John Cooper, the frontman for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, has pushed back against the criticism he has received for his comments about COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

During an appearance on Apologia Radio, hosted by Luke Pierson, a pastor/elder at Apologia Church, the 46-year-old vocalist/bassist, who previously publicly revealed that he was unvaccinated, addressed the reaction he has gotten from the mainstream media and audience for his assertion that vaccines are a tool of government control.

Cooper said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a crazy time because there's, like, a collective mind losing. It's true — the whole country, we've lost our minds.

"In general, I think, I'm a fairly gracious person, or I try to be, where it's, like, I really don't care, Luke, if you get the vaccine or not. And I don't know if you care if I get it. It doesn't matter to me. There's certain things that you can make a choice. But there's been this collective mind… I mean, people going crazy. I fully expect half the country to be eating grass.

"What's really weird to me is that I've been speaking out about my faith in Christ for a long, long time in the mainstream world," he continued. "Now, let's be honest — not everybody in the mainstream world is nuts about that. They don't necessarily love hearing about Jesus, but they have always put up with me — some have supported me even. But I'll tell you what: the most kickback I have ever received — ever — for my faith has been on my stance on vaccine mandates and mask mandates. It is as if I just — like the unforgivable sin.

"I said to my wife, I said the amazing thing that it shows me is that it wasn't the gospel quote, it wasn't the gospel of Christ that made them really, really angry — meaning, 'Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the father unless they come through him.' A lot of people didn't love that message, but they can deal with it. But they will not deal with you speaking out against the state. They will not deal with it. And what you're really witnessing is an actual you've spoken against their God. You did not bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's idol of gold. And it is the one thing you're not allowed to do. It's just been really amazing to me.

"So a lot the bands, they just don't know what to do," Cooper added. "And when I say 'they,' I mean we're in there too. We just don't know what to do, because you're in an entertainment industry that's largely driven by social media and media at large. And you're not allowed to speak anything against… I mean, you've got RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE telling people that if they don't get a vaccine… RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has become the machine. It's crazy. I'm, like, wait a minute — I'm the revolutionary here? I'm the revolutionary and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE is just 'government rock' now. My older brother made up the term 'government rock,' which I find pretty awesome. I think it's pretty great — it's a great way to scoff at someone."

Last month, the Memphis, Tennessee-born Cooper, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, said that COVID-19 vaccine mandates are "much more about tyranny than they are actually keeping people safe."

During the summer, Cooper opened up about his reluctance to wear masks, saying: "The issue of the mask wearing, to me, is nothing more than theater. It is making me jump into an unreality, something that I do not believe, just to acquiesce to either the overlords — overlords meaning government, Big Tech [Editor's note: A name given to the five largest and most dominant companies in the information technology industry of the United States — namely Google (Alphabet), Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft], big business, big media, whatever — to acquiesce to what they want me to do. Even though I know that it's not true, but I'm gonna play the game. And every time I put my mask on, I know that I'm doing something that I do not believe in. In other words, I'm being forced to lie… I'm being forced to jump into something I don't believe, and I'm living by a lie — I'm living by a lie that this mask is actually gonna keep me safe from all harm. To acquiesce to the government, which says that I'm believing something that I know that I don't believe. So now I'm basically living in a fantasy world. That frightens me. And every time I put that mask on, that's basically what I think. I know I'm doing this, I know it's show, I know it's theater, I know my overlords don't even believe in it, because if they did, they wouldn't be breaking all of their own rules."

Experts have repeatedly said that mRNA vaccines are not new. In fact, they have been in development for decades — since the 1970s— and many mRNA vaccines were in phase 1, 2, and 3 trials before the COVID-19 vaccines were created. According to News Center Maine, messenger RNA vaccines teach our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response inside our bodies. Our cells break down mRNA and get rid of it within a few days after vaccination. As for the vaccines being "experimental," the U.S. FDA and CDC both said Pfizer and Moderna's data were highly scrutinized and that the shots were required to undergo the same testing, trials, and analysis before getting emergency use authorization.

