Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach, who recently kicked off a U.S. tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band's double-platinum album "Slave To The Grind", was asked in a new interview with Rockin' Metal Revival if he ever regrets writing such high vocal parts that he now has to reproduce live on stage three decades later. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "All I can tell you is that I've been singing so much in the last four or months. I can't tell you exactly what I was doing yet, but I will be able to. My voice is the same it's always been.

"I've gotta say just a couple of things answering your question — a couple of things come to mind," he continued. "For a guy like me or a guy like Bono [U2] or a guy like — I don't know, Geddy Lee [RUSH] or somebody like that, making a record is not the same as doing a show; it's not the same thing; it's a different thing. Making a record is you standing in an air-conditioned room with water next to you and coffee and you've got the lights perfect. And you're standing as still as you can, and you get to sing it as many times as you want until it's perfect. [Laughs] Nothing can be more different than a show — unless you're using [backing] tapes. But I'm proud to tell your audience that we will not be using any tapes anytime soon, so it's a real rock show. But doing a show is more like communicating the spirit of the song and the music to the audience, and everybody gets into it. And I'm not just gonna stand there and try to be perfect. I'm gonna run all over the place and I'm gonna put on a show.

"As singers get older, I don't like changing the key of the song because, to me, that makes it sound like a different tune, and I'm not interested in that," Sebastian explained. "If I'm gonna change a little vocal part in the same key, to me that's a cooler way of doing it instead of making it into the key of KORN. That works great for KORN.

"I have to sing every day properly and do it for many weeks in order to get my voice to the top of its abilities, and that's what I've been doing. I just played and I had no problems doing all those tunes. I've got no problems — knock on wood."

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

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

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

This week, Michigan rockers POP EVIL celebrate their seventh career No. 1 single at rock radio with "Survivor", which topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, marking a historic milestone. "Survivor" joins the previous Top 10 single "Work" and No. 1 single "Breathe Again" from their new album "Versatile", out now via MNRK Heavy.

In other news, POP EVIL has announced a string of headlining dates in the U.S. next month alongside supporting dates with DISTURBED, and a February 2022 Canadian tour supporting SHINEDOWN.

The quartet will headline three shows — on November 3 in Lexington, Ketucky; November 5 in Columbus, Ohio; and November 7 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, alongside supporting DISTURBED in Gary, Indiana; Evansville, Indiana; and concluding November 9 in State College, Pennsylvania.

The 2022 Canadian tour supporting SHINEDOWN kicks off February 10 in Abbotsford, British Columbia and runs east across the country, concluding February 27 in Montreal.

"We won't bore people with the same song over and over," says POP EVIL frontman Leigh Kakaty, who started the band in Grand Rapids. "When you come to our live show, we feel like there should be an ebb and flow, peaks and valleys, that are similar to real life. Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. We like to take people on a journey when they listen to our music or come to see us live."

2021 tour dates:

Nov. 03 - Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall*

Nov. 04 - Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Casino & Hotel^

Nov. 05 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall*

Nov. 06 - Evansville, IN @ Ford Center^

Nov. 07 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection*

Nov. 09 - State College, PA @ Stage West*

* Headlining

^ Supporting DISTURBED

2022 Canadian tour dates:

Feb. 10 - Abbotsford, BC @ Abbotsford Center

Feb. 11 - Penticton, BC @ Okanagan Event Centre

Feb. 12 - Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle Casino

Feb. 14 - Edmonton, AB @ Convention Centre

Feb. 15 - Saskatoon, SK @ TCU Place

Feb. 17 - Moose Jaw, SK @ Mosaic Place

Feb. 18 - Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theaters

Feb. 23 - Windsor, ON @ Cesar's Windsor Colosseum

Feb. 25 - Toronto, ON @ History

Feb. 26 - Quebec City, QC @ Videotron Centre

Feb. 27 - Montreal, QC @ Mtelus

All dates supporting SHINEDOWN

In July, POP EVIL's longtime bassist Matt DiRito announced his exit from the band, saying in a statement that "the details surrounding my departure are only known by a few people, and respectfully it will remain that way."

"Walking away from something I've helped build is not easy — but it is the best thing for the band, myself and our respective futures," he said. "POP EVIL will continue on and so will I, just not together."

POP EVIL drummer Hayley Cramer was forced to miss the first couple of weeks of the band's U.S. tour this past summer because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. She has since flown to the U.S. and joined her bandmates on the r

Nita Strauss, the guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, has unleashed her brand new single, "Dead Inside", today, her first new music since the release of her critically acclaimed debut solo album "Controlled Chaos" in 2018. But this time, Nita isn't coming alone. "Dead Inside" features her first-ever solo collaboration with a vocalist and not just any vocalist, none other than David Draiman, frontman of Grammy-nominated rock icons DISTURBED.

"Dead Inside" is the kind of rare musical alchemy that can only be conjured by the serendipitous collaboration of two iconic hard rock powerhouses such as Strauss and Draiman. It kicks off with Nita's inimitably intricate lead guitar work and, as the intro builds, begins to snake its way around the ground-shaking, headbanging lead riff as Josh Villalta's technical and bombastic drums kick in. Then comes the unmistakable vocal prowess of Draiman as he delivers his unique signature brand of enormously catchy vocal melody and a stadium-conquering chorus. The song ebbs and flows through sonic and emotional dynamics and culminates with a brutally heavy beatdown into a final rendition of the chorus, ensuring that the lead hook will be replaying over and over in the listener's head for days.

Speaking about the collaboration, Strauss says: "This is my first time releasing my own music with a vocalist, and I am so honored to take this step alongside a legend like David Draiman. David's voice and powerful lyrics took this song to a level I could never have imagined! And we are so excited to unleash this song on the world."

Draiman adds: "Serendipity can be really cool. We've been friends for years. Nita sent me the track… I didn't have time to work on it right away… then, in literally a couple of days, while killing time in Santa Monica, the whole thing just came together. Incredibly proud of how it turned out and honored to be a part of it."

Through obsession, dedication and sheer hard work, Nita has not only been firmly established as one of the best guitarists in the world, she is also a role model, a trail blazer, a fitness fanatic, a phenomenal performer and a total badass. Her skill, exuberant stage presence and love for all things guitar have seen Nita become a truly unstoppable, limitless force, blazing a previously untrodden trail.

As well as writing, producing and playing all the guitar and bass parts on her solo output, Nita is known for wowing fans all over the world as Cooper's touring guitarist, gracing the covers of Guitar World and Guitar Player, performing for millions upon millions of WWE fans worldwide at record-setting pay-per-views and becoming the first female to have a signature Ibanez guitar (which now hangs in the entrance to the legendary Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd).

