This past Thursday (November 25), BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi released "Scent Of Dark", his first musical composition since writing a classical piece for the Birmingham Cathedral in 2017 and his first rock song since SABBATH's "13" album in 2013. To coincide with "Scent Of Dark"'s arrival, Iommi announced that he would also release a fragrance, designed in collaboration with luxury Italian perfume house Xerjoff and Sergio Momo.

In the six-minute video below, Iommi and Momo discuss the collaboration, with Tony saying: "Sergio's idea was maybe to have a tune to go with it, some music to go with the perfume, to create more of a vibe for it. And I had some ideas that Sergio heard and he liked the idea. So it allowed me then to elaborate from what we've got into more of what it was meaning towards the perfume… It was very mystical, which I think the perfume is — it's a mystical sort of smell. It comes from within. It just all seemed to fit well; it just seemed to be the right thing for it. And I'm very pleased with it. And, of course, Sergio is playing on it as well — he's playing guitar on it as well as I am. And the whole combination — with Jimmy Crutchley playing bass and Ash [Sheehan] on drums, it was a new, different direction for us. And then I felt it was nice to have some strings added to it, 'cause it gives it that more dramatic sort of sound and it emphasizes the whole thing, really."

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, will be available from November 29 in selected retails and at Xerjoffuniverse.com. Tony Iommi Monkey Special by Xerjoff Blends will be available from November 29 in selected retails and at Xerjoffuniverse.com

"Scent Of Dark" features the following musicians.

Tony Iommi - Guitar

Sergio Momo - Guitar

Jimmy Crutchley - Bass

Ash Sheehan - Drums

Rebecca Rose - Cello

Julianne Bourne - Violin

Mike Exeter - Keyboards & Producer

Recorded at Gospel Oak and Pig Music Studios

Track written by Tony Iommi

Iommi + Momo photo credit: Max Sticca

In a new interview with Marci Wiser of the 95.5 KLOS radio station, Nita Strauss, the guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, was asked if she is okay with using sexuality to promote her music. She responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's important to embrace who you are as a woman, especially in this industry, but in any industry. And I spent a long time trying to figure out where my role was in all that. And I've gone down both sides of the spectrum. I've done stuff that I was, like, 'You know what? I feel like I don't need to put myself out there that much.' And then I've gone the opposite direction and, like, 'I need to be more covered up and be taken more seriously and not wear makeup and not feel pretty and wear a men's size large shirt and just go and be known as a guitar player.' And that's not who I am either.

"I think you just have to be true to yourself," she continued. "I think it's important to be a woman and embrace your femininity. And some women are ready to go out there and be sexy — be a sexy woman out there, badass, doing what you love to do — and there are some that don't wanna embrace that part and don't wanna have that, and that's fine too. I think the most important thing is to be authentic."

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

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

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

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

MASTODON singer/bassist Troy Sanders spoke to Rapture Radio about the band's recently launched North American tour with OPETH and ZEAL & ARDOR. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're at the beginning of it. The first couple of shows have been fantastic. And it's that reminder, after a couple of years break, that being in front of actual people performing live music that most of them seem to be enjoying is what I like to call the magic about that live experience. So, it's fantastic, and I just hope it continues. We're just kind of going day by day and trying to do the right thing and keep it moving. So far so good."

Asked what he and his bandmates have to do differently this time around in order to stay safe while touring during the pandemic, Troy said: "To take the right steps, you do what you can, which is all the touring personnel, all the crew guys, the band guys, the drivers, you're just gonna have to kind of scale back your extracurricular activities. On days off, it's fun to walk around malls and go visit record shops and music stores and whatever any person wants to do. So if you can, scale that back and just do outdoor stuff. Basically, we're just trying to not have someone catch this thing and spread it throughout the tour and then we cancel and we go home and we lose thousands of dollars. So if you can kind of curb your personal stuff… It's a little less fun, but in the grand scheme here, we're just trying to have successful rock shows. So we're just gonna try to scale back the fun time — the hanging out with the friends and families in each state and going to bars and having a good time, stuff like that. You have to kind of scale back in order to reduce the risk, I guess. But I don't think this is gonna last forever."

MASTODON's latest album, "Hushed And Grim", came out on October 29. The follow-up to 2017's "Emperor Of Sand" was recorded at West End Sound, which is located inside of Ember City, the rehearsal facility that members of MASTODON manage in Atlanta. Helming the effort was Grammy-winning producer/mixer/engineer David Bottrill, who has previously worked with MUSE, DREAM THEATER and TOOL, among many others.

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

"Hushed And Grim"'s lead single, "Pushing The Tides", is one of five songs which were nominated for a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy Award. The winner will be announced during the 64th Grammy ceremony on January 31, 2022 at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center) in Los Angeles, California.

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

In a recent interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire", L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns said that he has had a number of pleasant run-ins with the members of METALLICA over the years. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When we released our first album at the police academy here in L.A., everybody showed up but Jason [Newsted, bass], I think. They were all there. And they've always been really cool guys. And every time I see any of those guys, it's always, like, 'Hey, man. What's going on?' Super-friendly, down-to-earth guys. I really like the METALLICA guys."

Guns also recalled the time three decades ago he spent an evening at a bar in New York City with a particularly inebriated James Hetfield.

"Let me tell you a fast story," he said. "I'm in New York City getting ready to do press for 'Cocked & Loaded' [L.A. GUNS' 1989 album], and I had an advance copy of [METALLICA's] 'Black Album.' And I walk into the Scrap Bar. The only other person in there that night was James Hetfield alone in the Scrap Bar. And I walk up to him. And he was loaded, and I wasn't. He's all, 'Tracii Guns.' [I asked him] 'Doing press?' 'Yeah, why do you care?' 'That's why I'm here. That's the only reason why we're here at this bar alone, 'cause there's nothing going on.' He's, like, 'Yeah, I guess so.' I go, 'I have your new record and I listened to it a lot. I really like it.' He goes, 'You always pretend like you like METALLICA. You don't like METALLICA.' He goes, 'Yeah, I don't know, man. I don't know if you do. You're, like, fancy.' I'll never forget [him calling me] 'fancy.' I'm fancy? 'You play with guys like Michael Schenker.' [I'm], like, 'James, it's me, man.' And he was so, so drunk. Anyways, I established to him, and that was the only thing I did that night, was convince him that I liked his band. And I still don't think he believed me. But the next time I saw him, I go, 'You remember we were at the Scrap Bar together?' He goes, 'Nope.' I go, 'You don't?' He goes, 'Nope.' I go, 'We were doing press.' He goes, 'Nope.' He just completely denies the existence of that evening."

