David Coverdale, who was among the DEEP PURPLE members who were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016, was asked in a new interview with QFM96's "Torg & Elliott" radio show if he thinks he will eventually get the nod as a member of his post-PURPLE outfit WHITESNAKE. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I did the Hall Of Fame for PURPLE, I spoke with the guys there and they were very, very forthcoming that they felt it appropriate that WHITESNAKE be in there. But you've gotta remember something — these are really cherries on an amazing cake of my life already. So if that does manifest, that's amazing. It's not on my bucket list, but I would receive it with open arms. 'Cause those kinds of things are validations from your peers."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

The Rock Hall didn't induct BLACK SABBATH until 2006, and METALLICA followed three years later.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until five years ago.

PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction last year, but failed to receive enough votes to make the class of 2020.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was previously on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

IRON MAIDEN was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction this year, but didn't make the class of 2021.

DEEP PURPLE's first three lineups were inducted into the Rock Hall, including guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Jon Lord, and various singers and bassists — Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.

DEEP PURPLE's acceptance speeches included turns from Gillan, Glover, Paice, Coverdale and Hughes before the current lineup of DEEP PURPLE — Gillan, Glover, Paice, guitarist Steve Morse and keyboardist Don Airey — took the stage and played a short set consisting of "Highway Star", "Green Onions" (with an image of Lord behind them), "Hush" and "Smoke On The Water".

Some might already call him an old fossil, but legendary BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has now come face to face with a pre-historic trace of life named after him.

It comes after heavy metal-loving scientists from Scandinavia were so thrilled to discover a 469-year-old fossil in Russia that they named an entirely new species of conodonts Drepanoistodus Iommii — after their rock hero.

To celebrate the momentous occasion, Westside BID manager Mike Olley set up a surprise Facetime meeting between Tony, his fossil and lead palaeontologist Mats Eriksson on the BLACK SABBATH bench in Birmingham.

Tony said: "It was a real shock to hear that a fossil's been named after me. I've had a bit of abuse from my friends about it who've enjoyed calling me an old fossil, but I think it's great, a real honor. This has to be the weirdest thing that's ever been named after me but I'm really proud of it and I wanted to thank Mats and his team in person for being such brilliant fans."

Speaking to Tony from his home in Sweden, Mats said: "What an absolute honor it is to meet you. It's hard for me to wrap my head around this. From our point of view, it's to be regarded as nothing but a huge honor. The reason we do this is to have fun and to combine my love affairs with nature and with music. But this is just amazing. For me to publish academic papers published is fun but talking to you is priceless."

Mats, who has been a fan of BLACK SABBATH since he was a boy, was so thrilled by his team's discovery that he commissioned legendary "heavy metal painter," Joe Petagno, to create an honorary painting to mark the occasion.

Mats added: "I love the painting that Joe affectionately refers to as 'Tony Iommi conjuring an otherworldly gargantuan conodont.'"

The fossil is said to be from an ancient eel-like marine vertebrate known as a conodont — depicted in the painting as a giant, alien-like creature.

Olley said: "The purpose of having Tony here with us is to celebrate the fact that he's officially a fossil.

"I'm delighted we were able to set up the meeting and I want to thank Mats for his fantastic gesture to honor one of Birmingham's greatest rock heroes."

Photos and video courtesy of Westside BID

Multi-camera fan-filmed video footage of PHILIP H. ANSELMO AND THE ILLEGALS performing their "A Vulgar Display Of Pantera" set on Saturday, November 13 at Amplified Live in Dallas, Texas can be seen below.

"A Vulgar Display Of Pantera" finds singer Philip Anselmo and his solo group celebrating the legacy of PANTERA with a set featuring select cuts from the iconic metal band's five classic albums: "Cowboys From Hell", "Vulgar Display Of Power", "Far Beyond Driven", "The Great Southern Trendkill" and "Reinventing The Steel".

In a recent interview with The News-Herald, Anselmo said that part of the reason for performing PANTERA classics is to honor the band's guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was killed in 2004, and drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who died in 2018.

"It's one of those cases where you have to say it is what it is," Anselmo said. "All of that stuff is terribly sad. It's (expletive) very tough to wrap my mind around even listening back to PANTERA stuff. The truth of it is, I learned a while back dealing with Dimebag's death that I could muck around and stay in the past and wallow, but it's not healthy. And in turn, when I play these songs, for me it's all about celebrating the life of Dimebag and Vince. I have to do the best I can for my brothers who have fallen and for all of our fans. I have to do the best I can and look at the bright side."

Up until his death, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for the murder of Dimebag, who was his brother.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie Paul died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS features Anselmo with guitarists Stephen Taylor (SUPERJOINT) and Mike DeLeon (FLESH HOARDER, BEING KILLED, ex-MOD), drummer José Manuel "Blue" Gonzalez (SUPERJOINT, WARBEAST), and bassist Derek Engemann (SCOUR, ex-CATTLE DECAPITATION). The band's most recent full-length, the critically acclaimed "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue", was released in 2018 via Anselmo's own Housecore Records.

