Former Overkill drummer, Sid Falck, has released new music under his own name, Falck. This is not a new project, this is simply music Sid creates in-between ongoing hospitalizations and treatments.


According to Falck, the criteria for the music is quite simple: “It has to be something I, myself, enjoy listening to. Since I don’t expect others to like it, as long as I can stand listening to it more than once, it’s all good.”







The music is touching various styles, hard rock/metal’ish, to techno dance/rock/pop.  A number of tracks have been released to his studio YouTube channel (No Gain, No Pain Studio) under Bob Falck, The Klamphuggers (featuring Pete West of Paul Di’Annos Battlezone on
bass), and under the synonym SnappSack.


After being embarrassed by the failure to complete the Infectus 13 project, which is still on hold, there had been no intention of letting more than a few trusted friends hear his creations.  However, having been encouraged to make his newest composition, "Afraid" by Falck, available  for others to possibly enjoy, it’s been made available via Distrokid on Amazon Music, Apple Music, and will soon be made available on all streaming music platforms.  


A video can be seen below. For more information head here, or simply look for it on your favourite platform.

UK hard rock stalwarts, Ten, used the downtime during the worldwide pandemic to work on not one, but two new albums. The first album to be released, Here Be Monsters, will land on February 18. A new single, 'Fearless" is out today. Listen to "Fearless" below, and pre-order/save Here Be Monsters on CD/LP/Digital here.


Following the success of the recent string of albums, from Albion to Illuminati, Hughes is joined once again by guitarists Dann Rosingana, Steve Grocott and John Halliwell along with bass player Steve McKenna, and keyboard maestro Darrel Treece-Birch. Drums on the album have been handled by Markus Kullman (Sinner, Glenn Hughes, Voodoo Circle). Ten continue to raise the musical bar higher for themselves, a goal they push on every release. Stunning guitar work, rich keyboards, excellent bass and drum interplay along with Hughes’ rich vocals are the order of the day here.


Here Be Monsters was produced by Gary Hughes and mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward. Ten’s longstanding professional association with Dennis has been ongoing since he mixed their 2011 album, Stormwarning and has always guaranteed albums with stunning sound and production




Fans should note that there are no ties between this and the next album, ie. Here Be Monsters is not a "Part One" or anything of this nature. The band has simply crafted two high quality releases and decided to put them out separately, in a fashion not too dissimilar to what happened to the amazing first two records which were recorded one after the other in a very short period of time.


Ten have an outstanding history of releases in their storied and revered catalog. Starting out as a sort of solo project built around singer and songwriter Gary Hughes, Ten found their audience playing a hard rock sound influenced by such giants as UFO, Thin Lizzy, Magnum, Giant, and Whitesnake in a time when playing this particular sound was considered ommericial suicide. The band's early records such as The Name Of The Rose, The Robe, Spellbound, and Babylon established the band as mainstays in the melodic hard rock genre, which has continued throughout their now 26 year career over the course of 14 studio albums.





Tracklisting:


"Fearless"
"Chapter And Psalm"
"Hurricane"
"Strangers On A Distant Shore"
"The Dream That Fell To Earth"
"The Miracle Of Life"
"Immaculate Friends"
"Anything You Want"
"Follow Me Into The Fire"
"The Longest Time"


"Fearless":





Lineup:


Gary Hughes - Vocals
Dann Rosingana - Guitars
Steve Grocott - Guitars
Darrel Treece-Birch - Keyboards
Steve McKenna - Bass


Special Guest: Markus Kullman - Drums

Malta-based metal band, DiggerThings, have released their new single, "Ruby Eyes", featuring former Iron Maiden singer, Blaze Bayley. A video for the song can be found below.





DiggerThings is a music collaboration between David Cassar Torreggiani (also guitarist and songwriter with Scar, ElderWater, and TodaMusica) and David Depasquale (also producer and guitarist with ClubMurder, and Abysmal Torment). This studio project has David CT as songwriter and guitars, and David D on drums and production, where guest singers collaborate to create varied mix of edgy rock and metal.




