EVERY TIME I DIE says that it is working on its issues with singer Keith Buckley "privately."

On Friday (December 3), the Buffalo-based band announced that it would play the last three concerts of its current tour without Buckley, explaining that the frontman was taking time off from the road to "rest and prepare" for the band's upcoming holiday shows, the annual events dubbed "'TID The Season".

Buckley later issued a statement on social media in which he accused his brother, EVERY TIME I DIE guitarist Jordan Buckley, and his other bandmates of platting "to replace me this entire time." He added that he was being "ostracized" from the band he had "built for 20 years because I made a decision to do whatever it took to be a good human being."

Earlier today, EVERY TIME I DIE announced that it was canceling the last three shows of its current tour and clarified that it was trying to resolve its issues with Keith before next weekend's holiday gigs.

"We apologize to the fans this weekend for the cancelation of the remaining 3 shows of the Radical tour," the band wrote.

"Keith Buckley is a crucial member of EVERY TIME I DIE and we apologize if our previous statement made it seem as if he was in recovery or came off as insensitive to the issues at hand. We are working on things privately now.

"Please give us a moment. And we will all see you at Tid The Season."

This past July, Keith revealed that he was nine months sober after separating from his wife of over a decade and starting a new relationship. He talked about his decision to get clean during the pandemic in a recent interview with Alternative Press. He said: "One of the first things I realized was that I really liked who I was when I was drunk. That's a very strange thing to say for a lot of people because there's such negative connotations to it. But I always felt like my day-to-day was so overrun by other people's shit, their energy, their words, their requests, their needs. Drinking just helped center me and get me back to my own vibe. I was, like, 'Okay, that's a feeling that I cherish. What do I need to do to get to that without drinking?' I stopped drinking, and then I really just chased it, like, 'What do I love, and what don't I love?'

"The cool thing about the pandemic was clocks didn't matter," he continued. "Daylight didn't matter. It was a perfect chance to just sit and be with yourself and understand how you worked. I actually liked being that vulnerable person that I was when I was drunk. Why don't I just be vulnerable all the time? So I'll stream, and I'll do a Patreon where there's literally a camera in my house. How much more vulnerable could I get?

"It works well because, aside from being a social experiment in vulnerability, it is also a way that I found to make it financially stable to where I don't have to actually go get a job and risk my health or my daughter's health. I could stay here surrounded by the people I love. I could be vulnerable as long as I want to, and then if I feel like I'm starting to get uncomfortable, I can just shut it down. I'm learning how to be truthful in what I say and making sure that if I am vulnerable, I don't mentally check everything that I'm saying."

EVERY TIME I DIE's ninth studio album, "Radical", was released in October via Epitaph.

"'TID The Season" will take place in EVERY TIME I DIE's hometown of Buffalo, on December 10 and December 11. The band will also support post-hardcore act UNDEROATH on the road early next year.




We apologize to the fans this weekend for the cancelation of the remaining 3 shows of the Radical tour.

Keith Buckley is a crucial member of Every Time I Die and we apologize if our previous statement made it seem as if he was in recovery or came off as insensitive to…..

— Every Time I Die (@everytimeidie) December 4, 2021








…the issues at hand. We are working on things privately now.

Please give us a moment.

And we will all see you at Tid The Season.

— Every Time I Die (@everytimeidie) December 4, 2021

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE frontman Matt Tuck spoke to NME about the fate of the six songs which were recorded during the sessions for the band's recently released self-titled album but were left off the final track listing, to be made available at a later date. Asked if the unreleased material follows in the same direction as "Bullet For My Valentine", Tuck said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They're part of the same writing and recording process. Some of them are quite different and unique. We didn't want wanna put them on 'cause they were curvebally. But they were curvebally enough to have a spotlight on 'em post-album. We wanted the album to be a really solid, cohesive body of work from front to back and we didn't wanna throw too many creative curveballs in the album. We thought it was actually better to keep them off for standalone singles post-record and maybe have some kind of really crazy EP maybe at the end of the cycle, just so people can hear them, so they get the light of day. But, yeah, they're heavy, they're interesting, they're pushing boundaries and they're super exciting."

As for whether he thinks BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's next album will be a mixture of 2018's "Gravity" — which he had previously described as "probably our most mellow/experimental record" — and the self-titled LP, Tuck said: "It really depends. In a year's, two years' time, whenever we decide to kind of get involved with that, we're just gonna do what we do — we're gonna see what comes out, what feels natural, what makes us happy, what makes us scared, what makes us motivated. And coming off the back of 'Gravity' and this album, we're just gonna that whole process of confidence and no-fear attitude into the writing process, and as soon as we start smiling and high-fiving, that's when we'll know we're on the right track."

"Bullet For My Valentine" arrived on November 5 via via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. The LP was written beginning in September 2019 with longtime producer Carl Bown, who co-produced the band's 2015 album, "Venom", and produced and mixed "Gravity".

"Gravity" saw BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's catalog surpass one billion streams in the U.S. That accomplishment solidified BULLET's status as one of the most elite bands in the hard rock scene.

PRETTY MAIDS singer Ronnie Atkins, who is battling stage four cancer, will release his new studio album, "Make It Count", on March 18 via Frontiers Music Srl. The music video for the LP's first single, "Unsung Heroes", can be seen below.

"Make It Count" will arrive almost one year to the day after the release of Atkins's last solo album, the critically acclaimed "One Shot".

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

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

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

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

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

Recording lineup:

Ronnie Atkins: Lead And Backing Vocals

Chris Laney: Rhythm And Lead Guitar, Keyboards

Allan Sørensen: Drums

Pontus Egberg: Bass

Morten Sandager: Keyboards

Linnéa Vikström Egg: Backing vocals

John Berg: Guitars

Oliver Hartmann: Guitars

Pontus Norgren: Guitars

Anders Ringman: Acoustic guitars

Track listing:

01. I've Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)

02. Unsung Heroes

03. Rising Tide

04. Remain To Remind Me

05. The Tracks We Leave Behind

06. All I Ask Of You

07. Grace

08. Let Love Lead The Way

09. Blood Cries Out

10. Easier To Leave (Than Being Left Behind)

11. Fallen

12. Make It Count

The 57-year-old Atkins was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 and underwent at least 33 radiation and four chemotherapy treatments in the fall of that year before being declared cancer-free. In October 2020, he announced that his cancer had returned.

