German power metal legends Helloween have released a lyric video for “Down In The Dumps”, a track from their self-titled album. The lyric video was created by Ingo Spörl / Hard Media. Helloween's Helloween was #8 on our BravePicks 2021 countdown.





Helloween's new self-titled album is available via Nuclear Blast. Head here to order Helloween in your format of choice.







Tracklisting:


"Out For The Glory"
"Fear Of The Fallen"
"Best Time"
"Mass Pollution"
"Angels"
"Rise Without Chains"
"Indestructible"
"Robot King"
"Cyanide"
"Down In The Dumps"
"Orbit"
"Skyfall"


Bonus tracks Mediabook & Vinyl:
"Golden Times"
"Save My Hide"


Bonus tracks Earbook:
"Golden Times"
"Save My Hide"
"Pumpkins United"


"Robot King" lyric video:





"Indestructible" lyric video:





"Rise Without Chains" lyric video:





"Angels" lyric video:





"Mass Pollution" lyric video:


   


"Best Time lyric video:





"Fear Of The Fallen" lyric video:





"Skyfall" video:

During a recent appearance on "The Jasta Show", the video podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello recalled a time when he got sick from eating meat that was not properly cooked while on tour with PANTERA nearly 25 years ago.

"I had to give up coffee," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I had to — because of my gut. And this happened way back when. Years ago, we were on tour with PANTERA. We went out and we got loaded one night in Mexico City. On the streets of Mexico City, PANTERA and ANTRAX, just loaded off our asses… You know those street carts you're not supposed to eat the fucking food out of? Sausage… Who knows? It was fucking red. I shouldn't have eaten it. I was starving. I wanted to soak up the juice that was in me, the booze… So this red sausage went into my body. And I was fine for that moment. But then the next day, I started, and it was non-stop — dude, I couldn't hold anything. For that whole year, every specialist in New York — every specialist — I went to the city and I [tried to figure out] with everybody, 'What the hell is wrong with me?' This one doctor, this one specialist, a renowned dude, finds that I have two — not one — two parasites underneath my liver that were just destroying everything for a year. So this really heavy strong medicine, antibiotic, blah blah blah, got rid of it, but the after-effect of all that good stuff, it really made me not drink coffee — stuff that I love. So I've gotta be really careful with my diet.

"My wife's a vegan now — my wife's a full-on vegan," he continued. "And she's a great cook, and she cooks me whatever I want, which is awesome. But I kind of follow her path now. That's what I'm doing, because I kind of see what's going on. And look, I'll eat but I'll be really careful about what I'm putting in. The sugar stuff is out of my… I'm out of sugar, man. I'm done with sugar."

Bello went on to say that it took a while for the doctors to make the correct diagnosis and catch the disease in time for treatment.

"I went to the most renowned people," he said. "And I was spending thousands [of dollars] on doctors — thousands — going everywhere in the city. 'Cause I live in Westchester [county in New York]; there's not a lot of people up here that you can go to. So I went to [New York City]. And they kept [telling me], 'You have to go to see this guy. You have to go see this girl.' It was all like that. And finally I found the right one. And it was not fun, man. That stuff, when you're searching… I lost all this weight. People were [wondering] am I dying. What's going on? And they finally found these two parasites. And it just screwed me up. Now I have to be careful on this specific diet. I can eat but I have to be really careful. Like, sugar is completely out for me, man. Which is probably good for my life anyway. I miss it — I miss a good pastry and stuff like that — but I watch other… I live through other people now."

Frank's memoir, "Fathers, Brothers, And Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, And Anthrax", was released on November 2 via Rare Bird. The foreword was written by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons.

ANTHRAX is working on material for the follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" album, tentatively due in 2022.

In a brand new interview with Knotfest.com's "Talk Toomey" podcast, DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce said that he still marvels at the cultural impact of the band's song "Bodies". The lead single from DROWNING POOL's debut album, "Sinner", which came out in 2001, "Bodies" is the group's most popular track which has been featured in various films, TV programs and advertisements since its release. The song remained DROWNING POOL's highest charting single until "37 Stitches" premiered in fall of 2008.

"I have to say that was very unexpected," Pierce said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I appreciate it and I love it. Every time it comes up, I crack up. I've seen some really funny, crazy renditions of that song.

