In a new interview with Simfonia Metàl·lica, former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider was asked to name the biggest mistake he made in his professional career. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can tell you. This is the only thing I'm really not happy with. I was creating the name ACCEPT. And then, when we came — let's say in '80, '81, we had to sign a lot of documents. And sometimes you're not really looking on this. And then, in the end, when they fired me [from] my own band, I found a paper [saying] all the rights [to the ACCEPT name] go to [ACCEPT guitarist] Wolf Hoffmann. And that's really a big point, a bad point for me. The name is normally on me and not on Wolf Hoffmann."

He continued: "This was a big mistake — not really to look what you're signing. But anyway, this is history — [it happened] a long time ago. And I think in the end now, in a way I don't care. But sometimes [I think] I did a big mistake. But anyway, it happened."

Earlier this year, Udo ruled out the possibility of a reunion with ACCEPT, telling TNT Radio Rock: "I don't wanna say anything bad. Wolf is a great guitar player. He's a great guy — I know that. But one thing, and that's why never ever can happen again a reunion or stuff like that, is he was stealing my name. A long time ago, in '81, when we had to sign some papers. I was really young, and, 'Yeah, okay,' I signed my contracts. There was some paper in between [all the others], and he [got] the rights [to the ACCEPT name]. But it was not Wolf [who orchestrated it]; I think it was now his wife. She was the manager of ACCEPT, and she was clever to put the [ACCEPT] name on Wolf Hoffmann. And this is the thing that makes me still angry — he was really stealing the name. I mean, I was making ACCEPT in '68.

"In the end, as a person, [he's] definitely a great guitar player, a great guy," Udo added. "It's history. I think I'm quite successful with U.D.O. If I want, I can do anytime a tour under [the name] DIRKSCHNEIDER and play ACCEPT songs. If I really say, 'Okay, I wanna do this again,' no problems at all. But the rest, in a way, is history.

"For example, I was working with [fellow former ACCEPT members] Peter Baltes and Stefan Kaufmann together on the single 'Where The Angels Fly', and everybody was, like, 'Oh, what is this? This is more ACCEPT than ACCEPT is doing now at the moment.'"

Dirkschneider's long-running metal band U.D.O. released an album in July 2020 called "We Are One", featuring contributions from Baltes and Kaufmann. Baltes and Kaufmann also reunited with Dirkschneider in the studio to record an EP under the DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG banner, titled "Arising", which came out in August.

This past January, Hoffmann was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he was surprised to see Baltes working with Dirkschneider on some new music last year. He responded: "Yeah, I probably shouldn't say much about that. Again, I can only speculate what that was all about. At the end of the day, we do our thing, and everybody has to know for themselves what they wanna do. Yeah, let me not say as much about that as I can, please."

Back in 2015, Hoffmann dismissed Dirkschneider's comment that the band's then-lineup — which included Baltes and ACCEPT's singer of more than a decade, Mark Tornillo — performed live "without any emotion." "It's just hilarious at this point," Wolf said. "It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

During a conversation with Ultimate Guitar's David Slavković, Behemoth leader Adam "Nergal" Darski talked about former Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley, who is one of the guests on New Man, New Songs, Same Shit: Vol. 2, the new album from Nergal's project Me & That Man.


Asked what it was like to collaborate on "All Hope Has Gone" with Bayley, Exodus guitarist Gary Holt, and Venom's founding guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn, Darski replied:


"Well, I'd say it's a trio. Because it's Iron Maiden - or ex-Iron Maiden - Slayer, and Venom. I mean, what is missing here is maybe Metallica (laughs). You know what I mean? This is the top-notch, the peak of the mountain, you know. It's just beautiful. It feels great. I feel very honored to be even able to combine those amazing, iconic figures on the record, and on one song. It makes - it really makes my life, and one of my fan-boy dreams completed. 




I love the song, obviously. It's a bluesy ballad in a very Gary Moore kind of way - even though I'm not a big Gary Moore fan - but it kinda sounds like that. Blaze Bayley singing the story of his life - if you're not aware, he's really singing about his wife passing, so it only makes this song - and the title, it says it all, man. There's no faking that. You've got like real, emotional blues, with an, I think, very underrated singer. Because if you ask me, I do dig both Bayley Maiden records, I do like them, and I do listen to them. So I'm not just saying that now. So, of course, Paul Di'Anno - yes; Blaze Bayley - yes; and, of course, Bruce Dickinson is the Iron Maiden voice. But I really do respect and appreciate those two records. And he does just an amazing job because you can really feel that he's just putting so much emotion into his singing. And then, I'm very thankful for both."


Read more here.





Following the chart-breaking and critically acclaimed antecedent, New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol.1 (2020), the new offering showcases an abundance of heavy music icons, but this time, it's taken to a whole new level. Experience the likes of Gary Holt (Slayer, Exodus), Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), Mary Goore, Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God), Myrkur, Devin Townsend, David Vincent, Doug Blair (W.A.S.P), Hank von Hell (Turbonegro) and Olve 'Abbath' Eikemo (Immortal, Abbath) intertwining with the album’s collection of occult anthems. This symbiosis of unfiltered blues, gothic-laced folk, essence of dark outlaw country and a touch of evil you’ll swear was either beamed straight out of hell or the most blackened of churches.





New Man, New Songs, Same Shit, Vol.2 will be available in the following formats:


- 1 CD Sleevepack
- 1 LP Gatefold Vinyl Black
- 1 LP Gatefold Vinyl Sun Yellow (Napalm Records worldwide exclusive)
- 1 LP Earbook Marbled Black/Gold “Die Hard Edition” + 48pages booklet + slip mat (Napalm Records worldwide exclusive)
- Digital album


You can pre-order or pre-save here.


Album sleeve artwork by Bartek-Rogalewicz.





Tracklisting:


"Black Hearse Cadillac" (feat. Hank Von Hell, Anders Odden)
"Under The Spell" (feat. Mary Goore)
"All Hope Has Gone" (feat. Blaze Bayley, Gary Holt, Jeff Mantas Dunn)
"Witches Don't Fall In Love" (feat. Kristoffer Rygg)
"Losing My Blues" (feat. Olve Abbath Eikemo, Frank The Baptist, Chris Holmes)
"Coldest Day In Hell" (feat Ralf Gyllenhammar, Douglas Blair)
"Year Of The Snake" (feat. David Vincent)
"Blues & Cocaine" (feat. Michale Graves)
"Silver Halide Echoes" (feat. Randy Blythe)
"Goodbye" (feat. Alissa White-Gluz, Devin Townsend)
"Angel Of Light" (feat. Myrkur)
"Got Your Tongue" (feat. Chris Georgiadis)


"Under the Spell" video:





"Angel Of Light" video:





"Got Your Tongue" video:





Me And That Man are:


Adam 'Nergal' Darski - Vocals and Guitars
Łukasz Kumański - Drums and Percussion, Backing Vocals
Matteo Bassoli - Bass, Synth and Backing Vocals
Sasha Boole - Guitars, Mouth Harp, Banjo

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch spoke to the "Talk Toomey" podcast about what it has been like for him and his bandmates to tour the U.S. this past summer while the pandemic was still in full swing. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's crazy, because it's a serious thing. I know people — young people I even know — that have died from COVID. So it's a serious issue. But you've gotta live, man. We've gotta get this world… We can't let our country crumble. So we got out there. And our fans needed us. People need live music; they need that inspiration. And so we just were, like, 'Let's go out there and do it, and no matter what comes against us, we'll keep going.' And I'm, like, 'Look, if it's not meant to be, we'll be back home. If it's not meant to be, then it won't work.' But every time somebody got COVID, we just kept going.

