Rare, live, never before seen drum cam footage of late Megadeth drummer, Nick Menza, performing the bands controversial speed metal version of Nancy Sinatra's 1966 hit song, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", can be seen below.


The clip was taken from one of Menza's many private VHS tapes and was filmed by an unknown Megadeth road crew member with Nick's personal video camera on February 25, 1991 during the bands live concert in Tokyo, Japan at Nakano Sunplaza.


"These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" with lyrics altered by Mustaine was originally released June 12, 1985 on Megadeth's debut studio album, Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!, via Combat Records.




The song sparked controversy in later years when the song's original author, Lee Hazlewood, deemed Mustaine's changes to be "vile and offensive" and demanded that the song be removed from the album. Under threat of legal action, the song was removed from all pressings released after 1995. In 2002, the album was re-released with a modified version of the song; the altered lyrics were censored because Hazlewood has not given permission to the band to release the cover in its original version. In the liner notes of the album's reissue, Mustaine was strongly critical of Hazlewood, noting that he received royalties for almost 10 years before objecting to the altered version.





Menza's personal and private VHS tape collection will see the light of day for the first time in the upcoming official uncensored Nick Menza documentary film This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza. The film is being produced and directed by the Holly Mollohan of Screaming Butterfly Entertainment and expected to be released in 2022.


Ellefson has signed on as a co-producer of the film, and also will provide narration to guide the viewer through the exploration of the late Megadeth drummer's life.





This Was My Life will be the first-ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic Rust In Peace lineup."


This Was My Life will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with. A screenshot from the film was recently released that featured an interview with former Lamb Of God/Megadeth drummer, Chris Adler.


Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

HELLOWEEN singer Andi Deris, who lives in Tenerife, the largest of the Spanish Canary Islands, spoke to Mayra Dias Gomes of Brazil's "Lokaos Rock Show" about how he has dealt with not being able to play shows for nearly two years during the coronavirus pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we've been in the lucky situation of actually being in the middle of a production [of our new self-titled album] when the pandemic hit. So all my fellow musicians here in the band, we did not even realize that there's something bad going on in the world because we've been, as always, in lockdown in the studio. [Laughs] We were in our own lockdown. As with every production, you're kind of in your rabbit hole for [a few] months…

"After [each] production day, we sat there at two o'clock in the morning, listening to the news and watching German television, Spanish television — you go through BBC, you're watching CNN and you try to get a picture what's going on in the world and read between the lines, 'cause each and every news [report] was different," he continued. "But there was one common thing: there's a bloody pandemic going on. People were scared to death, and everybody thought, 'Okay, we'll all be dead by tomorrow.' [Laughs] Over here in Spain, because the Canary Islands are part of Spain, everybody had this [feeling of], 'The new Spanish Flu again.' … Everybody thought, 'Half of Spain will be eradicated by tomorrow.' So everybody had this big stomach thing going on, 'Oh, shit. Don't go out.'

"But for us, actually, that whole pandemic thing, the feeling that I just described, it hit long after the pandemic was actually being announced," Andi added. "So, for us, it was, like, 'Okay, you're here anyway. So, whatever goes on in the world doesn't affect us.' As always, in production we're in our own bubble. And even if there would be World War III and the Germans again invade the moon — whatever — we don't care. We're here in the studio. Okay, [we do care] because I am a German. Okay. That was a bad example. [Laughs] Forget it. [Laughs] "

This past June, the new LP from the reunited expanded classic lineup of HELLOWEEN entered the official album chart in the band's home country of Germany at position No. 1.

The "Pumpkins United" lineup of HELLOWEEN features returning singer Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen alongside Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the new HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

HELLOWEEN's new album saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analog and Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marked the first time Kiske had played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, had been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set featured several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sang a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

HELLOWEEN's European "United Alive World Tour Part II", which was originally scheduled to take place in September and October will now take place next year.

Despite having vastly different political views from Ted Nugent, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello says that they are good friends.

Morello, who is a member one of the most militant left-wing rap/rock/metal bands of all time, discussed his relationship with Nugent during a recent appearance on "The Howard Stern Show".

Speaking about how he struck up a friendship with the otspoken conservative rocker, Tom said (see video below): "For his 60th birthday, someone reached out to me and said, 'We're making a video, and we're asking guitar players [to say a few kind words]. At the time, the Ted Nugent which was sort of known in the world in general was this kind of more right-wing caricature — people were not thinking of him, first and foremost, as the guy who shredded on 'Stranglehold'. But then I had to think, 'What is the video that I'm going to make for Ted's birthday?' And I put some thought into it, and I said, 'It's gonna be about two things. One, it's gonna be things that Tom Morello and Ted Nugent have in common,' and I went down this long list of [things like] free-speech advocates, our love of rock and roll, our respect for black artists who created rock and roll. And then the second was things that Ted Nugent taught an adolescent Tom Morello about sex. And then I went through 'Cat Scratch Fever' — these strange words, like the lyrics to the song 'Cat Scratch Fever', the lyrics to the song 'Wang Dang Sweet Poontang', which were utterly foreign to me, and I had to ask about on the playground. Anyway, so Ted called me up after that. And while we certainly have differences, I consider him a friend."

