Reunited San Francisco Bay Area thrashers VIO-LENCE recently completed work on a new EP, "Let The World Burn", for an early 2022 release via Metal Blade Records. The effort was recorded at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California with producer Juan Urteaga, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, MACHINE HEAD and EXODUS, among many others. Mixing duties were handled by Tue Madsen.

"Let The World Burn" will mark the first collection of original material from VIO-LENCE's current lineup, consisting of guitarist Phil Demmel, singer Sean Killian and drummer Perry Strickland, along with the band's latest additions, guitarist Bobby Gustafson (ex-OVERKILL) and bassist Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-FEAR FACTORY).

In a recent interview with Mark Kadzielawa of 69 Faces Of Rock, Demmel stated about "Let The World Burn": "We had decided to write [some new material]. I didn't wanna do a full-length record. Ten tunes is just… I've got a baby at home. I've got a five-year-old who's just the highest of energies and exhausting. So my time is very valuable and I just don't have the time to write a full-length record. I just felt, let's take little baby steps with the band and see if we can write a couple of tunes — maybe do three or four. It ended up being a five-song EP that we're gonna put out on Metal Blade Records in the beginning of March next year."

Regarding the songwriting process for "Let The World Burn", Demmel said: "Man, in the 16 years that I was in [MACHINE HEAD], it had thrash moments, but towards the end, there wasn't. And I had written thrash songs. I always have riffs, but it was exciting to… Fuck, [I'm writing an] all-out thrash song. I wanted to capture some moments of 'Eternal Nightmare' [VIO-LENCE's 1988 debut album], and there are some signature VIO-LENCE sounds that I wanted to perpetuate and continue. But also, since I've been playing thrash for a bit too, my right hand has gotten a lot stronger. I'm playing the best that I've ever played. And so I'm pushing the riffs. These aren't songs that you're picking up at Guitar Center and just playing in Guitar Center; they're pretty hard to play. I wanted to push everybody in that sense."

He continued: "I needed [Perry] to be able to accept this material in a language that I could speak with him. And I had to teach him how to understand my language. And it was hard. And it was grueling. It was me and him in a room… Mostly, this record musically was written… I wrote the music but with Perry for… 99 percent of it was just me and him in a room fucking hammering it out. So I'm super proud of him for what he played on the record. It's some of his best playing. It's definitely my best playing that's ever been recorded. Towards the end of my time in [MACHINE HEAD], I wasn't tracking rhythms, so it'd been a long time since I really tracked a metal record. I did a BPMD record and tracked those, but fuck, this is a thrash record, so tracking the rhythms was something refreshing and super cool to me. We did it with Juan Urteaga in his spot, and he's awesome to work with. I had a great time. It was just a great experience recording with Perry. And I kind of let Sean do his own thing 'cause he had his vocals down. Sean is just destroying it on these songs, man; his voice is so unique. And nobody sounds like him. It's sinister, man. 'Cause he had a real high register that he was singing in back in '88, and there's moments of that, really, now. But it's dark, man — he's singing dark. And I fucking love it. I love his lyrics. He's the favorite lyricist that I've ever worked with. He's smart and he's witty and he's colorful with what he does. I thoroughly enjoy his lyrics."

In August 2020, VIO-LENCE released a new digital single, "California Über Alles", a cover version of the DEAD KENNEDYS classic. The band also filmed a music video for the song with director Scott Kirkeeng.

VIO-LENCE released three studio albums between 1988 and 1993. The group reunited soon after Demmel left MACHINE HEAD in late 2018.

The band performed its first comeback concert in April 2019 at the Oakland Metro in Oakland, California and spent most of the ensuing months playing select shows in the U.S. and Europe.

Although MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE's classic incarnation and played on the band's debut album, "Eternal Nightmare", he wasn't approached about taking part in any of the comeback shows.

Killian underwent a successful liver transplant surgery in March 2018. The year before, Killian was diagnosed with stage four liver cirrhosis, which was caused in part by a genetic condition called hemochromatosis.