"Jonathan [Davis, KORN singer] was the most safe dude on the tour with his girlfriend. And they were just, like, away from everybody; I barely saw him. And it was with a mask and all that. So it was crazy [that he ended up testing positive for COVID-19].

"We were at this hotel in Florida and it was a freakin' bodybuilding convention. And there was all these steroid, jacked up… There were girls that looked bigger than our security guards by three times; they were just stacked. And so when we walked through the lobby, it was just muscles everywhere. And I think that's where it started.

"So we just fought through it, man," Welch continued. "And I couldn't believe Munky [KORN guitarist James Shaffer] got it afterwards. And every time the tour manager came in and told us whoever got it, it was, like… He would come in white as a ghost with his eyes just huge. 'Cause our crew — we love our crew; they're, like, family, and they're finally working after a year and a half. And everyone's, like, 'Shit, are we going home?' And so every time he came in, he was just wide-eyed. But we had J.R. [Bareis] from LOVE AND DEATH fly out; Munky wanted him to fill in for him. He's just a very professional, kind human being and kills it — a great guitar player. And then we're almost through the tour, and then Ray [Luzier, KORN drummer] gets it. And so we're talking back and forth on text, and I'm, like, 'Why did you go to that ROLLING STONES concert, you idiot?' [Laughs] And then, next thing you know, we get a fill-in and he's doing it. Ray flies to the stadium shows with SYSTEM OF A DOWN, KORN and with HELMET. And he gets there, and he gets a text, 'Serj [Tankian] has COVID. SYSTEM OF A DOWN is canceling. KORN is canceling.' So, at that point, I just throw my hands up. My daughter flew in for the concert. I'm texting her, telling her SYSTEM OF A DOWN's setlist, because she loves SYSTEM. And as I'm telling her, I get another text, and I text her right back. I said, 'Never mind. That show is canceled. Let's go to the beach.' So we went on a little vacation. But that was it. We fought through; we made it through.

"[I wanna give] a shoutout to everybody out there that just pushed hard for the tour to happen, all the events to happen," Brian added. "It was amazing. The backstage security and the promoters and everybody at each venue were so appreciative; they were, like, 'Thank you so much for coming and doing this.' Everybody wanted to work and feel normal again. And we got that for… I think we were out — with the breaks and everything — we were out for almost three months."

As a result of Davis's infection in August, KORN postponed six dates and canceled two on its recent U.S. tour. A month later, Munky also contracted COVID-19 and was temporarily replaced by Bareis. In October, Luzier became the third member of the band to get infected, forcing him to miss three shows on KORN's U.S. tour. Filling in for him was FEVER 333's Aric Improta.

Davis, who was reportedly fully vaccinated, had been taking a seat on a custom throne near the drum riser at KORN's later shows due to lingering effects of his bout with COVID-19.

In video footage of KORN's August 27 concert in Tinley Park, Illinois — Jonathan's first gig back after revealing his positive diagnosis — he could be seen walking slowly around the stage, coughing and appearing to take a minute to catch his breath. According to TMZ, Davis also took occasional hits from an oxygen tank set up near this throne.

KORN's new album, "Requiem", will arrive on February 4, 2022 via Loma Vista Recordings. The official music video for the disc's first single, "Start The Healing", directed by Tim Saccenti (FLYING LOTUS, RUN THE JEWELS, DEPECHE MODE), was made available last week.

"Requiem" was produced by Chris Collier and KORN.

Fans had been anticipating new music after KORN previewed a snippet of "Start The Healing" within an augmented reality filter and billboards bearing the band's iconic logo began appearing worldwide earlier in the month.

"Requiem" is available for pre-order in an array of collectible formats. These include an exclusive silver vinyl variant strictly limited to 1,000 copies.

Last month, DREAM THEATER was announced as one of the "Best Metal Performance" nominees at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on January 31, 2022, at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center) in Los Angeles, California. The progressive metal legends were nominated for their song "The Alien", the first single from their latest album, "A View From The Top Of The World", which came out in October.

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci discussed his band's latest Grammy nomination during an appearance on MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The first [Grammy] nomination we had, FOO FIGHTERS were on there. And they won it. I remember Dave Grohl had said something like, 'Oh, they should have got this,' which I thought was nice. But this time, I don't know if I'm gonna remember all of [the other artists that were nominated], but I think it's GOJIRA and MASTODON [that we are up against], and it's a cool list. I remember there were a couple of years where I was surprised at the nominees — it seemed a little bit strange — but this seems appropriate. So we'll see. It's fun. It's an honor to get nominated. It's cool. Doing what we do and the way that we do it and getting recognized in that world is something that I never would have expected. And now for us, this is the third [nomination], so it's cool. It's a good feeling."

When "The Alien" was first released in August, guitarist Petrucci stated about the track: "It's the first one we wrote together. It gives people a window into what it was like when we initially met up after all of those months off. It has the adventure, the untraditional structure, the heaviness, and the hooks. It really set the tone for the album. James [LaBrie, vocals] wrote the lyrics about the idea of terraforming and looking beyond our Earth for alternative settlements. Since we're going beyond our planet, 'The Alien' turns out to be us. I thought it was a cool and creative lyric by James."

DREAM THEATER's previous Grammy nominations were for the song "On The Backs Of Angels", from 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album, and the single "The Enemy Inside" from 2013's "Dream Theater".

Last month, DREAM THEATER announced the rescheduled dates for its recently postponed North American leg of the "Top Of The World" tour. The shows will now kick off in Mesa, Arizona on February 2 and run seven weeks before ending in Austin, Texas on March 21. The tour will also make stops in Los Angeles, California; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; New York City and Dallas, Texas, among others, and will mark the first live performances of music from "A View From The Top Of The World". ARCH ECHO will be the opener on all dates in the United States and FALSET will be the opener on all of the dates in Canada.

"A View From The Top Of The World" marked DREAM THEATER's second studio album with InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap.






‘The Alien’ was the first track that we wrote for the new album when we all convened to write last October. We are thrilled to have it be recognized in this way. We are in some amazing company with this year’s nominees and wish them all the best of luck! #Grammys

— Dream Theater (@dreamtheaternet) November 23, 2021

In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth talks murder confessions, punch-ups on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, collaborating with Bring Me The Horizon and partying on the beach with Kesha - all life as (un)usual for the British extreme metal icon.


