“The Lighthouse Pathetic” is the new single and video, from upcoming seventh album of Italian melodic heavy metal band Mastercastle. The video has been released by Morbid Vision. Audio work made by Pier Gonella.


The release date of The Lighthouse Pathetic is scheduled on January 10, 2022. Various special guests joined Mastercastle in this new album, such as Fabio Lione (Rhapsody Of Fire, Angra), Flegias (Necrodeath, Cadaveria), Andrea De Paoli (Labyrinth, ex-Vision Divine), Mattia Stancioiu (Athlantis, ex-Labyrinth, ex-Vision Divine), Alessandro Bissa (ex-Labyrinth, ex-Vision Divine), and Francesco La Rosa (Extrema).


Tracklisting:




“Who Cares For The Moon” (feat. Fabio Lione)
“The Lighthouse Pathetic”
“That’s All”
“Rosso Profondo”
“Call Your Wings” (feat. Fabio Lione)
“Monster Whispers”
“Diamonds”
“Fantastic Planet”
“Space”
“Fast As A Shark” (Accept cover feat. Flegias)
“Princess Of Love” (Demo 2008)


“The Lighthouse Pathetic” video:

Due to manufacturing delays, Nashville Pussy will now release their new live album, Eaten Alive, on CD and digital formats on Friday, December 24 via Slinging Pig Records / MVD Entertainment Group. The album will be available on vinyl on January 14.


Coming hot off of their seventh studio album, Pleased To Eat You, Nashville Pussy returns with Eaten Alive, a ferocious hellride of a live album that is proof positive that the band is one of the best live acts ever. Recorded in the UK, this is Nashville Pussy's Live At Leeds and one of most unrelenting concert albums since Motörhead's No Sleep Til Hammersmith.


Eaten Alive will be unleashed to the world on Slinging Pig Records, the band's very own record label. "This is the album that our fans have drunkenly demanded for years," says singer / guitarist Blaine Cartwright. "'Make an album that sounds like you guys do live!' I've heard that phrase slurred in my face in accents from all over the world," jokes Blaine. "So here it is you drunken bastards!"




The mesmerizing leads of legendary guitarist Ruyter Suys leap off the grooves and grab the listener by the throat. Ruyter has been hailed with accolades since the band's inception including being named "one of the top female performers of all time" by That Metal Show. And that's just one example. Combine that with the irresistible thunderous rhythm section of bassist Bonnie Buitrago and hard hitting drummer Ben Thomas, and it makes for one of the most satisfying rock experiences ever recorded.


Eaten Alive not only serves as a perfect souvenir for hundreds of thousands of lucky rock n' rollers that have seen Nashville Pussy in the 40 plus countries over past 25 years, it's also an excellent starting point for all those unfortunately yet to have been exposed to the fiery baptism of hard rock that the band delivers on a nightly basis.


The band is unstoppable. This album is proof. Order your copy on CD, or double-gatefold vinyl now at this location.





Tracklisting:


"Kicked In The Teeth"  
"Piece Of Ass"
"Wrong Side Of A Gun"
"Pillbilly Blues"
"We Want A War"
"Rub It To Death"  
"Go Home And Die"
"She Keeps Me Coming, And I Keep Going Back"
"CCKMP"
"5 Minutes To Live"
"Low Down Dirty Pig"  
"First I Look At The Purse"
"Go To Hell"
"I’m So High"  
"I’m The Man"  
"Why, Why, Why"  
"Strutting Cock"  
"Till The Meat Falls Off The Bone"
"Go Motherfucker Go"


"Wrong Side Of A Gun":

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen, who has just released her first book, "Singing In My Blood", spoke to Talk Radio Europe about how she has dealt with the fact that she has been unable to perform live for nearly two years due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. "The beginning was tough, I have to say," she said. "I got a hit — mental hit — [and] also a physical hit by not knowing what's there, how long we need to wait, what is this about. But then when I found out that there is no need for me to really fight against the universe — I mean, I'm just one single person and I need to find the inspiration again and I need to find my muse. And I found it. And this project with the book came, actually, in a perfect time because it gave me a chance to really think about my life, what I have been going through in my life, and it was healing — seriously, it was a healing process. Then I found out that, okay, I can touch my piano and start writing new songs. And then, little by little, everything started to get back to normal, sort of — without shows, all right, without being a performing artist but an artist anyway."

"Singing In My Blood" was made available via Rocket 88. Written and compiled over the past year of lockdown, Tarja has searched through scores of photos and memories to create a big, deluxe book about her life in music. There are contributions from friends and colleagues who've played a part in her music on stage, in the studio and at home, alongside lots of previously unseen intimate photos from childhood to the present day.

