November 26, 2021 will see Swedish black / death metal heavyweights Godhead Machinery release their forthcoming studio album, Monotheistic Enslavement, through Black Lion Records.


Founded in 2014 by Kail Karlsson (formerly in Swedish black metal band Misericordia ), Godhead Machinery's forthcoming album will take a darker path compared to their previous records – Ouroboros and Aligned To The Grid – exploring the sick twisted mind of humanity. The record will also feature Krzysztof Klingbein of iconic death metal band Vader on drums. Karlsson’s deep interest and studies within religion and political structures, also reflects the concept of Monotheistic Enslavement. As the guitarist / vocalist recently explained:


"Godhead Machinery serves as a tool to analyze in which ways religious beliefs infiltrate laws, policy, behaviors, and moral codes of todays society. By identifying these influencing factors, we can confront them and break free from them. The Devil represent the opposition against this well-planned form of indoctrinated slavery!"


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After the previously released single, "Orbis Non Sufficit", Godhead Machinery have just unleashed an incredible, new video for the album's title track. Watch the clip below

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


The album will be available for pre-order on December 17, and it will come as Ltd. 2CD Digipak, Ltd. Deluxe 3CD+Blu-Ray Artbook (incl. a poster of the cover artwork), and as 180g Gatefold 2LP (incl. the album on CD & an LP-Booklet).


CD2 features alternate versions of the same songs as CD1, but with different vocalists. Also available will be a 5.1 mix, a high-res audio version, and an exclusive, hour-long Behind The Scenes video, on the Blu-ray included in the Artbook.


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Arjen has checked in with a new video update.


Arjen: "It's that tall hippie bastard teasing you once again! Here’s a little update from me about the new Star One album title, the cast and the upcoming guess the artist games. Teasing mode... ON!





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


Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen is the first singer to be revealed for the album. She sings the track "A Hand On The Clock" on CD1 of the new album. She has posted the following message:





Arjen explains the decision to return with a new Star One album: “Ayreon is like the mothership for all my music. It contains all the different musical styles that I like to listen to and that I love to create. But I’m always looking for challenges and trying to create something

Black Lion Records has checked in with the following update:


"We are happy to announce we have extended our partnership with Black Therapy and will be joining forces once again to release their new album in 2022. After the success of their latest album in 2019, it stood clear that there was more to witness and were looking forward to see what the band is bringing for the next album!"


The band has issued the following statement:


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Monterrey, Mexico hard rock sister trio The Warning have unleashed Mayday - their debut EP via Lava / Republic Records.


The Warning, which features sisters Daniela “Dany” [guitar, lead vocals, piano], Paulina “Pau” [drums, vocals, piano], and Alejandra “Ale” Villarreal [bass, piano, backing vocals], is a hard-hitting power trio that captivates listeners with their infectious and unapologetic rock.


Alongside singer-songwriter Alessia Cara, the band recently released their new cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman", which was featured on The Metallica Blacklist album, the 30-year anniversary reissue of Metallica’s iconic self-titled fifth album.


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The sisters kicked off their music career by building a powerful online presence, amassing over 120 million YouTube views and 15 million streams. Soon, they found themselves performing with Alice Cooper. They also graced the stage at Mother of All Rock Festival as the only Mexican band, and opened two sold-out Monterrey shows for The Killers and for Def Leppard in Mexico City and Guadalajara. 


Produced by David Bendeth (Paramore, Bring Me The Horizo

Bourbon House has announced October 22nd as the release date of their new album, Into The Red. This new album will be released by PACgroove Records and distributed worldwide by The Orchard (Sony.)


Into The Red is Bourbon House's third studio album, and a blend of harder rock with their familiar blues-rock edge. Integrating grooves, heavy riffs and soulful ballads, this ten-track album is a dynamic culmination of Bourbon House’s blood, sweat and tears. Into The Red features the previous singles: “Devil On My Heels”, “Too High To Care”, “6000 Miles”, and “Dead In The Water”, along with six previously unreleased tracks.


"We really should've called this album Three, or something along those lines," says voca;list Lacey Crowe. "It's three years in the making, recorded at three different studios, and it's our third album. But all of that time allowed us to grow up, hone in on who we are as a band and develop new, professional relationships to help push us forward."


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Tracklisting:


"Dead In The Water"
"6000 Miles"
"Bad For Me"
"Too High To Care"
"I Got Trouble"
"Lovesick"
"Devil On My Heels"
"Keep Your Head"
"Slow Burn"
"Unavailable"


Pre-order Into The Red now at this location.


"Dead In The Water":





"6000 Miles":

Cleveland metallers Alternate Reality have released an ambitious new music video for their latest single, “Project Wormhole.”  The video was filmed over a five-year period and features over 150 actors drawn from several historical reenactment groups as well as Ohio’s haunted house and film communities.