Following is an excerpt from the career-spanning interview:


Q: Is it true that the first Cradle record was wiped when the label went out of business? What did it sound like?




Dani: "I’m grateful it was deleted. It sounded like early The Gathering or Therion, European death metal with keyboards and choirs. It was pretty good, but had that come out we’d have been tied to this god-awful label. It was a fucker at the time, but it was one of the best things that could’ve happened to us."


Q: How linked did you feel to the wider black metal and extreme metal scenes?


Dani: "We were right in the thick of it. Early on we went to Portugal for our first time abroad and headlined a festival with Hypocrisy and Moonspell; it took off from there. I was already tape trading with Euronymous (co-founder of Mayhem) and guys from Impaled Nazarene, Magus of Necromantia – loads of people, because you had to back then. That’s how we migrated to the black metal side of things."


Q: Did you ever feel like the butt of the joke for the extreme metal scene?


Dani: "In Britain, not really anywhere else. That’s always been the way though, especially in British journalism – they build a band up and go 'look what we found!' but then also want to be the people that will shoot you down. They do it to everyone – A, The Darkness… it’s a safety standard. You do feel a complete sense of betrayal about it, especially when you do nothing for it."


Read the complete interview here.


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





Tracklisting:


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


Check out Aaron Small's Bravewords feature here.


"Crawling King Chaos" video:

TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider says that he is "pro-choice" on the issue of abortion, and believes that we should let the women have a choice in what they want to do with their bodies.

Snider voiced his views on the hot-button topic while responding to STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet, who blasted a group of abortion rights activists for swallowing abortion pills near the U.S. Supreme Court Building to protest to a court challenge that could reverse Roe vs. Wade.

On Thursday (December 2), Sweet, who has fronted the openly Christian rock band STRYPER for nearly four decades, shared a video of protesters allegedly taking mifepristone ahead of the nation's highest court hearing arguments over a case involving a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks. None of the protesters were pregnant, said Amelia Bonow, co-founder of the abortion rights group Shout Your Abortion, who orchestrated the demonstration. In an accompanying message, Michael wrote: "When women are shamelessly and proudly taking 'abortion pills' on video with smiles on their faces, isn't that a whole new level of evil? How and why is this acceptable in our world? Are we really this far gone? Celebrating the death of the unborn!!"

An hour later, Snider took to his Twitter to address Sweet's comments, writing: "Actually Michael, it's not. From my Christian teachings I got 'first breath, last breath'. I'm Pro-choice & stand for women's rights. What bothers me about this convo is while pro choicers say, 'It's up to you.' Anti-choicers say, 'We'll decide for you.' #oopsIdiditagain #andgo".

The conservative-leaning Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday as the justices consider Mississippi's request to overturn Roe v. Wade — the court's 1973 decision that legalized abortion in the United States — and uphold a state law that bars the procedure 15 weeks after conception.

According to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, more than twice as many Americans (55 percent) say they want the court to reaffirm Roe v. Wade as say they want it overturned (24 percent).

Critics have said that tossing out the landmark rulings establishing abortion rights would tarnish the court's reputation and open the floodgates to other challenges to well-settled law.

Sweet previously touched upon his views on abortion in a 2020 interview with Slabber.net. While discussing how he decides which presidential candidate he gets behind, he said: "It's not anything new for people to hear from a Christian that they support pro-life. We want to see children that are unborn, live. The other side of that argument, for example, if the woman is raped and she loses her right to have an abortion, that's a terrible thing as well, and I agree with that. You would think in this case a woman should have the choice to keep that baby or not keep that baby. It's a tough argument. There are pros and cons to both sides of this argument. For me, as a believer, as a Christian, the pro-life pros outweigh the cons. Therefore, I'm a guy who typically gets behind whoever is the candidate that is pro-life as well."




Actually Michael, it's not. From my Christian teachings I got "first breath, last breath". I'm Pro-choice & stand for women's rights. What bothers me about this convo is while pro choicers say, "It's up to you." Anti-choicers say, "We'll decide for you." #oopsIdiditagain #andgo https://t.co/OTEsFw9hr1

— Dee Snider?? (@deesnider) December 2, 2021

Michael Sweet of openly Christian rockers STRYPER says that he doesn't care if he loses social media followers over his comments on abortion rights, explaining that "it's not about following me, it's about following Christ."

On Thursday (December 2), Sweet, who has fronted STRYPER for nearly four decades, shared a video of protesters allegedly taking abortion pills (mifepristone) near the U.S. Supreme Court building to protest to a court challenge that could reverse Roe vs. Wade. None of the protesters were pregnant, said Amelia Bonow, co-founder of the abortion rights group Shout Your Abortion, who orchestrated the demonstration. In an accompanying message, Michael wrote: "When women are shamelessly and proudly taking 'abortion pills' on video with smiles on their faces, isn't that a whole new level of evil? How and why is this acceptable in our world? Are we really this far gone? Celebrating the death of the unborn!!"

Sweet's comments were predictably met with a large amount of disdain from pro-choice advocates who have condemned a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks. But the 58-year-old guitarist/vocalist has refused to back down, returning to his social media earlier today to share a follow-up post in which he explained his stance in greater detail.

He wrote: "Yesterday I posted a video showing 3 women taking 'abortion pills' and the flood gates opened. As they should. It's about as serious a topic as there ever could be.

"First, I'm pro-life. If you didn't know that by now then I truly have no words to explain that. Second, as much as I take issue with pro-choice - my anger came from seeing the joy and the smiles on the faces of the 3 women taking the pill. Without going into details, I know women who have had abortions and it was the most traumatizing event that took place in their lives. Still is. There was no joy, there were no smiles. Only pain. That's the issue I had with that disgusting video. They were taking the pills (whether they were real pills or not) with a smile, as if it were a party and a fun thing to do. With little kids watching and soaking it it all in. Everyone should take issue with the presentation. I know the issues at hand will have many different opinions but the way that was presented should rub everyone the wrong way. Tasteless and classless.

"I will NEVER stand by and be silent when I see something so disturbing and yes - EVIL!" he added.

"To those who turned it around and use the 'my body, my choice' cliche - do you really think that this behavior is okay? If so, then we're in worse shape than I thought.

"Anyway, I have absolutely no regrets for my post and I wouldn't change a thing. I may lose some followers but that's okay. It's not about following me, it's about following Christ".

The conservative-leaning Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday as the justices consider Mississippi's request to overturn Roe v. Wade — the court's 1973 decision that legalized abortion in the United States — and uphold a state law that bars the procedure 15 weeks after conception.

According to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll, more than twice as many Americans (55 percent) say they want the court to reaffirm Roe v. Wade as say they want it overturned (24 percent).

Critics have said that tossing out the landmark rulings establishing abortion rights would tarnish the court's reputation and open the floodgates to other challenges to well-settled law.