When he was asked to pick a METALLICA song so that it could be played on "Wired In The Empire" after the interview, Tracii said: "Oh, man. 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' is always the one, but let's just do 'Whiplash'. It just doesn't get any gnarlier. There's something about that song. It's so young. Unbelievable… It has this thing… It's what I like about the early L.A. GUNS and even some of the newer stuff, is that incorporation of… When the metal hits a certain tempo, and it's not necessarily the speed of the tempo, it's the way the tempo is played, it's mistaken for kind of a punk edge. And I think MAIDEN had it too on the early records. And I always loved that song more than other METALLICA songs, 'Whiplash'."

Guns is promoting L.A. GUNS' latest album, "Checkered Past", which was released on November 12 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Former ANTHRAX guitarist Dan Spitz, who became a world-renowned, prize-winning watchmaker after leaving the band for the first time, spoke to the Beyond Time YouTube channel about the passion and dedication that he puts into everything he does, whether it's playing music or making watches.

"Now you see what's called slamdancing everywhere," Dan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "You see it at a Britney Spears concert. It's pretty sickening. If you know what that is, you know it comes from the punk era — it was dancing for the punk era. But eventually we brought that into heavy metal; it made its way in there. And you saw people at the beginning of the 'Big Four', which is METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX, you saw the crowd try to get onstage. And it wasn't, 'It's the pop star. We wanna touch him. He's so cute.' It's the opposite. We're like these disgusting metal dudes. So why would you wanna be onstage? It's because we're all one big family. It's almost like THE GRATEFUL DEAD — it's the same kind of thing. They're not fans of what I do; they're in the band. Every single person is in the band. It's like they're there, [and] they're almost writing the songs, if you follow what I'm saying. It's that kind of human connection and love. And to give love is the most important thing. God gives us… and fills is with love. What we're supposed to do is transcend that love into the next person. And that's what I try to do with whatever I do. So even if it's a nontangible piece of metal that gets strapped to your wrist — we don't need to tell the time anymore on our wrist, do we? It really is a tangible piece of my love getting to you. So that better represents every fiber that God has made me to be."

In 1995, Spitz left ANTHRAX to pursue a career in luxury Swiss watchmaking, attending the Swiss watchmaking school WOSTEP on a full scholarship. He was certified a Mechanical Complications Specialist, earning Swiss degrees in micro-mechanical engineering, and opened his own luxury watch service. In 2012 Spitz was voted the number 1 interview of the year for the watchmaking magazine Hodinkee. In 2016, the production company Great Big Story produced a documentary on Spitz's work as a watchmaker.

Spitz, who currently resides in Gun Barrel City, Texas, about an hour's drive southeast of Dallas, recently told The New York Times that his carpal tunnel syndrome inhibits him from playing guitar for long periods of time. However, it hasn't stopped him from designing and building about three custom wristwatches a year, with prices starting at $128,000.

"When you want to become one of the best guitar players on the planet, you lock yourself up in your room for years and you play and you play and you play — you have to figure it out," Spitz said. "It's the same in watchmaking."

Four and a half years ago, Spitz, a born-again Christian and Messianic Jew who frequently cites his faith as an influential component to his life, told the "Talking Bollocks" podcast about his decision to leave ANTHRAX for the second time after taking part in the reunion of the band's classic lineup in 2005 and 2006: "We were all in at that point in time. We did, like, two, three years [of touring], and we wanted to make new music [with the classic lineup]. And it was difficult. In the very end, we decided to stop touring, and it was difficult to get Joey to commit [to making a new album]. Me and Charlie [Benante, ANTHRAX drummer] were going back and forth talking to Joey, and I'd call Charlie afterwards and say, 'Did you get an answer? Did you get a 'yes'?' And he'd say, 'Did you get a 'yes'?' And I'm, like, 'I don't know what I got. I just got talked to for an hour.' We couldn't get Joey to commit for a very long time, and they couldn't stand still for very long. Obviously, it's a business; you can't just not do anything — you have to know: are we continuing, or are we not? So I was in to make another album as the real ANTHRAX. And we just [could not come to an agreement with] Joey. And you saw what happened thereafter. So I decided to just go back and chill. They continued on, and whatever they did, they did."

Photo courtesy of Dan Spitz's Instagram page

In a new interview with V13, CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin spoke about how our "pack mentality/lone wolf mentality" as human beings served as an inspiration for the title of the band's latest album, "Wolves". He said: "I came up with this title for this record prior to the pandemic. Watching the previous [presidential] administration, for somebody like myself, was very disturbing. The amount of disassociative behavior that seems to be taking hold in the world is kind of where I came up with the concept. And when you have somebody like Donald Trump in office that's constantly stirring up shit and there being this boiling pot of stupidity — and I shouldn't even say that because it's really unfair because these people may not be stupid; maybe they really are intelligent. But how the fuck can you allow this person to separate an entire group of people? I mean, like 300 million people, and it literally was just drawing a line in the sand and saying that if you cross this line, you're the worst person ever. It's just a very strange emotion. And for me, I constantly think back to what happened in 2001, September 11th, where that year, afterwards, this country of ours was united in ways that I'd never seen and never experienced, and, of course, it made me very proud to be an American — that we could take that time with one another and say, 'I feel for you. Let's make things different. Let's change.' And we've lost that — we've lost that again."

Asked what side of the fence he sits on — if he prefers being in a pack or if he is a "lone wolf" kind of person, Kevin said: "I'm a pack mentality. What I love about wolves is when they work towards the betterment of the pack. Of course, they're a violent animal, but they're also very caring and gentle at the same time. I mean, the alpha male doesn't lead the pack; he follows the pack to make sure that the pack is doing what it needs to do. And I think there's beauty in that. So I guess, for me, I'm a liberal. I believe that everybody deserves the best of everything. And it's unfortunate that there are situations that — I mean, welfare and Medicaid and all that stuff that we have to deal with over here. We don't need to. We're a very wealthy country, but you can't change the mentality of that lone wolf that says, 'No, man. To hell with you. Hooray for me.' That's the downside of it. But I do believe that people can change. And I think that they can find greatness in anything. I just want people to look for it sometimes in themselves."

CANDLEBOX's seventh studio album, "Wolves" dropped worldwide on September 17 on Pavement Entertainment. Produced by Dean Dichoso at the legendary Henson Studios in Los Angeles, California, it is the Seattle-based rockers' follow-up to 2016's "Disappearing In Airports".