Morello previously spoke about his relationship with Nugent during a 2017 interview with The Guardian. He said at the time: "We have very similar views on freedom of speech. His libertarian edge and my anarchist edge overlap considerably.

"Sometimes, if he says something outrageous that will fire up his racist base, I'll text him to say, 'Dude. What are you on about?' We're able to talk about it as friends as opposed to people on the opposite sides of the barricade."

Nugent, an avid supporter of former U.S. president Donald Trump, has repeatedly said that last year's presidential election was a fraud, insisting that "hundreds of thousands of dead people" voted and claiming that machines were "rigged" to give a Donald Trump vote to Joe Biden.

Leading up to the election, Nugent teamed up with Donald Trump Jr. on the campaign trail.

Ted has called Trump "the greatest president in our lifetime," and believes the billionaire real estate mogul represents "the heart and soul of the best American families out there."

Less than two years ago, Morello referred to Trump as an "orange-faced demagogue."

On Saturday, December 4, IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain performed a set of MAIDEN classics — including the song "The Writing On The Wall" from this year's "Senjutsu" album — with TITANIUM TART at the 12th-anniversary celebration for Rock N Roll Ribs, the barbecue restaurant owned by McBrain and close friend Mitch Tanne, in Coral Springs, Florida. Fan-filmed video footage of the entire show is available below. Also appearing at the event were MADE OF METAL, KINLIN, ANGELS OF WAR, CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE and SCHOOL OF ROCK.

A barbecue joint with a musical bent, Rock N Roll Ribs showcases its love for smokey Southern cooking with food like barbecued pork and chicken and clever takes on MAIDEN songs, like "Final Frontier" dog, "Moonchild Mahi" sandwich and "Aces High" fries.

"It's not just MAIDEN fans that come in," McBrain said about the restaurant in a 2010 interview. "We do get a lot of pilgrimages, people come in and look at all the stuff on the walls, but most people that come in always come out satisfied. And it's not major expensive. A rack of ribs is [$20], and you get a pound and a quarter to a pound and a half of ribs."

Asked if he has always been a BBQ fan, McBrain told Broward Palm Beach New Times back in 2013: "Yeah! You know, I'm a Brit, and we don't have a very long summer, so it's very few and far between people get out and do a barbie in the backyard. Touring around America, I always used to love buying a rack of baby backs and some cole slaw and French Fries, and that was my main BBQ experience, the baby backs. Then a friend of mine taught me how to make the ribs we make in the restaurant, and I started to make some sauce, and it was very successful and people liked it, and that's where Rock N Roll Ribs was born, really. It was a dream we had and it finally came into fruition. I've got to be honest, it's not a business that's making a lot of money for us, but we make a lot of people smile and a lot of people happy. I'm very happy, it's great! I love it when I meet people and they say things like, 'these are the ribs I've ever had,' or, 'Your pulled pork is to die for,' and it warms the cockles of me heart!"

Rock N Roll Ribs

4651 State Rd. 7 (US441)

Coral Springs, FL 33073

954-345-RIBZ (7429)

Black Lion Records have announced the reissue of Kvaen's critically acclaimed debut album, The Funeral Pyre. Slated for a re-release in mid 2022, The Funeral Pyre delivers well-executed black metal from the north and takes the listener back to the times when evil reigned from '80s classic speed metal riffs to ringing dive bombs, right up to the church-burning pagan worshiping 90's black metal. The Funeral Pyre truly takes the listener on a wild and relentless ride deep through Norwegian forests, mountains and deep valleys!


 Black Lion Records comments: "We are proud to announce the third pressing of the critically acclaimed debut album, The Funeral Pyre. The album proved to be a huge hit in the underground scene and was very well received by fans and critics. With the album outselling two pressings within a year, it was clear it was not enough to satisfy the demand. This time we present two colors; standard black and a very limited edition in Oxblood Red. Both vinyls are 180g and comes with a printed lyric sheet."


The album is available for pre-sale here.







Furthermore, Kvaen is gearing up for the release of his sophomore studio album, The Great Below, to be released on March 25th via Black Lion Records. Go to this location to per-order.

Montreal's Thrash La Reine released their latest Notre-Dame-de-l’Enfer this past October via Bam&Co. Heavy. The full-length is the third release from the band following La Foi, La Loi, La Croix (2019) and Le Métal Est Notre Langue (2018). The concept album, produced by producer Francis Perron (Voivod - The Wake), is Thrash La Reine's metal opera about French Canadian folklores presented over thirteen heavy metal bangers, nine full songs, and four instrumental interludes. Overall, the album will connect with many Francophone fans, but the band's goal is to also expose French Canadian culture to more metalheads around the globe no matter their language.


