METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich has received the HN Award from the Hede Nielsen Family Foundation. The award includes a cash prize of DKK 600,000, which he will donate to three different charities in Denmark: Dyrenes Beskyttelse, an organization that engages in animal welfare at national, European and international levels; Kofoeds Skole, an organization carrying out social work for adults according to the "social pedagogical" principle of personal and vocational empowerment; and Børns Vilkår, which is dedicated to stopping child neglect in all its forms.

Said Lars: "So psyched to announce that I'll be donating 200,000 Danish kroner to three different charities in Denmark, thanks to the good folks at the Hede Nielsen Family Foundation.

"I'm beyond thankful to Henrik and his team at the Foundation for bestowing me with the honor of being the recipient of this year's HN-prize award, marking their 50th anniversary.

"200,000 kroner will go to BørneTelefonen/@bornsvilkar, 200,000 will go to @kofoedsskole, and 200,000 will go to @dyrenesbeskyttelse.

"Please look into supporting these incredible organizations."

According to SDU, Hede Nielsen Family Foundation is a non-profit foundation that receives 1200-1500 applications annually, primarily for further education, research, art and culture.

Certain applicants are prioritized locally, while the overall objective of the Fund is to support candidates who are considered by the presidency and the board for the benefit and promotion of Denmark in general.

The purpose of the Fund is to provide support for cultural, scientific, social and educational purposes as well as other charitable purposes which, according to the discretion of the Board, may be considered as equivalent.

In 2017, METALLICA launched All Within My Hands, a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation as a way for the METALLICA family to give back to communities that have supported the band. Just in 2020, AWMH donated $645,000 to COVID-19-related relief funds including Feeding America, Direct Relief, as well as to charities assisting those in the entertainment and hospitality industries suddenly without work. The foundation's Metallica Scholars Initiative is now in its third year and has fundamentally improved the earning potential for students who become Metallica Scholars.
























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A post shared by Lars Ulrich (@larsulrich)

According to TMZ, TOOL drummer Danny Carey was arrested at the airport in Kansas City after allegedly getting into a fight he got in with someone inside the terminal.

Law enforcement sources tell the site airport police responded Sunday night (December 12) to a report of a disturbance between two men. When they got to the scene, they arrested Carey and transported him to a nearby police station. The 60-year-old musician was booked for misdemeanor assault and was released on bond. The police report is being forwarded to prosecutors for review, and potential charges will follow.

A spokesperson for the Kansas City Aviation Department told Rolling Stone: "Regarding the request for body and dash cam video, our police force does not have this technology. The police report has been forwarded to the prosecutor's office for review."

Carey's arrest comes one day after he performed the Jimi Hendrix song "Fire" at the University of Kansas vs. the University of Missouri men's basketball game in Lawrence, Kansas.

Starting as a jazz drummer, Carey joined TOOL after connecting with singer Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones and practicing with them in place of drummers the two had requested but who had never shown up.

When not performing with TOOL, Danny plays in intimate club settings, participates in drum clinics and takes part in jamming parties with his drum heroes. He is currently a member of THE DOUG WEBB ALL STARS, LEGENDS OF THE SEAGULLMEN and VOLTO.

TOOL formed in 1990 and has released five studio albums thus far: "Undertow" (1993), "Ænima" (1996), "Lateralus" (2001), "10,000 Days" (2006) and "Fear Inoculum" (2019); two EPs: "72826" (1991) and "Opiate" (1992); and the limited-edition boxset, "Salival" (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: Best Metal Performance (1998, "Ænima"), "Best Metal Performance" (2002, "Schism"), "Best Recording Package" (2007, "10,000 Days") and "Best Metal Performance" (2020, "7empest").

"Fear Inoculum" arrived in August of 2019, following years of anticipation. The album debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200, shattering sales and radio records while also earning widespread critical praise.




Tool drummer Danny Carey was arrested for misdemeanor assault at the airport in Kansas City. https://t.co/C7aKNg61p3

— TMZ (@TMZ) December 13, 2021

MASTODON's Bill Kelliher was the featured guest on BBC's "The Rock Show With Johnnie Walker" during the "Rock God" segment. Bill picked RAMONES guitarist Johnny Ramone and stated about his choice (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I was a young kid, all my friends and I used to listen to lots of VAN HALEN and the SCORPIONS and ZZ TOP, and we looked up to all those guitarists, but I could never play that stuff. But when I heard Johnny Ramone, I realized that, 'Wow, this guy is only playing one chord, a power chord.' And I soon realized that everybody was doing it wrong; everybody was trying to be Eddie Van Halen whereas I said, 'I wanna be a songwriter. If Johnny Ramone can write two hundred songs with the same three power chords, then I can at least write a couple.' And that's exactly what I did. When I was 15, I started my first band. I just started playing with some friends and doing RAMONES covers and easy punk rock stuff and just kind of learned along the way. So Johnny Ramone really taught me that you don't have to be super proficient at guitar to be an awesome guitar player. The RAMONES were an amazing band. I saw them many times live growing up in upstate New York — they came through a lot. They put on an amazing show. Johnny Ramone's guitar playing was just like turning on a buzzsaw and not turning it off. So that's why I think Johnny Ramone is a rock god."

Ramone was a founding member of the seminal punk band that broke on to the New York music scene in 1974. Johnny was known for his fast, high-energy guitar playing. His style almost exclusively consisted of rapid down strokes and bar chord shapes. This unique playing style and buzzsaw-like sound of Johnny's guitar parts was highly influential on many early punk rock guitarists and keeps him listed on numerous top lists of the greatest guitar players.

On September 15, 2004, Johnny Ramone died in his Los Angeles home at the age of 55 after a five-year battle with prostate cancer.

Last month, MASTODON was announced as one of the "Best Metal Performance" nominees at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on January 31, 2022, at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center) in Los Angeles, California. The progressive metallers were nominated for their song "Pushing The Tides", the first single from their latest album, "Hushed And Grim", which came out in October.

The follow-up to 2017's "Emperor Of Sand", "Hushed And Grim"was recorded at West End Sound, which is located inside of Ember City, the rehearsal facility that members of MASTODON manage in Atlanta. Helming the effort was Grammy-winning producer/mixer/engineer David Bottrill, who has previously worked with MUSE, DREAM THEATER and TOOL, among many others.

The "Hushed And Grim" artwork was created by longtime MASTODON collaborator Paul Romano, who also designed the sleeves for "Crack The Skye", "Blood Mountain", "Leviathan" and more.

"Emperor Of Sand" debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. That LP was nominated for the 2018 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album," and its opening track, "Sultan's Curse", won the Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performan

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have once again teamed up with toy/collectible company Funko to create a new line of figures based around the band's legendry mascot Eddie. Due in February 2022 are "Stranger In A Strange Land" Eddie, "Somewhere In Time" Eddie, "Live After Death" Eddie, "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" Eddie and "Nights Of The Dead" Eddie. The new figures will be available from Entertainment Earth.

MAIDEN's previous Funko line of figures was based on the albums "Iron Maiden", "Killers", "The Number Of The Beast" and "Piece Of Mind".