Sweet previously touched upon his views on abortion in a 2020 interview with Slabber.net. While discussing how he decides which presidential candidate he gets behind, he said: "It's not anything new for people to hear from a Christian that they support pro-life. We want to see children that are unborn, live. The other side of that argument, for example, if the woman is raped and she loses her right to have an abortion, that's a terrible thing as well, and I agree with that. You would think in this case a woman should have the choice to keep that baby or not keep that baby. It's a tough argument. There are pros and cons to both sides of this argument. For me, as a believer, as a Christian, the pro-life pros outweigh the cons. Therefore, I'm a guy who typically gets behind whoever is the candidate that is pro-life as well."
























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A post shared by Michael Sweet (@michaelsweetstryper)

In a new interview with the "All Access Live! With Kevin Rankin" podcast, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about the challenges of navigating work and personal life in the months since sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving him were posted on Twitter. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think the main thing is there's a professional life and there's a personal life… In rock and roll, especially MEGADETH, we were always very transparent about stuff and talked very openly about — and maybe to a fault, to some degree — and I speak for me, letting people know who you are kind of on a personal level. 'Cause that really translates to the music, and that is the connection. This isn't just about being, and I think our genre set the stage for it, and probably the Seattle movement that came after us certainly took it to the next level, is the relatability of your music and your lyrics and your songtitles and the things you're singing about are the thing that your fans really sink their teeth into. And it's not like it just happened in one generation — it happened again and again and again, what, four decades in. So it's something that has real staying power to it, when you're honest about it. But I do think that there is this tendency to — you get a little bit, [and] everybody wants more. And social media and all this stuff where, all of a sudden, everybody's sharing what they ate for dinner and what they had at Starbucks. The mystique is gone.

"Fans still like their rock stars, man," he continued. "Rock stars are people that are not people — they're super human, and they live above human mortality, if you will. And it is that thing. And when all of a sudden rock stars become ordinary, they're not extraordinary anymore. I think that's a big thing. I try to have a professional life and a personal life, and those lines can get blurred a little bit. It's kind of, like, you're not welcome over to my house and you're not coming in and you're not having dinner with my family. There is a line on this stuff.

"I've always been approachable, I think, and I think that's a good quality," Ellefson added. "I've been sort of the one to de-escalate things and to be approachable, and I'd like to think that's a likeable trait. And I think that's what always worked well in the MEGADETH environment; that's a component of that that I think worked real well there. But at the same time, you don't always have to be so available — 'cause nobody is. Who is? I mean, the president isn't. Steve Jobs wasn't. We're doing other things. These moments like this where [it's] you and I talking, it isn't just you and I talking; the world is listening in, and we're hanging out with everybody. And there's these moments to do this and to be available, approachable and to hang out and kind of invite people in. I mean, look, I'm sitting in my house. This is probably the closest you're gonna get to getting in my house is right here. But this is the professional room; over there, that's the family room. And [there's] a door, and the door symbolically and even in reality separates professional life from family life. And I'm probably a lot more aware of that right now. I'm very hardlined on that now."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH earlier this year in the wake of online scrutiny, in which the bassist was accused of grooming an underage girl through videos and online messages. Ellefson has denied the allegation and has repeatedly said the woman in question had been a willing, consenting adult at the time of their virtual sexual encounter.

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

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

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

AUGUST BURNS RED frontman Jake Luhrs will sit out the remaining shows on the band's current tour in order to tend to "an emergency situation." Filling in for him will be CONVICTIONS vocalist Michael Felker. Luhrs is expected to rejoin his bandmates in time for their "Christmas Burns Red" dates later this month.

AUGUST BURNS RED announced Luhrs's absence in a social media post earlier today. The band wrote: "Due to an emergency situation, Jake will be heading home for the remaining Leveler Tour Dates. He is ok, and will see everyone at Christmas Burns Red. We'd like to say a big thank you to Mike from CONVICTIONS for filling in on these remaining shows! Show him some love and we will see you tonight in Dallas!"

Affected shows:

Dec. 03 - House of Blues - Dallas

Dec. 04 - Vibes Event Center, San Antonio, TX

Dec. 05 - House of Blues – Houston, TX

Dec. 07 - Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ

Dec. 08 - Belasco - Los Angeles, CA

Dec. 09 - House Of Blues - Anaheim

Dec. 10 - SOMA San Diego - San Diego, CA

Earlier this year, AUGUST BURNS RED released "Leveler: 10th Anniversary Edition". The band re-recorded its fourth album, which was originally made available on June 21, 2011, with special guests, brand new guitar solos, alternate tunings, and more.

In 2020, AUGUST BURNS RED guitarist JB Brubaker told Billboard that he and his bandmates have grown more comfortable with the "metalcore" tag in recent years.

"The word metalcore became a little bit taboo for us in like, 2013," he said. "There was just this enormous boom of bands playing metalcore and it was just so watered-down and predictable and boring. And at this point now in 2020, I feel like so much of that heap of bands that were active seven years ago, so many of them have come and gone now that I'm not as embarrassed by the term 'metalcore' anymore. Because I feel like the bands who are left standing from that boom, it's sort of like the cream rose to the top. And while I much prefer just calling AUGUST BURNS RED a metal band, I get why people would call us a metalcore band. I mean, we play a ton of breakdowns. So if you want to get quite literal about it, the 'core' is obvious."


? Due to an emergency situation, Jake will be heading home for the remaining Leveler Tour Dates. He is ok, and will see...

Posted by August Burns Red on Friday, December 3, 2021

The latest addition to the ever-expanding range from U.K. independent publisher Rock N' Roll Colouring is the first official coloring book from MEGADETH, one of thrash metal's most legendary and influential bands. It features 25 classic designs from genre-defying albums such as "Rust In Peace", "Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?" and "Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good!", as well as many other iconic images from the band's illustrious career.

Devised and created by two lifelong rock and heavy metal devotees and coloring book fans, Rock N' Roll Colouring was formed by fans for fans. Every effort has gone into making sure this book does justice to the legacy of MEGADETH and their iconic figure, Vic Rattlehead, painstakingly re-creating some of the most famous heavy metal images of all time to ensure that MEGADETH fans everywhere get the best creative experience possible.

Coloring has proven significant mental health benefits including mindfulness, relaxation and increased focus and can be enjoyed by any age group. These books provide hours of creative and restful activity that combines the love of the music with the love of the art.

The MEGADETH book follows on from the previous Rock N' Roll Colouring releases from IRON MAIDEN, ALICE COOPER, MOTÖRHEAD, JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY and MEGADETH.

The book can be ordered via Megadeth.com.




Get the New Official Megadeth Coloring Book! Includes instant page download - share your colored in page using hashtags #MegaColor #rocknrollcoloring for a chance to be featured on the Megadeth Facebook page! gtly.to/CewBhxPoy

Posted by Megadeth on Friday, December 3, 2021

Former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin has released the official lyric video for his new song "As The World Burns". The track is taken from his upcoming solo album, "Thorns", which will arrive on January 14, 2022 via Battlegod Productions and Dark Star Records. Battlegod will handle distribution in Australia, Asia, Europe and Japan, while Dark Star will handle distribution in all of North and South America, including both physical and streaming.