"Metal is universal, no matter what language it is vocally and lyrically presented in. On ‘Notre-Dame-de-l’Enfer’, these French Canadian folk tales are all about ghosts, witches, sins, and the devil himself! It fits really well with the metal imagery! The album touches on a lot of different styles: fast, slow, sad, happy songs with either coarse or clean vocals.We also incorporated some traditional instruments on this album with the use of mandolin, acoustic guitar, strings, accordion, and cowbell along with singing and harmonies that are reminiscent of traditional chants." adds the band.


Today, the trio shares their latest lyric video for their interpretation of the popular French Canadian folktale “La Chasse Galerie”, also known as "The Bewitched Canoe" or "The Flying Canoe", which is the story of the Coureurs des Bois who make a deal with the devil, a variant of the European fable Wild Hunt.







"La Chasse-Galerie is probably the most well-known French Canadian folktale. This legend tells the story of woodcutters who make a pact with the devil on New Year’s Eve, so they can fly on a mystical canoe to go visit their girlfriend and party with their friends! Musically speaking, this track starts in a darker energetic mood. But in the middle, when the crew arrives at the party, the mood of the song changes to something more joyful!"


Notre-Dame-de-l'Enfer by Thrash La Reine

The three iconic Phenomena albums have been collected together into a mini-box set for fans who want to buy all three studio albums together. The set also includes the Anthology (which features five exclusive tracks) and all four booklets, including liner notes on the history of Phenomena.


Phenomena 1 sold over a million copies in 1985 and 1987’s Phenomena 2: Dream Runner featured the #1 hit single “Did It All For Love” with Phenomena 3: Innervision following in 1993.







Guests on the project include Glenn Hughes, John Wetton, Brian May, Cozy Powell, Mel Galley, Neil Murray, Max Bacon, Ric Sanders, Scott Gorham, John Thomas, Ted McKenna and Keith Murrell.


Phenomena has partnered with Townsend Music to launch a merchandise store with the CDs, Downloads and Merchandise (including t-shirts) available here.


The first Phenomena album’s quarter inch master tapes have also been given a fresh transfer to enable a 192/24 high-res audio release on platforms such as HDtracks.





There are future plans for the Phenomena project, to be announced on its Facebook page, as its horizons are expanded to reach new audiences. The Phenomena Trilogy has earned classic album status, so the mini-box set gives fans a one-stop-shop opportunity to buy the key releases.

Giant, the powerhouse rock quartet, are set to unleash their fifth studio album, Shifting Time, on January 21. Now, anchored by founding members David Huff and Mike Brignardello, the two are joined by guitarist John Roth (Winger, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, Jimi Jamison) and vocalist Kent Hilli (Perfect Plan).


After more than a decade since their last album, the band is back with new music that showcases their perfect blend of the melodic rock sound. Founding member Dann Huff has given his seal of approval and appears on lead guitar on the song "Never Die Young".


Fans can get their first taste of Shifting Time with the release of the single and video for "Never Die Young". Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Shifting Time on CD/LP/Cassette/Digital here.




It has been over a decade since Giant has released new music and drummer David Huff says, "We are very excited for people to hear "Shifting Time"! It has been way too long in between Giant albums and we hope you find it worth the wait. Thanks to everyone at Frontiers and especially the fans for their undying support of Giant!! We would love to follow up with some live dates in 2022, if that is something the fans would like to see, so hopefully we'll see you out there!"


"We have worked so hard and we are very happy and proud of this record", continues Huff. "I was so impressed with Kent’s vocals when I first heard him! He was a natural fit with our sound and we are thrilled to have him on board," he adds about new vocalist Kent Hilli.


”Wow, man, what can I say? To be asked to be the new singer for my all-time favorite band Giant was, and still is, mind-blowing! I still have a hard time grasping it all. I am tempted to use a certain film quote ("You know, I'm just a regular guy who grew up with the posters of these guys on my wall...and now I'm one of them! That's right, I'm standing here, living proof that if you work hard enough, and you want it bad enough…dreams do come true, so follow your dreams.”), but I won’t, haha. But seriously, that is exactly how I feel. I still remember hearing Giant's first album, ”Last Of The Runaways”, in 1989 which totally blew me off the chair I was sitting on. Since then, I have probably listened to their music every week. And now working with David, Mike, John, and also Alessandro has been a blessing and I am very proud of the album and the music we have created together. These guys are true professionals and I am blessed beyond words to be a part of this and David, Mike, and John have been so supportive and welcoming. I am also very grateful to Frontiers for making this happen and giving me and us this opportunity and I can’t wait to release the songs for everyone to hear,” says Kent Hilli of joining Giant.