Most of the "Wolves" recordings were finished in August 2019, and Martin completed his vocals in January 2020.

GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna has taken a swipe at celebrities, including fellow musicians, who have used their high-profile voices to encourage medical behaviors, saying they should "shut up and let people live their lives."

Erna, who recently confirmed that politics played a part in his decision to relocate GODSMACK's headquarters to Florida — which leans Republican in presidential elections — on a part-time basis while maintaining a home in New Hampshire, discussed his views on celebrity health campaigns in a new interview with Mindy Novotny of the Milwaukee radio station 102.9 The Hog. Speaking about the fact that star-studded vaccine endorsements have become a major part of public health messaging in the pandemic era, the 53-year-old singer/guitarist said: "I get paid to be an entertainer. That's the position I've chosen. So I'll focus on entertaining, making people smile, healing people through music. And anybody else that's out there in a celebrity status that's pushing people one way or the other when you have no experience as a medical expert or a politician, my advice is shut up and let people live their lives because you don't know the consequences when you push them one way or the other. So why don't you just do what you're great at and entertain, because that's what you are. That's the position I've taken and that's the position I'm gonna stand with. I'm gonna write my music, I'm gonna put on great live shows, and I'm gonna help people escape a lot of their daily problems, hopefully, that they have to face regardless."

This past March, Erna told "The Mistress Carrie Podcast" about his move to Florida. "I'd been looking at an alternate home area for a while now. And California was kind of on my radar, just because I have a lot of friends there, my business is there, [and] I love the weather. But when all this political shit went down, it really turned me off to just the thought process and ways of being for a lot of the liberals and people that I just can't connect with on that wavelength. So it kind of bummed me out to a point where I'm, like, well, I don't really wanna go three thousand miles across the country to pay triple the amount of money to live in that kind of nonsense and be locked down."

He continued: "So, yeah, corona and politics played a piece of my decision to divert to Florida. And I honestly just went down there to buy a property with a little bit of room and a decent little house, and I wanted horses. And I knew that Shannon [Larkin, GODSMACK drummer] was kind of in horse country, 'cause it's in North Fort Myers. So I just came across this really great deal with this lady who had a 20-acre horse ranch, but she also owned a 30-acre pasture next door to it, which is just an open pasture that some guy leases to pasteurize his cows on. And it gives me a tax break 'cause it's agricultural. And I get a half a cow a year. [Laughs] So, yeah, I'm a meat eater too. Not only am I not a liberal, I'm a fucking meat eater."

With governor Ron DeSantis at the helm, Florida is considered to have the most lax COVID-19 restrictions in North America.

Erna has been more vocal about his political opinions in recent years, saying in a July 2020 episode of his Internet show "Hometown Sessions" that if "Trump stays in [office], COVID's gonna be a big, messy pain in the ass, and there's gonna be more people burning down Wendy's fucking restaurants. If Trump fucking is gone, all of a sudden they're gonna have this miracle vaccine that those fucking liars have been holding on to."

In February 2020, Erna came under fire for sharing a post that was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its news feed. The post in question criticized then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders's plan to raise the minimum wage and provide universal health care to all Americans. It also cited Sanders's Medicare For All plan, a single, national health insurance program that would cover everyone who lives in the United States.

Back in 2004, Erna revealed that he was not in favor of the Democratic candidate for president in that year's election, telling Launch Radio Networks: "I'm a Republican. I want Republican. I don't necessarily want [incumbent Republican president George W.] Bush to win. I don't like that choice, but I gotta tell you, I don't truly believe in the Democrats either, man. I don't like the way they think. I don't like, I don't love Bush, I'll tell you that, but I want a Republican in office."

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, veteran bassist Bob Daisley (OZZY OSBOURNE, RAINBOW, URIAH HEEP, Gary Moore) recalled how he convinced MÖTLEY CRÜE not to fire guitarist Mick Mars when the CRÜE was on tour in the U.S. as the support act for Ozzy in 1984. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That night, after the show, Mick went on our [Osbourne's] bus [to be] with Ozzy [and the rest of his band] and I went on on their [CRÜE's] bus, so I was the only one of our lot that went on their bus. And they were having a meeting. What they were planning on doing was getting rid of Mick and getting another guitarist in. And they asked me for my opinion. So I said, 'Well, if you want my opinion, for what it's worth, I would say do not try to fix something that's not broken.' I said, 'I 've seen it before, with Lee Kerslake in the BLIZZARD OF OZZ.' I said, 'You've got a chemistry there, you've got a functioning unit. Mick Mars is part of that. Don't fuck it up. That's my opinion. Just don't do it.' And I think I saved Mick's neck that night 'cause they were getting serious about getting someone else."

Daisley continued: "Mick was good for the band — he was part of the sound, part of the delivery of what they did. It would be like sort of trying to replace Ringo [Starr] in THE BEATLES with John Bonham or Ginger Baker or somebody really, really technically brilliant. But it just wouldn't work. So I said, 'Leave it as it is. It's not broken. Stop trying to fix it.' So they left it alone and it worked out.

"Mick, I think he was a few years older than them," Bob added. "And you wouldn't call Mick a virtuoso, a guitar hero, but he was great for the band."

Three years ago, Mars told Ernie Ball's "String Theory" web series that he originally joined MÖTLEY CRÜE through an ad he placed in the Southern California magazine Recycler, saying "loud, rude, and aggressive guitarist available."

"MÖTLEY started in L.A.," he said. "Nikki [Sixx, bass] and Tommy [Lee, drums] were already playing together. I put an ad in a paper. They were looking for a guitar player and they found my ad. I actually auditioned them; they don't know it. But anyway, we went over there and it clicked."

Mick also said that he started playing guitar at age seven. "[It was] one of those little wind-up Mickey Mouse guitars," he revealed. "I learned how to tune it and started picking out whatever was popular at the time — Frankie Avalon and Elvis Presley."

Daisley previously mentioned the fact that CRÜE had considered firing Mars in his memoir, "For Facts Sake", which came out in 2014.