VIO-LENCE's last album, "Nothing To Gain", was recorded in August 1990, but wasn't released until 1993.

Photo credit: James Willard

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Nothing Else Matters" on the second night of ATLive on November 6 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Whiplash

02. Ride The Lightning

03. The Memory Remains

04. Seek & Destroy

05. Holier Than Thou

06. One

07. Sad But True

08. Moth Into Flame

09. No Leaf Clover

10. For Whom The Bell Tolls

11. Fuel

12. Fade To Black

13. Master Of Puppets

Encore:

14. Blackened

15. Nothing Else Matters

16. Enter Sandman

When the event was first announced in July, METALLICA said in a statement: "We're honored to be part of the second annual ATLive two-day festival — featuring two unique, separately ticketed events — this fall when we'll be hitting the stage with our friends CAGE THE ELEPHANT and GRETA VAN FLEET. Night one features country music's finest with George Strait, Eric Church and Caitlyn Smith kicking off the weekend.

"Presented by AMB Sports and Entertainment, the organization will generously be donating a portion of the proceeds from ATLive to All Within My Hands to help our foundation further its work in the fight against hunger."

The second annual ATLive feature iconic artists from both country and rock on back-to-back nights.

ATLive, a multi-genre concert series developed and promoted by AMB Sports and Entertainment, is the premier destination concert series for the city of Atlanta. The event also provides the opportunity to give back through purpose-driven philanthropic initiatives, aligning with the organization's core values. This year, AMBSE is partnering with George Strait and his longstanding partners at the Military Warriors Support Foundation as well as METALLICA's All Within My Hands nonprofit to donate a portion of the proceeds from ATLive to providing housing for wounded veterans and feeding the hungry.

Tim Zulawski, chief revenue officer for AMB Sports and Entertainment, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the idea for ATLive began percolating about five years ago.

"You have 365 days in a calendar year and yes, we want to make the stadium full every day to make money, but also because it means you're putting on great content," Zulawski said. "There are only so many pieces of content that puts 50,000 people in a building and [live music] is one of them."

During a new appearance on "The Mistress Carrie Podcast", Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, spoke about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for her follow-up to 2018's "Controlled Chaos" solo debut. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've got half and half — so it's gonna be half vocal songs and half instrumental. I did feel, and the label and everybody agreed, it's still important for me to keep my identity as a guitar player and not just branch off too much and go, 'Okay, well, now it's just guests.' Let me still have a little of what makes me me, which is the instrumental shred stuff. And the instrumental pieces that I've written on this record are, I think, better than anything I did on the first one — definitely more… I don't know if it could be more emotional but they're very emotional pieces of music and I think a little better crafted this time around. So I think all the songs in general are more well thought out, better put together this time around. And I do have some of my absolute favorite [singers guesting on it]. I have three amazing powerhouse female vocalists on this album so far. And there are still a couple of things T.B.D. [to be determined]. And then we should be ready to release next spring."

In October, Nita shared "Dead Inside", her first new music since the release of her critically acclaimed debut solo album "Controlled Chaos" in 2018. The track is her first-ever solo collaboration with a vocalist, David Draiman, frontman of Grammy-nominated rock icons DISTURBED.

Strauss has been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

Nita released "Controlled Chaos" to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths". To date the album has clocked up 6.7 million streams worldwide, with music videos for singles "Our Most Desperate Hour", "Pandemonium", "Alegria" and "Mariana Trench" generating over 3 million YouTube views.

As well as performing with Cooper, Nita has also played with R&B star Jermaine Jackson, early MTV darlings FEMME FATALE, video game supergroup CRITICAL HIT and popular tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS.

In April 2020, Nita launched "Rock Guitar Fundamentals" — a three-module online guitar teaching program suitable for learners of all levels. The course is available at www.iwanttoplayguitar.com.

Nita's live show is mostly instrumental in nature, combining originals with covers.