Wearing face masks and coverings is recommended, or in some places mandatory, in public spaces to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But anti-maskers think government orders requiring face coverings in public spaces or those put in place by private businesses violate their constitutional rights.

Studies have shown that masks limit the spread of the coronavirus by blocking respiratory droplets that can travel through the air when someone coughs, sneezes or even just speaks. There is also strong evidence to suggest that masks help protect others from catching the virus from the person wearing the mask.

In a new interview with CNN, Slash said that GUNS N' ROSES' long-running reunion tour went incredibly well, in part thanks to the great relationship he, singer Axl Rose and the other bandmembers are currently enjoying.

"When we got back together, that whole chemistry and that thing that makes what GUNS N' ROSES is for me and Axl and Duff [McKagan, bass], it all just sort of came together," Slash said. "After that long a period of time, we'd sort of forgotten what that was like.

"Everybody got along great," he added. "That's actually why the tour has kept going, because initially it was just going to be a couple of shows."

GUNS launched its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour with an April 2016 club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

GUNS N' ROSES' reunion tour features classic-lineup members Slash, McKagan and Rose backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

In a 2020 interview with Guitar Player's "No Guitar Is Safe" podcast, Slash spoke about what it felt like for him to step back out on stage with GUNS N' ROSES for the first time in over two decades at the band's concert at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.

"That was our first gig back," Slash said. "I think probably the last time that we ever played there was in 1985. I don't think we even played there in 1986. Probably '85 was the last time we played there. "[The April 2016 concert was] our first show together after 20 years. We obviously had more gear and more crew than we did back in the day, I'll tell you that much. And it was loud. But it was a lot of fun. It was an almost poignant moment to fucking stand there and look at that crowd in that sort of room and have that kind of nostalgic feeling."

In 2019, Slash told Guitar.com that his first concert back with GUNS N' ROSES was an "overwhelming" experience. "It was so cool," he said. "Because it was a long time — we're talking more than 20 years from the last show in 1994… it was 22 years since the last time we'd played together. And obviously I'd played with Duff [since then] but there's a certain dynamic in the three of us together. It was awesome, and it's a really great experience."

Slash and his bandmates played the final show of their "We're F'N Back" run on October 4 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

"We're F'N Back!" came on the heels of the "Not In This Lifetime" run that became the No. 3 highest-grossing tour in the history of Billboard Boxscore.

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

Billy F Gibbons, apart from his five decades-long role fronting ZZ TOP, has in recent years recorded three much-lauded solo albums for Concord Records, including "Hardware", released this past June. To cap off the year, Concord has released a singular single, "Jingle Bell Blues", on November 9. It's Billy's reworking of the eternal "Jingle Bells" with some significant modifications or "Kustom" touches. "Bells on hot rods ring" is one such and mention is made of a "drop-top" sleigh. While the song exudes holiday cheer, the gut- bucket vocal approach that Billy applies to the repertoire is nothing short of extraordinary. Billy's guitar solos can best be described as "epic" and should heat up virtually any holiday get-together whether indoors or out. Also of literal note is the harmonica solo that renders the recording something of an homage to Jimmy Reed in a sonically up-to-date context.

Recorded in Nashville this past June by Gibbons and Michael Fiorentino, the track is available digitally as well as a lavishly packaged 45 RPM single, pressed on red translucent vinyl. The cover art depicts multiple Cadillac Fleetwood Broughams stacked to reflect the shape of a traditional Christmas tree while the obverse is adorned by a swanky stylized wire wheel.

The official animated music video for "Jingle Bell Blues" can be seen below.

The use of "singular" is intentional as only one track, "Jingle Bell Blues", is offered. The "flip side" of the record is an etched surface that replicates the sidewall of a bias ply tire with raised letters spelling out the song title and Billy's name. Lastly, and of special note, is the fact that the red vinyl version comes with a Billy F Gibbons center hole adapter making it easy to play on any standard turntable.

"It dawned on us that everybody loves Christmas music," says Billy of the new single, "and everybody loves the Jimmy Reed blues vibe, so we figured we'd combine them. We threw in some hot rod references for good measure because our preferred sleigh is the horsepower-propelled kind.