Alternate Reality is the infamous lawyer-fronted metal band known for producing 2011’s viral video sensation, “The King That Never Was,” which has been declared one of the greatest metal videos of all time and also voted the No. 1 worst video of 2011 by Yahoo! Music.  In 2015, the band’s “King” video snagged a spot on VH1’s Top 10 list for “Awesomely Terrible Heavy Metal Videos,” alongside such artists as KISS, Rush, and Judas Priest. It also has been named a No. 1 video in the “The Merciless Book of Metal Lists” (available in paperback on Amazon).


The band’s latest video was once again directed, edited, and produced by Alternate Reality frontman, Steve Delchin.  It spotlights a rare version of the famous DMC DeLorean sports car from the 1980s “Back to the Future” film trilogy that transports the band members back into time.  “The heavy metal scene has so many great genres and themes, and I wanted to explore all of them in a single video,” says Delchin.  “Project Wormhole features prehistoric characters, Egyptians, Roman

Metalcore-rising Stain The Canvas has shared their new aggressive and so-tortured single "Condemned" featuring The Word Alive's Telle Smith.





The band will drop their new EP We're All Condemned - the follow-up to 2020’s debut God Made Hell - next year. The record will include the singles "End" and "Overload.exe".


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Nefarious Industries has announced the November release of Is Anything Alright, the latest EP from New Brunswick, NJ-based Atom Driver, this week issuing the record’s cover art, track listing, preorders, and advance single, “High Protocol Party.”


Atom Driver formed in the fall of 2016 when guitarist and vocalist Mark Segal (formerly of New Brunswick indie rock band Boss Jim Gettys), bassist Justin Ingstrup (ex-Good Clean Fun), and drummer Mike Polilli (Buzzkill) set their sights on blending classic and current noise rock, indie rock, and post-hardcore influences with a love of punk and metal. The trio made their debut with the 2017 EP Slackjaw, produced by Steve Evetts (Hatebreed, Dillinger Escape Plan, Snapcase, Sepultura) and released on local label Powerbunny 4x4. Two more self-released EPs followed: In The West later that same year, and Here They Come, The Hornets in 2019.


After re-assessing their musical vision in 2020, Atom Driver recruited Chris “Crispy” Corvino (Deadguy, Second Arrows) to handle vocal duties. As soon as masks could come off, the group recorded six new songs with Joseph Dell'Aquila at Exeter Recordings in Freehold, New Jersey. What they emerged with was a more frantic and pissed-off vocal style layered over some quite accessible noisy indie r

Canadian speed/heavy metal band Ültra Raptör have launched a visualizer-video of the song "Caustic Shower", as a third advanced single from their upcoming debut album Tyrants, which will be released on November 9, 2021 through Fighter Records on CD, 12"LP, Cassette, and Digital formats.


The style of Ültra Raptör, is a fast and intense speed/ heavy metal, with influences from bands like Savage Grace, early Running Wild, Judas Priest, Rage, and Exciter.





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Tracklisting:


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Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of Swedish prog metal band Mercury X's new album, Imprisoned, on December 10, 2021. The band has released the single and video for the track “Lonely”. Preorder/save Imprisoned here.


Mercury X is an outstanding progressive metal band hailing from Sweden. Mercury X's music and sound takes inspiration from the early '80s progressive metal bands as well as modern metal. The new album, "Imprisoned", is based on their lives during the making of the album, taking the listener through different emotional stages with simple and beautiful melodies accompanied by rough riffs.


Mercury X originally formed in 2013 in Norrtälje, outside of Stockholm. Guitarist/lead vocalist/violinist Martin Björklund, bassist Alfonso Flores, guitarist Jonas Vedin, and drummer/lead vocalist Denis Diaz met for the first time when they were studying music together in high school. They soon formed a band together, but eventually everyone followed their course of studies in different cities. When they all came back home, they decided to start a band again and thus formed Mercury X. Since then, the band has made two albums, both released independently.


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More recently, they started writing an epic twenty minute long song called “Imprisoned,” which was originally supposed to be a stand-alone EP release. After it was written, they decided to record an additional four songs and make a proper (for progressive metal) full length album.


As the album neared completion, they started to realize that it was a big step u

Members of METALLICA, KORN, SLAYER, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, ANTHRAX, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, BEHEMOTH, LAMB OF GOD, HALESTORM, TRIVIUM, FEAR FACTORY, KREATOR, HATEBREED, DEATH ANGEL and REPENTANCE have gotten together to congratulate MACHINE HEAD on the 30th anniversary of the band.

On October 12, 1991 at the Oakland, California "Day On The Green" concert, a young Robb Flynn stood watching METALLICA perform the "Black" album for the first time and made the decision to start and mastermind his own band. Originally intended to be just a side project, after paying his dues in the underground Bay Area thrash scene as lead guitarist in both FORBIDDEN and VIO-LENCE, by February '92 MACHINE HEAD would become Flynn's full-time project and under his stewardship grew to become a worldwide force in metal.