In a 2013 interview with Myglobalmind, Atkins joked that the secret to keeping his voice in shape was "twenty cigarettes a day and little drink now and then."

Formed in early 1982 by Atkins and guitarist Ken Hammer, PRETTY MAIDS' third album, 1987's "Future World", is still today regarded as a "classic."

During the ensuing years, PRETTY MAIDS continued to release albums usually followed by European and Japanese tours.

PRETTY MAIDS' latest album, "Undress Your Madness", came out in November 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Author & Punisher, the alias for visionary San Diego musician-meets-mechanical engineer Tristan Shone, returns with the melody-laden new album, Krüller (February 11, Relapse Records), featuring a suite of upgraded machines, a distilled vocal process and a handful of guest players including Tool’s Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor.


A taste of the  record arrives with today’s release of “Drone Carrying Dread,” and the accompanying, graphically-saturated video. The clip was directed by Monte Legaspi and features illustrations from album cover artist Zlatko Mitev.


“’Drone Carrying Dread’ was the first song I wrote on Krüller,” explains Shone of the album that thematically was inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s Parable series. “I had just gotten home from the final tour of the Beastland album cycle and I spent a couple weeks updating my overall tones with a nice balance of sub, saw/synth and tube amp. This track was basically the one where it all clicked and I had these chords that resonated just right, shaking the entire warehouse. It's a simple but raw progression that was ripe for the addition of synthesizer programming from co-producer Jason Begin (Vytear). Lyrically, it's about escape and survival, as the events that were unfolding in 2020 were prophesied by the books I was reading throughout the year.” 




Shone began work on Krüller after returning from his opening slot with Tool across the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, before being cut short due to the March 2020 lockdowns. "Melody has been and is still a part of my sound," says Shone. "I've always bathed them in a lot of reverb, delay, and distortion, though. This time around, I was bothered by the wall of distortion I had created. I wanted a little more clarity. I wanted to refine the sound. I wanted to step back from my own show and analyze it a bit. I had all these competing distortions that I wanted to streamline. I like contrast and wanted the vocals to be immediately noticeable. There's something about mixing punishing drones and rumble with a mellow thing on top that I really like on Krüller.” Shone’s digitized snarls rightfully had their place on earlier tracks like “Doppler,” “Terrorbird,” and “Nihil Strength,” but contrasting mellow vocals atop Author & Punisher’s unparalleled heft made dynamic sense. Indeed, with Shone’s singing on songs like “Drone Carrying Dread,” “Maiden Star,” and the exceptional translation of Portishead hit “Glory Box,” Author & Punisher have projected an air of uncertainty around the steely, often slow-motion grind.


Part of the Krüller revamp included refining the machines that have become synonymous with Author & Punisher. As a result, Shone is also launching a bespoke audio gear company called Drone Machines to coincide with the release of Krüller. The gear company launch follows nearly two decades of Author & Punisher honing in on his craft - meticulously inventing, machining, experimenting, and creating custom musical instruments for his incredible live performances and recordings.


Krüller pre-orders are available here with the 8-song, 52 minute collection available on a selection of limited-edition vinyl variants, CD, cassette and digitally.





Tracklisting:


“Drone Carrying Dread”
“Incinerator”
“Centurion”
“Maiden Star”
“Misery”
“Glorybox” (Portishead cover)
“Blacksmith”
“Krüller”


“Drone Carrying Dread” video:





(Photo by: Becky DiGiglio)

Heavy metallers, Spirits Of Fire, have announced their return with new vocalist Fabio Lione (Angra, ex-Rhapsody Of Fire), who joins original members Chris Caffery, Steve DiGiorgio, and Mark Zonder on their second album, Embrace The Unknown. The album will land on February 18.


Produced by Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Archon Angel, Sweet Oblivion), Embrace The Unknown sees Spirits Of Fire picking up where they left off on their debut, with Caffery's skillful songwriting and fiery fretwork leading the charge. A new single and video, "A Second Chance" is out today.


Watch the video below, and pre-order/save Embrace The Unknown on CD/LP/Digital here.




Heavy metal supergroup Spirits of Fire first formed in 2017, released their first single in late 2018, and unleashed their debut album in February 2019. Originally formed by Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Death, etc.), Mark Zonder (ex-Fates Warning, Warlord) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (ex-Judas Priest), the band's self-titled debut was met with fan and critical praise upon its release. As it approaches two years since the release of their debut, Spirits of Fire are now set to return with a new album, Embrace The Unknown that sees renowned Italian metal vocalist Fabio Lione taking over frontman duties for the band. Production this time comes courtesy of Aldo Lonobile, whose recent work on releases by Archon Angel featuring Zak Stevens, Sweet Oblivion featuring Geoff Tate, and his own band, Secret Sphere, makes him the perfect fit for the band.


Once again, the band worked on a set of songs that were primarily put together by Caffery, with Lione and Lonobile adding their own touches to Caffery's stellar songs. The final result sees a killer musical output that continues in the vein of “classic Priest meets Savatage” sound that the band has pursued since their formation. With Caffery's renowned guitar playing, the undeniable power of the rhythm section of Di Giorgio and Zonder, and the world class vocals of Lione, Embrace The Unknown sees Spirits Of Fire pushing their sonic stamp further and further. From the biting riffage of the charging "Embrace The Unknown", the band is firing on all cylinders and prepared to appease the heavy metal gods.


Spirits Of Fire are built to deliver classic in-your-face heavy metal and they have accomplished that goal on every level on Embrace The Unknown. From Lione's soaring vocals, to Caffery’s guitar pyrotechnics, to the propulsive and crushing rhythms of Di Giorgio and Zonder, the performances are stellar from beginning to end. There is no shortage of memorable, metal hymns to raise your fist and bang your head to on this all killer, no filler metal journey.





Tracklisting:


"A Second Chance"
"Resurrection"
"Wildest Dreams"
"Into The Mirror"
"Embrace The Unknown"
"My Confession"
"Sea Of Change"
"Shapes Of A Fragile Mind"
"Hearts In The Sand"
"House Of Pain"
"Remember My Name"
"Out In The Rain"


"A Second Chance" video:





Lineup:


Fabio Lione - Vocals
Christopher Caffery - Guitars
Steve Di Giorgio - Bass
Mark Zonder - Drums

Finnish heavy metal band Midnight Bullet is set to release their fourth studio album, Hostile Resistance, on March 4th 2022 via Inverse Records. "Rain On Me" is a first track from the upcoming album and sets the pace right from the first hits. The song represents exactly the straightforward energy that band wanted to bring back to the new record as well.