"I suppose it could have been produced with a small hole and we wouldn’t have had to deal with the adapter, but this is, at its essence, a juke box record. It was even mixed with that in mind," he added.

"Around Christmas, it always seems that there are five to ten holiday selections listed in the lower right corner of a typical juke box in a typical juke joint, the song titles and artist names printed on wreath-bedecked title strips. Our hope is for 'Jingle Bell Blues' to be one of those records. Bing Crosby, David Bowie, Elvis, Brenda Lee, Jose Feliciano, Otis Redding, Mariah Carey, Nat King Cole, Gene Autry, and not forgetting Adam Sandler, need some company and we'd be thrilled to provide it in the spirit of the season."

Act Of Defiance / ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick has shared new video clips to YouTube:


"Excerpts from the In Flames songs 'Pinball Map' and "Everything's Gone"; Part #6 of my Jackson / Fender Guitars Instagram takeover."










Back in September, Jackson Guitars introduced the new Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloists. See the Act Of Defiance/ex-Megadeth guitarist break down all of his new signature models in the video below, and click here to see all of their specs.


Chris Broderick has been one of the most influential Jackson artists for years now, with a bevy of Soloist models bearing his name that reflect his clear vision on modern metal. Now, the Act Of Defiance and In Flames guitarist has upped the ante with a refreshed line of signature Pro Series models that update his beloved axes.


The latest Chris Broderick Pro Series Soloist editions come in 6- and 7-string formats, in addition to giving you the ability to choose between a hardtail bridge or Floyd Rose tremolo system and a menacing Gloss Black or otherworldly Transparent Blue finish. And they all fall in line with Broderick’s unique takes on the venerable Soloist.


“I’ve always said, ‘Jackson Guitars was the brand that could,’ and they helped me design this guitar with no compromise,” said Broderick. “When [first] I came to them, I was looking at other companies, and all [the other companies] wanted to do was slap a sticker on an existing guitar that didn’t play exactly how I wanted it to.


“But Jackson, the whole time, had no problem doing anything I asked. Jackson came through.”

Torn Between Two Worlds, featuring former Angtoria bandmates Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn, are gearing up to release new music. Sarah has issued the following update.


"We have set up, I hope, two options on Bandcamp for Bandcamp Friday which may appeal. You can pre-order the new single, 'Transparent', on its own or part of a 3-single deal. The 3-single deal may appeal to those who haven't bought anything yet or wasn't sure. 'Transparent' is released January 14th, but ya never know; you may just get it sent in advanced, too."







Sarah recently posted the following message:


"There are two people in this world that make me so proud and reduce me to tears on a regular basis.... my beautiful son and.... Chris Rehn.


If Chris and I had started Torn Between Two Worlds 10 years ago, maybe I wouldn't have lost so much faith in the music scene. I am so proud of 'Hello', so proud that yet again, I was reduced to tears, but proud tears. We love what we have done with it and yet again I can't praise Chris Rehn enough for his composing and vision.


I also wished my dad was still alive to hear this, he would have been so proud.


It's extremely likely we will do an EP..... for you..... and for us!


None of this would have been possible without your support and of course so many close friends pushing us. Thank you."


"The Beauty Of Deception"





"All Eyes On Me"





"Hello"





Photos used with kind permission of Sarah Jezebel Deva and Chris Rehn

Speaking with Ultimate Guitar, Behemoth frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski reflected on the band's 2020 support tour with Slipknot, calling it "maybe one of the best tours ever."


Nergal: "On a personal level, they're amazing, very helpful, you know - Corey Taylor would be so nice. He sang on the Me And That Man album (on 'How Come?' in 2020) and that was beautiful of him doing that, and he did a fantastic job. 


I'm friends with all of them - I mean, some are quite secluded, they stay away from crowds and parties, but (bassist Alessandro Venturella) V-Man is always there to get into trouble. Jay (Weinberg), the drummer, is fuckin' the nicest dude out there. Corey's amazing, and really, each one of them - and (percussionist Shawn Crahan) Clown - there's not enough compliments that I can say about how well it went. We were treated with the utmost respect. That was the highest-paid tour we've ever got, and they did that because they really wanted to bring the best out of us.