Back in 2009, Sixx showed his admiration and appreciation for Mars by getting a huge portrait of him tattooed on his leg. The bassist's then-girlfriend Kat Von D did the tattoo, and video footage shot during the process is available on YouTube. At the time, Sixx stated about his decision to get the tattoo: "Mick Mars is my guitar player. I've known him for almost 30 years. We have traveled the world together. We sold millions of records together, me, him, Tommy, and Vince [Neil, vocals]. We have done things as a band that we only dreamed about as kids, and they all came true. Mick is a very special person, and I wanted to honor him with this portrait tattoo. We all look up to him so much, and Mick doesn't get enough credit 'cause he doesn't stand up and say, 'Look at me!' Tommy, Vince, and I, we're big personalities. We're showmen. We're outrageous, loud, getting in trouble. Mick is always the wise one; he's always the one that sits back. Because of that, he sort of stands out for all of us. We sort of look up to him in that way."

Former EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt says that getting fired from the band "damn near took [him] out."

Hunolt — the other half of the famed EXODUS "H-Team" who is on every studio recording from 1985 through 2004 and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs such as "A Lesson In Violence" and "Deliver Us To Evil" — left EXODUS after the band's highly acclaimed 2004 reunion album, "Tempo Of The Damned". Following his departure, Hunolt was replaced by HEATHEN guitarist Lee Altus.

Rick discussed his exit from EXODUS during an appearance on "Put Up Your Dukes", the new podcast hosted by ex-EXODUS singer Rob Dukes. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "During the recording of 'Tempo', Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist] had just gotten clean a little while prior to that, and I was still using. But I've gotta say, Gary Holt — my hat's off to the man for… He never sweated me. Not once did Gary say, 'Dude, you're a piece of shit. I'm gonna fire you from the band if you don't get your shit together.' He never said nothing. He let it take its course, you know what I mean?

"I was a mess," Rick continued. "We all were, but everybody got better, and I didn't. I fell down the rabbit hole even worse, I think, because I was just so depressed. I couldn't stop. I don't know what was up… To the point where I was gonna lose my position in the band I'd been in for over 20 years — my best friends, my life. Yeah, it was dark as fuck.

"One day, after spending my life, giving everything that I had and the whole world to EXODUS, one day I woke up and I wasn't in EXODUS anymore," Hunolt added. "And that morning was, like… Dude, I can't even describe the emotions that I [was feeling]. I woke up and I wasn't in EXODUS anymore, dude. It damn near took me out, bro."

Rick revealed that he went through a particularly difficult period after splitting with EXODUS. "I had to reinvent myself at 40-plus years old, [with] two little kids," he said. "I ended up moving out of Oakland. I had to get the fuck out of there, 'cause we were living at the studio; it was bad. And then we moved in with my wife's mom and I got a job at the [discount chain] Dollar Tree and I ended up working there for, like, two or three years. I mean, I can go on and on and on. But long story short, I met a guy who knew who I was and offered me a job on his ranch. And the rest is history. He taught me how to live my life and make money."

Hunolt makes a guest appearance on EXODUS's new studio album, "Persona Non Grata", which was released on November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' new disc is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was their first release since the departure of Dukes, the group's lead singer of nine years, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Back in April 2019, Hunolt rejoined Holt and other EXODUS members Tom Hunting (drums) and Souza to perform several of the group's classic songs during a METAL ALLEGIANCE concert in San Francisco, California. More recently, Hunolt joined EXODUS on stage in August at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The original lineup of EXODUS consisted of guitarists Kirk Hammett (now in METALLICA) and Tim Agnello, Hunting and vocalist Keith Stewart. Holt joined the band in 1981, while Kirk left two years before EXODUS's debut album, "Bonded By Blood", saw the light of day.

In a brand new interview with the "Breaking Absolutes With Peter Orullian" podcast, ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti reflected on the making of the band's third album, 2010's "AB III", which was previously described as a loose concept effort dealing with darker lyrical themes of struggling with faith. Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That was ALTER BRIDGE's darkest record. That was when Myles [Kennedy, ALTER BRIDGE singer] and I were kind of having those conversations about… Myles is about the best guy in the world, nicest guy in the world, but when it comes to God and faith in general, he jokes about it but he kind of throws away… he doesn't believe anything and thinks it's all kind of silly. But he says that on the outside but then he writes these songs like 'Show Me A Sign' — that's a dark song about the thoughts of faith and whatnot. And if you look at 'Words Darker Than Their Wings' — that's a direct conversation between me and Myles about how we both feel about God and about life beyond our lives."

Tremonti continued: "I'm just like anybody else — I don't know if God exists, but I hope he does. I hope there's some bigger purpose for all of us. And Myles is just, like, 'There is no bigger purpose. Just be a good person while you're alive,' kind of thing. It's just a conversation between two people with different views. That record kind of dealt with that kind of issue."

Prior to the making of "AB III", Tremonti, who writes ALTER BRIDGE's music with Kennedy, found out Myles's father was a Christian Scientist, who because of his faith had refused to see a doctor and subsequently died.

Several years ago, Tremonti's former CREED bandmate Scott Stapp said that his faith-based lyrics led many to believe CREED was a Christian band. CREED wasn't and Scott's bandmates resented it, eventually contributing to the group's initial breakup.

Tremonti recently confirmed that ALTER BRIDGE will reconvene in 2022 to record a new album.

ALTER BRIDGE released a seven-song EP, "Walk The Sky 2.0", in November 2020 via Napalm Records. The effort contained live versions of a few of the band's favorites from the group's latest LP, "Walk The Sky" — "Wouldn't You Rather", "Pay No Mind", "Native Son", "Godspeed", "In The Deep" and "Dying Light" — as well as one new studio track, "Last Rites", which was written, recorded and completed entirely during the COVID-19 lockdown.

"Walk The Sky" came out in October 2019 via Napalm Records.

Professionally filmed video of METALLICA performing the song "Fight Fire With Fire" live during the band's first headlining set at the Welcome To Rockville festival on Friday, November 12 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida can be seen below.

Welcome To Rockville, a four-day rock festival, kicked off its 10th edition on November 11 at a new home in Daytona Beach.

METALLICA played another show at Welcome To Rockville with a different setlist on Sunday, November 14.

Along with two nights of METALLICA, this year's Welcome To Rockville featured DISTURBED, SLIPKNOT, A DAY TO REMEMBER, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, LAMB OF GOD, SOCIAL DISTORTION, MASTODON and many others. The event was also livestreamed on Danny Wimmer Presents's Twitch channel, featuring select performances, interviews and behind-the-scenes content at twitch.tv/DWPresents.

This past July, METALLICA announced details of its massive 40th-birthday celebration: The band will mark this milestone by inviting the worldwide METALLICA family to join them in their hometown of San Francisco for two unique live shows featuring two different setlists December 17 and 19 at Chase Center. Tickets for these shows were made available only to registered members of METALLICA's Fifth Member fan club.

