Fan-filmed video footage of MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP's October 30 concert at KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, Untied Kingdom as part of his 50th-anniversary "Immortal" tour can be seen below.

The setlist was as follows:

01. Ascension (MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST)

02. Cry For The Nations

03. Doctor Doctor (UFO cover)

04. Sleeping With The Lights On (MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST)

05. Assault Attack

06. We Are The Voice (MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST)

07. Looking For Love

08. Warrior (MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST)

09. Into The Arena

10. Red Sky

11. In Search Of The Peace Of Mind (SCORPIONS cover)

12. Lights Out (UFO cover)

13. After The Rain

14. Armed And Ready

15. Sail The Darkness

16. Rock You To The Ground

17. Drilled To Kill

18. Rock Bottom (UFO cover)

19. Shoot Shoot (UFO cover)

20. Let It Roll (UFO cover)

21. Natural Thing (UFO cover)

22. Too Hot To Handle (UFO cover)

23. Only You Can Rock Me (UFO cover)

Earlier this year, Michael Schenker released a new MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) album, "Immortal", via Nuclear Blast. The LP was predominantly recorded at the Kidroom Studio in Germany, with Michael's longtime partner Michael Voss, who co-produced the album and also sings on two tracks.

"Immortal" continues the tradition of the previous two MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST records "Resurrection" and "Revelation" and features a big list of friends and guests. The album's main vocalist is the Chilean-born talent Ronnie Romero (RAINBOW), along with Michael Voss (MAD MAX), Scheepers and Joe Lynn Turner (ex-DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW) singing on two tracks each. Besides Michael Schenker himself, the album was recorded with Steve Mann (keyboards), Barry Sparks (bass, DOKKEN), as well as the three drummers, Bodo Schopf, Simon Philipps (ex-TOTO) and Brian Tichy (ex-WHITESNAKE). The latest addition to the record was keyboard player Derek Sherinian (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, SONS OF APOLLO, DREAM THEATER), who plays on the album's opening track, featuring German power machine Ralf Scheepers on vocals.

In a recent interview with Dead Rhetoric, Schenker stated about Romero: "He can sing like anybody, and that's why I think Ritchie Blackmore wanted him [for RAINBOW]. He can sing like Joe Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet, Ronnie James Dio. [Romero] will be the right person for me [for the 50th-anniversary tour]. Ronnie will be the main singer, to be the perfect person for the 50th anniversary of Michael Schenker live."
















































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British heavy metal legends SAXON will release their 23rd studio album, "Carpe Diem", on February 4, 2022 via Silver Lining Music. Comprised of 10 titanic tracks bristling with seel-clad riffery and pround intent, the Barnsely, U.K.-born band draw on a variety of integredients from the career to forget what is their most dynamic release in many a year.

"It all starts with the riff," says frontman and co-founder Biff Byford. "If the riff speaks to me, then we're on our way. It's a very intense album, and that's all down to the fact that the essence of a great metal song is the riff that starts it, and this album has loads of them."

Unleashing today the title track's roll-back attack, this is SAXON at their purest and most definitive; aggressively parading the pure metal flag and imploring fans old and new to gather and celebrate the very best of both SAXON and the genre itself.

"In Latin, it means 'seize the day' and I think it's a great thing to say," continues Biff. "It's what the Romans used to say to each other on a regular basis, apparently. Never having met one, I wouldn't know. But we're gonna do the 'Seize The Day' world tour, the album's 'Carpe Diem', this song's called 'Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)', and it's such a powerful thing to say."

Produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) at Backstage Recording Studios in Derbyshire with Byford and Sneap mixing and mastering, "Carpe Diem" strikes the ear as one of the most essential British metal statements of the last few years and not lacking in pace or bite, an album which will ignite the joy in stalwart supporters and attract a whole new legion to the SAXON fold.