Eddie, whose full name is Eddie The Head or Edward The Head (also known as Edward The Great), is a perennial fixture in the often-violent MAIDEN album cover art, as well as ever present in the group's live shows.

Eddie made his first appearance on MAIDEN's debut single, "Running Free", in February 1980. The skeletal character was created by illustrator Derek Riggs, who was the band's sole artist — designing album covers, single covers and t-shirts — until 1992's "Fear Of The Dark" LP, which saw MAIDEN collaborate with Melvyn Grant. Grant was also responsible for 1998's "Virtual XI" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", while Hugh Syme designed 1995's "The X Factor", Steve Stone created 2000's "Brave New World", David Patchett handled 2003's "Dance Of Death", Tim Bradsheet took the reins for 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death", and Mark Wilkinson designed 2016's "The Book Of Souls" and 2021's "Senjutsu".

Headquartered in Everett, Washington, Funko is a leading pop culture consumer products company. Funko designs, sources and distributes licensed pop culture products across multiple categories, including vinyl figures, toys, plush, apparel, board games, housewares and accessories for consumers who seek tangible ways to connect with their favorite pop culture brands and characters.

Funko reportedly holds more than 150 licenses, including Lucas Films, Marvel, Hasbro, Disney and more. The company reported having 777 full-time employees at the end of 2020, 617 of which were based in the U.S.

After Funko's Q3 results were announced on November 4 — beating expectations on revenue and earnings per share (EPS) — CEO Brian Mariotti said: "As a credit to our brand, we are continuing to expand our product categories and fan base, increasing fan engagement and bringing innovative new products to market."

According to InvestorPlace, Funko also got into the non-fungible token market, releasing limited-edition digital card packs that include rare cards. Buyers can trade these rare cards to profit from the collectibles market.




Coming Soon: Pop! Rocks: Iron Maiden. Pre-order your favorites today! https://t.co/CSqbnFPHr6 #Funko #funkoPop #ironmaiden @IronMaiden pic.twitter.com/6Wigk5L9QT

— Funko (@OriginalFunko) December 13, 2021

Nikki Sixx has once again said that the chance for MÖTLEY CRÜE to headline a U.S. stadium tour was the primary reason the band decided to cancel its retirement.

CRÜE fans who shelled out for the band's 2014/2015 "farewell" tour were led to believe that the group would never return after playing its final concert on December 2015 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band touted the signing of a pre-tour "cessation of touring" agreement as cementing the fact it truly was the end of CRÜE's life on the road.

Speaking to the 98.3 CIFM radio station about the CRÜE's decision to reunite for next summer's stadium tour with DEF LEPPARD and POISON, Sixx said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was pretty interesting. We knocked it on the head because we felt like we had said everything we wanted to say. We felt that we were young enough where we had time left on the clock to do other stuff. And I think it ended in a really good way.

"We never intended on getting back together," he continued. "It was the movie [MÖTLEY CRÜE biopic 'The Dirt']… We always knew we were gonna do the movie. And then getting in a studio and making music was, like, 'That was fun.' I was, like, 'Yeah, we'll do some songs for the movie.' And we got the movie. 'It's been great.' High five. 'Tommy [Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer], call me for sushi.' And it started — it just started rolling and rolling. Now there's, like, 83 or 84 million people who've seen the movie, and the phone calls started coming in from around the world.

"We owed it to ourselves to have that conversation, 'cause if three of us were, like, 'Let's go do it' and the fourth was not, that's what the contract was about," he explained. "We couldn't leave two guys behind and go out and have two versions of MÖTLEY CRÜE. So it was an exciting time, something to celebrate. And if there was any hem and hawing, it was around the idea of going and doing arenas. We've done arenas, we've done festivals. We just felt like it isn't gonna get any bigger than how we ended it. And then came the, 'No, no. They wanna do stadiums.' And we were, like, 'Ah, well, that's a little different conversation.' 'And DEF LEPPARD wants to do it with you. The whole thing.' So then it was us and DEF LEPPARD talking, and what do they see. We've played many shows together before, so it was fantastic. And then I think eight [shows] went on sale and sold out, eight more sold out, eight more sold out, and everyone was, like, 'This is gonna be a great run.' And I figured that was gonna be it. And then COVID came and knocked it on its heels, like everybody else, or a lot of people. And then we decided not to tour this year because we weren't comfortable enough yet personally, and maybe it wasn't the right thing for the fans, in our opinion, or for our crew. So during that time, we got to start talking more [about], 'What's Europe look like?' 'You know what? We love Japan. Wow. What a show in Japan.' MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD. If it's POISON and Joan Jett, they stick with us. And those are huge shows in Australia.

"So that's where it is," Sixx added. "And then this fucking mutation of COVID keeps happening. So we're, like, 'Okay, we're doing America. We've got our protocols. We know exactly how we're gonna do it. What's gonna happen in '23?' And we don't know. I've heard omicron is a lot more contagious but it's also a weaker strain so that if people do get it, it's more like a headache or a stomache for a day, especially for vaccinated people. So there's some talk about that's a positive; it's weakening. So we're keeping our eye on all the information out there. And how do we get a stadium tour to Europe, how do we get it to Japan. There needs to be the right safety protocols."

"The Stadium Tour" was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus crisis. Nikki is confident that the trek will finally happen next year. "100 percent — June 19th [of 2022], this tour kicks off in Atlanta, Georgia," he said. "Man, I can't wait. I miss it. My favorite thing is band rehearsal. So all of May, we rehearse and we break down the songs and we get to hang out. Just like we did in 1981, man. There's nobody there; there's nobody coming in and interrupting — it's just the four of us set in a circle. And then we turn and face you and go for it live."

Asked what fans can expect to see from MÖTLEY CRÜE's stage show this time around, Sixx said: "We have some very, very cool things that are in development, let's say. Different than anything we've done before.

"Here's my thought on pyro, by the way. I love pyro," he continued. "If you know anything about me, you're, like, 'Yeah, Nikki used to light himself on fire.' You're not talking to a guy who doesn't like fire. But you're talking to a guy who every time I turn on a baseball game or a football game or some D-level band, they've all got this, like, fire goes up, fire goes down, fire goes up, fire goes down. And I just feel like it's kind of become… For us, we were covered in fire retardant. We had fire shooting at us. I had a flame thrower. So unless you're gonna go the RAMMSTEIN route, who I love, you may need to rethink what can we do to blow your mind. And that's where we're at right now."

When it happens, "The Stadium Tour" will mark the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017, but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts — including JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS — have hit the road together for an extended tour.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

In 2018, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

Fan-filmed video footage of Bruce Dickinson belting out an a cappella version of the IRON MAIDEN song "Revelations" during his December 10 spoken-word show at Usher Hall in Edinburgh, United Kingdom can be seen below.