Originally formed in the late '80s by brothers Dann and David Huff, together with the experienced jazz and rock keyboardist Alan Pasqua and Nashville session bass player Mike Brignardello, Giant would become, with the release of their debut album "Last of The Runaways" (A&M Records, 1989), one of the most respected bands of the melodic hard rock scene. Following countless live performances in support of their debut, the band released the follow-up "Time to Burn" (Epic, 1991), an album still regarded as a main source of influence for many melodic and hard rock bands who came after. With the sudden change of musical climate in the early '90s, Giant disbanded with their members becoming involved in different projects, with both Dann and David Huff becoming well respected producers.


In 2001, Frontiers prompted Giant to release "III", an album that would prove to be a landmark in the growth of the new era Melodic Rock scene, particularly in Europe. Unfortunately, Dann's busy schedule along with the other members' commitments, made the reunion impossible to carry on as had originally been planned; however, the vision of bringing Giant back as a band with a recording and touring line-up was something that the band was still open to exploring, even if Dann had to step away. Thus, original members, drummer David Huff and bassist Mike Brignardello, with the blessing of Dann started an endless research for the right musicians that could be part of a renewed Giant line-up. In the end, the choice fell on vocalist Terry Brock (Strangeways, Seventh Key) and guitarist John Roth (Winger, Starship). The resulting album, “Promise Land” soon became a fan favorite, showcasing top quality songwriting and performances. Giant, however, went into hibernation again, with the exception of a one-off show in 2017, where the original band members reunited on a Nashville club stage for a charity event.


Even prior to that one-off live appearance, Serafino Perugino, President and Head of A&R for Frontiers Records, had been persistently contacting David Huff to do another Giant album. (Literally, years and years spent convincing David that fans wanted another Giant album.) With the one-off live event piquing fan interest again, Serafino and David Huff resumed talks to see if they could manage to find the right formula for a new album from Giant. When the Swedish band Perfect Plan released a cover version of the Giant’s original hit “Stay” in 2019, then all pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. Serafino knew Giant was Kent's favorite band of all-time and vocally, Hilli certainly had the chops to fill the very big shoes of Dann Huff, so he presented him to David Huff and Mike Brignardello. They were impressed with Hilli and were keen on the idea of him handling lead vocals for the next Giant release. Kent also brought his songwriting talents to the fold and together with other songwriters such as Alessandro Del Vecchio, Kristian Fyhr, and Pete Alpenborg (and contributions from Jonas Eriksson and Mike Palace), the resulting album will be an absolute joy and delight for melodic rock lovers.


Truly, the production, songwriting, and performances shine throughout Shifting Time.


Shifting Time was produced by David Huff, Mike Brignardello and Alessandro Del Vecchio. Mixing and mastering was done by Del Vecchio for Frontiers Productions. Serafino Perugino serves as executive producer.





Tracklisting:


"Shifting Time"
"Let Our Love Win"
"Never Die Young"
"Don’t Say A Word"
"My Breath Away"
"Highway Of Love"
"It’s Not Over"
"The Price Of Love"
"Standing Tall"
"Anna Lee"
"Don’t Wanna Lose You"
"I Walk Alone"


"Never Die Young" video:





"Let Our Love Win" video:





Lineup:


Kent Hilli - Lead Vocals
John Roth - Guitar
Mike Brignardello - Bass
David Huff - Drums


Special Guest:


Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards, Background Vocals

German quintet There's A Light recently released its second album, f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶I ̶h̶o̶pe̶? for what must we hope?, via Napalm Records. The band filmed and recorded their first ever live session video with Vestra Visuals at the Stiftsschaffneikeller in Lahr. Watch below:





Thematically, on f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶I ̶h̶o̶pe̶? for what must we hope? There's A Light take a deeper look at the question of the true meaning of hope as well as at the different facets of it: On the one hand, hope can be something positive - a flourishing force that always gives a new impulse to grow beyond oneself. On the other hand, it can also do harm, for example, if one holds on to something that will never become reality.




Order here.





f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶I ̶h̶o̶pe̶? for what must we hope? tracklisting:


"...The Storm Will Set The Sails"
"Within The Tides"
"Magnolia"
"Like The Earth Orbits Sun"
"Dark Clouds Behind, Bright Skies Ahead"
"Refugium"
"Elpis"
"Fear Keeps Pace With Hope"
"Be Brave, Fragile Heart"
"Appearance Of Earth"
"Even In The Darkest Place..."