Active on YouTube since 2016, Joe and Dave, better known as Melodicka Bros, are an Italian musician duo known for covering popular songs in a style opposite from the original version, Check out their new way too happy version of the Metallica classic "Master Of Puppets" below.





The Melodicka Bros YouTube channel can be found here. A few more examples of their work can be found below.

"'Exciter'! Song opener on the KISS Kruise X," says guitarist Bruce Kulick. "Each week I will be sharing a video of the second set at the Stardust Theater, filmed by my wife Lisa from the balcony. It's a great way to 'be there.' Enjoy!"


Rarely played by KISS, "Exciter" - written by Paul Stanley and Vinnie Vincent - is the opening track to the 1983 album, Lick It Up, which is certified Gold in Canada, and Platinum in The United States.







Bruce Kulick and his band have performed on the last three KISS Kruises: KKXIII, KKIX, and KKX. His band plays songs from the '80s and '90s that aren't usually performed by KISS. 


Joining guitarist Bruce Kulick in his band are: Todd Kerns - lead vocals / guitar, Zach Throne - vocals / bass, and Brent Fitz - drums / vocals. Catch Bruce and his band live at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 30th. 





 

In these bleak days, we think you might agree, it’s about time we had some dark news that was actually good? Well, Rise Above Records is certainly chuffed to announce the signing of this exciting new doom metal machine known as Friends Of Hell.


Brainchild of former Electric Wizard bassist, Tas Danazoglou, Friends Of Hell also feature the enigmatic talents of former Reverend Bizarre vocalist Albert Witchfinder.


Their fantastic self-titled album will be released worldwide via Rise Above Records on March 18, 2022. More information (including a promo video) coming soon.




Tas: "We are all veterans, having played in many bands in the past, but this one feels very special. We are ready to strike!"


(Photo by Pete Voutilainen)


 

German quintet There's A Light recently inked a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records. The promising discovery will release its second album f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶I ̶h̶o̶pe̶? for what must we hope? on December 10. A video for the new single, "Dark Clouds Behind, Bright Skies Ahead", can be viewed below.


True emotions do not require words. That's what There's A Light have proven many times, as with new single "Dark Clouds Behind, Bright Skies Ahead". A fulfilling opening is followed by familiar peaceful guitar melodies and ambient interjections that detach the listener from mundane concerns. Each note drifts weightlessly through the atmosphere before fading into eternity. In addition, the warm cello tunes of passionate guest musician Akito Goto join in, gently embracing the listener in auditory bliss, assuring that everything's going to be alright. The music video goes hand in hand and tells a profound story with the purest of visual means and brings peace with one's internal conflicts.


There's A Light on “Dark Clouds Behind, Bright Skies Ahead”: “If you ever experienced this phenomenon in nature, on a hike or wherever you are without shelter from the elements, you will not forget it. It’s a calming and beautiful sight when you see a dark storm front moving away from you while the sun comes out. For us this is a metaphor - life is a constant flow between ups and downs. But no matter how dark a storm is, there will always be a bright sky ahead. This song tries to capture this motion and feeling. Thank you so much for listening!”







Thematically, on f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶I ̶h̶o̶pe̶? for what must we hope? There's A Light take a deeper look at the question of the true meaning of hope as well as at the different facets of it: On the one hand, hope can be something positive - a flourishing force that always gives a new impulse to grow beyond oneself. On the other hand, it can also do harm, for example, if one holds on to something that will never become reality.


The radiant album opener "...The Storm Will Set The Sails" immediately enchants with its shimmering melody and great arrangements, while the following "Within The Tides" presents a more dramatic, progressive touch with impressive technique and rhythm. The driving "Like The Earth Orbits Sun" is one of the tracks that features bassist Andreas Richau's captivating, emotional vocals, along with the multi-faceted exclamation point "Elpis" and spherical "Be Brave, Fragile Heart". "Dark Clouds Behind, Bright Skies Ahead" and "Appearance Of Earth" open up another spectrum of sound and expand the cosmos with the passionate cello playing of guest musician Akito Goto. The grand finale "Even In The Darkest Place..." weaves powerful instrumentation with dreamy moments into a harmonious overall construct, once again underscoring a hypnotic post-rock experience in the style of bands like God Is An Astronaut, Russian Circles and Sigur Ros.


