Canadian powerhouse vocalist, Lee Aaron, has revealed the new video, "Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas". The song will also be released tomorrow as a digital single and is the first one from her upcoming Christmas album, Almost Christmas, set for international release on November 26 via Metalville Records. Watch the video below.





Lee Aaron, has had a lengthy and musically adventurous career that spans many kinds of different styles, like rock, jazz, blues, opera, and more.But there’s one project this multi-Juno nominee had considered often, but the timing was never right... a Christmas album.




Lee and her band (Sean Kelly - guitar, Dave Reimer - bass, and John Cody - drums) had tossed around the idea of a Christmas album over the years, but there was always something - tours/recording/life etc. - that kept the project on the backburner. 2020 and COVID-19 brought a new reality.


With their shows around the globe cancelled, there was suddenly an abundance of time. Over the summer, the band began releasing a series of Rockin' From Home videos for fans, which escalated, so when the Christmas idea came up again in mid-September, it was a definite go.


"Each of us had upgraded our home studios, so we thought, Heck yeah!," says Aaron. "We'd always wanted to do this; the only issue was that we should have started sooner! Realistically, we only had about a month to get all the tracks done, but it became a fun mission - and it kept us all from going stir crazy during this downtime! …and the last thing we wanted to create was a rehash of the same old songs so many other folks have already recorded. One or two classics maybe, but if we were going to do this, we wanted to make it really unique and different. It was such a blast putting it all together!"


Almost Christmas contains lovingly curated tunes - from the foot-stomping rock 'n' roll ride of the feature track "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas" (Pet Shop Boys) to the classic "Baby Please Come Home" to a sassy version of Louis Armstrong’s "Zat You Santa Claus?" - winding down with the introspective "All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue" (Over The Rhine) and an a capella rendition of Joni Mitchell’s timeless "The Fiddle And The Drum". You've never heard Christmas done quite like this.


She also presents a brand new version of her 1991 hit "Peace On Earth", which likewise is as relevant now as it was when it was first released.


Aaron explains: "There's a ton of passion and joy that went into these recordings. The album represented something really positive and hopeful that we could all focus on during this unprecedented downtime. It was a gift that lifted our spirits, and we hope it has the same effect on others."


The album will be available on November 26 via Metalville. Last year, the album could only be ordered via Lee Aaron's own shop and will now be available in stores for the first time with the addition of two new songs.





Almost Christmas tracklisting:


"Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas"
"Baby Please Come Home"
"Run, Run, Rudolph"
"It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas"
"Zat You Santa Claus?"
"I Don't Believe In Christmas"
"Merry Christmas Everybody"
"All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue"
"Peace On Earth"
"The Fiddle And The Drum"
"Almost Christmas" - new song
"More Fun On The Naughty List" - new song


"Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas" video:

Sabaton recently announced the limited-edition, live-in-concert, double-DVD/Blu-Ray, The Great Show, and The 20th Anniversary Show, both set for release on November 19 (Nuclear Blast). Both titles were filmed during the band’s 2019-2020 The Great Tour world trek, and both feature special guest performers. Tracklistings are below; pre-orders can be placed here.





The 20th Anniversary Show (see trailer below) is comprised of Sabaton’s jaw-dropping, two-hour headline concert filmed in front of 75,000 fans at Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival - coincidentally, celebrating its 30th anniversary - on August 1, 2019. The Great Show, with a running time of about 90-minutes, was recorded at Sabaton’s sold-out performance at the O2 Arena in Prague on January 26, 2020. With two varied setlists chosen from the band’s extensive catalog, The Great Show and the 20th Anniversary Show, limited to 9,000 copies each, will be available as individual purchases or bundled together as The Great Show Stage Collector's Edition box set (limited to 5,000 copies), that includes a building bricks version of the Sabaton stage so fans can build their own stages.




The Great Show Stage Collector's Edition is detailed in the video below. Get it here.





For the greater part of the Wacken concert, Sabaton commandeered the festival’s two main stages, the side-by-side-and-connected Faster and Harder Stages, becoming the first artist in Wacken's 30-year history to utilize both stages simultaneously in this way. Vocalist Joakim Brodén, guitarists Chris Rörland and Tommy Johansson, drummer Hannes Van Dahl, and the 20-voice Great War Choir, fitted out in a variety of military uniforms, performed on the Faster Stage. At the same time on the Harder Stage, bassist Pär Sundström welcomed back previous Sabaton members Thobbe Englund and Rikard Sundén/guitars, Daniel Mÿhr/keyboards and Daniel Mulback/drums - all nine musicians, plus the choir, giving an intense and impassioned en masse performance. Sabaton was also joined by the internationally acclaimed Grammy-nominated virtuoso cellist Tina Guo for the encore. Prague’s The Great Show reunited Sabaton with Finland’s multi-Platinum cello-rockers, Apocalyptica, who provided a fiery orchestral backing to several of Sabaton’s songs.


In support of Sabaton’s most recent chart-topping album, The Great War, The Great Tour saw the band setting the barre sky-high for live rock’n’roll stage production. Both sets of discs effectively capture the visually electrifying in-concert experience that is a Sabaton show. Sabaton’s cinematic songs transport fans onto the battlefield, encountering the horrors of war as well as acts of heroism and bravery, based on historical fact and told as if through the eyes and minds of soldiers in the line of fire. For “The Great Tour,” and as seen on both of these DVD/Blu-Ray sets, Sabaton’s live stage production was forged as a battlefield, with barbed-wire stretched across the front of the stage, stacks of sandbag barricades, mic stands fashioned after the period’s rifles and trench guns, a two-ton military tank complete with a battery of rocket launchers and flame jets that doubles as a drum riser, a keyboard built into the body of The Red Baron’s iconic blood-red tri-plane, and Brodén armed with a giant bazooka. Live rock’n’roll at its finest.





The 20th Anniversary Show (Wacken) tracklisting:


"Ghost Division"
"Winged Hussars"
"Resist And Bite"
"Fields Of Verdun" (with Thobbe Englund)
"Shiroyama" (with Thobbe Englund)
"The Red Baron"
"The Price Of A Mile"
"Bismarck"
"The Lion From The North"
"Carolus Rex"
"40:1"
"The Last Stand"
"The Lost Battalion"
Drum Battle (Hannes Van Dahl vs. Daniel Mullback)
"Far From The Flame"
"Panzerkampf"
"Night Witches"
"The Art Of War"
"82nd All The Way"
"Great War"
"Attero Dominatus"


Encore:
"Primo Victoria"
"Swedish Pagans" (with Tina Guo)
"To Hell And Back" (with Tina Guo)





The Great Show (Prague) tracklisting:


"Ghost Division"
"Great War"
"The Attack Of The Dead Men"
"Seven Pillars Of Wisdom"
"The Los Battalion"
"The Red Baron"
"The Last Stand"
"Far From The Flame"
"Night Witches"
"Angels Calling" (with Apocalyptica)
"The Price Of A Mile" (with Apocalyptica)
"The Lion From The North" (with Apocalyptica)
"Carolus Rex" (with Apocalyptica)


Encore:
"Primo Victoria"
"Bismarck"
"Swedish Pagans"
"To Hell And Back"


"Great War" video:





20th Anniversary Show trailer:

Swedish-American ambient duo, Silent Skies, drifts off into Scandinavian melancholy and cinematic soundscapes with the release of their luminescent label debut, Nectar, out February 4 via Napalm Records. In 2017, the paths of the Swedish progressive band Evergrey’s vocalist Tom S. Englund and multi-instrumentalist Vikram Shankar crossed fatefully. Both artists set themselves free from limitations to captivate their listener with a soulful ten-track offering, produced by Englund and Shankar themselves and mixed/mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios.


Infinite, heartfelt Nectar enchants with sounds like pure poetry lifting off the page and wrapping around its listener with a gentle glow as it combines the reminiscence of the likes of producers and composers such as Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm and Ludovico Einaudi, and bands ranging from Sigur Rós to Anathema. The balance between haunting instrumentals and vocal intensity that complement each other in perfect harmony walks a delicate line where listeners are treated to the best of both worlds.


With the release of their first single, "Taper", Silent Skies present an intense composition that blends a unique, charismatic voice and strong melodic sensibility into a profound musical soundscape resembling film music, alongside a captivating music video. “Taper” evokes both a tender embrace and isolation, with the duo's intertwined melodies standing strong against the setting sun of a human’s broken heart.




Silent Skies on “Taper”: “Come take a step into the universe of Nectar with 'Taper' - a universal statement on the journey of the human experience through time. This is one of our favorites on the album, so allow yourself to get lost in our world as you have a first taste of Nectar.


Watch the music video for “Taper” below.


With Gothenburg’s Evergrey known as one of the most prolific bands in progressive metal, Englund is by far no stranger to the scene. After partnering with North Carolina, USA-based piano player Vikram Shankar – who had already worked with greats like Anneke van Giersbergen – this fateful encounter, now known as Silent Skies, set its first milestone with the release of their spine-tingling debut Satellites back in 2020. Two years later, this fruitful collaboration returns with Nectar, marking the sequel of something that’s far more than just a side project of Englund’s. Rather, it’s the brainchild of two highly talented individual artists with deep knowledge and many years of experience, whose creativity and spirit culminates in an exceptional form of musical expression. Shankar’s sensitive yet intense piano tunes merge with the poignant vocal interpretation of Tom S. Englund to take the listener on a touching, melancholic ride that wanders through the darkest facets of life, while always leaving a spark of hope to hold on to. This otherworldly sonic collaboration is graced by the outstanding contributions of Leprous' cello player Raphael Weinroth-Browne, who appears on nearly every track of the album to spice up the stirring sound even more.


Silent Skies’ sophomore full-length sets off with the soulful, ethereal “Fallen From Heart”, immediately creating a tapestry of sound to get lost in. Tracks like delicate “Taper” and shimmering “Neverending” are dominated by the yearning vocals of Englund, but never fail to give Shankar’s instrumental virtuosity the well-deserved space to shine bright like the first sunray welcoming the day. Beautifully honest “Let It Hurt” addicts with its remarkable chorus hitting on point, blending cinematic strings and piano with hooky modern vocals. Darker realms lure with heart-breaking “Leaving”, combining gloomy ambient and infectious pop influences, and dramatically accented, heart-beating “Cold”, with its lingering electronic elements that build a tangible, gripping maelstrom of emotions. Instrumental title track “Nectar” closes this new chapter of Silent Skies but leaves its audience with a long-lasting impact and the key to a door that’s worth entering over and over again.


Silent Skies on the new album: “We are tremendously proud to announce our second record, Nectar, will be released on February 4th, 2022. Nectar represents an expansion and an elevation of all things that make us who we are; simultaneously grander and more intimate, more futuristic yet more organic and thoughtful. This record represents who we are, and it means so much to both of us, that we cannot wait for you to experience it.”