Now some 30 years later, MACHINE HEAD is recognized as one of metal's most influential and pioneering bands, with countless sold-out world tours, gold and silver records, Grammy nominations, hundreds of millions of streams and over four million records sold under their belt, and that's without even mentioning their legions of devoted fans worldwide, affectionately known as "Head Cases."

Says singer/guitarist Robb Flynn: "Thank you so much to the friends, tourmates and brothers and sisters in metal, that contributed to this. We are beyond grateful, genuinely humbled, and honored by your words. To all the bandmembers past and present who contributed riffs, ideas, melodies and lyrics, thank you for everything you brought and bring to the table. To Tony Costanza, who I wish was here to celebrate this moment with us, rest in power. Massive respect to the Head Cases that have fought side by side with us, stood with us through thick and thin, and believed for 30 years. We love you crazy motherfuckers."

This past June, MACHINE HEAD"Arrows In Words From The Sky". Featuring the tracks "Become The Firestorm", "Rotten" and "Arrows In Words From The Sky", the effort was recorded at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California. Joining Flynn and MACHINE HEAD bassist Jared MacEachern during the sessions were drummer Navene Koperweiss (ENTHEOS, WHITECHAPEL, ANIMALS AS LEADERS) and producer Zack Ohren.

In November 2020, MACHINE HEAD released a new single, "My Hands Are Empty", via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and original "Burn My Eyes" guitarist Logan Mader in 24 years.

"My Hands Are Empty" was just one in a line of singles to be released by MACHINE HEAD, which issued "Do Or Die" in October 2019, "Circle The Drain" in February 2020, and the two-song digital single "Civil Unrest", consisting of "Stop The Bleeding" and "Bulletproof", in June 2020. "Stop The Bleeding" featured guest vocals from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Jesse Leach, and was written and recorded just days after the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery.

Four months ago, MACHINE HEAD announced that it was abandoning plans to resume its "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour now that the pandemic is slowing down. Flynn said that the "Burn My Eyes" tour, which saw him and MacEachern play the band's classic debut album in its entirety for the first time ever, with original "Burn My Eyes"-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in, would not pick up at such a time as MACHINE HEAD can continue touring. Flynn also confirmed that MacEachern is still a member of MACHINE HEAD alongside new recruits, guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka (DECAPITATED) and British drummer Matt Alston

Frontiers Music Srl will release the self-titled debut album from LAND OF GYPSIES on December 10. The official music video for the disc's first single, "Shattered", can be seen below.

LAND OF GYPSIES, formerly known as GANG OF SOULS, is a new Los Angeles-based band featuring an artistic union between vocalist Terry Ilous (XYZ, ex-GREAT WHITE) and producer and bassist Fabrizio Grossi (Glenn Hughes, SUPERSONIC BLUES MACHINE, Eric Gales). Rounding out the lineup are Serge Simic (THE SLAM, SUPERSONIC BLUES MACHINE) on guitar and Tony Morra on drums. The band spent a wealth of time during the pandemic in 2020 working on and developing its sound. Their target was to write music leaning towards a classic hard rock sound with unforgettable melodies and a solid bluesy background to compliment Ilous's stellar vocals.

Ilous says: "My entire career has been about creating the best music I possibly can for the fans. LAND OF GYPSIES allows me to focus on the music and to grow as an artist, while also being able to expand my work both nationally and internationally. I am extremely honored to join such an amazing roster of talent. Expect to hear a lot more from me and Frontiers moving forward."

Grossi adds: "I am really excited to work with my buddies Serge, Tony and Terry on this new adventure called LAND OF GYPSIES. Terry is the centerpiece and I am sure hell turn even more heads than what he's been admirably doing since XYZ's debut and when he was with GREAT WHITE. He's an amazing singer and a hell of a funny guy. I am glad the public will be able to get to know this other side of him. This record represents the type of straight-ahead rock music that really makes us move. There won't be any frills and sweetness, that I can promise, but lots of balls-out groove, loud guitars and soulful melodies."

Musically, LAND OF GYPSIES music leans toward a classic hard rock sound with unforgettable melodies and a solid bluesy background. Think BAD COMPANY meets early FOREIGNER, but with more current production.

Track listing:

01. Believe

02. Shattered

03. Trouble

04. Give Me Love

05. Somewhere Down The Line

06. Rescue Me

07. Ordinary Man

08. Run Away

09. Long Summer Day

10. Rambling Man

11. Get It Right

Recording lineup:

Terry Ilous - Lead & backing vocals

Serge Simic - Lead and Rhythm Guitars

Fabrizio "Fab" Grossi – Bass

AJ Morra - Drums & Percussions

Eric Ragno - Hammond, Wurly & Rhodes

Jeff Northrup - Additional guitars on "Somewhere Down The Line"

Ilous joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after replacing touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and 2017's "Full Circle", before Terry was shown the door in July 2018 and replaced with Mitch Malloy.