"We want every album we make to go platinum," says Biff defiantly. "We never make an album that we don't expect to be fantastic because there are no laurels around here, and as a band, we're always trying to do something a little bit new, a little bit daring. I love fast metal like 'Princess Of The Night' and '20,000 Feet', and I try and bring that style of SAXON into the music now, but in a more modern style. We don't sound like an old band on records because we're not sitting back on our past success, we're always trying to make a great album."

The genesis of "Carpe Diem"'s fierce intensity lies in two extremely significant life events.

"It's been a difficult two years," offers Biff with considerable understatement, "because I had the heart attack back in September 2019, so things went a bit pear-shaped for the band. And then COVID hit two or three months later, but luckily, we started writing and recording this album before COVID. We did the drums in Germany and we did the guitars in various places. I was doing a lot of writing while I was in the hospital bed, and we spent quite a long time writing and arranging the ideas that we all had. I do think it's a very intense album, and maybe some of that intensity comes from the frustration of not being able to do anything in the COVID period."

"Carpe Diem" track listing:

01. Carpe Diem (Seize The Day)

02. Age Of Steam

03. The Pilgrimage

04. Dambusters

05. Remember The Fallen

06. Super Nova

07. Lady In Gray

08. All For One

09. Black Is The Night

10. Living On The Limit

Produced by Andy Sneap and Biff Byford

Album mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap

Guitars recorded by Andy Sneap at Backstage Recording Studios, Derbyshire (U.K.); vocals recorded by Seb Byford at Big Silver Barn, York (U.K.); drums recorded by Jacky Lehmann (Audiosound) at Velbyproductions, Grünenplan (Germany).

All lyrics by Biff Byford. Backing vocals by Seb Byford

In a new interview with the "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen" podcast, Tim "Ripper" Owens discussed the state of heavy metal at the moment and how it compares to the way it was during his time with JUDAS PRIEST. He stated: "I've said it, and, obviously, Blabbermouth has ran with it — probably five or six times — but I've said I joined JUDAS PRIEST in one of the worst times of heavy metal ever. '96, '97 — my time in JUDAS PRIEST, it wasn't good… It was a horrible time — nobody was playing big shows. But since the early 2000s on, it's been way better. I make a living touring. Whether it's small venues or not, I make a living playing heavy metal all over the world. And yeah, it's great. We don't have to be on [the top of the charts]. We do have bands that still help — DISTURBED will get a song [played on the radio]. Any band that has a classic edge to it and ends up on the radio, I still love it. But we don't have to be. We stay right here, man. We just float along. And metal's doing great."

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

Three months ago, Owens told the "Iron City Rocks" podcast about Halford's return to PRIEST: "I knew it was coming. And I understood why. Rob needed JUDAS PRIEST, and JUDAS PRIEST needed Rob. And I understood that. I would never quit JUDAS PRIEST, so they fired me. And I wanted to do other things as well. That's why I recorded that ICED EARTH record. I kind of started wanting to do some other things. 'Cause we have a lot of downtime. I just felt like it.

"JUDAS PRIEST was just so much fun, and the guys were such great friends, and it was such a great time," he continued. "I didn't burn any bridges. I left and I don't talk bad about 'em. Other than me saying that they've erased my time. I mean, [the albums I made during] my era of JUDAS PRIEST [are not available]. But on a personal level, the guys are friends, the management, Rob — everybody. We all get along. I knew it was gonna happen. And it was always something that was there."

Owens is currently in a new band called KK'S PRIEST with ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, along with guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE), bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

KK'S PRIEST's debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", was released on October 1 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records

After the 2020 monumental work "The Last Viking" by LEAVES' EYES, in 2021 we focus our attention specifically on the documentary "VIKING SPIRIT", which is now released exclusively in a bundle with the album, the instrumentals and the soundtrack to the documentary on Blu-Ray!

LEAVES’ EYES singer Alexander Krull is a real force in Viking reenactment and does important pioneering work with his documentary about the Viking scene, which is becoming more and more popular and about his life as a sword fighter.