So, it's not one of those bands where they're like, 'We're gonna make Slipknot look better than you, we're gonna make you guys look like some unimportant band from ex-Soviet Union or whatever.' No. They're like, 'Hey, we're paying you more than what you usually get, but please, make sure you impress the fuck out of the crowd.' And we're like, 'You bet we will!' So, I'm extremely grateful for what Slipknot did to us. It was game-changing, it really gave us so much.


Every other person I talk to that's from Europe or the U.S. goes, 'Man, I saw you for the first time on the Slipknot tour and I became an instant fan!' Like, every other person. It really does work that way, so - Slipknot, thank you so much."

Artifas has issued their new music video for "Safe". The single was released via Imagen Records on October 22, 2021 and is from their forthcoming album, titled Reflections, due out January 14, 2022.


"'Safe' is about working to overcome obstacles in pursuit of a goal. For us the target of this song manifested itself as our career as a band, but its' core meaning is just about climbing that proverbial mountain and overcoming anything in your path to success," says the band.







Reflections artwork and tracklisting:





"Lament"
"Leave Me For Dead"
"Safe"
"Cut Me Out"
"Hollow"
"The Dark"
"Legacy"
"Inside The Machine"
"Angels (Lead The Way)"
"My Design" 
"Wannabe"








Catch Artifas live at the following shows:





 

Frontiers Music Srl announces the release of Hail To The Heroes, the upcoming new album from India's Girish And The Chronicles on February 11, 2022.


Earlier in 2021, frontman Girish Pradhan had this to say about Hail To The Heroes, ahead of the band heading into the studio: "It will have all the musical elements that we love to hear, in our day to day lives, which of course revolves around good old Rock 'n Roll. From the Sunset Strip to NWOBHM and more. Our audience can expect some great anthems!” 


And GATC has more than delivered on that promise. Hail To The Heroes, the band's third album overall, sees the band taking huge leaps forward from their previous album, Rock The Highway (2020). The album grabs you from the opening notes of "Primeval Desire" and never lets go, just like their musical heroes' classic albums have always done. Hail To The Heroes is a sonic journey that will thrill you over and over again.




Girish continues, "We are a hard rock / melodic rock / heavy metal band. We like making the kind of music that we grew up listening to, which revolves around the '80s. However, we do like including a song or two that may have a very different vibe. Could be in the form of a progressive song, or maybe a riff that has a bit of India in it. All in all, we think of it as a roller coaster ride with the meanest in-your-face songs to beautiful ballads. We feel no matter how dedicated we are to the art, we still should not stop ourselves from exploring more, but without losing the essence of what we truly love.”





Tracklisting:


"Primeval Desire"
"Children Of The Night"
"I'm Not The Devil"
"Love's Damnation"
"Clearing The Blur"
"Lovers’ Train"
"Rock And Roll Jack"
"Hail To The Heroes"
"Shamans Of Time"
"Heaven's Crying"
"Rock N' Roll Fever" ft. Chris Adler, Myrone, Rowan Robertson





Pre-order your copy of Hail To The Heroes at this location.


Starting off in the city of Gangtok in Sikkim, India, and now based out of Bengaluru in Karnataka, GATC are known for their soaring, powerful vocals, biting guitars, thunderous bass, and pounding drums, staying true to the authentic ‘80s heavy metal / hard rock sound which they grew up with.


 

Damon Johnson has officially released Brother Cane’s version of the holiday classic “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” to all major streaming platforms. The band recorded the song back in 1995 for a compilation CD to raise awareness and funds in support of United Cerebral Palsy. “It’s one of best recordings we ever made as a band,” Damon says. “I had been messing around with a drum loop and this swampy sounding guitar riff when we were contacted about contributing a holiday song to a UCP charity album. My guitar riff worked perfectly with this timeless song lyric.”