Guest singers so far have been... Mark Parlato Trigona, singer in a band with David CT in the 90's called NightWing; Nigel "In Noogie" Buttigieg, Kersten Graham, and Gianni Zammit. There have also been guest bass players, such as Antoine Tonna, Robert Galea,and Philip Bagigu.


DiggerThings gained ground with their initial song releases, and hooked up with Blaze Bayley (Wolfsbane 1984 / 1994, and then replacing Bruce Dickinson with the mighty Iron Maiden 1994 till 1999) who recorded his awesome vocals on "Three Days Of Judgement". This track was well received and promoted on many world wide metal and heavy mock music platforms.


Since then, Blaze Bayley was inducted in the "Metal Hall Of Fame", and is touring with his band. During which time, David CT wrote another track with Blaze in mind, also inspired by the loss of the studio mascot "Ruby". She was a kind natured dog, and belonged to David D. She was always in the studio to pay us a visit during recordings. Her loss inspired the song "Ruby Eyes", to which Blaze laid down his "blazing" vocals once again, with lyrics and lines penned by Nigel "In Noogie" Buttigieg, and bass duties taken good care of by Bazaz, with blistering drums... as always... by David D.


More collaborations are ahead, but this time it's ....."Ruby Eyes".

The Georgia Thunderbolts have uploaded their version of the Christmas classic “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”. Stream it here and listen now:





The Georgia Thunderbolts version of "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" is from the Mascot Records Christmas Rock Vol. 2 Digital EP.




Check out The Georgia Thunderbolts debut album, Can We Get A Witness, at this location.





Catch The Georgia Thunderbolts live, opening for Black Stone Cherry, at the following shows:


December
8 - Jergel's Rhythm Grille - Warrendale, PA
10 - The Machine Shop - Flint, MI
11 - The Electric Ballroom - Angola, IN
12 - The Forge - Joliet, IL
14 - Lafayette's Music Room - Memphis, TN
15 - The Loft - Atlanta, GA














(Photo courtesy of T. Dean Images & Music Entertainment)


 

Crown Compass guitarist Joe Tal has filmed a playthrough video for the song "Gilbert".





“Gilbert” is the debut single by Crown Compass.







The band, featuring vocalist Daniël de Jongh (ex-Textures and Cilice), guitarist Joe Tal (ex-Textures), bassist Robin Zielhorst (ex-Cynic, Exivious and currently with Our Oceans) and drummer Yuma van Eekelen (ex-Pestilence, Exivious and currently with Our Oceans) offers a unique blend of progressive thrash metal and alternative rock.


Their debut album is expected in 2022.





 

In a new interview with Metal Wani, TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy recalled meeting two metal legends, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson and RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH vocalist Ronnie James Dio, on separate occasions a decade and a half ago. He said: "We were interviewed on Bruce Dickinson's radio show in 2006, [when we were promoting] 'The Crusade'. And I remember I was, like, 'I've gotta talk to this guy about vocals. I asked him all these questions about vocals, and what he told me in the end was, like, 'I believe someday your voice will develop to be something like Ronnie James Dio.' That's what Bruce Dickinson said to me. I was, like, 'Thanks, man.' It stuck with me forever. Then, [in October] 2007, we're playing [a show in Japan opening for] HEAVEN & HELL and I'm able to meet Dio. I told Dio that same story. I said, 'Bruce Dickinson said someday I'd have a voice like you.' Ronnie James Dio laughs, smiles and he goes, 'You know, Bruce finally admitted I'm one of his heroes.' And that was kind of the end of that. And we shared a glass of wine together. And that was just a very trippy night."