"It was just a song that came along naturally," he explained. "We were rocking out in the room, drinking a couple of beers and writing what [we] feel. And the song 'Bodies' just took on a life of its own, man, and it keeps coming up and getting used for different stuff. It's the 'Jelly Of The Month Club'; it's the gift that keeps giving."

When asked if DROWNING POOL has ever received an offer to put "Bodies" in a commercial in a way that he and his bandmates deemed inappropriate, Pierce said: "It's been in a few movies, which has been great. It's been used in some promotional stuff. Never really any commercials like 'let the bodies hit the floor,' 'Hey, the clothes are dirty. Wash 'em.' I wouldn't say no to that. It [would be] kind of funny. But just what everybody knows, what's out there — mostly just people having their own fun with the song."

He continued: "To be honest with you, man, I'll sit around the house. I don't know if other artists do this. I know some artists get weird about their single or what they're known for, and they're, like, 'Oh, I hate that song. I don't wanna play it live anymore,' which is nuts to me. I love playing that song; I can't wait to get to it. But I'll sit around the house myself and I'll bust out… I've got the mandolin over here and I'll do just like a mandolin version of 'Bodies'. I'll do my own wacky versions of it 'cause it's just a fun song to mess with.

"It's still making new fans," C.J. added. "People come up [to me and say], 'Oh, man, I just heard that song 'Bodies' for the first time.' [I'm, like] 'You just heard it just now?' But it's cool that it keeps going. Obviously, we have other songs and other records, but I love that song. I can't believe how far it's come and how it keeps going."

"Bodies" was DROWNING POOL's first big hit back in 2001. The band's original singer, Dave Williams, died that August of heart disease.

Despite being a huge rock radio smash, it was removed from radio playlists for a while later that year in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"Bodies" was reportedly used by interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in 2003. It was repeatedly played over a 10 days period to "stress" Mohamedou Ould Slahi during interrogations while he was "exposed to variable lighting patterns" at the same time.

Three months ago, DROWNING POOL announced that its fall 2021 "Brothers In Arms" U.S. tour with ILL NIÑO and (HED)P.E. was being rescheduled for early 2022. The trek was scheduled to kick off on September 29 in Abilene, Texas and conclude on November 3 in Hidalgo, Texas.

More than two years ago, it was reported that DROWNING POOL had commenced the recording process for the follow-up to its 2016 album "Hellelujah".

During a summer 2021 appearance on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" show, STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis discussed his controversial solo single "Am I The Only One". The track, which takes aim at liberals and touches on American flags burning and statues that have been removed in the country, was written by Lewis with Ira Dean and Jeffrey Steele.

Speaking about the inspiration for the song, Lewis said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I lived through the last year and a half with you and everybody else in this country, and I found myself on many occasions, just like all of you, sitting and scratching my head and wondering what is going on in this amazing country that we have."

Aaron went on to say that the key to connecting people from both sides of the political aisle is to open a dialogue in the first place.

"I think that we're not talking enough," he said. "I think that we're not communicating enough with each other. I think that together we stand and divided we fall. And this country has done some pretty amazing things going on those words."

When asked how we can find common ground with those with whom we disagree, Lewis said: "Just the simple thread that connects us all, which is that we're Americans. And that means something — that means we're a part of something greater than any human experiment that's ever taken place. And we're blessed and we're lucky to be able to wake up in the morning and call ourselves American. It doesn't matter what side of the fence you stand on."

The "Am I The Only One" chorus sees Lewis singing: "I'm not the only one, willin' to fight / For my love of the red and white / And the blue, burnin' on the ground / Another statue comin' down in a town near you." Lewis also criticizes Bruce Springsteen at the end of the track, singing: "Am I the only one who quits singin' along every time they play a Springsteen song."

Asked why he chose to call out Springsteen in the song's lyrics, Lewis told The Daily Wire's "Candace" show: "Because he's always portrayed himself as the all-American middle-class guy. And during all of this craziness, he said that if one man is re-elected to the office of presidency that he was gonna move to Australia. How American is that? You're gonna bail on America just because you don't like the guy that may have gotten into office?"

This past July, Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Label Group's founder and president-CEO, defended the company's decision to release "Am I The Only One". Borchetta's comments came in response to industry blogger Bob Lefsetz, who slammed Lewis's song as "heinous." Lefsetz went on to call Lewis a "middle-class, right-wing wanker" whose divisive track "should have been played at CPAC, in between speeches by nitwits like saying to refuse the 'Fauci ouchie.'"