Nectar will be available in the following formats:


- 6p Digisleeve
- 2LP Gatefold Black
- Digital Album


Pre-order here.





Tracklisting:


"Fallen From Heart"
"Taper"
"Neverending"
"Let It Hurt"
"The One"
"Leaving"
"Cold"
"Better Days"
"Closer"
"Nectar"


"Taper" video:





(Photo - Patric Ullaeus)

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have scrapped the remaining shows on their current tour after a "member" of the band's "organization" tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS announced the cancelation in a social media post on Wednesday (November 10). The band wrote: "During routine Covid-19 testing of our band and crew, we have discovered that a member of our organization has tested positive for the virus. Out of an abundance of caution, we must regretfully cancel our remaining shows on this current tour; our appearances in Daytona, FL at the Welcome to Rockville Festival and Tulsa, OK at the Skyline Event Center. Refunds for the Tulsa show can be made at your point of purchase.

"Thank you to everyone that came out to see us this fall, it was wonderful to see all of your beautiful faces in person again. We hope to be able to do this again with you all very soon."

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS features three original members — guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz.

Singer Jeff Gutt, a 45-year-old Michigan native who spent time in the early-2000s nu-metal act DRY CELL, among other bands, and was a contestant on "The X Factor", joined STONE TEMPLE PILOTS after beating out roughly 15,000 hopefuls during an extended search that began more than a year earlier.

Original STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland, who reunited with the group in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus but was dismissed in 2013, died in December 2015 of a drug overdose.

Chester Bennington, who joined STP in early 2013, departed nearly three years later to spend more time with his main band LINKIN PARK. Bennington committed suicide in July 2017.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS released their first all-acoustic album, titled "Perdida", in February 2020. The disc was Gutt's second with STP. His recording debut with the group was on its self-titled seventh album, which arrived in March 2018.
























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Carmine Appice and Deko Entertainment have released a video for "Mystified", from the upcoming Guitar Zeus 25th Anniversary box set. Watch the clip below.


As drummer for Vanilla Fudge, Carmine Appice set the grooves for the groundbreaking band's 1967 psychedelic debut. Post-Fudge, Bogert and Appice formed Cactus (seen as an influence on King's X and Van Halen). Post-Cactus, the rhythm section found Grammy-winning Guitar Hero Jeff Beck to form the first supergroup: Beck, Bogert & Appice (BBA). One of the premier showmen in rock, Appice became known worldwide for his astonishing live performances, in addition to becoming a highly sought-after session drummer, recording with countless artists throughout his career.


In '76, he joined the Rod Stewart Band, touring, recording and writing two of Stewart's biggest hits, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "Young Turks". He would go on to form King Kobra, tour with Ozzy Osbourne and Blue Murder with John Sykes (Whitesnake) and Tony Franklin (The Firm).




Guitar Zeus 25th Anniversary Box Set is a massive collection of 4 LPs, 3 CDs and a full-color booklet with never-before-seen photos and interviews conducted by Martin Popoff. 35 tracks in all featuring Slash, Brian May, Ted Nugent, Yngwie Malmsteem, Neal Schon, Richie Sambora, Zakk Wylde and many, many more. With never-released tracks featuring Tommy Thayer of KISS and Derek Sherinian (ex Dream Theater). This is the ultimate collection for any guitar enthusiast; there is nowhere else you can find this many guitar greats on one release!





Features:


- Box Set
- 4LP
- 3CD
- Full-Color Booklet
- Never-Before-Seen Photos
- Interviews
- Previously Unreleased Tracks


Due for release on January 7, the set is now available for pre-order, here, or here.





Tracklisting:


"Mothers Space" (feat. Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal)
"Gonna Rain" (feat. Richie Sambora)
"Mystify" (feat. Derek Sherinian) *
"Nobody Knew" (feat. Brian May)
"Where You Belong" (feat. Slash)
"Out of Mind" (feat. Neal Schon)
"This Time Around" (feat. Yngwie Malmsteen & Dug Pinnick)
"Nothing" (feat. John Norum)
"Doin' Fine" (feat Vivian Campbell)
"Under The Moon and Sun" (feat. Mick Mars / Edgar Winter)
"Code 19" (feat. Zakk Wylde)
"Angels" (feat. Char)
"Guitar Zeus, Pt. 1" (feat Jennifer Batten)
"Days Are Nights" (feat. Ted Nugent)
"Do Ya think I'm Sexy" (Sung by Carmine, feat. Pat Travers)
"Safe" (feat. Neal Schon)
"Dead Wrong" (feat. Dweezil Zappa)
"Trippin' Again" (feat. Ty Tabor)
"Even Up The Score" (feat. Ted Nugent)
"Dislocated" (feat. Paul Gilbert)
"Stash" (feat. Stevie Salas / John McEnroe)
"Perfect Day" (feat. Warren DeMartini)
"Killing Time" (feat. Ty Tabor)
"So Long" (feat. Doug Aldrich)
"My Own Advice" (feat Kenji Kitajima)
"Guitar Zeus", Pt. 2" (feat. Leslie West / Jennifer Batten)
"Mystify" (feat. Tommy Thayer) *
"Time To Set Alarms" (feat Elliot Easton / Bob Daisley)
"Where You Belong" (feat Paul Gilbert)
"Cruzin" (feat. Denny Laine)
"Couldn't Be Better" (Feat. RaiZi)
"Snake" (feat. Bruce Kulick)
"4 Miles High" (feat. Steve Morse)
"Surrender" (feat. Chris Biggiani) *
"GZ Blues" (feat. Seymour Duncan / Steven Seagal)
"This Time Around" (music rough track - guitar play along) **
"Days Are Nights" (music rough track - guitar play along) **
"Where You Belong" (music rough track l - guitar play along) **
"Guitar Zeus" (music rough track - guitar play along) **


* Previously unreleased
** CD only


"Mystify" (feat. Tommy Thayer) video:

MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine has named "Holy Wars" and "Wake Up Dead" as the songs that contain two of his favorite guitar solos that he has ever written.

Mustaine discussed his lead guitar playing while filming a new video message on Cameo, which lets users hire celebrities to record brief, personalized video messages about virtually any topic.

Addressing a fan named Nick who had a question about Mustaine's favorite solos, Dave said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's kind of hard to say [which one is my favorite], because there's certain solos that have a great payoff, but we haven't played 'em live for so long, I've forgotten so many of them — two hundred songs and all of the solos and stuff. Out of the songs that we play live that I'm really familiar with, the solos that we play that we like, I like 'The Threat Is Real'. I love 'Holy Wars'. 'Wake Up Dead' is a great solo for me to play too; I really like that. That was one of my first really big solos that got everybody interested in MEGADETH. That and '[In My] Darkest Hour' too.

"I will be showing people here at Cameo how to do those solos — piece by piece, little bit at a time, so that it's not too much for anybody to handle," he added. "I don't really give guitar lessons, so this isn't a structured kind of format for lessons or anything like that. So I hope if I do this, and I hope if you do it with me that we'll have fun together. If not, just say it's somebody from another band."

Ranked No. 1 by Joel McIver in "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists" book, Mustaine is credited by some with godfathering fast-heavy-metal guitar generations, first as the original lead guitarist for METALLICA, and then as the founder of MEGADETH.

Asked in a 2009 interview with Classic Rock how it felt to be No. 1 in McIver's book, Mustaine said: "It was especially sweet when I found out that Joel has written books on METALLICA. I looked at my copy of the book – I wasn't on the cover or the back. I figured I'd be somewhere like No. 69. So I thumbed through it; it's a really comprehensive, good book. I got to No. 50 and I thought, 'Am I in here?' I'd been told that I was, but not which position. So I got No. 16 and I saw [James] Hetfield. I thought, 'Wow', because I respect James. I'm a better lead player than he is, but he's one of the three best rhythm players in the world, [the other two being] Malcolm Young [of AC/DC] and myself. Malcolm kept it basic but brought a whole new style of rhythm playing to the world. So I got to the Top 10… I still wasn't in there. Every page I turned, I became more excited. I get to No. 5 and it's Kirk [Hammett], and I thought, 'Thank you, God'. At that point, it didn't matter [which position I was]. To be better than both of them [Hetfield and Hammett] meant so much — it's been one of the pet peeves of my career and I've never known how to deal with it. I didn't realize that it has had so much bearing upon my life. Then I got to No. 2 and it was John Petrucci [of DREAM THEATER] and I froze. I was No.1. What made it better still is that the guy wrote: 'This isn't about Dave as a person because he's been a cock These four pages are about his guitar playing, which is the best. There are people who are better at one thing that Mustaine does, and others that are better than another, but no one who's as good at everything.' All I thought was… I win."

In the past, Mustaine has repeatedly taken credit for coming up with the guitar solos that were played by the various lead guitarists in MEGADETH. In the March 2008 issue of Revolver magazine, he said: "I sang almost every single note of Marty Friedman's guitar solos." He doubled down on those claims in a 2009 interview with Guitar World, where he said: "You know, people have heard me say that I 'sang' solos to Marty in the studio, and I did. I did it to [former guitarists] Jeff [Young], Chris [Poland] and Al [Pitrelli], too. But [then-MEGADETH guitarist] Chris Broderick? I only did it two times [on MEGADETH's 2009 album 'Endgame'], and there are literally hundreds of thousands of notes on 'Endgame'. Now that is a testimony to a guy who has studied his partner."

David Ellefson, who was fired from MEGADETH earlier this year following a sex video scandal, has returned to Cameo, the online platform that allows fans to buy personalized video messages from celebrities. The 56-year-old bassist is charging purchasers $30 per video and he is offering a "24-hour delivery."

Ellefson stepped away from Cameo for several months beginning in May, just days after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter. At the time, Ellefson released a statement on Instagram denying all social media chatter that he "groomed" an underage fan. He also filed a report with the police department in Scottsdale, Arizona alleging unlawful distribution of sexually explicit images of him by unknown offenders. In the report, Ellefson admitted that he had been exchanging sexual text messages with a Dutch teenager, who captured a video of several of their virtual "masturbating encounters" without his consent and shared them with friends. (According to Ellefson, the woman was 19 at the time of their first virtual sexual encounter.) Ellefson, who lives in Scottsdale, first became aware of the video on May 9, when the claim "David Ellefson of MEGADETH is a pedophile" appeared on Instagram. Ellefson told police he was notified on May 14 by MEGADETH that the band would be parting ways with him. Three days later, he was fired.

David, a Christian who launched the Mega Life Ministries worship group in 2007, studied for a year at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis nearly a decade ago.