Back in 2015, Heafy told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that seeing Ronnie James Dio with HEAVEN & HELL really had a profound impact on him and his bandmates. He explained: "At that time, I was a casual fan of the DIO material. I'd known the big hits. I don't really know much aside from the 'Holy Diver' record. And I definitely missed his SABBATH-era material. So when I saw that set, specifically the song 'Heaven And Hell', it showed me how else I wanted to depict the metal that I was creating. Like the same way when I first heard METALLICA and I never heard metal in my entire life. I never heard metal delivered in that way. And to be able to hear Dio live and be able to hear Tommy Iommi live, to be able to hear how that was portrayed with that band, it really just blew my mind and blew all of our minds.

"When we met Dio afterwards, it was pretty life-changing to be able to meet one of the greatest metal singers of all time and really be welcomed by him," he added. "And he treated us so well and he was very humble and very polite. It was amazing. It was really, it was one of those moments where, looking back at it, it doesn't seem real. And after that night, I picked up my guitar and inevitably started writing some that sounded like the song 'Heaven And Hell', I feel. Well, I wasn't trying to make something that sounded like it. The first thing that came out is something that was obviously inspired by that song."

TRIVIUM's tenth album, "In The Court Of The Dragon", was released in October via longtime label Roadrunner Records. The record was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur and recorded in the fall of 2020 at Full Sail University in Orlando. The album cover is an original oil painting by French artist Mathieu Nozieres.

In a recent interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire", Sebastian Bach was asked about the first METALLICA record he ever bought. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I bought [METALLICA's debut album] 'Kill 'Em All' when it was an import when it first came out [in 1983], when it was first released. I lived in a little town in Canada called Peterborough and there was a heavy metal section [at a local record store] with imports. And I was flipping through the albums, and this was in total glam days of MÖTLEY CRÜE and WRATCHCHILD and all these glam bands. I was flipping through, and I saw METALLICA 'Kill 'Em All', and it didn't have a picture on the front. So I picked it up, turned it around and I looked at the picture on the back of 'Kill 'Em All' and I go, 'Holy fuck. These are the ugliest [bunch of guys] I've ever seen in my life.' [Laughs] 'Look at these guys.' I go, 'How can this be their picture of their band?' [Laughs] And I bought it right there because I thought they looked so terrible. I go, 'This is the craziest shit I've ever seen.'

"So I bought that right when it came out, dude, and I was a real fan," he continued. "I saw them at the concert hall Masonic Temple in Toronto on that tour, and then I bought 'Ride The Lightning' when it first came out — right away; the first day — so I've been a METALLICA fan since before they were big. When I bought that METALLICA album, ANVIL was 20 times bigger than METALLICA. So, fathom that. [Laughs]"

Bach recently returned to the stage for a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of SKID ROW's double-platinum, acclaimed album "Slave To The Grind". The trek kicked off on September 25 in Waterloo, New York and will wrap in San Diego, California on December 17.

Back in 2018, Bach told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF 101.1 FM radio station that he was going to ink a deal with a U.S.-based heavy metal record label that would help him make a "career-defining" new solo album.

Bach hasn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in 2014. Like its predecessor, 2011's "Kicking & Screaming", the disc was released through Frontiers Music Srl, the Italian label which specializes in what's commonly called AOR, a term that once signified a popular radio format ("album-oriented rock") but nowadays applies to acts whose airplay is marginal.

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

Two YouTube channels, XJthatsAmore!! and The Fox Accord, have uploaded separate unboxing videos for BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi's new signature cologne, a collaboration with Italian luxury perfume house Xerjoff. Check them out below.

"Scent Of Dark" is the product of a recent friendship struck up during the pandemic between Iommi and Sergio Momo, acclaimed perfumer, and designer for Xerjoff, well known for its unique and individual creations and collaborations in the fragrance world. Sergio is also an accomplished guitarist, and his fine fretwork can be heard on "Scent Of Dark", a new song Iommi released to promote the cologne.