There's A Light on the new album: "So, we asked ourselves what hope stands for and what it means to us. We had a lot of conversations within the band about the good but also the bad aspects of hope and our experiences with it. And we got answers and inspiration by history and philosophy. Like Kant who has extremely positive views on this topic - hope is necessity for human existence, it’s not seen by him as a personal but collective thing. This is where the album title came from. The whole process of creating this album really took us on a journey and we found new ways to express our thoughts and feelings with our music. We took a few trips to France and wrote songs together in a cabin, but we also had to write a lot of parts simultaneously, since we are not living in one city any more. We had the chance to work together with new lovely people but we also reconnected with old partners in crime. All in all it wasn’t an easy journey, but now we made it and are happy and proud to finally release this album with Napalm Records!"





f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶I ̶h̶o̶pe̶? for what must we hope? will be available in the following formats:


- Digipack
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- 2LP Gatefold in Marbled Curacao/Black (limited to 100 copies worldwide)
- 2LP Gatefold in Ocean Blue (limited to 300 copies worldwide)
- Digital Full Length Album


Pre-order here.





f̶o̶r̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶a̶y̶ ̶I ̶h̶o̶pe̶? for what must we hope? tracklisting:


"...The Storm Will Set The Sails"
"Within The Tides"
"Magnolia"
"Like The Earth Orbits Sun"
"Dark Clouds Behind, Bright Skies Ahead"
"Refugium"
"Elpis"
"Fear Keeps Pace With Hope"
"Be Brave, Fragile Heart"
"Appearance Of Earth"
"Even In The Darkest Place..."


"Elpis" video:





There's A Light is:


David Christmann - guitar
Jonas Obermüller - piano, synth percussion
Markus Dold - guitar
Andreas Richau – vocals, bass
Jan Lüftner - drums


(Photo - Nicolas Kuri)

Guitarist Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne) recently got together with his friends Strutter (bass) and Achilles (drums) to rehearse some of the tracks off his new album, Quantum Leap.


"We set up a few cameras and pushed the 'record' button," says Gus G. "We approached this as if it was a livestream. The video edit is done on the spot and the audio is raw with no overdubs. Engineered, recorded and mixed by Strutter at Valve Studio in Thessaloniki, Greece. Camera edit operation by Jimmy Tott."


Watch "Force Majeure" from the session below:







Watch "Into The Unknown" from the same session:





Quantum Leap artwork and tracklisting:





"Into The Unknown"
"Exosphere"
"Quantum Leap"
"Chronesthesia"
"Enigma Of Life"
"Judgement Day"
"Fierce"
"Demon Stomp"
"Night Driver"
"Not Forgotten"
"Force Majeure" (feat. Vinnie Moore)


"Into The Unknown" video:





"Enigma Of Life" video:





"Fierce" video:





"Exosphere" video:

Kingdom Immortal is the new album from New Jersey metal hoard Midnite Hellion. The album is due for release on January 21, 2022 via Power Chord Productions. BraveWords is premiering the video for the blazing “Speed Demon”; watch below!





The band comments:




"First cut from Kingdom Immortal is short, sweet, hard 'n heavy. ‘Speed Demon’, prepare for a wild ride. How fast are you willing to go?"


Kingdom Immortal will be available on LP, CD, limited edition cassette, and digital. Preorder on Bandcamp.


Midnite Hellion will support Loudness on February 20, 2022 at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ. 


Tracklisting:


“H.M.O” 
“She-Demon” 
“Phantomland” 
“Rapscallion” 
“Speed Demon” 
“Resurrected”
“Army Of The Dead” 
“In Sickness And In Hell”


Established in 2011 by drummer Drew Rizzo, Midnite Hellion took shape with the addition of bassist and vocalist Rich Kubik in 2016. Joined by lead guitarist Charles Koegler in June 2019, the band entered Pyramid Sound Studios in Ithaca, NY in August 2019 with producer Alex Perialas (Anthrax/S.O.D, OverKill, Testament, Joe Bonamassa). Recording for Kingdom Immortal was completed in six days, with mixing and mastering taking place in March and May 2021, respectively. The vinyl mastering was cut at Infrasonic Mastering by Daniel Bacigalupi (Barry Gibb, Dolly Parton, Stray Cats, Willie Nelson) and manufactured at Third Man Records (Jack White/The White Stripes).


Their debut album, Condemned To Hell, catapulted Midnite Hellion into the metal markets in 2017. The album was featured on the coveted “New Music Mondays” program on 89.5 FM WSOU. Heavy regional and national touring in support of the album was in order, most notably supporting Otep and The World Over in December 2018 in the Midwest and Mountain regions of the US.

Wacken TV has shared pro-shot video of Swedish bashers Unleashed performing at Wacken Open Air 2019. Check out the band's entire set below.


The setlist was as follows:


"Blood of Lies"
"Dead Forever"
"Don't Want to Be Born"
"Lead Us into War"
"The Longships Are Coming"
"They Came to Die"
"Stand Your Ground"
"Hammer Battalion"
"The Dark One"
"Your Children Will Burn"
"I Have Sworn Allegiance"
"The Hunt for White Christ"
"Execute Them All"
"Into Glory Ride"
"Death Metal Victory"







Unleashed is led by founding frontman Johnny Hedlund, and features drummer Anders Schultz and two guitarists Tomas Måsgard and Fredrik Folkare – delivering and defining supreme death metal for over 32 years. On No Sign Of Life, the band formed of Viking descendants transports the listener straight into an outraging battle with 11 forceful tracks that revive the essentials of death metal, facing the sheer brutality of war. Unleashed are back to defend their throne, forging another uncompromising musical weapon that continues the marvellous legacy of Vikings.