Among the guest musicians set to appear on the LP are Scott McClellan (who helped write the album), Danny "Danté" Needham (VENOM), Magnus Rosén (HAMMERFALL), Greg Smith (ALICE COOPER, RAINBOW, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) and Martin's youngest son Joe.

"Thorns" track listing:

01. As The World Burns

02. Black Widow Angel

03. Book Of Shadows

04. Crying Wolf

05. Damned By You

06. No Shame At All

07. No Where To Fly

08. Passion Killer

09. Run Like The Devil

10. This Is Your Damnation

11. Thorns

Tony said in a statement: "This new album is probably the most 'Tony Martin' a Tony Martin album has ever sounded!! It's got several surprises that will lift people's eyebrows, I am sure. Largely but not entirely based around the riffs of Scott McClellan, new to the world scene, he has proved to be a worthy partner in crime for this release... I was able to make some great songs out of the riffs he was coming up with, which is very similar in the writing sense to that which I experienced with Tony Iommi. Different sound and style, but the riffing talent that someone like Scott has is very cool. It is diverse, melodic, powerful, thought-provoking and of a standard high as ever I have worked on. I believe there are stories still to tell, songs still to be sung, and with this album, I feel it's achieved everything I could have wished for.

"Grateful to the people who have given their extra talents in appearances on this recording. It's been a challenge in COVID lockdown, getting everyone's performances from across the world, but in another way, it was a perfect opportunity to get it done."

Martin's last solo album, "Scream", was released in November 2005 via MTM Music.

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987), "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), "Cross Purposes" (1994), "Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995). Eventually, Martin and his "Forbidden"-era bandmates were ousted when guitarist Tony Iommi reunited with SABBATH's fellow original members.

In a 2012 interview with Über Röck, Martin said that he was "surprised" to see Iommi criticizing him in the guitarist's "Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven And Hell With Black Sabbath" book (referring to the Martin period, especially the touring phase following the release of "Cross Purposes" in 1994, Iommi lambasted his former singer as "unprofessional" and having "no stage presence"). Martin said: "I mean, they never said anything to me. Surely, if you've got a problem, the first person you should say something to is the person that's in the band with you... It sounds like a really stupid thing to say, as they didn't say anything to my face — and, if that's the case, then more fool them for not saying anything, because, you know, we could have fixed it. I said to them, endlessly, that if there was anything they wanted changed, done differently, just to say and we could fix it, but clearly, they didn't, they hadn't got the guts to, obviously, and to write about it in a book afterwards seems a bit daft to me. I'm not bitter about it, but it is surprising... It seems a bit stupid to say that after the event."

Five years ago, Iommi told I Heart Guitar that "it's a shame" that "it took a lot for people to accept" Martin as SABBATH's vocalist. "It's taken all these years later for people to say, 'Oh blimey, that was a good band with good singing.' So it took a long time to get people to really realize how good it was."

In 2018, Iommi spent time in the studio remixing "Forbidden" for a future release. The LP, which features Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, is often regarded as SABBATH's worst studio recording.

Photo credit: Rob Billingham

MARIANAS TRENCH frontman Josh Ramsay has just released his new solo effort, "Lady Mine", featuring a guest appearance by Chad Kroeger of NICKELBACK). A bold, in-your-face throwback anthem that boasts blazing guitars, soaring vocals and a full horn section, it is the first single off Ramsay's forthcoming debut solo album, titled "The Josh Ramsay Show", set for release early next year.

No stranger to bold collaborations, Ramsay has worked with marquee names throughout his multifaceted career, including writing and performing credits with Carly Rae Jepsen, NICKELBACK, and 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER, to name a few. In true Ramsay style, fans can expect a music offering that is nothing less than spectacular with plenty of familiar faces featured on the new album. These include JUNO and CCMA Award winner Dallas Smith, D.J. Sharkpocalypse, Fefe Dobson, FIONN, Ria Mae, Sara Ramsay, JUNO Award winner Serena Ryder, Tyler Shaw and Kroeger on "Lady Mine".

Shares Ramsay: "Each track on this album is a different genre. For 'Lady Mine', I was going for a fun, throwback '70s-style rock, drawing on the same sorts of influences that Lenny Kravitz might do. At least that's what I set out to do. What I ended up with was something kind of crazy. You know — like if the '70s had been on crack. Once Chad added his vocals on there, it got even crazier. But so much fun."

During the start of the pandemic, Ramsay needed something to do while in isolation. He indulged himself by writing songs in as many different genres as possible. Josh explains: "My goal was to try and do as many genres as possible, so it feels kind of like a variety show. I see it as my 'calling card' — not just as a songwriter, but as a producer and arranger."

"The Josh Ramsay Show" is a sweeping exploration of musical styles featuring collaborations with a wide range of Canadian singers from across the musical spectrum that rings in at 18 tracks in all. This album is a love letter to music as a whole, never sticking to the same genre twice.

As with every project he takes on, Ramsay wanted to push his personal limitations and challenge himself as a songwriter, singer, player, and producer with this new single. He played every instrument on the track (except horns), produced it, and co-mixed it with longtime friend, Dave "Rave" Ogilvie. That's always been a defining characteristic of his output as with MARIANAS TRENCH, and in his role as producer and songwriter for artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, whose worldwide hit "Call Me Maybe" garnered Ramsay a Grammy nomination and a SOCAN Award for "Most Performed Song" in SOCAN history.

Ramsay has toured with MARIANAS TRENCH extensively in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. When not on the move, the multi-instrumentalist runs his own recording studio, The Umbrella Factory, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

GUNS N' ROSES has released the official lyric video for its new song "Hard Skool". Written by singer Axl Rose and co-produced by Rose and Caram Costanzo, the track, which had the working title "Jackie Chan", was originally recorded during GN'R's "Chinese Democracy" era but was eventually omitted from that album. Short clips of the song were later posted online and a full version was leaked in August 2019. More recently, the partially reunited classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES rehearsed the track during soundcheck at several concerts on the band's summer 2021 tour.

Rumors of the new song's imminent release began to circulate in early September after a fan was reportedly told about it by Rose when they met backstage at a recent show in Atlantic City.

On "Hard Skool", Axl sings: "But you had to play it cool, had to do it your way/Had to be a fool, had to throw it all away/Too hard school and you thought you were here to stay/ If that were true, it wouldn't matter anyway."

"Hard Skool" is the title track of a new GUNS N' ROSES four-song EP which will be released on February 25, 2022. The effort, which is exclusive to the GUNS N' ROSES official store, contains the two new songs the band released in August and September — "Hard Skool" and "Absurd" (stylized as "ABSUЯD") — as well as live versions of "Don't Cry" and "You're Crazy".

"Hard Skool" EP track listing:

01. Hard Skool

02. ABSUЯD

03. Don't Cry (Live)

04. You're Crazy (Live)

GUNS N' ROSES performed "Hard Skool" live for the first time during the September 26 concert at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

"This is something about lower education," Rose told the audience before launching into the track.