Last month, Ellefson told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that there is a perception that people of faith must set a higher standard of how they live with and treat others. "It's almost like you're this entity that's floating up toward the heavens: 'Oh, he's such a wonderful man. He's a man of faith. He's got his family. And then this happens.' It's, like, 'What the hell is this?'" he said.

"I mean, look, admittedly I've sort of trained the public to think that I'm one of the more well-behaved rock stars out there, and for the most part I have been," he continued. "But at the same time, and this isn't to claim anything other than just, oops, shit happens. That is what it is."

Two days after MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine announced Ellefson's latest departure from the band, the bassist released a follow-up statement in which he vowed to file a "defamation lawsuit" against the person who "illegally posted a very private video" of the bassist and made "false allegations" against him. He also said he was working with the police in Scottsdale "in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted the video. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Ellefson wrote. He went on to say that he was "taking this time to be with my family" and wished his "bandmates" the best with their tour.

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

In July, Mustaine addressed the possibility of Ellefson returning to MEGADETH while filming a video message on Cameo. Asked by Rock Feed if Ellefson could once again play with MEGADETH at some point down the line, Mustaine said: "Any chance on Ellefson coming back later on? The answer to that is no."

The brainchild of founder Steven Galanis, Chicago-based Cameo has been around since 2017. It reportedly features more than 40,000 celebrities — from musicians and actors to drag queens and from YouTubers to Olympic gold medallists — who, for fees from $1 to $2,500, will offer video messages that mention another person by name. Happy birthday messages are common, as are baby announcements, but some celebrities have also recorded messages for Cameo users looking to quit their jobs or ask a potential date to a prom. The price for a video is determined by the celebrity. In 2020 alone, the company fulfilled more Cameos than throughout its four-year history, with Cameos delivered on every continent in the world and it raised over $1 million for worthy nonprofits and causes through its Cameo Cares program.

Exodus guitarist Gary Holt recently spoke with Greg Prato for Guitar World, discussing the band's new album, Persona Non Grata. They also talked gear, tape trading, and a potential "Big Five". Following is an excerpt from the interview.


Guitar World: Who are your favorite modern day metal guitarists?


Gary Holt: "Michael Amott. He’s the modern day Michael Schenker. But he’s his own man – his vibrato, his tone, everything. Zakk Wylde is one of my heroes. But he’s been around a long time – he’s an old guy like me. There are a ton of guys out there that are all so good now. It’s crazy.” 




Guitar World: You just mentioned Michael Schenker. It seems like all the thrash guitarists of the ‘80s list him as a major influence. 


Gary Holt: "It’s our age. In our heyday, UFO were huge – and still are one of my all-time favorite bands. And Schenker is number two on my guitar list…sometimes number 1 – it depends on how I’m feeling between him and (Ritchie) Blackmore on any given day. But I think all of us thrash guys grew up on the same music. And Michael is a phenomenal guitar player and just as good of a songwriter. His catalog of hits is phenomenal – it’s crazy what it is."


Read the complete interview here.





Exodus return with their eleventh studio album, Persona Non Grata, out November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band recently released the lyric video for the second single, "Clickbait", and today they release a new trailer, in which guitarist Gary Holt discusses the track. Watch the trailer, as well as the lyric video, below:








Literally translating to “an unwelcome” or “unacceptable” person, Persona Non Grata touches on themes of modern societal disgust and degradation. The band gathered at Tom Hunting's house in the mountains where they produced and recorded Persona Non Grata from three home-built studios . Steve Lagudi was at the helm of engineering while the band enlisted Andy Sneap of Backstage Studios to mix the album. For the third time in the band’s history, they returned to Swedish artist Par Olofsson to create the album artwork.





Persona Non Grata will be available in the following formats:


- CD Jewel + Blu-ray Bonus Disc (Jam Camp!)
- T-Shirt + CD Jewel + Blu-ray Bonus Disc (Jam Camp!)
- T-Shirt
- Cassette – Tinted Red
- CD Jewel + Blu-ray Bonus Disc (Jam Camp!) Long Box (Decibel Magazine Exclusive)
- Double LP
 * Black
 * Red & Mustard Swirl W/ Black Splatter
 * Electric Blue W/ Black & Bone
 * Gold & Bone Swirl W. Black and Mint Green Splatter
 * Green in Mustard W/ Red Splatter
 * Mint Green & Brown W/ Cyan Splatter (EMP Exclusive)
 * Purple & Yellow Swirl W/ Mint Green & Bone Splatter (UK Indie Exclusive)
 * Bone & Beer Swirl W/ Red & Brown Splatter (Revolver Magazine Exclusive)
 * Red & Mustard Swirl W/ Black Splatter (Rebellion Republic Exclusive)
 * Blue Swirl W/ Bone * Black Splatter (U.S. Indie Exclusive)
- Mail Order Boxset – Limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide
 * Orange, Red Swirl W/ Black Splatter
 * 20 page booklet
 * Slipmat
 * CD + Blu-ray Bonus Disc
 * Patch
 * Flag


Pre-order here. Pre-save here.





Tracklisting:


"Persona Non Grata"
"R.E.M.F."
"Slipping Into Madness"
"Elitist"
"Prescribing Horror"
"The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)"
"The Years of Death and Dying"
"Clickbait"
"Cosa Del Pantano"
"Lunatic-Liar-Lord"
"The Fires of Division"
"Antiseed"


"The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)":





"The Beatings Will Continue (Until Morale Improves)" video:

During an appearance on a recent episode of the GUNS N' ROSES-centric "Appetite For Distortion" podcast, BUCKCHERRY frontman Josh Todd reflected on his first and only face-to-face encounter with Axl Rose. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have always really loved Axl — as a singer, as a frontman. I just really think he's a really talented guy. And I never got to meet him. I'd been around places where he was close by and I didn't know about it and I never got to meet him. So, cut to [BUCKCHERRY] did a handful of shows with [GUNS N' ROSES in 2011]. And still, he's kind of a mysterious guy — he would always go on never on scheduled time. And at that point, we would always be in a bus, maybe traveling to the next location. Because we'd already left, so we never got an opportunity to link up. So cut to we do a show — I think it was one of the last shows we did with GN'R. And we're all on the bus after the show. And our tour manager goes, 'Hey, Axl wants to say hello to you guys. He's got something for you. You guys can come in the venue.' And I was, like, 'What? Yes!' So we got all our shit together, we go in the venue, and [it was] just the most bizarre experience. We're in the hallway of some arena. He comes out. He walks towards us. He's got a bag. It's plastic bag from Best Buy. He goes, 'How are you guys doing? I just wanna say it was nice having you guys out.' And he takes his bag out and he hands all of us an iPad — each of us an iPad — from Best Buy. 'I just wanna give you guys a gift and tell you how much we appreciate having you out [on tour with us].' And I was just, like, 'Are you kidding me? This is amazing.' I was speechless."

Todd continued: "It was one of the coolest gestures from one of your heroes that's ever happened. It wasn't that we got an iPad; it was that fucking Axl Rose gave us a fucking iPad. And we took a picture with him. And that was it. He left and walked onstage. And I was just, like, 'Man, that was, like, fucking amazing.'

"There's been a handful of experiences for me in my rock and roll career where I met some of my heroes and it was really a wonderful experience, and that was one of 'em," Josh added.

"[That was] so cool. He's such a class act, man. That was amazing."

Back in 2002, Todd briefly fronted an unnamed group with then-former GUNS N' ROSES members Slash and Duff McKagan, who would later go on to form VELVET REVOLVER.

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

Axl Rose photo by Katarina Benzova

In a new interview with Souled Out Media, SMILE EMPTY SOUL guitarist and lead singer Sean Danielsen was asked about the lyrical themes covered on the band's recently released "Black Pilled" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I always try and write about what I see. The old writing over and over and over again about relationships, to me, is just a little bit boring. I'd rather write about pertinent issues that are occurring around us and what I see in the world.

"The whole 'black-pilled' thing is just… I've been doing my own studies and research, I guess you could call it, for a long time — at least a decade. Trying to figure out how the world really operates, truly operates, who's really in control and what those people really want, which is, to me, a question everyone should be asking and everyone should be trying to get to the bottom of. Because what's presented to you on the news by our leaders, by pop culture, that's not the truth.

"I've done my own digging and gone down millions of rabbit holes over the last decade-plus, and I've been quote-unquote red-pilled for quite a while," he continued, referencing a common Internet term for those shifting their political views rightward. "And lately, it just seems to me like everything is spiraling so out of control that I feel like at one point I had a lot of hope, and that that hope has turned into just kind of letting go, just accepting that we just might be completely fucked. So the 'Black Pilled' title comes from that. The 'black pill' is kind of the doom take on our current situation. And I just thought it was kind of funny and fitting, so I went with that. I like to entertain myself with my own art at this point."

Sean added: "We live in times that don't look so good. Things look pretty bleak. I'd love for there to be something to come along and change the course that we're on, but I feel like that would take a lot of people digging and educating themselves to the things I'm talking about, and that takes a lot of initiative and hard work and time. And I just don't see people doing it at this point. I see the reactions I get online when I just say, 'Hey, medical freedom is important. You shouldn't let the government forcefully inject something that you don't understand into your body.' And then people hate me for it. At that point, I feel like some people are just too lost to even reason with.

"Are these people not realizing that if you allow the government to mandate an injection, they will not stop with just this situation. The coronavirus era that we're living in, it would not be the end of that; you're setting a precedent for the future. And Big Pharma has been wanting to mandate a vaccine regimen for adults for a long, long time. And Big Pharma and all the politicians and the people that are in control behind the scenes are all in bed together. You have to question the motives here. And these people that are all about — they are so full of fear, demanding that everybody gets the vaccine to protect them when, I mean, really, the vaccine should protect them if they believe in it. They aren't realizing that the pendulum swings when it comes to power. And what happens in a few years down the road when somebody's in power that you don't like, and they're trying to, or they are forcing you to get an injection that now you are questioning. These are the freedoms that we all need to come together to fight for; it's something that's really important no matter what side of the political aisle you're on or no matter who you are, what your background is — it doesn't matter. We should come together on the fact that we should be in control of what is put into our own bodies. And the fact that so many people have hate for me for saying that…

"I'm not trying to shove any politics down anybody's throat," Danielsen insisted. "I'm just saying freedom's important; we should stand for it. And people hate me for it. So that just, to me, is a bad sign for the future. It's pretty bleak. And so my lyrics — wrapping back around to your original question — the lyrics on this new 'Black Pilled' record do address these topics quite a bit. It's kind of a theme on the record."

