GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna spoke to Minneapolis. Minnesota's 93X radio station about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's new studio album. He said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "People always ask us about this gap of how come it takes GODSMACK four years to put out new music. Well, for us, it's a blink of an eye. And the reason is because we take about six months to a year to write and record a record, 'cause we go for quality most of the time, not quantity. And then it's touring on it, which lasts another 18 months to two years. And then, obviously, when coming off a big world tour like that, before we do another record, we're taking six months off or something like that, and then it's another six months to a year to write [a new album]. So four years goes by very quickly is my point. Obviously, with COVID, it even bumped it up a little bit more. So, in a nutshell, the plan is gonna be we have some shows we're gonna honor this April and May coming up from back when COVID hit and we had to cancel some — just a handful. And then we are planning to hopefully release something late '22, with the intentions of getting out there by early '23 — in the States. We may start a little sooner in Europe first, but the States, I think, '23 for a big new-look world tour kind of thing [in support of a] new album."

Erna went on to say that GODSMACK had originally planned on putting out new music in 2021 but decided against it once it became obvious that touring would be delayed further by the ongoing pandemic.

"When this [pandemic] thing happened, then we were, like, 'Okay, well, this gives us some time, 'cause I wanna set up this place and get the band ready in a new studio' and whatever," Sully explained. "Then we finished the studio and we went right to work. We were in there for two, three months or whatever, and we started grinding and pumping out music, and then we were going, like, 'Wait a minute here. Why are we in such a hurry? We're not gonna tour yet for a while.' And Tony [Rombola, guitar] was, like, 'Yeah, I wanna kind of do some projects around my house,' and Shannon [Larkin, drums] the same, and Robbie [Merrill, bass] was going through something, rebuilding his personal life. And I'm, like, 'There's no reason. We just toured for more than two decades straight, and now we're rushing to get right out there during a pandemic when we're not gonna be able to get out there?' So we just went, 'Eh. Shut it off. See you next year. Let's go enjoy our summer. Let's enjoy our families and our friends and our houses.' And we took this year off. So now we've committed to getting in there January 2nd and we're gonna work through the end of April to try to button up a record. And that's why we're looking at probably like a late summer, early fall release for a new single. And then [a full-length] record following that."

This past September, GODSMACK's latest album, "When Legends Rise", was certified gold on by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies. In addition, two more of the LP's singles (the title track and "Under Your Scars") were also officially certified gold by the RIAA. The album's first single "Bulletproof" earned a platinum digital single award in September 2020 and was previously certified gold in the U.S.

"When Legends Rise" was the seventh studio album from GODSMACK. Produced by Erik Ron and Erna, it was the band's first release in four years and was recorded at their now-former headquarters (GSHQ) in Derry, New Hampshire. The album went on to garner a multitude of career milestones for the group: four No. 1 rock tracks (an accomplishment that makes GODSMACK one of only four rock acts to achieve this), and a record 11 No. 1 singles in the band's career with the album's fourth single, "Unforgettable". "When Legends Rise" entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart in the top ten (No. 8), with four No. 1 placements on other charts: Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Music Albums, Top Independent Albums and Top Alternative Albums.

During an appearance on a recent episode of Bill Burr's "Monday Morning" podcast, former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted was asked if there was a particular concert that stood out in his mind as being particularly memorable. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The ones that have been glorified over time and sensationalized, like the big Russian show and that stuff — unforgettable, of course, [and] quite well documented. But there's other ones that are personally huge for us as a unit. Day On The Green in Oakland [on] October 12 of '91. That was [legendary concert promoter] Bill Graham's last proper show that he put on — period. That's a big goddamn deal to Bay Area, man. He took a chance on METALLICA back in '82, '83. '84, whatever it was. And then they came back home to headline that thing. We'd been on the road for the Black Album a couple of months. We just started firing on all cylinders. MTV came there with 19 freakin' cameras and did their thing and recorded it nice and it sounded so killer on the TV. I remember playing a big Alembic six-string bass with a string on the top as big and as round as your fucking finger — like a telephone cable on that fucker — but tuned down for 'Sad But True', and just taking people's freakin' fillings out, man. You could see their sternums come flying up onto the stage. They were standing next to the bass bins in the front, just getting destroyed. We were hitting right then with such precision."

Jason left METALLICA back in 2001 but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.

Newsted's exit from METALLICA was documented in the band's 2004 documentary, "Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster", which followed the members of the group through the three most turbulent years of their long career, during which they battled through addiction, lineup changes, fan backlash, personal turmoil and the near-disintegration of the group while making their "St. Anger" album.

Newsted was METALLICA's third bassist, following Ron McGovney and the late Cliff Burton. Trujillo took over in 2003 after Newsted's exit.

Jason spoke in detail about the reason he left METALLICA in a 2013 interview with Scuzz TV. Newsted said that his eventual split with the group was over the way his then-side band, ECHOBRAIN, was handled.

Newsted told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he never saw how ECHOBRAIN could have interfered with METALLICA. "I never felt that it was going to affect METALLICA in any way," he said. "There was no way that it could. The monster and the integrity and the legend that METALLICA's built, it would take a lot more than that to ever affect it."

DEATH ANGEL guitarist Ted Aguilar spoke to the "Loaded Radio" podcast about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the Grammy-nominated "Humanicide" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There is plans [to record a new LP]. Right now, there's just rumblings and just ideas floating around. We haven't really sat down and pieced them together. But there's plans. I mean, who knows? We could have an album ready in two months or we may not. It all depends. It's kind of hard to predict the future, because of the landscape of the world right now. I know our [North American] tour with TESTAMENT and EXODUS got pushed back to April-May [of 2022]. So that gives us time to do some writing. And who knows? Maybe we could have something by then; we may not. But there's some ideas floating around, for sure."

DEATH ANGEL will release a new live album titled "The Bastard Tracks" on Black Friday, November 26 via Nuclear Blast. Recorded live at The Great American Music Hall in their hometown of San Francisco on May 22, 2021, and streamed live soon after, "The Bastard Tracks" is a deep-cuts collection of rarely and never performed songs from the band's catalog that will be released digitally and on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray.

Last December, DEATH ANGEL streamed its seventh annual "Another Death Angel XMas Show" from The Great Northern in San Francisco.

In October 2020, DEATH ANGEL released a four-song EP, "Under Pressure". The effort included a cover of QUEEN + David Bowie's "Under Pressure", followed by a new track titled "Faded Remains", plus acoustic versions of "Act III"'s classic "A Room With A View" and "Humanicide"'s "Revelation Song". The EP was mixed by Max Norman (OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH, BAD COMPANY) and mastered by Ted Jensen (LAMB OF GOD, MACHINE HEAD, HALESTORM).

Released in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast, "Humanicide" saw DEATH ANGEL returning to producer and friend Jason Suecof (DEICIDE, TRIVIUM) of Audiohammer studios for the recording and mixing, along with the mastering of the legendary Ted Jensen (SLIPKNOT, PANTERA) of Sterling Sound, who added the final touches and brought it all to life, with artist Brent Elliott White (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH) providing the ominous cover artwork.

In March 2020, DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll spent almost two weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. He first got sick when he and the rest of DEATH ANGEL spent more than a month on the road in Europe with TESTAMENT and EXODUS as part of "The Bay Strikes Back 2020" tour.

DEATH ANGEL was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the "Humanicide" title track. It was the group's first Grammy nomination.

Carroll joined DEATH ANGEL in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original drummer, Andy Galeon.

Will can be heard on the last four DEATH ANGEL studio albums: "Relentless Retribution" (2010), "The Dream Calls for Blood" (2013), "The Evil Divide" (2016) and the aforementioned "Humanicide".

METALLICA has announced a "San Francisco Takeover" to coincide with the band's 40th-anniversary celebrations next month. Among the events being planned are performances by TAIPEI HOUSTON, the new band featuring Myles and Layne Ulrich, sons of METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich; and OTTTO, the three-piece band featuring Tye Trujillo, son of METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo; and THE WEDDING BAND, the side project of METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, along with UGLY KID JOE singer Whitfield Crane and BAD WOLVES guitarist Doc Coyle.

METALLICA said in a statement: "Our 40th Anniversary celebration is just a month away, and we’re getting ready to take over the city of San Francisco! From awesome live music and Blackened Whiskey parties to a 'TALLICA film-fest and three Ross Halfin events, you won't want to miss out on what we have in store. Tickets for all weekend events go on sale this Friday, November 19 at 10 AM PST.

"Already set to attend the two METALLICA shows and want to make sure you get in the door at every other official, ticketed, METALLICA event in San Francisco that weekend? A very limited number of 'Takeover the 40th' upgrades will also be available on Friday.

"Please note that San Francisco proof of vaccination and mask requirements apply to all events. For more information, visit SF.gov."

This past July, METALLICA announced details of its massive 40th-birthday celebration: The band will mark this milestone by inviting the worldwide METALLICA family to join them in their hometown of San Francisco for two unique live shows featuring two different setlists December 17 and 19 at Chase Center. Tickets for these shows were made available only to registered members of METALLICA's Fifth Member fan club.

The 40th-anniversary shows see METALLICA return to Chase Center for the first time since the September 2019 "S&M²" concerts that also served as the venue's grand opening. It was impossible not to notice that fans from more than 60 countries traveled to the City by the Bay and completely took over San Francisco for "S&M²" weekend. That outpouring of positive vibes from around the world inspired METALLICA to invite those Fifth Members back — and this time, in addition to the two shows at Chase Center, METALLICA will be curating other live music and comedy events, Blackened Whiskey tastings, and so much more all around the city during the long four-day weekend of celebrations starting on Thursday, December 16.

Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, having sold nearly 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 2.5 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on literally all seven continents. The band's several multi-platinum albums include "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "… And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album), "Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic" and "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", released in November 2016 and charting at No. 1 in 32 countries.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, and its 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In June of 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden's Polar Music Prize. METALLICA's newest release, the "S&M²" album and film, arrived last August on the band's own Blackened Recordings label. "S&M²" chronicles METALLICA and San Francisco Symphony's September 6 and September 8, 2019 "S&M²" concerts that served as the grand opening of San Francisco's Chase Center and reunited the band and Symphony for the first time in 20 years. "S&M²" brings those historic shows back to life, capturing more than two and a half hours of James, Lars, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo joining forces with the nearly 80-strong San Francisco Symphony, legendary music director of the orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas and conductor Edwin Outwater.

DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie says that he hasn't spoken to the band's original drummer Mike Portnoy in more than a decade.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER 36 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, STEVE VAI).

LaBrie discussed his relationship with Portnoy in a new interview with Radio Forrest. He said: "I haven't spoken to Mike, to be quite honest, since he left the band. So I think that pretty much says it all."

LaBrie had previously seemingly closed the door on the possibility of a DREAM THEATER reunion with Portnoy, telling Chile's Radio Futuro in an August 2013 interview: "That possibility, I don't see it ever happening; it's not gonna happen. Because, first and foremost, Mike Mangini is a full-fledged member of the band now, he's a phenomenal drummer and he's doing everything that we could possibly want as a drummer in a band. He's helping us realize exactly what we wanna do right now musically. And he will be our drummer until the day that we finish doing this, when we conclude. Mike Portnoy was a big part of our past, but I think that's where it's going to remain. He was a drummer from the past. And as far as presently and into the future, it will be Mike Mangini, and we all feel very strongly about that. He's an incredible drummer, he's an incredible asset to the band, and he is fulfilling our wildest dreams as far as what we're doing musically and what we're doing with each album. So that's the way it stands."

Portnoy was a guest on DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci's second solo album, "Terminal Velocity", which was released in August 2020 via Sound Mind Music/The Orchard. The effort marked the first time Petrucci and Portnoy recorded together in over a decade, as well as their first time playing together since Portnoy departed DREAM THEATER. John later shot down speculation among DREAM THEATER fans that it's only a matter of time before Portnoy returns to the band, telling Spain's Metal Hammer: "I think it's really important for everybody's sake — for fans to understand this. I think it's important, out of respect for both drummers — for Mike Mangini and Mike Portnoy — that there's no misconstrued thing: 'Oh, this means something else.' This is [Portnoy] playing on my solo album, which is a really happy moment for me… I don't want people to get the wrong idea. I don't wanna create any drama or weirdness, because it's all positive. I made a solo album — finally, after 15 years — and I got my friend to play drums on it, who I haven't played with in 10 years. So that's the vibe."

In a 2017 interview with Rockhok, Portnoy insisted that had "no longing to reunite" with DREAM THEATER but said that he would return to his former band "for the fans." He explained: "The ball's in their court, to be honest. I have no longing to reunite with them; it's not something I necessarily am looking to do or want to do. I'm very content with all the eighty-seven bands I currently have going, so it's something I need. But I would do it for the fans, because I'm a very sentimental person and I have a lot of great, fond memories of those guys and the times. I'm a sentimental guy, so I would never close the door on it. So, really, the ball's in their court, honestly. [But] if you're asking me the odds [of a reunion happening], I would say, don't bet on it, because I know their personalities as well and I don't think they're the type that are looking backwards."

A couple of years ago, Portnoy told Loud that he left DREAM THEATER because he wanted to expand his musical horizons. "[I didn't] want to go to my grave and just be the drummer from DREAM THEATER," he said. "I knew there was way more to what I had to offer."

Since the 2010 departure of Portnoy, Petrucci, along with keyboardist Jordan Rudess, has taken on much of the songwriting load for DREAM THEATER, including 2016's controversial double concept album, "The Astonishing", 2019's "Distance Over Time" and the band's latest LP, "A View From The Top Of The World".

Progressive rockers CYNIC will release their new full-length album, "Ascension Codes", on November 26 via Season Of Mist. The band has just shared the brand new single "In A Multiverse Where Atoms Sing". The song is available in the form of a drum-playthrough video performed by Matt Lynch.

"Ascension Codes" is a remarkably far-reaching work, and if nothing else, a clear indication that CYNIC has landed in a place of mastery. The album, paradoxically, acts as both swan song and rebirth.

CYNIC's continual state of development has met its share of challenges over the years, hurdles that threatened to dismantle the entity's forward surge. Yet through hurricanes, breakups, and assorted acrimony both personal and existential, it remains inspired to create.

Their name is synonymous with what it means to be truly progressive in music. CYNIC's top-tier performance acumen and cerebral/spiritual/yogic themes finds them inhabiting a corner of the musical spectrum all their own. Their Venn diagram shows intersections with death metal, prog rock, thrash metal, experimental, new age, jazz fusion, and a myriad of other sonic expressions.

CYNIC's debut album "Focus" (1993), is a certified classic. Although that era ended with transformation into the short-lived PORTAL, and then a further splinter toward AEON SPOKE, CYNIC's reunion era has found them embraced in a way that proves how ahead of the times they were in the '90s. Through monuments such as the "Traced In Air" (2008) and "Kindly Bent To Free Us" (2014) albums, the "Carbon-Based Anatomy" and "Re-Traced" EPs, and a surprising rebirth with the "Humanoid" single of 2018, the CYNIC legacy remains untarnished. Yet early in the creation cycle for their fourth full-length album, they experienced horrible events that tested the entity's resolve.

The year 2020 will go down in history as a tremendously difficult time for the global human population. For the CYNIC family, the struggle was not restricted to a pandemic. It was two utterly senseless losses that threw the band's immediate concerns into the background: the premature deaths of drummer Sean Reinert in January, at age 48, and bassist Sean Malone in December, at age 50, were shocking and unthinkable.

Reinert, a founding CYNIC member since formation in 1988, was highly influential to a multitude of young drummers. His work on 1993's "Focus" and DEATH's watershed 1991 album "Human" found him sculpting extreme technical metal with a jazz fusion-inspired approach. Now taken for granted, that approach to the instrument and the genre was undoubtedly pioneered in large part by Reinert. Though parting with CYNIC in 2015, his imprint on CYNIC is inescapable.

The death of Sean Malone dealt another horrible layer of tragedy to CYNIC's 2020. In his many years with the band, Malone's virtuoso playing meshed intuitively with Reinert's. Together they formed a nucleus of kinetic, highly capable rhythmic dexterity that fueled CYNIC's celestial aims.

One of these deaths would have seemed unimaginable by itself. Both of them, in the same year, nearly broke surviving member Paul Masvidal. But the seeds of a fourth CYNIC full-length existed long before the deaths, and the guitarist, through a haze of grief and disbelief, pushed forward. "I wanted to make this record right after 'Kindly Bent To Free Us'," says Masvidal. "I was raring to go, hyper-creative, in this total flow state. And then it all imploded."

Parts of songs were in the gestation process as early as 2014. Masvidal says that Reinert and Malone heard elements of what ended up on the fourth album. Slowly, methodically, and with much careful deliberation, Masvidal eventually completed an album titled "Ascension Codes" to honor the memory of his fallen band mates. And while the album honors the lives and contributions of Reinert and Malone, it also pushes CYNIC forward for its own sake and through its own will to live. The album, paradoxically, acts as both swan song and rebirth. It is, throughout its 49 minutes, a vivid and highly cosmic journey into the very core of every impulse this band has ever explored.

"Ascension Codes" is perhaps the most ethereal sounding CYNIC album to date, but also skews heavier than previous album "Kindly Bent To Free Us". The expanded lineup is surely responsible for the album's far-reaching scope.

After Reinert's exit from CYNIC in 2015, Masvidal and Malone recruited drummer Matt Lynch. Found through a tip from BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME's Dan Briggs, Lynch proved to be a perfect addition to the band. As Masvidal notes, Lynch's "hybrid modern style is like a fusion of drum and bass electronic music influences combined with modern jazz/prog approaches. Lynch is a true original in that he's a fully realized drummer constructing his parts as carefully as any other compositional element always is on a CYNIC record. Every single accent and note coming from him is birthed from a precise and inspired place." We hear this throughout "Ascension Codes", pushing the music along with finesse, adding shape and texture in ways only the most sensitive drummers can do.

But how to replace Sean Malone on bass? Masvidal's answer: don't even try. The lines of bass notes heard throughout "Ascension Codes" are performed on bass synthesizer by keyboardist Dave Mackay. A British pianist, writer, producer and Moog/vintage synth enthusiast, Mackay has toured with everyone from Art Garfunkel to Plini (the latter providing the initial introduction between Mackay and Masvidal). Based in Los Angeles and London, Mackay's work is sensitive to Malone's touch, while also adding a throbbing intensity that offers CYNIC new low-end possibilities. "He's got a vast jazz harmonic vocabulary," notes Masvidal, "which is what's needed in the context of CYNIC's music, especially for bass lines. I knew that I could never replace Malone. Anyone I would find would be expected to play like him, and that's not fair to another musician. And things were too fresh for me with the loss of Malone, so I had to go somewhere new. With Mackay, I heard his groovy left-hand approach, and how musical he was across the board having played with a variety of musicians and styles. I realized he would bring something fresh to the table, and he provided a space for me to start again with a completely different instrument and forgo any traditional ideas I had about what CYNIC bass lines should sound like."

Ultimately Mackay delivered above and beyond, with a real awareness of a bass player's role in a progressive trio context. First, by holding down the harmony and being "in the pocket," while also creating an independent and dynamic voice within that space. Mackay has a rare combination of skills and the vibe he locked into with Lynch with sounds like a rhythm section from the future. Plus, his Moog synth tone offers a low-end depth that's never been heard in our recordings." On December 5, 2019, Dave Mackay shared the stage with Paul Masvidal for a performance of the guitarist's solo material. On bass that evening was Sean Malone. After the gig, Malone told Masvidal, "We should bring Mackay in for the new record."

Michael Berberian, president and founder of Season Of Mist Records, remained close to Masvidal throughout the 2020 losses of his bandmates. Michael states: "I have, by now, released close to one thousand albums. None have been more dramatic, none have even been more difficult than this one. I can't listen to 'Ascension Codes' without goosebumps, a mixed feeling of pride — because it's a musical milestone, but it also contains a lingering layer of sadness. I hear Paul's pain on this record. I can feel it, I can touch it. But it's transcended. 'Art is to console those who are broken by life,' said Van Gogh. Here is a demonstration of that."

"Ascension Codes" was mixed and co-produced by Warren Riker, who worked with AEON SPOKE, CYNIC in the "Traced In Air" era, and mixed Paul Masvidal's solo acoustic trilogy. "Riker's a wizard who gets inside the music and commits. He expands boundaries as a mixer, always finding new ways to push the sonic envelope," says Masvidal.

Keeping things in the family, Martina Hoffmann's original painting titled "The Landing" graces "Ascension Codes" with breathtaking scope and presence. The visionary work inspired by Martina's time walking the beaches of Brittany, France after the death of her longtime partner, the artist Robert Venosa (whose artwork adorns all CYNIC releases between 1993 and 2018) followed by the loss of her mother, the subject of the piece features the arrival of a great mothership made of light and flesh, not machine but an organic entity that has brought hope and infinite possibilities. Masvidal says of Hoffmann: "Martina's art has always held a special place in my heart, and I'm deeply grateful for her love and support. When I first contacted Venosa as a teenager, it was Martina who encouraged him to lend his work to the band, because she heard something in our music. She is like the divine mother in this CYNIC/Venosa lineage," Masvidal says. "Her spirit and multidimensional talents are truly a gift to this world. I feel that she is one of the great artistic voices of our age."

Track listing:

01. Mu-54* (0:32)

02. The Winged Ones (5:08)

03. A'-va432 (0:28)

04. Elements And Their Inhabitants (3:09)

05. Ha-144 (0:30)

06. Mythical Serpents (6:24)

07. Sha48* (0:19)

08. 6th Dimensional Archetype (4:07)

09. DNA Activation Template (5:25)

10. Shar-216 (0:23)

11. Architects Of Consciousness (6:20)

12. DA'z-a86.4 (0:34)

13. Aurora (4:34)

14. DU-*61.714285 (0:30)

15. In A Multiverse Where Atoms Sing (3:48)

16. A'jha108 (0:28)

17. Diamond Light Body (5:43)

18. Ec-ka72 (0:47)

Groundbreaking, genre-defying instrumental trio ANIMALS AS LEADERS has announced its highly anticipated new album, "Parrhesia". The band's first new full-length effort since 2016's critically acclaimed "The Madness Of Many" will be released on March 25, 2022 via Sumerian Records.

To celebrate the announcement of ANIMALS AS LEADERS' first new album in six years, the band has released a brand new single and accompanying music video, "The Problem Of Other Minds".

ANIMALS AS LEADERS guitarist Tosin Abasi comments: "It's been a while since we've released a body of work. We're really proud of this collection of songs as well as the visual components, and are excited to share it with all of you."

"The Problem Of Other Minds" arrives two months after the release of "Monomyth", which was accompanied by a music video directed by Telavaya Reynolds and featuring choreography by Tlathui Maza of Nohbords. The music video has clocked up nearly 900,000 YouTube views, with the track clocking up over 1 million cross-platform streams.

"Parrhesia" track listing:

01. Conflict Cartography

02. Monomyth

03. Red Miso

04. Gestaltzerfall

05. Asahi

06. The Problem Of Other Minds

07. Thoughts And Prayers

08. Micro-Aggressions

09. Gordian Naught

It might sound strange to associate "storytelling" with instrumental music. But ANIMALS AS LEADERS jettisoned the rules, limitations, and boundaries of conventional rock music from the start. Armed with palette-expanding eight-string guitars, rich synths, and pummeling percussive grooves, the trio is beloved by metalheads, aspiring virtuosos, jazz fanatics, and casual listeners alike. As Pitchfork observed, "ANIMALS AS LEADERS have walked the tightrope between sheer technical virtuosity and actual emotional resonance." Even without vocals, this is intimate, myth-making music.

ANIMALS AS LEADERS began as a solo outlet for Abasi, whose creative partnership with classically trained guitarist Javier Reyes and Berklee-educated drummer Matt Garstka is built on a shared love of everything from fusion to technical death metal. Garstka graced the cover of Modern Drummer in 2015. In one of his many appearances on their cover, Guitar World named Tosin among the Guitarists Of The Decade. Rolling Stone featured him as part of their "Young Guns" series. The Chicago Tribune declared him "the closest thing prog-metal has to an Eddie Van Halen." Kerrang! included their album "Weightless" among its Best Albums of 2011. "The Joy Of Motion" entered the Billboard 200 at No. 24 in 2014, and "The Madness Of Many" cracked the Top 20 in 2016. Now more than a decade into their career, a quick look at the bands they’ve toured with demonstrates the consistently diverse appeal of ANIMALS AS LEADERS. It’s a list that includes KORN, DEFTONES, THRICE, MESHUGGAH, UNDEROATH, TESSERACT and CIRCA SURVIVE, as well as major festivals with the likes of LINKIN PARK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and SLIPKNOT.

ANIMALS AS LEADERS offer more than clinic-ready musicianship and proficiency. A focus on mood, texture, and emotive power elevates the material past any preconceived notions, resulting in a fascinatingly unique phenomenon, with an unlikely and profound appeal across multiple sub-genres and over 200 million career streams to date.

FOO FIGHTERS have released a new video for the song "Love Dies Young". The clip was written and directed by FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl and stars "Ted Lasso"'s Jason Sudeikis as a coach hyping up an American swim team for a competition. The FOO FIGHTERS members' heads are superimposed on to the athletes' heads.

The "Love Dies Young" video premiered on MTV Live, MTVU and across MTV's global network of channels, as well as on the ViacomCBS Times Square billboard.

FOO FIGHTERS are continuing to promote their latest album, "Medicine At Midnight", which landed at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 64,000 copies in the U.S.

FOO FIGHTERS previously topped the chart with 2017's "Concrete And Gold" and 2011's "Wasting Light".

23,000 of "Medicine At Midnight"'s first-week sales came from vinyl LP sales, with CDs and digital albums registering 20,000 each.

"Medicine At Midnight" came out on February 5 via Roswell Records/RCA Records. The LP is a nine-song, 37-minute effort which was produced by the FOO FIGHTERS and Greg Kurstin.

THE THREE TREMORS, the project featuring acclaimed heavy metal singers Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (JAG PANZER) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER, DENNER/SHERMANN), has released "War Of Nations", the third and final video from its second album, "Guardians Of The Void". The song is a tale of the famous Battle Of The Bulge, which would be the final decisive battle in World War 2, leading to the eventual Allied victory.

Tim says: "Every good metal album needs a song like this I think. It has a great hook in the chorus and is a fast mover."

Sean adds: "I am a big World War 2 history buff and I love writing songs that educate a little bit and tell the story at the same time. I knew I wanted a song from this era on the record and I had not covered the Battle Of The Bulge yet so it was time. Casey 'The Sentinel' Trask wrote some sweet riffs and this one came together really quick. I love his lead section in it too might be one of my favorite leads on the record."

Harry states: "I had a great time recording this one. I think this song really suited my style of vocals well and I think that is why Sean featured me in this one a bit more. It reminded me of JAG PANZER's 'The Mission' song ('The Guns Of Navarone')."

"Guardians Of The Void" arrived on November 5 via Steel Cartel Records.

Coming off the successful release of their self-titled debut album, several North American and European tours, release of the solo versions of the first album, and some festival performances, THE THREE TREMORS shot out of a cannon at a frantic pace. They were pursuing an aggressive pace of live performances when the shutdown forced them to cut short their North American tour in the middle of their run in early 2020. They wasted no time, however, and got to work on another new album. Now their sophomore effort "Guardians Of The Void" is ready for blast-off.

Twelve songs are found on this wicked rocker of an album and once again they cover all the bases of heavy metal. As with all Steel Cartel releases, only the songs that receive video releases will be on the streaming platforms, so the physical medium and the fans that support and collect them are the bands priority and focus.

And speaking of great physical product, THE THREE TREMORS has once again hired Marc Sasso to do the cover artwork once again. Sasso is best known for his work with such companies as Marvel, the WWE and HALFORD, DIO, CAGE and many others. He has hit it out of the park once again with this haunting, otherworldly painting that captures the mysterious essence of the album title perfectly.

Owens describes how the recording process went down: "We had just started our second North American tour promoting the solo versions that we had just released, when everything started to shut down. It was a shame because we had some really good momentum and the shows were selling well, including a few that were sold out in advance. When we realized that we could be sitting home for a while, we all started putting these new songs together and recording them."

Harry said: "I had moved to Greece during this whole time and they guys started sending me song after song at a furious pace. The songs were kickass, and I found it easier and more natural to collaborate and add my ideas and nuances this second time around. We have toured and done so many shows together now the comfort level was there and they came together really quick. The end result is amazing, I think."

Sean added: "Everyone in the band has a lot of other projects going on, so it was good we could all pull together and make this follow up album. Now Sean [Elg], our drummer, is also in KK'S PRIEST with Ripper, so we are stoked that we could not only put out another record but also get a tour in before everyone gets busy. We have spent so much time together we are like a heavy metal street gang and have a blast performing these songs and going on the road. With these new songs available from the 'Guardians Of The Void' album, our setlist will be even more vicious than before, if that is even possible, ha!"

THREE TREMORS has four shows, including in Detroit and Milwaukee, left in its current U.S. tour.

Iconic singer, songwriter, guitarist, and ALICE IN CHAINS co-founder Jerry Cantrell has announces "An Evening With Jerry Cantrell" presented by Moment House. The stream will be an intimate performance recorded live from Los Angeles this evening. The sold-out performance will include a six-song set, storytelling, and a question-and-answer session hosted by renowned and beloved actor/comedian Jeff Garlin.

The stream of the event will be a ticketed event available for European fans on Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. GMT. Tickets are available via this link. They are priced at $12 pre-order and $15 day of show. Ticket holders will be able to stream the event for 24 hours.

The performance is planned to be a selection of songs from Jerry's recently released solo LP "Brighten". Many of the musicians featured on the record will perform with Jerry, including Tyler Bates ("300", "John Wick"), Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Gil Sharone (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), George Adrian, Vincent Jones and Michael Rozon.

"Brighten" has received praise from critics, including Kerrang!, which called it a "vivid, contemporary self-portrait of one of the most distinctive voices in hard rock. A long-overdue show of individual brilliance." Classic Rock proclaimed it "his best yet. The work of a songwriter who is happy within his life, it spans a broad arc of styles." The Sun commented: "A rich, organic album... 'Brighten' is brilliant."

"Brighten" is Jerry's first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years. Co-produced with film composer Tyler Bates and Paul Fig (longtime engineer), the LP got its beginnings just before the pandemic hit. They welcomed a dynamic cast of supporting players, including Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) on select bass tracks, Puciato contributing to backing vocals and drummers Sharone and Abe Laboriel, Jr. (Paul McCartney). Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) handled the mixing of "Brighten".

Jerry has also announced a U.S. tour that will bring him to cities such as New York, LA, Chicago, Boston, Nashville and Vegas, among many other cities.

PEARL JAM singer Eddie Vedder will release his new solo album, "Earthling", on February 11, 2022 via his own Seattle Surf imprint through Republic. The official lyric video for the LP's second single, "The Haves", can be seen below. The first single, "Long Way", arrived in September.

A limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single of "Long Way" backed by "The Haves" is available to order through PEARL JAM's Ten Club.

Watt previously told Variety about his initial jam sessions with Vedder this spring, which yielded "Long Way": "There was something there right away that I wanted to chase and finish. It was just the right place and the right time and it all happened very organically. It sounds like people playing together in a room, which is what a good rock song should be."

Vedder has been busy, recently collaborating with Glen Hansard on eight new compositions for the "Flag Day Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", available via Seattle Surf/Republic Records. The soundtrack features noted singer-songwriter Cat Power who contributes three new original songs, along with one cove, and the debut of Olivia Vedder on two tracks. The 13-song soundtrack serves as the musical companion to the Cannes Film Festival-selected film "Flag Day" starring and directed by Academy Award winner Sean Penn and also starring his daughter Dylan Penn.

Vedder unveiled some of his new music at Ohana Festival where he performed numerous headlining solo sets as well as a set with PEARL JAM.

In "I Am Mine", the latest edition of Audible's "Words + Music" series, Vedder dives deep, reflecting on a life at the intersection of art, sensitivity, and masculinity. Vedder is characteristically honest about the challenges of remaining authentic in the face of staggering success. He delivers a raw, emotional story on the perils and joys of fame and friendship, punctuated with exclusive music performance featuring new renditions of classic tracks from both Vedder and PEARL JAM.

Almost two years ago, PEARL JAM unveiled its latest album, "Gigaton", to widespread critical and fan praise and a Top 5 debut on the Billboard Top 200. It graced year-end lists by Mojo, Consequence Of Sound, Insider, and more.

Photo credit: Danny Clinch

Sonicbond Publishing has released "Led Zeppelin: Every Album, Every Song" from Steve Pilkington.

Think about LED ZEPPELIN and the image coming to mind would be of the band straddling the world as the archetypal "rock gods", defining the 1970s like no other artist did. Dig deeper though, and there's a lot more to ZEPPELIN than hard rock and bluster, with folk and blues strongly threading through their catalogue from the very beginning. This book digs into every LED ZEPPELIN track recorded during their decade‐long existence before John Bonham's death brought down the curtain, by way of facts, anecdotes, analysis and a small dose of humor here and there.

From the likes of "Kashmir", "Stairway To Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love" and their ilk, which have entered the public consciousness, down to the deeper cuts which only the fans will know, this book covers them all, while also taking a look into the stories behind the often ground breaking cover art, and the way the albums came to be recorded.

Celebrating the triumphs and the arguable lower points, this is and alternative history of the band, told via the most important element — the music itself — which has influenced so many down the years. The history of LED ZEPPELIN is a wild ride. This book shows you why.

Pilkington is a music journalist, editor and broadcaster. He was editor-in-chief for the Classic Rock Society Magazine Rock Society and is now co-administrator of the rock web site Velvet Thunder as well as presenting a weekly Internet radio show called "A Saucerful Of Prog". Before taking on this work full‐time, he spent years writing for fanzines and an Internet music review site on a part‐time basis. He has recently published books on DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW, THE ROLLING STONES and IRON MAIDEN, all for Sonicbond, and has also written the official biography of legendary guitarist Gordon Giltrap. He lives in Wigan, Lancashire, U.K.

ILL NIÑO's longtime bassist Laz Pina says that he "wasn't impressed" with the sample of music he has heard from LIONS AT THE GATE, the new group launched by some of his former bandmates.

LIONS AT THE GATE features ex-ILL NIÑO members Cristian Machado (vocals), Ahrue "Luster" Ilustre (guitar) and Diego Verduzco (guitar). LIONS AT THE GATE has released two singles so far, "Scapegoat" and "Not Even Human", with the band's debut album tentatively set to arrive early next year.

Pina discussed Machado, Ilustre and Verduzco's new project while speaking to Pierre Gutiérrez of Rock Talks. Asked if he has heard any of the music LIONS AT THE GATE has released so far, Laz said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I heard very little of it. It doesn't really catch my attention. I've kind of moved on from that. All I can say is I wish everyone the best. Do your thing; we do our thing.

"People are always telling me, 'Did you hear what they said?' And I always say, 'I've moved on.' It really doesn't even pertain to me.

"We left in a very weird way, when those guys split," Laz explained. "When you start to develop a friendship and a brotherhood, you don't expect these things to occur the way they did. What they did was, in my opinion, so ugly and such a back-stabbing [move]. And then going out there and making it seem like they were the victims and we were kind of abusing them. That was not the case. It was just a straight up — trying to shake us down. I don't know what people were thinking. And I hear a lot of sentiments.

"All I've gotta say is this: you do your music; I do mine. You wanna keep running your mouth and talk about us, that's your problem. If you don't wanna let go, that's your ego. That's what I hear all the time — about egos. It's not about egos on this side; it's all about music and it's also about a strong, unshakeable friendship and loyalty. Some of us that made that decision to stick together, we're just not that kind of people that would treat other human beings that way.

"With that said, I say let the music do the talking. You hear what we're doing, and you hear the spirit of ILL NIÑO that has never left, and that will always continue because the spirit of ILL NIÑO and that special sauce still lies in the band and that's never going to change. So it's time to move on.

"Like I said, I don't even really have an interest in listening to it, honestly," Pina continued. "I might have heard a couple of seconds and I wasn't impressed. It sounded like something I heard from the 'Dead New World' record [ILL NIÑO's fifth album, released in 2010], when that style of writing was going on. I think that's what they sound like if it wasn't ILL NIÑO's input of what the true meaning of what ILL NIÑO is to this band.

"So let the music do the talking. And I wish everyone well. Everyone can do their thing. And move on already. Live in the now.

"I try not to ever even bring it up in conversation," Laz added. "I never really talk about it. So it's time to move on. And I have no hard feelings. I like who we are. I love the band. I love playing with the guys I'm playing with right now. And I think that we're really doing something very special. And to be quite honest, I think that we lost a lot of that specialness in the last several years. So maybe it was time to move on, but it shouldn't have been the way it did with this falseness of trying to paint the picture to destroy the name of the band. It wasn't the way you treat your family. So I'm a little disappointed in that. I honestly have no hard feelings. My life is great. And I think that my band is great. My band is greater than ever. And we love what we're doing.

"And with that said, I just say this: let the music do the talking."

Laz's latest comments come nearly three years after he and drummer Dave Chavarri announced that they had recruited vocalist Marcos Leal (SHATTERED SUN), lead guitarist Jes DeHoyos (SONS OF TEXAS) and rhythm guitarist Sal Dominguez (UPON A BURNING BODY) to be in their new incarnation of ILL NIÑO. The Chavarri-led ILL NIÑO also issued a new single, "Sangre". A day later, Machado, Ilustre and Verduzco dismissed reports that they had left ILL NIÑO and vowed to continue with their own version of the band. Two months later, the trio filed a lawsuit against Chavarri and Pina, accusing the drummer and bassist of failing to pay the band's tour rental company and engineers, slandering Machado by spreading rumors that he has a drug problem, collecting and spending the band's money without consulting in all of the members and refusing the members access to the group's financial records.

In March 2020, Machado, Ilustre, Verduzco, Chavarri and Pina announced that they had "reached a mutual, amicable and binding agreement" that will allow Chavarri and Pina to continue with ILL NIÑO while Machado, Verduzco and Ilustre will move on with new projects. According to a joint statement release by the five musicians, "No party has admitted fault and there has been no court judgment on the merits. The parties entered into a confidential settlement agreement."

In a statement announcing the launch of his new version of ILL NIÑO, Chavarri said about the split with his former bandmates: "Being in a band is much like being married, and sometimes people grow apart, and no longer see eye to eye, and a separation becomes inevitable."

A year ago, Machado commented on "Sangre", the first single released by the revamped version of ILL NIÑO, saying: "I hope they find their way. That's all I can say. And that's not to say that they won't. All it takes is great songwriting talent. That's the first thing that it takes. Well, technically, first you are a musician, and you have to have some kind of understanding of songwriting. If you can understand what connects with you, then you can understand what connects with people. And they might find their way; they might not. All I can say is it doesn't sound like they found their way yet.

"I wish them luck," Cristian added. "I don't like being resentful. I don't wanna be a person that is, like, 'Oh, I'm uspet because of this.' Did I learn my lesson? Yeah, I learned my lesson. Do I know what to look out for? Yeah, I know what to look out for. Am I ever gonna be involved with people like that? No. But I'm not gonna be resentful. I'm just gonna do my thing. And I really have nothing to really be resentful about, man. I had an amazing career, and the fans really were the thing that was the most powerful for me — was the fans; the people that listen to the music. It wasn't the business element of this or that, or who said this or who said that or any drama; it was just the fans. Luckily, we had a label that was awesome, and that pretty much just opened the door. But as far as going back to what made that name special, I suppose they could reinvent it — reinvent what made the name special. Maybe. I don't know."

DeHoyos recently left ILL NIÑO to focus on his family life. He has since been replaced by a returning Marc Rizzo, formerly of SOULFLY.

KORN frontman Jonathan Davis spoke to Carlota of Audacy Check In about the band's upcoming album, "Requiem", which will arrive on February 4, 2022 via Loma Vista Recordings. The official music video for the disc's first single, "Start The Healing", directed by Tim Saccenti (FLYING LOTUS, RUN THE JEWELS, DEPECHE MODE), was made available last week.

Speaking about how "Start The Healing" and the rest of "Requiem" compares to previous KORN material, Davis said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's different. We're always constantly evolving. There's still our core sound there. But this time we did this, we had the luxury, we were on a forced timeout; we had all the time in the world.

"Every single KORN record I've ever done, the band gets all the time in the world to get their stuff done, and the way I write and do my thing, I have to have the music all done and then I can do what I do," he continued. "And they always book some tour, and it's coming up, and I'm always hurrying and rushing to try and get it done. So this time, we had time. We came together. We'd do it in blocks — a week block, and write a week, and then be off. [We'd do that] once a month. I think we did three or four sessions and got the record recorded. It took me four or five months to do vocals. But overall, we're really, really proud of it. We produced it with Chris Collier, who's really good. And it was one of the best album experiences I've had."

On the subject of experimenting with different vocal styles in "Start The Healing", Jonathan said: "There's a lot of stuff going on in there. I spent a lot of time layering vocals and using different microphones and doing all kinds of stuff that takes time and patience that most producers and singers don't wanna do, 'cause it just sucks. But I'm at a point in my life where I have the freedom and the ability and the means to really do what I want and take the time and really present something the way that's artistic and I love."

Due to the effects of COVID-19 and the inability to play live shows for the first time in KORN's illustrious career, "Requiem" was conceived out of very different circumstances than the majority of the band's catalog. It is an album born of time and the ability to create without pressure. Energized by a new creative process free of time constraints, KORN was able to do things with "Requiem" that the past two decades haven't always afforded them, such as taking additional time to experiment together or diligently recording to analog tape — processes which unearthed newfound sonic dimension and texture in their music.

"Requiem" is available for pre-order in an array of collectible formats. These include an exclusive silver vinyl variant strictly limited to 1,000 copies.

"Requiem" track listing:

01. Forgotten

02. Let The Dark Do The Rest

03. Start The Healing

04. Lost In The Grandeur

05. Disconnect

06. Hopeless And Beaten

07. Penance To Sorrow

08. My Confession

09. Worst Is On Its Way

In a new interview with This Day In Metal, David Ellefson was asked if he envisions a day when bands like MEGADETH and SLAYER will finally get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The former MEGADETH bassist responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Here's the funny thing: out of all the people, I'm probably most supportive of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. And here's why: because I'm already in it. And here's how — and it's not because I walked in and got inducted.

"In the late '90s, we did a big auction on [MEGADETH's official web site] Megadeth.com and we sold off a ton of gear that we had at our storage unit here in Arizona, when the band was based here at that time," he continued. "And a fan bought pretty much a bunch of my Jackson basses that I had from the early days, they bought some B.C. Riches. The B.C. Rich bass I used in the 'Peace Sells' video that's got the Mockingbird and that's got the fighter jet on it, a fan bought it. Actually, I think Dave McRobb, who runs the social media or the fan club of MEGADETH, I think he might have bought it and he sold it to this guy, and I think that's how it went. He sold it to this fan. And the fan, rather than doing the douchey thing of just putting it on eBay and trying to make a bunch of money from it, he put it on consignment at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and it was the first piece of heavy metal memorabilia — period — in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Then they put Dimebag's [late PANTERA guitarist Darrell Abbott] guitar. And now there's kind of a little heavy metal exhibit there. But it started with my bass. So, honestly, I'm already there. So I'm good. [Laughs] And, obviously, it represents MEGADETH. And so by way of this fan being cool, he sort of snuck MEGADETH in under the wire, which I thought was actually pretty cool."

More than four years ago, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine also said that he was already in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Mustaine, who was a member of METALLICA for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being dismissed and replaced by Kirk Hammett, was not inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the band during the April 2009 ceremony at Cleveland, Ohio's Public Auditorium. But Mustaine insisted he had already gotten the nod because he is credited on the first two METALLICA albums and co-wrote half a dozen or so songs with the band which, inarguably, helped launch their career.

"I'm in there," he told The Richmond Register in a July 2017 interview. "Anyone who thinks that METALLICA is in there and Dave Mustaine is not has got a short between their headphones. I'm there. As far as being there and standing on my own two feet and going into the head, taking a piss and saying that I own the house, no, not yet. But I'm sure at some point if it is meant to be, it will happen. I'm patient."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine was not included into the Rock Hall along with his former bandmates because "you've got to kind of cap it somewhere. Dave Mustaine never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought... the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record." He added: "Dave Mustaine was in the band for eleven months, predominantly in 1982... I'm not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH earlier this year after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

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

Steve Perry’s new holiday album, The Season, has landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Seasonal Chart. The former Journey’s singer’s album also hit at No. 3 on Billboard’s Current Pop Album Chart, No. 6 on Billboard’s Current Album Sales Chart, and No. 80 on the Billboard Top 200.


One of the most iconic voices in rock & roll history, Steve Perry has captivated generations with the sheer power of his range and extraordinary warmth of his tone. As the latest turn in a phenomenal career that’s included landing on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list, fronting Journey during the band’s most massively successful era, and gaining entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the legendary singer/songwriter is back with The Season: an exquisitely curated holiday album that reveals him as a flawless interpreter of the classic Christmas songbook.


Co-produced by Perry and engineer Thom Flowers, The Season embodies an immaculately arranged and richly nuanced sound inspired by such time-honored holiday albums as Nat King Cole’s The Magic of Christmas. “All the songs on this record were my favorites growing up,” says Perry, who hails from Central California. “I used to hear them on the Philco radio that my grandmother always had on in the kitchen when she was cooking the most amazing holiday food, and because of that they hold a very emotional place in my heart. I wanted to make sure to record them all in a simple way that honors how I first heard and fell in love with them as a child.”




Mainly recorded at Perry’s home studio, The Season came to life in collaboration with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa) and Dallas Kruse (a multi-instrumentalist who also worked with Perry on his acclaimed 2018 album Traces). While most of the album encompasses an understated sonic palette—piano, strings, upright bass—each track leaves an indelible impact thanks to the soulful sincerity of Perry’s vocal work. “One of the things I love most about those traditional recordings is they’re not coming at you like a rock song—they’re just sitting there quietly and inviting you in,” says Perry. “I’d never sung with that much simplicity before, and it was incredibly thrilling to bring that kind of expression to these songs.”


Despite its heartfelt fidelity to the original material—a quality especially striking on the album’s beautifully tender bookends of “The Christmas Song” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”—The Season unfolds with plenty of surprising details that breathe new life into every song. To that end, “Winter Wonderland” merges its lush string arrangements with a Motown-inspired groove, while “Auld Lang Syne” arrives as a bittersweet piano ballad graced with choir-like harmonies. On “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve,” The Season shifts into a jazzy reverie that lovingly nods to Ella Fitzgerald’s version from 1960. And in a particularly poignant moment, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” opens on a cascade of layered vocals that perfectly capture its mood of melancholy longing. “As I was singing that song, I closed my eyes and all of a sudden found myself standing in the doorway that looked onto the living room of my grandmother’s house,” Perry recalls. “Her Christmas tree was always loaded with presents underneath, and covered with the tinsel that my mother and I put on to make the tree shimmer. I could see that tree so clearly in my mind, and then I opened my eyes and thought, ‘Whoa—where did I just go?’ Now everybody has passed of course, but for just that moment I was home for Christmas.”


For both artist and audience alike, The Season ultimately serves as a form of emotional time travel, a direct conduit for the kind of memories that sustain the spirit and restore a sense of joyous serenity. “Music has always been something that rescues me in difficult times,” says Perry. “I hope when people hear this record, they’re teleported in the same way I was when I recorded all these songs—I hope it brings them back to those golden moments with their loved ones, and gives them that feeling of joy and connection and comfort that we all need so much.”


Order here.





Tracklisting:


"The Christmas Song"
"I’ll Be Home For Christmas"
"Auld Lang Syne"
"Winter Wonderland"
"What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve"
"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
"Silver Bells"
"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"


"The Christmas Song" visualizer:





"Winter Wonderland" visualizer:





"I'll Be Home For Christmas":

Melodic death-prog trailblazer Dessiderium has released the second single from their upcoming studio album. Clocking in at over 14 minutes, the constantly shape-shifting new song is the title track of their The Artisan Era debut, Aria. Fans can check out "Aria" via the visualizer found below.


The brainchild of Southern California native Alex Haddad, Dessiderium started out as a passion project for the multi-faceted artist, with the band's first two albums (Life Was A Blur & Rain Gates) being recorded and produced in his bedroom. However, the band's third LP, Shadow Burn, would establish it as a legitimate force within the underground metal scene - highlighting elements of melodic arrangements, hyper-aggressive death instrumentals, and emotionally vulnerable lyrical themes.


Pre-order here.







Tracklisting:


"White Morning"
"Pale"
"Aria"
"Moon Lust Delirium"
"The Persecution Complex"


"Aria":





"Moon Lust Delirium" lyric video:

Berlin-based progressive metal act, The Ocean, have released "Eocene", the third video from their upcoming live album, Phanerozoic Live, set for release on November 26. Watch below.


The live album is a showcase of two live events performed by The Ocean - Live In Bremen (Part I) and Live At Roadburn Redux (Part II), and will be released by Metal Blade Records digitally worldwide. Fans eager for physical copies can pre-order the album in various formats at Pelagic Records, here.







Tracklisting:


Phanerozoic Part I - Live in Bremen:
"The Cambrian Explosion"
"Cambrian II"
"Ordovicium"
"Silurian"
"Devonian"
"The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse"
"Permian"


Phanerozoic Part II - Live At Roadburn Redux:
"Triassic"
"Jurassic | Cretaceous"
"Palaeocene"
"Eocene"
"Oligocene"
"Miocene | Pliocene"
"Pleistocene"
"Holocene"


"Eocene" video:





"Jurassic | Cretaceous" video:





"Devonian" video:





In early 2021 with no end of lockdowns in sight, The Ocean decided to thank their fans for the support with two streaming concerts, performing both Phanerozoic albums in their entirety: Phanerozoic I was streamed live from Pier 2, a big hall in the port of Bremen, Germany on March 25, 2021. With more than 1,500 tickets sold, it was the most successful show of the popular "Club 100" streaming events series thus far.


The day after this event, the band rehearsed and recorded Phanerozoic II in its entirety. This performance aired on April 16th as part of the digital edition of Roadburn Festival (this year aptly named Roadburn Redux). Both shows couldn't have been more different: where the first part boasts with a pompous, mesmerizing lighting production on a big stage, the second part is quite the opposite: intimate, almost cozy, focused on musicianship rather than performance. "We wanted to give people two totally different experiences", says band leader Robin Staps. "In Bremen, we had the chance to record a proper live show, the way people know us. We played facing towards the front of the stage, to an invisible crowd, essentially to a huge empty room… but we knew people were watching, even if we didn't see them. There was the same rush of adrenaline right before going on stage as you get before going on any stage, maybe with a little extra anxiety added, because knowing that so many people are watching you without being able to see them yourself was super weird."


The fans response to these special events was another testimony to how much The Ocean connect with their crowd at home in this very intense way was an experience that was "oddly beautiful and frustrating in equal measure," according to Staps. Now as restrictions begin to lift worldwide, The Ocean are more than ready to show fans in-person the power of Phanerozoic Live, with select shows starting this December.

This Friday, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss celebrate the historic release of "Raise The Roof" (Rounder Records), their first new album together in more than 14 years. To mark the momentous occasion, the two artists will come together to deliver a series of key live performances to fans across the world.

Beginning at 12 p.m. CST / 1 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. GMT on November 19, the indomitable duo join forces with YouTube to present a global livestream. Backed by an all-star band in Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios, they will debut a selection of songs from "Raise The Roof" exclusively for audiences on the platform. The special event will be hosted simultaneously on the official Plant and Krauss YouTube channels.

On November 19, Plant and Krauss will also appear alongside CBS News senior culture correspondent Anthony Mason for an interview. Later that night they will perform on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" before bringing more music to "CBS Saturday Morning" just a handful of hours later.

Following the YouTube livestream on Friday, viewers can head to NPR Music's YouTube channel for a virtual listening party at 1 p.m. CST / 2 p.m. EST. In addition to a full playback of "Raise The Roof", Plant and Krauss will join critic Ann Powers for a discussion of the album.

In the runup to "Raise The Roof", Plant and Krauss have continued to surprise listeners on pre-release previews like "Can't Let Go", "It Don't Bother Me" and the original song "High And Lonesome", written by Plant and the album's producer, T Bone Burnett. At 11 a.m. CST / 12 p.m. EST on Thursday, November 18, they will share their rendition of Brenda Burns's "Somebody Was Watching Over Me", offering one last look into the record before the full collection is finally unveiled.

Building on the Grammy-sweeping, millions-selling success of 2007's "Raising Sand", "'Raise The Roof' almost magically reclaims the spectral tone of 'Raising Sand', then finds ways to expand on it, delving further into both quiet subtleties and wailing intensity," says The New York Times, in an expansive profile of Plant and Krauss's long-awaited reunion.

Following the monumental debut of "Raising Sand", which won all six Grammy Awards for which it was nominated (including "Album" and "Record Of The Year"), Plant and Krauss "are still proof that sometimes the best things come from unlikely collaborators" (Entertainment Weekly). Across "Raise The Roof", the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer and 27-time Grammy-winning Bluegrass Hall Of Famer step further outside their comfort zone, expanding their unexpected, unparalleled partnership in remarkable new directions.

While sessions for the album began in Nashville in November 2019, wrapping just weeks before the world went into lockdown, Krauss remembers sending Plant the Randy Weeks/Lucinda Williams classic "Can't Let Go" at least 10 years ago — and "it seems like time hasn't passed at all" (NPR Music). Elsewhere on "Raise The Roof", Plant and Krauss reimagine songs from Merle Haggard, Allen Toussaint, THE EVERLY BROTHERS, Anne Briggs, Geeshie Wiley, Ola Belle Reed, Brenda Burns and more, with arrangements even more evocative and hypnotic than those on "Raising Sand".

"It's such a far cry from everything I've done before," says Plant. "I love the whole kaleidoscope of music that I've explored, but this is a place where you can think within the song, you can decide how to bring home an emotion. It's another blend that we've got, and long may we have more of them."

"Raise The Roof" track listing:

01. Quattro (World Drifts In)

02. The Price Of Love

03. Go Your Way

04. Trouble With My Lover

05. Searching for My Love

06. Can't Let Go

07. It Don't Bother Me

08. You Led Me To The Wrong

09. Last Kind Words Blues

10. High And Lonesome

11. Going Where the Lonely Go

12. Somebody Was Watching Over Me

Photo by David McClister

Toulouse-based symphonic melodic death metal force, Aephanemer, have released a lyric video for "Le Radeau de La Méduse", featured on the band's upcoming third full-length studio album, A Dream Of Wilderness, out November 19 via Napalm Records. View the clip below:





Starting out as an unbelievably successful DIY ride that suddenly turned towards international acclaim, the indisputable Aephanemer is one of the most exciting melodic death metal sensations of the modern age. Fast-paced metal fronted by the guttural growls and fierce screams of extraordinary vocalist Marion Bascoul meet flickering twin leads, elements of Scandinavian death metal, Slavic traditional music and epic synths. If Prokopton was a noteworthy, impressive sophomore album from one of Europe’s best up and coming melodic death metal bands yet, A Dream Of Wilderness sees the French four-piece doubling down on its songwriting skills: Faster, tighter and heavier, Aephanemer’s upcoming album unleashes an anthemic adventure of brutally fast riffage and epic melodies.




Aephanemer doesn’t seem to fear boundaries. Their new album delivers a wide metal range that represents a dark and gloomier yet no less powerful side of the band, while otherworldly dimensions of blast beats, furious riffage and heavy, razor-sharp death metal anthems will have you headbanging as fast as you can. Especially in this day and age of staying "true" and limited within a sound and scene, A Dream Of Wilderness is a welcome diversion and a brave record artfully blending brutally fast symphonic death and raw melodic metal into a multi-faceted epic!


The record was mixed by Dan Swanö at Unisound AB, and mastered by Mika Jussila at the Finnvox Studios.





A Dream Of Wilderness will be available in North America in the following formats:


- CD Digipak
- Digital Album
- 1LP Gatefold Black
- 1LP Gatefold Black Die Hard Edition with album cover slipmat and patch (Napalm mailorder only, limited to 300)


Pre-order here.





A Dream Of Wilderness tracklisting:


"Land Of Hope"                    
"Antigone"    
"Of Volition"
"Le Radeau de La Méduse"    
"Roots And Leaves"    
"Vague à l'âme"         
"Strider"       
"Panta Rhei"
"A Dream Of Wilderness"  
"Old French Song" (Bonus Track)
"Le Radeau de La Méduse" (French Version - Bonus Track)


"Antigone" video:





"Panta Rhei” video:





Aephanemer is:


Martin Hamiche - Guitars
Marion Bascoul - Vocals, Guitars
Lucie Woaye Hune - Bass
Mickaël Bonnevialle - Drums


(Photo - Miss Buffet Froid)

Igorrr have released "Opus Brain," a fitting document to the bands atmospheric and experimental live performance. The video was filmed live during the band's performance at Pol'and'Rock Festival on July 30, 2021, and comes off the 2017 album Savage Sinusoid.





Led by architect Gautier Serre, Igorrr welcomes two new vocalists, Aphrodite Patoulidou and JB Le Bail. Rounded out by drummer Sylvain Bouvier and guitarist Martyn Clément, Igorrr has become something of a collective, rather than the work of one man alone, which has further broadened the scope of Gautier's music without sacrificing integrity. "I just want to make the music I love, without asking myself if it's gonna be too complex or too far from what people like. No restrictions, like a big party with metalheads, electronics nerds, classical and baroque-heads and gypsy violinists getting drunk and joining together to bring the best of every genre!"




US fans will finally get to enjoy the genre-mashing sounds of Igorrr as the band lands on US soil this February.


See all dates at igorrr.com.

Heavy horror punk icon, Wednesday 13, slithered from the cobwebbed depths of Charlotte, North Carolina in the early 90s - quickly making his way to the top of the horrendous heights of rock, punk and metal crossover with his electrifying, acclaimed solo music, relentless international touring and also as frontman of renowned horror punk supergroup, Murderdolls. Now, nearly 20 years after the formation of the group, Wednesday 13 is about to take his solo project to the next level by signing a worldwide contract with premier rock and metal label Napalm Records.


Wednesday 13 says about the signing: “We are excited to announce that we have signed with Napalm Records for the release of our next album, the ninth instalment of the Wednesday 13 catalogue, due out in 2022. The new album will be loaded with a full arsenal of Tricks and Treats that fans will Die for!”


In addition, Wednesday 13 is thrilled to announce a massive 2022 US headline tour, dubbed 20 Years Of Fear. Kicking off on March 23 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the tour will feature a special setlist spanning Wednesday 13’s entire career - making for a return to the road fans won’t want to miss. Three select dates will also feature a set from fellow punk/metal icon Doyle (see below). After visiting a slew of American cities, the tour will end on May 7 in Sacramento, California.




Wednesday 13 says about the upcoming headline tour: "After two years off the road, we are more than excited to get back out and play live. We will be headlining the USA playing a special career spanning 20 Years Of Fear setlist. It’s been 20 years since it all began for me with Murderdolls and I’m looking forward to celebrating all these years of music with our fans.”


Tickets are on sale now via local venues. This tour will be scary fun - don’t miss the chance to get wild with Wednesday 13 next year.





Tour dates:


March
23 - Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad       
25 - Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live
26 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio
27 - Dallas, TX - Amp'd Live
29 - Nashville, TN - Basement East
30 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
31 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero


April
1 - Harrison, OH - Blue Note *also featuring Doyle
2 - Columbus, OH - The King Of Clubs *also featuring Doyle
3 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Crafthouse
5 - Harrisburg, PA - HMAC- Stage Of Herr
6 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
8 - New Bedford, MA - The Vault
9 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance *also featuring Doyle
10 - Syracuse, NY - Lost Horizon  
13 - Leesburg, VA - Tally Ho Theater
14 - Buffalo, NY - Ironworks
15 - Cleveland, OH - The Winchester
16 - Flint, MI - Machine Shop
17 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Stache - Intersection                     
19 – Ft. Wayne, IN - Piere's
20 - Hobart, IN - The Art Theater
22 - Angola, IN - Eclectic Room
23 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
24 - Bloomington, IL - Castle Theater
26 - Green Bay, WI - EPIC Events Center
27 - Belvidere, IL - Apollo Theater
29 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios
30 - Denver, CO - HQ


May
1 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater
3 - Tempe, AZ - Pub Rock
5 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Whisky A Go Go
7 - Sacramento, CA - Goldfield Midtown


Wednesday 13 is:


Wednesday 13 - vocals
Roman Surman - lead guitar
Jack Tankersley - guitar
Troy Doebbler - bass


(Photo - Jeremy Saffer)

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


Today, Arjen shares the video for the album opener, "Fate Of Man", stating: "Dear friends, I’m proud to present ‘Fate Of Man’ with Brittney Slayes and Micheal Romeo, the second videoclip of the new Star One album! A fast and furious track, very Star One. And very Terminator! I hope you enjoy it!"







Revel In Time will be available for pre-order on December 17th 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).


CD 2 features alternate versions of the same songs as CD 1, but with different vocalists. Also available will be a 5.1 mix, a high-res audio version, and an exclusive, hour-long Behind the Scenes video, on the Blu-ray included in the Artbook.





Revel In Time tracklisting:


CD1:


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


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


"Lost Children Of The Universe" lyric video:

Midwest death machine Casket Robbery have released the video for their newest single, "Bone Mother” through BraveWords! This Claymation video was directed and created by Shayne Minott of Budget Blood Productions.





Vocalist Megan Orvold comments on the song, "Everything about this song was so much fun for us. From the twisted spooky folklore of Baba Yaga and our lyrical interpretation to the way she was brought to life in the amazing claymation video. ‘All knowing, all seeing, all revealing, all being.’ We hope you enjoy Bone Mother!"




The song is dedicated to the memory of Eric Orvold, father of Casket Robbery vocalist Megan Orvold.





“Bone Mother” will be available for streaming and download on November 19. Preorder on Bandcamp. “Bone Mother” was produced and engineered by Troy Powell at Unintended Studios, and mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson.


Emerging from the darkest and most desolate areas of the Midwest, Casket Robbery creates its own signature style of death metal by infusing horror and occult themes. Their trademark huge riffs and unstoppable grooves create the unrelenting, brutally catchy, and eerie sound that only Casket Robbery is known for. Death metal with a wink.


Casket Robbery’s intense, high-energy shows have quickly surfaced a diehard following. They continue to show a relentless work ethic and dedication to their fanbase. After the release of their debut album Casket Robbery has toured the United States continually, hitting large festivals like Full Terror Assault and Milwaukee Summerfest. Casket Robbery has shared the stage with Cannibal Corpse, Jungle Rot, Psycroptic, Immolation and more.





Casket Robbery is:


Megan Orvold – Vocals 
Cory Scheider – Guitars 
Troy Powell – Guitars 
Eli Pete - Bass

THREE DAYS GRACE's new single, "So Called Life", will arrive on November 29. It will mark the band's first release since THREE DAYS GRACE's cover of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know", which came out in July 2020.

Earlier this week, THREE DAYS GRACE announced more than a dozen U.S. dates for April and May 2022, including a number of headlining concerts and radio shows as the support act for GODSMACK. Tickets go on sale this Thursday, November 18 at 10 a.m. local time.

The official music video for THREE DAYS GRACE's version of "Somebody That I Used To Know" was directed by Mike Filsinger.

In 2019, THREE DAYS GRACE extended its record for the most No. 1s in the 38-year history of Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, with "Right Left Wrong" its 15th No. 1 single on the tally.

"Right Left Wrong" is featured on "Outsider", THREE DAYS GRACE's sixth full-length album and fifth consecutive Top 40-charting LP on the Billboard Top 200.

THREE DAYS GRACE's other No. 1 singles include "Misery Loves My Company", "Chalk Outline", "World So Cold", "Never Too Late", "Just Like You", "Animal", "Pain", "Home" and "Infra-Red".




Hiding lyrics to our new single…here's a start!

Oh gimme something to take the edge off

Something to kick the night off

Something to keep my mind off

This so called life#3DG4LIFE

Pre-save the new music ? https://t.co/Nphz1MY2GX

THANK YOU for all your support ???? pic.twitter.com/kgAWIHPe1n

— Three Days Grace (@threedaysgrace) November 9, 2021

Power-thrashers Sacred Oath will release their latest album “Return Of The Dragon” in Europe on November 19 via the Italian label WormHoleDeath Records.  Initially released in the US and Canada on April 2 on Angel Thorne Music, Return Of The Dragon has only been available overseas as an import until now.





The band has finished a brand-new lyric video for “Last Ride Of The Wicked Dead,” which is the seventh video single from the album. In keeping with the first six singles, this video features the artwork of drummer Kenny “Thundarr” Evans. Check out the BraveWords premiered lyric video below:







According to Sacred Oath singer and lyricist Rob Thorne, the song could actually be their ‘last ride’ as the lyrics suggest. “There was a strong sense during the making of this album that this could be it,” said Thorne. “We’re definitely entering the twilight years of the Oath.  It’s strange, because the band is stronger now than ever. I guess it will depend on what opportunities present themselves in the coming year.”





Return Of The Dragon is the ninth studio album from the Connecticut quintet, and first European release since their debut A Crystal Vision in 1988.

Legendary rocker Ted Nugent has criticized Gene Simmons for calling unvaccinated people the "enemy."

In an appearance on Talkshoplive's Rock 'N' Roll channel last week, the KISS bassist and vocalist said that many people were turned away from the band's recently completed Kiss Kruise because they were not vaccinated. All guests on the cruise, which was on a Norwegian Cruise Line boat, were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

"If you're willing to walk among us unvaccinated, you are an enemy," the 72-year-old Simmons said on November 10.

"This whole idea, this delusional, evil idea that you get to do whatever you want and the rest of the world be damned, is really terrible," he added. "We've got to identify those people and bring them out into the open so you know who they are."

Nugent, an outspoken conspiracy theorist who has refused to take the vaccine, responded to Simmons's comments during an appearance on the "Joe Pags Show". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think [Gene has] been so bombarded. Remember, he lives in Los Angeles. Number one, I love Gene Simmons — he is a great man, rock solid in the asset column. But my own brother, who also spent most of his life in New York and L.A., they are so overwhelmed with lies and hate and misinformation. And when the people on the coast — and I mean overall; only the guilty need to feel guilty — but when they called someone a racist, they are the racist; when they call someone a child molester, it's usually coming from a child molester. So you've gotta give 'em the benefit of the doubt. But the real shocker, I think, and you will agree, is that here's Gene that speaks truth, logic and common sense most of the time — I really respect the man's overview — but here's a man who constantly references, and rightly so, that his mother survived the Holocaust where power-abusing monsters were forcing people to succumb. And then the Nuremberg trials [a series of military tribunals held after World War II to convict Nazis of their war crimes, including six million Jews and other minorities for medical trials] proved that no man, no human has a right to force any unwanted medicine or experiments, like this experimental drug, on people ever again. And here's Gene Simmons, who is so powerfully educating people about the horrors of demonic Nazism and the Holocaust, and then he compartmentalizes it and literally falls into the chasm of power abuse. It's much like a lot of my Jewish friends that are anti-gun and think that guns should be banned, which was what Joseph Goebbels and Hitler did.

"Joe, on an honest, intellectual level, I cannot explain it," Ted told host Joe Pags. "I just know that I love Gene Simmons, and I'm gonna call him and try to fix him."

According to the nonpartisan, nonprofit web site Fact Check, while vaccines reduce the probability of getting infected, they are not 100% effective, so there is a chance that an unvaccinated person could infect a vaccinated person — particularly the vulnerable, such as elderly and immunocompromised individuals. And, despite vaccination providing excellent protection against severe disease, a small proportion of vaccinated people still require ICU care.

More than 59% of the nation's population are currently fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while more than 68% have received at least one shot, according to data from the CDC.

More than 760,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the U.S.

Last month, Nugent appeared on "Off The Record" where he once again said that he won't take the COVID-19 vaccine because the shots that are available in the United States were developed in less than a year are probably fake.

"It's not a vaccine," he said. "It's an experimental shot. Now the FDA was forced to authorize it recently, but they were jabbing people with an experimental shot right up until that fake authorization.

"I don't believe it's a vaccine," he reiterated. "Most of America doesn't believe it's a vaccine. The only ones that are taking it are either gullible or being forced because they're gonna lose their job, lose their life and lose their livelihood."

Asked what he would say to the people who believe it's a worthwhile vaccine and it's saving lives, Ted — who spoke openly about his battle with COVID-19 seven months ago — said: "I appreciate the opportunity to speak to the people that went ahead and got the jab. I speak their language. I will speak to them thusly: Baaaaaah," he said, imitating a sheep. "Baaaaaah. Baaaaaah. Baaaaaah. They understand that."

When senior Capitol correspondent Tim Skubick asked Nugent point blank if he believes that the millions of people who got the shot are "just stupid," Ted replied: "Yup."

In April, Nugent talked about the darkest days of his battle with COVID-19, saying that he had "never been so scared" in his entire life. The 72-year-old pro-gun activist, who had previously claimed the virus was "not a real pandemic," said: "It was really scary. I didn't think I was gonna make it. I literally couldn't function for about 20 hours, and then they came and they rescued me… The six-foot-two, 225-pound headache [this time] was like nothing I have ever experienced. I mean, from my tip of my toes to the top of my hair, I literally was dizzy and weak and struggled to get up to go to the bathroom. And I would lay in the bathtub a couple of times a day with the water as hot as I could take it just to divert."

Ted also said that he was being treated for COVID-19 by a group of doctors who made a video last year calling for the use of hydroxychloroquine to battle the novel coronavirus, despite warnings from public health experts. Nugent went on to detail his clinical management of COVID-19, saying he was taking hydroxychloroquine, "a proven drug for 65 years," as well as ivermectin, "another proven drug."

In the past, Nugent, a staunch Donald Trump supporter, had referred to the virus as a "leftist scam to destroy" America's 45th president. He had also repeated a narrative pushed by conservative media and disputed by health experts that suggests the official death count from the coronavirus is inflated.

Richie Faulkner says that he is feeling " feeling very strong and positive" less than two months after undergoing a life-saving surgery.

On September 26, the JUDAS PRIEST guitarist suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during a performance at the Louder Than Life festival, just a short distance from Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. It took the hospital's cardiothoracic surgery team, led by Dr. Siddharth Pahwa and also including Drs. Brian Ganzel and Mark Slaughter, approximately 10 hours to complete the surgery, an aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement with hemiarch replacement.

Faulkner, who is now recovering at home in Nashville, offered an update on his condition in a social media post earlier today. He wrote: "Hello there maniacs! I just wanted to post, and I've had many of you asking for an update on how my recovery is going.

"I was able to return home from hospital 10 days after my surgery to continue recovery at home. It has now been 7 weeks since the night it all happened and I'm feeling very strong and positive. My incisions have healed very well and I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm walking well and moving freely, I'm pretty active and I'm starting cardiac therapy very soon. I'm playing guitar everyday and with the love and support of my family, the continued support from you guys and the inspiration that I get from the guitar, I'll be back on stage in no time! My surgeons are very pleased with my progress and have all reserved front row tickets for the next PRIEST show haha.

"It's Thanksgiving this month, and whether you celebrate it or not, I have a lot to give thanks for this year; Including all of you for your patience, your love and your support. Lots of love and I'll see you down the front soon, horns held high."

Faulkner's medical episode happened while he was performing the closing song of PRIEST's set on the final day of Louder Than Life. Faulkner later said in a statement: "As I watch footage from the Louder Than Life Festival in Kentucky, I can see in my face the confusion and anguish I was feeling whilst playing 'Painkiller' as my aorta ruptured and started to spill blood into my chest cavity."

Two weeks after his surgery, Faulkner told reporters about how he felt while performing "Painkiller" with his bandmates at Louder Than Life: "I became a bit light-headed. It didn't go away. I've never fainted before. I've never passed out, but I knew that this felt like I was going to pass out in a minute.

"Luckily, it was about half way into the song," he continued. "So obviously, I had to finish the song. If I had known how important it was, maybe I would have got off there a bit quicker. But I think that's the whole point for me. I had no idea whatsoever what it was."

Faulkner said that he experienced a sharp pain as he was stepping off the stage. "That's when it exploded," he said.

"The more I read about it, the more astonishing it is to me to think that I even made it to the hospital," he added. "The amount of time when I actually go the pain and when I turned up in the hospital and when we were actually operating, it was quite a lot of time. The more I read about it, the more unbelievable — that amount of time — I don't know how I'm still around today."

Aortic aneurysms are "balloon-like bulges in the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Dissections happen when the "force of blood pumping can split the layers of the artery wall, allowing blood to leak in between them."

After Louder Than Life, JUDAS PRIEST postponed the remainder of the U.S. dates on its rescheduled 50th anniversary tour, dubbed "50 Heavy Metal Years". The trek kicked off on September 8 in Reading, Pennsylvania and was slated to run through October before concluding on November 5 in Hamilton, Ontario.
























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JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford has offered an update on Richie Faulkner's recovery after the PRIEST guitarist suffered an acute cardiac aortic dissection during the band's performance at the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky in late September. Faulkner was rushed to the UofL Health - Jewish Hospital where the cardiothoracic surgery team needed approximately 10 hours to complete a life-saving surgery.

Speaking to the "SpeedFreaks" radio show, Rob said about his bandmate (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "He's doing remarkably well. He saw his doctors recently again, who performed this miracle of surgery, and they're over the moon in the way that he's repairing and healing.

"It was an unbelievable night," Halford continued. "We had this fantastic show at the Louder Than Life festival up in Kentucky. And the show was going great. And then we came offstage. 'Where's Richie?' The paramedics are looking after him. Something's happening. Without going into too much lengthy detail, less than an hour later, he was in almost 11 hours of heart surgery.

"I'll tell you what's a miracle about that. The Lord intervened, because it's all about timing. He was barely 10 minutes away from one of the greatest heart surgeons in the world — a team, a great team of people — so they got in there quickly.

"When I was talking to him, he was getting undressed and dressed to go to the hospital, and at that time, his aorta had ruptured and his chest was filling with blood. But his doctor said he was so high on adrenaline — and this happens in sports; guys play with a broken whatever; your adrenaline is pushing you through. So he got to the hospital and then this incredible dream team of surgeons saved his life. It is an absolute miracle.

"Because you know what it's like. With guys — I suppose everybody, to a certain extent — but with guys, 'Oh, I'll be all…' 'Cause we were gonna go to Denver that night — we were gonna take the plane and fly to Denver. He could have said, 'Let's figure this out when we get into Denver.' What would have happened if he had made that move. He followed the advice.

"Always listen to these professionals, especially now," Rob added. "Listen to them — something that is so valuable, listen to the experts, 'cause they know the best solutions.

"So, thank you. He's doing good, he's doing well. All those dates that we had to shuffle around are being shuffled around as we speak, and we should be making an announcement fairly soon about the rescheduling of the dates.

"We thank our fans for being so patient for us. Everybody's rooting for Richie around the world — there's been a lot of love and prayers for this guy — and it's working out great."

Faulkner had "an aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection" while performing the closing song of PRIEST's set on the final day of Louder Than Life. Faulkner later said in a statement: "As I watch footage from the Louder Than Life Festival in Kentucky, I can see in my face the confusion and anguish I was feeling whilst playing 'Painkiller' as my aorta ruptured and started to spill blood into my chest cavity."

Two weeks after his surgery, Faulkner told reporters about how he felt while performing "Painkiller" with his bandmates at Louder Than Life: "I became a bit light-headed. It didn't go away. I've never fainted before. I've never passed out, but I knew that this felt like I was going to pass out in a minute.

"Luckily, it was about half way into the song," he continued. "So obviously, I had to finish the song. If I had known how important it was, maybe I would have got off there a bit quicker. But I think that's the whole point for me. I had no idea whatsoever what it was."

Faulkner said that he experienced a sharp pain as he was stepping off the stage. "That's when it exploded," he said.

"The more I read about it, the more astonishing it is to me to think that I even made it to the hospital," he added. "The amount of time when I actually go the pain and when I turned up in the hospital and when we were actually operating, it was quite a lot of time. The more I read about it, the more unbelievable — that amount of time — I don't know how I'm still around today."

Aortic aneurysms are "balloon-like bulges in the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Dissections happen when the "force of blood pumping can split the layers of the artery wall, allowing blood to leak in between them."

After Louder Than Life, JUDAS PRIEST postponed the remainder of the U.S. dates on its rescheduled 50th anniversary tour, dubbed "50 Heavy Metal Years". The trek kicked off on September 8 in Reading, Pennsylvania and was slated to run through October before concluding on November 5 in Hamilton, Ontario.