Tarja said: "Singing is in my blood. Ever since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed performing … but not being able to be on stage in 2020, I spent a lot of time looking through photo albums, seeing all those happy scenes of childhood, growing up and making music, getting to know my fans and travel the world recording and performing, having fun; those memories fill this book.

"In 'Singing In My Blood', I tell my story about making music and share lots of personal photos. It's a big, 200-plus-page hardback filled with photographs that comes in two, deluxe versions."

For more information about "Singing In My Blood", visit tarjabook.com.

The 44-year-old Finnish-born singer, who currently lives in Spain (after previously residing in both Finland and Argentina), was fired from NIGHTWISH at the end of the band's 2005 tour by being presented with an open letter which was published on the NIGHTWISH web site at the same time. In the letter, the other members of NIGHTWISH wrote: "To you, unfortunately, business, money, and things that have nothing to do with emotions have become much more important."

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen later called the decision to part ways with Turunen "the most difficult thing I ever had to do." For her part, Tarja said the way she was kicked out of the group proved that her former bandmates were not her friends. "Maybe one day I'll forgive, but I will never forget," she said.

Donnie Vie has announced the worldwide re-release of his solo album, Beautiful Things. You can purchase and stream Beautiful Things here.





Donnie Vie discussing acquiring his catalog and re-releasing the catalog, beginning with Beautiful Things: "After seeing that the only way to obtain my out of print releases was buying them on eBay for outrageous money, or the mercy of the bootleggers, I decided it was time to buy all my releases back to not only own and have the rights to do what I like with them, plus to know who to yell at when I don't get paid (me), but now I can rerelease them so my fans can hear and have this stuff that I put a lot of blood, sweat and mostly tears into creating. The first title I am rereleasing is Beautiful Things, which is now available once again worldwide."







Vie talks about his recently released box set The Donnie Vie Collection,:"This is a collection of the 5 studio records I've released as a solo artist. And a 6th record worth of new, unreleased songs that are snatched right out of my home studio demo collection. You'll also really love these new songs that you've never heard."


The box set can be ordered directly from Donnie on his website DonnieVie.com.

Melodic death/doom metal band Coldbound have revealed that Lindsay Schoolcraft (ex-Cradle of Filth) will be the guest lead vocalist for the band's upcoming album.


Lindsay comments: "Thank you for welcoming me to the realm of Coldbound. I’ve so far had a wonderful experience being the guest lead vocalist on this double album. I very much look forward to its release in the future!


Many of you in the metal world know me from my seven years with Cradle of Filth. I am also the main composer for Chamber Black Metal band Antiqva and have lent out my voice and playing to many songs and albums over the years. Mainly for voice, harp, and piano.




This will be my first guest feature where I am the lead singer on a full album. Pauli and Meiju approached me after they heard my Juno Nominated album, Martyr, and felt I would be a good fit for crafting melodies and lyrics.


I’m honoured to be part of this project with such a talented line up and list of guest musicians and singers. I can not wait to see how it all comes together. It’s really forming into something special."


Band founder Pauli Souka further stated: "To work with someone like Lindsay is a true blessing, as she shows immense professionalism and a superb attitude. I am definitely excited to share with all of you the results of this one-of-a-kind collaborative experience."


Coldbound released the single “Slumber Of Decay”, which marked the metal comeback of Liv Kristine (Theatre of Tragedy, Leaves' Eyes) and Meiju Enho (Ensiferum). Coldbound mastermind Pauli Souka checked in with the following update:


"We move on with the album progress. To finally reveal the scale of this project we give you some numbers for the double album.


The album process got launched almost exactly three years ago, July 2018. The whole entity consists of approximately 17 songs, with the work being based on a script structure, with a hint of a soundtrack twist, making it a full storyline presented through music. Yet again, it’s a full blown metal production.


The number of instruments used on this album is uncountable, everything from acoustic and orchestral instruments, to electric and analog and metal music gear.


The approximate number of tracks per song is 200-400.


The number of guests participating is over 50.


The tracks have been recorded both within continental Europe and North America.


Thousands and thousands of working hours, and now we finally see the last part of this road opening ahead of us. More information will soon be revealed, so be prepared for more detailed news and album glimpses.


There are no limitations, only passion to make music."


Coldbound recently revealed they have parted ways with Liv Kristine, releasing the following statement:


"As all of us know, these two years have been affected by the situation of the global pandemic. Traveling restrictions have been of a huge obstacle, hence caused multiple delays concerning the music writing aspect. There has been lots of changes within the general aspect, up to a point that we simply cannot come up with further options how to conduct the work that has started several years ago.