In an over 100 minutes long documentary (incl. a new bonus chapter „Viking Weapons“) you will learn everything about the focus and the diversity of Viking lifestyle. With subtitles in German, English, French and Spanish, all Vikings, and those who want to become one, can experience for themselves how incredibly international the scene is nowadays!
Filmed worldwide, the growing Viking re-enactment scene will be visually praised here. Fronter Alex and the band became part of this community, long ago. With this film, historical facts merge with Nordic mythology, Viking-lifestyle and the sounds of LEAVES’ EYES, featuring friends and companions of the Viking scene.

The documentary shows with a surprising ease the diversity of Viking reenactment and gives you the desire to plunge into this hobby yourself!

All the 14 instrumental tracks individually impress with their unique build-up, rhythm and atmosphere. Mighty drums, Mediaeval instruments like nyckelharpa and fiddle and Celtic horns add spice to the diversified sound. The mystic elegy “Two Kings One Realm” surprises with yet unheard facets. The new versions of the immediately sold out EP “Night Of The Ravens“, “Serkland“ und “Black Butterfly“ make these tracks an all new adventure.

With “The Last Viking” LEAVES’ EYES set up their own musical monument that is just as captivating and strong as the saga of the last Viking King itself. To make this release day even more epic, LEAVES’ EYES also releasing a new video to „Black Butterfly“.

Tracklisting:
CD1: „The Last Viking“ (Original album)
01 Death Of A King
02 Chain Of The Golden Horn
03 Dark Love Empress
04 Serpents And Dragons
05 Black Butterfly (feat. Clémentine Delauney)
06 War Of Kings
07 For Victory
08 Two Kings One Realm
09 Flames In The Sky
10 Serkland
11 Varangians
12 Night Of The Ravens
13 The Last Viking
14 Break Into The Sky Of Aeon

CD2: „The Last Viking - Instrumentals“
01 Death Of A King (Instrumental)
02 Chain Of The Golden Horn (Instrumental)
03 Dark Love Empress (Instrumental)
04 Serpents And Dragons (Instrumental)
05 Black Butterfly (Instrumental)
06 War Of Kings (Instrumental)
07 For Victory (Instrumental)
08 Two Kings One Realm (Instrumental)
09 Flames In The Sky (Instrumental)
10 Serkland (Instrumental)
11 Varangians (Instrumental)
12 Night Of The Ravens (Instrumental)
13 The Last Viking (Instrumental)
14 Break Into The Sky Of Aeon (Instrumental)


CD3: „Viking Spirit - Soundtrack“
01 Await Orre's Storm
02 Galeids Of The Væringjar
03 Dread Hand's Fame
04 Into The Depths Of Hell
05 Chain Of The Golden Horn (Soundtrack Version)
06 Land Of The Rus
07 The Golden Secret
08 Past Wide Plains
09 Death Of A King (Soundtrack Version)
10 Blazing Waters (2020 Version)

BluRay: „Viking Spirit“ Documentary
01 Viking Lifestyle
02 Living History
03 Vikings Of The World
04 Alex The Viking
05 Norse Mythology & Music
06 Viking Family
07 Fighting Styles
08 Værjaborg Training
09 Weststorm Training
10 Northstorm Training
11 Ulflag Warhost
12 Viking Events
13 Slawentage
14 Wikingertage
15 Wolin
16 Hikg
17 Viking Workshop
18 Viking Art
19 Leaves' Eyes Viking Crew
20. Viking Weapons (Bonus Chapter)
(Playing time over 90 minutes)

Videoclips:
21 Chain Of The Golden Horn (Videoclip)
22 Dark Love Empress (Videoclip)
23 War Of Kings (Videoclip)
24 Blazing Waters (Bonus)

LEAVES’ EYES are:
Elina Siirala (Vocals)
Alexander Krull (Vocals)
Thorsten Bauer (Guitar, Bass)
Micki Richter (Guitar)
Joris Nijenhuis (Drums)

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS will release their new album titled "4" on February 11, 2022, via Gibson Records in partnership with BMG. "4" is Slash's fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals).