Earlier this month, Bruce spoke to BBC Radio Scotland's "The Afternoon Show" about his gig at Usher Hall. Asked if it takes a different type of courage to stand in a front of an audience without a backing band and a huge production, Dickinson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's terrifying. It's absolutely terrifying. I've got a little carpet that I stand on, which appears… I requested a carpet to stand on. And there's a little table and a glass of water and, more often than not, a bottle of beer. And that's it. I've got some slides and I just riff around the whole thing. There's a bit of physical comedy involved as well, which I won't go into, but if you are of a nervous disposition and don't like talking about drummers in anatomical detail, then you should stay away. And I hasten to add, there are some naughty bits and I'm not shy of using the odd naughty word from time to time that I couldn't possibly say on the radio."

As previously reported, Dickinson will embark on a two-month North American spoken-word tour in January.

Dickinson is considered one of the world's most storied musicians. Aside from decades spent delivering high-octane performances with his larger-than-life persona in IRON MAIDEN, Bruce has lived an extraordinary off-stage existence too. A true polymath, his accomplishments include: pilot and airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, beer brewer, motivational speaker, film scriptwriter, twice-published novelist and Sunday Times best-selling author, radio presenter, TV actor, sports commentator and international fencer… to name but a few.

Split into two parts, the first section of the show sees Bruce taking a humorous and often satirical look at the world from his own very personal perspective, treating the audience to private insights into his drive and ambition, peppered with plenty of MAIDEN anecdotes, and a myriad of other experiences encompassing not just the giddy heights but also the extreme lows, as told first-hand in his inimitable anarchic style, punctuated with photographs, videos and sometimes even erupting into song a-capella, to illustrate a point.

The final section of the evening is devoted entirely to the aforementioned question-and-answer session, with the opportunity to pose questions on any subject whatsoever. As Bruce's answers will all be completely improvised — the more left-field and quirky the question, the more interesting and compelling the response is likely to be.

Dickinson recently told Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X about his current spoken-word tour, which kicked off in his native United Kingdom in August: "It's hopefully reasonably amusing. It's a look at how a spotty kid from the middle of nowhere ended up being the singer in IRON MAIDEN wearing crazy trousers, and all points in between. And it covers the cancer thing. It covers a lot of the early-days stuff, like how I learned to sing, all the weird stuff that happened to me at school and what formed your personality [and] character — all done with a very dark sense of humor, I hope. And then we take a break, and then the last 45 minutes, one hour-ish is basically improv. And so what I do is I take cue cards from the audience they write on the night, and I arrange them into kind of an improv script. Then I do that. That's the show."

Six years ago, Dickinson had surgery to remove a cancerous lump on his throat. The rocker, who had a golf gall-size tumor on his tongue and another in the lymph node on the right side of his neck, got the all-clear in May 2015 after radiation and nine weeks of chemotherapy.

IRON MAIDEN's 17th studio album, "Senjutsu", was released in September via BMG. The band's first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris.










With the legend , the one and only Bruce Dickinson in Edinburgh!!!!???

Posted by Angela Nagy on Saturday, December 11, 2021



Scream for me Edinburgh

Posted by Bruce Dickinson Corporate Speaking on Friday, December 10, 2021

Multi-camera drum-cam video footage of Jay Weinberg performing the new SLIPKNOT single "The Chapeltown Rag" live with his bandmates for the first time on November 5 at Knotfest Los Angeles can be seen below. The event was livestreamed as it happened, giving fans access to both the studio version and SLIPKNOT's live performance of "The Chapeltown Rag" within only hours of its premiere.

The studio version of "The Chapeltown Rag", which was released on November 5, was produced by Joe Baressi, who has previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and CHEVELLE, among many others.

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor described the song to Knotfest.com as "a punisher," saying it documents what happens when the distortions of mass media circulate within the echo chambers of social media.

"It's classic SLIPKNOT," said Corey about the track, which is inspired by a Netflix documentary he watched about the Yorkshire Ripper serial killer who murdered multiple women in the West Yorkshire, United Kingdom suburb Chapeltown in the late 1970s. "And it's frenetic. But lyrically, it's coming from a point of talking about the various manipulations that can happen when social media meets media itself. And the different ways that these manipulations can try to pull us in different directions, in the fact that we're all becoming addicts to it, which is very, very dangerous."

Recorded during recent sessions for a yet-to-be-announced new album, "The Chapeltown Rag" barrels forward with the speed of a freight train derailing and incisively eviscerates Internet culture from the inside out with the scream, "When everything is god online…nothing is."

M. Shawn Crahan, better known as Clown from SLIPKNOT, added: "'The Chapeltown Rag' facilitates a sort of mindset that you're going to like: it's along the barnburner side of things."

According to Knotfest.com writer Dan Franklin, "The Chapeltown Rag" chorus sees Corey experimenting with vocal approaches he had never taken before.

"I wasn't even sure if that part was going to be the chorus, to be honest," Corey said. "But I just love the way that the chord progression lent itself this weird, chromatic, minor vibe to it, which I had never really done before. I played with it on 'Vermilion' years ago, but I had never really given it a little more aggression. The harmony that I created for it was just so fucking weird as well that it just gives it that slight dissonant vibe, but it's also very, very melodic and hummable. Writing and pulling yourself out of trying to keep it in some sort of structure allows you to just fucking rip the scab off and let the wound be what it is. Then obviously, the big breakdown at the end where it just fucking goes off the rails is is so heavy, dude."

SLIPKNOT's last album, "We Are Not Your Kind", was released in August 2019. The LP sold 118,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, the album made an impact worldwide with No. 1 debuts in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Finland, as well as Top 5 debuts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and New Zealand.

SLIPKNOT recently completed the "Knotfest Roadshow" tour, featuring support from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, FEVER 333 and CODE ORANGE. The 29-date run, produced by Live Nation, kicked off following the band's Knotfest Iowa hometown show in Des Moines on September 25.

Photo courtesy of Jay Weinberg's Instagram / Steve Thrasher

EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM have postponed their show tonight (Sunday, December 12) at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio after the two bands' joint tour was "hit by COVID."

EVANESCENCE announced the concert postponement in a social media post earlier today. The band wrote: "Our tour has been hit by COVID and we are forced to postpone our show tonight in Cincinnati. We were able to reschedule the show for Monday, Dec. 20th, so hold onto your tickets! Be on the lookout for an email with additional information. Please be safe out there! See you soon."

EVANESCENCE added: "Even when you have every precaution in place, you can still get and transmit this virus. Grateful we are all vaccinated and nobody's symptoms are severe. Please be smart and stay safe this season, get the vax, wear a mask, care for one another. We will get through this together".

EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM's tour kicked off on November 5 at in Portland, Oregon and will run through December 18 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

EVANESCENCE and HALESTORM first toured together in 2012. EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee later guested on the track "Break In" on HALESTORM's 2020 "Reimagined" EP and HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale lent backing vocals to the EVANESCENCE song "Use My Voice" and appeared in the accompanying music video.

EVANESCENCE is on tour supporting this year's "The Bitter Truth" album. HALESTORM is promoting its latest single, "Back From The Dead", which recently became the band's sixth No. 1 at rock radio.