This process involves dozens of musicians / artists and already it has taken a big chunk of monetary value and a lot of time and effort. With all the respect to all people involved and to the music itself, which is the main driving force, and seen all this work being at stake, we have, in mutual understanding, come to the difficult situation to finalize this work without the presence of Liv Kristine.


This painful decision has to be done in order to develop and move forward. As future is not carved in any stone, there is always the possibility to collaborate in one way or another with Liv Kristine. This decision is purely music-driven to ensure the completion of the only purpose of Coldbound; the music.


We like to thank deep from our hearts any single contribution of Liv Kristine, and no one knows what the future might reveal in our expressionistic crossroads."


"Slumber Of Decay" featuring Liv Kristine was released back in February. Check out the official video below.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford makes an appearance in the music video for the song "Push Comes To Shove" from the rock supergroup BAD PENNY, which features former QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS bassist Danny Miranda, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT drummer Jules Radino and guitar virtuoso/songwriter Mike Holtzman. BAD PENNY's previous releases feature former JOURNEY lead singer Steve Augeri and QUEENSRŸCHE vocalist Todd La Torre.

Halford took time prior to rehearsals for JUDAS PRIEST's most recent tour to drop the vocals to "Push Comes To Shove", a metallic, Arabic-tinged track featuring a syncopated guitar-drum battery. The track has just been released and can be streamed below.

"This song just grabbed me," Halford said. "It's mysterious, dark, and sexy." New York-based metal singer Militia Vox, who has been dubbed one of the greatest female rock vocalists of her generation, rounds out a powerhouse duet.

"Danny and I came up with the music and melody for this one," said Holtzman. "We knew we had something special… these exotic world-music elements, the inner dialogue, the heavy groove…it just needed extraordinary voices to bring it home. We are thrilled Rob and Militia agreed to sing it. They absolutely killed it."

After scoring radio hits with their debut singles, the bluesy rocker "Voices In My Head" (sung by La Torre) and the power ballad "Lose Myself" (sung by Augeri), BAD PENNY took a turn towards classic metal with "The Mirror Lies", again featuring La Torre on vocals. "Push Comes To Shove" delves further into dark and heavy territory.

"The object of this band is to tap into sounds and genres we love, and not to pigeon-hole ourselves as this-or-that," said Holtzman. "We want to keep ourselves and our listeners surprised and challenged. There are a few more cool twists and turns ahead."

For more information, visit Badpennyband.com.




Judas Priest’s ROB HALFORD and Bad Penny guitarist Mike Holtzman laid down some heavy sounds for our upcoming single...

Posted by Bad Penny on Tuesday, July 6, 2021

FOO FIGHTERS brought backstage guest Gene Simmons out on stage during their December 4 show at Park MGM's Dolby Live theater in Las Vegas.

After FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl called out a fan near the front who bore a resemblance to the KISS bassist/vocalist, Dave addressed the real Simmons, standing off stage right. Simmons, wearing a face mask, walked out and waved to the crowd and apparently handed Grohl a bill as a token of his gratitude.

Simmons mentioned his appreciation for the FOO FIGHTERS during an interview a year ago with Gulf News. While doubling down on his claim that the rock genre was "finally dead," he said: "Rock is dead. And that's because new bands haven't taken the time to create glamor, excitement and epic stuff. I mean, FOO FIGHTERS is a terrific band, but that's a 20-year-old band."

Back in 2014, Gene's KISS bandmate Paul Stanley told Rolling Stone that he was also a FOO FIGHTERS fan. It's funny, there were times that I would hear music on the radio — just something great — and not know who it was and very often it was FOO FIGHTERS. It's incredible to think of somebody coming out from behind the drums [with NIRVANA] with such a full concept as Dave has had and create music. I mean, the first FOO FIGHTERS album, that's just Dave. So the template and everything he's been working from is bigger than anyone expected from the guy who was just viewed as the drummer of NIRVANA."

Earlier this week, Grohl and producer Greg Kurstin wrapped up the eight-part second year of their "Hanukkah Sessions" series with a rendition of KISS's "Rock And Roll All Nite". For the accompanying video, Grohl and Kurstin painted their faces in full KISS makeup.

A few years ago, Grohl told The Pulse Of Radio how he got to know Stanley outside of the music business. "I see Paul Stanley every morning at drop-off 'cause our kids go to school with each other," Dave said at the time. "Paul is not only a great dude, but a great dad. He's there at 7:30 every morning with his kid and it's the greatest — I mean, it's inspiring. Like, of course, I love KISS and I'm inspired by him as a musician, but when I see him being, like, a dude — being a dad — it's like, that's the coolest thing in the world to me."