The 40th-anniversary shows see METALLICA return to Chase Center for the first time since the September 2019 "S&M²" concerts that also served as the venue's grand opening. It was impossible not to notice that fans from more than 60 countries traveled to the City by the Bay and completely took over San Francisco for "S&M²" weekend. That outpouring of positive vibes from around the world inspired METALLICA to invite those Fifth Members back — and this time, in addition to the two shows at Chase Center, METALLICA will be curating other live music and comedy events, Blackened Whiskey tastings, and so much more all around the city during the long four-day weekend of celebrations starting on Thursday, December 16.

Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 2.5 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album), "Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", released in November 2016 and charting at No. 1 in 32 countries.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden's Polar Music Prize. METALLICA's newest release, the "S&M²" album and film, arrived in August 2020 on the band's own Blackened Recordings label. "S&M²" chronicles METALLICA and San Francisco Symphony's September 6 and September 8, 2019 "S&M²" concerts that served as the grand opening of San Francisco's Chase Center and reunited the band and Symphony for the first time in 20 years. "S&M²" brings those historic shows back to life, capturing more than two and a half hours of James, Lars, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo joining forces with the nearly 80-strong San Francisco Symphony, legendary music director of the orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas and conductor Edwin Outwater.

Swedish producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN) has spoken out against vaccine mandates, saying "when they try to force it on you, I become the opposite."

The 51-year-old Tägtgren, who lives in a small Swedish village called Pärlby, discussed his views on vaccines in a new interview with Tuonela Magazine. He said: "Unfortunately, I'm not a really optimistic guy when it comes to this COVID thing. I think there will be a couple of peaks again and [lockdowns] here and [lockdowns] there. Unfortunately, that's how it is. I don't know when it's ever gonna pan out. I don't know if it ever will pan out. But maybe we can be more immune to it so it's not so deadly — so it doesn't affect you so, so bad, if you get normal immunity to it.

"Everybody knows I'm really skeptical [about] the vaccine and stuff like that, especially when they try to force it on you," he continued. "Because if you start forcing [it on people], then I become the opposite. But the good part with me [is that] I'm not social. I live in the woods, so, for me, I'm not out there breathing on people. The only time I go out is when I go to my studio or if I go to the local grocery store where there's four people maximum every time I'm there shopping. So I'm not there to risk anything. And even people who do get the vaccine, they still spread the disease, so I don't see the difference, unfortunately."

"It scares me when they start going down in ages on kids [who are eligible for the vaccine] and pushing in things that they haven't really tried," he added. "And the only thing they're trying is to get it approved in a very hurry, and that scares me as well. But this is how it is right now, and this is how we're gonna have to take it. As long as I'm not out, I'm not gonna vaccinate myself. But I'm gonna have to because I'm gonna go on tour. So, yeah, that's the way it is nowadays. So I stay away from people until I go on tour… In my village, there's twenty people living, and our houses are very far from each other. So I see no problem not being vaccinated right now."

About 7 million people in Sweden, which has a population of 10 million, have had both COVID-19 shots, according to social affairs minister Lena Hallengren.

"Vaccine hesitancy" — refusing or delaying recommended vaccines — is identified by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 global health threats.

A study out of Australia found fully vaccinated people are 16 times less likely to become severely ill or die of COVID-19 than unvaccinated people.

For 100 years, vaccine mandates in schools have resulted in decreased childhood mortality and eradication of disease.

According to Healthline, COVID-19 vaccines continue to protect against severe illness but do not entirely block transmission. Fully vaccinated people are less likely to contract the coronavirus than unvaccinated people. If they don't contract an infection, they can't transmit the virus to others. However, when fully vaccinated people do contract the coronavirus, they can still transmit it.

The first taste of brand new music from late MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza's unearthed drum riffs has just premiered via the Menza Nation YouTube channel and can be streamed below. The music is being produced by former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, who is enlisting "a handful of different" musicians from around the world to record new riffs and add new parts to Menza's existing riffs — an expected 13 tracks which are being touted as "the heaviest and fastest drum material Nick ever created."

In a video announcing his involvement in the project, Ellefson said: "We're actually recording some new riffs and parts to some existing Nick Menza drum riffs that he has — some parts that are brand new. So posthumously, we're actually forming a new band with Nick. I've got a handful of different people from our industry around the world participating in this. And I'm gonna be writing some new riffs and some new things."

This past September, Screaming Butterfly Entertainment announced a partnership with Ellefson and his Ellefson Films on the upcoming feature-length documentary "This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza". Ellefson has signed on as a co-producer of the film, and also will provide narration to guide the viewer through the exploration of the late MEGADETH drummer's life.

In conjunction with the announcement of Ellefson's attachment to the film, an Indiegogo campaign has been launched to raise funding for the completion of the film. Fans have the opportunity to support the production of the film directly, as well as obtain some rare official Nick Menza memorabilia. These items include various touring laminates personally owned, and authentically signed by Menza himself and Ellefson. In addition to memorabilia, fans can purchase brand new Nick Menza merchandise, including hats, posters, and even Nick Menza skateboard decks. Fans can even have their names and a message added to the end credits of the film.

The campaign can be found at this location.

"This Was My Life" will be the first-ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic 'Rust In Peace' lineup."

"This Was My Life" will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with. A screenshot from the film was recently released that featured an interview with former LAMB OF GOD/MEGADETH drummer Chris Adler.

Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

According to Billboard, Nita Strauss has just become the first solo woman to score a top 10 as a lead artist on the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in nearly 26 years as her "Dead Inside" single landed at No. 10 on the list.

Previously the last solo woman to reach the top 10 was Melissa Etheridge, whose "Your Little Secret" spent its final week in the top 10 on the chart dated December 23, 1995.

A collaboration with DISTURBED singer David Draiman, "Dead Inside" is Nita's first new music since the release of her critically acclaimed debut solo album "Controlled Chaos" in 2018. It kicks off with Nita's inimitably intricate lead guitar work and, as the intro builds, begins to snake its way around the ground-shaking, headbanging lead riff as Josh Villalta's technical and bombastic drums kick in. Then comes the unmistakable vocal prowess of Draiman as he delivers his unique signature brand of enormously catchy vocal melody and a stadium-conquering chorus. The song ebbs and flows through sonic and emotional dynamics and culminates with a brutally heavy beatdown into a final rendition of the chorus, ensuring that the lead hook will be replaying over and over in the listener's head for days.