The Brother Cane version of the song was known to only a handful of fans over the years, and Damon had always wanted to get the recording remastered and edited for a proper release, especially in the age of streaming.


Listen to the track now on Spotify and Apple Music, an audio visualizer directed by Adam Jones can be enjoyed below.







 

Icelandic tech death battalion, Ophidian I, have released a drum playthrough video for "Enslaved In A Desolate Swarm", featured on their new album, Desolate. Watch below:





Desolate was released back in July, making it their debut to Season Of Mist. Order Desolate at the Season Of Mist webshop.




Artwork by Eliran Kantor.





Tracklisting:


“Diamonds”
“Spiral To Oblivion”
“Storm Aglow”
“Unfurling The Crescent Moon”
“Sequential Descent”
“Captive Infinity”
“Enslaved In A Desolate Swarm”
“Dominion Eyes”
“Jupiter”
“Wither On The Vine”


Album stream:





“Storm Aglow” video:





“Spiral To Oblivion” video:





“Diamonds” video:

Genocide Pact will release their new self-titled album on Friday, December 3. A full album stream can be found below.


Genocide Pact will be available on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical pre-orders are available here. Digital downloads / streaming here.







Tracklisting:


"Led To Extinction"
"Perverse Dominion"
"Fossilized Future"
"Mutilated Vision"
"Deprive / Degrade"
"Purged Flesh"
"Barbaric Regression"
"Industrial Obedience"


Album stream:





"Perverse Dominion" video:





Genocide Pact is:


Mike Nolan - Bass
Connor Donegan - Drums
Tim Mullaney - Guitars/Vocals
Demir Soyer - Guitars


(Photo - Brian Boeckman)

Serious Black returns with a new singer and a new album. Vengeance Is Mine will be released on February 25 via AFM Records. A video for the new single, "Senso Della Vita", can be found below.


Along with the CD, a limited box set will also be available. In addition to the CD digipak, it contains a microfiber towel (160x80cm), the bonus cover album CD Rock With Us Tonight, a sticker, an original signed autograph card and the certificate of authenticity.   


Pre-order at AFM Records.







Tracklisting:


“Rock With Us Tonight”
“Out Of The Ashes”
“Fallen Hero”
“Senso Della Vita”
“Ray Of Light”
“Soul Divider”
“Tonight I’m Ready To Fight”
“Just For You”
“Soldiers Of Eternal Light”
“The Story”
“Queen Of Lies”
“Album Of Our Life”
“Alea Lacta Est”


Bonus CD tracklisting:


“Boys Of Summer” (Don Henley)
“Take On Me” (A-Ha)
“Wonderful Life” (Black)
“Rockin’ In The Free World” (Neil Young)
“Spending My Time” (Roxette)
“The Look” (Roxette)
“Driver’s Seat” (Sniff ‘N’ The Tears)
“Dirt Diana” (Michael Jackson)


“Senso Della Vita” video:





"Rock With Us Tonight" video:





"The Story":

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


An update from Arjen, introducing vocalist Will Shaw (Heir Apparent, Ayreon), states: "Will sings all the vocals on the track ‘Prescient’ on CD2 and the incredibly high vocals on the track ‘The Year Of ‘41’ on CD1. Check out this video to hear part of his vocals and see his truly heartwarming message at the end. Will sang on the last two Ayreon albums. I always love working with Will, he can sing literally anything with his incredible range! Thanks again, my friend." :-)







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


CD2 features alternate versions of the same songs as CD1, but with different vocalists. Also available will be a 5.1 mix, a high-res audio version, and an exclusive, hour-long Behind The Scenes video, on the Blu-ray included in the Artbook.





Revel In Time tracklisting:


CD1:


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


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


"Fate Of Man" video:





"Lost Children Of The Universe" lyric video:

Red Fang, whose new album Arrows arrived over the summer, give fans an opportunity to try out their own Katana-skills as seen in the band’s “Arrows” video, with the new, single player “Blade To Waste” video game.