When the pandemic hit, being the force of nature that she is, Nita took the adversity of no touring and being at home and turned it in to a positive. During the past 18 months, Nita launched her online guitar learning course, "Rock Guitar Fundamentals", which takes the learner through everything from picking up the guitar for the first time all the way through to learning songs and playing solos. Taking her passion for health and fitness to the next level, Nita also launched her Body Shred Fitness Challenge, a three-month fitness challenge that pairs a love of music with passion for getting healthier in your body and mind! Participants have the chance to win prize packages valued at over $2,500 while becoming a part of a fun, supportive worldwide fitness community.

And, as if that wasn't enough, Nita launched her Patreon which gives fans access to weekly livestreams, lessons, signed photos and behind-the-scenes looks at the album recording process.

On top of these digital initiatives, Nita also became the official in-house guitarist of the Los Angeles Rams, playing every home game at the brand new SoFi Stadium, performed the national anthem at WWE's "NXT Takeover: Stand And Deliver" event, released two new signature Ibanez guitars, JIVA Jr and JIVA X, was featured on the cover of Guitar World's "Guitarists Of The Decade" issue and performed with Cooper at the Fire Fight Australia benefit for the bush fires that ravaged Australia in 2020.

Nita released "Controlled Chaos" in 2018 to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths". To date the album has clocked up 6.7 million streams worldwide, with music videos for singles "Our Most Desperate Hour", "Pandemonium", "Alegria" and "Mariana Trench" generating over 3 million YouTube views.

As well as performing with Cooper, Nita has also played with R&B star Jermaine Jackson, early MTV darlings FEMME FATALE, video game supergroup CRITICAL HIT and popular tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS.

BLINK-182 singer and bassist Mark Hoppus is undergoing a surgery to remove his chemo port, a device that provided chemotherapy treatments during his battle with cancer.

According to Medical News Today, a chemo port is a small, implantable device that attaches to a vein. Doctors typically insert these devices beneath the skin in the chest. They reduce the need for doctors to keep finding a vein to deliver medications, take blood samples, or carry out other procedures.

Earlier today, Hoppus took to his social media to share a photo of him at a doctor's office, and he included the following message: "In the waiting room for the surgery to remove my chemo port!"

Three months ago, Hoppus confirmed that he was battling a blood disorder called stage 4-A diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the same type of cancer his mother previously beat. Hoppus completed chemotherapy treatment last month and he said that his oncologist told him he was now "cancer free".

The 49-year-old Hoppus is BLINK-182's bassist, co-vocalist and sole remaining founding member.

BLINK-182's latest album, "Nine", was released in September 2019 via Columbia Records and includes singles "I Really Wish I Hated You", "Darkside", "Happy Days", "Generational Divide" and "Blame It On My Youth".

Since its humble beginnings in 1992 in San Diego, BLINK-182 has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and rocked audiences around the globe, becoming one of the defining and inspirational rock bands of its generation.

BLINK-182 is Hoppus, Travis Barker (drums) and Matt Skiba (vocals/guitar). A guitarist and singer with ALKALINE TRIO, Skiba replaced original BLINK-182 singer Tom DeLonge in 2016.

BLINK-182 released its first post-DeLonge album, "California", in 2016.




In the waiting room for the surgery to remove my chemo port! pic.twitter.com/6PVyC4NEcZ

— ϻ?Ⓡ? ??Ƥ?ย? (@markhoppus) October 14, 2021

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, outpoken conservative rocker and avid hunter Ted Nugent joined Wisconsin Republicans on Wednesday to promote the recent unveiling of their package of 13 bills that would declare open hunting season on sandhill cranes and allow anyone age 18 or older to carry concealed firearms without a permit.

Nugent, who is also the national spokesman for pro-hunting lobbying group Hunter Nation, and lives in neighboring Michigan, stopped by the state Capitol in Madison where he appeared with more than 20 Republican lawmakers. He said Wisconsin should be managing wildlife differently and removing restrictions placed on hunting, fishing and trapping.

"My dad took his kids hunting, so he didn't have to hunt for his kids," he said. "And now I take my kids and my grandkids hunting, because the stimuli factor, the excitement factor, the challenge of being the very best that you can be, tuning in to your stewardship responsibilities, your conservation, hands-on participation in the natural, renewable season of harvest, so that when you celebrate Thanksgiving, you know where that turkey came from, you know where that venison came from, you know where that trout came from. And I'm here, not representing any Ted Nugent opinions — I'm not that cocky. I'm adequately cocky, but not cocky enough to think that I might have an opinion on God's renewable creation. I'm speaking for those millions and millions of American families who pursue this lifestyle of hands-on conservation that literally is God's work. When they're overregulated, people quit. People don't participate. We're going to cleanse the arbitrary, punitive, capricious, overregulation."

Nugent also addressed the constitutional carry portion of the package of bills and said he was born with the right to carry a gun.

"I have a right to keep and bear arms on the ground in the United States of America; it's a God-given right," he said. "This Second Amendment consideration is on par with science-based hunting regulations to allow us to perform our conservation responsibilities, as well as our self-defense responsibilities."

The package of bills, dubbed the Wisconsin Sporting Freedom Package, was released earlier in the month. The bills range in topics from adding more pheasants and brook trout, to simplifying turkey hunting seasons, to reducing Department of Natural Resources regulations.

BRITISH LION, the side project of IRON MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris, has withdrawn from the previously announced U.K. tour with THE DARKNESS, citing "completely unacceptable" tour "protocols."

THE DARKNESS' U.K. tour is scheduled to kick off on November 17 in Brighton and conclude on December 17 in London.

Earlier today, BRITISH LION released the following statement via social media: "Due to circumstances beyond our control BRITISH LION are really sad and disappointed to announce that we will not be able to participate in the tour with THE DARKNESS. Very recently we received their own protocols that are not Government protocols which are completely unacceptable to us. Therefore, we have no alternative but to withdraw from the tour."

BRITISH LION's second album, "The Burning", came out last year. Although a summer European tour in support of the LP couldn't go ahead last year as planned, BRITISH LION has now confirmed nine new European shows next summer. The band will appear at Finland's Rockfest, U.K.'s Download and Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting festivals, and will make additional stops in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland and Portugal.

BRITISH LION completed its first U.S. tour in January and February 2020.

"The Burning" was released on January 17, 2020 in digipack CD, double gatefold vinyl and digital download formats via Explorer1 Music (E1). The LP was recorded, engineered and mixed at Barnyard Studios by Tony Newton and produced by Steve Harris.