The silence gets crushed right within the first notes of the album opener “The King Lost His Crown” and invents a paving rage that leaves no time to catch your breath during its entire playing time. The album unfolds with “Where Can You Flee” as an unstoppable war battalion and builds upon Unleashed’s well established trademark sound and strong lyrics. Bare boned screams are accompanied by epic shouts praising Odin and heavy guitar riffs as the journey of clashes continues in “The Highest Ideal”, until the album reaches its glorious peak with “Here At The End Of The World” as a fading hymn for the victorious march that leaves the battlefield behind in ashes.


The Chief Vikings of Swedish death metal leave no doubt that they are still true to their roots after 32 years of existence. Unleashed proves that they indeed are and will stay the unchallenged leaders of Sweden’s death metal forefathers.


Unleashed on the album: “It is our hope that our warriors all over the world will enjoy the new album just like they have our previous ones. We have, as always, tried to stick to our roots while testing our steel to develop the genre of Viking death metal even further. Hail Odin!





Tracklisting:


"The King Lost His Crown"
"The Shepherd Has Left The Flock"
"Where Can You Flee?"
"You Are The Warrior!"
"No Sign Of Life"
"The Highest Ideal"
"Midgard Warriors For Life"
"Did You Struggle With God?"
"Tyr Wields The Sword"
"It Is Finished"
"Here At The End Of The World"


“Where Can You Flee?” lyric video:





"The King Lost His Crown" lyric video:





Unleashed are:


Johnny Hedlund – bass, vocals
Anders Schultz – drums
Tomas Måsgard – rhythm guitar
Fredrik Folkare – lead guitar

Back in April, old school death metal revivalists, Carnation, teamed up with Belgium's Galaxy Studio for a very special virtual performance.


Carnation have announced the physical release of their Galaxy Studio Sessions. The live album will be available on all digital platforms and a limited edition vinyl version. Pre-orders are now available here, and here.


Carnation comment: "To celebrate the excellent experience we had during our livestream event at the Galaxy Studios, we have decided to release the entire recording as a standalone live album. We consider this performance as an important milestone during our Where Death Lies album cycle, as we were finally able to present the new tracks in a live capacity after multiple unsuccessful attempts. We hope you will enjoy this recording, and let it be a reminder to stay persistent against all odds."




Watch a live video for "Napalm Ascension" below.





Tracklisting:


"Reincarnation"
"Iron Discipline"
"Serpent’s Breath"
"The Whisperer"
"Malformed Regrowth"
"Sepulcher of Alteration"
"Napalm Ascension"
"Fathomless Depths"
"Where Death Lies"


"Napalm Ascension" live video:





"Reincarnation" live video:

In a new interview with Metal Musikast, former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley was asked for his opinion of the band's latest album, "Senjutsu". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've only listened to it a couple of times; I just haven't had much time to [check it out in full]. But I've liked [what] I've heard. I like 'Death Of The Celts' and 'Hell And High Water', I think is the other one [Editor's note: presumably referring to 'Hell On Earth'], and the single ['The Writing On The Wall'] as well. So, yeah, there's some great music on there."

He continued: "I think it's a deep album, and it's not something that gives itself easily on the first time through. I think you've gotta give it a chance; there's a lot going on, and there's a lot of mood changing with the chords that they've done and the instrumentals. So it's an album that I feel you have to go, what is the story? And then when the instrumental part comes, it's just like an orchestral piece. What are they talking about now? What does this music make me feel? Why has it gone into this dark place? So I don't think it gives itself up easily, but I think it's a good album. And the things that I've heard so far I really like."

"Senjutsu", IRON MAIDEN's first album in six years, came out on September 3. It was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by bassist Steve Harris.

"Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

MAIDEN's first two Paul Di'Anno-era albums, "Iron Maiden" (1980) and "Killers" (1981), as well as with those recorded with Bayley, "The X Factor" (1995) and "Virtual XI" (1998), all failed to dent the Top 40 in the U.S.

The 58-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, recorded two studio albums with IRON MAIDEN — the aforementioned "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI" — before Bruce Dickinson returned to the group. The MAIDEN albums he appeared on sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012's "Wolfsbane Saves The World", the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group's self-titled 1994 effort.

Blaze's latest solo album, "War Within Me", came out in April. All songs were written and produced by Blaze and guitarist Christopher Appleton.

Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen is featured in a new interview with Metal Hammer. She looks back on her early days as a professional singer and discusses the possibility of a reunion with her first band, After Forever, which officially called it quits in 2009. Following is an excerpt from the interview.


Q: You joined After Forever when you were only 16. Did you already know that this was what you wanted to do?