Check out the official video below.







Frontman Tuomas Lahti: "So awesome to put out new song for our friends out there! This song is about social media and how people are desperately trying to reach attention. Sometimes this kind of acting isn’t healthy and this can detach you from reality. Social media can be very useful tool for marketing and reaching out fans or friends, but unfortunately sometimes it’s very easy to see how people are posting pictures only because they want to have some attention. People sometimes use social media just because they want to pose or beg attention."





Tracklist:


"Rain on Me"
"Hostile Resistance"
"Paranoia Obsession"
"Wait and See"
"Rise and Fall"
"Dead Redemption"
"Take Me Away"
"Enemy Number One"
"Last Escape"
"Angel of Babylon"


Photo by Kristian Pekkala

DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan spoke to the Radio Rock 106.6 radio station about his love affair with Portugal where he has lived part time for more than a decade. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I have a few places in my heart that I call my spiritual homes. And that all started with Beirut, with Lebanon, back in the '60s. And I would since include then Japan, Poland, Italy, Brazil, for sure, and Portugal. These are very close to me.

"Between the tours, going all my life, really, you take a break… It's a strange situation, if you're a traveling musician, because you go away for a long tour and you don't see your family and when you get home, you wanna put your feet up and watch some sport on TV, and your family has all got their suitcases packed and say, 'Right, let's go on holiday,'" he explained. "I'd just come back from being from the road. And so, of course, I have to go on holiday because it's a wonderful time to share with your family. But it means you're never really home and you're constantly traveling.

"We had some fantastic times, when we were younger, in the Caribbean; I used to go there regularly — two or three times a year — between tours," Gillan added. "My wife and daughter used to fly out and we used to go scuba diving and have a great time. Then, of course, we were thinking about buying a place there, but it's a long way for relatives and friends to go for a weekend. So we started looking at Spain, and then we came to Portugal. A friend of mine lent me a house here, and then I started renting and I fell in love with the place. It's very similar to home. The Portuguese have a very similar sense of humor; they like to laugh a lot. And the beer is really good. The bread is really good. I can buy a loaf of bread for 70, 80 cents. I can get a beer for 80 cents. And in England, a beer is… it's five pounds, six euros for a beer. It's a no-brainer. And, of course, then there's the weather; the weather's pretty good too. So long story short, about 15 years ago, I stopped renting and I bought a house here. So I spend half my free time in Portugal and half my free time at my family home in England."

Gillan is best known, of course, as the lead singer and lyricist for the truly legendary DEEP PURPLE but his musical career takes in other avenues too. Upon leaving PURPLE in 1973, Gillan subsequently formed THE IAN GILLAN BAND (around late 1975/early '76) and the band simply called GILLAN in 1978. After a spell fronting BLACK SABBATH, Gillan rejoined a reunited DEEP PURPLE IN 1984. He left the band briefly in 1989 but rejoined a couple of years later and he performs with them still today across the world.

DEEP PURPLE's latest studio effort, an album of covers titled "Turning To Crime", came out on November 26 via earMUSIC. The LP contains DEEP PURPLE's versions of great rock classics and musical jewels — including songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan, FLEETWOOD MAC, Bob Seger, CREAM and THE YARDBIRDS — carefully chosen by each member of the band.

Phill Rocker has released a new video for “Keep On Riding” featuring Richard Fortus on lead and rhythm guitars, James Lomenzo on bass, Brian Tichy on drums, and Alessandro Del Vecchio on piano and keyboards. The track was produced by Phill Rocker with pre-production and lead vocals recorded at Dynamix Studio by Ricardo Fernandes, mixed and mastered by Ronnie Björnström.





Phill Rocker is a singer/ songwriter/ musician and solo artist.




His debut album Hard To Bleed was released on January 29, 2015. The album is full of great musicians and hard rock references, featuring the following special guest musicians:


Guitarist Doug Aldrich, bassist James Lomenzo, drummer Brian Tichy, guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboardist, pianist and percussionist Dizzy Reed, singer Tim "Ripper" Owens, drummer Dusty Watson, Ricardo Fernandes, Gonçalo Pereira, Rui Rocha, Nuno Correia, Mario Percudani, Miguel Aguiar and João Paulo Aça.


The album was written and produced by Phill Rocker, co-produced by Ricardo Fernandes and Swedish producer Tobias Lindell. Mixed by Tobias Lindell and mastered by Thomas Plec Johansson.

Belgium’s Wiegedood release their new track and music video for “FN SCAR 16” today via Century Media Records. Watch the video, which was created by Jaak De Digitale, below.





“The SCAR (Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle) is a family of gas-operated (short-stroke gas piston) automatic rifles developed by Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal (FN) in 2004. This family of rifles consist of two main types. The SCAR-L, for "light", is chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge and the SCAR-H, for "heavy", is chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO. Both are available in Close Quarters Combat (CQC), Standard (STD), and Long Barrel (LB) variants,” states Wiegedood.




Wiegedood about the new album: "There’s Always Blood At The End Of The Road focuses on the filthiest and most disgusting parts of human nature and society. It steers clear from the typical Black Metal themes and concepts, instead zoning in on the struggle we lead within, trying to overcome the fact we are all made from that same filth. Exploring places the previous trilogy didn’t even scratch the surface of, both lyrically and musically. A first-hand look into pure disgust, a psychotic ride with synths, tape-recorders, hot club jazz and distressing samples. A definite switch from our previous work, a dark turn into something unexpected and unwelcome.”





Being dedicated road dogs, the band will embark on a European tour following the release of the album. The first part will be supported by Portrayal Of Guilt.





Wiegedood is:


Gilles Demolder (guitars)
Wim Coppers (drums)
Levy Seynaeve (guitars & vocals)

After releasing The Dark Delight album in 2020, the Swedes Dynazty now return with their next full length announcement. Titled Final Advent, the new offering is slated for release on April 8th, 2022 (AFM Records). Recorded by Dynazty in Stockholm, Sweden and by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, Denmark. Mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen. Cover art created by Gustavo Sazes.