BRITISH LION comprises singer Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, Harris on bass and keyboards, and drummer Simon Dawson.

Asked by the Tampa Bay Times what the itch is that BRITISH LION scratches that he doesn't get in his job with MAIDEN, Harris said: "I suppose playing small clubs and being close and personal with the audience. I love playing big places as well. I enjoy them all, and I'm very lucky that I can do them all. But also, it's clubs that I never played with MAIDEN, even in Europe. There's a famous club called the Milky Way in Amsterdam, which I managed to play with BRITISH LION, but I never did that with MAIDEN. There's places now that I'm going to be playing on this [U.S.] tour that I've never played before. So it's all new ground. It's a challenge. It's nice. I like a challenge."


Due to circumstances beyond our control British Lion are really sad and disappointed to announce that we will not be...

Posted by British Lion on Thursday, October 14, 2021

Sadly, news reached us that after the coloured vinyl and the box sets, the CD / BD digipaks for Devin Townsend's next release, The Puzzle, are also delayed. The blame apparently lies with people putting up nice and shiny PVC flooring and new cable tubes in their homes, causing more shortages of plastics around the world. Devin explains a bit more about it in the video below.


Pre-orders have been extended and can be found here: 


- European store
- UK store
- North American store
- Finnish store


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Check out the audio teasers for The Puzzle and Suggles below.


Townsend: "So what is The Puzzle? ... well, its not technically my new record, it's more a collaborative, multimedia art project that acts as a stopgap between Empath and the next record, Lightwork (due out in March of next year on Inside Out Records). The Puzzle includes two 'soundtracks' of sorts (the highly orchestrated 'Puzzle' and the very chill 'Snuggles') along with a film, graphic novel, novel, and a huge amount of multimedia. It includes many artists (upwards of 50) that participated via Zoom during the pandemic and the experience gave me a chance to purge and be completely creatively free. As such, it is a stream of conscious, and very abstract collection of music that includes a narrative (in the form of a film) and is meant to be a documentation of what the pandemic felt like to me.


I'm very proud of it, and I will be uploading some of Snuggles next. Note: it is *not* meant to be considered a normal album, it is truly a sprawling, complex, multimedia cathartic release that was inspired by the events of the last year and a half. Lightwork is much more in line with what I've done in the past (Transcendence, Empath, Addicted, Ocean Machine, etc) but Puzzle is very near to my heart. It includes so many of my friends and peers, and it has zero limits on it... it's almost like Puzzle and Snuggle are like a modern day Devlab and Hummer (two old albums of mine) but the difference being the levels of complexity this project included. Mixing it alone was a nightmare, let alone the film, the books, the box sets, etc. (the box set is a hand numbered and signed piece of work that is limited to 1000 pieces).


I'm sure this won't be everybody's cup of tea, and I would imagine the listeners who are more interested in 'Kingdom' or 'Deadhead' would be better suited to wait for Lightwork (and I can appreciate that very much...) however, The Puzzle has been my soundtrack for the last year and a half, and in keeping with the idea of making sure that what I am writing is authentic to what Im feeling, The Puzzle is essentially my documentation of the pandemic and the world around it. It has been a very intense time, as I'm sure you'd agree...


The other record, Snuggles, is meant to be something you listen to in order to feel better. Puzzle is chaos, Snuggles is calm. The whole project is meant to express that I think there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel we've been through. Keeping ourselves and our loved ones together during it all became the whole point.


Thank you for allowing me to continue to make uncompromised work during a time that may be arg

The Austrian-South German metal commando Infected Chaos holds a giant mirror right in front of the rotten, perverted part of humanity. Yes, the truth, it is painful.


Creatively, these hard steel enthusiasts are just as ruthless, and that hits like a forge hammer on an anvil.


The delightfully rough riffed, and at the same time colossally rhythmic death metal of the perfectly co-ordinated shock troop shows itself on their new and third long-player, Dead Aesthetics.


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Just released is a lyric video for the track, "When Yonder Calls My Name". The band comments:


"The song contains the first lyrics written for Dead Aesthetics. Thematically, it's about that very special moment when you realize that this existence is now over and a new journey begins. The call of the afterlife becomes louder and louder and the spirit dives into completely alien spheres."

On Desember, 10th 2021 the Göttingen NDH/German rock formation STAHLMANN will release their latest studio album "Quarz". As announced, it is the band`s most varied and sophisticated work to date. With his bandmates Mario Sobotka (guitar) and Dimitrios ‘Tacki’ Gatsios (drums), frontman Martin ‘Mart’ Soer (vocals, programming) has recorded ten powerful and multi-layered songs that skillfully bring the typical Stahlmann style into focus. Mart: “We’ve deliberately returned to our roots this time to revive the old-school NDH directives of our first three albums. Naturally, these influences have been combined with current, contemporary ideas. The result is a balanced, well-rounded album, catchy but still with all the raw edges Stahlmann is known for.”

Martin Soer is referring to songs like ‘Gegen den Strom’, ‘Tobsucht’ or their current club focus single ‘Wollust’, but also to their dance-style song ‘Herz und Tränen’, their pre-release track ‘Gottmaschine’ mentioned above, or their brashly powerful ‘Willst Du’. And then, there is their groovy ‘Sonnenreich’ with a skillful mixture of NDH influences and German rock, as well as their ballad ‘Der Sturm’, that comes with its own symphonic string accompaniment and a decidedly sensual love story.

By the way: "Quarz", too, is bursting with eloquent lyrics, the underlying meaning of which Martin Soer has deliberately laced with double entendres. He says: “As diverse as our topics are – from the ever-popular sex and eroticism in ‘Der Sturm’ or ‘Willst Du’, to the critical evaluation of the glorification of alleged deities in ‘Sonnenreich’, to our appeal in ‘Krähen der Nacht’ to boldly keep taking on new challenges, without forgetting your own roots – it’s basically an ironic wink, along with our wish to our fans to not rack their brains too much over seemingly heavy subjects.”

The audio-video for the brand-single “Wollust” can be watched below.

Former NIGHTWISH frontwoman Anette Olzon spoke to CNN about balancing her singing career with her day job.

"I always wanted to help people and work with something that gives me something on the inside," she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I'm a registered nurse. So I started studying and got a bachelor's degree. It took me some years. And I've been working with that for three years now. And I feel that it's a good complement — it's a good complement to do music and to do another work. I believe it's good for us to see other things. I'm working with newborn babies at the maternity ward, so it's really a very nice job."

The Swedish-born singer originally joined NIGHTWISH in 2007 and recorded two studio LPs with the band before being dismissed in 2012 in the middle of the group's North American tour. She was replaced by former AFTER FOREVER frontwoman Floor Jansen.