Lewis told "Candace" that there was initially some pushback from people about him wanting to record and release such a blatant conservative political protest song. "There might have been a little tinge of that in the beginning, but I think everyone successfully saw through that," he said. "And I even got support from some places that I didn't expect to get support from — like my record label. Come to find out Scott Borchetta is pretty big on the First Amendement, freedom of speech."

Springsteen can best be described as Lewis's political polar opposite, having been a vocal opponent to former U.S. president Donald Trump on many occasions. In August 2020, Bruce went as far as to allow the use of his song "The Rising" in a video that aired during night one of the Democratic National Convention.

Lewis, who is widely considered to be one of the most politically conservative musicians in rock, made headlines in September when he urged his fans to chant "Fuck Joe Biden" during a STAIND concert in Pennsylvania.

Aaron told the Anchorage Press in a January 2020 interview that he considered the first Donald Trump impeachment by the House Of Representatives as the clearest representation of what's wrong with America these days.

Lewis was a staunch critic of President Barack Obama, telling a crowd at one of his solo concerts in 2016: "Barack Obama should have been impeached a long fucking time ago. Every fucking decision he makes is against the Constitution, it's against what's good for our fucking country, and he is truly the worst fucking president that we have ever had in the history of this fucking country."

That same year, Lewis told Billboard that he would support Trump in the U.S. presidential race, even though he was "disappointed" by the real estate mogul "with the bickering and the name-calling." Lewis added that he voted for Senator Ted Cruz, Trump's closest competitor in the Republican nomination race, in the Massachusetts primary.

In June, Lewis made headlines when he accused the U.S. Democratic Party of fighting against every major civil rights initiative and of having a long history of discrimination.




Country singer #AaronLewis discusses what inspired his new song ‘Am I the Only One’ that calls out those who are disrespecting the American Flag.

Lewis says he wants to remind the nation, “We're blessed and we're lucky to be able to wake up in the morning and call ourselves American."

Posted by We Love Staind & Aaron Lewis on Monday, July 5, 2021

FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares, who has yet to publicly reveal the identity of the band's replacement for Burton C. Bell, spoke about the singer change in a recent interview with El Lado Oscuro. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The future is gonna be definitely very challenging for sure. Everything is — life is. Every day we wake up can be a new challenge. But it's how we take on those challenges. And for me, it's been very positive.

"I've had a lot of people around the world contact me regarding the position of singing for FEAR FACTORY, and I look forward to it," he continued. "I look forward to where this new person can take us — to a different chapter of FEAR FACTORY."

Regarding what he was looking for in Bell's replacement, Cazares said: "I don't want to get somebody who can't necessarily represent the past; I want somebody who can do that. But I also want this person to have his own identity moving forward in the future — just as when we have to step into the past that he's able to handle that as well as what we create moving forward."

FEAR FACTORY will release the first song featuring the band's new lead singer prior to the group's North American tour with STATIC-X. The 37-date "Rise Of The Machine" run, produced by Live Nation, will kick off on February 21 in Portland, Oregon and run over five weeks, wrapping up on April 3 in San Francisco, California.

Cazares told This Day In Metal about his decision to showcase FF's new frontman with a new song: "I really want people to hear it and judge it by when they hear it. Because if I announce who it is right now, then it's gonna be, like, everybody is gonna give their opinion before they even hear anything. So I'd rather people give their opinion of when they hear it than before they hear it."

This past August, Dino told Bucketlist TV that FEAR FACTORY's new frontman has experience and is "kind of known" within the metal scene.

Asked about his previous comment that he was open to hiring a female vocalist for FEAR FACTORY, Dino told Bucketlist TV: "That was true. I auditioned a few women, yes. But it didn't work out — not because they were female or anything like that. Because I wanted to pick whoever was best for the position, and it turned out to be a guy."

Dino also addressed his statement from earlier this year that he wanted to give an "unknown guy a shot" at fronting FEAR FACTORY. He said: "Well, it wasn't like I was only looking for somebody that nobody knew. I was looking for all different [types of singers]. Sure, if the guy turned out to be, or the girl turned out to be, someone that nobody knew and I gave 'em that shot, yeah, great. I was open to all of it, is what I'm saying. Male, female, whatever, known, unknown — I was open to all of that. And it turned out to be somebody who is kind of known, I guess. Kind of known. He does have experience."

In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect.