Singer Nils Molin says about the album: "When the Covid-pandemic stopped us from touring on The Dark Delight, we decided to shift our focus and instead set out to make the most cohesive and definitive album and version of ourselves yet. Game plan: No filler, all killer. And in my opinion we hit home and knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s our most intense album thus far and is without doubt carrying some of the strongest songs we’ve ever written. And to top things off, the performances from the whole band is next level. Couldn't be happier about the work done! Final Advent is the ultimate form, the ultimate version of Dynazty."

Legendary heavy metal drummer Vinny Appice spoke to the "All Access Live! With Kevin Rankin" podcast about his unique and powerful drumming style which has anchored the rhythm and power live and in the studio for the music of DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, LAST IN LINE, AXIS, Rick Derringer, John Lennon and more. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I always say 'I go where no man has gone before' where some of these fills start. See, I play in the song. Whatever I do, I get into the song. I don't play on top of the song. I hear a lot of drummers can play on top of the song and they're just playing the song. I'm inside of that song, and that's the way I hear the stuff. It's kind of like an artist painting pictures, and I'm in there putting the colors in it. And I just hear it like that — fills that could go over the bar, maybe a bar and a half. And they start in an odd place. And luckily, that worked for me with SABBATH. SABBATH, I didn't do quite as much because SABBATH was so legendary, you had to keep that in your mind that this is BLACK SABBATH and there's a certain way to play fills that are a little darker maybe — not so much snare drum; more dark stuff. And then with DIO, anything went. And Ronnie [James Dio] never had a problem with me playing… nor did SABBATH; they never said 'don't play a fill there' or anything like that. And Ronnie, I'd play over his vocal line. We kicked each other in the ass. When I hear him starting to go, I go, 'Woah, dude.' Now something comes out of me that got inspired; he inspired me. We fed off each other, absolutely."

Appice went on to say that his recorded parts change and evolve when he is performing the songs live. "Like one night, [DIO] played 'The Last In Line', and at the third verse, [Ronnie] goes, 'And you never, never, never come home.' And then one night, he kept it going. He went, 'Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never…' He kept it going. And I just heard that and I followed him," Vinny said. "And we went, 'That was cool, dude.' And we still do that. I'm playing with LAST IN LINE now with Vivian [Campbell, former DIO guitarist]. And we do that. Andy Freeman [LAST IN LINE singer] and I, we worked it out so that part's in there.

"See, I'm always listening," Appice continued. "Drummers, you've gotta listen to what's going on on stage. I don't close my eyes and space out. I look around. I'm scanning the stage. If I'm hearing somebody playing something, maybe I'll jump on it. And that keeps it really exciting. That's why I don't play the same stuff every night. Certain fills are the same. But then I go kick in the ass as much as I could."

Vinny has recorded and co-written songs on several dozen albums and CDs, including many multi-platinum records. Vinny's drumming can also be heard on numerous movie soundtracks, including "Wayne's World 2", "Heavy Metal", "Iron Eagle" and "Bedazzled". Vinny, the author of drum instruction book "Rock Steady" and DVD "Hard Rock Drumming Techniques", has performed incredible powerhouse drum clinics around the globe. Numerous books have been written about BLACK SABBATH and DIO with the authors always mentioned Vinny's drumming style.

Swedish/Canadian/American melodic death metallers ARCH ENEMY have released another new song, "House Of Mirrors". Mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen, an accompanying music video for the track — directed by Grupa13 — will premiere at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET today.

Guitarist Michael Amott comments: "Musically, this is an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and finally it got finished. It all started with the guitar motif that kicks off the track, which naturally leads to the galloping '80s-metal feel of the verses. As is always the case with us, we had quite a few different arrangements and demos of this song until it was, dare I say, fuckin' perfect!"

Frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz adds: "'House Of Mirrors' is a song that twists its way into the human psyche. I wrote the lyrics during a dark time of strict, dystopian lockdown, and I think people will be able to relate to that feeling of being totally alone — but never truly alone — when you are surrounded only by past and future versions of yourself as company."

"House Of Mirrors" marks the second new ARCH ENEMY track to be made available in four years, following the October 21 arrival of "Deceiver, Deceiver".

In the fall of 2018, Amott revealed that he had commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to the "Will To Power" album. Released in 2017, that disc marked the second ARCH ENEMY LP since the departure of longtime singer Angela Gossow and addition of ex-THE AGONIST frontwoman White-Gluz. It was also the first ARCH ENEMY disc to feature former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis, who joined the band in late 2014.

Jeff, who was the main songwriter in his previous group, NEVERMORE, was not involved in the writing for "Will To Power".

In a 2018 interview with All That Shreds, Jeff said that he had "a lot of musical ideas" that he was hoping to contribute to ARCH ENEMY in the future. "I did write three or four songs for ['Will To Power'], but they didn't make it, only because it wasn't in the style that they were looking for," he said. "Fortunately enough, I was able to play guitar solos on the latest album, so that makes me happy."

Four years ago, Amott said that Loomis is "a strong songwriter" in his own right, "but not in the style of ARCH ENEMY, I feel. He's always writing and recording with his own stuff," he explained. "He has a project called CONQUERING DYSTOPIA, he has his solo stuff, [and] he obviously wrote most of the NEVERMORE stuff. I've always respected him, and continue to respect him, as a guitar player — he's amazing and an amazing human being; he fits in perfectly. [There's] a great chemistry [between us]. But, you know, I've always written most of the music, so it's difficult to… I don't really wanna change the sound of the band too much. The band sort of started around my songwriting and my ideas, and those continue to be the most dominant ones, I guess. But, you know, who knows [what can happen] in the future?"

In January 2019, ARCH ENEMY released a compilation, "Covered In Blood", of all cover songs the band has recorded throughout its career.

Federal Prisoner commemorates the one-year anniversary of the release of Greg Puciato’s solo debut album, Child Soldier: Creator of God, and the soundtrack to his livestream performance, Fuck Content, with the free release of the livestream event.





Federal Prisoner, the label Puciato co-founded with artist Jesse Draxler, reissues both the studio album and the livestream’s soundtrack with new limited-edition vinyl variants. The pair of vinyl releases mark the first time the two albums have been available on the format since selling out of their initial pressing. Each album will be a 2LP release, with Child Soldier: Creator of God available on metallic swirl, and Fuck Content on clear vinyl with a new Draxler-designed gatefold layout. Pre-orders for the 500 hand-numbered online variants are available now via the Federal Prisoner webstore with an additional two unique 500-count variants going to both North American and European retail in the spring.