SEVENDUST will release a digital expanded edition of its latest album, "Blood & Stone", on December 10. "Blood & Stone Deluxe" contains five new tracks, including three never-before-released remixes and two newly recorded songs. Jake Bowen of PERIPHERY, Richard Wicander of FIRE FROM THE GODS and Justin deBlieck, formerly of ICE NINE KILLS, provide remixes and the band finished recording "All I Really Know" and "What You Are" specifically for this release. "Blood & Stone Deluxe" is being released via all digital partners via Rise Records and was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette.

To coincide with the announcement of "Blood & Stone Deluxe", SEVENDUST has released a visualizer for "What You've Become (Justin deBlieck Remix)". The Justin deBlieck remix contains the emotion of the original while building upon thematical musical elements adding a massive string arrangement to it. The band will also release snippets of the other remixes: "Dying To Live (Jake Bowen Remix)" will be available on the evening of Wednesday, December 8 and "Kill Me (Richard Wicander Remix)" on the morning of December 9. The visualizer for "What You've Become (Justin deBlieck Remix)" can be seen below.

"Blood & Stone Deluxe" track listing:

01. Dying To Live

02. Love

03. Blood From A Stone

04. Feel Like Going On

05. What You've Become

06. Kill Me

07. Nothing Left To See Here Anymore

08. Desperation

09. Criminal

10. Against The World

11. Alone

12. Wish You Well

13. The Day I Tried To Live

14. Dying To Live (Jake Bowen Remix)

15. Kill Me (Richard Wicander Remix)

16. What You've Become (Justin deBlieck Remix)

17. All I Really Know

18. What You Are

SEVENDUST singer Lajon Witherspoon told Audio Ink Radio about the recording process for "Blood & Stone": "I feel like we've grown as not just artists but men, personally. I feel like we're seasoned, if that makes sense. Maybe we're just like an old wine. We've had time to really know each other. We're brothers. It's easy for us when we're in the studio. It's like a well-oiled machine, once we get back in there. That's where the magic happens, is when we're looking at each other. It always reminds me of when we first got together, whenever we get together, as long as we've been together. It's just because there's a certain light that comes on. It's always been great to have that."

Witherspoon also talked about SEVENDUST's longevity, saying: "You can't just call yourself a band just because you've got a group of people together. I think it's a group. I feel like you have to have a band when you've gone through a lot of things together, not only the good times, but the bad times. You've seen life together. You've seen death together with each other. You've helped each other. You've done all those types of things over the last 25 years, and that's the reason why I can say I'm very proud to be in SEVENDUST the band, not SEVENDUST the group."

He continued: "There are some bands out there — there's a lot of bands out there — and there are a lot of groups. I think it takes heart. I think it takes compassion. I think it takes some respect. To treat each other equally, like what we're trying to do in the world today, I feel like that's something that's kept us together. It's not one guy with a Ferrari and another guy with a Hyundai, which those are nice cars, too. I'm just saying in the scheme of things. So, I think that's something that's kept us together, too, is that not one guy's better or feeling better. When we get in a room sometimes, it feels like even though we're older men, I still feel like we're those kids that were in the recording room, wondering, how are we going to pay rent for the month? What show are we going to play? And it's a good feeling to feel happy after all these years."

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and producer Greg Kurstin have shared the final epsiode of their ongoing tribute series, The Hanukkah Sessions, where they pay tribute to Jewish musicians by covering songs in their own unique style.


As both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS are both of Jewish heritage, Grohl and Kurstin have released their cover of the KISS classic, "Rock And Roll All Nite". Check it out below.


Grohl: "Ladies and gentlemen…. we made it. Night 8! And what better way to celebrate another year of Hanukkah Sessions than Chaim Witz and Stanley Eisen…. two young lads from Queens that set the world (and thousands of stages) on fire as Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley."







For the complete run of The Hanukkah Sessions 2021 go to the official Foo Fighters Youtube channel here.