Floor: "No. Think of a bunch of teenagers that wanted to play music, and think before the internet. I liked metal. And I wanted to sing in a metal band. That was my ambition; I used to play guitar and write my own acoustic songs, then I played at parties of friends. And one day when I did that, somebody said, ‘I know a bunch of guys that have a metal band, and they are looking for a female background singer’, and that was After Forever. And so that’s how I joined."




Q: Is there any chance at all of After Forever reuniting?


Floor: "No, not as far as I’m concerned. I’m very content with where I am. It’s good to leave things in the past. Many After Forever albums have been re-released, unfortunately without my consent. But now the latest (self-titled) album will be re-released next year and all members were involved, which is a huge difference. So that’s something I can heart-warmingly recommend to fans or nostalgics. Something’s coming."


Read the complete interview here.

Anders Fridén, frontman of Swedish melodic death metal band IN FLAMES, has launched his new project under the moniker IF ANYTHING, SUSPICIOUS. The project's new album, "Offair: Lullabies For The Damned", will be released on December 3 via Offair Records. The launch comes alongside two calming and serene tracks, "Farewell" and "Nodes Of Yesod". "Offair: Lullabies For The Damned" is the second album released by Offair Records, a new label centering on mood music and intentional listening experiences created by noteworthy artists exploring instrumental and experimental sounds outside of their typical genre.

The graceful, glitchy piano-led melancholy of "Farewell" and haunting "Nodes Of Yesod" hold a mirror up to the beautiful yet strange and often times terrible world.

"Offair: Lullabies For The Damned" is an expression of the pure joy of creation. It's a passion project that explores Fridén's love of making electronic music, and captures the sentiment of rebirth — because this was like nothing he'd ever done before, he was doing so for the very first time again.

Fridén says on the new project: "Dive into the unknown and dare to challenge yourself… I've been playing metal music for more than 30 years, always judged by previous trials and errors, loved and hated for my choices. But this is a first, a time that will never come again. Something new, something different. I want you to close your eyes, breathe and let the sounds take you on a journey. A journey without borders or restrictions."

Offair Records is a joint venture between Universal Music Canada (UMC) and Versus Creative, globally distributed by UMC and Virgin Music Label + Artist Services.

Photo credit: Jerker Josefsson

earMUSIC will release MARILLION's 20th studio album, "An Hour Before It's Dark", on March 4, 2022. A first peek into the album is available as of now with the single "Be Hard On Yourself".

Whether it's the last hour you were allowed to play outside as a child before you had to go home, a reference to the fight against time in relation to the climate crisis or the last minutes in a person's life, MARILLION once again put their finger on the pulse of time. Be it social, political, or personal issues, MARILLION have never minced words and have always found a way to combine them with their own unique sound, known for incredible songwriting, melodies and top-notch musicianship, while swimming against the tide, not bending to norms and limitations. "Be Hard On Yourself" couldn't be a better example of this.

"Despite the seemingly bleak contemplations across this album — the virus, our mortality, medical science, care, AND Leonard Cohen (ha ha) — the overall feeling of the music is surprisingly upbeat," said singer Steve Hogarth. "I think the band are as on form as they ever were really, and the addition of Choir Noir has added another new soul and color to things."

Like its predecessor, 2016's critically acclaimed and chart-topping album "F*** Everyone And Run (F E A R)", "An Hour Before It's Dark" was recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios, which also provided the perfect backdrop for the carefully chosen selection of behind-the-scenes footage in form of a documentary on the making of the album and a performance of "Murder Machines" from Real World that will be released together with the album.

MARILLION is currently on the road with the "Light At The End Of The Tunnel" tour in the U.K., which will be followed by several MARILLION weekends until summer 2022 and a major European tour in autumn 2022.

Founded in 1979, British rock band MARILLION has, over the course of 19 studio albums, become one of the most commercially successful progressive rock acts of the 1980s and is still one of the most outstanding representatives of their genre. MARILLION embraced the potential of the Internet for both their commercial approach and to interact with their audience, long before most of their peers.

"An Hour Before It's Dark" track listing:

01. Be Hard On Yourself

i. The Tear In The Big Picture

ii. Lust For Luxury

iii. You Can Learn

02. Reprogram The Gene

i. Invincible

ii. Trouble-Free Life

iii. A Cure For Us?

03. Only A Kiss (Instrumental)

04. Murder Machines

05. The Crow And The Nightingale

06. Sierra Leone

i. Chance In A Million

ii. The White Sand

iii. The Diamond

iv. The Blue Warm Air

v. More Than A Treasure

07. Care

i. Maintenance Drugs

ii. An Hour Before It's Dark

iii. Every Call

iv. Angels On Earth

The popular vinyl collectible company Funko — best known for its big-headed Pop! figures — has announced its latest artist collaboration: Joan Jett.