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's new LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

In October 2020, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with drummer Raymond Herrera and bassist Christian Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

FEAR FACTORY's new album, "Aggression Continuum", was released in June via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Cazares and Bell alongside drummer Mike Heller. It was produced and engineered by Damien Rainaud (DRAGONFORCE, ONCE HUMAN), with keyboards by Igor Khoroshev (ex-YES), and programming on two songs from longtime collaborator Rhys Fulber (FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY). "Aggression Continuum" was mixed by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, TRIVIUM), who also mixed FEAR FACTORY's previous album, 2015's "Genexus".

Digging through old boxes you find stuff you’ve totally forgotten about – and every once in a while, you find old nuggets well worth rediscovering again. Being an active band for a long time, you end up with bits and pieces of music that doesn’t fit within the album format you usually work with.


 


For obvious reasons The Quill ended up with a lot of free time during this last year, and there was suddenly a window to review what leftover tracks they had in storage. The band decided to put together the best stuff they could find and make a special release which will make for some interesting listening while waiting for the next studio album.




 


The Quill recorded tons of stuff during the Earthrise sessions – some still left to be finished, but the musicians thought it would be cool to share some of the tracks here. This version of "Keep On Moving" is almost 1:30 longer than the album version and contains a lengthy midsection which they all were really fond of but in the end decided had to go. The other two tracks, "Children Of The Sun" and "Burning Tree", were left off the album mainly due to time constraints.


Next on, there’s a bunch of cover tunes – they all hail from the same time period – the late ‘90s – when tribute albums were a big thing for a short while. All those albums are now long out of print, so the four guys thought it would be a nice idea to include them here to have them all at the same place. What’s also interesting is that they match up great with the material written and recorded much more recently.


 


Last off is a couple of live-tracks from The Quill's show at Sweden Rock Festival 2019 – the recording turned out really well, except for the fact that there was a lot of musical interference from other stages, which made it difficult to release the whole show – but two of the tracks turned out fine and are included here as a reminder of a fantastic show.


Live, New, Borrowed, Blue will be released via Metalville on January 28th, 2022.


 





 


The tracklist is as follows:


"Keep on Moving" (extended version)
"S.O.S. (Too Bad)"
"Children of the Sun"
"Where Eagles Dare"
"Keep it Together" (live)
"Mount Everest"
"Burning Tree"
"Frozen Over"
"Hole In My Head! (live)

SABATON frontman Joakim Brodén spoke to Germany's Radio Bob! about the stage production for the upcoming tour in support of the Swedish metallers' tenth studio album, "The War To End All Wars". Due on March 4, 2022 via Nuclear Blast Records, the concept LP of 11 brand-new songs was written and recorded during the COVID-19 global pandemic and once again dives deep into the atrocities, miracles, and events tied to the early 20th century's World War I.

Brodén said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I can give some hints [about the live show]. I don't wanna be secretive, but at the same time, I don't wanna spoil the surprise, because that should be something for the concertgoers to discover in a way, so they get that 'wow' effect. But yeah, we are expanding on what we already had with [2019's] 'The Great War' [album] since we're moving in the same era and time. There is, actually, a whole bunch of people in Sweden right now as we are speaking building new parts of the stage set. And I've seen some pictures and hints of what's coming. Both for the Swedish tour we have some special stuff being built, but especially, of course, the European tour. Yeah, I think there are things that are gonna be very familiar but there are also things that are gonna be — a few places where it's gonna be, 'What the…?'"

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

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

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

In the latest issue of Guitar World, Zakk Wylde looked back on writing the riff for Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Want To Change The World", which appears on the No More Tears album from 1991.


Zakk: "We were at Joe's Garage, Frank Zappa's old place, and we were jamming. I remember I was playing the main riff, and then I'd get through it and just stop. And then we'd say something into the mic, like, 'How not to ever get a date,' or 'I have no job and I live with my parents.' And then we'd go back into the riff. It was just us on the floor, crying-laughing and coming up with all this stuff that we kept saying in between that riff. Then Ozzy comes walking into the room and he goes, 'What is that?' I'm like, 'What are you talkin' about?' And he says, 'That thing you're playing. That riff.' I go, 'Oh, it's just a joke...' And he goes, 'We're going to use that.' Next thing you know, it won a Grammy!”


Pick up the new issue of Guitar World here.







News recently surfaced that guitar legend Zakk Wylde will not be making a mere guest appearance on Ozzy Osbourne's next studio album, as previously reported. The as-yet-untitled album will feature Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Tony Iommi, and according to a Diary Of The Madmen - The Ultimate Ozzy Osbourne Podcast chat with Ozzy himself, Wylde will in fact play on the entire album.