"Absurd", a reworked version of a previously unreleased track called "Silkworms", came out on August 6, three days after the band performed the tune live for the first time during its concert at Boston's Fenway Park.

GUNS N' ROSES last performed "Silkworms", which was also reportedly written during the "Chinese Democracy" sessions, in 2001.

The band is now said to be working on a new studio album — the first under the GUNS banner since "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan since 1993.

Legendary rockers JOURNEY kicked off their month-long Las Vegas residency on Wednesday, December 1 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels.

Filling in on bass for JOURNEY for the six shows is Todd Jensen, a veteran musician who has played for various artists, including the bands SEQUEL, HARDLINE and HARLOW, as well as David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Perry, Alice Cooper and Paul Rodgers. Also part of JOURNEY's current lineup is returning drummer Deen Castronovo, who shared the drum duties in the band earlier this year with Narada Michael Walden. Walden, bassist Randy Jackson and keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka all joined JOURNEY last year following the band's acrimonious split with drummer Steve Smith and bassist Ross Valory. Jackson — who previously played with JOURNEY during the mid-1980s — was forced to miss all the recent gigs because he is reportedly recovering from back surgery. Prior to the residency, Jackson had been replaced at JOURNEY's 2021 shows by Marco Mendoza, who had played several shows in 2019 with Castronovo and JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon under the "Neal Schon's Journey Through Time" banner.

JOURNEY has four more Vegas shows left in its residency: December 7,8,10, and 11.

In June, JOURNEY shared a new single, "The Way We Used To Be". The song was the multi-platinum band's first new music since 2011's album "Eclipse", and the first track released by the band's revamped lineup. "The Way We Used To Be" marks Walden and Derlatka's first studio recordings with the band, and Jackson's first since 1986's "Raised On Radio". The song was produced by Narada Michael Walden at his Tarpan Studios, with co-production by Schon and Cain.

Since the group's formation in 1973, JOURNEY has earned 19 top 40 singles, 25 gold and platinum albums, and has sold nearly 100 million albums globally. Their "Greatest Hits" album is certified 15 times-platinum, making JOURNEY one of the few bands to ever have been diamond-certified, and their song "Don't Stop Believin'" has been streamed over one billion times alone.

JOURNEY was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017, and 2018's co-headlining tour with DEF LEPPARD was the band's most successful tour to date, landing them in the Top 10 year-end touring chart with more than 1 million tickets sold, and earning them the prestigious Billboard "Legends Of Live" touring award. March 2019 saw the release of "Escape & Frontiers Live In Japan", a live DVD/CD set from their concert at the Budokan in Tokyo featuring the band's first-ever performances of the albums "Escape" and "Frontiers" in their entirety. JOURNEY has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and were inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall Of Fame. Additionally, the band is the subject of the award-winning documentary "Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey" about the band's resurgence upon adding Arnel Pineda as lead singer after founding member Neal Schon discovered the Philippines native on YouTube.

JOURNEY will team up with Billy Idol and TOTO for a North American tour in February, March, April and May.
























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Mitch Malloy, who auditioned to replace Sammy Hagar in VAN HALEN in the summer of 1996, celebrated Eddie Van Halen's musical legacy with MITCH MALLOY'S VH EXPERIENCE on October 9 at Mattie Kelly Arts Village in Destin, Florida. Mitch was backed by a band featuring Pete Thorn (Chris Cornell, Don Henley, Melissa Etheridge) on guitar, Daniel Spriewald (Phil X of BON JOVI) on bass, and Wayne Killius (Keith Urban, BIG & RICH, Luke Bryan) on drums.

Multi-camera video footage of MITCH MALLOY'S VH EXPERIENCE performing the VAN HALEN classic "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" at the Destin concert can be seen below.

Malloy told the story of his day at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 studios to Melodic Rock: "A guy who worked for their management at the time used to be my road manager and he kept calling me and telling me they were going to fire Sammy and that I was going to be the next singer in VAN HALEN. And he was calling and calling and finally I got annoyed by this and told him to stop and that I didn't think I was a good fit in VAN HALEN and that if he was serious, he should have Ed call me. A week later, Desmond Child calls me and says he has just left Ed's house and was writing with them and that they were talking about me and that they were watching my 'Anything At All' video, and that he told them that I was perfect for them, and that they would be lucky to get me. And before I knew it, I was on a plane to L.A. Ed did call, a bunch of times. He was great."

According to Malloy, Eddie told him he was in the band on his third day in the studio. But when Eddie, Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen stepped onstage with their estranged singer David Lee Roth for the first time in 12 years at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, Mitch knew that his dream gig had fallen apart.

"I'm sitting, watching TV there by myself," Mitch told Rolling Stone. "It wasn't good. I think literally, my jaw dropped. So in that moment, I was shocked. And you know how sometimes as humans we just know some things? You just know it. You don't have to say it. Nobody has to say anything. People just know things. And that moment that Roth walked out behind them, I knew it was over. I am not going to be in VAN HALEN. I just knew somehow. And so that was it for me. I was just like, 'That's it. This can't happen now.' I just knew it. It was just … a wall came down. But it just felt like it was over, somehow. It was like, 'This can't work now.' Not because people won't accept me. But there's just something else going on that I didn't even fully understand at the time. You know what I mean? It was like a knife sliced through and just, it was over. I think it's the only time it's ever happened to me in my life, where it was that definitive. And I had a lot going on at the time, aside from VAN HALEN. Real promise with my career moving forward. So it wasn't, for me, my only thing. I wasn't like, 'Oh, my God! This has got to happen,' kind of thing. Of course, I really did want it to happen. But who wouldn't?"

VAN HALEN's next singer ended up being Gary Cherone, former frontman for the band EXTREME. His only album with the group was "Van Halen III", which was a critical and commercial disappointment. Hagar and Roth both rejoined VAN HALEN at various points since 2003, with the latter appearing on VAN HALEN's final album, 2012's "A Different Kind Of Truth".

Malloy's involvement with VAN HALEN is the focus of a short documentary, "Mitch Malloy: Van Halen's Lost Boy", which was uploaded to YouTube in 2013.

In 2018, Malloy joined GREAT WHITE as the replacement for Terry Ilous.

Mitch relocated to Destin, Florida from Nashville, Tennessee in 2019.














pic.twitter.com/J1xXWm3faT

— Mitch Malloy (@mitchmalloy) September 9, 2021

Former DEATH members will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passing of the band's mastermind Chuck Schuldiner by playing two special shows in Florida this month. On Saturday, December 11 and Sunday, December 12, James Murphy (guitar) and Terry Butler (bass) will perform DEATH's classic third album, "Spiritual Healing" (1990), in its entirety under the LIVING MONSTROSITY banner, while Steve DiGiorgio (bass), Bobby Koelble (guitar) and Kelly Conlon (bass) will join forces as SYMBOLIC to play songs from "Human" (1991), "Individual Thought Patterns" (1993), "Symbolic" (1995) and "The Sound Of Perseverance" (1998).