In a new interview with Brandy Richey of Pittsburgh's 105.9 The X radio station, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale spoke about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" LP. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We just finished our new album. We're actually getting mixes and masters back as we speak. But during the time that we were writing it, I got a lot of inspiration by just the stories and just people living their lives and survival stories and literally just conversations that I've had with these people. So, in turn, I feel like even just as an artist, it was a really neat way for me to find myself again and see myself in them, but also in turn I feel like everyone's going to see some of themselves on this album. So, yeah, it's a beautiful thing."

Last month, Lzzy told the 105.7 The Point radio station about the musical direction of the new HALESTORM material: "This album is absolutely a banger. It's on eleven. We have really just kind of exceeded all of the energy that has come before on these albums, both technically, music-wise, vocally, drum, lyric-wise. I think because of the roller-coaster ride when we were making this record, and just through the pandemic and all the different phases of that, we just kind of looked at each other, like, if the future is unknown and we don't know whether we're actually going to be out and playing these things, everything has to be, like I said, at eleven. It's HALESTORM elevated.

"It was kind of funny. My bass player, Josh [Smith], he was showing some new songs to his parents. And his dad is, like, 'Wow. You really just grabbed on to your sound.' And I'm, like, 'We have a sound?' [Laughs] I didn't really think about it that way before. But, yeah, it's very us."

According to Lzzy, she and her bandmates recorded the new HALESTORM album in a different way. "This is the first time that we've ever had dual producers," she explained. "We went back with Nick Raskulinecz [who helmed 'Vicious']. And then I ended up doing my vocals with Scott Stevens from THE EXIES. He's like a brother from another mother with me. We've written together before, and we've known each other for probably just shy of a decade now. He and I, we produced and did all the vocals for [HALESTORM's recently released single] 'Back From The Dead' with each other, because I went out to L.A. And then we ended up sending it to Nick, and Nick's, like, 'This is just absolutely amazing. We have to do every song this way.' So we kind of did it differently. We ended up with the bare bones of a demo. I ended up finishing all of my vocals — like dunzo — before we ended up building the track musically. So it's kind of like building a pyramid upside down. But it ended up really just having this different energy, because what we were able to do with the lyrics and melody and all the vocals being done would really accentuate all of that — matching the theme to whatever I was singing about, but also just kind of really supporting the vocals musically when we went in to do the guitars and drums and bass. It's so crazy — it definitely has this very forward, very aggressive nature to it because of the way that we did that."

"Back From The Dead" was released in August. The official music video for the track, directed by Dustin Haney (Noah Cyrus, Luke Combs) and produced by Revolution Pictures, features Lzzy and the rest of the band in a morgue and cemetery somewhere between life and death.

Raskulinecz first helmed HALESTORM's 2017 effort "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP" and was previously described by Hale as the group's "fifth member."

Lzzy and her brother Arejay formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

In a new interview with Metal Express Radio 's Matt Zaniboni, HELMET frontman Page Hamilton said that we must try to get along better, regardless of political, religious or socioeconomic differences. "We're just human beings," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We're all essentially the same. Race, religion, sexual orientation, whatever it is — as long as you're not hurting anybody else [and are] compassionate. That's something that touring has been a gift for me, to get to spend 35 years [on the road] and meeting people of all walks of life all over the world. It's not just about this country and then this state and then this county and then this city, and 'we hate you because you're in a neighboring town…' It's, like, c'mon, man. Knock it off. It's the human race. It really is. I believe that in my heart.

"I know that [comedian] Bill Burr was right," he continued. "Eighty-five percent of people are cool — even if you disagree with them politically. I have people in my life that I disagree with. I grew up in a family with a Republican mother and father and a Republican younger brother and sister — all four of them. I'm the only leftie in the family. And they gave me shit for years and years and years, but we didn't fight. I understand where they were coming from, and they understood where I'm coming from.

"This divisive sort of tone is something that is… We've gotta continue to fight to dispel that kind of anger and hatred," Hamilton, who formed HELMET in early 1989, added. "The truth is the truth, man. Seven hundred thousand people [in the U.S.] are dead from this [virus]. As Jen Psaki, the White House spokesperson, said, the virus sees no borders or political affiliations. It's gonna kill whoever it's gonna get into."

HELMET's first official live album, "Live And Rare", was released on November 26 via earMUSIC. It was made available on heavyweight black vinyl as well as a CD digipak edition and digital.

Although HELMET disbanded in 1997, Hamilton revived the band in 2004, and the group has continued to tour and record.

HELMET's latest album, "Dead To The World", was released in October 2016 via earMUSIC.