This past August, Danielsen released a statement via social media in which he explained that he was canceling a few of SMILE EMPTY SOUL's previously booked shows because the concert venues in question were requiring a COVID-19 vaccine for fans. A number of bars and clubs have adopted the new protocol because the owners say the music industry and the artists demand a safe environment to perform. At the time, Sean said he was scrapping the dates because "I stand 100% for freedom, and medical freedom is especially important to me. I believe that you should get the vaccine if you want it, but should not have to if you don't want it."

More than 222 million Americans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and more than 193 million are fully vaccinated. More than half of the world population has also received a shot.

A vaccine passport is a physical or digital document that displays whether someone is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Critics say that such passports are a violation of privacy and an example of government overreach. Meanwhile, supporters point out that federal immigration law already requires that immigrants provide proof of vaccination status for several diseases.

There's plenty of precedent for having to show proof of vaccination whether for work or travel. For a century, nearly every school in the U.S. has been requiring proof of vaccinations for students to enroll. Dozens of countries across the globe require a "Yellow Fever Card" to enter their borders.

Proponents of vaccine passports, including several high-profile heavy metal musicians, have touted them as one of the most effective ways to reopen the nation's economy in a safe manner.

A number of hard rock and heavy metal artists have canceled shows or whole tours as the concert industry is rethinking its approach to live shows while the delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading nationwide.

While vaccines are exceptionally effective in preventing death and severe illness from the coronavirus and its known variants, some are far from foolproof in preventing infection altogether.

Most of the people with so-called "breakthrough" infections are asymptomatic.

According to Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC), large-scale clinical studies found that COVID-19 vaccination prevented most people from getting COVID-19. Research also provides growing evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) offer similar protection in real-world conditions. While these vaccines are effective, no vaccine prevents illness 100% of the time. For any vaccine, there are breakthrough cases.

In a new interview with Heavy Culture, ex-EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt spoke about why he thinks his former band failed to achieve the same commercial heights as the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal, namely METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, we were just kids. We couldn't even buy alcohol. We were super young and just crazy, full of crazy energy. We recorded the album, 'Bonded By Blood', and it took forever and ever and ever and ever for it to come out — it took forever. So that really messed us up in the world. SLAYER, METALLICA and EXODUS — we were all there at the same time, we all had albums ready to be released, and, of course, ours was last one [to come out] because of record company craziness. So, the follow-up [1987's 'Pleasures Of The Flesh'], losing Paul [Baloff, vocals] was super tough.

"I think that when anybody… A good example if 'Van Halen I' — to this day, everybody compares everything that they've done after 'Van Halen I' to 'Van Halen I'. Same thing that we've been dealing with for 30 years — everything that we do after 'Bonded By Blood' is gonna be compared to 'Bonded By Blood'. So there's always gonna be people that say that, 'No, no, no. Nothing will ever be as good as 'Bonded By Blood'.' And then there's gonna be people that say, 'Yeah, their stuff after that is good too.' It's always gonna be that way. We have no control over it.

"Hiring a new singer [Steve 'Zetro' Souza] and putting out 'Pleasures'… And then we had to wait another year for 'Pleasures' to come out; it was, like, another year for 'Pleasures' to come out. So that was like a double… '84, and then we waited till… 'Pleasures' came out, what, '86 or something? Late '85? So, people were just waiting and waiting and waiting. And we're sitting there going, 'Goddamn it.' It was a lot of pressure. Meanwhile, we got METALLICA and SLAYER and ANTHRAX now on board releasing albums every year. And we're just slowly but surely losing traction. It was tough. But shit happens. We were just kids. We didn't know anything.

"I think losing Paul was a big deal back then," Hunolt added. "I think that maybe we made a mistake by firing Paul. And this is just looking back on everything for me; this is just my personal thought. This is the stuff that I think about sometimes. What would have happened if we didn't fire Paul? I just think that maybe we would have gotten a little bit more traction if we didn't have that lag in between.

"People love Paul. And Paul was… he's a legend. He was going through a bad time in his life, and I guess, at the time, we felt that maybe he was holding us back; I think probably that's what we were thinking. I think that probably we might have thought about getting him better instead of firing him.

"But as far as the 'Big Four' goes… Well, I don't know… Maybe it should just be the 'Big Five.' I will say this: I think that everybody has their place in the old-school thrash. If you wanna give 'em a number or whatever, go ahead. I think it doesn't mean anything. I think that the people that were there and the people that love our genre know where everybody stands. And I know where we stand, for sure. Without EXODUS, I think that thrash metal would be very, very different."

Hunolt makes a guest appearance on EXODUS's new studio album, "Persona Non Grata", which will be released on November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' next disc will be the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was their first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Longtime EXODUS fans will recall that Hunolt — the other half of the famed EXODUS "H-Team" who is on every studio recording from 1985 through 2004 and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs such as "A Lesson In Violence" and "Deliver Us To Evil" — left EXODUS after the band's highly acclaimed 2004 reunion album, "Tempo Of The Damned". Following his departure, Hunolt was replaced by HEATHEN guitarist Lee Altus.

Back in April 2019, Hunolt rejoined guitarist Gary Holt and other EXODUS members Tom Hunting (drums) and Steve "Zetro" Souza (vocals) to perform several of the group's classic songs during a METAL ALLEGIANCE concert in San Francisco, California. More recently, Hunolt joined EXODUS on stage in August at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The original lineup of EXODUS consisted of guitarists Hammett and Tim Agnello, Hunting and vocalist Keith Stewart. Holt joined the band in 1981, while Kirk left two years before EXODUS's debut album, "Bonded By Blood", saw the light of day.

Souza is now on his third stint with EXODUS, having previously fronted the band from 1986 to 1993 and 2002 to 2004. A decade following his second departure, Souza returned to the fold in 2014, just in time to appear on "Blood In Blood Out".

POP EVIL singer Leigh Kakaty has commented on the recent departure of the band's longtime bassist Matt DiRito.

DiRito announced his exit from POP EVIL in July, saying in a statement that "the details surrounding my departure are only known by a few people, and respectfully it will remain that way." He added: "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. POP EVIL will continue on and so will I, just not together."

Kakaty addressed POP EVIL's split with DiRito in a new interview with the Grand Rapids rock station 97.9 WGRD. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When COVID hit, things changed. We tried to get Matt back, and Matt decided to not come back on his own terms. So whatever it was to him, we didn't talk; we never really discussed specifics after that. But I just know that bands changed and logistics and how we get things done. There was a sense of urgency now [more] than ever before. And there was a lot of guys that found different jobs and found more consistent work. And whether that was Matt or not, I'm not sure — again, we haven't talked. But the reality of it is people's goals have changed. We were among a lot of bands that bandmembers decided not to come back. And the band's gotta keep playing, we've gotta keep pushing on, and we did. In some ways, we've been stronger since."

He continued: "I think the four of us that remain, we really made a commitment to each other to really step toward each other rather than stepping away because of that loss with Matt. We realized just how fragile this was, and to lose a brother like that and someone who'd been with us for so long, it's tough. I remember having the meetings when Matt left. We [were, like], 'Look, we've got a choice. How's everyone feeling emotionally?' Before we even talked about the music, is this something we all wanna do? And the four us were, like, 'Absolutely. We wanna go no matter what.' And let's all get closer and be appreciative of the things that we didn't have for the past two years when we were dealing with this pandemic and really give that much more love to our fanbase."

POP EVIL's current touring lineup includes session bassist Joey "Chicago" Walser of EGYPT CENTRAL and DEVOUR THE DAY.

The band's latest album, "Versatile", features the No. 1 mainstream rock hit single "Survivor" — the band's seventh No. 1 single to date — alongside heavyweight tracks "Set Me Free", "Let The Chaos Reign", the Top 10 single "Work" and the No. 1 single "Breathe Again".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows spoke to the "Tuna On Toast With Stryker" podcast about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited follow-up to 2016's "The Stage" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The songs are done. I still have some vocals to do and we have some strings to record. And the thing with the strings is that in L.A., they're simply not allowing people to be within six feet [of each other]. And we have experience — I'm not gonna name bands, but our producer worked on some records, and he's, like, 'Listen, you put somebody six feet apart and you mic them all, and it does not sound like a group playing together.' He's, like, 'They are hearing the notes off a little bit. There's no unified sound. And we have a bunch of out-of-tune violin players and out-of-tune singers.' And he's, like, 'I'm sitting there fixing it all.' And he's, like, 'I suggest either going to Prague and doing it or just waiting.' And so we're still waiting, 'cause we don't wanna go to Prague and record these things. I mean, there's so many little things, and we're just not willing to compromise on it."

According to M. Shadows, he and his bandmates are in no rush to release their new LP and hit the road to promote it.

"We're really just trying to make sure that everybody mentally wants to go on tour and support a record, that it's gonna make sense to support the record — it's not a stop-and-go situation," he explained.

"We're gonna release it when we wanna release it. That's just the bottom line. People seem to think we work for them.

"At the end of the day, everyone needs to decide, 'I'm ready to go support a record.' … You just have to make sure you're mentally there for it.

"I don't wanna maybe come off like we have all these problems in the band — we don't — but people are also very cognizant of their life and how it is right now and they wanna be happy doing things, and I think the fans want us to be happy doing things.

"We are very much happy into this digital realm we're going into and the NFTs, and we're gonna be happy when the record comes out. And when we do shows, we'll be happy doing them. But just know that if we're on stage, then we're in a good place."

This past February, M. Shadows told the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X that "70 percent" of the follow-up to "The Stage" was "done." He said: "We're working on stuff. We have some things we can't finish right now 'cause of COVID — string players, et cetera. We know Andy [Wallace, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's longtime mixer] doesn't wanna travel, or his management doesn't want him to travel because of COVID. So there's just a lot of things going on."

As for when fans can expect to see the new AVENGED SEVENFOLD LP released, M. Shadows said: "It doesn't make sense for us right now to put out a record and not be able to tour it. The world has changed. Putting out a record on Spotify without touring for a rock band, it just doesn't make sense to us. So we're gonna wait till everything is back, then we'll come out with the record, finish it up, and all will be good."

Also in February, AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Zacky Vengeance told Detroit's WRIF radio station that he and his bandmates have done "lots and lots of writing — at a lot slower pacer than usual" — during the coronavirus pandemic. "Now that we are a little bit older, we move around a little bit slower, but [we've done] tons of writing," he said. "We've gone to the studio. It was kind of a weird time to do anything in 2020, but that's when we felt like it was a good time to go out there and start tracking all the stuff that we had in us.