Our tour has been hit by COVID and we are forced to postpone our show tonight in Cincinnati. We were able to reschedule the show for Monday, Dec. 20th, so hold onto your tickets! Be on the lookout for an email with additional information. Please be safe out there! ❤️ See you soon

— Evanescence (@evanescence) December 12, 2021








Even when you have every precaution in place, you can still get and transmit this virus. Grateful we are all vaccinated and nobody’s symptoms are severe. Please be smart and stay safe this season, get the vax, wear a mask, care for one another. We will get through this together❤️

— Evanescence (@evanescence) December 12, 2021

Canadian hard rockers Shot Down Twice will release their upcoming, self-titled EP on January 21st. It follows their debut, Got Up Once.


“After many months of work, and after numerous highs and lows, we are beyond thrilled to release our second EP, aptly named Shot Down Twice We’ve dug real deep this time to create a hard rock EP that will are really proud of. We had a blast working on it, and we think that’ll come through and you’ll be able to feel that when you listen to the music. It’s a full ride and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Cheers to all,” says the band.


Watch the video for the first single "Talk To Me":










 

On August 18, 2021, Heart vocalist Ann Wilson played a solo show at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire. She's since uploaded video of her performing Led Zeppelin's "Going To California", during the encore of that concert.  





Catch Ann Wilson live at Rockfest in Los Cabos, Mexico on May 13, 2022. 







 

In a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules, SAXON frontman Biff Byford was asked at which point he and his bandmates started to reap the finical benefits of their success. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't think we ever did, to tell you the truth. I don't think I can remember having a big, fat check. You have to remember that in '83, around the 'Power & The Glory' time, is when we really started to break America. And I think something happened with the record company at that point. We were touring with [IRON] MAIDEN — a pretty big tour — and then halfway through, it sort of stopped. So I don't really know what happened. Maybe because you had to buy on the tours back then. I don't know. Something happened and we were taken off and I think FASTWAY was moved up the bill and someone else on before them. I don't know. Maybe there was a lot of political talking going on behind our backs. There's people who said that [IRON MAIDEN singer] Bruce [Dickinson] didn't like the way we were going down. I don't know if that is true or not, but it has been said.

"At that point, [around] 'Power & The Glory', we could have broken America quite big," he continued. "We should have broken America on 'Wheels Of Steel', but it was a French [record] company [we were on], so they really didn't know what the fuck they were doing. 'Crusader' was the first headline tour we did of America, and that was with ACCEPT, which was very, very successful. I just think that, for some reason, 'Wheels Of Steel', 'Strong Arm Of The Law' and 'Denim And Leather' didn't really have enough momentum in America as MAIDEN's albums did, for some reason. I think it's down to management and record company. I think 'Denim And Leather' and 'Strong Arm Of The Law' are just as good as 'The Number Of The Beast'…

"A lot of American people, ['Power & The Glory'] is their favorite [SAXON] album," Biff added. "It was the first time we ever saw some of them, and it was the first time we got airplay — MTV. And I think we were on the Billboard charts at some point with 'Power & The Glory', and the tour was absolutely massively successful. So it was a great tour to be on. I just think that whether it was our manager that decided we could do it on our own, or something happened, and it just didn't quite take us far enough, if you know what I mean. In some states in America, we were massive, and in other states we couldn't [draw any crowds]. And that's the problem — I don't think we had the record sales in America that anybody else had. So I don't think we had that big check. 'Power & The Glory' didn't sell a million albums in America when we were there. I think if it had, then that would have given us the power to go on and to get quite a lot of money. The way it was then, I don't think it was set up for the band to make any money. At that point there, we could have broken America. 'Power & The Glory' could have been a platinum album — definitely."

SAXON will release its 23rd studio album, "Carpe Diem", on February 4, 2022 via Silver Lining Music. The LP was produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) at Backstage Recording Studios in Derbyshire with Byford and Sneap mixing and mastering.

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson is parting ways with several signed pieces of the band's gear.

Ellefson's official merchandise site has listed five signed MEGADETH-related items, including an album-used Hamer 12-string bass guitar (price: $1,500), a tour-played black Jackson CBXM IV David Ellefson X Series signature bass ($1,500), a tour-used Jackson X Series David Ellefson signature series concert bass CBX five-string bass guitar ($2,500), MEGADETH tour-used Hartke Hydrive 8x10" cabinets in flight cases ($4,000) and a MEGADETH tour-used flight case with five Hartke LH1000 Heads ($6,500).

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH earlier this year after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson was accused of grooming an underage girl through videos and online messages. David has denied the allegation and has repeatedly said the woman in question had been a willing, consenting adult at the time of their virtual sexual encounter. Ellefson accompanied his denial with an alleged screenshot of a statement from the woman with whom he was supposedly involved at the time. In it, the woman admitted to recording the alleged intimate communications she had with Ellefson and called herself "naïve" for sharing them with a friend without the musician's permission.

David was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Dave Mustaine, alleging the MEGADETH frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

David, a Christian who launched the Mega Life Ministries worship group in 2007, studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis nearly a decade

On August 14th, German thrash legends Kreator perfornmed at the Bloodstock Open Air at Catton Hall and Gardens in Walton-on-Trent, England. Pro-shot video of "Extreme Aggression" can be viewed below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


"Violent Revolution"
"Extreme Aggression"
"Phobia"
"Terrible Certainty"
"Satan Is Real"
"Hordes of Chaos (A Necrologue for the Elite)"
"Hail to the Hordes"
"666 - World Divided"
"Enemy of God"
"People of the Lie"
"Endless Pain"
"Phantom Antichrist"
"Fallen Brother"
"Flag of Hate"
"Betrayer" (with Dani Filth)
"Pleasure to Kill"







Kreator have released a recap video for their performance at Bloodstock. Watch below.


Says the band: "Hordes of Bloodstock Open Air! Thank you for joining us for an evening of chaos and unleashing the demon on Catton Park... we'll be back soon."

STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis has once again accused the U.S. Democratic Party of being responsible for the "systemic racism" that exists in the country.

The outspoken conservative rocker, who reinvented himself as a solo country artist in the last decade, voiced his views before performing his new single called "Am I The Only One" during his December 9 concert at Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox in Spokane, Washington.

He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm gonna be 50 in April. So I've been around the block a couple of times and I know what's truth and I know what's bullshit. And really what the Democrats are asking me to do right now is to forget the last 45 years of my life and only remember the last five. And I'm sorry — I can't do that. I know the truth. And something tells me that everybody in this room knows the truth too."

Lewis paused before continuing: "Well, that was pretty good. I got through that one with a 'G' rating. I might not be in trouble tomorrow for that one. That was pretty gentle." He then quickly changed his tone, adding: "Fuck that! The Democrats did it all. They did. Go find an old history book — an old one, before they got a hold of it. 'Cause I remember history. I liked history class. I paid close attention. I know who owned the slaves. I know who started the KKK. I know who voted in all the Jim Crow laws. And I now know that the same fucking people are trying to teach our children to hate each other for the color of their skin. Same folks. Same folks.

"There's your systemic racism throughout history of the United States Of America — it's the Democratic party," Aaron said. "And that's the truth. And they'll fact-check me and crucify me tomorrow for it. But that's okay. Because the truth shall set you free, motherfuckers."

In recent months, Lewis has repeatedly accused the Democratic Party of fighting against every major civil rights initiative and of having a long history of discrimination.