"Dark Clouds Behind, Bright Skies Ahead" video:





"Elpis" video:





There's A Light is:


David Christmann - guitar
Jonas Obermüller - piano, synth percussion
Markus Dold - guitar
Andreas Richau – vocals, bass
Jan Lüftner - drums


(Photo - Nicolas Kuri)

Eric Carr tribute act, Carr Jam - 21, have released the second single from their self-titled debut EP (out January 7). The track is a cover of the KISS classic, ”Love Her All I Can” and features singer Jesper Binzer (D-A-D) on lead vocals, and Ryan Roxie (Alice Cooper) on guitar, together with members of Bonafide, Velvet Insane and Electric Boys.


Save the single here, and watch a lyric video below:







Eric Carr was a member of KISS from from 1980 to 1991, stepping into the drummer position following the departure of the band's original drummer, Peter Criss.


Carr's first album with KISS was 1981's Music From "The Elder", while his final recording with the band was for the song "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II". The last time he worked with KISS was in July 1991 when they filmed a video for the above mentioned song. Carr's final appearance with KISS was at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1991.


Eric Carr passed away on November 24, 1991 at 41.

During a recent appearance on Mitch Joel's "Groove - The No Treble Podcast", ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello was asked if he and his bandmates knew they had something special when they were working on the music for their classic 1987 album "Among The Living". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "At that time, this music was on the rise. We just had come out with 'Spreading The Disease'. [Singer] Joey Belladonna is in the band. We had a great singer, we had great music — things were working. We knew while writing those songs and knowing the singer we had and knowing what we can do, the next step, I think it all came to play. So as we were writing those songs, we knew it was special. I do think we knew it. But you know what? You can never tell the outside world — you don't know the atmosphere of the outside world, how that's gonna be taken. You know there is a movement going on, but you don't know if this record that you have is gonna match what they're looking for. That is up to chance — for everybody, to be honest. And we had momentum going in for sure, but you don't know actually how it's gonna work. And to be honest, all you can do is do your best — put out your best music — you go out there and you tour your fucking ass off. And that's the program."

"Among The Living", originally produced by Eddie Kramer and ANTHRAX, was the band's third full-length album and featured the lineup of Bello, Belladonna, lead guitarist Dan Spitz, rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante. Building on an underground following with signature tracks such as "I Am The Law", "Caught In A Mosh" and "Indians", the album catapulted ANTHRAX to widespread recognition and earned the group's first gold award. "Among The Living" also marked the height of the band's use of horror and comic book inspirations, with the title track and album cover image based on the Stephen King novel "The Stand", "A Skeleton In The Closet" on King's novella "Apt Pupil", and "I Am The Law" on the comic book character Judge Dredd.

Despite the fact that "Among The Living" was ANTHRAX's third album (following 1984's "Fistful Of Metal" and 1985's "Spreading The Disease"), Ian told Metal Hammer in a 2017 interview that the band wasn't being forced by the record company at the time to make any big commercial breakthrough. "We were under no pressure at all," he said. "We had no time limit for writing or recording. The way we worked back then, when there were enough songs for an album, then we'd go in and do it. We never wrote more than was necessary. In a way, I now regret that situation. We were on such a roll that perhaps someone should have persuaded us to carry on writing. Who knows what else may have come out? When you're in that zone, there's a lot to be said for staying in. I'm not criticizing what's on 'Among The Living', but we may have benefited from being a little less hasty in finishing up the writing side."

Regarding the recording process for "Among The Living", Scott said: "We had just come off the METALLICA tour in the fall of '86 when [METALLICA bassist] Cliff Burton was killed, and we had come off that tour obviously early because of the tragedy. And that's when we started recording that record, pretty much right after that. I feel like the energy just really jumps off that record; you fucking hear how pissed off we are playing our instruments on that record. There's a brutality on that album that you don't hear on the two records before 'Among The Living'. It was just the record of its time; it really was."

When ANTHRAX's "Among The Living" full-album performance at the 2014 edition of the Sonisphere festival was first announced, Ian said: "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away (1986, New York City) we wrote a record that at the time, we had no idea would become our 'signature' record. We had a song about the plight of the American Indian, we had songs about Stephen King characters (Randall Flagg from 'The Stand' and Todd Bowden from 'Apt Pupil'), we had a song dedicated to Cliff Burton and another about John Belushi's clichéd death. We had a song about Judge fucking Dredd and we had a song called 'Caught In A Mosh'. We had songs.'

He continued: "When 'Among The Living' punched the world in the face in 1987, it launched ANTHRAX into a high-speed trajectory that we could barely keep up with. Like going from 0-200 kph in 5 seconds flat. Our heads were spinning as fast as they were banging, and [nearly 35] years later, nothing has changed."

Groove – Episode #83: Frank Bello by No Treble

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner has recorded a guest solo on DEMON HUNTER's upcoming album, "Exile", to be released next year.

Faulkner tracked his parts last night (Tuesday, December 14) at his home studio, The Falcon's Nest, in Nashville, Tennessee with the help of DEMON HUNTER guitarist Jeremiah Scott, who is producing the LP.