Puciato is currently in the studio wrapping up work on the follow-up to Child Soldier: Creator of God. Titled Mirrorcell, it is expected to see a late spring 2022 release via Federal Prisoner, with more details to come in January.


(Photo - Stephen Odom)

In a brand new interview with Metal Edge magazine's "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley", founding JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, who is promoting the debut album from his KK'S PRIEST project, spoke about the circumstances that led to his departure from PRIEST more than a decade ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In 2010, we were all going to retire, we were all going to finish the band. That was the plan. We had decided, and we were putting together the press statements and everything announcing [the final tour]. And they asked us to pick a title for the farewell tour, hence 'Epitaph', which was there. I decided I wasn't gonna do that farewell tour because I really didn't know if I was gonna enjoy it. And after a lifetime of success and my whole legacy, I didn't wanna do a tour that I really felt I wasn't gonna enjoy. And so I opted out of that last tour, And then, a few months later, I changed my mind. I was talking to Ian [Hill, PRIEST bassist] about doing [the tour] and [asked him] to send the setlist over, but they sent the press release out [to the media announcing my departure]. And that made me really angry then. So I sent a sharp letter in to Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist] and Jayne [Andrews, PRIEST manager] — very sharp letter — because I felt that they had made their decision anyway. They'd found somebody new. And I thought that was the wrong thing to do because it's changing the course of history."

Downing also talked about the fact that PRIEST didn't approach him to rejoin the band when Tipton — who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease seven years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of the band's latest album, "Firepower". He was replaced by "Firepower" producer Andy Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

"I was shocked and stunned when they didn't give me a call, because I was sitting there waiting for an opportunity," K.K. said. "Okay, they got Richie [Faulkner] in [to replace me in 2011] — they wanted him — but at some point, I felt that there would be an opportunity, whenever that may be. So when Glenn handed the guitar over to Andy, I was in disbelief. I consider Andy a friend — I'd been to his studio and worked up there, and we talk. And he will admit himself — even in his own band HELL, he wasn't a lead guitar in that band 'cause Kevin [Bower] was the lead guitar player. So I thought that was extremely odd because it has changed the course of history for the band, really. But I kept asking them, 'Are you sure the door [is closed]?' Because Andy always said that he would step down any time for me to [go] back [to the band], and he said in the press that he would do it as long as they asked him to do it. And they've since said that Andy is just their touring guitarist, so they only have one guitarist, it seems to me. But anyway, [it was] not to be. They set their lawyers on me and didn't want any part of me, so I just [decided to] move on."

Downing left PRIEST amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

In his 2018 autobiography "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", Downing wrote that he told Tipton and Andrews that he had "hated" them both "since 1985." Earlier this year, he explained his outburst to Classic Rock magazine: "I was angry. Glenn had formed a relationship with Jayne from day one, and it felt a bit like a John-and-Yoko situation. I didn't like that."

Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens was asked by The Rock Shop With Ralph if he would ever like to settle down and be in just one band again instead of being involved with so many different projects. He said: "Well, I can't be in one band. I couldn't just be in JUDAS PRIEST if they asked me to do it nowadays, unless they were gonna pay me more than they did before.

"I'm a musician," he continued. "This isn't the old days. Everybody's in other bands and other projects and things. I sit at home and make money recording and I make money touring with other people. If I did just one band, I would have to have a regular job, and you wouldn't see me tour; I wouldn't have time to tour.

"There's people out there saying, 'I wish you did one band [only].' … Listen, it'd be great if my band was like IRON MAIDEN and we were making that kind of money. Then I would be all right."

Owens previously told KNAC.COM in a 2019 interview that he approaches every project with the intention of it evolving into a full-fledged band.

"Listen, the goal is always to make something and stick with it," he said. "It's funny, because I will have people say to me, 'Well, I don't want to buy that record, because I don't know if it's going to be a band.' Well, maybe if you buy the record first, it might become a band. [Laughs] If people say 'I won't buy it' because of this reason or that reason, then the labels are going to say, 'Never mind.' [Laughs]"

Owens also repeated that the main reason he is involved with so many different groups is a financial one.

"There's people that know everything [about] music out there that are always offering me tips on how to run my career," Owens said. "They're, like, 'Tim, you need to be in one band.' Well, if I were in one band, I would be working a 9-to-5 job 50 hours a week to pay my bills. [Laughs] I'm a musician. This is my job. So if I was a fan of music or of George Lynch, Doug Pinnick, I'd want to get all of their stuff. If Rob Halford put out a solo record, a FIGHT record or a JUDAS PRIEST record, I'd be all over those records. Why? Well, because I'm a fan."

Tim's latest comments echo those he made in a separate interview with All That Shreds. Asked if he would like to stay in one band instead of having multiple projects, or if he likes the diversity of going from project to project, the singer replied: "I would love to stay in one band. Unfortunately, people wouldn't see me or hear me very often, because I can't afford to tour like that. I'm not 20 and I have a lot of bills, a lot of commitments. My kids, you know... There's just no way to do it. Yeah, it would be great to put out a record, but then it would cost me about $30,000 a year just to put [out] a record, so there's no chance in doing that. This is a really different era."

He continued: "Listen, I love it. Here's the thing, if people around the world wanted me to be in one band, then they would buy that record around the world and I wouldn't have to worry about it. But they don't buy enough records to support it anyways. So I can't afford it.

"I make my living as a lead singer, as a musician. Young bands start off and they try to be in one band, but they are young bands who start off not having bills and… You know what I mean? I couldn't make a living off of what I made in JUDAS PRIEST back then, so that's just how it is. That's the way the world is now. It's totally different. I have to make a pretty good amount of money to make a living."

Adding that he is "busier" now and he makes "a lot more money " than he did while he was in PRIEST, Owens reiterated that his lifestyle requires him to be on the road most of the time.

"I'm not saying bad things about JUDAS PRIEST," he said. "They treated me well and paid me well. It's just you get older and you have more commitments and you do more things. I do a lot of things and I made a life that I have to be busy. I didn't make a living on a minimum wage McDonald's salary. If I did that, I'd probably be better off. [Laughs] I should have probably not set the bar so high."