While the realm of high-end fragrancies and the uncompromising heavy music that Iommi is known for might not at first seem to make viable bedfellows, the guitarist's interests in fragrances actually stretches far back to the early days of BLACK SABBATH. "It's something I've always been interested in, ever since the early days of products like Brut and Old Spice, which I'd always get given for Christmas," remembers Tony. "Once I started touring the world with SABBATH though, I started discovering different sorts of fragrancies from other countries and began collecting them on tour.

"I met Sergio through another friend of mine Jimmy Crutchley (who plays bass on 'Scent Of Dark') and Sergio kindly sent me a box of his fragrances and asked if I'd be interested in creating my own, which I certainly wasn't expecting," laughs Iommi. "I had no idea how that would work, but Sergio suggested I come up with a list of things I like the smell of, which I did. He developed some different samples made up from my suggestions and I picked the one I liked; the project moved forward from there."

Tony brought in the aromatic reminiscence of rock in the 1960s and 1970s, festivals and gatherings, amber and patchouli. The final result harmoniously characterizes the dark sound of Iommi's original famous '64 Monkey Special guitar with the spicy and seductive scents.

"Sergio is a really creative chap, he plays great guitar on 'Scent Of Dark' and has one of my collectable models, the 64 Gibson with the cartoon monkey image," Tony says. "He said it would be great to incorporate that, and he's even managed to get it onto one of the bottles."

From the start, Tony has been instrumental in creating the "Scent Of Dark" fragrance. "I wouldn't put my name to something that I haven't been involved in and didn't personally like or use," he explains. "That's been the same with all of the projects I've done from guitars onwards, this is no different."

Made with the finest materials, handpicked rare ingredients and exquisite packaging, this exclusive edition Xerjoff blends for Tony Iommi is the world's first multisensory experience between sound, scent, and spirit. Tony wanted to encapsulate in a bottle the evocation of emotions, alongside a new music track and video, and even a bespoke cocktail.

The various aspects of this multi-sensory experience successfully inspired the musical visualization of "Scent Of Dark", developed at Iommi's home studio with longtime collaborator and producer Mike Exeter, and recorded at Gospel Oak and Pig Music Studios.

"I've had the riff for 'Scent Of Dark' for quite a while and I'd never done anything with it, but it gave us a base to start from," explains Tony. "We built up the track with programmed drums at first and then Mike Exeter demoed bass and keyboards on it, and I added my guitar solos, just to give us an idea of how it was going to sound. Eventually Jimmy [Crutchley] added his bass. Jimmy knew drummer Ash Sheehan and he fitted in perfectly, adding the final real drum track on top of our work. Then we added the strings. I'd worked with string sections on SABBATH albums before, but this was a whole new experience."

The blend of the beautifully played cello and violins and Iommi's colossal guitar tones elevate "Scent Of Dark" into a whole new realm that incorporates and complements every taste, smell and sound of this exciting new union. The video for 'Scent Of Dark' captures the musicians at work in the studio, crafting the music, alongside footage of Tony and Sergio sampling the fragrance, shot at the grand Sudley Castle in Winchcombe, near to Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. The film conveys the mood of the music and tells the story of the project perfectly.

"It's been a really interesting project for me that has combined many of my different interests and a direction I'm really enjoying gong in," concludes Tony. "I've got so many riffs; it would be great to do more instrumental and soundtrack work."

Tony Iommi Signed Crystal by Xerjoff Blends with a limited edition of 200 flacons, are available in selected retails and at Xerjoffuniverse.com. Tony Iommi Monkey Special by Xerjoff Blends are available in selected retails and at Xerjoffuniverse.com

East Coast Rock Apparel has teamed up with Florida-based death metallers CANNIBAL CORPSE to create the CC-branded "Butchered Body" beard oil. Made with argon, jojoba, sweet almond oil and a secret concoction of essential oils, the scent is clean with an earthy, woodsy smell.

For more information, click here.