Old school, brutal death metal outfit Embryonic Autopsy has revealed the first details of their upcoming debut album, which will be released on February 18, 2022 via Massacre Records.


Prophecies Of The Conjoined will contain ten songs, and will be available as CD Digipak, limited edition vinyl LP, and digital stream / download. It will be available to pre-order soon.


Nine of the ten songs were mixed by Scott Roberts, whereas Ulrich Wild mixed the remaining song. All songs were mastered by Jason Z at TVR Studios. The album's cover artwork - available below - was designed by Diego Gedoz de Souza.




Embryonic Autopsy are focused on bringing back the style that made death metal so popular back in the early '90s, so get ready for blazing guitars, guttural vocals and lightning fast drumming galore!


Embryonic Autopsy are vocalist Tim King (Oppressor), guitarist / bassist / keyboardist Scott Roberts (ex-Otep) as well as drummer Arnaud Krakowka. At future concerts, Jason Meudt will play the drums, and Rob Such will play bass.





 


 

British progressive rock luminaries JETHRO TULL will release their first studio album of new material in over 18 years, "The Zealot Gene", on January 28, 2022 via InsideOut Music. The music video for the LP's second single, "Sad City Sisters", can be seen below. The clip was directed by Iranian filmmaker Sam Chegini, who previously created a clip for the much-loved classic "Aqualung".

TULL bandleader Ian Anderson comments of the track: "'Sad City Sisters' throws up memories of a Saturday night in Cardiff, Wales when I was on my way home from our concert in St David's Hall some years ago. It could equally well have been any town in the U.K., I suppose, or even most cities of the Western World. What possesses hell-bent and vulnerable young people to slip so easily into that tragic loss of dignity and end up sprawling drunk in a wet and windy street at midnight?"

A record that began to take shape as early as 2017, "The Zealot Gene", in many ways, seeks to defy convention during a time when the business of being a touring and recording artist has never faced more uncertainties.

Anderson holds no reservations about the role for which the mythos and themes of Biblical storytelling played in the lyrical content of the new album, saying: "While I have a spot of genuine fondness for the pomp and fairytale story-telling of the Holy Book, I still feel the need to question and draw sometimes unholy parallels from the text. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly rear their heads throughout, but are punctuated with elements of love, respect, and tenderness."

Looking back on the earth-shaking disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, which ultimately ended the band's touring plans and hopes of a 2020 release for "The Zealot Gene", Anderson shares, "It was so sudden. Amidst the concerns and warnings of the scientific community and a few more enlightened politicians, we all retreated in disbelief to our homes to wait out the storm."

"The Zealot Gene" will be offered in the following formats:

* Special-edition digipak CD

* Gatefold 2LP+CD+LP-booklet

* Limited 2CD+Blu-ray artbook

* Limited deluxe 3LP+2CD+Blu-ray artbook

Both artbook editions feature a second CD of demos and initial ideas, plus extended liner notes and an interview with Ian Anderson undertaken by Tim Bowness.

The deluxe 3LP+2CD+Blu-ray artbook comes on white vinyl and includes a third LP with the rough demos. It also includes a slipmat and a numbered art print.

"The Zealot Gene" track listing:

01. Mrs. Tibbets (5:54)

02. Jacob's Tales (2:13)

03. Mine Is The Mountain (5:40)

04. The Zealot Gene (3:54)

05. Shoshana Sleeping (3:41)

06. Sad City Sisters (3:40)

07. Barren Beth, Wild Desert John (3:37)

08. The Betrayal Of Joshua Kynde (4:06)

09. Where Did Saturday Go? (3:53)

10. Three Loves, Three (3:30)

11. In Brief Visitation (3:00)

12. The Fisherman Of Ephesus (3:41)

With more than 30 albums to their credit and sales totaling more than 50 million, JETHRO TULL is one of the most successful rock bands of all time with a catalog that contains classics that still resonate today. Led by Ian Anderson, TULL still continues to tour throughout the world, entertaining audiences of all ages.