A short video of Richie laying down his guitar lead can be seen below.

Most of "Exile" is being recorded at Jeremiah's studio in Nashville, The Southern Oracle.

Scott is an experienced producer, audio engineer and musician who built The Falcon's Nest for Richie after the PRIEST guitarist moved to Tennessee in 2019.

In addition to producing the last few DEMON HUNTER albums, Jeremiah has helmed various recordings from THE TONY DANZA TAP DANCE EXTRAVAGANZA, LIVING SACRIFICE and PROJECT 86, among others.

Faulkner's guest appearance on the new DEMON HUNTER album is believed to be his first recording since he suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during PRIEST's performance at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky in late September. Faulkner was rushed to the UofL Health - Jewish Hospital where the cardiothoracic surgery team needed approximately 10 hours to complete a life-saving surgery.

After Louder Than Life, JUDAS PRIEST postponed the remainder of the U.S. dates on its 50th-anniversary tour, dubbed "50 Heavy Metal Years". The shows have since been rescheduled for March and April 2022.

DEMON HUNTER's latest release was "Songs Of Death And Resurrection", a mostly acoustic and stripped-down effort which came out in March via Solid State Records. Scott produced and mixed the LP in Atlanta, Georgia, and Nashville. He also produced the band's "War" (2019), "Peace" (2019), "Outlive" (2017) and "Extremist" (2014) records.
























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PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix spoke to Dammy Wimmer Presents about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2019's "Who Do You Trust?" album, tentatively due in early 2022.

"We're always trying to push the bar," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We're always trying to raise the bar. We're always trying to bring rock into the future. We're always trying to be ahead of the game and come original with it. And sometimes we hit the mark and sometimes we miss it. But I'm telling you, this time I think we nailed it, man. I'm just over the moon. I'll say it, if we ever made a Grammy-worthy rock album, this is it — straight up.

"I think the process of making this record, we kicked it off the right way," he continued. "We were locked up in quarantine, and we just kept FaceTiming with each other, calling each other, like, 'Dude, I'm going crazy.' Tobin [Esperance, PAPA ROACH bassist] hits me up, 'Bro, what are we gonna do, man? We've gotta do something. We've gotta get creative.' And so we all locked up in this house down south in a place called Temecula and stayed there for a month and just started writing music. And it was like a floodgate opened. And it was, like, 24-7 — literally there was music happening for the better part of 24 hours a day, whether it's editing or engineering or writing or recording or tracking. And by the time we got done with this process at this house, we all left like we were just destroyed. We had no energy left. Everybody needed to just get home and recharge. But it was such a great bonding experience for the boys and our producers and our engineers and just a really special time in our lives. And a lot of walls came down emotionally between us and it really made for great music. And we aired some grievances in the process and really got through some stuff together and came out on the other side of the process of this record feeling like, 'Man, we just went through hell and heaven to make this record. We've got something special.' And it's just really exciting."

PAPA ROACH capped another fruitful year in 2021, after celebrating the 20th anniversary of its landmark album "Infest" last year. Throughout the year, the band teased three new tracks from its forthcoming LP. The first track released to radio, "Kill The Noise", just completed a four-week run at no. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart. This follows "The Ending", which peaked at no. 1 earlier this year (giving PAPA ROACH their ninth no. 1 single and mind-blowing 20th Top 5 single to date). 2021 also marks the band's third Grammy nomination for the remix of "Born For Greatness" by Spencer Bastian a.k.a. CYMEK and the relaunch of the band's own label, New Noize Records, in partnership with ADA Worldwide (WMG's independent label and artist services arm). Capping the year off, the partnership has already achieved 100 million streams to date.

This past October, PAPA ROACH released a new single called "Dying To Believe". The track, produced by WZRD BLD a.k.a. Drew Fulk (ICE NINE KILLS, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE), is a call for human unity and harmony, despite any differences people have.

"Dying To Believe" arrived weeks after the release of PAPA ROACH's previous two singles: "Swerve", which was a collaboration with FEVER 333 frontman Jason Aalon Butler and Los Angeles rapper Sueco; and "Kill The Noise". All three tracks are expected to appear on PAPA ROACH's upcoming eleventh studio album, due via the band's own record company, New Noize Records, Inc., under exclusive license to ADA.

In January 2021, a snippet of a brand new PAPA ROACH song called "Stand Up" was included in commercial for Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) partnership with ESPN.

PAPA ROACH's second greatest-hits collection, "Greatest Hits Vol. 2: The Better Noise Years", was released in March on Better Noise Music. "Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - The Better Noise Years" includes 12 of the band's top 10 hits released between 2010 to 2019 as well as three previously unreleased remixes and two unreleased acoustic recordings recorded live at the YouTube Studios in New York City.