According to a "fact-check" article that was published by USA Today in June 2020, historians agree that although factions of the Democratic Party did majorly contribute to the Civil War's start and the KKK's founding, it is inaccurate to say the party is responsible for either.

As the Democrats introduced policies to support voting rights, it became the favored party for most black voters and has remained so since. With that realignment, many racist voters who opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 left the Democratic Party to become Republicans.

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.

Cradle Of Filth have checked in with the following update:


"Who’s proudly repping their 'Hail Santa' sweater for Save The Children UK Christmas Jumper Day today? Tag us in your photos! ⁣


Our fully knitted 'Hail Santa'  holiday sweater is available to ship now. Head on over to Probity Worldwide and Night Shift Merch for yours!"







Cradle Of Filth released their new album, Existence Is Futile, on October 22nd via Nuclear Blast. The album consists of 12 new tracks with a total playing time of 54 minutes.





Tracklisting:


"The Fate Of The World On Our Shoulders"
"Existential Terror"
"Necromantic Fantasies"
"Crawling King Chaos"
"Here Comes A Candle… (Infernal Lullaby)"
"Black Smoke Curling From The Lips Of War"
"Discourse Between A Man And His Soul"
"The Dying Of The Embers"
"Ashen Mortality"
"How Many Tears To Nurture A Rose?"
"Suffer Our Dominion"
"Us, Dark, Invincible"
"Sisters Of The Mist" (Bonus track)
"Unleash The Hellion" (Bonus track)


Check out Aaron Small's Bravewords feature here.


"Crawling King Chaos" video:

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of their album Deaf To Our Prayers, Heaven Shall Burn have announced the release of a vinyl re-issue of this timeless genre classic.


Remastered for vinyl by the band’s very own Alexander Dietz, this masterpiece, which was originally released in 2006, will be available on March 4, 2022, as Gatefold LP featuring special liner notes and comes with a new track running order for an ideal vinyl side split.


The band states, “After the international success of Antigone, for the first time we felt something like pressure from expectation while working on the new record. We all were very busy with our school and studies at that time. Yet Alex had already integrated himself very well into the band and immediately took on an important role in the pre-production and recording.




“Although the expectations of labels and fans were quite high, we were not aware of how important DTOP should be in retrospect.


“Songs from DTOP are an indispensable part of an HSB live show today and the opener ‘Counterweight’ is an example of the musical influences and the attitude of the band. We are still very proud of the record and hope you have as much fun with the great gatefold vinyl as we do!”


Find preorder options here.





The vinyl version will be available in the following colours:


-Black vinyl, unlimited
-White vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at EU onlineshop
-Transparent blue vinyl, limited to 500 copies worldwide, only available at CMDistro Wholesale EU & EU onlineshop
-Transparent green vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at EMP
-Orange vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at Nuclear Blast
-White-black haze vinyl, limited to 500 copies worldwide, only available at Impericon Bandshop
-Red vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at Impericon Bandshop
-Hot Pink vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide, only available at centurymedia.store US onlinehop

Following the surprise release of their 7" vinyl single titled “Last Christmas” a few weeks ago, Scandinavian all-star outfit At The Movies is back to present the world with the third single off their upcoming albums, The Soundtrack Of Your Life - Vol. 2 (featuring movie hits from the ‘90s) and The Soundtrack Of Your Life - Vol. 1 (reissue featuring movie hits from the ‘80s), both set for release on January 7 through Atomic Fire Records.





Guitarist Chris Laney recalls, "This is just one of those songs that got to me the second I heard it back then. It has that melancholic melody that I so love. When I heard Linnéa's and Björn's vocal takes on it, ‘I just died.’"




If there are two things that we ever-arguing humans can agree on, it’s movies and music. A close inspection of all those iconic, generation-defining, mind-blowing flicks of the ‘80s and ‘90s reveal that it’s the very amalgamation of the two that does the trick: There’s no blockbuster from that era that doesn’t have an equally legendary theme song or soundtrack.


Explosive all-star assembly At The Movies are fully aware of this. On their rocking cinematic spectaculars The Soundtrack Of Your Life – Vol. 1 & 2, the super group led by Chris Laney (Pretty Maids) turn some of the most memorable and quintessential film songs of the ‘80s and ‘90s into hard rocking, entertaining versions you most certainly haven’t heard before nor ever expected to. Grab your popcorn, take a seat: we’re At The Movies, the lights go down and the show is about to begin.


“I just love to disappear for a while. Shut out the real world and just think of something else for two hours – even more so last year,” Chris Laney says of his passion for movies, citing E.T. as his all-time favorite. “I was watching all these movies during lockdown because I had literally nothing better to do,” he remembers. “I confess that I am a sucker for rom-coms like Music And Lyrics with Hugh Grant. This film features this unbelievably cheesy song ‘Pop Goes My Heart’ and I just loved that song!,” the Swede laughs. “I instantly needed to make a demo of that song right away because I wanted to find out how it would sound as a rock version.”


Just for fun, he sent it to Danish drummer Allan Sørensen (Royal Hunt) who was equally excited about the prospect of interpreting famous theme songs. “And that’s what started it all,” Laney shrugs. “We were simply looking for something to have fun within these times so I called up a couple of friends and everybody was very eager to join.” Laney's musician "friends" -- namely Björn “Speed” Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra), Linnéa Vikström (Ronnie Atkins, Therion), Morten Sandager (ex-Pretty Maids), Pontus Egberg (King Diamond, Wolf), and Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall) -- would ultimately form the super group that is At The Movies. “I am blessed to be friends with all these talented people,” says Laney. “I played in bands with some of them, I worked with some others individually, played live or simply met them on the road. The interesting thing is that we still haven’t been in the same room. Yet.”


With Volume 1 focusing on the ‘80s, At The Movies offers their wildly entertaining and uplifting take on classics like “St. Elmo's Fire” (from St. Elmo’s Fire), “We Don't Need Another Hero” (from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome), “The Power Of Love” (from Back To The Future), and “The Neverending Story” (from The Neverending Story). “Picking songs was fairly easy,” the mastermind explains. “I knew that I wanted to focus on the non-rock songs. Of course, there are great ones like ‘Danger Zone’ or ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ but they already are rock songs. We wanted to see what happens when you take disco songs or these huge and dramatic pop ballads and turn them into rockers. In the end,” he laughs, “this meant replacing lots of saxophone with electric guitars.”


Volume 2 directly plunges into the ‘90s. “Waiting For A Star To Fall” (from Three Men And A Little Lady), “When You Say Nothing At All” (from Notting Hill), the riff-heavy rocker that once was Jennifer Paige’s teen pop soundtrack anthem “Crush,” or the furious glam rock extravaganza “Venus” make it pretty clear that their only agenda was fun. After all, why would a troupe of well-established heavy metallers take on a song like “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys? “We were going for songs you wouldn’t normally take on as a rock band,” Laney tells us. “What we were asking ourselves all the time was: can we get away with this? And of course, we can because we have nothing to lose. We can do whatever we like.” He marvels, “We never actually thought anybody would care about that but then all of a sudden, the uploaded songs became quite popular. And there we were, doing song after song. Every Thursday at 7:00pm.”