Pop! Joan Jett is about to drop a "bomb" on your music collection with her greatest hits and iconic look. Commemorate the classic rock legend as a Pop! in your music lineup today. Due in April 2022, the vinyl figure is approximately 4.5 inches tall and is available for pre-order from Walmart.

Other artists who have gotten the Pop! treatment in the past include KISS, IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, DEF LEPPARD, Rob Zombie, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, GHOST and MOTÖRHEAD.

A Funko vinyl Pop! figure, or popularly known as a "Pop!", is packaged carefully inside a box with a transparent front. The figurine is made out of vinyl and may come as a bobblehead.

Headquartered in Everett, Washington, Funko is a leading pop culture consumer products company. Funko designs, sources and distributes licensed pop culture products across multiple categories, including vinyl figures, toys, plush, apparel, board games, housewares and accessories for consumers who seek tangible ways to connect with their favorite pop culture brands and characters.

Funko reportedly holds more than 150 licenses, including Lucas Films, Marvel, Hasbro, Disney and more. The company reported having 777 full-time employees at the end of 2020, 617 of which were based in the

Swedish glam metal/sleaze rockers CRASHDÏET recently signed to Golden Robot Records and are currently in the studio working on their sixth album, due out early 2022. The band has just released the first taste of what is to come in the form of a new single, "No Man's Land", which is out now on all digital platforms. "No Man's Land" is also accompanied by a music which can be seen below.

"No Man's Land" is the first new music from CRASHDÏET since the release of 2019's "Rust" album. The single is sung with powerful and precise vocals, surrounded by thick driving bass, heavy guitar chops, rock-solid drums and scintillating production. "No Man's Land" is a story about looking inwards and moving forward, no matter the cost.

"Rust" marked CRASHDÏET's first full-length effort with vocalist Gabriel Keyes, who joined the band in December 2017.

CRASHDÏET was originally founded in 2000 by late vocalist Dave Lepard and guitarist Mary Goore, better known as GHOST's Tobias Forge. The group's 2005 debut album, "Rest In Sleaze", debuted at No. 12 in the band's home country, but eight months after its release, the 25-year-old Lepard committed suicide. CRASHDÏET then recruited Finnish vocalist H. Olliver Twisted (RECKLESS LOVE) for its 2007 sophomore album, "The Unattractive Revolution", but after touring in support of the LP, Twisted exited the group. The band then welcomed Simon Cruz, who appeared on 2010's "Generation Wild" (which reached No. 3 in Sweden) and 2013's "The Savage Playground" (which reached No. 2) before leaving the band in the midst of a Japanese tour in 2015.

CRASHDÏET 2021 is:

Gabriel Keyes - vocals

Martin Sweet - guitars

Peter London - bass

Eric Young - drums

Ex-BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE bassist Jason "Jay" James has joined KILL THE LIGHTS, the group featuring his former BULLET bandmate, drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas.

KILL THE LIGHTS released its debut album, "The Sinner", last year on Fearless Records. The band and record were lauded for "statement songs" (Distorted Sound) and for being "broad in scope and technically accomplished in its execution" (Sonic Perspectives).

Today, KILL THE LIGHTS returns to share a new song called "Chasing Shadows".

"'Chasing Shadows' is the perfect song, lyrically, to re-introduce Jay and his talents to the world," KILL THE LIGHTS says in a statement. "The lyrics discuss the mental struggle of living with past decisions and failures, and the effort it takes to get back to the top. 'Chasing Shadows' is about proving the doubters wrong and showing the world through sweat, blood, and tears that you are and always were good enough."

KILL THE LIGHTS is:

James Clark (ex-THROW THE FIGHT) - Vocals

Jordan Whelan (STILL REMAINS) - Guitar

Michael "Moose" Thomas (ex-BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) - Drums

Jason "Jay" James (ex-BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) - Bass

Travis Montgomery (ex-THREAT SIGNAL) – Guitar

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE announced Jay's departure in February 2015 during the recording sessions for the group's fifth album, "Venom", and recruited Jamie Mathias as his replacement in May of that same year.

In July 2015, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE frontman Matt Tuck told Revolver: "We parted ways with [Jay] a long time before we announced it. We wanted to make sure we were comfortable making that decision, and comfortable with making that statement publicly. We wanted to get the album ready to be recorded before we said anything…"

Tuck described the split with James as "the most difficult thing we've ever had to do, and not just in the band or in our careers, but in our lives, personally. It was awful. Losing a long-term member — and our best friend, which was much more important to us — was a very powerful moment that we'd never been through before, and it was a decision that we deliberated over for, like, three months; we kept fighting and fighting to find valid reasons for him to stay, but eventually it was just impossible.

"I'm not going to go into detail," Tuck continued, "but it was in Jay's best interest personally, more than ours, that he was not in the band. People can read into that what they want, which they will anyway; but it was just stuff going on that was jeopardizing the band's career, and it had to stop. And, unfortunately, it came to the point where enough was enough, and we just had to make that call."