The band currently consists of:

Ian Anderson - Flute, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals

Joe Parrish-James - Guitar

Florian Opahle - Guitar (album only)

Scott Hammond - Drums.

John O'Hara - Piano, Keyboards, Accordion

David Goodier - Bass

In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Nikki Sixx was asked who the best musician in MÖTLEY CRÜE is. He responded: "They're all really fucking good. Tommy [Lee] is a monster on drums. Mick [Mars] is one of my favorite guitar players. And Vince [Neil] has something that nobody else has. Isn't that what you're looking for — guys that don't sound like anybody else? I'm not a great player. Like, if I really woodshed for six months, I'm okay. But if I was a different kind of bass player, it would offset the sound of the band.

"MÖTLEY CRÜE is an interesting band, because if you remove any one member, it completely changes the sound," he continued. "We all played against each other. A lot of times, Vince would tell me he struggled with the fact I put so many lyrics in a song. 'Shout At The Devil' is a good example. But it was because I grew up with beat generation writers as a teenager, and I would get into this kind of rhythmic frenzy. And because of the way that Vince sang, that was what made his voice excel. His voice was kind of like a Gatling gun. Like, bap-bap-bap. I remember the first time the four of us ever played together, we ran 'Live Wire'. I turned around to adjust my bass amp, and Tommy and I just gave each other a look: 'Something's happening here.'"

Two months ago, Sixx told Yahoo! Entertainment that Vince "has this amazing, unique voice — sometimes like Robert Plant, Perry Farrell… They have these interesting voices that are… they're not pitchy; they're just raw and just kind of on top. I always loved that about Vince's voice, and I would write for Vince." He added: "Vince will tell you, 'Nikki wrote all those lyrics for me.' I did. I gave him stuff. I understand his voice so much."

Sixx also speculated how different CRÜE would have sounded if it was fronted by a vocalist with a bluesier tone.

"I got lucky," he said. "I got a guy with a really different voice. Imagine if he was a bluesy singer — if he was a David Coverdale? I love David; I love his voice. Or Glenn Hughes. [They are] some of my favorite people and favorite musicians… Could he deliver 'Bastard'? Could he deliver 'Dropping Like Flies'? Could he deliver 'Generation Swine'? I don't know, I'll never know. But I do love that about MÖTLEY CRÜE that we kind of four individually… I don't know. It's almost like we don't belong together. We're all so weird and different and it makes for some really interesting magic."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS 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 pande

AC/DC's "Back In Black" has topped Rolling Stone Australia's list of the "200 Greatest Australian Albums Of All Time". The legendary rockers also appear on the list three more times, with "Highway To Hell" (No. 29), "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (No. 60) and "Powerage" (No. 136).

As the full list is counted down, each entry comes accompanied by an in-depth discussion of the record by some of Australia's finest musical journalists, focusing on the legacy, impact, and resonant nature of the albums that made the full list.

In December 2019, "Back in Black" was certified by the Recording Industry Association Of America for U.S. shipments of 25 million copies.

"Back in Black" first went platinum in October 1980 and had previously been certified 22 times platinum in December 2007. The RIAA lists "Back In Black" as the fourth biggest-selling album of all time.

On July 25, 1980, AC/DC released "Back In Black" in the U.S., followed by the album's U.K. release on July 31. It was the band's first album without lead singer Bon Scott, who had died a few months earlier after passing out and choking on his own vomit following a long night of drinking.

The group quickly decided to press on and hired Brian Johnson from the band GEORDIE to take over on vocals, and they headed to the Bahamas for about six weeks to do the album. AC/DC had made some serious headway in America before Scott's death, but no one knew how "Back In Black" would be received.

Johnson told The Pulse of Radio that he didn't have a clue how successful "Back In Black" would turn out to be. "I'd just melted me brain in there, and I didn't know if it was good or bad," he said. "That was the first time I'd been in the Bahamas, anyway, or near America, you know, and you (have to) remember, I was just fascinated by the whole culture and all, and I had no idea what the hell I was doing! And (laughs) lucky, really — I was a bit lucky, I think."