In a new interview with The Cassius Morris Show, Zakk talks about the upcoming Black Label Society album and tour, as well as Ozzy's forthcoming record, and much more.


In regards to Ozzy's next album, Zakk reveals: "On this one, I didn't have anything to do with… Basically, everything was already written. I would change a few things here and there, going into certain riffs or something like that, but you know, do my own thing to 'em. But it was pretty much already done. But kind of how we did Down To Earth, I think, was more like that where everything was pretty much written before I got in there. So I just do my thing,  and then put my solos and everything like that. But it was great in regards that Eric Clapton is on it, Jeff Beck and Tony Iommi. So, if you have told 14-year-old me growing up in my parents' house practicing in my bedroom that I was gonna be on a record with all my heroes, you would have been, 'Forget about it.' So, it was definitely an honor playing rhythm guitar on those tracks with the guys. But, yeah, I'm really happy with the way it came out."

SCORPIONS have released the second in a three-part series of short documentaries — directed by Thomas Noehre — focusing on the making of the band's 19th studio album, "Rock Believer". Check it out below.

When the series was first launched, SCORPIONS said in a statement: "For our new album 'Rock Believer', we all came back together in the studio like in the old days and captured that journey on camera. Maybe you discover some unreleased music snippets from our new album in it…"

Last month, SCORPIONS released the official music video for their new single, "Peacemaker". The track, which features music courtesy of guitarist Rudolf Schenker and bassist Pawel Maciwoda and lyrics by singer Klaus Meine, is taken from "Rock Believer", due on February 25, 2022.

Asked in a new interview with Chile's Radio Futuro what fans can expect to hear on "Rock Believer", Meine said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you can expect an album that is dedicated to all the rock believers in the world. And we're very excited after all these years. We thought, when you think about all the touring we did the last 10 years, after the release of 'Return To Forever' in 2015, the time was right to go back into the studio, to write new material, to write new songs and check out if the creativity is still working. The big aim was, the goal was to make a rock album — to make an album with lots of attitude, power and focus on the good old times and really enjoy the music and have some fun with the music. And that feels really good."

Speaking about the "Rock Believer" album title, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker said: "Look, we are around the world since 50 years or more. And when somebody can say he's a rock believer, then this is us. And of course, we meet our rock believers in front of us, our audience.

"So many people said rock is dead. It's not dead," he continued. "It's always coming back — sometimes, okay, more stronger [or] less strong — but in the end, it's great to play around the world in over 80 countries we've played so far, and all rock believers. It was always great to share the music with them together and be in connection with them. I mean, that's so amazing and so fantastic, that we are very happy to come out with a new album. And yeah, let's see what's happening."

Asked if "Peacemaker" is representative of "Rock Believer" as a whole, Klaus said: "It is an uptempo rock song, and this album really rocks. There are some heavy songs on the album, like when you think about 'China White' and 'Animal Magnetism', there's a track on the record that is really in the best way of those songs. There are many uptempo songs and, believe it or not, there are even faster songs than 'Peacemaker'. [Laughs] There's also a very beautiful ballad on the album, and I'm sure there are fans out there especially love the SCORPIONS ballads, and they will enjoy this record as well very much. 'Peacemaker' is the appetizer for what the album is all about. It rocks."

"Rock Believer" was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

"The album was written and recorded in the SCORPIONS DNA with core Schenker/Meine compositions," said Klaus. "We recorded the album as a band live in one room, like we did in the '80s."

SCORPIONS' new album will mark their first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.

SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.

Meine previously told Talking Metal that the goal with using Fidelman to produce "Rock Believer" was to bring "the old vibe from albums like 'Blackout', 'Love At First Sting' or even 'Lovedrive'. We try to focus on those albums and this attitude," he said. "If we get there, who knows — it's so many years later. But it's the spirit and it's the whole vibe around this album. This time, the focus is on the harder songs."

According to Meine, SCORPIONS' new LP features "no outside writers at all," unlike 2015's "Return To Forever", which was largely co-written by the album's producers, Mikael Nord Andersson and Martin Hansen.

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.

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was the aforementioned "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

A new band called Petit Brabancon was just unveiled today.