Not long after Olzon was fired from NIGHTWISH eight years ago, she claimed that an argument arose between her and NIGHTWISH when she asked for an Australian tour to be postponed during her pregnancy. Keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen suggested that Jansen should front the band on a temporary basis, but Olzon said no.

Anette explained in a 2014 interview: "I would have been too pregnant to go to Australia, so I wanted to push the dates back, but Tuomas didn't want that. Discussions about a substitute came up, and at first, I was, like, 'Yeah, well, okay.' But when they mentioned Floor, it was an automatic 'no' from me. I didn't think it was a good idea, because I knew what would happen — I knew the fans would love Floor, because she's a metal singer and I'm a pop singer, and I wanted to keep my job."

A year after NIGHTWISH fired Olzon, the band released a statement denying that she was dismissed because of pregnancy or illness. "We discovered her personality didn't fit this work community, and was even detrimental to it," the group said. NIGHTWISH went on to say that Anette was initially receptive to the idea of hiring a temporary replacement if she couldn't "manage everything," but that she later "took back her decision, and the difficulties really started. Fear of losing money and position seemed obvious." The band also insisted that "Anette and her company" were "paid a fifth of everything that was done during her time" with NIGHTWISH.

Anette's second solo album, "Strong", was released on September 10 via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to 2014's "Shine" is a harder and faster musical offering than the debut.

The music for "Strong" was written and composed together with acclaimed Swedish guitarist and producer Magnus Karlsson.

Since the end of her stint with NIGHTWISH, Olzon also formed THE DARK ELEMENT with former SONATA ARCTICA guitarist Jani Liimatainen. The group's self-titled debut album was released in 2017; a follow-up, "Songs The Night Sings", came out in November 2019.

Olzon and noted progressive metal vocalist Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X, ADRENALINE MOB) released a collaborative album titled "Worlds Apart" in March 2020 via Frontiers Music Srl. The project was issued under the moniker ALLEN/OLZON.

YouTube user FrontRowOrBust has uploaded video footage of SLIPKNOT's entire October 10 concert at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey.

Featured songs:

01. Unsainted 0:50

02. Disasterpiece 4:36

03. Nero Forte 11:09

04. Before I Forget 16:07

05. The Heretic Anthem 20:24

06. Psychosocial 23:54

07. The Devil In I 28:20

08. Solway Firth 34:20

09. Wait And Bleed 39:32

10. Vermilion 42:03

11. All Out Life 47:15

12. Duality 52:47

13. Spit It Out 56:56

Encore:

14. People=Shit 1:02:58

15. (sic) 1:06:27

16. Surfacing 1:11:00

Late last month, SLIPKNOT launched the 2021 incarnation of the "Knotfest Roadshow" with support from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, FEVER 333 and CODE ORANGE. The 28-date run, produced by Live Nation, kicked off following the band's Knotfest Iowa hometown show in Des Moines on September 25, and will wrap up in Arizona in early November.

SLIPKNOT has spent the last few months working on a new studio album, tentatively due in 2022. Singer Corey Taylor stated about the musical direction of the follow-up to 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind": "I actually like this one better than the last one. I loved the last one. It's really good. There's some darker, heavier shit on it. There's some tunes that are actually really outside the realm of what we've done before. But it all fucking coheses together — it all works together. And there's some fucking savage heavy shit, which I'm really stoked on. So it's gonna be rad."

In July, Corey told Consequence Of Sound about SLIPKNOT's next LP: "I think I talked about it somewhere else where this is the first time in a long time on a SLIPKNOT album where I'm not just talking about things from my point of view; I'm trying to look at things from other people's point of view and tell different stories again. I'm kind of getting back to that, and it feels very freeing. It's very liberating, man. And it's gonna be rad. There's a couple of songs on here that people are gonna be, like… There's definitely some pit openers that are gonna fucking freak people out. It's gonna be rad."

"We Are Not Your Kind" came out in August 2019. The disc sold 118,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Furthermore, the album made an impact worldwide with No. 1 debuts in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Finland, as well as Top 5 debuts in Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and New Zealand.

"We Are Not Your Kind"'s sales in the U.S. were boosted by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with SLIPKNOT's summer 2019 tour.

Japanese pop-metal band BABYMETAL, which announced that it will "seal" its commemorative 10-year legend of live performances as of Sunday, October 10, has released a video, "The One - Stairway To Living Legend", to wrap up its 10th-anniversary year.

In the video, while BABYMETAL's key song "The One" plays, Su-Metal and Moametal climb up a long stairway from a sea of clouds, portraying their 10-year journey on earth as they now become a Living Legend.

Last October 10, BABYMETAL started its 10th commemorative year and it celebrated the release of its greatest-hits album, "10 Babymetal Years". Following this release, they successfully finished a series of 10 performances at the prestigious Nippon Budokan between January to April of this year, hold an exhibition at hmv museum commemorating their release of their first live history book "10 Babymetal Legends" which summarizes all activities of their 10-year journey, and ended with an exhibition at Tower Record Shibuya in which they showcased several stage items from their performance at the Nippon Budokan, simultaneously celebrating the release of their live album and live footage called "10 Babymetal Budokan".

With the end of BABYMETAL's 10th-anniversary year, BABYMETAL will be "sealed" from the world and only the Fox God knows when that seal will be broken.

BABYMETAL was formed in 2010. Their mission was to unify the world through heavy metal by creating a fusion of heavy metal and the Japanese pop genre. Their music contains a stunning mix of electronic pop, a pinch of alternative and industrial rock, and is leveled up by fast-driven heavy metal. Their live shows are ground-breaking and epic visual as well as sound performances. BABYMETAL continued to travel the path of metal with the international release of their three albums, telling the story of the mighty Fox God and his brave metal warriors.

A book about the first ten years of BABYMETAL, "Bessatsu Kadokawa Souryoku Tokushuu", was released in Japan in October 2020. It contains a long interview with Su-metal and Moametal as well as never-before-heard stories from band producer Kobametal from BABYMETAL's decade-long history, photos taken from live shows, a discussion between Demon Kakka and Kobametal, and much more.

BABYMETAL's third studio album, "Metal Galaxy", came out in October 2019 via earMUSIC/Edel. The follow-up to 2016's "Metal Resistance" is based on the concept of "The Odyssey Of Metal Galaxy".

In 2018, BABYMETAL announced the departure of Yuimetal, who was formerly one of the members of the Japanese group's core trio. She exited the band, explaining in a statement that she would go on to pursue a solo career as Mizuno Yu.