In December 2017, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE announced that it was officially parting ways with Thomas and replacing him with Jason Bowld (PITCHSHIFTER, AXEWOUND). Bowld had toured with the group since November 2015, filling in for Thomas, who had taken a leave of absence as he and his wife were expecting their first child.

In February 2020, Thomas told the "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast that he didn't leave BULLET FROM MY VALENTINE of his own accord.

"We'd done the last album [in 2015], which was 'Venom', which was kind of more back-to-the-heavier-roots type of thing, which I was a lot happier with; I think everyone was," Thomas explained. "And it was on that album we left — Jay, and then I left a year later. So we finished 'Venom' and then started touring 'Venom'. It was on the European tour cycle of 'Venom' that I left and didn't return. I would have gone back [on tour], but no one answered my e-mails."

DISTURBED frontman David Draiman joined Nita Strauss, the guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, on stage last night (Thursday, November 18) at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California to perform their collaborative song "Dead Inside". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Released last month, "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.

David Draiman of DISTURBED, which recently played its first pandemic-era shows, spoke to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2018's "Evolution" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We spent the past week [or] two coming up with some pretty amazing new DISTURBED material that we are very, very excited about. There's nothing like playing live to inspire you, and it definitely seemed like it broke the seal. And now we're all guns blazing. We're very, very excited."

As for how far into the songwriting process DISTURBED has come at this point, Draiman, who resides in Hawaii with his wife and their son, said: "We have about six to eight skeletal song structures and ideas. So, like progressions and melodies. No actual definitive lyrics finalized yet. It's very much in infancy. But we can already tell from the combination of riffs and melodies and rhythms that a bunch of these ideas are just as good [as] or better than anything we've done. It's right in the zone of traditional DISTURBED — it's rhythmic, powerful, syncopated, anthemic. It's exactly what we were kind of thirsting for."

According to Draiman, he and his bandmates talked about doing some writing during the pandemic but ultimately wanted to wait until they could come together as a group and hash ideas out in person.

"Everybody had their own basket of wonderful stuff to deal with during the past couple of years," he explained. "I think that we needed to spend more time focusing on our families for ourselves during that particular period of time. We didn't have a whole lot of ability to come together as a band to create; there was just too much going on in everybody's respective situation. So now that the smoke is clearing and things are starting to crawl back toward some sense of normalcy together with, again, re-embracing the live experience, it's very refreshing. And we couldn't be more inspired."

In October 2020, Draiman told "Loudwire Nights" that DISTURBED's new music would be "blisteringly angry" and added that he was "dying" to sink his teeth into "new, original, angry, ferocious, brutal material."

Four months earlier, Draiman told Download Festival TV that he has spent some of his downtime during the coronavirus pandemic "having conversations with the other guys in DISTURBED about getting some new material going, and we've got some stuff in its infancy. One song, definitely, that's killer in our back pocket; we just haven't tracked it," he said. "And we've got a few more song ideas, [but] nothing that's been hashed out enough."

Draiman went on to say that making music over the Internet had presented its own set of problems, especially since most of DISTURBED's last couple of albums were composed with the core members in a room together bouncing ideas off each other.

"We kind of need to get back into the rhythm of being able to do stuff like this in Zoom format or online as opposed to in person," he said at the time. "At least it's some kind of real-time connection so that you can be creating together improvisationally to an extent, but there's still issues with audio — it's not as clear as you want it sometimes, there's too much compression and you lose level; it's a challenge — and the vibe isn't there. There's nothing that replaces you being in front of your co-songwriter and being able to feed off each other's energy and create in person."

DISTURBED performed live for the first time in nearly two years on September 25 as one of the headliners of the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky.

In March, DISTURBED's "The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was officially canceled. The amphitheater tour, with very special guest STAIND and BAD WOLVES, was originally slated to take place in the summer of 2020 but was rescheduled to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was eventually scrapped altogether.

"The Sickness 20th Anniversary Tour" was supposed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of DISTURBED's seminal album "The Sickness". On this tour, the band was expected to perform songs off the album, as well as tracks from "Evolution" and DISTURBED's extensive catalog.

In September 2020, DISTURBED released a cover version of Sting's 1993 single "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You".

Chuck Wright, longtime bassist for multi-platinum rockers QUIET RIOT, has released the first single from his upcoming solo album, "Chuck Wright's Sheltering Sky". A hard-rocking, intense interpretation of Björk's 1995 hit "Army Of Me", it is accompanied by a video that represents Wright's exploration into disorder and parallels with the recent chaotic state of world affairs. The visuals include a 3D animation of an "army" of Ruth Bader Ginsburgs, the late Supreme Court Justice, feminist icon, and steadfast advocate for women's rights and gender equality.

"I chose to recognize the late Justice Ginsburg in this video as she was such a formidable presence on and off the bench," Wright says. "She challenged the status quo knocking down legal obstacles to women's equality and inspired an army of believers."