Relapse Records and Red Fang will be offering three top scorers a variety of prize packs including a grand prize featuring the Red Fang x Psycho Las Vegas Fortune Hunter Gambler’s Pack (a custom deck of cards, casino-grade dice, a forged metal challenge coin with a custom box, Arrows vinyl and a t-shirt).




To enter, contestants should post a screenshot of their score to social media (Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram) with the #bladetowaste hashtag and tagging Red Fang. Contest ends at midnight on January 1.








Red Fang is:


Aaron Beam (bass/vocals/guitar/keyboards)
Bryan Giles (guitar/vocals)
John Sherman (drums)
David Sullivan (guitars)


(Photo - James Rexroad)

Mass Destroyer is the title of Demonical's seventh studio album, set to be released on May 6 via Agonia Records. Today, the Swedish death metal unit unveils the album's specifics, including cover artwork, tracklisting and touring plans.


With the emergence of the immediate successor to World Domination, the seasoned old-school death-dealers return to their customary record & release schedule, which governs nearly every major output of their demonic catalog. Instead of facing the trails and tribulations of a long creative process, the band indulged in a burst of creativity which followed the release of their antecedent offering, and with expertise worthy of death metal veterans, shaped it into Mass Destroyer.


"A huge inspirational boost hit us so why waste time and wait? Just hammer while the metal is hot," explains the band, as to what seems to be a tried and true process, that already preceded Hellsworn (2009), Death Infernal (2011) and Darkness Unbound (2013).




Musically, Mass Destroyer keeps to the Swede's HM2-beaten track, but promises a few twists. "The outcome is here, our seventh full-length and another vicious Demonical assault of Stockholm-style death metal madness and beyond," the band comments. "Once again and as always, we wanted to crawl back in time and explore the early days of death metal but with traces and hints of various other metallic subgenres."


What better way to emphasize a ghastly and dusty death metal setting, than adorning it with an old-fashioned packaging and providing real, organic sounding. Mark Riddick (Absu, Arsis) added his gruesome touch to Mass Destroyer in designing the fiendish cover artwork. Glashuset and Sellnoise Studios were used for recording with Johan Hjelm and Jonas Arnberg behind the helm, while Karl Daniel Liden mixed and mastered the album at his Tri-Lamb Studios. "We worked with the same production team as last time and the result turned out nothing but great," the band continues. "A dynamic and breathing album we all feel very satisfied and proud off. Can’t wait to destroy the masses!"





Tracklisting:


"We Conquer The Throne"
"Sun Blackened"
"Fallen Mountain"
"Wrathspawn"
"Dödsmarsch"
"Lifeslave"
"Cemented In Ire"
"By Hatred Bound"


Album formats - including limited editions with bonus tracks - will be announced at a later date, together with the commencement of pre-orders.


The May release of Mass Destroyer will see the band head out on a headlining string of six dates in Germany and Czech Republic with Nervochaos and Repuked as support.





Lineup:


Christofer Säterdal - vocals
Eki Kumpulainen - lead guitars
Johan Haglund - rhythm guitars
Martin Schulman - bass
Ronnie Bergerståhl - drums


(Photo - Jens Ryden)

Video of former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno receiving lymphatic drainage treatments earlier this week in Zagreb, Croatia can be seen below.

A lymphatic drainage massage relieves swelling that happens when medical treatment or illness blocks the lymphatic system. It involves gently manipulating specific areas of the body to help lymph move to an area with working lymph vessels.

The 63-year-old musician, who has battled a number of health issues in recent years and is currently in a wheelchair, traveled to Croatia to undergo knee surgery.

Last January, Kastro Pergjoni, operations director of the Cart & Horses pub in Stratford, London, England where IRON MAIDEN made its live debut in 1976, launched a crowdfunding campaign on JustGiving for Di'Anno to be treated privately. More than £13,000 was raised — roughly the cost for surgery on one of Paul's knees. A second crowdfunding campaign was launched over the summer and has raised nearly £10,000 of a £15,000 target.

Di'Anno reportedly underwent an operation in 2016 to remove a "rugby ball-sized abscess" on his lungs and required a knee-replacement operation on both knees after getting involved in several motorcycle accidents over the years. As a result, Di'Anno was forced to sit down while performing at his most recent shows.