In a recent interview with Rockin' Metal Revival, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Ian Hill was asked if he has any plans to write a book in the not-too-distant future. He responded: "We'll see. If I do, it'll probably be about my early life, I should imagine. Probably up until [singer] Rob [Halford] joined. Everything else has been cataloged by Rob and Ken [founding guitarist K.K. Downing], in slightly different ways. But all that's already been said, really. But the lead-up to all of that. I mean, there's some great instances, some funny instances — how I came to play bass guitar for starters; that's funny in itself."

Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.

PRIEST's current touring lineup consists of Hill, Halford, guitarists Andy Sneap and Faulkner, and drummer Scott Travis.

Halford's autobiography, "Confess", was released in September 2020 via Hachette Books. It was written with Ian Gittins, co-writer of "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx. In the book, Halford discusses in detail what it was like becoming the first metal icon to announce he is gay in 1998 during an MTV interview, despite knowing about his sexuality since he was 10. Although his bandmates and their management knew he was gay and were accepting, he was advised to be discreet given the macho hetero nature of the metal world. He also opens up about surviving sexual abuse, as well as his struggles with depression, substance abuse, sobriety, and the suicide of one of his former partners. He also talks about how his own suicide attempt in 1986 led him to the rehab program that saved his life.

Downing's own autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", arrived in September 2018 via Da Capo Press. The book was co-written by the Scottish author and journalist Mark Eglinton, whose previous collaborations include "Official Truth, 101 Proof" with Rex Brown of PANTERA and "Confessions Of A Heretic" with BEHEMOTH's Adam "Nergal" Darski.

Asked by VintageRock.com if writing his autobiography provided him with a sense of closure concerning his time in JUDAS PRIEST, Downing replied: "Yeah, I think so. I guess it's the same with any long-term relationship — whether it's a husband or wife, or father or son or whatever — you spend enough time together, and idiosyncrasies show up. I guess there was no particular right or wrong — some people have more tolerance than others, and it takes a bloody miracle really to stay together for 40 years. Someone has to give. And it has to be give-and-take. But inevitably, it becomes a bit of an imbalance, and I like to think that democracy is always the best policy. And there wasn't enough of it there, I don't think."

Last year, Halford was asked by Sea Of Tranquility about the reason for Downing's relative absence from "Confess". He replied: "We did not steer of any avoidance, per se. We just talked about every aspect that we felt was important and useful to the book itself. So there was never, 'Oh, we won't talk about that person.' There was never any kind of dismissiveness for whatever reasons. So I think there's my answer."

JUDAS PRIEST's latest album, "Firepower", was released in March 2018 via Epic.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield takes control of SiriusXM's Mandatory Metallica, hosting his own show, highlighting his "Road Dog Brothers".

Listeners can expect to hear James intro songs from bands that he toured with over the years, such as ARMORED SAINT, MASTODON, VENOM, GOJIRA, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, METAL CHURCH and more, beginning today at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET.

"Road Dog Brothers" can be heard on SiriusXM's Mandatory Metallica at the following times:

Thursday, October 14 @ 5 p.m. ET & 9 p.m. ET

Friday, October 15 @ 10 a.m. ET & 4 p.m. ET

Saturday, October 16 @ 8 a.m. ET & 11 p.m. ET

Sunday, October 17 @ 11 a.m. ET & 8 p.m. ET

Monday, October 18 @ 9 a.m. ET

Tuesday, October 19 @ 2 p.m. ET

Listen to a sneak peek below in which Hetfield reveals that he wasn't METALLICA's first choice for lead singer.

Other singers who were being considered for the frontman position in METALLICA included Jess Cox of Newcastle, England's TYGERS OF PAN TANG and John Bush of ARMORED SAINT (and later ANTHRAX), who actually turned the offer down.

Bush later said in an interview: "METALLICA did ask me to join, but I said no for all the right reasons. People must think that's crazy, but you have to remember the scene then. METALLICA was nobody. ARMORED SAINT was hot; you have to remember that. Also, I was very tight with the [ARMORED SAINT] guys, back to elementary school in fact. ARMORED SAINT was getting interest from all kinds of places, and we had a lot of people starting to turn up at shows."

He continued: "METALLICA came to see SAINT at a gig in Anaheim, at The Woodstock in 1982. I heard they were interested in asking me to join, which they did later. The thing was that METALLICA was this new kind of thing, and nobody back then. I don't care what they say now; nobody could have predicted what would happen. I didn't know the guys either, so there was no real interest. It was great to be asked — in fact, a lot of people asked — but ARMORED SAINT was really strong.

"Some time after 'Kill 'Em All' had come out, I heard the same thing again, but I never understood that because James was singing great then and he was doing a great job. I understood the lack of confidence back in '82 but not for 'Ride The Lightning'. James owns that record."

In a 1989 interview with Metal Forces, drummer Lars Ulrich talked about what METALLICA could have sounded like had Bush ended up fronting the group. He said: "Only a couple of days ago, we were actually sitting around talking about how it would be now if John Bush had joined the band. Obviously, it's impossible to know how different it would have been, but I can't imagine METALLICA without James Hetfield up there growling into the microphone, fucking curved over and everything. It's really weird to think about it. I mean, nothing against John Bush — I think he's a great vocalist — but ... Well, thank God it didn't happen."

Bush performed with METALLICA as a guest singer at one of the band's special 30th-anniversary shows in San Francisco in 2011. Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS are "almost done" recording their first new album with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006's "Stadium Arcadium".

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, drummer Chad Smith said that the four members of the band "getting along great", and are "really listening to each other in a new way".

"All of our records are just real good snapshots of where we're at that time," he says. "You can't really go, 'Oh, gee, I hope it's as good as...' Then you're starting to have preconceived notions about what you want to write.

"Look, John hasn't been in our group in 10 years. That's a long time. So of course it's going to sound different, but it's going to sound like the four of us because we do have this special chemistry together. It sounds like RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, but it's different and new, and to me that's great.

"We really like it and we're proud of it and it has to start there. If other people like it, great. If people compare it to this or [say] it doesn't sound like that, we have no control over that. But yeah, we're all really happy with the record."

Regarding the return of Frusciante, Smith said: "He is so dedicated. He's so into it. He's working so hard. We're all working hard, but he's in there with all the overdubs and the magic that he brings."

According to Chad, most of the new album was written after the start of the pandemic, with the actual studio sessions taking place earlier this year.

"We could just plow through and write, and that's what we did," he adds. "It was kind of a blessing, because we want to come out with new music and play some new songs. It's going to be great when we finally go out next year and have a record to play, and a bunch of other stuff, obviously."

As previously reported, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS will embark on a world tour next spring. The 32-city global stadium trek kicks off on Saturday, June 4 at Estadio La Cartuja in Seville, Spain with stops in London, Paris, Dublin, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and many more before wrapping up in Arlington at Globe Life Field on September 18. The tour is produced by Live Nation.

Frusciante originally joined RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS following the death of founding guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1988. This lineup recorded two highly successful albums that brought the group mainstream popularity: "Mother's Milk" and "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Sadly, Frusciante fell into a deep heroin addiction that caused him to leave the band while touring to support "Blood Sugar Sex Magik". Frusciante rejoined CHILI PEPPERS six years later, playing on 1999 album "Californication", 2002's "By The Way" and 2006's "Stadium Arcadium" before quitting the band again in September 2009.

In October 2020, Frusciante told the Australian digital radio station Double J that playing with his RHCP bandmates Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Smith once again was like "returning to family. I'm extremely comfortable with those people. It was as if no time had gone by at all when we started playing, pretty much, with a couple of minor exceptions, like how Chad and I gradually got our communication together in a new way. Basically, we're all just as comfortable with each other as we ever were, and it just felt like that right off the b

In a new interview with Rocking With Jam Man, ex-STEEL PANTHER bassist Lexxi Foxx (real name: Travis Haley) was asked if he is still on good terms with his former bandmates. He responded: "We haven't talked. I still talk to the singer [Michael Starr] a little bit; I have in the past. But I think that those scars and I think that the departure, the way that it went down, I think there's some sore spots. But that's tough for me to talk about.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sebastian Bach has blasted Aaron Lewis after the STAIND frontman urged his fans to chant "Fuck Joe Biden" during a concert in Pennsylvania.

Late last month, the outspoken conservative rocker, who also tours and records as a solo country artist, called on the crowd to follow him in the expletive-laden chant against the president while appearing with STAIND at The Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton as part of the band's tour with KORN.

Bach, a vocal critic of Donald Trump who publicly supported Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election, addressed Lewis's actions while speaking to Ultimate Classic Rock in a new interview. Without mentioning Aaron by name, Sebastian said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just think for any meathead ignorant musician that wants to get their crowd chanting 'Fuck Joe Biden', anybody who wants to do that, I can say fuck you and your band. And fuck the guy that came before Joe Biden, and I don't need to speak about him anymore.

"Joe Biden is an old man who has nothing but good intentions for the country," Bach continued. "And there's nothing to not like about him. He's trying his hardest to get us back to normal instead of the shit show that took away rock and roll from us in 2020 and our kids' school and everything that we know about America.

"Joe Biden has made America great again, and he's constantly under attack for no reason. For what reason?

"All I want is for things to go back to normal. I hope that happens. That's all I want. That's my only objective.

"As soon as Joe Biden was elected president, I never mentioned the other guy ever again. If you look at my Twitter, I flicked the switch. I go, 'I'm fucking done with that shit.' 'Cause that's not who I am. I'm not out to be having political headlines with my face next to 'em all the time."

Elsewhere in the interview, Bach took aim at the COVID anti-vaxxers in the U.S., saying: "I don't understand why somebody would take a vaccine for polio but they won't take a vaccine for COVID. What's the fucking difference? You don't like this disease, but you're okay with this disease. I don't get it. I don't understand."

Prior to the most recent presidential election, Bach had frequently criticized Trump's policies in interviews and on Twitter. In July 2020, he told Esquire that he missed "smarts" in the White House. "I can't watch footage of JFK from 1962," he said. "I can't even watch that shit because I'll cry. Because motherfucker is so cool and so smart and hates racism. And then we have this fucking jackass. And it's just not fair to the country. I put Barack Obama in the same category. When I watch him speak, it rips my heart out because he makes you feel safe."

Lewis is a frequent critic of the current president who has been wearing "Fuck Biden," "Impeach Biden" and "I could shit a better president" shirts while performing on stage in recent weeks.

Aaron's latest solo single, "Am I The Only One", takes aim at liberals and touches on American flags burning and statues that have been removed in the country.

Lewis, who is widely considered to be one of the most politically conservative musicians in rock, told the Anchorage Press in a January 2020 interview that he considered the first Trump impeachment by the House Of Representatives as the clearest representation of what's wrong with America these days.

In June, Lewis made headlines when he accused the U.S. Democratic Party of fighting against every major civil rights initiative and of having a long history of discrimination.

Swedish metallers SABATON have teamed up with the Italian game company Scribabs to create the "A Battle Through History: An Adventure With Sabaton" board game, due out on December 13.

In "A Battle Through History", each player dresses the part of a time-traveling storyteller (a "Sabaton"), whose journey through historical Eras enables them to relive epic battles alongside legendary troops and heroes. Players can both face "the story" (represented by cards on the main board). He challenges the other players, deploying archers, tanks, airplanes, Vikings, and any other troops that they were able to "conquer" during their travels through the Eras. Moreover, by collecting precious Relics, they can enrich their knowledge and thus gain the points needed to win the game. Whoever collects the greatest Units, Heroes, and Relics during their travels wins the game and can therefore sing of their heroic deeds.

Says SABATON: "Each bandmember of SABATON grew up with the tradition of board games and role-playing games, and the blood of these games runs in our veins. Just as we carry the tradition of playing the metal we grew up with, we also now carry the tradition of keeping board games alive, along with the social interactions that it comes with. Together with our partner Scribabs we present you: 'A Battle Through History: An Adventure With Sabaton'!"

Pre-order at this location.

In a 2019 interview with Consequence, SABATON singer Joakim Brodén stated about why some bands prefer to write about historical events: "I have no idea. For me, it makes so much sense. We sang earlier in our career about random heavy metal topics, and writing lyrics for us was a necessary evil. It wasn't like we hated it, but the music was the main thing, and, 'Okay, we've got to write some lyrics now, because we're going to record in a couple of days.' It wasn't really that fun. All of a sudden, we decided one song, which was 'Primo Victoria', I had written the music already, and me and Pär [Sundström, bass] sat down to do the lyrics, and we figured, 'We can't do this about drinking beer and killing dragons. This song has got a huge sound to it, so we need something huge.' So we thought, 'How about D-Day?' As soon as we started writing that song, it all came into place. It started to make sense for us. It was interesting. We were already into history before, but our history interest has been growing with the band in a way, and I genuinely think there are so many fantastic stories in our past that are being forgotten, so why the fuck should we make up new ones? There are other people who can do that better."

Troy Sanders from Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON spoke to Lou Brutus of HardDrive Radio about the band's upcoming album, "Hushed And Grim", which is due on October 29. Asked how he and his bandmates decide on which songs to release first prior to the arrival of the full-length disc, the singer/bassist said: "Our label, Warner Brothers, of 15 years or so, they've been fantastic, and they kind of put the ball in our court, like, 'This is what we would like to do. What would you guys like to do?' The four of us, we listen to them, because it should be their field of expertise, but we also know what we would like for our fans to hear first. So, thankfully, it was a quite easy process of what we were gonna put out — here's song one, song two and song three. Just like we would kind of go back and forth with how we sequence an album. We just talk to one another and express why I think it should be this way, and why do you think different. It's a respectable conversation that we have internally, as with our label. So, thankfully, there's no butting of heads like that that I could see being a very easy problem to have with other bands, perhaps."

Sanders also talked about how the members of MASTODON go about agreeing on a sequencing for a new album. "Once we have songs mixed and ready to go, we just kind of dive into the emotion of each song," he explained. "In a perfect world, we would like this to be digested or ingested from start to bottom. Because we all grew up in the '70s and '80s with our favorite albums, we always put pride into creating the entire full art of the album; that's very important to us. So besides having the artwork mirror the emotion that we feel should be with the record, we always wanna have the lyrics printed on the insert sheet with the liner notes. We want the fan to be immersed, as we were with our favorite albums — sitting down, looking at the artwork, listening to the songs, reading the lyrics. It becomes your world for 60, 70, 80 minutes [or] whatever. So, with that in mind, we just think of what could be the best ride to take from start to finish; what would have a nice ebb and flow; how do we space out the softer songs; how do we space out what we feel are the strongest songs overall, like a complete MASTODON song. So, yeah, it kind of goes back and forth for a long time, and it could be interchangeable and still have a very similar impact. But we just kind of collectively agree on what we feel is the best sequencing, thinking of if someone's listening from the first note to the last note. And, again, we all have a lot of courtesy and respect for one another that once we get it to a point and someone says, 'That's awesome. I love the way that plays. I listened to it from start to finish. That's great. I'd love it to be represented like that.' It's, like, 'Okay.' We get to a point where we're, like, 'That's cool. Sounds good.'"

The follow-up to 2017's "Emperor Of Sand", "Hushed And Grim" was recorded at West End Sound, which is located inside of Ember City, the rehearsal facility that members of MASTODON manage in Atlanta. Helming the effort was Grammy-winning producer/mixer/engineer David Bottrill, who has previously worked with MUSE, DREAM THEATER and TOOL, among many others.

The "Hushed And Grim" artwork was created by longtime MASTODON collaborator Paul Romano, who also designed the sleeves for "Crack The Skye", "Blood Mountain", "Leviathan" and more.

MASTODON's latest rarities collection titled "Medium Rarities", was released in September 2020. The compilation included a new song called "Fallen Torches" as well as a bevy of classic covers, soundtrack contributions, instrumentals, B-sides, and live recordings on one complete package for the very first time.

"Emperor Of Sand" debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. That LP was nominated for the 2018 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album," and its opening track, "Sultan's Curse", won the Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance."

Last year, MASTODON wrote and recorded a new song called "Rufus Lives" for inclusion in the latest "Bill & Ted Face The Music" movie.

New Jersey noisemakers THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN released their sixth and final album "Dissociation" on October 14, 2016. To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the album, the band has released enhanced artwork NFTs in collaboration with artist Oleg Rooz.

The visual for "Limerent Death" is now available at this location. Additional visuals will be available shortly.

There will be 12 visuals in total — one for all 11 songs on the album, while "Surrogate" has two versions.

The NFTs are either brand new, never-before-released, or reimagined animated visuals from the album campaign. 10 are remakes, while there are two brand new versions for "Surrogate" and "Dissociation".

Each NFT is one of a kind.

The list of NFTs is below.

01. Limerent Death

02. Symptom Of Terminal Illness

03. Wanting Not So Much To As To

04. Fugue

05. Low Feels Blvd

06. Surrogate (V.1)

07. Surrogate (V.2/New)

08. Honeysuckle

09. Manufacturing Discontent

10. Apologies Not Included

11. Nothing To Forget

12. Dissociation (New)

In 2016, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN guitarist Ben Weinman told Clrvynt about the band's decision to call it quits: "We need to close the book; We need to take control of this and make a controlled dramatic ending to this story. That's the only way to do it right, So I talked to the guys — and I first talked to Greg [Puciato, vocals] about it and like most people, he was kind of confused, like, 'Why would we do that right now? Everything is going so well.' And I said that's exactly why we should do it now — because there needs to be tension. And everything in DILLINGER just always been chaotic, and seemingly random."

He added: "It's [DILLINGER's chaotic sound] always been intentional; almost every note we've ever made has been on purpose. So I just felt that it's very important for us to intentionally close the book in a way that every great piece of art do

The Metal Voice recently spoke to Udo Dirkschneider (original voice of iconic band Accept) about his upcoming U.D.O. album, Game Over.


When asked if there will be a future album from Dirkschneider & The Old Gang featuring former Accept members Peter Baltes (bass), and Stefan Kaufmann (guitar), Udo reveals: "We did the EP and people were saying is an album coming too? Definitely not at the moment. I would say if we have time, if we have enough ideas and we can do something in between. I would say maybe someday we can do an album together. But it would be more of a project and it would be more of a fun thing to do musically.  So there won't be that expectation that a new band is coming out. Also it would not be possible to go with this lineup on tour."





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"Game Over!“ That’s what rock icon Udo Dirkschneider proclaims on his upcoming new U.D.O. record, to be released on October 22 via AFM Records.


The statement has got many different meanings. But one thing becomes clear immediately: U.D.O. is not doing things by halves and so they give everything they have. During hundreds of shows worldwide, some of them in the most remote places of Russia and South-America, the band has become one unit and a conglomerate of passionate musicians and f

Lars Frederiksen from legendary punk band RANCID will release a new solo EP, "To Victory", on November 19. It will be available for pre-order from Pirates Press Records this Friday, October 15.

"To Victory" is the first effort to be released solely under the Lars Frederiksen banner. He previously issued two albums with LARS FREDERIKSEN AND THE BASTARDS: 2001's "Lars Frederiksen And The Bastards" and 2004's "Viking".