Speaking about the collaboration, Strauss previously said: "This is my first time releasing my own music with a vocalist, and I am so honored to take this step alongside a legend like David Draiman. David's voice and powerful lyrics took this song to a level I could never have imagined! And we are so excited to unleash this song on the world."

Draiman added: "Serendipity can be really cool. We've been friends for years. Nita sent me the track… I didn't have time to work on it right away… then, in literally a couple of days, while killing time in Santa Monica, the whole thing just came together. Incredibly proud of how it turned out and honored to be a part of it."

When the pandemic hit, being the force of nature that she is, Nita took the adversity of no touring and being at home and turned it in to a positive. During the past 18 months, Nita launched her online guitar learning course, "Rock Guitar Fundamentals", which takes the learner through everything from picking up the guitar for the first time all the way through to learning songs and playing solos. Taking her passion for health and fitness to the next level, Nita also launched her Body Shred Fitness Challenge, a three-month fitness challenge that pairs a love of music with passion for getting healthier in your body and mind! Participants have the chance to win prize packages valued at over $2,500 while becoming a part of a fun, supportive worldwide fitness community.

And, as if that wasn't enough, Nita launched her Patreon which gives fans access to weekly livestreams, lessons, signed photos and behind-the-scenes looks at the album recording process.

On top of these digital initiatives, Nita also became the official in-house guitarist of the Los Angeles Rams, playing every home game at the brand new SoFi Stadium, performed the national anthem at WWE's "NXT Takeover: Stand And Deliver" event, released two new signature Ibanez guitars, JIVA Jr and JIVA X, was featured on the cover of Guitar World's "Guitarists Of The Decade" issue and performed with Cooper at the Fire Fight Australia benefit for the bush fires that ravaged Australia in 2020.

Nita released "Controlled Chaos" in 2018 to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths". To date the album has clocked up 6.7 million streams worldwide, with music videos for singles "Our Most Desperate Hour", "Pandemonium", "Alegria" and "Mariana Trench" generating over 3 million YouTube views.

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

Fan-filmed video footage of DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice and Neil Murray, a founding member of WHITESNAKE, performing with the DEEP PURPLE tribute band PURPENDICULAR on Friday, November 26 in Cleon, France can be seen below.

PURPENDICULAR was formed in October 2007 by Irish vocalist Robby Thomas Walsh. Walsh was born in Dublin and learned his trade from vocalists such as Ian Gillan, Robert Plant, David Coverdale, with a love for blues, rock n roll, hard rock, classical and soul. With over 25 years experience, he played in several semi pro bands before turning full professional with PURPENDICULAR.

Some consider Paice to be the forefather of today's rock drumming. Such hits as "Space Truckin'", "Hush", "Fireball" and "Smoke On The Water" prove that Ian was helping create a genre that would last many years to come. In fact, throughout DEEP PURPLE's long career, which has seen numerous changes among the other personnel, he is the only drummer the band has ever had. When the group dissolved in 1976, Ian joined PURPLE vocalist David Coverdale to form WHITESNAKE. After a short hiatus, DEEP PURPLE reunited in 1984 for the "Perfect Strangers" release and has not stopped performing since.

Last year, Paice was asked during a question-and-answer session with fans if he has ever felt the need to play double-bass drums. He responded: "Well, not really. The only time I ever really did it was on 'Fireball' because it added something to the track. The way the riff rolled along, it needed that power of two kicks.

"When I was growing up, the only guy who actually used two bass drums that I knew about was the wonderful Louie Bellson," he continued. "And even he had not really what you'd call mastered it. There are some wonderful young drummers around these days who've got the two-bass-drum thing down to an incredibly fine art. But I've always preferred to have to think in patterns.

"Sometimes with the bass drums, it's not where you put the note, it's where you don't put the note, and that makes it work," he explained.

Murray initially shot to fame in the late 1970s and 1980s with WHITESNAKE, where he contributed to hits such as "Here I Go Again", "Fool For Your Loving" and "Still Of The Night". Since that time, he has worked with a number of highly successful recording artists, including BLACK SABBATH, Gary Moore, Brian May and Michael Schenker, to mention a few.

Former MÖTÖRHEAD and current SCORPIONS drummer Mikkey Dee will receive the honorable title "Gothenburger Of The Year" in his hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden on Saturday, November 27.

"Gothenburger Of The Year" is an honorary title awarded to a resident of the city who has gained special distinction during the year and acted in a praiseworthy manner that has inspired pride and given pleasure to many people.

As part of tomorrow' festivities, Mikkey will get his name on his very own tram. He will be driving 40 tons of metal to the Queens Square where he will be honored in front of fans and the people of Gothenburg. The award is given by the Gothenburg city council and Gothenburg tram association.

"We, the people of Gothenburg, feel an enormous pride that we have an artist of the world of this caliber in our city," Gothenburg city officials said in a statement. "For over 40 years, Mikkey has performed with an amazing passion in some of the biggest bands in the world. He is true inspiration for all of us as well as young musicians."

Dee, who has been a member of SCORPIONS since 2016, played drums for KING DIAMOND from 1985 until 1989. The Swedish-born drummer also played with MOTÖRHEAD from 1991 until the band's dissolution in December 2015.

Dee played on the classic KING DIAMOND albums "Fatal Portrait", "Abigail" and "Them" until he left in 1988 to join Don Dokken. He returned a year later as a session player on KING DIAMOND's "Conspiracy".


Breaking news!

Tomorrow Saturday Mikkey will receive the honorable title Gothenburger of the year. Mikkey will get his...

Posted by Mikkey Dee on Friday, November 26, 2021

Professionally filmed video of ANTHRAX's entire November 14 performance at the Welcome To Rockville festival at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida can be seen below.

Welcome To Rockville, a four-day rock festival, kicked off its 10th edition on November 11 at a new home in Daytona Beach.

ANTHRAX has been celebrating its 40th anniversary at various festivals this summer and fall. Their current live show backdrop is a collage of their album artwork beginning with "Fistful Of Metal" all the way through "For All Kings".

Featured songs:

00:00 Among The Living

05:20 Got The Time

08:42 Caught In A Mosh

14:36 Madhouse

18:45 Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't

25:17 I Am The Law

31:37 Antisocial

39:33 Indians

Along with two nights of METALLICA, this year's Welcome To Rockville featured DISTURBED, SLIPKNOT, A DAY TO REMEMBER, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, LAMB OF GOD, SOCIAL DISTORTION, MASTODON and many others. The event was also livestreamed on Danny Wimmer Presents's Twitch channel, featuring select performances, interviews and behind-the-scenes content at twitch.tv/DWPresents.