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN — a self-titled effort in 1980 and "Killers" in 1981 — before being fired and replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

In March 2011, Di'Anno was sentenced to nine months in a U.K. prison after he falsely collected government benefits by claiming he suffered nerve damage to his back that prevented him from working.

Di'Anno completed his first North American tour in early 2010, 17 years after he was deported following a prison term for guns and drug offenses.

Pergjoni, who has been behind Cart & Horses since 2016, leasing the pub from the building's owners who are converting the beer garden and car park into flats, discussed his fundraising efforts during a 2020 appearance on the "Uncle Steve's Iron Maiden Zone" podcast. Asked if he has approached the members of IRON MAIDEN themselves to contribute in some way to the Di'Anno campaign, Kastro said: "Myself, no, I haven't, to be honest, because I don't wanna put things… What's the best way to say it now? It's not up to me to go to them, because I have no connections with IRON MAIDEN themselves. Even when I [need to approach] Steve [Harris, IRON MAIDEN bassist and founder], I go through his friends or his sister sometimes or close friends that he's got to get stuff from him. But to go to MAIDEN for something that is related to MAIDEN, I don't think that it is me personally, or Cart & Horses, the ones to contact them. I'd love if they come forward and just cover whatever is left or say whatever, but I don't think it's down to me to go to MAIDEN. Because [Paul's] got friends and he's got connections with MAIDEN more than I have, so if MAIDEN wanted to, or if somebody else wanted to, they would have done it. But so far, nothing, unfortunately, no."

In a December 2019 interview with the Spanish web site Mariskalrock.com, Di'Anno said that he was lucky to be alive after developing a deadly infection several years ago. "I had sepsis in Argentina," he revealed. "I was very, very sick. I just about made it home to England and then straight to hospital. I had operations done on both legs. At the moment, I've only got one knee. The other knee has been taken out, but there's no new knee put in, so it's been a cement thing. But I wanna play, obviously, but I can't do that until I'm fixed. I haven't stopped playing music, and I've got no plans to retire — I wanna keep playing — but I need to get well."

Elaborating on his recovery process, Di'Anno said: "I'm not getting better and better — not yet, until I've had both of my knees operated on. The next operation is gonna be to take my left knee out and then put a replacement straight away, which then I've gotta do rehab to try to stand up on that one leg. And then I can sort of move about on crutches after a while, which would be fantastic. I may have to sit down on the stage, but if I can get up on one leg, it makes it easier for flying and things like that. I still may have to travel around on a wheelchair a bit, but if I'm playing on stage in a wheelchair, at least I can hop about on the crutches and then maybe sit down and sing. Unfortunately, this is gonna be the rest of my life, because of sepsis. I was so lucky. The sepsis really hits you hard, and on the London plane home from Argentina, everyone was saying to me, 'Hello, sir. Are you okay? Are you okay?' And I'm, like, 'Yeah, why don't you fuck off and leave me alone?' sort of thing. I didn't realize I was actually dying. And when I actually got home and I collapsed on the floor, I had my cell phone with me. I was on my own, 'cause my wife and kids were over in America. I got the ambulance people. They came down and they kicked my door in and took me to the hospital. I spent eight months in that hospital... And you've got 45 minutes to pump you full of antibiotics or you'll die. I just about made that."

Pressed about whether he is optimistic that he will be able to return to the stage someday, he told Mariskalrock.com: "Yeah. Fuckin' damn right. If I can't play music, I might as well fuckin' kill myself… I may have to sit down on the stage in a chair, but at least I can go back on stage… And then, when they do the right leg, then I'll be all right to do everything. It's gonna take time."




Lymphatic drainage and chat about West Ham. Can't be better for relaxation and positive results. Right Paul Andrews ?

Posted by Stjepan Juras on Wednesday, December 1, 2021





The first day of treatment (lymphatic drainage) was good, full of laugh and positive energy. Paul Andrews enjoyed in collaboration with doctors. We can see the progress on the early beginning.