Don Dokken spoke to Tigman of the Poughkeepsie, New York classic rock radio station 101.5 WPDH about the progress of the songwriting sessions for DOKKEN's new LP — the group's first since 2012's "Broken Bones". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We just finished our new album. We finally got it done, which was hard with COVID and all the guys living in different states, and I couldn't play guitar. But luckily, when we did 'Broken Bones', our last album, Jon [Levin, guitar] and I had written, like, 12 or 14 songs left over, so we picked through 'em and picked the best and wrote some new ones. And I got my pen and paper out, and we'd write on the road and we'd write over Skype. I'd never recorded an album over Skype before. You send a track to the bass player, he records it and sends it back. I send a track over to BJ [Zampa, drums], his house, and he cuts the drums. Then I hop on a plane from Santa Fe, come down to L.A. and stay at Jon's for a few days. And we'll just bang it out. And I just go into producer mode and try to create the best songs. And we're really happy with it."

Asked when the new DOKKEN album will be released, Don said: "Well, it's coming out on Silver Lining [Music, the label owned by Thomas Jensen, one of the founders of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival]. And we just don't know what to do because this COVID thing, it's like… Now they've got the new [variant] — omicron, or whatever it's called. It seems like every month there's a new variant, and we're supposed to do a European tour in the spring — like, eight countries — but it's out of control there."

Regarding the musical direction of the new DOKKEN material, Don previously told The Metal Voice: "We're kind of going retro. I mean, look, you write what you write as a musician — your life changes, the world changes, you write what you write. You're influenced by new bands and other music. But I know where my bread is buttered as far as the classic DOKKEN sound, and Jon's really good at doing that. And so I said, 'I think we should write a record between the lines of 'Tooth And Nail' [1984] and 'Under Lock And Key' [1985].' And that's kind of the direction I'm writing in right now."

DOKKEN released an album called "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" in August 2020 via Silver Lining Music. Featuring sleeve art by renowned U.S. artist Tokyo Hiro (MOTÖRHEAD, MOTLEY CRÜE), the effort contains material written and recorded by a hungry young Don Dokken as he embarked upon a journey which started in Southern California and Northern Germany.

DOKKEN's classic lineup — Don, guitarist George Lynch, basist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown — reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in 21 years the four musicians had hit the road together.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2

Edmonton, Canada’s thrash metal maniacs Tymo have a new album The Art Of A Maniac slated for release early next year. They have already released the first single off this record, the angry, fast punch-in-the-face “Sanity Clause”, which was the introduction to a release that is considerably more thrash-oriented than the previous Purge & Reset that came out in 2017.


Following up the initial single comes “Mars Attacks”, which according to the band is possibly their new anthem. It is about the film and comics of the same name; Martians annihilating the human race and taking over the Earth. Tymo explains further:


“It was the song that really got the album going! We had already written ‘Sanity Clause’ and ‘The Roy Parson Project’, but they weren’t finished in time for the release of our previous album Purge & Reset. It is our current favorite and it’s already becoming a fan favorite live! We have always been a big fan of the films and comics, it was more than appropriate to write a song about the Martians slaughtering all of the humans! If you love old-school Exodus, you will love Mars Attacks!”




BraveWords is premiering the new track; check it out below!





The Art Of A Maniac is due out on February 5, 2022 and is recommended for fans of Megadeth, Slayer, Lich King, Municipal Waste, and Exodus. Preorder on Bandcamp.





Tracklisting:


“Tymonicide”
“Sanity Clause”
“Mars Attacks”
“Estrogenocide”
“Age Of Deception”
“The Roy Parson Project”
“War Beneath The Skull”
“The Art Of A Maniac”
“Alcholocaust”


Teaser:





“Sanity Clause”





(Photo by: Dana Zuk)

The Coda Collection will present an exclusive global live streaming event — "40 Years Of Metallica" — a special two-night event celebrating 40 years of METALLICA.

Powered by streaming partners Amazon Music and Prime Video channels, the exclusive free global live stream will showcase the band's full hometown performances on December 17 and December 19 at San Francisco's Chase Center.

While in-person tickets were available exclusively to members of the group's Fifth Member fan club, now METALLICA fans across the globe will be able to view both performances live from home or on mobile via Amazon Music, Amazon Music's Twitch channel, and Prime Video (with or without Prime on-demand viewing membership) beginning at 9 p.m. PT /12 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. GMT / 2 p.m. JST each night. The shows will then be made available exclusively at The Coda Collection/Prime Video channel for subsequent viewing.

METALLICA fans will also be able to watch films featured as part of the SF Takeover Film Fest, including "Cunning Stunts" and "Orgullo, Pasión, Y Gloria: Tres Noches En La Ciudad De México" at The Coda Collection/Prime Video channel for the weekend.