Speaking about the making of "4", Slash told Germany's Radio Regenbogen (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The funniest story about this record was the COVID story, because we took a tour bus to Nashville to keep ourselves safe — to get there and not travel commercially. And then we went and recorded the whole record, and then I got a phone call from Myles in the studio when I was about to do overdubs, and he goes, 'Man, I tested positive.' And subsequently, two of the other guys tested positive, so they all had to go into quarantine. And we still had to do percussion and background vocals, and so we sort of stalled. So we mixed what we had, which was a lot. And then we recorded the background vocals in the guest house of the house that we were all quarantined in. And then those guys got better. I tested positive finally. And so I had to quarantine. But I just got vaccinated, so I only had to quarantine for a few days. And so I came out, and then we did the percussion and mixed [the rest of] the record and drove home. So that was the funny experience about this particular record, was everybody having to navigate the whole COVID experience."

Two weeks ago, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS released the opening track and first single from "4", "The River Is Rising". The accompanying music video was shot on location in downtown Los Angeles with Gibson TV director Todd Harapiak.

For "4", Slash and the band traveled across the country together to Nashville, Tennessee and recorded the new album at the historic RCA Studio A with producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, John Prine, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile). Cobb shared the band's desire to lay down the tracks live, in the studio including guitar solos and vocals — a first for the group.

The band's previous albums over the last decade — "Apocalyptic Love", "World On Fire" and "Living The Dream" — have continued on an upward trajectory, all achieving Top 5 Billboard charting debuts in the U.S. and reaching the Top 10 on 12 major charts across the globe. To date, the three SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS albums have now garnered 10 consecutive Top 5 Radio singles, spawned sold-out world tours, and have earned Slash and the band the best critical acclaim of their career with their latest album "Living The Dream" (2018) singled out by the Los Angeles Times, Classic Rock, Guitar World, Loudwire, LA Weekly, and more, as their best songs to date.

The new album "4" has the added history-making distinction of being the first-ever album to be released on the new Gibson Records label, which is headquartered in the iconic American instrument brand Gibson's hometown of Music City, Nashville. In light of the 30-year partnership between Gibson and the Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Slash, it makes sense the new SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS' album "4" will be released via Gibson Records.

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS will kick off a North American headlining tour on February 8, in Portland, Oregon and hit 28 major cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Houston, and more, before wrapping up March 26 in Orlando, Florida.

PRETTY MAIDS singer Ronnie Atkins, who is battling stage four cancer, offered an update on his condition during a recent interview with France's Duke TV. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just decided to be open about it because my family had cancer. Back in the day when my mother had it — she died from it 33 years ago — it was something you didn't talk about back then.

"When I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, I just kind of refused to say that… I don't want this to run my life," he continued. "I still have things on my bucket list. I still wanna live. I still have a lot to give, a lot of music to sing. And I still wanna be around. And I'm in the same place now. I'm still here after a year and a half, and if you asked me a year and a half ago, I wasn't so sure. So it's been up and down. But I decided to be open about it. And I had so much love from the social media — from the fans and stuff like that — so I'm just trying to pay back a little and continue to be open about it.

"I'm not telling people everything. I try not to let it run my life — or at least not ruin my life. The diagnosis hasn't changed, but I feel good. And as long as I feel good… I'm pretty much living day by day — or month by month, so to speak."

Atkins previously discussed his cancer battle in an interview this past March with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com. At the time, he said: "I'm going to need these scans every third month, and every time is very nerve-racking for me and my wife and kids. You never know what you'll get told, 'cause last time when I had that serious stage four diagnosis when it spread, I didn't actually feel any pain. You never know what awaits you.

"Dealing with this disease is like a mental thing — it's there in the subconscious 24/7. But it's something you've gotta learn to live with. I can't change what it is — it is what it is. So let's get the best out of it."

The 56-year-old Atkins was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 and underwent at least 33 radiation and four chemotherapy treatments in the fall of that year before being declared cancer-free. In October 2020, he announced that his cancer had returned.

In a 2013 interview with Myglobalmind, Atkins joked that the secret to keeping his voice in shape was "twenty cigarettes a day and little drink now and then."