Formed by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings"'s arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

Frontman Joey Belladonna, whose most recent return to ANTHRAX was officially announced in May 2010, was originally the lead singer of ANTHRAX from 1984 to 1992, and was considered part of the band's classic lineup (alongside Dan Spitz, Ian, Frank Bello and Charlie Benante), which reunited and toured during 2005 and 2006. His voice was featured on over 10 albums, which reportedly sold eight million copies worldwide.

Professionally filmed video of METALLICA performing the song "One" live during the band's first headlining set at the Welcome To Rockville festival on Friday, November 12 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida can be seen below.

Welcome To Rockville, a four-day rock festival, kicked off its 10th edition on November 11 at a new home in Daytona Beach.

METALLICA played another show at Welcome To Rockville with a different setlist on Sunday, November 14.

Along with two nights of METALLICA, this year's Welcome To Rockville featured DISTURBED, SLIPKNOT, A DAY TO REMEMBER, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, LAMB OF GOD, SOCIAL DISTORTION, MASTODON and many others. The event was also livestreamed on Danny Wimmer Presents's Twitch channel, featuring select performances, interviews and behind-the-scenes content at twitch.tv/DWPresents.

This past July, METALLICA announced details of its massive 40th-birthday celebration: The band will mark this milestone by inviting the worldwide METALLICA family to join them in their hometown of San Francisco for two unique live shows featuring two different setlists December 17 and 19 at Chase Center. Tickets for these shows were made available only to registered members of METALLICA's Fifth Member fan club.

The 40th-anniversary shows see METALLICA return to Chase Center for the first time since the September 2019 "S&M²" concerts that also served as the venue's grand opening. It was impossible not to notice that fans from more than 60 countries traveled to the City by the Bay and completely took over San Francisco for "S&M²" weekend. That outpouring of positive vibes from around the world inspired METALLICA to invite those Fifth Members back — and this time, in addition to the two shows at Chase Center, METALLICA will be curating other live music and comedy events, Blackened Whiskey tastings, and so much more all around the city during the long four-day weekend of celebrations starting on Thursday, December 16.

Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 2.5 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album), "Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", released in November 2016 and charting at No. 1 in 32 countries.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden's Polar Music Prize. METALLICA's newest release, the "S&M²" album and film, arrived in August 2020 on the band's own Blackened Recordings label. "S&M²" chronicles METALLICA and San Francisco Symphony's September 6 and September 8, 2019 "S&M²" concerts that served as the grand opening of San Francisco's Chase Center and reunited the band and Symphony for the first time in 20 years. "S&M²" brings those historic shows back to life, capturing more than two and a half hours of James, Lars, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo joining forces with the nearly 80-strong San Francisco Symphony, legendary music director of the orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas and conductor Edwin Outwater.

In 2021, Waltari are celebrating their 30th anniversary of their very first space journey in true style.


This means that even though a best-of compilation might be in order on such an occasion, they weren’t themselves if they hadn't cooked up something special. The band noticed it was 30 years since the release of Monk-Punk and are not going to honor the anniversary with a special album.


They revisited material from all creative phases, choosing some of their finest songs (plus one new track) to give them an overhaul with the help of like-minded musicians from every stripe. Be it Sami yoik duo Angelit or electro hip hop stars Bomfunk MC ́s, German industrial pioneer Jürgen Engler from Die Krupps or other countrymen of theirs such as former Nightwish bass player and vocalist Marko Hietala, humppa legends Eläkeläiset as well as Korpiklaani front man Jonne, The 69 Eyes singer Jyrki, German crossover newcomers April Art, Mr. Lordi himself and his band plus members from Skyclad, Amberian Dawn, Hanoi Rocks, Negative and Beast In Black.




On November 26 the special album was released. On the same day they released a video for “So Fine 2021” featuring Kevin Ridley and Youth Choirs Sykkii and n.u.k.u. Check it out below.





Tracklisting:


“Merry Go Round” (feat. Jürgen Engler)
“Below Zero 2021” (feat. Marko Hietala)
“Skyline” (Remix by Bomfunk MC’s)
“Ehtoopuolella” (feat. Eläkeläiset)
“So Fine 2021” (feat. Kevin Ridley and Youth Choirs Sykkii and n.u.k.u.)
“Step Outside” (feat. Angelit)
“In The Cradle 2021” (feat. Jonne Järvelä and Jyrki 69)
“Misty Man 2021” (feat. Niki)
“Lights On 2021” (feat. Lordi)
“The Stage 2021” (feat. Tampere All Stars)
“Helsinki 2021” (feat. April Art)





(Cover photo by Jani Mahkonen / Cover layout by Aino Korpinen)

Self-described as "Death Western", SpiritWorld are also the aural vision quest of Stu Folsom, a Las Vegas native who has taken the intensity of that blasted desert heat and given it a voice on the band's debut, Pagan Rhythms.


Pagan Rhythms was re-released on November 5 and is now available physically for the first time outside of North America. Today, SpiritWorld premier the video for "Unholy Passages".


"'Unholy Passages' is the JAM!," says Folsom. "If I could pick one song off of Pagan Rhythms to show people, this is it. 270 BPM of hella nasty riff vomit!!! Just when you think, 'Okay, this song fucks, I'm diggin' it...,'  it drops another banger riff on you. It's even got the Hellraiser, 'Do I look like I care what God thinks?' breakdown sprinkled with some field recordings of a monsoon season thunderstorm I recorded on my cell phone to top it off!"




He continues, "When I made the visualizer for it, everything was still on lockdown, so a real video was out of the question. I knew I needed something striking to compliment the song, so I pivoted down the rabbit hole of archival footage sourcing old rodeo footage, go-go dancers, and occult rituals. Enjoy!"





Conceived entirely by Folsom and produced by Sam Pura (The Story So Far, Self Defense Family), songs like "Comancheria" or the blast-beat propelled "Unholy Passages," courtesy of drummer Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta/Trash Talk) who plays on half the album with ex-Apiary skinsman Adam Elliot playing on the other, are unforgettable.