The 40th-anniversary live stream and films are just the beginning, kicking off an extensive partnership between The Coda Collection and METALLICA, which will include a full slate of concert films, documentaries, and additional content spanning the band's career arriving on the channel exclusively throughout 2022, alongside popular music films from the likes of FOO FIGHTERS, Jimi Hendrix, GRATEFUL DEAD, and many more.

For more information on "40 Years Of Metallica" and to sign up for a tune-in reminder, go to this location. To see a full list of the Metallica San Francisco Takeover activities and get daily updates, go to www.metallica.com.

METALLICA is also teaming up with Amazon Music to release "The Metallica Takeover", a guest-hosted station available exclusively to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers and Prime members. The band members will break down stories spanning the evolution of their music, set to a curated soundtrack featuring their biggest hits, fan favorites, and deep cuts.

"The Metallica Takeover" is the latest DJ Mode station to premiere on Amazon Music — a brand-new, on-demand listening experience that combines the personalization, control, and breadth of catalog of streaming with the vibrancy and personality of DJ-hosted radio. Fans can hear "The Metallica Takeover" now on Amazon Music, by simply asking "Alexa, play The Metallica Takeover" in the Amazon Music app for iOS and Android, and on Alexa-enabled devices.

Launched in February 2021, The Coda Collection is available exclusively via Prime Video channels. This unique, subscription streaming offering features an exclusive, curated selection of the most iconic music documentaries, concert films, and episodic series spanning decades and genres paired with a complementary website exploring new perspectives on music and featuring exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in music.

The Coda Collection is available to Amazon Prime members in the U.S. now for $4.99 per month with a free seven-day trial.

To explore The Coda Collection and to sign up for a free seven-day trial, visit www.codacollection.co.

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.

Austin-based Alvies, a direct-to-consumer cowboy boot company, has announced its newest boot, the BFG. The boot was co-designed with Billy F Gibbons as part of a licensing agreement with the legendary ZZ TOP frontman.

Alvies says the limited-edition boot is a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the boot industry.

"We haven't seen anything like it before," said Alvie Faulkenbery, co-founder and president of Alvies. "We wanted to work with a famous Texan to design a boot that represented their style... BFG was a no-brainer. Billy's unique vibe and the fact that he has shared Texas with the world for more than 50 years made it a perfect fit."

Gibbons was involved in every step of the design process and the boots truly represent the BFG signature style. Billy brought inspirations directly from hotrod culture, rock 'n' roll flair, and Old Hollywood glamour to the boot's design. "Gibbons and I have succeeded in making a brand-new kind of cowboy boot," stated Faulkenbery.

Handmade from premium cowhide leather at Alvies's factory in Mexico, the boot is full of custom details. The shaft and toe bug stitching is inspired by the West Coast hotrod pinstriping style pioneered by the infamous Von Dutch. A ¼ snip toe and a slightly higher "riding" heel were used to add some rock 'n' roll showmanship. The boot even features special pocket into the pullstrap of each boot to accommodate a guitar pick featuring Gibbons's logo pre-loaded into each pocket.

"Both Billy and I are delighted with the design," said Faulkenbery. "The BFG stands on its own and complements Billy's signature style. Brisk sales are anticipated based on the positive early reception and pre-orders. We're on track and prepared to sell the entire stock by the holidays."

Production is limited to 3,000 pairs with 1,000 in each of three colors (black, brown and oxblood), available for now only at alvies.com. A portion of the sale of each BFG boot will be donated to the National Independent Venue Foundation. The NIVF's mission is preservation and nurturing independent music venues around the U.S.

Alvies is an Austin-based brand that sells handmade cowboy boots and leather flip-flops. Originally founded as the world's first direct-to-consumer cowboy company selling from its converted Airstream camper in downtown Austin, the company shifted to an online sales model in 2020. Alvies is focused on broadening the appeal of the cowboy boot as everyday footwear by making boots that break in fast, are comfortable enough to wear all day, and durable enough to hand down to the next generation.

SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo has paid tribute to the band's late singer Johnny Solinger who died in June at the age of 55. His passing came a little over a month after he announced he was suffering from liver failure.

During an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Sabo said about Solinger's death (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a terrible, terrible tragedy. It's a really big loss. It was really hard when we had heard about it. We had heard that he was sick. We didn't understand to what degree. But we reached out to him and we had some communication with him.