The Sunday show (December 12) will be livestreamed worldwide from the Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida.

The Brass Mug, which has been in continuous operation since 1974, has hosted many of the Florida death metal bands in their early years.

"We wanted this historic event to be at a place that also has some historical significance to the metal community," said Leo Lozano, co-producer of the show and guitarist and vocalist of SYMBOLIC.

The Sunday show at the Brass Mug is nearly sold out. Tickets can be purchased here while they last. Livestream tickets are on sale now at this location.

SYMBOLIC lineup:

* Steve DiGiorgio (DEATH; bass on "Human", "Individual Thought Patterns"; CONTROL DENIED - bass on "The Fragile Art Of Existence")

* Bobby Koelble (DEATH; guitars on "Symbolic")

* Kelly Conlon (DEATH; bass on "Symbolic")

* Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH, SOILWORK - drums)

* Max Phelps (EXIST; guitars and vocals)

* Leo Lozano (SYMBOLIC; guitars and vocals)

LIVING MONSTROSITY lineup:

* James Murphy (DEATH; guitars on "Spiritual Healing")

* Terry Butler (DEATH; bass on "Spiritual Healing")

* Gus Rios (GRUESOME; drums)

* Matt Harvey (GRUESOME, EXHUMED; guitar, vocals)

Originally released in 1990, "Spiritual Healing" marked a new turn in the DEATH discography, one which ushered in cleaner production, a new level of boundary pushing musicianship and songwriting skills that were previously unimaginable from a metal band. "Spiritual Healing" sets the standard for riffs, insane time changes and, of course, Schuldiner's masterful guitar solos. Reissued in 2012 as a double CD housed in super deluxe packaging featuring brand new liner notes from Murphy and Butler, Chuck's sister Beth Schuldiner and VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen, Disc 1 featured a completely new remaster of the original album and Disc 2 contained 16 previously unreleased rehearsal, outtakes and studio instrumentals.

In addition to the two-disc edition, a limited-edition (2000 machine-numbered copies) triple-CD digipak was made available exclusively from Relapse.com. The third CD featured a never-before-released live set recorded in 1990 featuring the "Spiritual Healing" DEATH lineup. An iTunes deluxe edition was also released containing five additional previously unreleased pre-"Human" rehearsal tracks not available on either of the CD versions.

Schuldiner died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

In recent years, DEATH's storied catalog has undergone a meticulous reissue campaign via Relapse Records.

Relapse released the first-ever fully authorized DEATH tab book, featuring 21 classic songs tabbed out for guitar from the band's entire discography. The book, which includes traditional notation as well as tablature, also comes with a digital download of all tracks.

Devin Townsend's full Bloodstock Open Air 2021 headline show is set to premiered on the Bloodstock Check it out below.


The setlist on the night was as follows:


Intro - Ziltoid Speech
"Aftermath" (Strapping Young Lad)
"Kingdom"
"By Your Command"
"March of the Poozers"
"Supercrush"
"Almost Again" (Strapping Young Lad)
"Regulator"
"Love?" (Strapping Young Lad)
"Deadhead"
- guitar duel with Ziltiod -
"Bad Devil"
"Spirits Will Collide"
"Detox" (Strapping Young Lad)
"Vampira"

Professionally filmed video footage of NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen performing the band's classic song "Ever Dream" at her September 3 solo concert at AFAS Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands can be seen below. This track was the opening song of the show that had been crowdfunded by her fans. All of Floor's solo gigs were sold out and the Amsterdam gig marked the end of her Dutch tour after being postponed three times.

This past summer, Floor said during an appearance on the "Breaking Absolutes With Peter Orullian" podcast that she has been working on a solo album since shortly before the beginning of the pandemic. "And it really kickstarted my own creativity that I haven't really been able to use over the years," she said. "It's nice that it gets out. And I would like to do more of that and actually finish that album and make those steps and find a way to combine a solo career with NIGHTWISH and my life at home, which I even more value after spending so much time here in this green heaven [in Sweden] where I live."

Jansen discussed the prospect of making a solo album during a 2020 interview with Metal Hammer magazine. At the time, she said: "After 20 years of rock and metal, I think I would like to do something else. I don't mean stop with NIGHTWISH, but something alongside it.

"I was recently involved in a TV show in my home country in the Netherlands [reality TV show 'Beste Zangers', which translates to 'Best Singers']. That really inspired me to start writing, and the stuff that has come out is very calm.

"I would love to make an album where less actually is more. Something different — not because I'm bored, but because if you are already in one of the biggest bands in your own genre, and you have someone like Tuomas Holopainen as a songwriter, I don't really see that I'd be adding anything by making another metal album myself."

Earlier in 2020, Jansen spoke about a possible musical direction for her solo album during an Instagram Live chat. She said: "I cannot imagine it would be rock or metal — just because rock now I've done, and metal I've done a lot. And I'm already in one of the best bands, I think, that are out there, in my opinion, to my taste. Plus, if you're in a band with a songwriter such as Tuomas Holopainen, it's a little bit hard to come up with something — anything — better, I would say, and I only say that out of love and respect for him. Plus, after 20 years of metal, wouldn't it be lovely to do something completely different for me? That's how I feel."

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon.

Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013 and made her recording debut with the group on 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album.

NIGHTWISH's ninth studio album, "Human. :II: Nature." , was released in April 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The effort is a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.

Prince William has admitted he listens to AC/DC to get himself ready for royal engagements.

The 39-year-old royal shared the tidbit on a special Christmas episode of Apple Fitness+'s "Time To Walk" series, which premieres on December 6.

Speaking about his love of music during a walk around the Queen's Sandringham estate, William said: "There's nothing better than, on a Monday morning, when you're a bit bleary-eyed after the weekend and trying to get yourself back into the grind of the week, listening to AC/DC, 'Thunderstruck'.

"I have to say the first time I put it on, and I've heard it a million times now, I was kind of, like, 'Well, this is quite heavy for a Monday morning,'" he continued. "But now, when I listen to it, it's the best tonic for a Monday morning. It absolutely wakes you up, puts your week in the best mood possible, and you feel like you can take on anything and anyone. I'd imagine you're going to walk quite fast listening to it, maybe with a skip in your step, with the headbanging. It's a difficult song not to dance to or to nod along to."

During the podcast, William also revealed that his children — Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6 and 3-year-old Prince Louis — share his appreciation for music. He said: "What I've been amazed by is how much my children already have inherited my family's love of music. Most mornings, there's a massive fight between Charlotte and George as to what song is played in the morning. And I have to, now, basically prioritise that one day someone does this one, and another day it's someone else's turn. So George gets his go, then Charlotte gets her go. Such is the, the clamor for the music."

He added: "One of the songs that the children are loving at the moment is Shakira, 'Waka Waka'. There's a lot of hip movements going along. There's a lot of dressing up. Charlotte, particularly, is running around the kitchen in her dresses and ballet stuff and everything. She goes completely crazy with Louis following her around trying to do the same thing. It's a really happy moment where the children just enjoy dancing, messing around, and, and singing."