With the parallel re-issue of Volume 1 (including a bonus track) and the brand-new Volume 2, At The Movies proves to be movie lovers with a heart of rock and a penchant for fun. Recorded remotely, brought together in Chris Laney’s home studio, both installments of The Soundtrack Of Your Life offer up some of the finest blockbuster entertainment on a Hollywood scale, paving the way for future cinematic endeavors. “We’ll figure something out soon,” Laney is sure. “I would love to do a Disney special but I’m not sure Disney will like it. Maybe we’re going back to the ‘60s. You never know.” What we do know, however, is the guarantee of success once this all-star vessel hits festival stages. Chris Laney concludes, “What could be better to open up a day at a big festival with songs like these?” What indeed.





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


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


Pre-order here.





The Soundtrack Of Your Life - Vol. 2 tracklist:


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


Pre-order here.





(Photo - Christel Mentges)

Frontiers Music Srl has released The Inner Side, the debut album from Italian symphonic metal band, Agarthic. Check out a lyric video for the song "A Heaven Inside This Earth" below.


The Inner Side was recorded under the direction of producer Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Archon Angel, Timo Tolkki’s Avalon, etc.). Order/save The Inner Side here.


Based in Northern Italy, Agarthic was founded in 2019 by composer and bassist Mattia Gosetti and vocalist Valeriano De Zordo. The two musicians, tied by a strong friendship, had already worked together several times over the past years, but mostly just some shows and theatrical performances and never a proper band.




"As a big fan of rock and metal music, I've always followed with great enthusiasm the release of albums by labels. I remember reading album booklets when I was just a kid, dreaming to see my name printed on one of those one day... who would have ever imagined that happening with one of the most important labels of today?" says vocalist Valeriano De Zordo. "For several years, I've been really interested in knowing all the ancient legends and mysteries about the forgotten history of our planet, especially the theories about the hollow earth. I've always been fascinated by it. And when this chance to make an album was offered, the task was quite easy....all I had to do was to combine my two major passions and turn all these themes finally into music!" continues De Zordo.


Adds composer and bassist Mattia Gosetti, "My greatest passion is to write musical stories, to create soundtracks for romantic adventures and fascinating places. I am really proud to have been noticed by a successful label like Frontiers Music, in whose roster there are many of the most famous bands in the world. The enthusiasm for the signing of the contract and the collaboration with Aldo Lonobile, an artist that I have always esteemed and admired, has been fundamental for the realization of this symphonic metal concept. I am experiencing an artistic growth that I would have never hoped for and I will never be grateful enough for all this.”


Valeriano has been active in several bands in the area of Belluno, singing both covers and original music, which brought him recognition thanks to his melodic timbre and great ability as a performer.


Mattia is a symphonic rock composer, with his works mostly dedicated to the history of land located on the Alps, musical tales that he often presents in theater settings. His deep passion for symphonic rock has always been apparent, but in particular when he and his wife won the "Elan Cover Contest”, an international competition organized by Nightwish.


The band's line up is rounded out by two other talented Italian musicians, Jesai Fiabane on guitar and Denis Novello on drums.


Agarthic's music is strongly inspired by the nature that surrounds them, in particular by the Dolomites, a mountain range in Italy. Their compositions tell stories of fantasy and mysteries of humanity, a romantic and enveloping soundtrack that will take you on a thrilling journey with cinematic flavor.





Tracklisting:


"The Beginning Of All"
"The Ancient Secret Scroll"
"A Journey To The End Of The World"
"A Heaven Inside This Earth"
"Through The Mystical Forest"
"Message From The Gods"
"Back Home"
"Negotiations Failed"
"Escape To Antarctica"
"Last Journey"
"Illuminati's Reign"


"A Heaven Inside This Earth" lyric video:





"The Ancient Secret Scroll":





"A Journey To The End Of The World" video:





Lineup:


Valeriano De Zordo - Vocals
Mattia Gosetti - Bass, Orchestral Synth
Jesai Fiabane - Guitars
Denis Novello - Drums


Guest vocals on “Negotiations Failed” by Fabio Lione
Guitar solo on “Negotiations Failed” by Aldo Lonobile
Rhythm Guitars by Federico Maraucci
All choirs by Valeriano De Zordo, Mattia Gosetti, Marco Pastorino and Sonia Da Col

After releasing their digital EP We Are Nøt Okay in early 2021, rising German-Austrian nu-metal stars Oceans recently unveiled their new digital single "Sulfur" via Nuclear Blast.


Today, they return with yet another pummeling, driving, yet melodic and most of all melancholic anthem, titled "The Awakening". The single comes with a beautiful music video that can be seen below.







Timo Rotten comments: “’The Awakening’ is a love letter to the people who are here for us at our darkest. At that moment when you hit rock bottom and fall into the void of nothingness. No hope, no light, just emptiness. But then someone reaches out and pulls you out of this misery. We want to thank you. You know who you are!”





"The Awakening" is part of the digital EP Hell Is Where The Heart Is - Part I: Love, which will be released on January 14. Pre-save the EP here.


Previous single "Sulfur" is both harsh and emotional, driven by heavy guitars, brutal drums, desperate screams, and eventually uplifting clean vocals. The single comes with a haunting music video, that you can watch below. Get the single digitally, here.


Timo Rotten comments: “'Sulfur' is a love song but in a very unconventional way. You know the situation: you and your loved one get into a serious fight, doors slamming and all. And then sometimes, things are being thrown at each other that shouldn’t have been said… words that sting like knives. This is where love burns like sulfur.”


Get the official "Sulfur" merchandise, here.





Oceans is:


Timo Rotten - Vocals, Guitar
Patrick Zarske - Guitar
Thomas Winkelmann - Bass
J.F. Grill - Drums

Queensrÿche singer Todd La Torre recently joined The Metal Voice guys as they counted down their top 10 Metal albums of 2021.





During the chat La Torre revealed that he will be releasing a second studio album he said, "Craig Blackwell (guitarist) has already started writing ideas. Obviously, I am in the middle of Queensrÿche music and we will be recording in the beginning of January 2022. But once that is all done I will dig into my solo stuff and then I think I might also do an EP of melodic black metal. However, the next solo record I will do with Rat Pak Records will be in the same vein of my first solo record, more of that style."







La Torre’s solo debut, Rejoice In The Suffering, came in at #28 on our BravePicks 2021 countdown. Read more about it here.

Thomas Zwijsen has released the new video below, featuring an acoustic guitar cover of Iron Maiden's "The Prophecy", from the 1988 album, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. The extended acoustic outro features Wiki Violin and Thomas on acoustic guitars, bass and mandolin.





In a previous clip, Zwijsen performs an acoustic cover of Iron Maiden's "Darkest Hour". The song is featured on the band's new album, Senjutsu.