CANNIBAL CORPSE is not the first metal artist to collaborate with East Coast Rock Apparel on beard oil. Other musicians who have gotten their own bottles include Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR, DOWN), Marc Rizzo (SOULFLY), KILL DEVIL HILL and HATRIOT.

Last year, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci launched his first-ever signature range of specialty beard and mustache products, Nebula, created in collaboration with the grooming company Captain Fawcett.

In an interview with Japan's Young Guitar, Petrucci was asked about his beard styling and grooming techniques. He responded: "I, for most of my career, have had some sort of beard. I started out just clean-shaven in the beginning, but even, I guess, from the 'Awake' days, which was pretty early on, I had a beard, I had a goatee. It wasn't until… I don't know how many years now, I've got the full kind of epic beard and mustache style — it's been many years now. But I've always been into that kind of thing — how it influences your look. And I just kind of fell into this thing where having a big old-school beard, I thought, looked good on me, and I got really into the lifestyle and the bearding culture — all the products and things like that; beard oils and bums; learning to trim your beard; experimenting with different shapes. It's actually a fun hobby, honestly.

"The important thing, to me, always is to have a look that it looks like you're doing it on purpose, where there's a style to your beard, even if it's a long beard and mustache, and not something that just looks like you got lazy and decided not to shave," he explained. "So I always try to have some sort of sense of style. I let it grow to varying lengths. It's pretty long right now. Will I let it grow all the way to [my belly button], like a wizard beard? I don't know. Sometimes when it gets that long, it becomes harder to handle. But it's all about, I think, if you're interested in growing a beard like this, it's kind of what goes well with your face shape, as far as the length and the style.

"If you at all do any research on this, you'll find that there's a lot of information out there — videos, tutorials, photos, blogs. Forget about it; you could really get into it. Products as we

New rock supergroup SOMETHING UNTO NOTHING (S.U.N.) — featuring multi-platinum Canadian vocalist and Juno Award winner Sass Jordan, with Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, OZZY OSBOURNE) on guitar, Michael Devin (WHITESNAKE, KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD) on bass and Tommy Stewart (GODSMACK, LO PRO, EVERCLEAR, FUEL) on drums — has released a follow-up single and video for the "Nomad (Rock Radio Edit)", along with three new songs on Robo Records, wherever digital music is sold. The "Nomad" EP features a new "rock radio" version of the single "Nomad". James Wood of GuitarWorld.com raved about the music, calling it "reminiscent of the classic big album sounds of the 1970s. It's raw, real music from the days when records were played on a turntable and cranked up to 10." The EP also features two stunning cover songs of core classic rock artists, the Neil Young classic "Hey Hey My My" and a live acoustic guitar version of Paul McCartney's monster piano ballad "Maybe I'm Amazed", "one of the best songs ever written," according to Tichy and Jordan. The other new song on the EP is the explosive "Going Going Gone". Tichy describes it as "all melody and power chords. It's old JOURNEY meets Joe Walsh." He adds: "And the snare drum sounds killer!" S.U.N. released its debut album, "Something Unto Nothing", to rave reviews in 2013 and is currently working on its sophomore release. "We've already completed about six songs, but have decided to release this EP in the meantime due to popular demand," says Jordan.

The members of S.U.N. are grateful for all the support and positive feedback. "All of us in S.U.N. are psyched the album and new EP are both available in stores and that we have been getting great reviews from the media and fans alike," says Brian. "You would have thought we were paying people to write this stuff! I had to ask Sass if she was mailing out checks for all these great words of support and high accolades!" "Nomad" EP track listing:

01. Nomad (Rock Radio Edit) 02. Hey Hey My My (Into The Black) 03. Going Going Gone 04. Maybe I'm Amazed (Sass Jordan & Brian Tichy - Live Acoustic Stomp)

Ace Frehley (KISS), Orianthi, Ed Roland (COLLECTIVE SOUL) and Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY) are among the musicians who took part in Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding this past Saturday (December 4) at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. Alice also performed at the event, along with members of his touring band with the exception of guitarist Nita Strauss. According to Arizona Republic, Frehley performed the KISS classics "Shock Me", "Parasite" and "Cold Gin". There were also performances from the Solid Rock Dancers, The Bucket Brigade, and the winners of this year's "Proof Is In The Pudding" musical talent search, Alice's own version of "American Idol".