Posted by Stjepan Juras on Monday, November 29, 2021

Carmine Appice says that he believes KISS can carry on without any original members.

Three years ago, the legendary rockers announced their second farewell tour, dubbed "End Of The Road", which is expected to last through the end of 2022. Joining founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons in the band's current lineup are Tommy Thayer on guitar and Eric Singer on drums. Thayer and Singer are replacements for original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively.

In a new interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, Carmine addressed the possibility of KISS one day existing without Stanley and Simmons, saying: "I respect Gene for what he is talking about when he's saying he's gonna get new guys in to play in KISS, to keep it going like a baseball team. I think he's right now. I'm not a fanatic KISS fan. But think about it. Forty years ago, there was a whole different New York Yankees, a whole different Rams, a whole different Lakers. They're still the Lakers, and people are still fans. So why not be a band that wears makeup that's gonna look like the characters forever. I can see Alice Cooper doing that too."

Asked what he thinks about his band VANILLA FUDGE possibly one day carrying on without any original members, the 74-year-old drummer said: "Well, if everybody's dead and somebody's got the rights to the band and they could get it going… VANILLA FUDGE is a little different because we're not cartoon characters. SLIPKNOT could do it — bands like that. SLIPKNOT, Alice Cooper, KISS — anyone where you really don't know what the bandmembers look like. Anybody can do that. If they're big enough and they have a following, they can do that."

According to Appice, a KISS without any original members would do just "fine" as a touring entity for the foreseeable future. "I guarantee you it will be fine," he said. "You know why? 'Cause eventually the big KISS audience is gonna die off and the next generation's gonna grow up going to KISS shows. I don't think they're gonna sell any records, but it's just gonna be like a show — like [the long-running rock musicals] 'Hair' or 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. They do it all around the world, different people playing it. It's gonna be the same thing. I wouldn't be surprised if they do a Japanese KISS show, a European KISS show. It doesn't even have to be the same guys."

It was back in 2005 that KISS manager Doc McGhee first told the New York Times that the group had "been toying with the idea of recruiting an entire band to don the band's famous makeup." McGhee said: "KISS is more like Doritos or Pepsi, as far as a brand name is concerned. They're more characters than the individual person. I think [new members] have a legitimate chance to carry the franchise."

This past June, Stanley talked to Germany's Radio Bob! about whether he thinks a KISS 2.0 version of the band could continue touring and recording once he and Simmons have officially called it quits. "I think that recasting KISS or KISS 2.0 is not what we have ever talked about," he said. "Can KISS continue and can it evolve without us in it? Well, yeah, because it's already 50 percent there. In other words, there was a time where people said, 'Well, it can only be the original four.' [And then] it was, 'Well, it can only be the original three.' Well, things move on and circumstances change.

"Could I see KISS evolving with different personnel? Yeah," he reiterated. "As big a fan as I am of what I do — and I think I'm damn good — there's other people around who could pick up the torch and bring something to the philosophy and to the live show and to the music. It would be KISS. It wouldn't be KISS 2.0. If it were to happen, yeah, it would be really just a continuation of the philosophy that we've always had, and that's that KISS is bigger than any member."

Five years ago, Stanley spoke about how he would go about finding someone to replace him in KISS. He said: "Honestly, I think all the KISS tribute bands are great, but none of them have a good 'Paul.' So I'd like to see somebody who incorporates what I've done with a lot of the things that inspired me. And it's not a matter of a puppet being me; it's somebody who comes in and contributes and adds something new to it while still following the template that's been set."

Frehley said in 2016 that the idea that KISS could continue without any original members was "the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard [Stanley and Simmons] make." He added: "I think the only reason they make those statements at this juncture is to try to validate the fact that they have two other guys in the band that aren't the original members. So they're trying to rationalize to the fans, 'Well, you know, we replaced Peter and we replaced Ace, and eventually we're gonna replace ourselves. That's like Mick Jagger saying, 'Yeah, after me and Keith [Richards, THE ROLLINGS STONES guitarist] die, THE STONES will continue on with two other guys.' I mean, it's a joke."