The group's line-up features DIR EN GREY vocalist Kyo, L'Arc-en-Ciel drummer yukihiro, MUCC guitarist Miya, Tokyo Shoegazer guitarist antz and THE NOVEMBERS bassist Hirofumi Takamatsu.

Petit Brabancon's first release will be a double A-side single titled Koku / Kawaki that will hit digital platforms on December 24th. It will contain three tracks, all composed by Miya, with lyrics by Kyo.

The band will make its live debut at the popular annual MAVERICK DC GROUP event JACK IN THE BOX, which will be held at Nippon Budokan on December 27th this year.

Polish tech death metal virtuosos DECAPITATED have completed work on their eighth studio album for a 2022 release via Nuclear Blast Records. The band has just finished filming a video for the LP's first single, to be made available next spring.

Earlier today (Wednesday, December 29), DECAPITATED guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka took to his Instagram to write: "I have noticed that some of you are suffering from a lack of information about a new album:) So here's the statement:

"New @decapitatedband album is done ! We have 10 new songs and we are already about to finish the video for the first single. Album is a quintessence of DECAPITATED, but I also feel that we have created something strong, crushing, unique and unexpected this time!

"I truly believe that after a very long time of waiting, none of you will be disappointed.

"Album premiere-Spring 2022 ?#staytuned

"#newalbum #decapitated #8 #nuclearblast".

DECAPITATED's latest album, "Anticult", was released in July 2017 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Back in March 2018, Kiełtyka said that he and his bandmates were "ready to return," two months after all rape and kidnapping charges against were dropped against them in Spokane County.

Less than two weeks before the Polish death metal musicians were scheduled to go on trial in January 2018 for allegedly kidnapping and raping a woman on their tour bus four months earlier, Spokane County prosecutor Kelly Fitzgerald filed a motion dismissing all rape and kidnapping charges. The motion cited "the well being of the victim" as a reason for dropping the charges without prejudice, meaning the four members of DECAPITATED could be prosecuted in the future.

Formed in 1996, DECAPITATED built a reputation over the years as one of the international leaders of the "tech death" genre. Over its nearly 20-year career, DECAPITATED has released seven studio albums, which are considered to be some of the most influential death metal releases of the 21st century.

Since 2019, Kiełtyka has been taking care of second-guitar duties in MACHINE HEAD following the departure of Phil Demmel.
























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A post shared by Waclaw Vogg Kieltyka (@sirvogg)

During a new appearance on "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna spoke about his recent move from New Hampshire to Florida. Asked if the coronavirus pandemic and politics played a part in his decision to relocate to America's southernmost state geographically, which leans Republican in presidential elections, Erna said: "It's a long story, but in a nutshell, I'd been looking at an alternate home area for a while now. And California was kind of on my radar, just because I have a lot of friends there, my business is there, [and] I love the weather. But when all this political shit went down, it really turned me off to just the thought process and ways of being for a lot of the liberals and people that I just can't connect with on that wavelength. So it kind of bummed me out to a point where I'm, like, well, I don't really wanna go three thousand miles across the country to pay triple the amount of money to live in that kind of nonsense and be locked down."

He continued: "So, yeah, corona and politics played a piece of my decision to divert to Florida. And I honestly just went down there to buy a property with a little bit of room and a decent little house, and I wanted horses. And I knew that Shannon [Larkin, GODSMACK drummer] was kind of in horse country, 'cause it's in North Fort Myers. So I just came across this really great deal with this lady who had a 20-acre horse ranch, but she also owned a 30-acre pasture next door to it, which is just an open pasture that some guy leases to pasteurize his cows on. And it gives me a tax break 'cause it's agricultural. And I get a half a cow a year. [Laughs] So, yeah, I'm a meat eater too. Not only am I not a liberal, I'm a fucking meat eater."

Sully went on to say that a desire to be close to his GODSMACK bandmates provided him with additional motivation to find a new home in Florida.

"This property is about seven miles from Shannon Larkin's house, and about 13 miles from [GODSMACK guitarist] Tony Rombola," he said. "So my guys are down there, and that's kind of one of the reasons that initiated this whole thought process. Plus I hate the fucking snow."

According to a Wallethub analysis, Florida has some of the most lax COVID-19 restrictions in the U.S.

Erna has been more vocal about his political opinions in recent years, saying in a July 2020 episode of his Internet show "Hometown Sessions" that if "Trump stays in [office], COVID's gonna be a big, messy pain in the ass, and there's gonna be more people burning down Wendy's fucking restaurants. If Trump fucking is gone, all of a sudden they're gonna have this miracle vaccine that those fucking liars have been holding on to."