"Army Of Me" features several of Wright's musical peers, including the late Pat Torpey (MR. BIG) on drums, guitarist Lanny Cordola (HOUSE OF LORDS) and keyboardist Seven Martin (Jonathan Davis) along with songstress Whitney Tai, the recent "Best Vocalist" winner at the Intercontinental Music Awards.

Wright, who has also worked alongside such rock music luminaries as Alice Cooper, Greg Allman, Ted Nugent, and various members of GUNS N' ROSES and KISS, to name a few, will release "Chuck Wright's Sheltering Sky", in 2022 via Cleopatra Records. The LP will feature over 30 guest performers, including members of MR. BIG, SKID ROW, TESLA, DREAM THEATER, GREAT WHITE, ASIA, JEFFERSON STARSHIP, acclaimed solo artists Allen Hinds, Toshi Yanagi, and many others.

Wright is finally stepping out on his own with a wide range of genres, from jazz fusion, prog, funk to in-your-face hard rock, which was in itself one of the things that led him to want to forge his own way and create this unique collection of songs within his "Sheltering Sky" project.

Wright has been a part of QUIET RIOT, on and off, since 1982, having initially been involved in the "Metal Health" recordings (he played bass on the tracks "Metal Health" and "Don't Wanna Let You Go").

Wright appears on nine QUIET RIOT albums. He was a contributing songwriter on 1986's "QRIII" and was featured in the band's video for "The Wild And The Young", among others. Wright has also been involved with over 100 recording projects throughout his stellar career.

In May 2020, Wright released his first-ever solo music video, for a song called "The Weight Of Silence".

Photo credit: Mari Kawaguchi

On SILVERSTEIN's visceral new single "It's Over", the legendary post-hardcore outfit deftly balances its core sound — an intensely dynamic mix of melody and aggression, rooted in the energy of punk and the unabashed earnestness of emo — with its natural growth as songwriters and evolving inspirations.

Guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau comments: "This song is the spiral that leads to giving up. Those anxiety packed hours when you can't feel anything but the low, steady crescendo of panic that eventually gets so intense your fingertips lose sensation. It's hopeless to feel but pointless to endure. I didn't learn anything from feeling that way. I just wanted it to stop."

Forged in their longevity, the confidence SILVERSTEIN members have in one another enables the band to find a careful songwriting alchemy. They recently hit 20 years as a band, marking two decades of relentlessly pushing themselves from their underground roots to becoming one of the most influential bands in their scene.

SILVERSTEIN saw the milestone as a time to appreciate how far they've come, while channeling all those years of experience into something new as proven on their most recent singles "Bankrupt" and "It's Over" which is available across all digital platforms via UNFD.

Throughout the course of its career, from Ontario basement shows to touring the world and selling over a million records, SILVERSTEIN has always managed to be completely comfortable in their own skin while never being afraid to challenge themselves.

SILVERSTEIN's Shane Told (vocals), Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford (guitars), Billy Hamilton (bass), Paul Koehler (drums) are well into their extensive North American tour which includes postponed dates from their 20th-anniversary tour and sold-out dates at venues with 1500-plus capacity worldwide.

They are a band known for crossing borders, overstepping genre taboos, and keeping the (metal) world in suspense: Today, French avant-garde black metallers Celeste take their immersive experience one step closer to the edge: January 28th will see the release of the band's new long-player Assassine(s), produced by Chris Edrich (Gojira, Tesseeract, The Ocean, Leprous)  and a long-awaited follow-up to 2017's Infidèle(s). With their unique mix of black metal, sludge, and post-hardcore, and over 500 shows played since their inception in 2005, Celeste has cemented their status as one of France's most important underground acts, and now deliver the first single off their upcoming piece of art, Assassine(s).


Driven by almost djenty rhythms, the band instantly proves their subtlety on this first excerpt "Des Torrents De Coups" and brings overwhelming emotions through bleak yet occasionally blissful soundscapes.







"We're glad to unleash our first single", Celeste states. "This track is the first one we've started writing for the new album, but it's also one of the last we've finished. It's pretty representative of the reflection we had all along the creation process of Assassine(s), I hope you'll enjoy the new sonorities and our new approach to songwriting."


"This epic song is coming with the video clip it deserves, 'Des Torrents De coups' is the first part of a video triptych to be released in the coming months, produced in collaboration with video artist Gregoire Orio. Those video clips totally emphasize our well known imagery."


Assassine(s) is now available for pre-order at this location in the following formats:

• Digipak CD with a satin coated finish


• LP in gatefold with satin coated finish in four color variants


• Stream or download

Asasassine(s) artwork and tracklisting:





"Des Torrents De Coups"
"De Tes Yeux Bleus Perlés"
"Nonchalantes De Beauté"
"Draguée Tout Au Fond"
"(A)"
"Il A Tant Rêvé D’elles"
"Elle Se Répète Froidement"
"Le Coeur Noir Charbon"


Catch Celeste together with their new label mates Conjurer on the upcoming 2022 European tour: