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 decision to call the LP "4", Slash told Germany's Rock Antenne (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just called it '4' because it's our fourth record which I think is an important milestone. And then also because I didn't want to give it a nice sort of cool, clever title that relates to something in particular because so much shit happened in 2020 that there's no one sentence or one word that defines all of it. So rather than even try, I just said, 'Let's just call it '4', because it's more about this record being about something that we've accomplished at this point and it's not really about all of that.'"

Last week, 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.

Welsh metallers BULLET  FOR MY VALENTINE will release their new, self-titled studio album on November 5. The follow-up to 2018's "Gravity" was previously described by frontman Matt Tuck as "brutal, heavy and technical" as well as "more visceral and passionate than it's ever been."

Asked by the "Everblack" podcast how the switch to a more aggressive approach came about, Tuck said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It just was what it was. We just kind of hit upon this sound and this way of writing songs right now in our career which we couldn't be happier with. I just feel like the last six albums in 15 years plus has just all been channeling to this. That's how it sounds to me. It's got everything that you would expect from BULLET but just on a completely different level. The melodies are stronger, the riffs are more intense, the drumming is ferocious, just the feel of the record as a whole is pretty intense. There are moments of calm, like 'Can't Escape The Waves' and 'Rainbow Veins' and moments where you get a bit more melody for your buck. We're just in a good place creatively and musically right now; it just keeps pouring out of us. We've got so much more stuff that's not on the record that we can release post-record as well; [we've got] another six tracks ready to go. We're just a songwriting machine right now. So it feels good, man."

As for the decision to make the new album a self-titled affair, Tuck said: "It just feels like the band is in a different place, man. It feels fresher and more energized than ever. After we'd recorded the record and lived with it, the management were, like, 'It's time, boys.' We didn't think about it, really, but it was suggested to us by a lot of people around us. They're not emotionally involved in the writing and recording of it like the band; they just kind of hear it like you guys are hearing it, and they're, like, 'Fuck.' It just feels like the time is right to really put the band's name as a stamp on what we do and it just feels like the time is right. And I don't feel like the record could be any better, and I don't feel it could [better] represent where the band is and who it is right now in 2021."

Tuck began writing the album in September 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic brought things screeching to a halt in early 2020. But in June 2020, Tuck and longtime producer, Carl Bown, who co-produced the band's 2015 album, "Venom", and produced and mixed "Gravity", picked up the pace again. Together, they hunkered down at Treehouse Studio in Chesterfield, where the remainder of the album was written.

"Gravity" saw the metal juggernauts' catalog surpass one billion streams in the U.S. That accomplishment solidifies BULLET's hard-earned status as one of the most elite bands in the hard rock scene.

On the last cycle, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE played its biggest shows to date, including a U.K. arena tour and a massive show at London's Alexandra Palace.

In a new interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn, L.A. GUNS singer Phil Lewis spoke about how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting.

"The whole thing, the whole L.A. music scene was becoming more about the hair and the silliness of it," he said. "We weren't really silly. I mean, we did some silly stuff, but we always fancied ourselves to be more of a biker, leathery, dirty band. We were quite happy being dirty.

"The trend towards — and this is definitely, I swear, it's not a knock — but when you get guys like Kip Winger; he's like a model, he's so fucking handsome [with] big hair and big teeth, and we're quite dirty and ugly, and we've got missing teeth.

"I didn't like the direction it was going," Phil admitted. "And I think it was probably about time to cull it. And these things have a two- or three-year cycle. And I felt like we'd run ours. We got lumped into what they call 'hair metal,' 'cause we were around at that time. But we never were."

Upon release in September 1991, NIRVANA's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" wreaked confusion upon the hair metal vanguard, putting an end to an era dominated by glamorous, androgynous and sparkly rock stars who absolutely saturated the radio waves and were almost exclusively what aired on MTV.

Last year, TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider told Ultimate Guitar that he didn't blame grunge for the death of hair metal. "Hair metal did it to itself," he said. "It became too commercialized, and then it got unplugged and became nothing but power ballads and acoustic songs, and it wasn't metal anymore. It had to go; it had to change."

Snider's TWISTED SISTER bandmate Jay Jay French told Daniel Sarkissian of the "Rock Is Dead?" documentary about the death of hair metal and arrival of grunge: "The only band that leapfrogged and saved themselves was GUNS N' ROSES. And my theory is that GUNS N' ROSES was not perceived as a joke. They came out of L.A., but I think that Axl [Rose], first of all, had a great voice. I think that they were perceived as real, not fake. Like, they were real junkies, not pretend junkies. So there's an authenticity. It's all about authenticity, and grunge is all about authenticity. People wanted authenticity, so they got it with grunge. It wiped out the perceived frivolousness of hair metal, which is, 'Hey, man. Let's party. Let's get the girls and drink.' I think people just got sick of that, and they wanted [something more] authentic."

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE singer John Corabi told Newsday in a 2014 interview that the CRÜE album he sang on was a commercial disappointment because the music scene had changed, with hair metal brushed aside for grunge.

"Everybody was listening to ALICE IN CHAINS and SOUNDGARDEN," Corabi said. "At that point, we were considered passé."

According to Corabi, CRÜE's ill-fated 1994 American tour " was a nightmare. We weren't selling tickets. It was just horrible," he said.

In 2019, former TNT singer Tony Harnell said that the rise of the grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image, was ultimately a positive thing for the rock genre because it "shined a really harsh light on how boring and repetitive" the '80s glam metal scene had become. He explained: "It was the same look, the same songwriters, the same producers, and it just started to be… Nobody was offering anything… Don't get me wrong, there were a few that got in there that were interesting and different, but, for the most part, they were all just sort of rehashes, slightly, of other bands."

SKID ROW's most beloved, iconic, and previously hard-to-find releases from the late '80s and early '90s are being released in a brand new box set that is an instant "must-own" for both diehard fans and collectors.

The box set highlights the band's global domination and documents the glory days of the hard rock scene.

"The Atlantic Years 1989-1996" LP and CD box set arrives on December 3, 2021. Pre-order any of the multiple formats here.

SKID ROW was one of the most successful acts of the era. Their self-titled debut, released in 1989, achieved five times platinum certification in the U.S., along with platinum status in Australia, triple platinum status in Canada, and it also went gold in the U.K. The follow-up, 1991's "Slave To The Grind", debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It went on to achieve a double-platinum certification in the U.S. and went platinum in Canada, while rising to gold status in Australia. Over time, the band enjoyed a string of Top 10 singles, including the power ballads "18 And Life" and "I Remember You" from the self-titled release, while "Monkey Business" and "Wasted Time" from "Slave To The Grind" also achieved radio success.

This box set marks the first time that all of these important and definitive releases will be available in one limited edition collection.

The collection includes 180-gram audiophile vinyl 7 LPs, including the band's multi-million selling, worldwide-charting first three studio albums, plus the "B-Side Ourselves" EP and the live EP "Subhuman Beings On Tour!!", which was previously only available on CD in Japan. It is now being made available globally and on vinyl for the first time ever. All five albums are also newly remastered.

The five-album, seven-LP side-loading box set includes:

* Skid Row

* Slave To The Grind (2xLP)

* B-Side Ourselves

* Subhuman Race (2xLP)

* Subhuman Beings On Tour!!

This five-album, CD side-loading box set includes:

* Skid Row

* Slave To The Grind

* B-Side Ourselves

* Subhuman Race

* Subhuman Beings On Tour!!

Sebastian Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.

In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger.

SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

SKID ROW is continuing work on its long-awaited new album for a tentative early 2022 release. The band is recording its new album in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with FOO FIGHTERS, STONE SOUR, HALESTORM, EVANESCENCE, RUSH and ALICE IN CHAINS, among many others.

Unlike 2014's "Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion: Chapter Two" and 2013's "United World Rebellion: Chapter One", SKID ROW's forthcoming release will be a full-length record.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian says that "being vaccinated helped minimize" his "symptoms and suffering" after he tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Last week, SYSTEM OF A DOWN was forced to postpone two shows in Los Angeles to next February after Serj was diagnosed with the disease.

On Sunday, Tankian took to his social media to write: "I am overwhelmed and extremely grateful for the outpouring of love and concern from friends and strangers alike. I am doing well and hoping to be clear of all symptoms soon. I believe that being vaccinated helped minimize my symptoms and suffering.

"We have many in our community who are resistant to the vaccine. I do understand and am not someone who takes sides on this issue. I think every medical situation requires proper understanding of the patients gender, age, medical history and preconditions. Vaccines should be not different and their side effects taken into serious consideration. The health industry cannot operate as a one size fits all on anything anymore. It's medically irresponsible. That said I'm happy I along with my elder parents are vaccinated.

"Thank you again for all the love."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN's two shows at the Banc Of California stadium with KORN, HELMET and RUSSIAN CIRCLES were initially slated to take place in May 2020, and were rescheduled to May 21 and 22, 2021 and then once again to October 22 and 23, 2021.

Also originally scheduled to appear was FAITH NO MORE, but the band pulled out of the shows in September, saying frontman Mike Patton was unable to perform as hoped due to mental health issues, partially exacerbated by the pandemic.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 16 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released last November, the tracks were motivated by the recently erupted conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they have raised over $600,000.
























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In 2022, Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE will embark on a special tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of their second album, "Legion". The Glen Benton-fronted outfit will perform the LP in its entirety, along with other tracks from the band's vast catalog.

According to Wikipedia, "Legion" "is one of DEICIDE's most musically ambitious releases, incorporating more technical riffing and song structures. The band considers this album to be its most difficult, and claims it is too chaotic. When the Hoffman brothers" — guitarists Eric and Brian — "quit the band, Eric stated that one of the main reasons was Benton refusing to play longer sets and being unable to perform the technical bass guitar riffing required for 'Legion''s material."

In a 2004 interview, Benton stated about the LP: "I think 'Legion' was ahead of its time. It was just too fast for everybody at the time. I think it just caught everybody off guard. They thought we were gonna put out a la-di-da album, and here comes this fuckin piece of music, fuckin style of music that's fuckin' over the top. Everybody fuckin hated it, all the magazines hated it; now it's years later and everybody loves it."

Back in 1995, Benton shot down the perception that he was totally unhappy with "Legion".

"I made a comment saying that 'Legion' sucked," Glen said in another interview. "Now everybody thinks I hated it. That's not true. I didn't hate the record. I just said that to the band, because that's how I wanted to get my point across at the time. As far as that record goes, the only things I did not like was that we were being rushed by the record company, and the production was not totally satisfying. Because we were being rushed, we weren't able to be selective with amplifiers and instruments, so when you compare 'Once Upon The Cross' to 'Legion', there is an obvious difference.

"The problem with 'Legion' was that we just went into the studio and played, then tried to fix things," he said. "Of course, the more you do that, the more it takes away from the sound."

In 2019, DEICIDE parted ways with guitarist Mark English and replaced him with Chris Cannella.

English joined DEICIDE in 2016 following the departure of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.

DEICIDE's latest album, "Overtures Of Blasphemy", was released in September 2018 via Century Media.
























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Norwegian black metal band, Kampfar, released their new album, Ofidians Manifest, on May 3rd via Indie Recordings. Guitarist Ole Hartvigsen recently spoke with Ultimate Guitar about the record. An excerpt from the interview is available below.

UG: While black metal certainly is an acquired taste, to an untrained ear it can sound just random and cacophonous, despite actually being very technical. Can you tell us more about the dynamics of playing in a black metal band and your take on the music's inner workings?

Hartvigsen: "An acquired taste for sure and it can be very technical, but it really doesn't have to be. I think Black Metal is at it's finest when it balances on an edge between contrasting emotions, when you're not really sure if what you're listening to is beautiful or ugly, aggressive or solemn, personal or universal, etc.

There's also the balance between the artistic and the more - let's say - entertaining elements. As a songwriter I always try to find that balance between what the listener expects and doesn't expect. Too much of either makes the music too simple and boring, or too eccentric and meaningless. Within this genre you really have all the options because nothing is too extreme, and dark emotions have always been closer to me when it comes to art. You can easily say that I'm more a Bach person than a Mozart person. Over the years, a lot of people have tried to defined what Black Metal "is" and how it's supposed to sound, but people often forget that in the early years of Norwegian Black Metal the bands were extremely diverse and had their own distinct sound and idea. Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor, Dödheimsgard, Limbonic Art, Borknagar - the list goes on, and none of them sounded the same, so Black Metal for me is definitely more an idea than a quantifiable style."

Read the complete interview here.

Approaching 25 years of existence and having grown to become one of extreme music’s premier live outfits, while releasing albums that would dominate year-end lists and even bagging a Norwegian "Spellemann” Grammy award for their Profan album, Kampfar looked ready to go and dominate for years to come. But behind the music, disguised during the intense live shows, underneath it all, was a clarity that the road’s end was nigh.

Founded back in 1994 by Dolk, who recruited Thomas to take care of strings and keys while the former focused on drums and vocals, the band was an underground gem for years. A band whose first records are spoken of with reverence to this day, perhaps helped by the low profile they kept at the time. It was ten years before the first live show was performed, at this point bassist Jon and drummer Ask Ty had joined the ranks and this line-up released another three albums before Thomas departed the band, 2011’s Mare the last release with his stamp so solidly placed on it.

This recording marked a shift in the style and expression of the band, becoming the leading star for the records to come, now with the new guitarist and songwriter Ole who quickly developed into a key force of the group. With the albums Djevelmakt and Profan, Kampfar established a new era for Norwegian black metal, proving that while some may have lost their passion for the fiercest musical exploits, these men had a hunger that was as ravenous as ever.

Except that life has a knack for surprise. Health issues caused the band to slow down and during the summer of 2017 it was decided that there would be no more Kampfar, unless something radically changed. The guys didn’t see each other for a year, didn’t really speak or keep up any kind of contact, just focusing on their own personal lives. “It was time to just heal, to not cause any more damage, to just see if one could get back to a point of strength again” says Dolk. It was a year that culminated in Ofidians Manifest."

Though demos were written by Ole during the spring, shaped massively by him losing his father in the same period, the main song writing was done over the course of two months in the fall of 2018, with another month spent recording the album in Bergen, Oslo and Pärlby, Sweden. The band spent intense weeks together in their creative home of Hemsedal, moulding and shaping the songs, surrounded by mountains and forest that turned from summer green, to autumn yellow, to winter white as they worked extensively on what was to become this testament to the band themselves.

As part of the healing process of creating this collection of songs the decision was made to involve Agnete Kjølsrud on the track "Dominans". Her contribution to the song lifted the atmosphere of the whole album, and the duet is one of perfect harmony between two very different yet familiar voices bonding to create an excellent song. Marianne Maria Moen’s contribution on album closer "Det Sorte" similarly brings to light the realisation that all life is fragile and that our voices must be allowed to bellow through the world for as long as there is air left to bellow with.

The madness of Medusa was chosen as a visual clue to the record’s themes, represented by two different paintings to be explored on the physical releases. And again, the band decided to travel to Poland to record a music video, this time with director Dariusz Szermanowicz of Grupa 13. The video, hinting at the many underlying stories of the album, is a chaotic depiction of the road back to equilibrium, a place no one knows yet all walk towards. According to Ask Ty, the choice of song proclaiming the band’s return was made because “it tells you everything you need to know about Kampfar today, distilled down to four and a half minutes of intense breaks and turns, it is the beginning and the end and the new beginnings after that, and it is the sound of a band that is alive and well.”

Ofidians Manifest represents Kampfar anno 2019. 25 years on from their foundation, only willing to release new music if they felt it would surpass all they had done before, it is a condensation of the immense struggles of the last few years. Everything that has been hidden behind the music and the live performances is laid bare, though told in the only way the band can portray themselves, through songs. It is immensely honest yet wrapped in their own folklore, the snake tongues splitting every truth into two deeper truths, every word sung dominated by the weight of all those sung before.

Tracklisting:

"Syndefall"
"Ophidian"
"Dominans"
"Natt"
"Eremitt"
"Skamløs!"
"Det Sorte"

"Syndefall":

"Ophidian" video:

(Photo - Sebastian Ludvigsen)




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In a new interview with Joshua Toomey of the "Talk Toomey" podcast, David Ellefson was asked if he has a copy of MEGADETH's upcoming album with his bass tracks on it before they were replaced following his exit from the band. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't, no, because it was all in sort of Dropbox and all that kind of stuff. You don't take anything out of there; you always leave it in there. That's the professional acumen. So, no, I do not. I don't have a copy…. They weren't mine to have. They belong to Universal Records. It's their property. They paid for it; it's their property."

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine has yet to reveal who played bass on the band's new album after Ellefson's tracks were removed from the LP following his dismissal from the group in late May.

Ellefson laid down his bass tracks on MEGADETH's sixteenth LP in May 2020 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee.

In July, Mustaine announced during an episode of his Gimme Radio program "The Dave Mustaine Show" that Ellefson's bass tracks would not be used on the new MEGADETH LP.

In early May, on the same day that sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving Ellefson and a woman that was not his wife were posted on Twitter, he released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan.

On May 24, Mustaine — who formed MEGADETH with Ellefson in 1983 — announced the bassist's departure from the band.

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, and again from 2010 until his latest exit.

For the recently completed "The Metal Tour Of The Year", MEGADETH was rejoined by bassist James LoMenzo for the first time in nearly 12 years.

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006 and appeared on two of the group's studio albums, 2007's "United Abominations" and 2009's "Endgame". He was fired from the band in 2010 and replaced with a returning Ellefson.

In addition to MEGADETH, LoMenzo has played with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and WHITE LION. For the past eight years, LoMenzo has been performing with iconic rocker John Fogerty.

DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie has set "Beautiful Shade Of Gray" as the title of his new solo album, due on May 20, 2022 via InsideOut Music. Unlike previous LPs "Elements Of Persuasion" (2005), "Static Impulse" (2010) and "Impermanent Resonance" (2013), which were written and recorded as a collaboration with LaBrie's songwriting partner for over a dozen years, Matt Guillory, the new effort was tracked with Scottish musician Paul Logue, bassist and founding member of the multinational melodic metal band EDEN'S CURSE.

In a new interview with "The Everyman Podcast", LaBrie once again explained how his collaboration with Logue came about. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I sang on one of [EDEN'S CURSE's] songs back in 2010 called 'No Holy Man'; so I guest on that. And I really liked Paul's writing. To me, Paul's writing was more from a classical era — like the '70s; that classic rock approach. And I had a lot of ideas in that vein.

"Paul and I actually bumped into each other — you think fate isn't there with you; holy shit… The day after we finished the show — DREAM THEATER in Glasgow [on] February 23rd [2020]. I'm waiting for my flight on the 24th to go to London and then Toronto, and Paul walks by me and he goes, 'James!' I'm, like, 'Oh my God!' He goes, 'You know I was at the show last night.' He kept trying to e-mail me on my old e-mail address. And he goes, 'Listen, let me know. You wanna get together? You wanna do some writing?' And I said, 'I'd love to.' At the time, I said, 'I don't know. Some freaky shit's going on. You're hearing about this virus?' 'Yeah. Yeah.' [I said] 'We've gotta go to Asia, then we've gotta go to freakin' South America and North America and all that.' I said, 'So we're probably not gonna be done till October, but why don't we start writing then? Or why don't we start throwing ideas back in the meantime, and I can even be on the road and working on it?' And he goes, 'Great.' All of a sudden, the world closes down. So we got on it… It was probably… Everything closed down March 15th, I believe, and by March 20th, him and I were already passing ideas back and forth."

Elaborating on the songwriting process for "Beautiful Shade Of Gray", LaBrie said: "We started as, we said, 'Let's just keep it real raw and acoustic-based — that'll be the fundamental of this album,' and then it kind of morphed into more of an ensemble, so [with] keyboards… Marco Sfogli is playing lead guitar on all the tracks. Paul is playing all the rhythm acoustic guitars and bass. And then [my son] Chance [LaBrie] is doing drums. Christian Pulkkinen is the keyboard player, who's a fantastic keyboard player, piano player. All the lyrics, except one, I penned.

"It was really interesting how it came together, whether I'd be throwing [Paul] a riff or I'd be throwing him a melody idea that became a chorus to one of the songs or verses," he continued. "And then he'd throw me back his ideas musically. And we slowly but surely put it all together. We had everybody fully involved. And it came out fantastic. The label is really stoked about it. It has that kind of ZEPPELIN-esque feel to it, but still the modern-day aspects of it as well are there. So it's great."

Released in August 2013 via InsideOut Music, "Impermanent Resonance" sold around 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 198 on The Billboard 200 chart. The follow-up to "Static Impulse" saw Guillory not only taking the leading role in composing the material, but also handling all of the keyboards and background vocals. The album's lineup was intact from the previous recording, featuring Marco Sfogli from Italy on guitar, Ray Riendeau (HALFORD, MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE) on bass and Swedish drummer Peter Wildoer (DARKANE, MAJESTIC), who was a finalist in the DREAM THEATER drum auditions. Additionally, former SOILWORK guitarist Peter Wichers came into the fold to contribute songwriting and studio guitars.

In 2014, LaBrie released a digital EP, "I Will Not Break", via InsideOut Music. While the opening title track was the album version taken from the "Impermanent Resonance" release, two other songs were previously only released physically as digipak bonus tracks, one tune was an alternate mix version, and two other songs were special demo versions, all previously only released physically as bonus tracks on the digipak and the Japanese edition for the "Static Impulse" album in 2010. The last three tracks were special dub step / electronica remixes of "Static Impulse" songs, previously unreleased. The remixes were done by U.S.-based DJs Jason Miller, Mutrix and NeonGenesis. The cover artwork for the EP was once again designed by Gustavo Sazes of Abstrata.net (ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT).

In a new interview with RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program "Wired In The Empire", BUCKCHERRY singer spoke about his love of METALLICA, in particular the band's early records. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I grew up in Orange County, California. Basically, my rock foundation was all independent punk rock records so I never really got into quote-unquote big rock records until I was, like, maybe 17. And I befriended these two guys — they were friends of mine — and they were just crazy METALLICA fans, and they gave me 'Kill 'Em All', that record, and that was the record that did it for me. I was, like, 'This is badass, man.'

"The reason why I liked punk rock so much is because it was unfiltered," he continued. "They didn't have big record labels telling them what to say and what to do. So these were kids that were super honest with their feelings and what they were going through, and they put it in song, and that really connected with me. So, when I heard 'Kill 'Em All', I felt the same way — I felt this was a band that was a gang; they had this gang mentality. And what they were saying was real and I really believed it. And so that's why I love that record so much."

After Todd picked "Whiplash" and "Enter Sandman" as the two songs from METALLICA to play on "Wired In The Empire", RadioactiveMike Z asked him if he thought the "Black Album" was a huge departure from the group's early sound and how reacted when he first heard it. He said: "I didn't know what was gonna happen. They started getting a little more commercial. But that was okay for me, because I started maturing more as a man and a musician, and I really liked the big choruses and the big melodies. That song ['Enter Sandman'] had a lot of hooks, and I thought it was really great. And they still kind of kept their integrity. And that's what I loved about that song, for sure."

BUCKCHERRY's latest album, "Hellbound", was released in June via Round Hill Records. The follow-up to 2019's "Warpaint" was recorded last fall in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others.

FOZZY debuted a brand new song, "Purifier", during its September 18 concert in Flint, Michigan and has been performing it live ever since. Fan-filmed video footage of the band blazing through the track at several of its recent shows — including Flint — can be seen below.

Back in July, FOZZY debuted another new song, "The Vulture Club", during its concert in Iowa City, Iowa. The band also performed its latest single, "Sane", live for the first time.

Last month, FOZZY guitarist Rich Ward was was forced to sit out several of the band's shows for personal medical reasons. FOZZY still performed in his absence as a four-piece.

In May, FOZZY dropped a video for its first new song in two years, the aforementioned "Sane", which hit one million views in its first two weeks. This first-of-its-kind video was filmed on the longest wooden roller coaster on the planet today.

This past February, FOZZY singer — and wrestling superstar — Chris Jericho told Detroit's WRIF radio station that the band's follow-up to 2017's "Judas" album would "continue with the momentum that [the] 'Judas' [title track] started for us [four] years ago."

In the summer of 2020, Chris revealed that FOZZY's next LP will contain 12 songs, including one cover.

Ward and producer Johnny Andrews once again did "the lion's share" of the songwriting for the new LP, which was recorded primarily in Atlanta, Georgia.

In addition to producing "Judas", Andrews previously co-wrote FOZZY's "Lights Go Out" track back in 2014. He has also written songs with the likes of ALL THAT REMAINS, THREE DAYS GRACE and HALESTORM.

In November, FOZZY appeared in its first global live streaming event from Madison Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.

FOZZY is Chris Jericho (vocals), Rich Ward (guitars, vocals), Frank Fontsere (drums), Billy Grey (guitars) and P.J. Farley (bass).

STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr says that the band has yet to secure an official replacement for longtime bassist Lexxi Foxx.

Although STEEL PANTHER played several of its recent shows with a bassist named Rikki Dazzle, Starr insists that he and his bandmates are still on the lookout for someone "permanent."

Earlier today, Michael took to his Instagram to share the following message: "After getting 432 texts this morning regarding my last post about Rikki Dazzle being our permanent bass player, I went back and had my assistant read me the actual headline. I must have been super stoned, but to be clear: We are still in the audition process. Rikki killed it hard and he will be hard to beat, but when we finally decide who the permanent guy or girl is, we will make an official announcement. Until then, stay high and rock hard."

Earlier this month, Lexxi — whose real name is Travis Haley — told Rocking With Jam Man that he hadn't spoken with his former bandmates since his exit. "I still talk to the singer a little bit; I have in the past," he said. "But I think that those scars and I think that the departure, the way that it went down, I think there's some sore spots. But that's tough for me to talk about.

"That was something that I'm very proud of — to be that character for such a long period of time, and to play with those cats," he continued. "They're all amazing musicians. And I just think that it is different to not have that [in my life] — I'd been in character for so long — but I have to say it's a little refreshing as well."

When STEEL PANTHER first announced Lexxi's exit in July, the band jokingly said that Foxx "started his side business, 'Sexy Lexxi's Prettiest Pets,' to bring in money for Botox during the lockdown." After realizing that "his love for making pets pretty was greater than his love for being pretty himself," he chose "to hang up his mirror and focus on his newfound passion: making ugly dogs pretty," the group wrote in a statement.

Back in December 2018, Lexxi sat out a STEEL PANTHER tour after being admitted to "sex rehab." The real reason for his absence was never officially disclosed.

During an appearance on a recent episode of the "2020'd" podcast, STEEL PANTHER guitarist Satchel stated about Lexxi's departure: "We didn't want him to quit. Nobody wanted him to quit, including a lot of fans. I'm sure a lot of fans are very sad that he left. But he's the guy who left the band. I think he's got his own things he's dealing with, and he just wanted to go and do that. So, I don't know… I can't answer for Lexxi Foxx. But we will all miss Lexxi Foxx, and we all wish him the best in everything that he does. But we didn't fire him; he quit the band. So we're gonna have to move on and get somebody else who's younger and foxier and doesn't need as much Botox," referencing the drug doctors have been using for years to treat wrinkles and facial creases.

Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.

The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."

Thirteen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.

Haley, who was an original member of STEEL PANTHER, recently announced the formation of his new band HOLLYWOOD GODS N' MONSTERS with longtime friend and television celebrity from MTV's "Pimp My Ride", Diggity Dave.
























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Progressive metal masters DREAM THEATER have released a music video for the song "Awaken The Master". The track is taken from the band's 15th studio album, "A View From The Top Of The World", which came out on October 22 via InsideOut Music/Sony Music. The artwork was created by longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR).

The "Awaken The Master" clip is a frenetic, high-definition CGI marvel from long-time collaborator Wayne Joyner. It also marks the first recorded use of an eight-string guitar by DREAM THEATER's John Petrucci. The track was the last one recorded for the album and clocks in at an impressive nine minutes and 47 seconds — making it the third longest song on "A View From The Top Of The World".

Petrucci said: "It's the last song we wrote. It's also the first time I've used my eight-string guitar, which was fun for me. Back in the day when we were writing 'Awake', I'd always wanted to play a seven-string. So, I ordered myself one. I wanted to be inspired again by the instrument without any pre-conception. I used it, and I wrote in my style on the eight-string. It was actually a prototype! 'Awaken The Master' purposefully starts with guitar only. [Bassist] John Myung wrote the lyrics. Recently, I heard him say, 'The master was your heart.' He was referring to awakening your heart. It's one of the heavier songs on the record due to the range of the instrument."

DREAM THEATER — comprised of James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini — was in the middle of a sold-out world tour in support of their last release "Distance Over Time" and the 20th anniversary of "Scenes From A Memory" when a global pandemic brought the world to a stop. The musicians found themselves at home, with LaBrie in Canada and the rest of the group in the States. As fate would have it, they'd just finished construction on DTHQ (Dream Theater Headquarters) — a combination live recording studio, rehearsal space, control room, equipment storage, and creative hive. With LaBrie in Canada, he initially wrote with the band via Zoom on a monitor in DTHQ. In March 2021, he flew down to New York, quarantined, and recorded his vocals face to face with Petrucci.

Petrucci recently stated about the "A View From The Top Of The World" title: "Honestly, titling records is a funny thing because sometimes it comes really quickly — sometimes it even comes before — and sometimes it's really hard trying to come up with, 'What is the title that's gonna reflect what this album is all about?' This one, it was difficult. There was nothing that was really coming to mind. The things that were were… I don't know. It's hard to be original. Things you used or it just didn't quite do it.

"I remember the discussions we were having [were] that the music was really powerful; it was dark, but it was also positive; there's a lot of energy; there's a lot of spirit," he continued. "So, what would kind of encapsulate that? Eventually, one of the songs on the album is the epic 'A View From The Top Of The World', the title track. I had a list of dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens [of titles]… And then one day I just kind of saw that, and I was, like, 'You know what? That's pretty damn DREAM THEATER-y as a title.'

"Like anything that we do, I just pose it to everybody and say, 'What do you guys think of it?'" John added. "I think the time when you know that it is the title, or it is the decision, whatever it may be, it's when everybody kind of comes back, like, 'Yes. That's so cool.' I remember everyone was, like, 'That's such a positive title. That's cool. Love it. Thumbs up.' Blah blah blah. And you know. Then you're, like, 'Okay, cool.'"

"A View From The Top Of The World" was produced by Petrucci, with engineering and additional production by James "Jimmy T" Meslin and mixing and mastering by Andy Sneap.

DRAGONFORCE has launched a new video for "Strangers", a song from 2019's "Extreme Power Metal" album. The clip was filmed before the pandemic with a large-scale production with director Roboshobo (a.k.a. Robert Schober) in Los Angeles, California.

"Strangers" is described as "a tribute to everything '80s, featuring Steve Vai's WHITESNAKE/David Lee Roth-era guitars and band delivering the "ultimate glam metal cheese."

Guitarist Herman Li comments: "This video takes place in the same '80s world as our last video ('Troopers Of The Stars'), with the same cast and the same director. When Roboshobo pitched the concept, I was immediately into it.

"I'm a huge fan of the glam rock-era of music — I love the showmanship, the guitar solos, and the endearing cheesiness. And the players of that time were amazing, like Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini and Reb Beach; I think sometimes the playing gets lost, and people just remember the crazy outfits. So, this video is a loving tribute to that era — while also being authentic...

"Roboshobo told us to get some cool-looking guitars to fit the theme of the video, and the night before the shoot, I was panicking because we still hadn't found any. So, I texted Steve Vai and told him we were doing a glam rock video. He said, 'come on over', and when I got there, he had pulled out THE guitars he used with WHITESNAKE and David Lee Roth. I remember seeing these guitars in magazines as a kid, so it was incredible to get to use them on set — I almost cried when he handed them to me!

"Besides the guitars, I think we all looked really hunky in our costumes, especially our hair! For a minute, I was even considering getting a perm...I know people may think we're not taking ourselves seriously enough, but I think given the state of the world, sometimes it's just nice to kick back and have a laugh with your mates. That was definitely the vibe on set — we could barely keep a straight face watching the playback.

We're also releasing super-limited merch we did in collaboration with the artist Teenage Stepdad at: dragonforce.com/shop. It definitely captures the feeling of the era!"

To coincide with this video launch, DRAGONFORCE has announced a headlining North American tour for 2022, featuring BATTLE BEAST and SEVEN SPIRES as support.

DRAGONFORCE adds: "We are so excited to be playing in the USA and Canada again. We've spent the last year and a half waiting to get back on the road to finish the 'Extreme Power Metal' world tour. We've also got some new surprises. DRAGONFORCE always says more is more, so expect an even bigger, crazier show!

We're also thrilled to be bringing some incredible bands with us. BATTLE BEAST gives an amazing performance every time, and SEVEN SPIRES is one of the best young bands out there. We can't wait to see everyone in the crowd and at our VIP!"

Tickets go on sale Friday, October 29 at 10 a.m. local time.

DRAGONFORCE with BATTLE BEAST, SEVEN SPIRES tour dates:

Mar. 07 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory *

Mar. 08 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory *

Mar. 09 - Roseville, CA - Goldfield Trading Post *

Mar. 10 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre *

Mar. 11 - Seattle, WA - Neptune *

Mar. 13 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom *

Mar. 15 - Calgary, AB - Palace Theater *

Mar. 16 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall *

Mar. 18 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory *

Mar. 19 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex *

Mar. 20 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater

Mar. 22 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater

Mar. 23 - St. Louis, MO - Red Flag

Mar. 24 - Milwaukee, WI - Rave II

Mar. 25 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue

Mar. 26 - Chicago, IL - Metro

Mar. 27 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall

Mar. 29 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Piere's

Mar. 30 - Toronto, ON - Opera House

Mar. 31 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre

Apr. 01 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial Bell

Apr. 02 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium

Apr. 03 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza

Apr. 05 - Reading, PA - Reverb

Apr. 06 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater

Apr. 07 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage

Apr. 08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Roxian Theater

Apr. 09 - Greensboro, NC - Arizona Petes

Apr. 10 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Heaven)

Apr. 12 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum

Apr. 13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution

Apr. 15 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live

Apr. 16 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live

Apr. 17 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live

Apr. 19 - Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater

Apr. 20 - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

Apr. 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Belasco Theater

Apr. 23 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theater

* Without BATTLE BEAST

The clip below features Billy Idol and longtime guitarist Steve Stevens performing a virtual set on 88.5 WXPN's Free At Noon in Los Angeles, CA. Thee performance took place on August 27th and they performed the classics "White Wedding", "To Be A Lover" and "Rebel Yell", and new song "Bitter Taste".





Billy Idol recently released a lyric video for "Rita Hayworth", the opening track of his new 4-song EP, The Roadside, out now via Dark Horse Records. Watch the new clip below.




Available on CD, vinyl, and limited edition blue vinyl, the EP can be pre-ordered here.








Tracklisting:


"Rita Hayworth"
"Bitter Taste"
"U Don't Have To Kiss Me Like That"
"Baby Put Your Clothes Back On"


"Rita Hayworth" lyric video:





"Bitter Taste" video:

The party's rocking, raise your drinks. Stone Whiskey continues to promote their incredible debut album, Rebels Of The Sun, with the release of a sixth single and video, "Livin' Wild".





North Carolina hard rockers, Stone Whiskey, released their debut album, Rebels Of The Sun, a record chock full of hard-hitting rebellious rock ‘n’ roll, in May 2021.




“This album screams rock ‘n’ roll from start to finish,” says guitarist Bill Spears. “It's got all the key ingredients I want in a band... killer vocals, big guitars, catchy hooks and stories delivered with just the right amount of swagger and character.”


Stone Whiskey’s classic, time tested sound was bought to life by producer Anthony Focx, whose more than 500 releases include Buckcherry, Night Ranger, Vince Neil, Daughtry, Aerosmith and 17 gold and platinum awards.


“Quarantine really gave us the time to focus on writing songs and recording the album,” says vocalist Alan Rueda. “Being able to work with a producer like Anthony Focx was awesome. He took what we had and made it sound like a rock album should sound.”


There’s no filler on Rebels Of The Sun, with each of the record’s nine tracks delivering a hefty dose of high-energy rock. Drawing comparisons to Guns N’ Roses’ early recordings, Stone Whiskey has already garnered praise for their classic sound, with fans enthusing that the Raleigh-based quintet is carrying the old school rock ‘n’ roll torch for a new generation.


“This album is made to be played as loud as possible,” notes bassist Jim Hunter. “If you dig albums like Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite For Destruction and The Cult’s Electric, Rebels Of The Sun just might scratch that rock n roll itch.”


Check out the videos for the first five singles from the release, the title track “Rebels Of The Sun”, “Into The Moonlight”, "Empty Eyes", "Feels Like Yesterday", and "Out On The City" below. 


Get your copy of Rebels Of The Sun here.





Tracklisting:


"Into The Moonlight"
"Empty Eyes"
"Rebels Of The Sun"
"Out On The City"
"Troublemaker"
"Mirror"
"Feels Like Yesterday"
"Talkin' Dirty"
"Livin' Wild"


"Rebels Of The Sun" video:





"Into The Moonlight" video:





"Empty Eyes" video:





"Feels Like Yesterday" video:





"Out On The City" video:





 


 

Volbeat performed at the Palladium in Hollywood / Los Angeles, CA on October 6th. Live Rock Music by Scott Perry has shared video of the entire show in 4K HD sound. Check out the footage below. 


Scott Perry: "Volbeat didn't disappoint the fans, there was a mosh pit going the entire concert, some crowd surfing and even a proposal during the song 'Last Day Under The Sun'! Some dude even tried to get on stage it was pretty crazy!


Filmed in 4K HD with crystal clear stereo sound using a Shure condenser microphone that attaches right to an iPhone. I really try to capture the feeling of what it is like to be in the crowd rocking out, I hope you all love this video please like and share all you want."




Setlist:


"The Devil's Bleeding Crown"
"Pelvis on Fire"
"Doc Holliday"
"Lola Montez"
"A Warrior's Call / I Only Want to Be With You"
"Sad Man's Tongue"
"Last Day Under the Sun"
"Wait a Minute My Girl"
"Leviathan"
"Black Rose"
"Let it Burn"
"Don't Tread On Me" (Metallica cover)
"Slaytan"
"Dead but Rising"
"Fallen"
"Shotgun Blues"


Encore:
"Hallelujah Goat"
"Die to Live"
"Seal the Deal"
"Still Counting"





Volbeat will release their new studio album, Servant Of The Mind, on December 3 via EMI Records. The new album will be available in standard/digipack CD, deluxe 2LP vinyl (with various limited-edition variants, more info below), a deluxe digital edition, plus a special box set (including 2CD digipack, 28pg booklet, bandana, and hip flask, housed in a metal box, available from the official Volbeat store). Pre-order the album here.


For Servant Of The Mind, the band - Michael Poulsen (guitars/vocals), Jon Larsen (drums), Rob Caggiano (guitars) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass) - took their signature heavy metal, psychobilly, and punk ‘n’ roll sound up a notch while showcasing Poulsen’s keen ability for songwriting and storytelling.


"I wrote the whole album in three months," recalls Poulsen, “I was in a good place and mood while at home, and had a captive audience of myself… There are a lot of Volbeat signatures in it. If you go back to the first record and compare it to where we are now, you can hear how the band has developed its style, while keeping the signature sound."


To coincide with the album announcement, the group has released the new single “Shotgun Blues”, an anthemic track in which Poulsen explores the ghostly events he recently experienced upon moving into a new home. “Every time you move into a house, you bring dead people with you,” he explains. “Weird stuff happens when I move into a [new] house… it's very otherworldly." Watch the lyric video below.


The album also includes the double barrel of summer songs the band released in June: “Wait A Minute My Girl” and “Dagen Før" (feat. Stine Bramsen) (the former of which became the band’s ninth #1 single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart).


Other songs on the album weave intricate and fascinating tales. "The Sacred Stones" tells the story of “an earthly being who has committed himself to the dark side. He is on a mission, speaking to darker forces and fallen angels." Meanwhile, "The Devil Rages On" looks at the idea of the devil taking human form. Album opener “Temple Of Ekur” returns to the ancient themes explored in past songs such as “The Gates of Babylon,” while the epic album closer “Lasse’s Birgita” explores the story of the first witch burnings to occur in Sweden in 1471.


Volbeat are two decades deep into a career that has found them sharing stages with genre legends like Black Sabbath, Metallica, Motorhead, Slipknot, Megadeth, Anthrax and more. They have racked up nearly three billion cumulative streams over the course of their career, notched a Best Metal Performance Grammy nomination for "Room 24 (feat. King Diamond)" from 2014's acclaimed (and gold-selling) Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, and have grabbed multiple Danish Music Awards. Not ones to rest on their laurels, their forthcoming album Servant Of The Mind, which was written and recorded during the shutdown and quarantine necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is introspective but pulls no punches and is no less raucous or driving than their previous efforts.


Tomorrow, the band kicks off their Wait A Minute… Let’s Tour run, their first US tour in two years. Special guests The Hu, Twin Temple, and Municipal Waste will be joining them for select dates. Tickets for these dates are on sale now here. Earlier this week the band also announced their 2022 co-headlining arena tour with Ghost and special guests Twin Temple. Tickets for the US tour, co-produced by Live Nation and Frank Productions, will be available tomorrow, Friday, September 24 at 10 AM, local time. Limited VIP packages are also available at volbeat.dk. The band will return to the UK in 2022, with a slot at the Download Festival in June already confirmed.


Since forming in 2001, Volbeat has gone from the clubs of Copenhagen to headlining stages around the world, including the famed Telia Parken stadium in Denmark (becoming the only domestic artist to ever sell out the venue). Over the course of seven record-breaking albums the band has picked up number one songs (including nine #1s on the US Mainstream Rock chart and counting, the most of any band based outside of North America), multi-platinum certifications, awards, and accolades all over the planet. Their latest album, Rewind, Replay, Rebound, was released in 2019, giving the band their highest national album chart position in the UK yet at #7, and has spawned the hit singles “Last Day Under The Sun,” “Die To Live (feat. Neil Fallon)” and “Leviathan.” A live album featuring songs recorded during the subsequent world tour, Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live in Deutschland, was released digitally in November 2020. Most recently, they contributed a cover of “Don’t Tread On Me” to The Metallica Blacklist, with all proceeds from the track benefiting the All Within My Hands Foundation and the Børne Cancer Fonden of Denmark.





Servant Of The Mind vinyl variants (Europe):


- Standard 180g black vinyl 2 LP
- Crystal Clear 2 LP, volbeat.dk webstore exclusive, limited to 2000
- Glow In The Dark 2 LP, EMP exclusive, limited to 2000
- Orange and Blue 2 LP, UMG exclusive, limited to 3000
- Danish Red and White 2 LP – only available in Denmark, limited to 2000


Servant Of The Mind vinyl variants (North America):


- Standard 180g black vinyl 2LP
- Translucent Rust 2 LP – volbeat.dk webstore exclusive, limited to 550
- Transparent Yellow 2 LP – Revolver Magazine exclusive, limited to 400
- Mystery Colour LP2 – indie retail exclusive, limited to 100





Tracklisting:


“Temple Of Ekur“
“Wait A Minute My Girl“
“The Sacred Stones“
“Shotgun Blues“
“The Devil Rages On“
“Say No More“
“Heaven’s Descent“
“Dagen Før“ (feat. Stine Bramsen)
“The Passenger“
“Step Into Light“
“Becoming“
“Mindlock“
“Lasse’s Birgitta“


Deluxe 2 CD/2 LP and Digital Deluxe bonus tracks:


“Return To None“ (Wolfbrigade cover)
“Domino“ (The Cramps/Roy Orbison cover)
“Shotgun Blues“ (feat. Dave Matrise from Jungle Rot)
“Dagen Før“ (Michael Vox Version)


“Shotgun Blues” lyric video:





"Wait A Minute My Girl" video:





"Dagen Før" lyric video:

Cradle Of Filth performed at the 2021 edition of Bloodstock Open Air at Catton Park in Derbyshire, UK back in August Check out pro-shot video of "Crawling King Chaos" from the show below.





Cradle Of Filth released their new album, Existence Is Futile, on October 22nd via Nuclear Blast. The album consists of 12 new tracks with a total playing time of 54 minutes.







Tracklisting:


"The Fate Of The World On Our Shoulders"
"Existential Terror"
"Necromantic Fantasies"
"Crawling King Chaos"
"Here Comes A Candle… (Infernal Lullaby)"
"Black Smoke Curling From The Lips Of War"
"Discourse Between A Man And His Soul"
"The Dying Of The Embers"
"Ashen Mortality"
"How Many Tears To Nurture A Rose?"
"Suffer Our Dominion"
"Us, Dark, Invincible"
"Sisters Of The Mist" (Bonus track)
"Unleash The Hellion" (Bonus track)


"Crawling King Chaos" video:





"Necromantic Fantasies" video:

On October 29, Whitechapel will release their new album, Kin, via Metal Blade Records. The band recently releadsed their new single, "Orphan", and have followed it up with a guitar playthrough video. Check it out below.










At this stage in the game, the name Whitechapel commands respect. Already sitting on one of the most enviable catalogs in contemporary metal, in 2019 they dropped The Valley, showcasing a confident evolution in their sound and standing as a true landmark release that sets a new standard for the genre. "To me, it was like the stars aligning for us to create our almost perfect record in regard to songwriting, vocal performance, the mix and master, and the artwork," says guitarist Alex Wade. "We like to look at our albums as chapters of our career, and that is one chapter I will never forget. I think it really solidified that we can embrace a new sound, and if we execute it properly, then the fanbase is going to support and enjoy it." In 2021, they return with that album's successor, the mighty Kin, which is an even more dynamic and diverse collection, further advancing the band's sound into new territory without losing sight of what brought them to this point. "I feel with every album, we learn what worked best on the last one and try to utilize that in our writing. Early in the writing, there was some discussion of the album being like 'The Valley' part II, not literally called that, but in how the songs sound and flow through it. It's very much a storytelling type record like 'The Valley' was," adds vocalist Phil Bozeman, "Musically, we just want to create what we vibe with at the given moment. We write music with how we feel and not what is expected of us, while lyrically the idea of continuing from the story of 'The Valley' was always the goal."


The resulting record explores a lot of sonic and emotional territory, and for the first time, it could be said that a Whitechapel record is as much a rock album as it is a metal one, an assertion Wade agrees with. "It's still very much a metal album, but there are elements of the record that have more of a rock and open vibe. We really wanted these songs to breathe and have life and to sound bigger than anything we've made so far. We have explored more singing on 'Kin' too. It wouldn't make sense to have the majority of the fanbase enjoy that sound and then shy away from it." This is not to say that the band have lost their hardest edges, with the full-on death metal assault that kicks off both "Lost Boy" and "To The Wolves" as brutal and serrated as extreme metal gets, and while Bozeman explores his wide-ranging singing voice more, he also cuts loose with his trademark roar across the album's eleven tracks.


Tracking of Kin was predominantly done at guitarist Zach Householder's home studio with producer Mark Lewis producing his fifth straight Whitechapel album, making for a very comfortable working environment. "Creating records with him has an effortless flow to it, and we can track things pretty quickly and efficiently these days," says Wade. "Mark has a great ear for giving us unique and complementary guitar and drum tones for the songs we are trying to record." The tracks were then sent off to David Castillo at Ghostward Studios in Sweden for mixing, with Ted Jensen mastering it in Nashville, TN. Now, having another album they can be as proud of as its predecessor, it stands them in good stead as they look toward the future. "I see more growth and a limitless potential," says Wade. "I think we found a great formula on 'The Valley', and we used that to create another monumental record for our career that I can't wait for people to hear. We hope to continue to grow our fanbase with this new album, and always seek to move in a positive direction. I'm excited as the pandemic lessens for the touring world to come back to life and to be able to perform these massive songs we have created in the manner they were meant to be heard - live and loud."





Kin can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:


- digipak-CD
- deluxe box set (hardcover box includes: exclusive gold vinyl, gold 7-inch single, 72-page photo book)
- 180g white vinyl (EU exclusive)
- clear sky blue marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- clear ash grey marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- midnight blue marbled vinyl (Eyesore exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- milky clear w/ blue and white splattered blob vinyl (Kings Road exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- gold / black split vinyl (Impericon exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- cool grey marbled vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- gold / black dust vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- opaque cyan (sides A/B) black (sides C/D) vinyl (US exclusive)
- black w/ white edge splatter vinyl (US exclusive)
- royal blue / black color in color vinyl (Newbury exclusive)
- electric blue w/ aqua blue splatter vinyl (Revolver exclusive)
- cyan w/ black splatter vinyl (US exclusive)
- white / cyan melt vinyl (US exclusive)





Kin tracklisting:


"I Will Find You"
"Lost Boy"
"A Bloodsoaked Symphony"
"Anticure"
"The Ones That Made Us"
"History Is Silent"
"To the Wolves"
"Orphan"
"Without You"
"Without Us"
"Kin"


"Lost Boy" video:





"A Bloodsoaked Symphony"

December 3rd will see Gothenburg metal powerhouse Manimal release their forthcoming studio album, Armageddon. They have shared a blistering lyric video for their new single "Chains Of Fury", which perfectly emphazises the band's trademark sound of pure steel!


Manimal's loyalty to traditional heavy metal influences is evident, though their latest and much acclaimed 2018- album "Purgatorio" was a prime example of modern and trend-setting power metal characterised by musical enthusiasm, exceptional talent and new ideas. As expected of a band that claims Judas Priest, King Diamond and Queensrÿche as major influences on their sound since Day 1, Manimal's upcoming album is a high energy, in-your-face salute to the music that inspired them over the past 20 years.


The band's evolution between the upcoming Armageddon and their first album, The Darkest Room - released in 2009 - is unquestionable. Their songwriting has become tighter, stronger and bolder, and they have improved by leaps and bounds as musicians. Armageddon showcases their wide range of a heavy as hell sound, and one that will most likely win over the true hearts of both the old school and every modern metal fan.




After previously released singles "Forged In Metal", "The Inevitable End", the epic album title track and just recently, the thunderous album opener "Burn In Hell", today Manimal have unleashed another killer track taken from Armageddon! 


"I think this one stands out a bit from the rest of the songs on the album." Vocalist Samuel Nyman comments. "It has this grinding, almost hypnotizing groove and it's probably one of the heaviest tracks we've ever released. And the message it brings is clear - break loose from your chains of fury!


Once again we've been working with the much talented Andy Pilkington of Very Metal Art to visualize the song and I think he has really managed to capture the very core of the song this time as well."


Watch the lyric video for "Chains Of Fury" below.





Armageddon will be available as LP, CD and Digital formats. Preorder options available here.





Tracklisting:


“Burn In Hell”
“Armageddon”
“Slaves Of Babylon”
“Forged In Metal”
“Chains Of Fury”
“Evil Soul”
“Path To The Unknown”
“Master Of Pain”
“Insanity”
“The Inevitable End”


“Forged In Metal”





“The Inevitable End”:





"Armageddon"

Gore fueled death metallers Pathology recently announced their 11th studio album, The Everlasting Plague, to be released on November 19 via Nuclear Blast. Today, the band offers fans the third single, "Dirge For The Infected".


Pathology comments: "We're stoked to finally share another track from the new album! 'Dirge For The Infected' shows the full range of Pathology's music, from brutally heavy to fast and complex along with everything in between. Take a journey with us on this new track and prepare yourselves for the new album The Everlasting Plague!"


The Everlasting Plague will be available in the following formats:




- CD Jewel Case
- Re-Agent Green Vinyl
- CD + T-Shirt Bundle





Pre-order your copy of The Everlasting Plague here. Pre-save the album here.





The Everlasting Plague tracklisting:


"A Pound Of Flesh"
"Perpetual Torment"
"Engaging In Homicide"
"Procession Of Mangled Humans"
"Viciously Defiled"
"Diseased Morality"
"Submerged In Eviscerated Carnage"
"Corrosive Cranial Affliction"
"As The Entrails Wither"
"Dirge For The Infected"
"Death Ritual Deciphered"
"Decomposition Of Millions"


"Dirge For The Infected" lyric video:





"As The Entrails Wither" lyric video:





"Engaging In Homicide" video:

Screaching towards Halloween, LORDI brings with them what is probably the most gruesome Halloween news of 2021: the Finnish ESC winners from 2006 (“Hard Rock Hallelujah”) now have their own ghost train!

All aboard The LORDI Ghost Train and experience gruelling terror in the truly unique LORDI style that is featured in the new music video for the bands 3rd single from the upcoming album “Lordiversity”.

The video, written and directed by Mr. Lordi himself, who was also responsible for the special effects, took place in that very same ghost train and can be viewed below.

From spring 2022, The LORDI Ghost Train will roll through Finland as a part of the country's largest touring carnival Tivoli Sariola.
“The ghost train is the park's original ride from Tivoli Sariola”, reveals Mr. Lordi. “It got an all new design, completely branded on us. She was quasi lordified."
It is a great honour for the musician from Rovaniemi in northern Finland. "No other rock band on this planet has had its own ghost train!"

The music video, in which the train of horror can already be seen, is the back drop for the song "Borderline" from the bands new album. The word "album" is definitely an understatement regarding the latest release by LORDI: On November 26th 2021, the band will be the first in music history to release a set of seven seperate studio albums of new music! This bold statement is titled “Lordiversity”.

LORDI
Starting spring 2022, the new LORDI themed GHOST TRAIN rattles its way through Finnish fair grounds across the monster rockers home country!

New seven-fold album "Lordiversity" will be released on November 26th 2021 – new single out now.
Screaching towards Halloween, LORDI brings with them what is probably the most gruesome Halloween news of 2021: the Finnish ESC winners from 2006 (“Hard Rock Hallelujah”) now have their own ghost train!

All aboard The LORDI Ghost Train and experience gruelling terror in the truly unique LORDI style that is featured in the new music video for the bands 3rd single from the upcoming album “Lordiversity”.

The video, written and directed by Mr. Lordi himself, who was also responsible for the special effects, took place in that very same ghost train and can be viewed here:



From spring 2022, The LORDI Ghost Train will roll through Finland as a part of the country's largest touring carnival Tivoli Sariola.
“The ghost train is the park's original ride from Tivoli Sariola”, reveals Mr. Lordi. “It got an all new design, completely branded on us. She was quasi lordified."
It is a great honour for the musician from Rovaniemi in northern Finland. "No other rock band on this planet has had its own ghost train!"

The music video, in which the train of horror can already be seen, is the back drop for the song "Borderline" from the bands new album. The word "album" is definitely an understatement regarding the latest release by LORDI: On November 26th 2021, the band will be the first in music history to release a set of seven seperate studio albums of new music! This bold statement is titled “Lordiversity”.



These seven albums are essentially the missing recordings on which the last album “Killection” was based on. "Killection" was a concept album by LORDI that brilliantly envisioned the greatest hits of the monster rock band as if they had existed since the early 70s. Two years after this "Best Of" compilation, "Lordiversity" delivers the imagined back catalog to join the bands legacy.

Mr. Lordi explains: “In the week of March 2020 after our tour had to be cancelled, I thought I would have to use this additional time that is available to me. It quickly became clear that the time was perfect to start planning another album, even though “Killection” was not even three months old at the time. Then I realized, however, that there couldn't be anything more boring than making a regular LORDI album. I had really enjoyed writing, recording and producing the different styles for “Killection”, but the idea of simply composing a second part of it also struck me as extremely boring. But since "Killection" was a fictional album based on a previously non-existent fictional back catalog of music, I had the idea: The only thing that could top "Killection" would be to record and publish the back catalog."

"Skeletric Dinosaur", "Superflytrap", "The Masterbeast From The Moon", "Abusement Park", "Humanimals", "Abracadaver" and "Spooky Sextravaganza Spectecular" all appear on the November 26th release. The complete work is called “Lordiversity”. Monster songs for the monster within us all!


LORDI is:
Mr. Lordi (Vocals)
Mr. Amen (Guitars)
Mr. Hiisi (Bass)
Mr. Mana (Drums)
Ms. Hella (Keyboards)

Follow LORDI:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LordiOfficial/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lordiofficial/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LORDIOFFICIAL
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Lordiofficial

Order & Stream "Lordiversity": https://afm.fanlink.to/LORDI_Lordiversity

Following traditional Holiday music back to its roots, Blackmore’s Night (Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore) approach Christmas songs with their own unique styling. On November 19, they will celebrate the holidays with the relaunch of their classic album Winter Carols, available as a high-quality 2CD Digipak Edition and digital album (earMUSIC).


Originally released in 2006, this 2021 version has been carefully remastered and contains these four tracks that were previously unavailable in this format: “Here We Come A-Caroling”, “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”, “O Little Town Of Bethlehem” and “Silent Night”. Additionally, Winter Carols includes a remastered version of their timeless Christmas single “Christmas Eve”.


A brand-new song, “Coventry Carol”, is an English Christmas carol dating back to the 16th century with additional lyrics by award-winning lyricist / vocalist Candice Night and new musical arrangements by legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.




Mastering the mix of Rock and Folk elements, Blackmore’s Night have always perfected the art of creating music for family, friends, and fans to come together and celebrate. Winter Carols provides the perfect backdrop for the holiday season.





Tracklisting:


CD1:
"Coventry Carol"
"Deck The Halls"
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
"O Christmas Tree"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" / "O Come All Ye Faithful"
"I Saw Three Ships"
"Winter (Basse Dance)"
"Ding Dong Merrily On High"
"Ma-O-Tzur"
"Good King Wenceslas"
"Simple Gifts (Lord Of The Dance)"
"We Three Kings"
"Wish You Were Here" (2021)
"Emmanuel"
"Christmas Eve"
"We Wish You A Merry Christmas"


CD2:
"Crowning Of The King"
"Here We Come A-Caroling"
"It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"
"O Little Town Of Bethlehem"
"Silent Night"
"Christmas Eve" (2013 Version)
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" / "O Come All Ye Faithful" (Live From Minstrel Hall)
"Emmanuel" (Live From Minstrel Hall)
"We Three Kings" (Live From Minstrel Hall)
"Ma-O-Tzur" (Live From Minstrel Hall)
"Good King Wenceslas" (Live From Minstrel Hall)

Armored Saint have released a new CD/DVD, Symbol Of Salvation Live, via Metal Blade Records, to celebrate the seminal album's 30th anniversary. For a preview, a live video for "Spineless" can be seen below:





There are many ways to celebrate the anniversary of an important release in a band's career, and for Symbol Of Salvation's thirtieth birthday - an album vocalist John Bush refers to as Armored Saint's "cornerstone record" - comes Symbol Of Salvation Live. A combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York's famed Gramercy Theatre during their 2018 tour, it captures the power, diversity and peerless songwriting contained within it. "I felt like showing 'Symbol' in another light was a great homage to the record itself," states bassist Joey Vera. "Also, having all the fans be there and part of that event is a way for us to say 'Thank you!' For, without them, we can't do any of this in the first place."