In February 2020, Erna came under fire for sharing a post that was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its news feed. The post in question criticized then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders's plan to raise the minimum wage and provide universal health care to all Americans. It also cited Sanders's Medicare For All plan, a single, national health insurance program that would cover everyone who lives in the United States.

Back in 2004, Erna revealed that he was not in favor of the Democratic candidate for president in that year's election, telling Launch Radio Networks: "I'm a Republican. I want Republican. I don't necessarily want [incumbent Republican president George W.] Bush to win. I don't like that choice, but I gotta tell you, I don't truly believe in the Democrats either, man. I don't like the way they think. I don't like, I don't love Bush, I'll tell you that, but I want a Republican in office."

Paul Stanley has pushed back against claims that having to take multiple doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is unusual or unprecedented.

The KISS frontman, who tested positive for COVID-19 in August, took to his Twitter on Monday (December 27) to point out that certain childhood vaccines that have been used for decades, like the diphtheria vaccine and the polio vaccine, require four or more doses to complete immunization.

He wrote: "Just Some Vaccine Information For Those Who Question The Current Validity Because Of The Amount Of Doses, FYI… POLIO-4 Doses; CHICKENPOX-2 Doses; SMALLPOX-4 Doses; MEASLES-2 Doses; DIPTHERIA/TETANUS/WHOOPING COUGH-5 Doses.

"Share your opinions here but no 'education' thru rudeness".

Stanley went on to say that he has been testing negative for COVID-19 despite the fact that he took to his Instagram on Sunday (December 26) to share a photo of what he called his "Omicron face" and to reveal that his "entire family" has contracted the highly contagious variant.

"I AM NEGATIVE FOR COVID," he wrote on Monday. "If you have any doubts about your Home Covid Test results, get tested through a lab. I have had Covid and 3 shots. With my antibodies there’s little chance of me contracting it now. Thanks for all your concern."

Omicron has quickly become the most common form of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of all cases, according to federal officials.

Based on early studies, those who are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines are far less likely to be admitted to hospital with the omicron variant than the previous delta strain. However, the higher transmissibility of omicron means the risk of health systems being overloaded during the winter period is still quite high.

"It is clear that if you're vaccinated, particularly if you've had a booster, omicron tends to produce milder infections," Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, told NBC News.

"What we haven't seen yet is a substantial body of information about what omicron will do in unvaccinated people," he added.

After Stanley contracted COVID-19 in August, KISS was forced to postpone a string of shows. A few days later, KISS announced that bassist Gene Simmons had also tested positive for the virus. As a result, the band postponed four more concerts.

Back in March, Stanley told AXS TV's "At Home And Social" that he was "so excited and so thankful" to receive his second COVID-19 vaccine. "I'd like [to see] everybody just get back to a normal life," he said at the time. "It's been devastating for so many people. For us who are inconvenienced, it's minor compared to what some people have gone through."

Stanley also criticized people who were defiantly skeptical of mask wearing, saying they were posing a risk to themselves and to all those around them.

"Part of the problem is that we haven't adhered properly to what should be common sense restrictions," he said. "And as long as there are people who are negating what's being told to them, this [coronavirus crisis] is gonna extend further.

"We're supposed to be a community. And if there's the slightest possibility that it would be the right thing to do, shouldn't you do it?" he asked rhetorically.

Last month, Simmons blasted people who are skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines, calling them "delusional" and the "enemy" and saying they are posing a risk to themselves and to all those around them.

In October, Rolling Stone magazine published a story in which a group of KISS roadies suggested that the lack of COVID protocols enforced on the band's "End Of The Road" farewell tour led to the death of a longtime guitar tech, 53-year-old Francis Stueber. Stueber died of coronavirus in his Detroit hotel room on October 17, just two days after being quarantined. The crew members claimed the tour didn't take strict enough safety measures, including not testing everyone regularly. In addition, some crew members allegedly disguised their illness and/or faked vaccine cards.

In a statement, the KISS members said that they were "profoundly heartbroken" by the passing of Stueber, but added, "We are now aware there were crew members who attempted to conceal signs of illness, and when it was discovered, refused medical attention…. Furthermore, it has recently been brought to our attention that certain crew members may have provided fake vaccination cards which, if true, we find morally reprehensible (as well as illegal), putting the entire tour in harm's way."