"Who Do You Trust?" was released in January 2019. The disc was produced by Nick "RAS" Furlong and Colin Cunningham except for the song "Top Of The World", which was helmed by Jason Evigan.

In December 2020, PAPA ROACH released a five-song EP, "20/20", featuring "new takes on old jams," including "Last Resort" and "Scars".

German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION will celebrate their 40th anniversary by releasing a new studio album, "Diabolical", on April 8, 2022 via Napalm Records.

As one of the most legendary thrash metal bands in existence, DESTRUCTION graces the wall of fame alongside fellow German acts KREATOR, SODOM and TANKARD. On their 15th studio record, DESTRUCTION brings out heavy artillery full of honest and uncompromising thrash metal, catapulting you straight into the seventh heaven of metallic bliss and causing a massacre of razor-sharp sound no fan of the genre should miss. The title track "Diabolical", the music video for which can be seen below, shows no mercy, showing us a glimpse of what DESTRUCTION have in store for the new LP.

DESTRUCTION singer/bassist Schmier states about the video: "I love the title track of the new record, it represents the album, pure old-school and in-your-face thrash metal! We wanted a video that shows our trademarks, so the Mad Butcher had to be there! It is only his second appearance in a DESTRUCTION video ever but his most remarkable one so far for sure."

After the charging start of opener "Under The Spell", DESTRUCTION shows no mercy on the "Diabolical" title track, with fiery drums, bloodthirsty riffs and hellish vocals that sink deep down into your bones. "No Faith In Humanity" relentlessly rages on with non-stop headbanging action, while DESTRUCTION continues to smash eardrums on "Hope Dies Last" — providing unbeatable brutality with unstoppable speed, destructive verses and screeching voices. "Tormented Soul", on the other hand, is loaded with proper heavy metal and explosive drums. The grand finale of the 47-minute parade of devastation is provided by cover track "City Baby Attacked By Rats", originally by GBH, guaranteeing whiplash by combining rough hardcore punk with brute thrash metal.

DESTRUCTION guitarist Martin Furia states about the new record: "'Diabolical' is an album of extremes. Everything is more brutal and more technical but at the same time more melodic and to the point. It's a pure and devastating DESTRUCTION album with no gimmicks, full of power and adrenaline. I'm excited for what the future is bringing and can't wait to play the new songs live."

"Diabolical" will be available in various formats in different territories, including a digital album and CD (bundled with a t-shirt and an exclusive "Mad Butcher" bust), 1LP gatefold editions in black, crystal clear, marbled yellow/red and silver.

This past August, DESTRUCTION officially parted ways with founding guitarist Michael "Mike" Sifringer and replaced him with Furia. The Argentinian-born, Belgian-based Furia is best known for his work as sound engineer and producer for such bands as NERVOSA and EVIL INVADERS.

Sifringer was the only member of DESTRUCTION to have remained constant throughout the band's career. Schmier appeared on DESTRUCTION's first three albums before exiting the band and being replaced by POLTERGEIST vocalist André Grieder. André's sole recorded appearance with DESTRUCTION was on the "Cracked Brain" album, which came out in 1990. Schmier rejoined DESTRUCTION in 1999.

DESTRUCTION's last studio album, "Born To Perish", was released in August 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was DESTRUCTION's first to feature Randy Black on drums and second guitarist Damir Eskić.

Damir is a Swiss guitar player of Bosnian decent who works as a guitar teacher, himself being a former pupil of Tommy Vetterli (CORONER). He also plays in a heavy metal band called GOMORRA and previously contributed three solos to DESTRUCTION's 2016 album "Under Attack".

DESTRUCTION 2021 is:

Schmier - Bass, Vocals

Martin Furia - Guitars

Randy Black - Drums

Damir Eskić - Guitars

Photo credit: Gyula Havancsák

During an appearance on "The Chuck Shute Podcast", vocalist Biff Byford of British heavy metal legends SAXON was asked to recount a "good story" involving the members of METALLICA. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Back in the day, METALLICA, they supported us. [We played at] the Whisky [A Go Go] club [in West Hollywood in March 1982]. On that night, Ozzy [Osbourne] came to see us. I think we were out having dinner or something before the gig or doing something. And METALLICA was setting up on stage. And I wasn't there. I was there later for their show, but I wasn't there [when they were setting up]. And I had a huge electric fan there in front of me, and I think METALLICA asked if they could use it, and our tour manager said 'No.' So they didn't use it. They didn't talk to us for a long, long time because of that. [Laughs]"

He continued: "I wrote a book, an autobiography, a few years ago, and in the book, I said, 'Look, if you wanna use the fan anytime in the future, it's no problem. You can use it guys.' And they got in touch with me after that. They must have realized that it was a bit stupid. And we got on [and became] big friends after that. So, that was pretty cool."