"Johnny was one of those guys — he just had a sweet, sweet soul about him," Snake continued. "[He was] never malicious, always kind-hearted, always with a smile on his face. And he was a good guy. I mean, we were together for nearly 15 years, and we were friends throughout the whole thing. Our separation of the band and him was simply because it just wasn't working anymore, just from a standpoint of where we were headed as a band and where he kind of was headed as a singer. But there was no hate there at all; to be honest with you, [we had] nothing but love for the guy. And I don't say that because he's passed away; I said that when we split up. I mean, there was absolutely no animosity whatsoever. And he's gonna be missed, 'cause he is a part of the history of this band — a big part. And I'm grateful for the time that he gave us and allowing us to make records with him and together. And I'm fond of those records — I'm fond of the EPs and 'Thickskin' and 'Revolutions Per Minute'. That's a big part of our history that helped us to get here where we are now. So I'll always be thankful for him and I'll always miss him. And I appreciate you bringing that up, because he needs to be talked about more often. I feel he kind of gets lost in the sauce, and that's not fair to him or his memory."

Solinger, who was a member of SKID ROW from 1999 to 2015, appearing on the "Thickskin" and "Revolutions Per Minute" albums, as well as the "United World Rebellion" and "Rise Of The Damnation Army" EPs, revealed his diagnosis in a social media update on May 8. He wrote: "It is with a heavy heart I must let everyone know what's going on with me and my health. I have been hospitalized for over the last month. I have been diagnosed with liver failure. And prognosis is not so good. As with most musicians I do not have health insurance and it’s very difficult to get proper care without it.

"I am currently under at least seven different medications and I need to have my abdomen drained off fluid that gets accumulated every couple of days. I have lost a lot of strength and will require physical therapy as well.

"At the moment, I am looking into putting together some sort of fundraiser to help with the medical bills and with the palliative care I will need in the coming months. I am kindly asking those of you who could help put this together to step forward. I would not be asking you all this if I didn't really need the help, but sadly this is where I'm at.

"I appreciate and want you all to keep me in your thoughts and send me all the healing vibes you can, but I get exhausted easily so I will ask you to please not call or text unless absolutely necessary. But please, if you can help in this difficult time, I will wholeheartedly appreciate it.

"Love you all. I will post a link where you can donate very soon but I wanted to update you on my condition."

Solinger was fired by SKID ROW in April 2015 and replaced by TNT singer Tony Harnell. Tony quit the group only eight months later, and was succeeded by the South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan confirmed that Solinger was kicked out of the band, contradicting the singer's claim that he "decided to leave SKID ROW to pursue [his] solo career."

Asked what led to Solinger's departure from SKID ROW, Rachel said: "It was evident. There were certain things going on out on the road that kind of set us thinking… Things had been going on for a little bit. And, you know, I'm not here to say anything bad about the guy.

"At certain times, you just get the feeling someone isn't putting a hundred percent into things," he added. "And SKID ROW is very important to the rest of us. And we wanted to carry on with quality performances and quality songs, so we decided to make a change."

Asked if there was ever a time where they felt things were "clicking" and "100 percent right" between Solinger and the rest of the band, Rachel told "Eddie Trunk Live": "We were clicking big time. I thought we made a lot of great music together. And even with [the ongoing trilogy of] EPs, when we were in the studio, we were making great music. Snake [guitarist Dave Sabo] and I would write, and everyone came in and really sunk in. I think it was when we were in the studio that it really became evident that we all didn't have the same heart and soul… We weren't all putting the same heart and soul into it. And it's just one of those things, man. It's rough to make a decision like this, but we did."

Added Snake: "This has nothing to do with Johnny not being a good person; he's a really good person, and we all got along well. There's no animosity at all from our end. And these are terrible decisions to make, man. They're awful. The guy's been with us for fifteen years, and we saw a lot of miles of road together, and I feel extremely fortunate to have spent that time in a band with him. And he's a great singer and he's gonna be fine. He's gonna pursue his solo stuff, I guess, and that's what he should do."

On the topic of how Solinger reacted to being fired from SKID ROW, Snake said: "There was no screaming and shouting. We were both very respectful to one another. And we should be. I mean, like I said, we've traveled a lot of miles together, and this is not something that is easy in any way, but yet it's something that was necessary."

Asked how parting ways with Solinger was different to the split with Sebastian Bach in 1996, Rachel said: "That was a completely different situation. There was a lot of bad blood there, and… Yeah, it was a completely different situation. This is something, like Snake said, there's no animosity. It's just… We all didn't have our eyes on the same prize at this point, and it interfered. It interfered with moving forward. And that's why we made a change."

In late 2019, Solinger sustained injuries in a car crash and was forced to reschedule some of his solo sh

EVERY TIME I DIE says that it is working on its issues with singer Keith Buckley "privately."

On Friday (December 3), the Buffalo-based band announced that it would play the last three concerts of its current tour without Buckley, explaining that the frontman was taking time off from the road to "rest and prepare" for the band's upcoming holiday shows, the annual events dubbed "'TID The Season".