Just Some Vaccine Information For Those Who Question The Current Validity Because Of The Amount Of Doses, FYI…

POLIO-4 Doses

CHICKENPOX-2 Doses

SMALLPOX-4 Doses

MEASLES-2 Doses

DIPTHERIA/TETANUS/WHOOPING COUGH-5 Doses.

Share your opinions here but no “education” thru rudeness

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) December 27, 2021








I AM NEGATIVE FOR COVID. If you have any doubts about your Home Covid Test results, get tested through a lab. I have had Covid and 3 shots. With my antibodies there’s little chance of me contracting it now. Thanks for all your concern.

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) December 27, 2021

During an appearance on the "White Line Fever" podcast, former EUROPE guitarist Kee Marcello spoke about how his 1980s Swedish glam-rock band EASY ACTION was forced to take legal action against POISON for allegedly "stealing" the chorus to the EASY ACTION song "We Go Rocking" for the POISON U.S. smash-hit "I Want Action". EASY ACTION was said to have been awarded a financial settlement in the case.

Kee said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I got [in] contact with the producer of POISON's album ['Look What The Cat Dragged In'], Ric Browde, and he told me he brought the EASY ACTION album and the HANOI ROCKS album to the studio when he did the POISON album, and he put on 'We Go Rocking' and suggested the band make a cover out of it. And they said, 'It's a fucking Swedish glam band. Who's gonna know?' And they just ripped us off. And this is Ric Browde personally saying this. So it's so fucking obvious that it happened.

"If it would have been me doing such a mistake, I would say, 'I'm so sorry. I fucked up. Man, I took your song. I'm so sorry. I'm gonna make it up to you.' [But] to this day, believe it or not, they completely bluntly deny it," he continued. "When POISON played at Sweden Rock Festival, they had a press conference, and somebody asked — a lot of people asked — 'What about Kee Marcello? What about EASY ACTION? What about 'We Go Rocking'?' And they said, '[We] never heard of any of those.' And that was the end of it. Then people tried to go on, but they just bluntly denied it. And it's so ridiculous. At least agree you're wrong sometimes.

"So, I don't know. I don't wanna see those assholes."

Regarding how EASY ACTION ended up receiving a financial settlement in the case, Kee said: "The publisher [for 'We Go Rocking'] is Warner Chappell Music. I'm [listed as the] hundred percent [writer] of the music, and there's three of us [who are credited for] the lyrics — the singer, the bass player and me — in 'We Go Rocking'.

"The thing is I was so busy when this happened, I didn't sue [POISON]; it was Warner Chappell Music that sued them and threatened to take them to court," Marcello explained. "It was really a dumb deal. I wonder why they didn't do that. Instead they made a settlement out of court. But as you know, when you do a settlement, they don't have to [publicly admit] that they [did anything wrong]. If we would have taken them to court, I would have been a co-writer on their song, which I think would have been fair. That's how you admit you've been doing something wrong. Because [if I had been listed as a co-writer on 'I Want Action'], every time they do a best-of POISON album and the song is on there, some money goes to me. It doesn't now. We just got this sum of money, a settlement out of court. If I would have been more plugged into the whole thing… If there's one regret I have, it's not dragging their sorry asses to court."

EASY ACTION was formed in the early 1980s and was a pioneering band on the Swedish and Scandinavian glam rock scene. When singer Tommy Nilsson joined the group in 1986, they moved towards a more adult radio friendly sound. The album "That Makes One" attracted global attention but its momentum came to a quick halt when Marcello left the band to gain worldwide success as the new guitar player in the band EUROPE. Nilsson went on to become one of Sweden's biggest pop stars, scoring several huge domestic single hits. Following a number of successful years with EUROPE, Kee released solo albums and a biography as well as performed in the musical "Rock Of Ages", among other projects.

An earlier incarnation of EASY ACTION, featuring Zinny Zan on vocals, had reunited in the past, but in 2019, the "That Makes One" lineup of the band makes its first comeback since 1986 exclusively at the Sweden Rock Festival. The show marked Nilsson's first return to the world of hard rock in 33 years. The lineup also included guitarist Chris Lind, bassist Nalle Påhlsson (TREAT, THERION) and former EASY ACTION live keyboard player Jörgen Ingeström.

Earlier this year, EASY ACTION released a video for a new song "Dazed", which was written about the wave of populistic propaganda that has reshaped the world in recent years.