Christmas Pudding didn't take place last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proceeds from Alice Cooper's 19th annual Christmas Pudding fundraiser directly benefit the free music, dance, arts, and vocational programs for teens 12-20 at Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Centers.

Since its launch in 2001, Alice Cooper's annual Christmas Pudding concert has been a way for Alice and his wife Sheryl to raise enough money to open up the center, dubbed "The Rock," where teenagers could be taught dance, music and art in a safe place.

Christmas Pudding's original mission was finally achieved in May 2012, when Alice Cooper's Rock Teen Center opened.

"I'm not a teacher, but I have a great Rolodex," Cooper told the Phoenix New Times back in 2013. "So for Christmas Pudding, I can go through that Rolodex and call different people and they will show up and do a few songs."




Space Ace

Takes the stage

Alice Cooper'S Christmas Pudding at Celebrity Theatre

www.alicecoopersolidrock.com

#alicecooper

#acefrehley

Posted by Michael Coco on Sunday, December 5, 2021



Ace Rocks The House at

Alice Cooper's 19th Annual Christmas Pudding

#alicecooper

#acefrehley

Posted by Michael Coco on Sunday, December 5, 2021



Pudding last night - so fun , posting a few pics here @acefrehleyofficial @alicecooper @ryanroxie @beastoblanco @disvicious1 @glen_sobel @calicocooper @tutufoodot

Posted by orianthi on Sunday, December 5, 2021



New band “Sugar Beast”. ?????

Always a good hang with @therealmarkmcgrath @disvicious1 and @ryanroxie @alicecoopersolidrock

Posted by Chuck Garric on Sunday, December 5, 2021





Another Rockin Clip

Alice Cooper's 19th Annual Christmas Pudding

Alice Cooper's Solid Rock

More to come

#alicecooper

Posted by Michael Coco on Sunday, December 5, 2021





Alice Cooper's 19th Annual Christmas Pudding

Alice Cooper Band

Chuck Garric

Ryan Roxie

Glen Sobel

Tommy Henriksen

Nita Strauss ... on Tour

www.alicecoopersolidrock.com

www.alicecooper.com

#alicecooper

Posted by Michael Coco on Sunday, December 5, 2021





Feast Your Naked Steaming Eyes

On this next clip

From The

Alice Cooper's 19th Annual Christmas Pudding

www.alicecoopersolidrock.com

www.alicecooper.com

#alicecooper

Posted by Michael Coco on Sunday, December 5, 2021





Alice Cooper's Alice Cooper's 19th Annual Christmas Pudding

The Olympus Guitars I donated is Auctioned off in this clip, Thank you Orianthi for signing the Olympus Guitar for the auction.

Alice Cooper

Orianthi Panagaris

Chuck Garric

Ryan Roxie

Tommy Henriksen

Glen Sobel

#alicecooper

#Orianthi

#acefrehley

Posted by Michael Coco on Sunday, December 5, 2021





Alice Cooper's Alice Cooper's 19th Annual Christmas Pudding

The Roof was on ?

Stay Tuned

#alicecooper

www.alicecoopersolidrock.com

www.alicecooper.com

www.celebritytheatre.com

Posted by Michael Coco on Sunday, December 5, 2021



Great meeting / jamming out with @acefrehleyofficial ?✨

Posted by orianthi on Monday, December 6, 2021



Here are some pics from the Alice Cooper Christmas Pudding.

Get ready for some Big Things from Almost Cooper coming...

Posted by Bobby Jensen on Monday, December 6, 2021

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.