"Back In Black" included the singles "You Shook Me All Night Long", which peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Back In Black", which peaked at No. 37.

Despite its massive success, it never got higher than No. 4 on the album charts. The band's next album, "For Those About To Rock", reached No. 1.

"Back In Black" was produced by Robert "Mutt" Lange, who went on to produce DEF LEPPARD, FOREIGNER, THE CARS, and BRYAN ADAMS.

In 2012, "Back In Black" was added to The Recording Academy's legendary Grammy Hall Of Fame collect

Zakk Wylde spoke to Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show about the "No More Tours 2" dates from Ozzy Osbourne which were originally scheduled to take place in 2019 but were postponed several times due to Osbourne's health problems as well as issues pertaining to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Asked what he looks forward to most about being able to interpret new Ozzy Osbourne songs that he didn't write or record, Zakk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been that way since I first joined the band — between us doing [BLACK] SABBATH stuff and then playing everything [that was originally recorded] by Randy [Rhoads] and Jake [E. Lee]. I've always said playing with Ozzy is just like being in the greatest cover band, and then you get to do your own thing as well. I just look forward to getting back out there with the boss. We were having such a great time up before he got hurt. The last show that we did was at the Forum [in Los Angeles] on that New Year's Eve show [in December 2018], and I remember Ozz telling me we should probably do this every year 'cause it turned into such a great time. I remember mom — Mrs. O [Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne] — she was just saying, yeah, we should probably do this every year where — an Ozzfest type of thing at either the Forum and then Ozzy can do it in different arenas every year. 'Cause it was in the parking lot and you had all these other bands play — it was an all-day thing. So that was the plan before he got hurt. And I remember we were getting ready to go back out and continue the tour. Yeah, right now, he's working out, doing his thing so he can get his dead-lift, his bench-press and squat numbers back up to his world-class records and get him back on the platform so he can shatter all his previous records."

Two years ago, Ozzy stated about Zakk: "Zakk is somewhere else, man. That guy gets faster and faster. Zakk has been with me longer than any guitar player ever! He's been with me the longest and is one of the greatest friends I'll ever have. He is a family member to me. I mean, if I ever really needed him for anything, I could phone him up and he'd say, 'I'll be there in five minutes.' And vice-versa. Zakk's a hard-working guy. He works his balls off."

Wylde originally joined Osbourne's band more three decades ago and backed the legendary frontman from 1987 to 1995, then again in 1998, from 2001 to 2004 and also from 2006 to 2009.

Although Zakk does not appear on the legendary heavy metal singer's latest LP, "Ordinary Man", he has already laid down his guitar tracks on Ozzy's upcoming follow-up effort, tentatively due in early 2022.

Ozzy initially scrapped his entire 2019 schedule as he recovered from surgery to repair an injury sustained while dealing with a bout of pneumonia. The tour was postponed a second time after Ozzy continued to deal with health issues following a fall in his Los Angeles home. That fall "aggravated years-old injuries" from an ATV accident that occurred in 2003. The tour was pushed back a third time in October 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and a fourth time in November 2021 "due to the ongoing uncertainty with full capacity events and travel logistics."

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Ozzy was due to undergo a major surgery to help correct neck and spine issues following the 2019 fall. Those injuries have continued to keep the legendary heavy metal singer from returning to the stage.

Less than a year after Ozzy's fall, the family revealed publicly that the BLACK SABBATH frontman had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

In July 2020, Ozzy said that he was still "not back to 100 percent" after suffering from several medical issues last year, including the fall, neck surgery and hospitalization for the flu. Ozzy also said that he was looking forward to performing again once he has regained his health and the coronavirus pandemic has subsided.

In May 2020, Ozzy's son Jack said that his father will "probably" retire "within the next five to ten years." But Ozzy, who turned 73 on December 3, has repeatedly said that he is not calling it quits, despite the fact that his "No More Tours 2" — whenever it ends up happening — is being billed as his last major global trek.