"It's about trying to write killer songs and craft a classic record," says Folsom, whose love for the likes of George Jones or the legendary L.A. punk band X runs as deep as his metallic roots. "With Pagan Rhythms , I set out to distill my love of thrash, old school death metal, and hardcore into something new that would hit like a tomahawk right in the face. When I first started telling people about this idea I had to merge Western imagery, horror fiction, and heavy metal into an all-out sonic assault, it seemed ridiculous. But I truly believe that if you make great records, people are a lot more willing to embrace your weirdness and come along for the ride."





Tracklisting:


"Pagan Rhythms"
"The Bringer of Light"
"Unholy Passages"
"Night Terrors"
"The Demon Storm"
"Armageddon Honkytonk & Saloon"
"Godless"
"Comancheria"
"Ritual Human Sacrifice"


"The Bringer Of Light" video:





"Comancheria" video:





SpiritWorld is:


Stu Folsom - Vocals
Matt Schrum - Guitar
Randy Moore - Guitar
Justin Fornof - Bass
Nick Brundy - Noise
Preston Harper - Drums


Pagan Rhythms features additional musicians:


Thomas Pridgen - Drums
Adam Elliot - Drums
Sam Pura - Guitar/Bass/Vocals
Ben Verhoek - Back Up Vocals
Reif Barlow - Back Up Vocals


(Photo - Sean Jorg)

Eternity's End have released their third full-length album, Embers Of War, via Prosthetic Records. Accompanying the album release, the European technical power metal five-piece have also shared a full-album visualizer, available to view below.


On Embers Of War, Eternity's End fully embrace the over-the-top elements of power metal and blend them with enough technicality to make an album irresistible to headbangers around the globe. On Embers Of War's release, Christian Muenzner (Guitars & Keyboards) comments: "We are very happy to finally share this album with all our fans around the world. It marks a big step for us, both career-wise with signing to Prosthetic Records, as well as musically further cementing our own sound and niche with an album that we feel is our strongest effort to date.


It was a labour of love for classic heavy metal and living the heavy metal spirit, and our aim is to connect with listeners who have the same passion for that style of music as we do through our songs.




We want to thank Prosthetic Records for believing in our band and their dedicated work, as well as the fans who have been so supportive to us throughout the years from day one. We hope you enjoy an album made by metal fans for metal fans and to be able to celebrate those songs together on stages around the globe in the near future."





Tracklisting:


"Dreadnought (The Voyage Of The Damned)"
"Bane Of The Blacksword"
"Hounds Of Tindalos"
"Call Of The Valkyries"
"Arcturus Prime"
"Shaded Heart"
"Deathrider"
"Embers Of War"


Full album visualizer:





Eternity's End is:


Iuri Sanson – Vocals
Christian Muenzner – Guitars / Keyboards
Justin Hombach – Guitars
Linus Klausenitzer – Bass
Hannes Grossmann – Drums

Arjen Anthony Lucassen (Ayreon) is back with a new Star One album, titled Revel In Time. The new album comes more than 10 years since the previous release and is due out on February 18 via InsideOutMusic.


An update from Arjen, introducing a guest spot by Alessandro Del Vecchio, states: "Alessandro is featured in the track ‘The Year of ‘41’ on CD2 of the new Star One album. Check out this video to see him play the solo and don’t miss his lovely message at the end. We’ve been friends for a long time and it’s fantastic to finally work together with this multi-talented dude, ciao amico!"







Revel In Time will be available for pre-order on December 17 and it will come as Ltd. 2CD Digipak, Ltd. Deluxe 3CD+Blu-Ray Artbook (incl. a poster of the cover artwork), and as 180g Gatefold 2LP (incl. the album on CD & an LP-Booklet).


CD 2 features alternate versions of the same songs as CD 1, but with different vocalists. Also available will be a 5.1 mix, a high-res audio version, and an exclusive, hour-long Behind the Scenes video, on the Blu-ray included in the Artbook.





Revel In Time tracklisting:


CD1:


"Fate Of Man"
"28 Days (Till The End Of Time)"
"Prescient"
"Back From The Past"
"Revel In Time"
"The Year Of ’41"
"Bridge Of Life"
"Today Is Yesterday"
"A Hand On The Clock"
"Beyond The Edge Of It All"
"Lost Children Of The Universe"


CD 2 features the same songs as CD 1, but with different vocalists.


"Fate Of Man" video:





"Lost Children Of The Universe" lyric video:

Swedish melodic hard rock AOR band, Gathering Of Kings, have released a video for "Highway To Paradise" a track from their 2020 album, Discovery (RN Records). Watch below:





The album was produced by Thomas "Plec" Johansson at The Panic Room, Skövde, with Ron Dahlgren, Nina Dahlgren & Victor Olsson as executive producers. Drums was recorded at Nordic Sound Lab by Thomas "Plec" Johansson, Bengan Andersson and Victor Olsson. The cover artwork was created by German artist Markus Vesper.




Gathering Of Kings is created and supervised by Ron Dahlgren and Nina Dahlgren, bringing together top musicians from the current hard rock scene in Sweden. The idea was to create a AOR/Melodic Hard Rock project/band like Tom Galley's Phenomena or even Tobias Sammet's Avantasia, with multiple vocalists and instrumentalists. Victor Olsson is the main songwriter, with Alexander Frisborg co-writing the lyrics.  





Tracklisting:


“Starsleeper”
“Riders Of The Light”
“Heaven On The Run”
“December”
“Highway To Paradise”
“The One That Got Away”
“Lorelei”
“Moonlight”
“Revelation”
“Kiss From Above”
“From A Whisper To A Scream”
“Final Hour”


"From A Whisper To A Scream":





Musicians:
Rick Altzi - lead vocals (3, 12), backing vocals (3, 9, 11, 12)
Jonny Lindkvist - lead vocals (4, 8)
Apollo Papathanasio - lead vocals (2, 9), backing vocals (2, 5, 8, 9)
Tobias Jansson - lead vocals (6, 7, 11), backing vocals (2, 3, 6, 7, 11)
Alexander Frisborg - lead vocals (5, 10), backing vocals (2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12)
Victor Olsson - guitars (2-12), bass (2, 4-7,9-12), keyboards (1-12), backing vocals (2-12)
Efraim Larsson - drums (2-8)
Jonas Källsbäck - drums (9-12)


Special Appearances:
Nalle Påhlsson - bass (3, 8)
Joel Selsfors - keyboard solo (12)
Erik Gafvelin Wiss - keyboard solo (7)
Henrik Sethsson - backing vocals (10)
Theresia Svensson - backing vocals (6, 7, 10)
Ron Dahlgren - backing vocals (10)
Mathias Kihlberg - flute (9)