"But, like I said, we're doing it at a slow pace, so we're still in the process of recording," he explained. "We're taking it really, really slow, making sure everything is the way we like it. We're not in a big rush to get anything out, mainly 'cause we wanna get on the road, and we wanna be able to bring it to life. We wanna tour, we wanna travel, we wanna play songs that people wanna hear; we wanna expose them to some new stuff. 'Cause I just feel like rushing to put something out right now and letting it dissipate because of the void, while people are worried about where their next meal is coming from or the paycheck, the last thing in the world on people's minds is, 'AVENGED SEVENFOLD's gonna put out a new album, and that's gonna be the saving grace for us all.' And I feel like we'll take it slow, let the world get a little bit back to normal, and when people are ready, we'll know — we have a good sense of that. We'll slowly finish it up, and then unleash it when the world's ready."

Last December, M. Shadows told Kerrang! magazine about the musical direction of the new AVENGED material: "The [new] record sounds nothing like 'The Stage' — it's a completely new direction, and it sounds nothing like anything we've done. That's all I'll say about it: it's over the top, and it's very eclectic and wild."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD kept a low profile during 2019 and will likely not return to the road until early 2022. A blood blister on M. Shadows's vocal cords forced the band to cancel a summer 2018 tour with PROPHETS OF RAGE and THREE DAYS GRACE.

Asked if he is fully healed up now, M. Shadows told 93X: "I feel good, man. I'm just working on a new technique so that I can make sure I don't have any problems anymore. For the last year, that's what I've been doing — is switching up a lot of things, singing from a different place, and just making sure that when I hit the stage again, I don't resort back to old bad habits."

"The Stage" was surprise-released in October 2016. The release of the disc, which was announced the night it went on sale, earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in 11 years. It sold 76 thousand copies in its first week, 73 thousand of which were physical.

"The Stage", AVENGED's debut for Capitol, sold less than half as many copies in its first week as the group's two previous efforts, 2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King".

AVENGED SEVENFOLD recently announced the Deathbats Club, a new level of connecting with fans based around non-fungible tokens, or NFTs — digital assets (free tickets for life, free meet-amd-greets for life, airdrops over the course of each year, drum lessons, guitar lessons, golf lessons, giveaways, skip the lines at shows, poker nights, movie nights, etc.) that can't be replicated. After an initial drop of 101 free NFTs to whet fans' appetites, they will release 10,000 at the end of November via avengedsevenfold.io, with everyone who buys one becoming part of the community.

Tech death outfit Replacire is currently in the studio tracking their new studio album, which will follow up 2017's full-length, Do Not Deviate. The band has shared a studio update, as well as an official music video for the song "Do Not Deviate", which can be seen below.


Replacire comments, “While we grind on the new album, we thought it would be cool to create something with another artist for people to enjoy in the meantime. We have tracked drums for 11 new songs and are beginning work on recording guitars. Stay tuned!”







Do Not Deviate can be streamed, ordered, and downloaded here.





 

Frontiers Music Srl recently welcomed Zelbo to the label's roster. Zelbo is a new melodic rock band/project masterminded by Norwegian keyboard player Dag Selboskar. Their debut album, In My Dreams will be released on December 10.


Listen to the song "Phoenix Rising" below, and pre-order/save In My Dreams here.


Dag is an experienced musician who debuted with the band Da Vinci, with whom he recorded and released two acclaimed albums, Da Vinci (1987) and Back In Business (1989) for Polygram Records. In 1992, the band stopped touring and went on a prolonged hiatus, which ended in 2017 with the release of their comeback album Ambition Rocks. Over the years, Dag kept busy working with Trine Rein, Street Legal, and Eidsivating before deciding to take up a solo project, Zelbo.




Dag enlisted the services of his longtime friend Ken Ingwersen, a guitar player who started his career in the mid 80’s working for Evenrude and later on played with Rags and Street Legal, before joining on a more permanent basis Ken Hensley's (Uriah Heep) band. Vocalist Frode Vassel on vocals and drummer Sturla Nostvik, who are both extremely gifted and experienced musicians, round out the line-up.


Zelbo's debut album is Scandinavian AOR of the highest order, which will certainly make all Da Vinci, Work Of Art, classic Europe, and the like fans extremely happy.





Tracklisting:


"In My Dreams"
"Fortune & Fame"
"Phoenix Rising"
"Head’s Down"
"Wild Young And Free"
"Get Up Get Over It"
"Beautiful Flyaway"
"Next Flight To Venus"
"Small Town Girl"
"Waiting For The End"
"Every Little Thing"


"Phoenix Rising":





"Fortune And Fame" video:





Lineup:


Dag Selboskar - Keys
Ken Ingwersen - Guitars
Frode Vassel - Vocals
Sturla Nøstvik - Drums


Special guest:
Aslak Johan Johnsen - Bass

Robert Mason has once again said that Jani Lane was "in a very dark place" before his final exit from WARRANT.

Lane recorded several albums with WARRANT in late 1980s and early 1990s but left the group several times. The band's seventh studio LP, "Born Again", was released in 2006 and featured Jaime St. James as the lead singer. In 2008, Lane returned to WARRANT temporarily and toured with the group. In September that year, WARRANT announced that Jani had left again. The band replaced him with Mason and released its eighth studio album, "Rockaholic", in 2011.

Speaking to Wasting Time With Jason Green about how Jani's last split from WARRANT came about, Mason said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They told Jani he was better off probably staying off the road, because they were having a hard time keeping him sober. They hired a very expensive per-day sober coach that couldn't do it.

"It's a horrible thing," he continued. "He succumbed to all of that… He was in a very, very dark place, and the worst place for him was to be on the road. And my guys were deathly afraid of finding him not making lobby call one day and expired in a hotel on the road, and how that would look and how that would feel for them.

"So, yes, they told, 'No more WARRANT for you. Please go home and make yourself better. And maybe we'll talk about it someday. But make yourself better.'

"[After I joined WARRANT] Jani was alive and did Jani Lane solo shows for a little bit. He put a band together with a lot of the usual suspects, guys he would use, and really great players. But he was just not the same guy and not in the same place."

Lane died in August 2011 at age 47. Paramedics found his body in a Comfort Inn motel room in Woodland Hills, California, which is near Los Angeles. Lane had battled alcohol abuse for years.

Reflecting on how he found out about Jani's death, Robert said: "I think it was us and the SLAUGHTER guys, we were all having dinner at a steak joint somewhere in the middle of the country doing a gig, and everybody's phone just buzzed — it seemed [like it happened] all at once. It was kind of rare for us — all band and crew; everybody — after flying in, we were all sitting around the table, with appetizers, waiting for entrees to show up, and all of sudden, everybody's phones just blew up. And it was that horrible look. I remember somebody looking and going [opens his eyes wide]. And I know they thought to themselves, 'This is what this is,' and they were dead right. We all picked up the phone, and we were, like, 'Did you just hear…?' 'Yeah, I just got a text from so-and-so.' 'I just missed a phone call from six people.'"

According to Mason, Lani's passing didn't come completely unexpectedly to him and the rest of WARRANT. "Clearly, it's not anything that anybody wanted to happen, but it was less of a surprise, I think," he said. "It wasn't as huge a shock. And that's a terrible thing to admit."

WARRANT's latest album, "Louder Harder Faster", was released in 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl. The disc was recorded with producer Jeff Pilson — a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER and DOKKEN, among others — and was mixed by Pat Regan, except for the song "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink", which was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).

METALLICA's "performance coach" Phil Towle, a former psychotherapist who was brought into the picture in January 2001 to help James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich repair their relationship with Jason Newsted, was recently interviewed on "Speak N' Destroy", a podcast about all things METALLICA, hosted by longtime journalist and METALLICA fan Ryan J. Downey. You can now listen to the lengthy chat below.

Asked what the "common" thing is that METALLICA fans say to him when they approach him after recognizing him in public, Towle said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's really hard to say. The people that don't come up to me that are pissed off at the way that I am in the movie, there are probably a lot of those people. Nobody's trashed me directly that I can remember. But the people that ask the questions, pretty much the thing they say is they thank me for being a part of the process.

"I have such deep love and respect for the band, the guys and their families. I mean, they're just amazing human beings — every bit as sharp and as wonderful as you would imagine them to be, with their own personalities. So I love them dearly, and their families and stuff. So the memories of that experience, when somebody asks me, I know how important it is for the fans who are so dedicated, because they've been so moved by METALLICA. Just to be in a concert and watch on side stage and see people respond to them, there's a kind of loving devotion that is not… How should I say it? Sometimes you see a crowd like that being able to be grateful for its capacity to be angry, or the capacity to just say, 'Fuck it.' Whatever. And I get that. But there's such a loving admiration for them. That just reinforces the force of love and how important that is.

"To see them at end of a concert, arms around each other, that's what it's all about. So the fans feel that. The music lives on because of the relationship between the fans and the passion about what METALLICA does with them and for them and METALLICA's appreciation for the fans. They're very devoted to their fans; they care deeply about their fans. And that's the kind of thing that comes up for me when somebody comes to me. It's, like, 'Wow. I'm honored that you came up to me to thank me for my participation with a revolution with some people who have changed the world.' They've drained a puss for a lot of people, given an outlet for a lot of people with their anger and frustration, but they've also spread the love."

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.

While initially helping METALLICA towards restoring band harmony, the film shows Towle attempting to increasingly insert himself into the band's creative process, submitting lyrics for the album and even attempting to join them on the road. "Some Kind Of Monster" also documented Hetfield's spiral into alcoholism and decision to check himself into a rehab facility. Hetfield's re-emergence from rehab is when the film really gets into gear, with the chief worry in his mind whether or not he could do METALLICA sober.

Last year, Ulrich told Rolling Stone magazine that METALLICA might not be around today if it weren't for Towle. "It was a difficult time with Phil," he said. "And as easy of a target as he is to make fun of, whenever I get asked about it now, I find myself defending him. He did save the band. I think you and I wouldn't be sitting here talking to each other if it wasn't for him."

He continued: "It was a very transitional, experimental time. We'd been a band for 20 years, and we realized we never had a fucking conversation about how we're feeling, what being in METALLICA is doing to everybody. It was just this fucking machine. And then Hetfield had to go away and deal with some of his issues, and then that opened up this whole thing."

In a 2004 interview with The Kansas City Star, Towle spoke about the scene toward the end of "Some Kind Of Monster" documentary where he and James and Lars get into it over Phil's continued role with the band. Asked what happened there, Towle said: "The band was going through a moment of indecision about whether to continue with me and on what terms. I needed an answer. I said I gotta know because I'm thinking about moving out here. Off camera we had talks about continuing. So I really felt a little ambushed. I felt I'd had one understanding where I'd do it part time to resolve some issues. But it was also difficult for me to think about leaving. … I was with this one client every day for almost two and a half years. We started with two- and three-hour sessions, and then when things heated up as they made the album, I was in the studio every day. I just didn't want to leave the process, the intimacy. And I thought we had a deal in place. But, you know, the thing to come out of that was Lars coming to James's support. That really cemented things between them."