Owens is currently in a new band called KK'S PRIEST with ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST's debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", was released on October 1 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke to BBC Radio Scotland's "The Afternoon Show" about his upcoming spoken-word gig at Edinburgh's Usher Hall on December 10. 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.

MEGADETH's Brazilian-born guitarist Kiko Loureiro has uploaded a new 14-minute video in which he answers a number of fan-submitted questions. You can now watch the question-and-answer session below.

Asked if he has learned anything from playing with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine for the past six years, Kiko said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, yes, man. Oh, yes. I don't know if you're asking about guitar stuff, but I think my answer would go more, like… I learned watching him strive to be unstoppable, to be strong, to search for excellence, to demand excellence from everyone, and everyone delivers excellence, delivers their best. Leadership… What else? I don't know… Fight for your case. Fight for your music. Fight for your band. Fight for your fans. Being an artist, being creative [and] combining all those things — being professional and at the same time creative and at the same time having fun while you're doing the stuff. Yeah, a lot of experience in the music business as well — in the music business in general, in the show biz.

"And regarding guitar as well, the thrash metal essence," he continued. "All the rhythms — mainly the rhythms and then the attitude and the force, the vibe, the drive, the intensity. So, all those things while you're playing. Mixing the technical things with a lot of energy — like metal with punk with attitude. I think I'm a way better rhythm player because of just hanging and playing with Dave for all those years — since 2015. Also composing — he composes in a very different way than I do. And I think watching and learning from the way he does as well.

"So, yeah, a lot of stuff," Kiko added. "I could do an entire video of things that I learned from Dave and from the whole MEGADETH experience."

In an October 2015 interview with The Irish Sun, Mustaine was full of praise for Loureiro, saying: "A lot of times guitarists won't know how to add to something — they'll put something in there that's kind of like tits on a bull, unnecessary. Kiko came in and immediately started making some really good suggestions that we applied [to MEGADETH's 2016 album, 'Dystopia']. When he first came in, I knew he had the ability but I didn't know if the songwriting technique and talent was going to show up this early on."

He continued: "What was great about the suggestions that Kiko made was that they weren't just guitar ones — he made a bass part in a song called 'Me Hate You' [that made it] really come along. In fact, that was one of the songs where he made a huge melodic contribution in the chorus and I said, 'Man, this sounds like something.'"

According to Dave, Kiko possesses all the elements that are required to become part of a legendary metal act like MEGADETH.

"For me — really simply stated — if you want to be a musician, that's one thing. If you want to be a rock star, that's another," Mustaine said. "But if you want to be legendary, you need to have three very important components: you need to have ability, you need to have appearance, and you need to have attitude. Without all three of those things, it's kind of like trying to have a three-legged milk stool without three legs — it's just not going to work."

He continued: "I found with Kiko, his ability was astronomical, with his attitude he was very confident in what he did — there's a difference between confidence and arrogance. In appearance, he was very classy and very subdued on the street, but up on stage he totally takes command of his performance. When he came up to Nashville to visit with me, I didn't even have him play for the majority of the day he was there. I just wanted to hang out with him and it's been a really long time since I hung out with a guitar player before I hired him. Usually I would listen to how he played and then I'd go, 'Okay, we'll work it out.' I didn't want to do that again. Hanging out with Kiko, and having lunch and kicking back and talking music was all I needed — I knew he was the right guy."

MEGADETH recently completed work on its new album, "The Sick, The Dying And The Dead", for a tentative early 2022 release.

Mustaine has yet to reveal who played bass on the new MEGADETH album after David Ellefson's tracks were removed from the LP following his dismissal from the band in late May.

MEGADETH recently completed "The Metal Tour Of The Year" with LAMB OF GOD, TRIVIUM and HATEBREED.

For "The Metal Tour Of The Year", MEGADETH was rejoined by bassist James LoMenzo for the first time in nearly 12 years.

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with a returning Ellefson.

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

PAPA ROACH bassist Tobin Esperance spoke to Alicia Atout of Knotfest about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2019's "Who Do You Trust?" album, tentatively due in early 2022.

"Originally, we weren't even gonna put out a record; we were just gonna adopt this new thing of just putting out songs whenever we felt like it," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "But we wrote so much within that — especially when COVID hit, we were cooped up, and the only thing we really could do was just write music and be creative and stuff. So we just kept getting in the studio and the songs started building up. We were, like, 'Let's not be too precious about everything. Let's put out pretty much everything that we've written. Let's just put it out on a record.' And that's what we're doing. But we narrowed it down to 14 songs. I think we probably kicked, like, maybe two or three to the curb… But still, 14 songs is a lot, especially for the attention span of people these days."

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.

Back in May, PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix told the FM99 WNOR radio station about the band's decision to release its next LP through its own label: "We're using our knowledge over the years that we've accumulated with our team and ourselves to take the reins and run with this one ourselves. And it's very exciting. It's kind of scary. 'Cause you don't know. But guess what? I just feel like we can't fail… I just go, we've been doing this; we know a lot; we know what our fans want; we know what we want; we know that we are inspired; we know that we are passionate; and we know we've got a fanbase that loves us. Let's do this. And I go, 'You know what? I think we can do this.' And so we made the jump."

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".

Photo credit: Darren Craig

You might know their names from the big rock stages but it all started in the end of the 1970’s, in a small Dalecarlian town of Sweden. The sleepy town was Mora and the band was Tryckvåg (Tryckvag). As it later turned out, this was the start of their international careers to come on the hard rock and heavy metal scenes.


- Mikael Höglund - bass (Great King Rat, Thunder)
- Thomas Brown - drums (Great King Rat, Electric Boys, Michael Schenker Group, John Norum, Glenn Hughes, Send No Flowers)
- Mats Attaque - vocals/guitars (Mogg, Baltimoore)


In 1985 they released their only official effort (7” single) and left for fame and glory in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Soon thereafter they were scattered by the wind and disbanded.




But despite their new individual international careers, the three childhood friends gathered for the occasional live gig every now and then.
In 2007 they even recorded one of these shows and released it on CD as Dalecarlian Riot.


Were they satisfied with this musical imprint of Tryckvag? Was it enough of a legacy for the afterworld? The obvious answer was NO. Therefore, Tryckvag has now entered the studio to showcase their contemporary sound and songwriting.