Ozzy was also forced to cancel an April 2020 trip to Switzerland to see a doctor who specializes in treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Photo credit: Mark Weiss Photography

Southern Germany-based death metal brigade, Necrotted, have released a live video for "Cynic Suicide", recorded at some shows the band was lucky enough to play during the pandemic. Watch the clip below.


The band states: "Despite an ongoing worldwide pandemic, we were granted to be able to play some damn awesome live shows in the summer of 2021, even under appropriate restrictions. Our fans partied, headbanged, moshed and roared with us and we want to thank each and every one of them for these beautiful heavy moments. That's why we release a new live music video for our song 'Cynic Suicide' today, edited from collected video footage of the past concerts in 2021. The song is taken from our current album, Operation: Mental Castration, which was released via Reaper Entertainment Europe earlier this year on 19th March. The video is considered as a very special review of our festival summer 2021 and also as a small thank you to our fans for the incredible support over the past months and years.

Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo recently guested on MMA Junkie. He spoke with Mike Bohn about the band's performance at the Triller Triad Combat event, his love of MMA and UFC, and he answered fan questions.


On his favourite Metallica deep cut to perform live


Trujillo: "My favorite deep cut with Metallica is, by far, 'The Frayed Ends Of Sanity' (from ... And Justice for All) That is a song I think we've played twice, maybe - not more than three times. We did play it a couple of times on tour, but it is a rarity. That song is probably the craziest of the Metallica archive or catalogue. What I like about that particular song is that it has all the ingredients that I like about Metallica. It has the power grooves, the stuff that makes you headbang, but at the same time, it gets crazy in the middle section. It feels progressive like that, and that's what I actually like about it because there's something that's loose and reckless, but at the same time it's tight, so it has to be a conceived body of music in that section.




'The Frayed Ends Of Sanity,' that would be my deep-cut choice. I don't know if we will play that one again, but I hope so. That's the one for me right there."

Last month, MANOWAR announced that it has recorded a song titled "The Revenge Of Odysseus" for the band's upcoming studio album. Bassist Joey DeMaio also traveled to Athens to record a narration with father-and-son team Kostas and Konstantinos Kazakos. Kostas, hailed in Greece for his participation in many movies and as an accomplished theater actor and writer, and his son Kostantinos, who is also a talented actor, narrated a touching dialogue between Odysseus and his son Telemachus. And to honor the historic source material, they did so in Ancient Greek, translated from English by Sakis Tolis of Greek metal band ROTTING CHRIST.

Asked in a new interview with Metal Hammer Greece's TV show "TV War" if the next MANOWAR release will be a full-length album or if it will be the previously planned follow-up to 2019's "The Final Battle I" EP, Joey said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's a very good question. You're the first person to ask that. And right now, I truly don't know what is coming next, because we had the inspiration to write this song, which I was thinking could be a very long normal song — like maybe 10 minutes — 'The Revenge Of Odysseus'. And it just got out of hand — it just kept growing and growing. It started out with, 'Maybe it'll just be in English.' Then it was, 'Maybe it'll be in Greek.' And then it became not just Greek — ancient Greek. And then something like famous narrators. And then it became, 'No, we're gonna take one of the most famous, if not the most famous actor in Greece.' And then his son is gonna play the part of Telemachus. And it just got bigger and bigger and bigger. And now, when they came into the studio here in Athens and recorded, it just turned out so amazing. And now I'm stuck with a big problem — there's so much incredible stuff that these guys performed… So the reality, just hearing words has given me the challenge, now how can I match this great performance with music that's gonna be worthy of these beautiful, beautiful performances? So, it's a big fucking problem. So I'm looking forward to getting back into the studio and trying to serve this in the best way that I can."