Prince William teamed up with Apple Fitness+ to record one of their inspiring audio walking experiences, which features personal stories from influential people to inspire users to walk more.

Back in 2014, actor Dominic West revealed to Daily Star that Prince William's brother Prince Harry is a die-hard heavy metal fan whose iPod is filled with the music of bands like MEGADETH, SLAYER, METALLICA and ANTHRAX.

West, who accompanied Prince Harry on the Walking With The Wounded charity trek to the South Pole, said: "Harry has a terrible selection on his iPod. It is the sort of thing soldiers listen to. Hardcore thrash met

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi was the featured guest on BBC's "The Rock Show With Johnnie Walker" during the "Rock God" segment. Tony picked QUEEN guitarist Brian May and stated about his choice (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "His sort of sound and style really stood out to me when I heard the first QUEEN album, really. When I heard that album, [I thought], 'This is a really good band.' And a guitar player is always into other guitar players, and he [had] a sort of unique sound and the way that he played, I just liked it. It was appealing. He's just got a certain character that you didn't really hear from anybody else; he's got something very 'him.' And as soon as you hear Brian now, anybody can pick him out.

"It was in the early '70s we first met," he continued. "I don't know if it was in the studio. I actually can't remember. Does he know where we first met? We had a very fast connection and we used to talk to each other at all hours of the night in the early days. Now I'm in bed, but in them days, if he knew I was in the studio in London, he'd come over.

"We've jammed a few times," Tony added. "He's come up on stage and played with me and we've done some album stuff together on different people's albums. He played on my solo album a couple of times. We had a jam session once. He came down to one of our rehearsals, when we were rehearsing in London, and we started playing with the band and the band gradually left, and Brian and myself were were just left playing there. All the gear had gone except for our gear, and we were still playing. [Laughs]

"Yeah, so we've had a great friendship over the years. But the thing is with him, he loves his guitar — he's always got his guitar with him and he's playing. And when he comes to my house, I've always got a guitar there for him so we can have a little play."

A year and a half ago, Brian told Guitar World magazine that there was still "a chance" that his much-rumored collaboration with Iommi would see the light of day. "We do more talking than anything else, but we do a lot of talking," Brian said. "He is really my dearest friend in the business and has been for so many years. I could write books about Tony because he's just the most [pauses]... I don't even know how to put it into words. You know, he's a luminous human being is Tony, with a wonderful, kind nature and an incredibly baffling sense of humor. And, of course, he is the father of heavy metal. He did that. He made that happen. And it's from his fingers and his mind. That young ex-welder, he made that happen. So, you know, he forever wears that medal, I think. He founded this stuff, heavy metal, in my opinion. I mean, I think probably most people would agree."

Back in 2013, Iommi told the Birmingham Mail that he was discussing a possible collaboration with May. The idea of working together came about when Iommi and May met up shortly after the BLACK SABBATH guitarist was diagnosed with cancer.

"When I was first ill, Brian May came to visit me at my house in Lapworth," Iommi said. "I played him some of my stuff, rock riffs that I'd never quite got round to developing, or decided not to use. He said I ought to do something with them.

"It's early days yet, and all my attention in on SABBATH for the foreseeable future, but we may well find some way of working together on them, and making them available in some shape or form.

"One of the ideas we had is that we could make the riffs available, get fans to use them in songs of their own, and see what they come up with. That way they'd effectively be recording with Brian and myself."

May elaborated on the idea: "I heard some of the hours of unreleased guitar jams Tony has on tapes and hard drives. I thought it would be great to make a compilation out of them. The idea was to put all these riffs out in some form so that people could build their own songs from them. You could make your own music with Tony Iommi on guitar. How great is that?"

In 2019, Tony said he "found" about 500 riffs while spending time with Brian.

SABBATH completed its last major tour in February 2017 with two shows in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

The trek was the band's last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in late 2011 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time. But he has said he would not rule out special events or one-off sh

GOJIRA guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier told Revolver magazine in a new interview that GRETA VAN FLEET's sophomore studio album, "The Battle At Garden's Gate", "blew [his] mind" when he first heard it. He added: "I heard about them as being a rip-off of LED ZEPPELIN. I think these kids are very talented — I hate calling them kids, by the way, because it shows how old I am. Seeing a bunch of 20-year-olds grabbing vintage instruments and fucking laying it down like they do, like in the good ol' days. You can say they sound like LED ZEP or this or that; it doesn't matter to me. I have more faith in humanity when I hear that. I'm, like, 'Yes, some things are not lost.' That album is absolutely amazing."

Despite the fact that GRETA VAN FLEET has managed to sell out shows all over the world, the four-piece has been criticized for channeling a sound uncannily similar to LED ZEPPELIN, with some music fans slamming singer Josh Kiszka for allegedly copy-and-pasting Robert Plant's vocal style.

Duplantier isn't the only rock musician who has defended GRETA VAN FLEET against "LED ZEPPELIN ripoff" accusations. Last year, legendary guitarist Joe Satriani told Classic Rock about the Michigan rockers: "Every time I put GRETA VAN FLEET on, someone, usually someone older, will say, 'Who are these guys ripping off LED ZEPPELIN?' Give them a break! There are bands a generation older than them who seem to be doing it for the money and fame, but to me these guys seem to love this music and they have a real spark."

Two years ago, STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand told Metal Insider: "To me, I feel this love/hate for GRETA VAN FLEET in the industry, and I don't understand it," he said. "I mean, I get they might have worn their influence a little heavy on their sleeve, but they're also a very, very young band. I'm kind of curious to see where they go in the future as they tour, record, and, you know, kind of get into the groove. It's really difficult. Some bands can release an 'Appetite For Destruction'," referring to GUNS N' ROSES' classic debut album. "That usually doesn't happen, but it does. A lot of bands, it takes a couple of years for them to get their footing in the band. And just their groove, to become whoever they're going to become for the rest of their career. I feel like with them, the sky's the limit. I'm just curious to see where they take it because they're great players, he's a phenomenal singer. But they need to start working on their own voice moving forward, and I think they're capable of doing that."

Earlier in 2019, Jack White told Rolling Stone that he was a fan of GRETA VAN FLEET, remarking: "It's exciting to see young people play rock and roll, no doubt about it. That guy has a very cool voice. The more he makes it his own, the better. People used to say, when I first came out, 'He sounds like Robert Plant.' If you keep pushing forward, that shit goes away."

"The Battle At Garden's Gate" was released earlier this year to extensive chart success and fanfare, debuting as No. 1 Billboard Rock Album, No. 1 Billboard Hard Rock Album, No. 1 Billboard Vinyl Album, No. 2 Billboard Top Album Sales and landing in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200.

Formed in Frankenmuth, Michigan back in 2012, GRETA VAN FLEET consists of three brothers, vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka and bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka, as well as drummer Danny Wagner. Together they have performed across multiple continents, sold over two million albums worldwide, performed on late night television shows, topped the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock and Active Rock charts and won the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album" in 2