This solo venture for Frederiksen started back on March 7, 2020 when he sold out the landmark Oakland club Eli's Mile High Club. Frederiksen performed a Billy Bragg-esque set. The lucky fans attending the show — which was supposed to be the first of many, including an appearance alongside DROPKICK MURPHYS on St. Patrick's Day in Boston — had no idea that they would be the only ones to witness this unbelievable performance for quite some time. The surreal concert was treasured by the lucky few who got to see it, and has given Lars even more confidence and validation to pursue this venture. Frederiksen headed into the studio to record these tracks in the vein of his live performance — simple, raw, emotionally charged, and powerful.

"So much happened in my life starting in 2018 and is just now sorta wrapping up here currently in 2021," remarks Frederiksen. "This entire period, especially during my mom's passing, was a great reflection point for me and a time to dive deeper than I've ever been into my pagan roots."

The album has six tracks, featuring a mix of covers and songs from his other bands — each song carrying personal meaning for Frederiksen, and each a standout performance in its own right.

With three videos on the way, and touring planned for 2022, this is just the beginning of a new venture for Frederiksen.

"There will be more to come 'cause I'm not done yet. I don't think I'll ever be," he says. "As long as I have breath, I'll unapologetically use my voice."

"To Victory" track listing:

01. God And Guns (THE OLD FIRM CASUALS)

02. Army Of Zombies (LARS FREDERIKSEN & THE BASTARDS)

03. Tomorrows Girls (U.K. SUBS cover)

04. Motherland (THE OLD FIRM CASUALS)

05. Comin' Home (KISS cover)

06. Skunx (LARS FREDERIKSEN & THE BASTARDS)

The Haunted guitarist Ola Englund has uploaded a new video to his Youtube channel, this time featuring himself learning how to play the Slipknot hit "Duality". Check it out below.





Englund released his second solo album, Starzinger, earlier this year. Mixed and mastered by Clawfinger’s Jocke Skog, Starzinger follows-up Englund’s debut solo album, Master Of The Universe, released in early 2018 and features Delta Empire on drums along with a number of guest appearances, including guitar virtuoso Jeff Loomis (Arch Enemy, Nevermore).


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Check out a playthrough video of "Balegmah" from the album featuring Loomis in action.





Portraying the artwork of Costin Chioreanu (Paradise Lost, At The Gates, Emperor), Starzinger sees Englund merging influences of prog with '80s rock and metal.

On November 5th, Austria's black metal shamans Anomalie drag you into uncharted waters with their new album Tranceformation, that offers an hypnotic mix of ferocious extreme metal with genuine folk vibes.


Out via AOP Records, the fourth studio offering from multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter Marrok (live guitarist of Harakiri For The Sky) and drummer Lukas Schlintl was mixed and mastered in the Woodshed Studios by V. Santura, and is a piece of sonic art that invites you to witness the invisible, and leave the demons of your past behind, all whilst externalising our human nothingness within the everlasting Nature.


Today, the band unveils one of the album's highlights - "Cerulean Sun" that features guest vocals by none less than Rotting Christ's Sakis Tolis and a haunting violin part from Sara Wolske. 


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Brazilian metallers Slasher have released their new song "End Of The Road". It's available on all media platforms, and can be heard below.


The recording sessions took place at Casa 39 in Campinas, Brazil during September of this year. The single was mixed and mastered by Rodrigo Couto.





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The cover artwork is a creation of guitarist Lucas Aldi, who commented: "The road brings multiple interpretation possibilities about the personage's journey. Its composition with complementary colors reinforces the idea of transitioning and hope of one's destiny. Is this post-apocalyptic universe a reality or just a creation of your mind?"


The inspiration for the lyrics brings a terror plot. "The lyrics have an open meaning. Briefly, i

Transcending Records presents Ingested’s The Architect Of Extinction full-length on vinyl for the first time.


Originally released through Century Media in 2015, Ingested’s The Architect Of Extinction remains a prominent release of the slam/death metal spectrum. The album was recorded and engineered by Stu McKay At Studio 6 in the UK and mixed and mastered by Christian Donaldson at The Grid in Montreal.


This maiden vinyl edition of the album delivers its ten, decimating, groove-laden auditory attacks on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl in a high-quality gatefold sleeve. The LP will be available in four variants: translucent violet (limited to 100), cyan marble (limited to 400), smokey cyan splatter (limited to 400), and a standard black version.


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Full Of Hell recently released their new album, Garden Of Burning Apparitions, via Relapse Records on CD/LP/CS/Digital. Order here.


Today, the band shares the Ghostemane remix of "Reeking Tunnels". Watch the video below:


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Garden Of Burning Apparitions, a genre-bending blitzkrieg of hardcore, grind and death metal, sees the band expand upon the very elements that have propelled Full Of Hell to the forefront of extreme music over the last decade.


Produced by Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Garden of Burning Apparitions also sees Full Of Hell adding new dimensions to their warp-speed hellscape. Guitarist Spencer Hazard and bassist Sam DiGristine's monstrous riffs now have an added noise-rock influence, while drummer Dave Bland commands the rhythm section at blazing speeds.


Lyrically, Garden of Burning Apparitions sees vocalist Dylan Walker exploring (anti)religion, life's impermanence and the fear that comes with knowing death is inescapable. "Industrial Messiah Complex” grinds organized religion to a pulp in under 90 seconds, while Walker contemplates the commodification of spirituality seen in America’s vast network of garish mega-churches and how these practices are at odds with true spirituality. Meanwhile, “Reeking Tunnels” rides a strident noise rock riff down into the sewer. It’s a metaphor for the physical and mental space we become trapped in when we live in a perpetual state of fear and hate. Elsewhere, justifiable ochlophobia propels the guttural death metal blast of “Eroding Shell.” Lyrically, the song seeks to capture our fear of the violent, ignorant mob—a scene glimpsed far too often in this volatile era.


In the end, Full Of Hell’s boundary smashing has paid off again. “I think it’s good that we tried not to pigeonhole ourselves early on,” Walker reflects. “Because now, 10 years in, we have the opportunity to make whatever record we want, within reason, and people will follow along.”


Artwork by Mark McCoy.





Tracklisting:


"Guided Blight"
"Asphyxiant Blessing"
"Murmuring Foul Spring"
"Derelict Satellite"
"Burning Apparition"
"Eroding Shell"
"All Bells Ringing"
"Urchin Thrones"
"Industrial Messiah Complex"
"Reeking Tunnels"
"Non-Atomism"
"Celestial Heirarch"


Album stream:





“Eroding Shell” video:





“Reeking Tunnels” video:





"Industrial Messiah Complex" video:





Wolves In The Throne Room have announced the Primordial Arcana North American Winter 2022 Tour featuring Full Of Hell and UADA. The one month trek runs from January 11 through February 11, 2022. Tickets are