John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, has offered a surprisingly strong defense of Dave Chappelle amid the uproar over the comedian's Netflix special.

Critics have decried "The Closer" as "dangerously transphobic" over several of Chappelle's jokes, specifically around the "thin skin" of trans people and the effects of so-called "cancel culture." Transgender writer-producer Jaclyn Moore said she would no longer work for Netflix while the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights group dedicated to the empowerment of the black LGBTQ community, asked the streaming service to remove the special from the platform.

Cooper addressed the controversy surrounding "The Closer" during a brand new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. After confirming that he has seen Chappelle's special, John said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have thought for a decade Dave Chappelle is the funniest man alive. And I don't say that because he never offends me. [Laughs] I'm guessing that me and Dave Chappelle don't agree on a whole lot of stuff. He says plenty of offensive things about Christianity or about every race — white, black, Asian; anything you want — Dave Chappelle goes after 'em. I think that's why he's funny. I just think he's outrageously hilarious. That's not to say that I'm not offended. But he's hysterical.

"I've gotta be honest, and I know that we're in a time that everything that you say is going to make somebody hate your guys," he continued. "I don't wanna make anybody hate me, but I personally love — I love what he's saying. I should say I love what he's standing up for. And this is coming from somebody… Like I say, I'm a Christian. There are things that I will not watch because I find them offensive. But I have never called for someone to not have the platform, to be censored or something of that nature. Now, talking about actual violence is a whole another… that's a whole another thing, okay? I'm talking about actual violent talk. But in terms of things that we just say that's too offensive to say, that is not going to make for a freer country. That is going to make for a tyrranical… It's very puritanical. And we've also had puritan tyranny, as we saw in the Salem witch trials where you had this psychotic madness coming, all these Christian people to start going out hunting for witches. We don't want that. And that's kind of my own people, if you will. When I say 'my own people,' I don't mean that I am a witchhunter, but I hope that makes sense. Those were Christians doing things they shouldn't be doing. We don't want that. But we also don't want this new puritanism that says that you can't say something from an ideological perspective, from a political perspective, from a religious perspective. We don't want that. That is gonna create a culture where people are afraid to talk."

Cooper added: "And so I actually am very supportive of Dave Chappelle. Whether he offends me or not, I'm supportive of what he's saying. I'll tell you someone else I support that says a lot of things I agree with who also hates — I don't mean he hates Christians, but he hates Christianity, is [comedian and television host] Bill Maher. I agree with Bill Maher all the time, and I have for a decade. He says tons of things I disagree with, but he says lots of things that I think are poignant and interesting, and I don't want him canceled. No matter how much he thinks religion is stupid, I like hearing what he has to say, and I appreciate that I think that he thinks that I should have the ability to say what I wanna say."

SKILLET will release its new studio album, "Dominion", on January 14, 2022 via Atlantic.

In various interviews over the years, Cooper has said that he "always had faith in God" and that his mother was a "Jesus fanatic." He also claimed that he was willing to put his career on the line to take a stand for Christ.

KROKUS frontman Marc Storace will release his first-ever solo album, "Live And Let Live", next month. To coincide with the LP's arrival, Marc and his solo band, dubbed simply STORACE, will embark on a three-date tour of his home country of Switzerland, where he will perform songs from the album as well as classic tracks spanning his entire career.

In a new interview with Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada's The Metal Voice, Storace said about how his solo album came about (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Twenty years ago, I wrote the title song of the album, 'Live And Let Live'. 'Live And Let Live' was written with this guitar player who was a neighbor of mine. I used to go over to his place, a little studio, on cold or rainy days and icy days. We spent hours writing songs, and we came out with about 20 of 'em. And this is one of 'em which fits for the album. And it's the opener; it's gonna be the live opener. It's a great song.

"Anyway, so many years later, we did the [KROKUS] reunion, and I've been busy with KROKUS," he continued. "And as soon as lockdown started, I first did some stuff which I put on YouTube and Facebook, some karaoke stuff which I found. I did duets with my daughter, Giuliana. After that phase with Giuliana, I kind of fell in a hole of the lockdown boredom, and I thought, 'No way. I'm gonna get creative.' I opened my drawer [and out came] a pile of lyrics — bits and pieces, leftovers, new stuff. And I thought, 'Well, I've got enough material. And I need a guitar player.'

"This guy I got in touch with, he's in Newcastle, in England," Marc added. "We started communicating about ideas — he'd send me ideas, and I'd send him feedback, and I'd fit lyrics and build songs and stuff. So we built quite a few. And then I already went in contact with a couple of musicians whom I got to know when I was doing this big event, film series for television in 2019. And this thing came out during lockdown. But while we were filming this, I also started thinking, 'Well, we're on a farewell tour, and I don't really wanna stop.' And this thing came out during lockdown, which helped reduce the boredom, and in between I was writing songs. And then I got to know these two other guys — a drummer and rhythm guitarist — and they also produced the whole music side of [the TV series]. And they asked me during the filming stuff, in between, 'You should do a solo album now. It's gonna be over with KROKUS. What are you gonna do?' I said, 'I don't know yet. It's not over until it's over. And I'm still enjoying it. So I'm not thinking that far. I'm taking it — carpe diem. Day by day.' Cause you never know what tomorrow brings. And too much planning sometimes you're doing for nothing. Overthinking is unhealthy anyway.

"So, anyway, I came to that point. And then I called them. I said, 'Guys, you wanna do it? 'Cause I really enjoyed working with you.' … So we started. And at the end of last year, they already sent me two ideas, and at the beginning of this year, they sent me some more. And I got busy working, working, and we did demos and stuff. And here we are — it's ready. It's all recorded, and it's in the mix."

Asked about the musical direction of his solo album, Marc said: "It's energetic, heavy, melodic hard rock. And there's also a couple of ballads. I'm a singer — we love ballads. And then there's something out of the ordinary — it's a blues song, which is not the typical blues song. It's something I saw as a challenge. When they sent me that music, I thought, 'What? It doesn't really fit.' But then I thought blues is always inside the rock family — a body of rock always has blues in there, as opposed to jazz maybe, although that's also integrated sometimes. And then there's this one song — I think it's gonna be the last one on the album — which is quite acoustical and more light-hearted.

"I'm saying it's great, because I've worked for it and I'm emotionally involved with it," he continued. "But people around us and around me have been telling me I'm on the right track, and the results are good. So, now I'm nervous and excited for the release date."

KROKUS released a new CD/DVD, "Adios Amigos Live @ Wacken", this past February.

Back in April 2020, KROKUS was forced to postpone its last-ever concerts in USA and Canada due to the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the globe. The 13-date trek was originally scheduled to kick off at Canton Hall in Dallas, Texas on September 18, 2020 and conclude at Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on October 10, 2020.

Back in September 2018, KROKUS announced that it was going to embark on a farewell tour dubbed "Adios Amigos" before calling it a day. At the time, they said their final show would take place on December 7, 2019 at the Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland. However, in June 2019, Storace posted a message on Facebook indicating that the band would play additional concerts beyond the Zurich date.

When KROKUS first announced its decision to embark on a farewell tour, the band explained in a statement: "KROKUS shows have always been special and should stay that way. That's why we decided to stop when it's still really good. That's how the fans should remember us."

Drum legend Mike Portnoy (NMB, The Winery Dogs, ex-Dream Theater) recently guested on 22 Now, hosted by Twisted Sister bassist Mark Mendoza. During the livestream chat, Portnoy looked back on his musical influences growing up


Portnoy: "What made me want to be the type of drummer that I became - I saw The Who's The Kids Are Alright (1979); hey put out the movie right after Keith had died. I had already been listening to The Who for 10 years, I grew up listening to 'Tommy' and 'Who's Next,' and all that stuff, but back then, as you know, we didn't have VHSs and DVDs, so I hadn't seen Keith with my own eyes until The Kids Are Alright came out.


I went to the movie theater to see it, and from the very opening number when they come out and do 'My Generation' and Keith blows up his drum kit, and Pete (Townshend) smashes his guitar. I couldn't take my eyes off of Keith. I was like, 'Not only do I want to be a drummer, but I want to be a drummer like that...' where you can't take your eyes off of him. Like he's playing lead drums, and so that was that moment for me where I was like 'I want to do that, I want to be a drummer like that.' I love Ringo (Starr / The Beatles), I love Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones), I love John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), but Keith had that personality. He was captivating and he did everything like a lead instrument. Sadly, that's why we lost him so young and so early.




"I was motivated by that, and then later on, Lars Ulrich had a big influence on me. Not for drumming, but because he was the drummer in the band that was also the leader of the band. You could tell that he had a lot to do with their creative direction, and the songwriting, and obviously the fan club and the merchandise, so he inspired me as well.


Seeing a drummer play the lead role, and that was kind of what my role in Dream Theater was for all those years - 25 years with Dream Theater. So I kind of was modeling myself between Keith Moon, Neil Peart, and Lars Ulrich, and somewhere in between is what came out like me."


Watch the complete livestream via Facebook here.

GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge spoke to Matt Pinfield of 95.5 KLOS's "New & Approved" show about the influence of punk rock on his band's musical and lyrical approach. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "If you get the best of punk rock 1977 to 1980, a lot of those 'hits' are the sort of music that I grew up listening to with my brother. He was also a very, very big fan of most things. He would also rave about how cool THE DAMNED were at the time, and then he would put on the EURYTHMICS and then he would put on a RAINBOW record. And that definitely rubbed off on me. I guess everything is sort of within the rock genre — just rock and pop.

"One band that actually I like a lot that I don't think people mention a lot but that also was a big influence on me and I feel close to in terms of wittiness as well as the sort of melodic language and humor was THE DICKIES," he continued. "'Dawn Of The Dickies' is one fucking bomb of a record; that's so good. In my old band, we used to play 'Infidel Zombie', a cover of that. I don't think people notice, but 'Dawn Of The Dickies', you can hear a lot of GHOST in there — or the other way around; you can a lot of DICKIES in GHOST. But people don't notice it for some reason. But the melodic language…

"Another melodic band that I also take a lot of influence off of — people don't seem to pay attention to that either — is BAD RELIGION. Musically, lyrically, but also the vocal harmonizing and all that is also very… the latter part of the '80s and early '90s BAD RELIGION. So, a lot of my singing sort of comes off of singing their songs.

"I think that a lot of the punk elements of my writing and my background might not be in super focus when I speak about music because it's not that apparent," Forge added. "But I think a lot of the humoristic element of writing — if that makes sense — comes from the punkish attitude. And also my way of singing that is, obviously, debated if it's metal or not. No — it's punk. I sing like a lot of punk bands. I sing a lot like a lot of the punk bands that I like."