Back in December 2011, Byford joined METALLICA on stage for the first of four intimate shows at the 1,200-capacity Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only. The iconic metal vocalist performed the SAXON classic "Motorcycle Man" with METALLICA.

It wasn't the first time Biff and METALLICA had surprised their fans with a live rendition of the song: in 2009, Byford joined the San Francisco heavy metal giants in Paris, at Palais Omnisport de Bercy.

METALLICA's second-ever gig was opening for SAXON, and Biff has been a longtime friend of the California band; like many other seminal bands of the genre, METALLICA always recognized SAXON as one of their main influences.

When METALLICA played Sheffield Arena on February 28, 2009, they invited as VIP guests former SAXON members Graham Oliver and Steve Dawson.

"In 1982 SAXON played the Whisky a Go-Go on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood," Graham explained to SouthYorkshireTimes.co.uk. "It was sold out and Steve and me were asked if we would pick out a support band from a pile of cassettes sent in by young metal bands. METALLICA were far and away the best and even though it was only their second-ever gig; we saw their potential and picked them out to play. We have been friends ever since. They have always had a soft spot for us. Over the years, they have cited us as a big influence and we are always welcomed at their gigs around the world. METALLICA have played Sheffield three times and they always treat us as VIPs. At Rock Am Ring — Germany's biggest rock festival — they played part of our song 'Princess Of The Night'. I wrote that riff in a council house in Dryden Road. Back then we were just some kids from Mexborough who once had a dream. To be supported by the band which became one of the biggest in the world, I think that is pretty special. We were sat in the auditorium at Sheffield and they played the old SAXON track 'Heavy Metal Thunder' as their intro track. Kirk Hammett [METALLICA guitarist] told me he loves the solo in that. They played in the round and it was very loud but it was a very pure sound.

"James Hetfield [METALLICA frontman] is a lovely bloke, but their drummer Lars Ulrich is probably the biggest SAXON fan of them all," he continued. "He told us that our 1980 album 'Wheels Of Steel' is his favorite and said it was a benchmark for them. It is hard for someone of my generation to see that. When I meet someone who played at the Woodstock festival, I am enthusiastic about it. I suppose it is the same for them. We were one of the bands to play in the first Donington Festival and METALLICA were a bit in awe and asked us what those days were like."

Kristin Hayter, who records music as Lingua Ignota, has shared a statement detailing alleged sexual and emotional abuse by her former partner, Daughters frontman Alexis Marshall.

Hayter initially accused Marshall of abuse in a tweet on October 13. She then elaborated on those accusations in an interview with Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop, and has since released a written statement detailing abusive behaviour she allegedly experienced from Marshall during their relationship, between July 2019 and June 2021.

In her statement, Hayter claims to have “endured mental and emotional abuse and sexual abuse resulting in bodily harm” from Marshall. Hayter goes on to say she was sexually assaulted by Marshall multiple times while sleeping, and that Marshall “obtained consent through deception, manipulation and coercion”.

She claims that during one “incident of objectifying, violent sex”, Marshall caused Hayter to suffer a severe spinal injury and did not stop when she said she was hurt. “This injury resulted in debilitating pain and physical incapacitation for months,” Hayter continues, adding that she needed surgery to treat the injury, and is still in physical therapy.

“He always denied his behavior, and gaslit me when confronted with irrefutable proof,” Hayter added. “Alexis sustained patterns of lying and manipulation to excuse his behavior; he blame-shifted, minimized, denied, and provoked me so that he could call me aggressive and crazy.

“He used my past of domestic violence against me to claim what he was doing wasn’t that bad because it was not physical battering. He was jealous and resentful of my professional relationships and isolated me from friends. He took advantage of me financially. He blamed me for everything that was wrong in his life.”

Hayter goes on to say that she attempted to take her own life in December of 2020 as a result of Marshall’s alleged abusive behaviour, and that his response was “cold and unfeeling”. She claims Marshall used “threats of suicide and self-harm to manipulate” her, such as when she told him she needed to cut contact with him.

Marshall has denied the allegations in a statement to Pitchfork, saying he “absolutely did not engage in any form of abusive behavior” towards Hayter.

“Kristin is a person that I loved and cared deeply for, however, our relationship was unhealthy for both of us. I can assure anyone reading this that I absolutely did not abuse her, mentally or physically. I am investigating legal options,” he concluded.

Hayter’s label Sargent House, who released her latest album ‘SINNER GET READY’ in August, also released Marshall’s debut solo album ‘House Of Lull . House Of When’ in July. In a statement on Twitter, the label said they ceased working with Marshall in August.

“We made no public statement at that time because we wanted to respect Kristin’s privacy and her timeline for when she felt ready to come forward,” reads a tweet from the label’s official account. “She has now and we continue to stand in solidarity with her.”