A full-length album, Legacy, with brand new compositions will be released during 2022. As a bonus you will also find one or two of their "classic" songs re-recorded and included on this release.


The first single, "Pull The Trigger", will be released on all digital platforms on January 14. Pre-save the single here.

Steve Vai, who joined David Lee Roth's post-VAN HALEN band more than 35 years ago as lead guitarist, spoke to "CMS Music" about the musical influence and impact of legendary VAN HALEN axeman Eddie Van Halen. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm not unlike the average Edward fan in that he really had an effect. For Edward fans that really were touched by him, it's inexplicable, obviously; you can try to use words, but it doesn't really work. It's like that with many things.

"I have a different position in that, yeah, one might say that I replaced the guitar behind the voice, but that's just academics to me," he continued. "When it comes to the way I felt about Edward and the mourning of his loss, I'm a fan, like everybody else, and I feel the way they do. But I know, also like many people, everything in this world is coming and going and coming and going and coming and going. And if it doesn't go, it only means you went before it. And we just don't know when. So that's something that helps me to get through loss, because it's gonna happen.

"But it was a beautiful, beautiful, amazing ride that he had, and he just delivered so much. And he had a great run. It's not like he died at 27. And we don't wanna see anybody like that [go]; we wanna squeeze every note out of 'em. [Laughs]

"For me, it was a complete honor to be able to play those parts," Steve added. "If you're a guitar player and you're a fan of that band, you know that those are some of the coolest guitar parts written in rock and roll, because they're like perfect little arrangements; they fall so well on your hands. They'll never sound like Edward, but they're great songs to play on the guitar 'cause they're complete. And you become a better player. Especially the position that I was in where I was playing his parts to his fans, so I had to pay deep respect to those parts, and in so doing, I discovered a really great ride there because you have to focus; it has to improve your playing. So I was really lucky in all that."

Vai previously spoke about his years as the guitarist in Roth's solo band, alongside former TALAS bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette, in a 2016 interview with The Press-Enterprise.

"When I heard Roth was looking for a guitarist, I just knew it was going to be me," Steve said. "Billy Sheehan had recommended him to me, and I coveted the position. In my early days, I would wonder if I could get a gig. I figured I would go for it and tried out with Alice Cooper, KISS and others. But for some reason, I just knew this would be my gig and I would just have to wait for it. Sure enough, I got the call."

Even though Steve knew his technique would be compared to that of Eddie Van Halen, he never let the pressure get to him.

"You don't compete with Eddie Van Halen," he said. "He was a monolith and brought so much inspiration for me. He's a genius."

Eddie died on October 6, 2020 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. He was 65 years old.

The iconic VAN HALEN axeman passed away from complications due to cancer, his son confirmed.

Eddie and Alex formed VAN HALEN in 1972 in Pasadena, California, with Roth on lead vocals and Michael Anthony on bass.

VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked Eddie Van Halen No. 8 in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.

BraveWords caught up with legendary Exodus guitarist Gary Holt recently to discuss the band’s new album, Persona Non Grata, out now via Nuclear Blast Records. At the end of our conversation he talked about his near ten-year run with Slayer, which initially was intended to be a short-term fill-in gig for the ailing Jeff Hanneman who tragically ended up passing on May 2nd, 2013. Here’s an excerpt from the forthcoming major BraveWords feature:


BraveWords: A few weeks back it was the 30th anniversary of Slayer’s classic live album, A Decade Of Aggression and in the booklet there were two photos of Jeff Hanneman wearing a white Exodus t-shirt. Ever seen the photos? What kind of relationship did you have with Jeff? What did he mean to you?



Gary Holt: "Yeah, I've seen the photos. We hung out a lot, Jeff and I, back in the day. In those early days, those early tours. He's a really special guy. It meant the world to me, me filling in for him, and it was supposed to be a super short-term thing, a couple of months maybe, or a tour or two. I had his seal of approval on it because according to Catherine, his wife, he was bummed at first when he found out the band was going to use a fill-in, and then he asked her who it was and she told him it was me, and she said his answer was, 'Fuck yeah!', so that means everything to me. It's one of the fondest memories of Jeff I'll have and I wasn't there for it. Just knowing that he was excited about it. We hung out a lot back in those days and drank a lot, obviously. We had a good time."




BraveWords: How long did it take you to learn all that material to tour with Slayer? 


Holt: "The first rehearsal I did, I played 17 songs. I just worked at home. They gave me a good amount of time, they gave me more time than Phil Demmel had when he had to fill in for me, that poor guy. But I went into Slayer not knowing any of the songs. I mean I knew some of the songs, but a lot of the material I wasn't familiar with. I'd heard them but I didn't have it buried in my head like a fan would, and not that I wasn't a fan, because I was. But your average fan off the street can hum all the guitar parts in the middle of ‘At Dawn They Sleep’. I could not, so I had to learn a lot of this stuff from scratch. I mainly really had to learn how they wrote, because I had to learn the scales they chose that work, rather than my own. Once I got around to that it became a lot easier."



BraveWords: What did you learn working with and touring with Slayer? What was the biggest takeaway from being with Slayer? 


Holt: "I learned a lot about how a major tour production is run. Other than that, I was playing guitar, and I already played guitar so I didn't learn anything from that. I learned that I had a lot of solos in Slayer. I didn't realize it going in, but some songs have three solos in that shit. It's kind of fun, I got to play almost a guitar hero role, my whole job was to go out and shred. But you see how it's done on that kind of level, and the professionalism in it was staggering. I tried to take that into my Exodus dealings."


BraveWords: I will never forget Tom (Araya) at the end of the Heavy Montréal show, just like every show. I'm like literally standing there in tears because it was the last time I was going to see you guys. You probably saw a lot of eyes that weren't dry with all those final shows. It must have been really heart-wrenching. 


Holt: "Yeah. Every show on the final tour, Tom would really soak it all in. I'd go out and soak it in for a minute, but then I'd let him have the stage. The final show, I'm not going to lie, I was playing my final solo in ‘Angel Of Death’ with the guitar held by the whammy bar up above my head and I was fighting tears. It was an emotional time. And it's easy for me to forget I had just short of ten years in Slayer. What is that, a quarter of the band's history that I spent playing with them?  I tend to forget about that, how long it was and how much time I spent there. I've got mad love for that band and the organization. They treated me like family from day one, and we always will be, but now I'm back with family number one and that's where I belong." 