In September, GHOST released a new single titled "Hunter's Moon" which is featured in the latest blockbuster installment of the legendary film franchise "Halloween Kills". The "Halloween Kills" soundtrack arrived on October 15 via Sacred Bones, with the film hitting theaters (and Peacock) the same day as well.

Produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace, GHOST's "Hunter's Moon" plays as the "Halloween Kills" end credits roll, and will be released January 21, 2022 as a collectible seven-inch single by Loma Vista Recordings. "Hunter's Moon" can be streamed, purchased, and/or pre-ordered in its vinyl incarnation. The retail version of the seven-inch will feature the special B-side "Halloween Kills (Main Title)", performed, produced and engineered by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies.

"Hunter's Moon" features OPETH's Fredrik Åkesson on guitar and THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES founder Martin Hederos on the piano. Producer Max Grahn and "A Ghoul Writer" are listed as the song's composers and lyricists.

The official music video for the infectious first new track from GHOST since 2019's "Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic" was directed by Amanda Demme.

Also two months ago, GHOST announced a 26-date co-headlining U.S. arena tour with VOLBEAT and special guests TWIN TEMPLE, coming to cities including Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix.

In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the new character who will front the act for its next LP phase.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle".

In a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, DJ Ashba was asked what his favorite memory is from his time with GUNS N' ROSES. The guitarist responded: "There are so many memories from that six, seven years. I think the biggest memory, when I think back on those days, it's just how probably misunderstood Axl [Rose, GUNS N' ROSES singer] is. He's just — to me; I can't speak for other people — but he's just one of the fucking coolest guys to hang out with. When he's your friend — he has a very tight circle, but when you kind of gain his trust and are in that circle — you couldn't find a better fucking dude. He's just a cool fucking dude. And we had a ton of fun — on stage and even more fun off stage."

Asked if he still keeps in touch with Rose, Ashba said: "Not too much, but the minute we see each other, I'm sure there's gonna be big hugs thrown. We have so much respect for each other, I believe. I miss him. I miss him to death as my buddy. But they've been on tour. They've been nonstop busy, and I've been slammed busy, and that's kind of how this industry is. Your paths will cross one day, and it's just how it is. It's like a traveling circus. [Laughs]"

Ashba, who joined GUNS N' ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck, issued a statement in July 2015 saying that he was leaving GUNS N' ROSES "to dedicate myself to my band SIXX:A.M., my adoring wife and family, and to the many new adventures that the future holds for me." He later claimed that he was approached about being part of GN'R's "Not In This Lifetime" tour, but that he declined, citing his desire to pursue SIXX:A.M. full time.

Ashba previously discussed his departure from GUNS N' ROSES in a November 2016 interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He stated at the time: "Well, there [were] multiple reasons [why I left GN'R] — a couple that I won't go into — but the biggest reason was I needed to get back to my roots, back to what I really truly believed in, and that was playing songs I helped write with [SIXX:A.M. bandmates] James [Michael] and Nikki [Sixx]. We [SIXX:A.M.] have five albums out [and] we have a ten-year career together. So we did a tour, 'Modern Vintage' tour, where it was, like, nineteen shows, and that tour really changed my life and put my career back into perspective — you know, being out on the stage and connecting with the fanbase."

Ashba also once again claimed that he was asked to stay in GN'R for the "Not In This Lifetime" tour, but that he decided against it, preferring instead to pursue his own career path.

"Axl called me and he really wanted me a part of the reunion, and I turned it down," Ashba said. "I felt if Slash is coming back, that's great — that's what the fans want, and I can go off and do what I really wanna do now… And we left [off on good terms]; everything is good. And I couldn't be happier for the fans out there. I'm a fan. Half of the band reunited, which excites me, but at the same time, it's the best of both worlds — I get to do what I really love to do, and that's play in SIXX:A.M."

Only Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan from GN'R's "Appetite For Destruction"-era lineup are taking part in the band's current reunion. They are being joined by keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer. Also appearing with them is second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Four years ago, former GUNS N' ROSES bassist Tommy Stinson said that he found it "funny" that Ashba "made such a big deal about" quitting the band at a time when "there wasn't really anything going on" with the group. Stinson, who was in GUNS N' ROSES from 1998 until 2014, told HardrockHaven.net: "[DJ] called me up on the phone and told me that he was gonna quit, you know, and this that and the other thing… [It] seemed like it was kind of inevitable that there was going to be a reunion happening, so I think he… I don't know if he [laughs] tried to get in front of the curve to, you know, drum up some extra fucking press for himself. I don't really know what the deal was, but I thought it odd. I thought it an odd time to make a big stink about quitting, you know?"

Last fall, Ashba released a couple of singles from his ASHBA project, which mixes his rock guitar with electronic music in what he previously described as the "perfect blend of rock and EDM."

L.A. GUNS' Phil Lewis has weighed in on Vince Neil's disastrous comeback performance at an Iowa festival six months ago.

On May 29, the MÖTLEY CRÜE singer struggled to complete his solo concert at the Boone Iowa River Valley Festival in Boone. Based on fan-filmed video footage of the gig posted on YouTube, the 60-year-old rocker, who hadn't performed in more than a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, began losing his voice several songs into his set, which consisted exclusively of CRÜE classics and cover songs previously recorded by the band.

14 songs into the performance, Vince attempted to sing CRÜE's smash hit "Girls, Girls, Girls" but gave up mid-song, explaining to the crowd: "Hey, guys… I'm sorry, you guys. It's been a long time playin'. My fuckin' voice is gone… Eh… We love you, and we'll hopefully see you next time, man. Take care."

After Neil walked off the stage, his backing band — which still consists of bassist Dana Strum and guitarist Jeff "Blando" Bland from SLAUGHTER, along with drummer Zoltan Chaney — continued to play the song, singing along to what appeared to be pre-recorded backing vocals.

Lewis discussed Neil's return to the stage during a brand new interview with "The Bay Ragni Show". Speaking about how he has been staying in shape while off the road during the pandemic, Phil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've got lungs — I've got lungs for days. I'm a runner, so I've always had a big lung capacity and a loud, annoying voice. So, those things have really, really served me well. And [I am regularly] on the rowing machine, getting the stamina going, because — I wouldn't say I'm in training, but not doing anything for two years, I don't wanna get shocked. I don't wanna get… Like a couple of guys who'd come out and they're halfway through their set, and they're, like, 'Oh, fuck. I'm completely out of shape. I haven't done this in so long.' Well… You saw… You know who I'm talking about. And it was pitiful to see the lead vocalist of 'The Stadium [Tour]' headliner not able to make it through fucking four songs. C'mon! As a frontman, as a singer, you have a fucking responsibility to step it up, especially if you're that fucking big. So, no fucking sympathy from me whatsoever. It takes work. It takes discipline."

This is not the first time Lewis has bashed Neil. After CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee said in a 2020 interview that he and his bandmates tried — without success — to get Vince to sing some of the John Corabi-era MÖTLEY CRÜE material, Lewis chimed in on social media, saying that Vince "has trouble singing his own songs" and calling Neil a "total hack." The L.A. GUNS singer went on to write that he he "seen Vince live so many times" and insisted that he hates "to see people getting ripped off."

A short time later, Metal Sludge published an article headlined "L.A. Guns singer on Vince Neil's singing ability: 'Vince has Trouble Singing his Own Songs – Total Hack'", prompting Lewis to elaborate on his original comments. He wrote: "Just to be clear and in context. The subject was why doesn't Vince sing the Corabi era songs? Simple. He couldn't, doesn't have the range, power or motivation but thanks for pointing out [Vince] has sold more albums and tickets than me, Has a much bigger bank account and a gorgeous trophy wife so yes given those facts Vince must be a much better singer than I could ever be. Darn! There goes another MÖTLEY tour."

He added, "While we're on the subject. Somber Anniversary VN. Fuck you for killing my friend", apparently referring to the fact that Neil caused the tragic car accident in December 1984 that killed his passenger, HANOI ROCKS drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Two months ago, Vince revealed that he was trying out a new toning machine in an apparent effort to get in shape for "The Stadium Tour". The singer said he was using Emsculpt Neo, a revolutionary new treatment which supposedly builds muscle and reduces fat using both radio frequency and high-intensity electromagnetic energies.

In December 2019, CRÜE manager Allen Kovac told Fox Business that "some of" the bandmembers had enlisted outside help to get in shape for the trek. Kovac was referring to criticism of Neil for his supposed diminished singing ability and weight gain, as well as the health status of guitarist Mick Mars, who has been dealing with a chronic form of arthritis that led him to undergo a hip replacement.

Kovac explained: "Some of them are working with a trainer, some of them are working with a nutritionist to make themselves the best they can be. The greatest insecurity for an artist is: Is anyone going to care about my music? Is anyone going to buy a ticket? We were in November [2019] when the discussions were happening, and these guys were already into regimens of how they get ready for a tour."

Speaking specifically about Neil, Kovac added: "Let's see what Vince sings like and looks like when the tour goes out." MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx also said last year that Vince was "killing it" while working with "trainers" and "nutritionists" in preparation for "The Stadium Tour".

During a recent appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation L.A. Invasion", Nikki Sixx discussed the fact that GUNS N' ROSES apparently once considered recording a cover version of the early MÖTLEY CRÜE song "Stick To Your Guns". The CRÜE bassist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "After we took them out on tour, and they first put out 'Welcome To The Jungle', or was it 'Sweet Child O' Mine', I remember going to the Rainbow [in West Hollywood], and I saw Axl [Rose, GN'R singer] there. And he jumped up and he said 'hi' and 'thanks for the tour. Thanks for the tour because now MTV is gonna play 'Sweet Child O' Mine'.' It really gave 'em a shot. And I was super stoked for those guys. And then he kind of told me he always loved that song 'Stick To Your Guns' and had thought about covering it in GN'R. That's pretty cool to hear, that those guys thought that was cool. And that song's got its own little life, so to speak."

Back in 2016, Sixx told Neon Sunsets that he didn't know Rose "that well. I mean, I knew him a bit in the '80s when [GUNS N' ROSES] opened for MÖTLEY CRÜE," he said. "He was always sweet to me. He was always kind of shy and respectful. And I'm happy for him [now that he is reunited with Slash and Duff McKagan]. He looks happy. He looks healthy. He missed doing what he's doing right now, and I'm sure having Slash and Duff by his side feels really good. So it's badass. Good for him. And good for Slash and Duff too. Good for the fans."