Buckley later issued a statement on social media in which he accused his brother, EVERY TIME I DIE guitarist Jordan Buckley, and his other bandmates of platting "to replace me this entire time." He added that he was being "ostracized" from the band he had "built for 20 years because I made a decision to do whatever it took to be a good human being."

Earlier today, EVERY TIME I DIE announced that it was canceling the last three shows of its current tour and clarified that it was trying to resolve its issues with Keith before next weekend's holiday gigs.

"We apologize to the fans this weekend for the cancelation of the remaining 3 shows of the Radical tour," the band wrote.

"Keith Buckley is a crucial member of EVERY TIME I DIE and we apologize if our previous statement made it seem as if he was in recovery or came off as insensitive to the issues at hand. We are working on things privately now.

"Please give us a moment. And we will all see you at Tid The Season."

This past July, Keith revealed that he was nine months sober after separating from his wife of over a decade and starting a new relationship. He talked about his decision to get clean during the pandemic in a recent interview with Alternative Press. He said: "One of the first things I realized was that I really liked who I was when I was drunk. That's a very strange thing to say for a lot of people because there's such negative connotations to it. But I always felt like my day-to-day was so overrun by other people's shit, their energy, their words, their requests, their needs. Drinking just helped center me and get me back to my own vibe. I was, like, 'Okay, that's a feeling that I cherish. What do I need to do to get to that without drinking?' I stopped drinking, and then I really just chased it, like, 'What do I love, and what don't I love?'

"The cool thing about the pandemic was clocks didn't matter," he continued. "Daylight didn't matter. It was a perfect chance to just sit and be with yourself and understand how you worked. I actually liked being that vulnerable person that I was when I was drunk. Why don't I just be vulnerable all the time? So I'll stream, and I'll do a Patreon where there's literally a camera in my house. How much more vulnerable could I get?

"It works well because, aside from being a social experiment in vulnerability, it is also a way that I found to make it financially stable to where I don't have to actually go get a job and risk my health or my daughter's health. I could stay here surrounded by the people I love. I could be vulnerable as long as I want to, and then if I feel like I'm starting to get uncomfortable, I can just shut it down. I'm learning how to be truthful in what I say and making sure that if I am vulnerable, I don't mentally check everything that I'm saying."

EVERY TIME I DIE's ninth studio album, "Radical", was released in October via Epitaph.

"'TID The Season" will take place in EVERY TIME I DIE's hometown of Buffalo, on December 10 and December 11. The band will also support post-hardcore act UNDEROATH on the road early next year.




We apologize to the fans this weekend for the cancelation of the remaining 3 shows of the Radical tour.

Keith Buckley is a crucial member of Every Time I Die and we apologize if our previous statement made it seem as if he was in recovery or came off as insensitive to…..

— Every Time I Die (@everytimeidie) December 4, 2021








…the issues at hand. We are working on things privately now.

Please give us a moment.

And we will all see you at Tid The Season.

— Every Time I Die (@everytimeidie) December 4, 2021

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE frontman Matt Tuck spoke to NME about the fate of the six songs which were recorded during the sessions for the band's recently released self-titled album but were left off the final track listing, to be made available at a later date. Asked if the unreleased material follows in the same direction as "Bullet For My Valentine", Tuck said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They're part of the same writing and recording process. Some of them are quite different and unique. We didn't want wanna put them on 'cause they were curvebally. But they were curvebally enough to have a spotlight on 'em post-album. We wanted the album to be a really solid, cohesive body of work from front to back and we didn't wanna throw too many creative curveballs in the album. We thought it was actually better to keep them off for standalone singles post-record and maybe have some kind of really crazy EP maybe at the end of the cycle, just so people can hear them, so they get the light of day. But, yeah, they're heavy, they're interesting, they're pushing boundaries and they're super exciting."

As for whether he thinks BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's next album will be a mixture of 2018's "Gravity" — which he had previously described as "probably our most mellow/experimental record" — and the self-titled LP, Tuck said: "It really depends. In a year's, two years' time, whenever we decide to kind of get involved with that, we're just gonna do what we do — we're gonna see what comes out, what feels natural, what makes us happy, what makes us scared, what makes us motivated. And coming off the back of 'Gravity' and this album, we're just gonna that whole process of confidence and no-fear attitude into the writing process, and as soon as we start smiling and high-fiving, that's when we'll know we're on the right track."

"Bullet For My Valentine" arrived on November 5 via via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. The LP was written beginning in September 2019 with longtime producer Carl Bown, who co-produced the band's 2015 album, "Venom", and produced and mixed "Gravity".

"Gravity" saw BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's catalog surpass one billion streams in the U.S. That accomplishment solidified BULLET's status as one of the most elite bands in the hard rock scene.