This past spring, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie joined forces with Canadian rockers FALSET, who feature in their ranks his son, drummer Chance LaBrie, to record a cover of the MÖTLEY CRÜE classic "Kickstart My Heart". Asked in a new interview with Kyle Meredith how the track came about, James said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My son, he's in FALSET. They came up to me. Chance and the guitar player Zach [Copeland], who also is the singer in the band, they just said, 'Hey, would you be willing to sing on this track?' Because I used to be in a band back in the '80s called SHOCK CANDY and we used to cover a lot of MÖTLEY CRÜE. I've always thought Nikki Sixx [MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] is a brilliant freakin' musician and writer and I did love MÖTLEY CRÜE. So, anyways, they knew about that and they said, 'You have a history. You sang this stuff.' I said, 'Yeah, for sure.' And they said, 'Well, would you be willing to do this track?' And I said, 'Absolutely. Let's go for it.' So I sang it in my studio here in my house and we had a great time. And Zach also sang on that as well and he should be credited."

He continued: "But here's the crazy thing: so my tour manager who's been our tour manager, DREAM THEATER's tour manager, for the last — oh my God — almost 20 years, Rikk Feulner, he e-mailed me and he said, 'Hey, man, I just got an e-mail from Mick Mars [MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist], and he heard the track and he absolutely loves it. He thought you guys did a brilliant job.' So when I told my son and his bandmates that, they were flipping out. 'No way.' It was really cool."

When FALSET's cover of "Kickstart My Heart" was first released in early June, James said: "To cover MÖTLEY CRÜE's 'Kickstart My Heart' with FALSET was both a blast and reminiscent of when I was in a band called SHOCK CANDY back in '86. SHOCK CANDY was a MÖTLEY CRÜE cover band and I had one hell of time touring with this band. Needless to say, when asked to be involved and sing this MÖTLEY classic with FALSET, I jumped at the opportunity."

He added: "The CRÜE was always to me that raw, down-to-earth, kick-ass rock band that many acts wish they could imitate and attain, but such heights were enjoyed by very few, and the CRÜE did it and played it like no other.

"Hope you all enjoy this cover by FALSET and myself and do yourself a huge favor and check out FALSET's originals. This band has it all going on — great structure, killer riffs and undeniable hooks. They are an undeniable emerging musical force to be reckoned with.

"Crank this tune up to maximum and see you all out on tour sometime soon."

Added Chance: "I remember as a kid I'd always look up to my dad. I thought being in a band and travelling around the world to play songs was the coolest job ever. I still think that. Flash-forward to now and we are now dropping a song together… it's absolutely crazy. We all had a lot of fun working on this one. We hope you enjoy this homage to the great MÖTLEY CRÜE."

FALSET released its debut album, "We Follow Or Lead The Way", in October 2020. Produced by Zach Copeland and mixed by Nolly Getgood (PERIPHERY, DEVIN TOWNSEND), the LP combines metalcore, modern rock, djent, and prog elements highlighted by heavy-hitting breakdowns, soaring melodic vocals, and virtuosic guitar solos for a collection of exciting and memorable material.

STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet says that he turned down an opportunity to produce an album from former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate because he "didn't want to cause any problems with the friendships" he has with members of the current QUEENSRŸCHE lineup.

Sweet shared the details of his proposed collaboration with Tate in a social media post on Wednesday (December 1). He wrote: "Interesting story: I had the opportunity to write and produce an album for Geoff Tate. I was contacted by Frontiers Music srl and asked to do so. Geoff was also on board (hopefully he won't threaten my well being by saying so). Although I thought long and hard about the opportunity, I didn't want to cause any problems with the friendships I have with the band. And there were a few other factors involved as well.

"Fast forward a few months later when I was in Brazil performing a solo acoustic set and guess who's sitting right in front of me, front and center? Geoff Tate and his wife Susan! Let's just say that I was sweating a little more than usual that night;-) Geoff and Susan were gracious, kind and sat through the entire set and were even singing along to a few tunes. I of course announced that Geoff was there as he raised his glass of wine to the crowd. It was a night to remember for sure.

"After the show I met with Geoff and Susan backstage and we discussed the possibilities. I wasn't definitively certain that I would not be working with him at that moment so we left it with 'let's talk soon' and that was it. When I returned home I decided that it wouldn't be in the best interest of either one of us to work together. At least at that time.

"Although I've never really gotten to know Geoff, he was gracious to me and treated me with respect. It was and is a moment in time that I will never forget."

Current QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre was a featured guest on the song "Son Of Man" from Sweet's tenth solo album, "Ten", released in October 2019 via Rat Pak Records in North America and Frontiers Music Srl in Europe.

Back in 2014, Sweet told "The Shoe With Miles Schuman" radio show that the settlement between Tate and his former bandmates in QUEENSRŸCHE over the rights to the group's name "worked out for the best. Even though Geoff, obviously, is well respected and people know who he is — he's got such a name and [was] such an integral part of the QUEENSRŸCHE of the past — QUEENSRŸCHE is, in my opinion, the band," he explained. "The band, with Todd, that, to me, is QUEENSRŸCHE. It'd be like me continuing on by myself and saying that I'm STRYPER. That's not right, and that's not the way it is. So I think it worked out. The fact that they were able to work out their differences and move forward in a healthy way, I think it's awesome, and I have more respect for all of them."

He continued: "You know what? I love Todd, and I think they're an incredible band. Todd deserves to have and to get what he has, because he's such a great person and such an immense talent, and the world needs to see more of him, man, and the boys in QUEENSRŸCHE with Todd."

Regarding whether he understood why Tate initially wanted to continue using the name QUEENSRŸCHE for his new group even though none of Geoff's former bandmates wanted to work with Geoff again, Sweet said: "Sure, I do. Because you can't take the fact away that… and you can't change the story that Geoff isn't a talented guy. I think he was voted one of the best singers of all time, and he loves music and loves to perform, I'm sure, and that's his passion. So you don't wanna take that away from him. But at the same time, there's integrity and there's a way to do things, and there's a wrong way to do things. But then again, I wasn't in QUEENSRŸCHE, so I don't know every little detail and I'm not the authority on all things QUEENSRŸCHE. I just know what I believe, and I know Todd personally, and I know the guys personally. And I just have to say that I admire them as people. Eddie [Jackson], Scott [Rockenfield]… all of them… Michael [Wilton]… I mean, they're all just good guys, man, and they're such a great band, and they deserve what they're getting; they deserve to move forward with the name, I think."


Interesting story:

I had the opportunity to write and produce an album for Geoff Tate. I was contacted by Frontiers...

Posted by Michael Sweet on Wednesday, December 1, 2021

In a new interview with Kyle Meredith, SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian was asked if he has any plans to record and release more solo rock music following the arrival of his "Elasticity" EP this past March. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "'Elasticity' was really fun to put out, actually, because it was very full of life; it was very moving. Something like the song 'Your Mom', which people were just, like… it was blowing their minds, which was fucking awesome. And I enjoy doing the rock stuff, and I still have more rock songs, and they'll probably come to me at a particular time. But mostly I've been focusing on scoring, art, putting out a lot of releases. By the end of this year, I counted, I will have had a dozen releases of things. That includes two films, two soundtracks. We're putting out two live records in November and December with F.C.C. on tour, my backup band, from 2008 and 2009. And we're doing the NFT thing. We had a live gallery exhibit in July. We did 'Elasticity'. 'Truth To Power' and 'I Am Not Alone', both films came out, both soundtracks came out. Two cinematic records, a piano concerto called 'Disarming Time'. It's this 24-minute incredible modern piano concerto I did that I love. And also I put out my poetry collection — my poetry suite, which is a whole record of poetry with cinematic music that we released later this summer. So it's kind of wild, man. It's been a year of probably the most releases I've had. And it's just whatever comes. If rock comes, I do rock.

"Right now, I literally right now, right before we connected, I was working on… I just created a concept for a — I don't wanna say 'opera', but it's more of a very unique choral world with classical instruments," he revealed. "I'm thinking of calling it 'Invocations'. And this is the first time I'm even talking about it, 'cause I literally just figured this out.

"I have these incredible, incredible tracks that I've done over time, a couple of which I've released on cinematic stuff or soundtracks, but they are in that world where they just pull your spirit out of your body with the sounds and the instruments and the vocals. And so I'm thinking about operatic singers, death metal singers, everything in between, full choir, full orchestra, and just a really wild concept to do live. And maybe record it or maybe replicate it in different areas of the world.

"So that's where I am this week," Serj added. "But by the end of December, I might be writing more rock songs. So I don't know. The answer to your question is it all comes. And when it comes, it comes in a uniform. When it comes in a rock uniform, I fucking rock it. When comes in a classical uniform, I 'classic' it.' [Laughs]"

"Elasticity" was the SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer's first solo release since 2013's "Orca". Upon its arrival, "Elasticity" received widespread accolades, with New York Magazine saying the collection sees Tankian's "rock-and-roll impulses return in vibrant, mischievous form," Loudwire dubbing it "an exercise in eccentricity," and The Ringer praising the five-song EP, saying Tankian's "full range of … writing talents are on full display."

The Los Angeles- and New Zealand-based musician previously stated about how the idea for "Elasticity" came about: "When I conceived possibly doing another record with the guys from SYSTEM OF A DOWN a few years back, I started working on a set of songs that I arranged in rock format for that purpose. As we weren't able to see eye to eye on the vision going forward with an SOAD album, I decided to release these songs under my moniker."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN hasn't released a full-length album since the "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" LPs, which came out in 2005.

Led Zeppelin have released Episode 6 of the new video series, The History Of Led Zeppelin IV.


A message states: "'Four Sticks' was released as the B-Side to the US single, 'Rock and Roll' in March 1972.  Learn more in the History of Led Zeppelin IV Episode 6."







Watch Episodes 1 - 5 below:

Swedish black/death metal pioneers, Necrophobic, announce that their highly acclaimed album, Hrimthursum, which was originally released in 2006, is digitally available again on all streaming and download platforms as of now. A Ltd. CD Jewelcase in slipcase and a Gatefold LP version with double-sided poster will be released through Century Media Records on February 11.





Here are the vinyl variants available for Hrimthursum:




- Gatefold Black LP & Poster – Unlimited
- Gatefold White LP & Poster – 1000x copies via CM Webshop / CM Distro Europe & all USA outlets
- Gatefold Blue LP & Poster – 300x copies via CM Webshop Europe
- Gatefold Silver LP & Poster – 300x via EMP & Nuclear Blast


Click here to listen to Hrimthursum or to pre-order your physical copy of the album.


The official video for “Blinded By Light, Enlightened By Darkness from 2006, directed by Magnus Göthlund, can be viewed below.


This new edition of Hrimthursum marks the start of a series of long overdue digital and physical re-releases of the band’s entire back-catalogue. Each of the nine releases will be available as Digital Album, of course on vinyl and as CD Jewelcase in slipcase, so watch out for more to come soon!


The band states: “We are pleased to announce the beginning of a comprehensive re-release campaign for the entire Necrophobic catalogue via our label Century Media Records. We will be re-issuing the best possible editions of all our previous releases throughout the next year, starting with the long awaited Hrimthursum and then Death To All. All reissues will come true to the original versions but optimized for the LP/CD/Digital formats and are fully endorsed by the band (unlike some of the previous versions…) as well as assembled by us. We can’t wait to get these records available again. Thank you for the support!”

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss recently released their first new album in fourteen years, Raise The Roof, via Rounder Records. In celebration, the've released the video below, featuring "Can't Let Go", performed live from Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios.





Watch "Trouble With My Lover" and "Searching For My Love" from the same performance:










Like its platinum-selling 2007 predecessor, Raising Sand - which won six Grammys, including Album and Record of the Year - Raise The Roof delivers new takes on songs from legends and unsung heroes of folk, blues, country and soul music.


Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios, sessions for Raise The Roof began in late 2019 and wrapped just weeks before the world went into lockdown. “One of my favorite parts of this is the songs and songwriters that I had never heard of,” says Alison Krauss. “Working with Robert, and with T Bone, is always a great education in music history.”


Raise The Roof includes deep cuts by Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, The Everly Brothers, Anne Briggs, Geeshie Wiley, Bert Jansch, Calexico and more. “It’s such a far cry from everything I’ve done before,” says Robert Plant. “I love the whole kaleidoscope of music that I’ve explored, but this is a place where you can think within the song, you can decide how to bring home an emotion. It’s another blend that we’ve got, and long may we have more of them.”


Order Raise The Roof here.





Raise The Roof tracklisting:


"Quattro (World Drifts In)"
"The Price Of Love"
"Go Your Way"
"Trouble With My Lover"
"Searching For My Love"
"Can’t Let Go"
"It Don’t Bother Me"
"You Led Me To The Wrong"
"Last Kind Words Blues"
"High And Lonesome"
"Going Where The Lonely Go"
"Somebody Was Watching Over Me"


"Somebody Was Watching Over Me":





"It Don't Bother Me":





"Can't Let Go" lyric video:





"High And Lonesome":

Today (December 10), Swedish doom lords Sorcerer release their new cover single and music video, "Waiting for Darkness", to all major digital platforms via Metal Blade Records.


Before gearing back up to write on their new studio album for Metal Blade Records, and to have some fun during the pandemic vacuum, Sorcerer shows reverence to their musical heroes and influencers. On this list of respect there is of course no escaping rock 'n' roll rebel, Ozzy Osbourne. Sorcerer chose the final track of Ozzy's 1983 solo album Bark At The Moon, "Waiting for Darkness", to be the fourth single and powerful finale of their 4-track digital (only) EP, Reverence.


The full cover EP Reverence is available now on all digital platforms. Order here.







Tracklisting:


"Gates of Babylon" (Rainbow)
"When Death Calls" (Black Sabbath)
"Crusader" (Saxon)
"Waiting For Darkness" (Ozzy Osbourne)














Sorcerer lineup:


Anders Engberg: Vocals
Kristian Niemann: Guitar
Peter Hallgren: Guitar
Justin Biggs: Bass
Richard Evensand: Drums

Edge Of Paradise have released a cover of The Who classic, "Love, Reign O'er Me". Add the song to your music library here, and watch a music video below.





Says the band: "Thank you so much for being a part of our world! Thank you Howard and Neil for recreating the story of this song with us!"