There is no denying that Symbol Of Salvation stands out of the band's catalogue as something truly special, something that the band recognize as readily as their rabid fanbase. "It links our past to our future," says Bush. "I believe it was the time that we honestly thought we could do whatever we wanted to musically and it would somehow work. There's a magical feeling about it and it continues to gain mystique every year." However, the band went through some adverse times while initially writing the songs that would make up the record, being without a label for three years prior to signing with Metal Blade, and in 1990 - before they headed into the studio - losing founding guitarist Dave Prichard to leukemia. This ultimately served to light a fire under the band, pushing them to deliver their very best. "Because we had lifted ourselves out of these ashes, as it were, we felt a very strong desire to make every little thing count," elaborates Vera. "It felt more important than anything we had ever done before. For one thing, we didn't want Dave's writing contributions to be in vain. Also, we were on a mission to let the world hear what we'd been working on for three years. Funny thing is, that during the separation of the metal genre between glam and thrash from '85 to '89, we kinda felt like we had to prove something to everyone else. But while making 'Symbol', we also had something to prove, except this time, we had to prove it to ourselves."


The decision to play the album in its entirety on dates in the US and Europe in 2018 was in fact quite pragmatic, the band between records and wanting to play more shows, and with the anniversary of Symbol Of Salvation on the horizon, Vera believed it would be a "fun challenge" to play it in a live setting. "We thought since the fans seem to agree that this record is a favorite, it would be well received. And as usual, it takes time and planning for a release down the road, so we jumped on that idea and did a bunch of dates before we began writing for our next record," says Vera. "It was really great seeing the reaction from the crowds when we'd play the really deep cuts. Not only the songs we very rarely played, but also the couple of songs that we had never played before. Some of these tunes took on a whole new life and it was very motivating for me, to see these songs in a different light. I would say that experience was an inspiration when I began writing for 'Punching the Sky' (2020)." The show itself was captured by a six-camera crew, Bush saying the band were "pumped up", knowing that they were filming, and as always the quintet delivered their very best from the moment they stepped on stage. They also have fond memories of the show, which remains their biggest headline show in New York to date. "The vibe in the room was so great," says Vera. "The fans made us feel so welcome, like we had come home for a celebration of sorts, and we all celebrated 'Symbol of Salvation'. It gave me chills hearing people sing along to songs like 'Burning Question', a song we never had played live before."


As an extra bonus, the vinyl and digital versions of the record contain five demo tracks from the Symbol Of Salvation writing sessions with Dave Prichard, which have never been released on that format. "They're songs that didn't make the record, however, there still is a vibe to those tunes, plus Dave's playing is on them, so that makes them special," says Bush. These tracks make for welcome additions, helping to further celebrate the record, and the band are just happy and respectful of the fact they have reached this anniversary. "If you would have told me thirty years ago that we'd be talking about this today, I would have told you that you were crazy," Vera says. "All we've ever wanted was to make our own music, to take joy and take pride in doing it. The fact that we also have very loyal fans who continue to support what we do is the best icing on this cake. I try to look at our records as objectively as possible, and when I can do that, I'm very proud that this record is a huge part of the band's legacy, and I am extremely humbled that I'm a part of that."





The CD/DVD is available to order here in the following formats:


- digipak-CD/DVD
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- silver vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- dusty rose pink marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- silver / white corona vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- crystal clear vinyl (US exclusive)
- red / black splatter vinyl (US exclusive)





Symbol Of Salvation Live CD/DVD tracklisting:


"Reign Of Fire" (Live)
"Dropping Like Flies" (Live)
"Last Train Home" (Live)
"Tribal Dance" (Live)
"The Truth Always Hurts" (Live)
"Half Drawn Bridge" (Live)
"Another Day" (Live)
"Symbol Of Salvation" (Live)
"Hanging Judge" (Live)
"Warzone" (Live)
"Burning Question" (Live)
"Tainted Past" (Live)
"Spineless" (Live)


Additional bonus tracks on the digital/vinyl versions:


"Nothing Between The Ears" (1989 4-Track Demo)
"Get Lost" (1989 4-Track Demo)
"Medieval Nightmares" (1989 4-Track Demo)
"People" (1989 4-Track Demo)
"Pirates" (1989 4-Track Demo)
"Symbol Of Salvation" (Live) [Radio Edit] available digitally only


"The Truth Always Hurts" (Live) video:





"Symbol Of Salvation" (Live) video:





This December, Armored Saint will join Black Label Society and Prong for a short run of shows in the US. See below for all dates.





Tour dates:


December
27 - Reno, NV - Virginia Street Brewhouse
28 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Grand
29 - Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern
30 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
31 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee


Armored Saint lineup:


Joey Vera - Bass
Gonzo Sandoval - Drums
Phil Sandoval - Guitars
John Bush - Vocals
Jeff Duncan - Guitars


(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)

2021 marks a monumental year for death metal with the long-awaited return of influential Floridian juggernauts, Massacre. Today, the band has unleashed their album, Resurgence, via Nuclear Blast. Their 4th album, in a career spanning nearly four decades, is classic, unadulterated death metal in its purest form.


In conjunction with today's record release the band has unveiled what is likely one of the most horrifying and appalling music videos ever made for their latest single "Return Of The Corpse Grinder." Watch the repugnant uncensored video (banned from YouTube), or the censored version for those with weak stomachs!, below. *TRIGGER WARNING: Brutal violation of corpse and necrophilia of charred human remains.


Commenting on the release of Resurgence and gruesome new single "Return Of The Corpse Grinder", vocalist Kam Lee states: "Well for starters… we made a video for 'Return Of The Corpse Grinder'… but it is so disgusting and foul it may be BANNED! How fucking awesome is that?!! Total Jorg Buttgereit (Nekromantik films) worship! Disgusting necrophilia and Ed Gein worship – the ONLY way to do the song justice. Anything less would have been a disservice and just wimpy!! But it’s most likely too extreme for most viewers… I feel so accomplished!!




"I hope fans do get to check it out… it’s a total complete tribute to the Nekromantik films and to Ed Gein being the influence to the original songs lyrics to begin with. And the songs music is just a perfect continuation in style and form – it really brings the Corpse Grinder saga full circle. Coming out of the gate with Resurgence and being told that video we did for the 2nd part to the Corpse Grinder may be too extreme to air is fucking brilliant!!


"I am proud of the work we did on the album, the songs and material really are the essence of O.S.D.M. style and sound, and I feel this was the best team I could gather together to make this album what it is! I realize lightening couldn’t strike twice… “From Beyond” was lightening in a bottle… and it’s not going to be beat, but I did my best to bring the proper team together to make a follow up – 30 years late – that is and proves to be the proper and correct continuation of the band Massacre the way it was always meant to be!"


Uncensored:





Censored:





Order Resurgence here.





Tracklisting:


"Eldritch Prophecy"
"Ruins Of R'lyeh"
"The Innsmouth Strain"
"Whisperer In Darkness"
"Book Of The Dead"
"Into The Far-Off Void"
"Servants Of Discord"
"Fate Of The Elder Gods"
"Spawn Of The Succubus"
"Return Of The Corpse Grinder"


"Whisperer In Darkness" video:





"Ruins Of R'lyeh" visualizer:





"The Innsmouth Strain" visualizer:





Massacre rose from the swamps of Southern Florida in the early 80's during a heatwave of groundbreaking death metal that produced some of the genre's most revered forefathers, Death, Obituary and Six Feet Under. Their legacy was founded with a string of classic demos, Aggressive Tyrant (1986), Chamber of Ages (1986) and The Second Coming (1990), before unleashing their critically praised classic debut album From Beyond (1991).


Now decades later, the band makes their long-awaited return, invigorated with the same youthful rage that brought them together at inception. For Resurgence, long-time members, vocalist Kam Lee and bassist Mike Borders, were joined in the studio by some of death's most prolific and malignant songwriters, guitarist Rogga Johansson, guitarist Jonny Pettersson, guitarist Scott Fairfax and drummer Brynjar Helgetun with additional guest performances by Marc Grewe, Dave Ingram, Anders Odden, and Pete Slate.


The record was recorded with producer and death metal icon Dan Swanö (ex-Edge Of Sanity, ex-Bloodbath) and Pettersson as engineer/mixer.

31 Years after the release of the iconic Seasons in the Abyss record, San Francisco-based Gürschach have released their version of “Dead Skin Mask”, alongside an accompanying music video for the track in preparation for their upcoming Hypnotic Disasters EP.





Underground band Gürschach has a long history with the song, as it has been a recurring cover played during their shows in the holiday season. Mixed and mastered by Zach Ohren, the band sought to make the cover as faithful as possible due to the respect they have for the track. At its heart, it keeps Slayer’s thrash metal styling through the familiar hard-hitting riffs, punchy drums, and in your face metal vocals. The single art for the track is even highly inspired by the iconic Seasons in the Abyss album art! However, the band made the decision to include screamed vocals, and re-recorded the iconic voices in the song with the goal to make it sound more haunting, while also playing guitar solos in their own style. But does their cover hold a candle to the original? Only the listener can make that call!







With the release of this track, Gürschach has also released an accompanying video to commemorate the release of this track off their upcoming EP Hypnotic Disasters, which will release on January 14th. The video brings the artwork of both the single and the upcoming EP to life, alongside of images of swirling hallways, fire, and skeletons, making it a perfect video to enjoy this Halloween season! The Hypnotic Disasters EP will include this cover, as well as their popular re-imagining of St. Anger they released last year, and three original tracks they recorded during COVID-19. The band will be playing a release show on that date and have an accompanying release tour to be announced soon.