Stay tuned for BraveWords' feature interview with Exodus riff-master Gary Holt in the coming days.

(Photo credits: top live by Steve Rose, bottom live by Mats Andersson)

Los Angeles death metal titans, Abysmal Dawn, will be releasing a new EP, Nightmare Frontier, on February 4 via Season of Mist. In conjunction with the release, the band is now sharing their brand new single, "A Nightmare Slain", along with a music video that was created by Guilherme Henriques. Find the video below.


Abysmal Dawn frontman/founding member Charles Elliott comments, "The music for this track was recorded for Phylogenesis, but we left it off the record. We thought it was a great song but we felt it didn't quite fit into the flow of that album. The music shows a bit more of a slightly progressive and melodic side of the band, which we may explore more in the future. The lyrics were written during the pandemic and are inspired by the lore of the video game Bloodborne.


"Now, we have a lot of songs filled with social commentary and introspective lyrics. When it came time to write the words for this one, I don't think I could bring myself to focus any more on the misery or subjugation that we live in our day to day lives. Who needs another song of 'COVID' drivel or divisive politics at this point? Hopefully we can all agree on what I discovered while I was trapped at home for over a year; 'Bloodborne' is one of the greatest video games ever made. Animal Crossing and Mario Party fans should definitely check it out, along with the rest of the 'soulsborne' genre for a stress free good time... We hope you enjoy our song inspired by one of the most metal games ever made. Enjoy and see you on tour!"







Pre-orders for Nightmare Frontier are now live here, as well as from their official Abysmal Dawn online store here. The single and EP can be pre-saved across all streaming services here.


Nightmare Frontier was mixed and mastered by Charles Elliott at Tastemaker Audio. Drums were engineered by John Haddad at Trench Studios, while tracking for all instruments was handled by Elliott. The artwork for Nightmare Frontier was created by Par Olofson.





Tracklisting:


"A Nightmare Slain"
"Blacken The Sky"
"Behind Space"
"Bewitched"


"A Nightmare Slain" video:





Moreover, Abysmal Dawn will be embarking on an extensive North American tour as direct support for Obscura at the start of next year. The trek will kick off in San Diego, CA on February 3 and will conclude on March 23 in Fresno, CA.





Tour dates:


February
3 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
4 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
5 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720 (Hometown Show)
6 - Las Vegas, NV - Backstage Bar
7 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
8 - Denver, CO - The Oriental Theater
10 - Oklahoma City. OK - Whisky Nights
11 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
12 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
13 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
14 - New Orleans, LA - Santos
16 - Orlando. FL - The Haven
17 - West Palm Beach. FL - Respectable
18 - Tampa, OR - The Orpheum
19 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
20 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East
21 - Knoxville, TN - Batley's Knoxville
22 - Virginia Beach, VA - Elevation 27
23 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
24 - Harrisburg. PA - HMAC
25 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory
26 - Boston, MA - Sonia
27 - Hartford, CT - Webster Underground
28 - Quebec City, Canada - Imperial Bell


March
1 - Montreal, Canada - Foufounes
2 - Ottawa, Canada - Maverick's
3 - Toronto, Canada - Lee's Palace
4 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
5 - Pittsburgh, PA - Preserving Underground
6 - Indianapolis, IN - Emerson Theatre
7 - Louisville.KY - Diamon Concert Hall
8 - Detroit, MI - The Sanctuary
9 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
10 - Milwaukee, MN - X-Ray
11 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
12 - Winnipeg, Canada - Park Theater
14 - Calgary, Canada - Dickens
15 - Edmonton, Canada - Starlite Room
17 - Vancouver, Canada - Rickshaw Theater
18 - Seattle,WA - El Corazon
19 - Portland, OR - Dante's
21 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
22 - Petaluma, CA - Phoenix Theater
23 - Fresno, CA - Full Circle


Lineup:


Charles Elliott - guitars, vocals
Eliseo Garcia - bass, additional vocals
James Coppolino - drums
Vito Petroni - guitars


(Photo - Rodrigo Fredes)

The first ever Diamond Head tribute album entitled "Are We Evil?", will be released in the first months of 2022. The compilation includes 9 heavy metal classics originally recorded by one of the most important and influential bands of the genre, Diamond Head, performed by young acts from Europe and North and South Americas: Ambush (Sweden), Black Mask (Mexico), Crystal Viper (Poland), Konquest (Italy), Midnight Spell (United States), Pounder (United States), Riot City (Canada), Traveler (Canada) And Twisted Tower Dire (United States).


The album has been produced and mastered by Bart Gabriel, who except working with acts such as Satan, Cirith Ungol and Sortilege, previously produced Riot, Exciter and Anvil tribute albums. Cover artwork of the album has been painted by Mario Lopez, Guatemalan artist who previously worked with acts such as Crystal Viper, Evil Invaders and Toxik.


"Well done to all the bands that have put time and effort into making this happen. It's the first time a bunch of Diamond Head songs have been covered for an album apart from Metallica obvs. My favourite is Ambush's version of 'Canterbury'. It's an awesome modern version and a great new arrangement. The singer does it proud. It's so good it makes we want to revive the song for the current Diamond Head shows as we have not played this live since 1984! I also really like the new versions of 'The Prince', 'It's Electric', 'Streets Of Gold' and 'Sweet & Innocent'. It's a real success for me, I am very surprised and flattered, for some reason I wasn't expecting this kind of quality," comments Diamond Head guitarist and founder, Brian Tatler.







"It was truly an interesting project, and it was super exciting to put this album together. Sure, many Metal fans immediately think of Metallica when you mention Diamond Head, but there's so much more there! They have an amazing back catalog, and they're without a doubt one of the most important bands when it comes to classic heavy metal, and metal in general," says Bart Gabriel. "I'm also very happy that the album was officially "blessed" by Brian Tatler and his crew - he's one of my favourite heavy metal guitarists, his riffs are absolutely stellar. That's why the witch from Am I Evil? which you can see on the cover of the album (and who was inspired by the Hammer Films icon, Ingrid Pitt!), is holding Brian's iconic Flying V guitar!," he adds.


CD & Digital version of the album will be released on Iron Oxide Records, while Lost Realm Records will take care of a limited deluxe vinyl LP edition.


(Top photo - Nic Gaunt)