metal. I think we achieved that as we bring listeners along our storied journey.”


In 2008, Shepherd spent time with top metal producer Fredrik Nordstrom at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he honed his skills, enabling the band to self-produce “Tears Of Rain”.


The band’s influences include Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica, Death and Carcass. Next, Beyond Shadows will finish recording their new EP Tears Of Rain in the coming months.

Steve Perry's new holiday album, The Season, recently landed at #1 on Billboard’s Seasonal Chart. The former Journey’s singer’s album also hit at #3 on Billboard’s Current Pop Album Chart, # 6 on Billboard’s Current Album Sales Chart, and #80 on the Billboard Top 200.


With the closing of 2021, Perry has debuted a visualizer for the song "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve":







An unboxing video for the vinyl edition of the album can be viewed below:





Co-produced by Perry and engineer Thom Flowers, The Season embodies an immaculately arranged and richly nuanced sound inspired by such time-honored holiday albums as Nat King Cole’s The Magic of Christmas. “All the songs on this record were my favorites growing up,” says Perry, who hails from Central California. “I used to hear them on the Philco radio that my grandmother always had on in the kitchen when she was cooking the most amazing holiday food, and because of that they hold a very emotional place in my heart. I wanted to make sure to record them all in a simple way that honors how I first heard and fell in love with them as a child.”


For both artist and audience alike, The Season ultimately serves as a form of emotional time travel, a direct conduit for the kind of memories that sustain the spirit and restore a sense of joyous serenity. “Music has always been something that rescues me in difficult times,” says Perry. “I hope when people hear this record, they’re teleported in the same way I was when I recorded all these songs—I hope it brings them back to those golden moments with their loved ones, and gives them that feeling of joy and connection and comfort that we all need so much.”


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"The Christmas Song"
"I’ll Be Home For Christmas"
"Auld Lang Syne"
"Winter Wonderland"
"What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve"
"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
"Silver Bells"
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"


"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" visualizer:





"The Christmas Song" visualizer:





"Winter Wonderland" visualizer:





"I'll Be Home For Christmas":