As metal fans will know, 2022 marks the 30th year since the release of "The Triumph Of Steel". With this album, MANOWAR surprised its fans with the over-28-minute-long track "Achilles, Agony And Ecstasy In Eight Parts", inspired by Homer's ancient Greek poem "The Iliad". In celebration of this memorable anniversary and as a "thank you" for the steadfast and passionate support of the Greek Manowarriors, MANOWAR has now taken on "The Odyssey", Homer's tale of the great hero Odysseus and his long and perilous quest to return to his wife and son.

"The Final Battle I" came out in March 2019. At the time of its release, it was announced that parts II and III of the trilogy would arrive at a later date, inspired by MANOWAR's adventures on the remainder of "The Final Battle".

In 2022, MANOWAR will embark on the "Crushing The Enemies Of Metal Anniversary Tour '22", which will be packed with fan favorites from the band's career and will pay special tribute to six signature MANOWAR albums and their anniversaries: 40th anniversary of "Battle Hymns", 35th anniversary of "Fighting The World", 30th anniversary of "The Triumph Of Steel", 20th anniversary of "Warriors Of The World", 15th anniversary of "Gods Of War", and 10th anniversary of "The Lord Of Steel".

In 2019, MANOWAR recruited Anders Johansson as the band's new drummer.

The Swedish musician made his live debut with MANOWAR in March 2019 in Brno, Czech Republic.

Johansson can be heard on "The Final Battle I", which was initially made available in an exclusive pre-sale at the merchandise booth of the band's "The Final Battle" world tour.

Former MANOWAR guitarist Karl Logan was arrested in August 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina and charged with six counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor. He was jailed after pleading guilty to two child-pornography counts.

A few days after Karl's arrest was made public, MANOWAR issued a statement saying that he would no longer perform with the group. He has since been replaced by E.V. Martel, who previously played in a MANOWAR tribute band.

Image courtesy of "TV War"

Kings And Liars - featuring brothers Charlie and Nick Bellmore (The Dee Snider Band, Jasta) and Christopher Taylor Beaudette (Jasta, Entiero) have released the video for "Hang On For Dear Life". The new song from the Connecticut-based hard rock juggernaut marks the second single from their upcoming album, Transition Animals.


Guitarist/vocalist Charlie Bellmore comments on the track, "This song feels like a mission statement for the entire band - riffs, big choruses with harmonies, trading vocals, solos that lean way into the blues and the signature Bellmore Brothers songwriting you've been hearing in a lot of different places the last 15 years. Crank it and sing along!"







Salt Of The Earth Records will release Transition Animals on January 28, 2022. Pre-orders can be placed now via the following links: CD and Vinyl.


Compared to previous releases, Transition Animals sees a more streamlined band returning to the spotlight as a three-piece, hell-bent on delivering some heavy as all hell, well-crafted, catchy songs.





Kings And Liars will hit the road early next year in support of Transition Animals. They will be joined by '70s-style Hendrixian Motör Funk band Lord Bishop. Dates are as follows:


January
28 - Pompano Beach, FL - Pipers
29 - Orlando, FL - Shovelhead
30 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero


February
1 - Murfreesboro, NC - Zakk's Coffeehouse
2 - Chesapeake, VA - Riff House
3 - Baltimore, MD - Zen West
4 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
5 - Hamden, CT - The Cellar on Treadwell (CD Release Party)


"THIS is the talent pool from where my inspiration comes! The Bellmore Brothers are individually and collectively brilliant! Nicky’s amazing drumming, producing, engineering, mixing, and mastering are unparalleled. Charlie’s incredible guitar playing, songwriting, and singing are the backbone of my musical career today. So, listen and be amazed at musicians and a band who you should have heard long ago! Kings And Liars is here!" - Dee Snider of Twisted Sister


"All I can say is WOW... I Love the new Kings And Liars! I've had the pleasure of sharing the stage many times with Charlie, Nick, and Chris! All three are top-notch musicians and great guys! Charlie is an awesome songwriter... do yourselves a favor and check this out!" - Kirk Windstein from Crowbar and Kingdom Of Sorrow


(Photo by Jason V. Manello)