In his "The Heroin Diaries" memoir, Sixx wrote that Tom Zutaut, the former Geffen Records executive who signed GUNS N' ROSES to a record deal in 1986, told him in 1987 that he was "being considered" to produce GN'R's debut album, "Appetite For Destruction". Sixx added: "I went to see them play at the Roxy, but I didn't think they were all that great. The truth is that I was so out of it that I had no idea who was any good and who wasn't. Fuck, at the time the most I would have been able to do as producer would have been pressing 'play' on the tape machine."

A few years ago, Sixx said that GUNS N' ROSES' "Welcome To The Jungle" was one of his top five favorite 1980s tracks. "I always loved that song because the energy of it," he said. "I like the way the vocal lays in and it has this nice swagger to it. But I think really was a defining moment for GUNS N' ROSES.

"We love GUNS N’ ROSES," he added. "The guys would come hang out at my house in Los Angeles. We took them out on tour and they opened for us for a leg of the tour. It was really great because they were really green and they were really raw and they had just finished recording their first record. I felt good for us for turn our audience on to a new band."

"Stick To Your Guns" was the A side of MÖTLEY CRÜE's debut single, which was released in May 1981 via the band's own label Leathür Records.

Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X) and The Players Club / Mascot Label Group recently announced the release of a new seasonal offering titled 'TWAS. Gilbert’s 17th solo album features a dozen recordings, two of which are new, original compositions.


Paul talks about the new album in an interview with MyGlobalMind's Robert Cavuoto, where he also talks about the late, great Eddie Van Halen.


Robert Cavuoto: You came up with the idea of using a drill on the guitar, and then Eddie Van Halen borrowed from it. What were your feelings about that?

Paul Gilbert: "I thought I was dreaming. It was so odd. Any contact with Eddie was odd as he was such a hero of mind. He was a kind of superhuman to me as a kid. I saw every Van Halen show from 1979 to 1984 in Pennsylvania.  I was the kid in the audience with the binoculars watching his fingers. He was such a star. So having any kind of association was like speaking to a spirit from another world. I don’t think I was on his radar. I don’t think he was reading a guitar magazine and said, “Paul is using a drill; I’ll use it too!” I think he just had one in his studio and decided to make pretty some noise. I think it was sort of a coincidence but an unusual one. I was shocked and wonderful that I can be associated with the guy in any way."


Read the full interview at MyGlobalMind.


The global release date for 'TWAS on digital and CD is November 26. The LP will follow on December 10th. Pre-order here.


Gilbert shares: "Many will agree that in recent times, challenging events have been pouring down upon our heads like an Exploding Waterfall of Molasses. At least it sometimes feels like that to me.  But while I was jamming Christmas songs with my friends, playing an assortment of red, green, and white Ibanez electric guitars, I felt like life was THE BEST.  I hope that this music can put a smile on your face as well.  


"Ten of the songs are classics. I was inspired by the Christmas recordings of Nat King Cole, Loretta Lynn, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Ventures. And of course, inspiration came from my guitar heroes, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Frank Marino, Pat Travers, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page, to name a few. I also wrote some of my own new Christmas songs. As I have been doing recently, I begin with lyrics and a melody. Then I let my guitar take over, as it sings better than I do."


He continues. "'Three Strings For Christmas' refers to the 3-string guitar that I used on my double-neck. I tune the strings in octaves, which allows me to play ridiculously fast arpeggios, and very little else (which is why I have a normally strung guitar for the other neck.) 'Every Christmas Has Love' was written quickly, inspired by my panic-driven mental state of album making. When I know that the recording sessions are coming, my brain shifts into survival mode, and melodies start popping out. Then I take all the chords I learned by listening to 70s AM radio, and build a song. The lyrics are nice too. I'll be printing those in the liner notes of the album. Merry Christmas to all. And to all, a good night."


Gilbert formed a band of Portland, Oregon's finest jazz and blues musicians for these sessions. The players are Dan Balmer (guitar), Clay Giberson (keyboards), Timmer Blakely (bass), and Jimi Bott (drums). He reflects, “All brought supreme musical goodness to these arrangements and performances. They certainly steered me to make wiser musical choices than I would have made on my own. And as you will hear, my metal guitar instincts still breathe fire when they get the chance.” The album was recorded in Jimi Bott's studio, who also engineered and mixed the recordings. The approach was to record two songs every day, for six days, delivering the collected body of work.  


Gilbert: "All songs were recorded live, although I think Jimi snuck some cowbell overdubs in. If anything should be added to a live track, I believe cowbell is the right choice."





Tracklist:


"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
"Frosty the Snowman"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
"The Christmas Song"
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
"I Saw Three Ships"
"Every Christmas Has Love"
"Three Strings for Christmas"
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
"Silver Bells"
"Winter Wonderland"


“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” video:





(Top photo - Jennifer Bartram-Schmitt)

Atmospheric black metallers, Ghost Bath, have released their fourth full-length album, Self Loather, via Nuclear Blast Records. With the album, the band closes out the trilogy - tragedy, ecstasy, and dread/hatred - and hosts their most devastating and dark music to date.


Today, the band releases a drum playthrough for "Flickering Wicks Of Black". Watch below:







Order your copy of Self Loather here. Save the album here.





Self Loather tracklisting:


"Convince Me To Bleed"
"Hide From The Sun"  (Feat. CJ McMahon Of Thy Art Is Murder)
"Shrines Of Bone"
"Sanguine Mask"
"Crystal Lattice"
"Sinew And Vein" (Feat. Graf Of Psychonaut 4)
"I Hope Death Finds Me Well"
"For It Is A Veil"
"Unbearable"
"Flickering Wicks Of Black"


"A Crystal Lattice" visualizer:





"Hide From The Sun" visualizer:





"Convince Me To Bleed" video:





Ghost Bath is:


Dennis Mikula - Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Synths, Lyrics
Tim Church - Guitar
John Olivier - Guitar
Josh Jaye - Bass
Jason Hirt - Drums

TRIVIUM opened for METALLICA at the heavy metal giants' "intimate" concert on November 4 at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Tickets for the 7,000-seat-theater show went on sale on July 30 and quickly sold out. Speaking to El Cuartel Del Metal about how the Orlando metallers landed the opening slot at the METALLICA gig, TRIVIUM frontman Matt Heafy said: "It was Sunday afternoon [four days before the show]. I think we were just about to watch a movie with the kids. And I got an e-mail from our manager. He's, like, 'METALLICA asked if you can be available for this Thursday.' We were, like, 'Yes. Yes, we can. Let's do everything we can.' But we had to keep it quiet 'cause it wasn't fully confirmed yet. It didn't get confirmed until, I think, 30 minutes before we started driving down to South Florida. So we had to get our crew back down to Florida, get our gear back together, rehearse again. Luckily, we all rehearse so much individually, it's not like we're ever sloppy; it's not like we take time off. So we were ready to go. And we made it happen. We got down there. We weren't able to say 'hey' [to the guys METALLICA], but METALLICA left us an amazing handwritten letter and gave us a box of [METALLICA's] Blackened [whiskey]."

He continued: "To be able to see them at a quote[-unquote] small show; I mean, a small show for them is seven thousand people. That's more people than we can do on a big show. So, to be able to watch them that close — I was able to be on the floor and watch them — it was incredible. They're all amazing, but [James] Hetfield's [METALLICA frontman] voice sounds better than ever. I don't know how the hell that happened, but he sounds like a better singer now than he's ever been. And it's just so amazing. The vibe was great."

Heafy added: "They're truly the greatest band in the world and [have] always been the greatest band in the world. And it's awesome that they thought of us. They were, like, 'Hey, let's get TRIVIUM down here.' For METALLICA to have an opening band, that's usually just their decision; it's whatever they wanna do. And the fact that they picked us was really cool."

Asked if TRIVIUM has ever gotten feedback from any members of METALLICA about their music, Heafy said: "Way back in 2006, we did festivals with them. I remember we'd never met them before. Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] pops his head in the dressing room. We were, like, 'Holy crap.' He starts talking to us. He said how they really liked the 'Master Of Puppets' cover we did for Kerrang! [magazine]. They obviously liked the band 'cause they brought us out. I remember they brought us, AVENGED [SEVENFOLD] and BULLET [FOR MY VALENTINE] out for a couple of off dates and they kind of looked at the three of us as the next generation of metal bands, which was really cool. They've always been complimentary. I've been able to hang out with Kirk [Hammett, METALLICA guitarist] a couple of times. Kirk took us out to an incredible sushi dinner on that tour. Kirk has taken us out to an incredible Chinese place in San Francisco years and years and years later. We've always kept good casual contact with them, and they're the kings. They've always been nothing but truly wonderful, welcoming, amazing people."

Back in April, TRIVIUM bassist Paolo Gregoletto reflected on what it was like to meet his heroes in METALLICA. Recalling the night in 2006 when he and his bandmates ended up having dinner with Kirk Hammett in Amsterdam, he told Epic Footnote Productions' "There Goes My Hero" podcast: "It was at the hotel they were staying at. It was in Amsterdam. It was at a really fancy place, and they had a fancy sushi restaurant. Kirk really loved [TRIVIUM's] 'Ascendancy' [album], and he just wanted to come out and hang out with us. So we went to dinner at that place in the hotel and pretty much just ordered everything on the menu — like, every single thing… I don't know how long we were there, but it was quite awhile. It was crazy. And then at the end, he kind of jokingly handed me the bill, like, 'Here you go.'

"It was pretty wild to just hang out with this dude," Paolo continued. "I don't even remember what we talked about; that's the craziest thing. It's almost like one of those experiences [where] you know it happened, but you don't really remember. It was like waking up from a dream and being, like, 'Wow, that was wild. What happened?' You don't remember all the details, but you know something happened."

Asked how old he was when he first discovered METALLICA's music, Paolo said: "I think it was '96 — I'm pretty sure that's when I found METALLICA. So I was probably about 11 or 12 when I discovered them. It was right when I started playing bass. I saw [METALLICA's] 'King Nothing' [video] on MTV, and I was just, like, 'That's the band. That's the coolest thing ever. And these dudes are playing in the snow, and they look cool.' At that point, all I knew was pop-punk and whatever was popular on MTV. So they were very different. And, of course, metal in the '90s — this is before I discovered PANTERA and anything like that — metal is not on MTV anymore at that point; it was starting to slowly filter out. And I wasn't watching 'Headbangers Ball', if it was even around in '96. So that was it. METALLICA was kind of flying the flag in the mainstream world, and thank God I found them, 'cause I don't know if I would've gotten into music the way I did. To me, that was what made me serious about it, like, 'Okay, I wanna play this type of music. I wanna do what these guys are doing.' And pretty much after that, that was my homework after school — was to just watch METALLICA videos and watch [METALLICA's] 'Live Shit: Binge & Purge' [concert videos] and all that stuff, and just try to emulate them with my own local band and trying to figure out how to make it work."


























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