Formed in early 1982 by Atkins and guitarist Ken Hammer, PRETTY MAIDS' third album, 1987's "Future World", is still today regarded as a "classic."

During the ensuing years, PRETTY MAIDS continued to release albums usually followed by European and Japanese tours.

PRETTY MAIDS' latest album, "Undress Your Madness", came out in November 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Earlire this year, Atkins released a solo album, "One Shot", via Frontiers Music Srl.

In a recent interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire", RIVAL SONS guitarist Scott Holiday spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to 2019's "Feral Roots" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have a record almost in the can right now. We're pretty much done. It's just really difficult. Our dear friend Dave Cobb, our longtime producer, is a busy man, and he's only gotten busier and harder to nail down. So with everything, between all the protocol and COVID stuff and finding time with him, and now he's out on tour with Chris Stapleton where he plays acoustic guitar part time, we're just looking for our window to jump back in and wrap it up. And I'm hoping we can do that in January. One more session we're gonna have and we're gonna put a bow on it and get that out to everybody. I think we have a really great record kind of just about there."

According to Holiday, RIVAL SONS recorded the upcoming album "really similarly" to the way they made some of the previous efforts. "The only difference was that me and Jay [Buchanan, vocals] spent more time writing back and forth, 'cause we were trapped at home with this pandemic," he said. "But when it came to recording, we really didn't spend much more time than that still. We didn't share too much with the [other] guys, so that meant when we went in to record, it kept things really off the cuff. So don't worry, everyone, you're still getting a normal, true-to-heart RIVAL SONS record."

As for the musical direction of the new RIVAL SONS material, Scott said: "You can see the big wheel turning from record to record — they sound different; they sound really different. That's why it's so weird to come back to 'Pressure And Time' [for the ongoing 10th-annviersary tour] and go, 'Woah! We're in a really different headspace right now,' where we're making he new record. Or with 'Feral Roots' compared to 'Pressure And Time'. Yikes! That's trippy. Like, how are we gonna get these to translate as well as these other songs? You can really tell where we are in our trajectory. So, like that, this record has moved along from 'Feral Roots'. I can't really say [it's] more melodic. I think we're always sharpening the sword, we're always trying to become better songwriters and always trying to be more melodic. And not trying to necessarily reinvent the wheel but just do something that we know is different and new and maintaining a level of quality with our songwriting as we work. And I think this new record, it's gotta feel like that. It feels like that right now.

"We've kind of gone from 'Pressure And Time' being very concise, and the next record we made, with [2012's] 'Head Down', being a much more broad record, stylistically and musically," he continued. "And then we kind of bounced back and forth — concise and kind of opened it up. And there was a real middle ground with 'Feral Roots'. It wasn't so concise — there were some big songs on that record, longer songs, wider. I feel like this record is a broader record. It's possibly our longest record and our biggest record. So I think this might be slightly more majestic. [Laughs] Remember I always said 'Pressure And Time' wasn't 'The Wall'. This might be 'The Wall'. [Laughs]"

Holiday went on to say that "there is a little loose concept happening" with the new RIVAL SONS album, but he declined to elaborate. "I don't wanna say too much," he explained.

In June, RIVAL SONS held a two-night livestream event, "Pair Of Aces", from the historic Catalina Casino on Santa Catalina Island. They performed their debut LP, "Before The Fire" (2009), in its entirety on the first night and their self-titled EP, "Rival Sons" (2010), on the second.

Earlier this year, RIVAL SONS launched their very own label, Sacred Tongue Recordings, with distribution through Thirty Tigers. The band recently regained the master rights to several of their early releases and are reintroducing them to the world by first remastering their independent full-length debut LP and self-titled EP on all DSPS, CD, and vinyl for the first time.

"Feral Roots" not only garnered a 2020 Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Album," but also yielded a Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Performance" for the top 10 rock track "Too Bad". The effort was produced by Cobb at Nashville's famed RCA Studio A, and the equally legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.