In anticipation of the upcoming release of Restless Heart: Super Deluxe Edition on October 29, Whitesnake have released an upgraded HD video for "Don't Fade Away". Watch below:





In the wake of Whitesnake’s massive global success, the band’s founder and lead singer, David Coverdale, set out to record his third solo album in 1995. However, the plan was derailed when pressure from his record label forced him to change course and release Restless Heart under the David Coverdale & Whitesnake moniker. Despite the changes, the 1997 album was a Top 40 hit in the UK. Surprisingly, the record was never released in the US. That will change this fall when Rhino introduces several versions of Restless Heart, including a four-disc boxed set.




Restless Heart: Super Deluxe Edition will be available on October 29 and is available for pre-order now. The 4CD/DVD collection features newly remastered and remixed versions of the original album, along with unreleased demos and studio outtakes. The DVD includes music videos and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album with new interviews from David Coverdale. The set comes with a hardbound book filled with rare and unseen photos from the era.


Three additional versions of Restless Heart will be available the same day. First is a two-CD Deluxe Edition that includes the new remix plus the original album, newly remastered. Next is a double-LP Deluxe Edition pressed on 180-gram silver vinyl that features the newly remixed album. And finally, there is a single-disc version which again features the newly remixed album . In addition, all of the music will be available digitally through streaming services.


Restless Heart: Super Deluxe Edition opens with a newly remixed version of the album that’s closer to the sound Coverdale initially intended for his new solo release. It’s followed by a newly remastered version of Restless Heart, including the singles “Too Many Tears” and “Don’t Fade Away,” plus three bonus tracks from the album’s original Japanese release. Featured musicians include Adrian Vandenberg, Denny Carmassi, Guy Pratt and in addition, guitarist Joel Hoekstra and keyboardist Derek Sherinian who bring their exceptional talents to the party.


The following two discs reveal how Restless Heart evolved, starting with early pre-production versions of every album track to later takes of those songs.


The DVD features several music videos (“Too Many Tears” and “Restless Heart) plus the Making of the Album featurette. There is also a video EP featuring the three relevant songs from the 1997 live acoustic album, Starkers In Tokyo, originally only available in Japan.


Watch David Coverdale unbox the 25th anniversary edition of Restless Heart below:





Pre-order here.





Restless Heart: Super Deluxe Edition tracklisting:


Disc 1: Restless Heart: 2021 Remix


"Restless Heart"
"You’re So Fine"
"Can’t Go On"
"Crying"
"Take Me Back Again"
"Anything You Want"
"Too Many Tears"
"All In The Name Of Love"
"Your Precious Love"
"Can’t Stop Now"
"Woman Trouble Blues"
"Stay With Me"
"Oi (Theme For An Imaginary Drum Solo)"
"Don’t Fade Away"
"Can’t Go On (Unzipped)"


Disc 2: Restless Heart: 2021 Remaster


"Don’t Fade Away"
"All In The Name Of Love"
"Restless Heart"
"Too Many Tears"
"Crying"
"Stay With Me"
"Can’t Go On"
"You’re So Fine"
"Your Precious Love"
"Take Me Back Again"
"Woman Trouble Blues"
"Anything You Want"
"Can’t Stop Now"
"Too Many Tears ’95" (Live & Drunk in the Studio featuring The Horny B’stards)


Disc 3: Dancing On The Titanic (Early Arrangements & Getting Drum Tracks in the Studio)


"Restless Heart"
"You’re So Fine"
"Can’t Go On"
"Crying"
"Take Me Back Again"
"Anything You Want"
"Too Many Tears"
"All In The Name Of Love"
"Your Precious Love" (Soul Version)
"You Precious Love"
"Can’t Stop Now" (Instrumental Version)
"Woman Trouble Blues"
"Stay With Me"
"Oi" (Instrumental)
"Don’t Fade Away"
"Snakes Down South" (Unreleased Demo)


Disc 4: Restless Heart: Evolutions


"Restless Heart"
"You’re So Fine"
"Can’t Go On"
"Crying"
"Take Me Back Again"
"Anything You Want (Red Light Green Light)"
"Too Many Tears"
"All In The Name Of Love"
"Your Precious Love"
"Can’t Stop Now"
"Woman Trouble Blues"
"Stay With Me"
"Oi" (Instrumental)
"Don’t Fade Away"


Disc 5: Restless Heart: DVD-Video


"All In The Name Of Love" - Fan Video
"Anything You Want" - Fan Video
"You’re So Fine" - Music Video
"Restless Heart" - Fan Video
"Too Many Tears" - Music Video
"Don’t Fade Away" - Music Video
"Can’t Go On" - Acoustic Slideshow
"Restless Heart" - Lyric Video


Startkers Trilogy:


"Too Many Tears"
"Can’t Go On"
"Don’t Fade Away"


Behind The Scenes:


- The Making Of Restless Heart














Whitesnake and special guests Europe recently announced that together they will be hitting the road across the EU. Tickets are on sale now.


Whitesnake will tour Europe starting May 27, 2022 in Germany, and continuing through June, with more dates to be announced in the coming weeks. Confirmed shows are listed below.


“After all the extraordinary challenges we’ve been through together over the last year & a half, I am beyond excited to be able to announce the start of our 2022 EU dates!!! I pray every day we can all make this happen & once again, share unforgettable evenings together & celebrate the amazing journey we have been on for almost 50 years!!!” - David Coverdale


New 2022 Whitesnake Tour Dates:


May
27 - Arena - Oberhausen, Germany
29 - KB Hall - Copenhagen, Denmark
31 - Partille Arena - Gothenburg, Sweden


June
2 - Tjuvholmen Arena - Hamar, Norway
4 - Hovet - Stockholm, Sweden
6 - Ice Hall - Helsinki, Finland
8 - Saku Arena - Tallin, Estonia
10 - Aren - Kaunas, Lithuania
12 - Tauron Arena - Krakow, Poland (NO PRE-SALE)
14 - O2 Universum - Prague, Czech Republic
19 - Zenith - Munich, Germany
21 - Samsung Hall - Zurich, Switzerland
28 - Lorenzini - Milan, Italy





Previously Announced 2022 UK & Ireland Dates:


May
10 - 3Arena - Dublin, Ireland
12 - SEC (SSE Hydro Arena) - Glasgow, Scotland
14 - Utilita Arena - Newcastle, England
16 - The O2 Arena - London, England
18 - AO Arena - Manchester, England
20 - Motorpoint Arena - Nottingham, England
22 - Utilita Arena - Birmingham, England
25 - Motorpoint Arena - Cardiff, Wales

Sixx:A.M. have unveiled their new single, “Waiting All My Life”, from their new compilation album, Sixx:A.M. Hits, out now via Better Noise Music. Find the new clip below.


Sixx:A.M. - featuring Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, vocalist James Michael, and former Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba - are releasing the album as a companion piece to Sixx’s memoir The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx, available via Hachette Books.


After 21 years of sobriety, Sixx, also a founding member of the legendary music group Mötley Crüe, is incredibly passionate about his craft and an open book about his life in rock and roll. In the memoir, Sixx fills in the earlier parts of his fascinating true-life story, telling the inspirational story of his first 21 years, how Frank Feranna became Nikki Sixx. Combining his work as a writer and a musician, The First 21 continues Sixx’s tradition of setting the soundtrack to his own life, offering multi-layered pieces of art.







In 2007, Sixx:A.M. released The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, alongside Sixx’s best-selling memoir The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star, introducing the concept of a book soundtrack into popular culture. Both the book and the album were successes upon release, with the book instantly becoming a New York Times-best seller in its first week, selling out in bookstores around the U.S. The album spawned the #1 single “Life Is Beautiful”, eventually achieving Gold certification in the U.S. Expanding this artistic signature move, The First 21 now get its own soundtrack with the Hits album.





Tracklisting:


"Life Is Beautiful"
"This Is Gonna Hurt"
"Lies Of The Beautiful People"
"Pray For Me"
"Rise"
"Stars"
"Maybe It's Time"
"Skin"
"Belly Of The Beast"
"Are You With Me Now"
"Girl With Golden Eyes"
"Accidents Can Happen"
"Gotta Get It Right"
"We Will Not Go Quietly"
"The First 21" (previously unreleased)
"Talk To Me" (Radio Mix - previously unreleased)
"Penetrate" (previously unreleased)
"Waiting All My Life" (previously unreleased)
"Skin" (Rock Mix -  previously unreleased)
"Life Is Beautiful" (piano / vocal - previously unreleased)


Waiting All My Life" lyric video:





“The First 21” lyric video:





“Pray For Me” lyric video:





"Skin" (Rock Mix):

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


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.




For this Star One release, Arjen has decided to use a different singer for each song, and those singers as well as the instrumentalists are slowly being revealed on Arjen’s Facebook page.


Arjen has checked in with the following teaser:


"Tony Martin sings the track ‘Lost Children OF The Universe’ on CD2 of the new Star One album, Revel in Time. Check out this video to hear a part of the song. A legendary voice from one of my favorite Black Sabbath eras, a pleasure and an honor to work with Tony again!"





Arjen explains the decision to return with a new Star One album: “Ayreon is like the mothership for all my music. It contains all the different musical styles that I like to listen to and that I love to create. But I’m always looking for challenges and trying to create something new and original as well. Working within a set of constraints forces you to do that, so sometimes I like to limit myself and focus on just one style. For example, with Star One I focus on the metal-side of Ayreon. That means you won’t hear the exuberantly liberal use of acoustic instruments that are so often featured on Ayreon albums, like violin, woodwinds, cello, horns, dulcimer, mandolin, etc.”





The artwork was designed by Ayreon artist Jef Bertels, Arjen explains: “As always, Jef’s painting is wondrously labyrinthine; I can sit in front of it for hours and discover new details all the time. Now you might be thinking “Hey, isn’t Jef Bertels the designated artist for Ayreon, but not for Star One?” Of course I thought about that myself. But when I realized how much I liked this album I felt that it deserved a painting of its own and a special place alongside Jef’s other front-cover masterpieces. And anyway, I’ve been breaking rules ever since the very beginning of Ayreon. So… there you have it!”


(Photo - Rob Billingham)