Slashercore outfit ICE NINE KILLS has dropped the fourth and final new track from its upcoming album "The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood" prior to its release this coming Friday, October 15 via Fearless Records. Today's offering submitted into evidence is titled "Funeral Derangements" and is inspired by the Stephen King horror classic "Pet Sematary". The accompanying music video features horror icon Bill Moseley ("The Devil's Rejects", "House Of 1000 Corpses"), a show-stopping cameo from Miko Hughes, the actor from the original 1989 "Pet Sematary", a cameo from Josh Katz from BADFLOWER portraying the undead Victor Pascow and James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca, creators of the wildly popular Dead Meat "Kill Count" YouTube series.

ICE NINE KILLS frontman and driving creative force Spencer Charnas states: "In perhaps the most ironic cameo in recent horror memory, we've tapped the amazing Miko Hughes (Gage from the original 'Pet Sematary') to play the role of the reckless truck driver. An 18-wheeler, a twisted cat, a scalpel and an evil burial ground all come together in what I'd call our most ambitious homage yet. Dig in…"

"Funeral Derangements" follows the release of previous singles "Rainy Day", "Assault & Batteries" and "Hip To Be Scared", the latter of which paid homage to the Bret Easton Ellis classic "American Psycho". The three tracks combined have already clocked up 15.7 million streams with 3.6 million YouTube views.

No matter how many advances there are in cinematography, practical effects or CGI, there's a single scene in the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King's "Pet Sematary" almost unrivaled in its shockingness, and things only unravel for the characters from there. The story involves a burial ground capable of reanimating the dead, though the versions of pets (like Church, the movie's family cat) and people that return are devastatingly malevolent. John Feldmann co-wrote the track, lending a BAD RELIGION-style anthemic vibe. Bassist Joe Occhiuti spent time on the tour bus working on discordant noises to match some of the movie's frightening animalism. It also contains some of the best lyrics of Charnas's career, including "It all began with a skid on the pavement / it ends now with Funeral Derangements / the flesh is living, but the souls have spoiled / the wrath of God lays beneath the soil."

A sequel of franchise proportions to the No. 1 Billboard Hard Rock album "The Silver Scream", "The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood" doubles down in pursuit of the anthemic band’s cinematic muse.

Decadent, devious, and fiercely insane, with sardonic wit to spare, ICE NINE KILLS celebratea pop culture’s darkest edges, mining a cinephile library’s worth of b-movie schlock and iconic horror on "Welcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2" and its prequel, "The Silver Scream".

"The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood" track listing:

01. Opening Night…

02. Welcome To Horrorwood

03. A Rash Decision

04. Assault & Batteries

05. The Shower Scene

06. Funeral Derangements

07. Rainy Day

08. Hip To Be Scared (feat. Jacoby Shaddix of PAPA ROACH)

09. Take Your Pick (feat. Corpsegrinder)

10. The Box (feat. Brandon Saller of ATREYU and Ryan Kirby of FIT FOR A KING)

11. F.L.Y. (feat. Buddy Nielsen of SENSES FAIL)

12. Wurst Vacation

13. Ex-Mørtis

14. Farewell II Flesh

"Welcome To Horrorwood" carves out a fresh, bloody homage to the VHS celluloid classics that possessed Charnas at an early age, with a devilish new twist. Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, DANCE GAVIN DANCE, POP EVIL) produced "The Silver Scream" and returned for "Welcome To Horrorwood". Album guests include Jacoby Shaddix (PAPA ROACH), George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher (CANNIBAL CORPSE), Brandon Saller (ATREYU), Ryan Kirby (FIT FOR A KING) and Buddy Nielsen (SENSES FAIL). The album mixes the melodies, riffs, and wit that are the band's signature, as heard in the Top 10 Mainstream Rock single "A Grave Mistake" and Top 20 hit "Savages".

Dan Sugarman (guitar), Ricky Armellino (guitar), Patrick Galante (drums) and Joe Occhuiti (bass) are the current co-conspirators behind Charnas, who founded the band as a teen in the early 2000s. Decadent, devious, and fiercely insane, ICE NINE KILLS celebrate pop culture's darkest edges, mining a cinephile library's worth of iconic horror on "The Silver Scream" and "The Silver Scream 2: Welcome To Horrorwood". The creative marriage made in hell of music and fiction began in earnest with the Top 5 Hard Rock album "Every Trick In The Book", which brought the previous three records' themes to new levels.

The band's synergy of music and lifestyle draws favorable comparisons to SLIPKNOT and ROB ZOMBIE. Visionary trailblazers and multimedia raconteurs, ICE NINE KILLS built a thrilling world for a growing legion of devoted true believers, with theatrical shows, high-concept videos, and inventive band-to-fan communion. Their wildly creative output has seen them become recent recipients of the prestigious Clio Award for Music Marketing for their "Merry Axe-mas" mobile game and their live streaming event from October 2020, "The Silver Stream" be nominated for five awards at this year's Horror Hound Film Festival Awards in the categories of "Judges Choice", "Best Sound", "Best Supporting Performance", "Best Cinematography" and "Best Feature". With over 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, 410 million career streams to date, a combined social media reach of over 950,000 and over 73 million views on YouTube, the band is firmly cemented as one of modern metal's most vicious forces.

Photo credit: Cory Osbourne

Dance music DJs/producers Wooli (a.k.a. Adam Puleo) and Trivecta (a.k.a. Sam Dobkin) have teamed with Grammy-winning songwriter, solo artist, and voice of CREED, Scott Stapp, for "Light Up The Sky", an original track available for streaming below.

In May, the producers shared their opus with Stapp and by July the trio were in the studio. With music by Wooli and Trivecta, and lyrics and vocal melodies from Stapp, the resulting release is a muscular, unexpected collaboration that pairs anthemic vocals with euphoric walls of synths and head-banging bass. Navigating from an ominous place of loss, through a soaring rediscovery that "change has to come from within" into a spectacular explosion, "Light Up The Sky" maps out a next-level collaboration between one of rock's biggest voices and two of dance music's most stunning young creators.

Trivecta says: "This collab is definitely a ridiculously cool life moment. I grew up listening to Scott's voice on the radio, so to get in a studio with him and bang out a song together was a super-awesome experience."

Wooli says: "Sam and I built this song that we knew needed a strong vocal. We thought deep about what would sound good on the song and when we had the chance to work with Scott Stapp of CREED, we knew we were on to something."

Stapp stated: "When I first heard the track, I instantly started recording melodies and lyrics. The piano, builds, crescendos, drops, and overall vibes just connected right away. I wanted to give voice to the idea that releasing life’s inevitable sadness, fear, or regret is the first step to reclaiming the kind of intense joy and passion that this track explodes with. The music brought to mind the story of the phoenix's transformation — the phoenix sets itself on fire, burning down everything that no longer serves it. In the process, he lights up the sky. For me, it epitomizes one's ability to evolve.

"I'm grateful for Wooli and Trivecta for reaching out. Here's to blending two worlds and to unexpected opportunities that forge something beautiful and powerful."

Stapp is known as frontman for CREED (over 50 million albums sold worldwide), and for his work as a solo artist who released the platinum-certified "The Great Divide" (2005) and "Proof Of Life" (2013), which featured his first solo Billboard No. 1, "Slow Suicide".

In July 2019, Scott released his first album in six years, "The Space Between The Shadows".

Stapp went through a highly publicized, drug-inflamed meltdown in 2014, after which he entered into an intensive rehab program. Stapp also lost custody of his three children during this period, while also missing a court hearing and allegedly threatening to kill President Obama.

After completing rehab, Scott spent the following year in intensive therapy. Although he was initially diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it was later determined that it was severe depression that led to addiction. Now nearing six years of sobriety, Stapp spoke to Men's Health about health and fitness in 2019 when his comeback album was released, saying, "I hate to use the word, but I guess it has become my new addiction."






“Light up the Sky” is out tomorrow! Inspiring creating w/these young guns Wooli Trivecta & Kevin "Thrasher" Gruft Pre-Save NOW https://ophelia.ffm.to/lightupthesky

#behindthescens #rock + #edm

Posted by Scott Stapp on Thursday, October 7, 2021

VANDENBERG has recruited Mats Levén as its new lead singer. The powerhouse Swedish vocalist is known for his work with Yngwie Malmsteen, CANDLEMASS and tours with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, among many other bands. To celebrate this new coming together, they have announced their only show of 2021 with the new lineup at the Planet Rockstock festival at Trecco Bay, Wales, on Friday, November 12.

VANDENBERG guitarist Adrian Vandenberg comments: "To say I'm excited about working with Mats Levén would be an understatement. It's a huge privilege to work with a vocalist of Mats's world-class calibre, who's just as passionate about kick-ass rock and as motivated and dedicated as I am. A one-of-a-kind signature voice, commanding stage presence, very experienced but as far from running on automatic pilot as humanly possible and a great guy.

"Mats and I are working on our new songs for the next VANDENBERG album as we speak. We're pushing and inspiring each other to keep raising the bar and are coming up with great, very exciting stuff."

Mats says: "I'm thrilled to join VANDENBERG and to be recording the new album. I've been a fan since the '80s, and I'm honored to be soon sharing the stage with my Dutch amigos."

VANDENBERG's 2021 lineup is completed by bassist Randy Van Der Elsen (of NWOBHM heroes TANK) and drummer Koen Herfst (EPICA and DORO).

"I believe the vibe we have with this turbocharged lineup is wonderful," concludes Vandenberg. "We are not at all a nostalgia act, trying to recreate what happened all those years back. This is a brand-new dynamic band with a name that has a legacy, and I couldn't be happier with the way it's turned out."

Led by master guitarist Adrian Vandenberg, the Dutch foursome released three quality albums during the early to mid-'80s, namely, the self-titled 1982 debut (spawning the U.S. hit single "Burning Heart"), "Heading For A Storm" (1983) and "Alibi" (1985). They achieved commercial success and earned much acclaim. The band toured the U.S., Japan and Europe playing with the likes of OZZY OSBOURNE, KISS, RUSH, SCORPIONS, MICHAEL SCHENKER and more.

Last year, VANDENBERG released a new studio album called "2020". The LP featured Chilean-born Ronnie Romero on vocals, a singer who forged a formidable reputation over past years with Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW. There were also two celebrated guests on the album, namely bassist Rudy Sarzo (WHITESNAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT, DIO) and drummer Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE, FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL). While nine of the songs were freshly written by Vandenberg himself, there was also a new rendering of "Burning Heart", perhaps the band's most famous anthem.

Vandenberg has had an impressive career. He was a member of WHITESNAKE for 13 years at the height of their fame, contributing the solo on their No. 1 hit "Here I Go Again". He spent many years duelling with Steve Vai on guitar and has returned for many reunions. He was part of supergroup MANIC EDEN, and more recently released a number of albums with VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS.

Vandenberg previously said about Van Der Elsen and Herfst's additions to VANDENBERG: "Koen has been voted Holland's best hard rock drummer now for several years. He has the sort of fire in his belly that would make any greats such as John Bonham and Ian Paice smile. Randy was highly recommended to me and has a lot of experience. Like Koen, he is a brilliant musici

EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting rejoined his bandmates on stage last night (Thursday, October 7) at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California. The concert marked the 56-year-old musician's first appearance with the group since undergoing a successful total gastrectomy in July in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach. Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt praised Hunting's return to the live stage, writing on Instagram: "@aftershockfestival was EPIC!! The return of my man Tom Hunting, who just destroyed his drums!"

EXODUS tapped John Tempesta to play drums for the band at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in August and at Full Terror Assault in Cave In Rock, Illinois in September while Hunting was recovering from surgery. Tempesta was a member of EXODUS from 1989 until 1993 and played on the band's albums "Impact Is Imminent" (1990) and "Force Of Habit" (1992).

When Hunting announced his absence from Psycho Las Vegas and Full Terror Assault, he said in a statement: "I need to manage my own expectations, and then work my very core back into shape to be fully ready for action. I have no doubt I'll bounce back and get there."

A GoFundMe campaign to help Hunting with medical expenses had previously raised more than $114,000 — including $5,000 from Tom's former EXODUS bandmate, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, and $1,500 from FOZZY singer and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

EXODUS will release its new album, "Persona Non Grata", on November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band's history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

"Persona Non Grata" is the follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out", which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers' first release since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

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Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH have announced their brand new visual spectacular, "XXX Years Ov Blasphemy", a special digital performance presented by the premium social live media platform Moment House. The event will mark the band's 30th anniversary with a dynamic performance of three separate sets in three spectacular locations, commemorating the band's three decades making music and art, with an unfettered dedication to a superior aesthetic. Tickets are on sale now here and a trailer can be seen below.

The cinematic extravaganza is set for Halloween night, October 31, when the veil between our tangible existence and the netherworld is thin, so the spirits of the other side may enter. This year, that veil will be set ablaze by BEHEMOTH's artistic and sonic black magic.

Having blown everyone away with 2020's "In Absentia Dei" stream, arguably the most ambitious and critically lauded livestream of the year, BEHEMOTH's legions know that the band don't do things by halves. Expect "XXX Years Ov Blasphemy" to be BEHEMOTH's biggest, most extravagant production to date.

BEHEMOTH's frontman and visionary Nergal says: "30 years of blasphemy and bring on 30 more! What better night than All Saint's Eve to celebrate this most unholy anniversary than with us, as we present the most ambitious project of our career to date, 'XXX Years Ov Blasphemy'. Legions, when I say this is the ultimate cinematic BEHEMOTH experience, I cannot express how much I mean that. Another huge risk for us, but as always, we go feet first and push our limits. The result will be a sight to behold. We'll see you in The Forest…and more!"

With each set, BEHEMOTH will showcase their glorious 30-year history and focus on each decade, starting with the early day of pagan and black metal sounds of "Pandemonic Incantations" through their international breakthroughs "The Apostasy" and "Evangelion", up to their most recent masterpiece, 2018's "I Loved You At Your Darkest". Three times over, BEHEMOTH will invoke musical demons from the past as they explore the depths of their discography. The event is directed by Dariusz Szermanowicz (Grupa 13 Production House).

BEHEMOTH's Moment will be broadcast to various territories around the world including North and South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and the UK, Europe and Africa. Following the initial airing, the Moment will be available on VOD for 24 hours.

Fans will also have the ability to purchase a number of VIP ticket options available, including an online meet-and-greet, limited to 30 fans only. Also available as an option is a post-show "XXX Years Ov Blasphemy - Behind The Scenes" bonus event for an additional $5, and will be available to watch on demand for 24 hours. An array of event merchandise is also available, with the first 500 merch customers receiving a free "Burning Cross" sticker with their purchase.

BEHEMOTH's "In Absentia Dei" 2020 livestream will be available in live album/Blu-ray form on December 17. The band is also working on a new album set for release next year.

Livestream dates/times by territory:

North + South America

October 31, 6 p.m. PDT

Asia, Australia & New Zealand

October 31, 6 p.m. JST / 8 p.m. AEST

Europe and Africa

October 31, 6 p.m. GMT

Photo credit: Krzysztof Wiktor

The family of late MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza says that David Ellefson's recent sex scandal has not affected its decision to partner with the former MEGADETH bassist and his Ellefson Films on the upcoming feature-length documentary "This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza". Ellefson has signed on as a co-producer of the film, and also will provide narration to guide the viewer through the exploration of the late MEGADETH drummer's life.

Nick's family has released the following statement regarding the matter: "The Menza family would like to take this opportunity to respond to some comments that were made made via Instagram in regard to the upcoming Nick Menza documentary film 'This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza'.

"To be clear, certain actions by others do not dictate our decision making. There are always two sides to every story. We do not know the facts nor do we pretend to know the truth. While the most recent events have been unfortunate to everyone involved, it has not altered our decision to welcome David Ellefson to be a part of this project.

"Nick and David remained close friends post-MEGADETH and he has remained in close contact with Nick's sister since Nick's passing. Ellefson was gracious enough to present the Hall Of Heavy Metal History award presented to Nick in 2018, so it was only fitting that he narrate the documentary.

"We are excited for the fans to see the life Nick lived before, during, and after MEGADETH. It was quite the journey.

"Stay tuned for an epic documentary. As Nick would say, 'It's gonna be RAD.'

"Thank you for the continuous support in keeping Nick's legacy alive."

In a 40-second video promoting his involvement with the documentary, Ellefson said: "I am proud to announce I will narrate/co-produce the upcoming documentary film 'This Was My Life: The Story Of Nick Menza' and I look forward to sharing together with you the life story of one of music's most celebrated rock star drummers of all time, Nick Menza."

Menza's longtime personal manager Robert Bolger said: "I am very happy to connect David Ellefson with Screaming Butterfly Entertainment to narrate/co-produce the project. Ellefson's involvement and knowledge will secure the authenticity of the film. They both spent a lot of personal time together touring world, and if anyone knew Nick best, it's David Ellefson.

"Nick loved his fans and always said without the fans none this would be possible. I really think Nick's fans will enjoy this journey through his life."

Executive producer/director Holly Mollohan from Screaming Butterfly Entertainment added: "I am very happy to welcome David Ellefson to the 'This Was My Life' team. He brings with him a wealth of in-depth knowledge and personal experience that will be so valuable to making this film something very special for the fans and Nick's family. I believe that his involvement will be an extremely positive addition to the project, and am excited to collaborate with him on the film."

In conjunction with the announcement of Ellefson's attachment to the film, an Indiegogo campaign has been launched to raise funding for the completion of the film. Fans have the opportunity to support the production of the film directly, as well as obtain some rare official Nick Menza memorabilia. These items include various Nick Menza personally owned items — some with authentic signatures from Nick himself. In addition to memorabilia, fans can purchase brand new Nick Menza merchandise including hats, posters, and even Nick Menza skateboard decks. Fans can even have their names and a message added to the end credits of the film.

The campaign can be found at this location.

"This Was My Life" will be the first-ever film to memorialize Menza's legacy and celebrate his life exactly how it was. It is described in a press release as "an unflinching exploration into the life of one of the most successful thrash-metal drummers of all time, authorized by the Menza family. From his childhood all the way through to the end of his life including a true blow-by-blow account of the repeated failed attempts of the classic 'Rust In Peace' lineup."

"This Was My Life" will feature rare and never-before-seen photos and video footage from Nick's archived VHS tape collection, personally filmed by Menza himself from 1988 through 1991. Included will be exclusive content showcasing Nick working at the studio, personal home movies, casual time and party time with his fellow bandmembers, as well as other well-known artists of the era that Nick toured with. A screenshot from the film was recently released that featured an interview with former LAMB OF GOD/MEGADETH drummer Chris Adler.

Late in the evening on May 21, 2016, Nick collapsed after suffering a heart attack during a concert with Chris Poland and Robertino "Pag" Pagliari in their band OHM: at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Menza died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Five months ago, Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH after sexually explicit photos and video of the bassist leaked online along with allegations that he had been grooming a fan, which he vehemently denied. A short time after after the messages and video footage involving him were posted on Twitter, Ellefson 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 dismissed from the group.

SLIPKNOT's Joey Jordison and SLAYER's Dave Lombardo filled in for METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich when he was unable to appear at the Download festival in England in June 2004. Ulrich later blamed his non-appearance on exhaustion, caused by an unrelenting tour schedule and the break-up of his seven-year marriage to Skylar Satenstein.

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor reflected on Jordison's performance with METALLICA during a conversation with Knotfest.com's Ryan J. Downey. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We were back there with [Joey], watching it… It was so surreal to watch Joey playing with [METALLICA], because we all grew up listening to them. And Joey was shitting bricks. I mean, he [had] his mask on, but every time he'd come back and he would pull his mask off, he would just be, like, 'How am I doing? How am I doing?' I'm, like, 'You're fucking killing it.' Me, Paul [Gray, then-SLIPKNOT bassist], Clown [SLIPKNOT percussionist], we were all standing there fucking cheering him on. And they ended up throwing different songs at him that they hadn't rehearsed. They threw all the MISFITS shit at him, and he fucking knew it. They would have probably kept him up there all night if they could have. He played the majority of the set.

"That, to me, was such a fucking amazing moment for him that it was cool to be back there sharing that with him," Corey continued. "It was a special little fucking — almost like that's the moment you know you've made it. You're seeing this reflection of respect from arguably your biggest influence, your biggest peer. Them signing off on you like that had to have been fucking massive for him. And I remember him telling me it was such a blur that he didn't really remember anything until he watched the video back. And he's right — that shit can go by [very quickly] because you're so fucking into it…

"I don't know if they expected it, but he fucking went in there and he showed not only the band but all of their fans — not only the level of respect that we have for them and the music but that we can hold our own," Taylor aded. "And I think that was a big moment. It was a big part of that."

Jordison played eight tracks from the 11-song set, with Lombardo and Ulrich's drum tech Flemming Larsen helping with the remaining cuts.

Jordison reflected on the moment years later. "As cool as it was playing that show, what was cooler was playing in METALLICA's practice room," he said. "It was just me and those three guys, just warming up. What a dream come true, man. I'll have dreams about it every once in a while. It was one of the best gigs of my life."

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Jordison's family confirmed that he passed away "peacefully in his sleep" on July 26 of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.

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In a new interview with the "Scars And Guitars" podcast, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Peter Tägtgren addressed his decision to quit LINDEMANN, his collaborative project with vocalist Till Lindemann of German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We did two albums. We did a tour. We proved our point. And that's it."

Asked if he and Till are still "mates," Peter said: "Not really. But it doesn't matter. So, just to keep it short and [concise], we did something major and it left rings on the water, so to say. I'm proud of it. I was happy. We were really productive when we were working together. There is nothing like me and him when we start doing shit. We can just sit and talk about things like, 'Ah, it would be cool to do it like this,' and then 10 minutes later, we have it."

Tägtgren previously spoke about his exit from LINDEMANN earlier this month in a chat with Landry.Audio. At the time, he said: "I can just tell you this: it was great when it was, and it wasn't great when it wasn't — put it that way."

He continued: "[Till and I] had a dynamite chemistry. We just had to look at each other and then we started writing music. It was that easy. The easiest part was the studio work. We could have spit out hundreds of songs every year because we had so many ideas, and we really clicked.

"So, yeah, it's sad," Peter added. "We could have been one of the biggest bands in the world if we kept on going, I tell you that. It was insane.

"I was taking care of the music, and he was taking care of the image. And in between there, we helped each other, kind of."

This past July, Peter told the "I Ask No One" video podcast that the final tour he played with LINDEMANN "was not really my cup of tea at all, to be honest. And that's why we're not playing anymore together. So [Till] can go on with his stuff; I go on with my stuff. To keep it very simple."

Last November, Tägtgren and Lindemann confirmed that they were ending their collaboration on the LINDEMANN project.

LINDEMANN's second album, "F & M", was released in November 2019. The follow-up to 2015's "Skills In Pills" was once again produced and mixed by Tägtgren.

"Skills In Pills" reached gold status in Germany and was entirely in English. On the second opus, Lindemann went back to singing exclusively in German.

LINDEMANN had received some criticism due to its use of pornography during its second album cycle, with the music video for "Platz Eins" described by one site as "full-on art porn — slick and stylish, weird and experimental, and definitely X-rated."

LINDEMANN released a concert film, "Live In Moscow", in May on Blu-ray. The set included professionally filmed video footage of LINDEMANN's March 15, 2020 performance at Moscow, Russia's VTB Arena.

Former SOULFLY guitarist Marc Rizzo has rejoined ILL NIÑO.

Rizzo was originally a member of the New Jersey Latin metal favorites two decades ago, appearing on their classic 2001 Roadrunner release "Revolution Revolucion" and the 2003 follow-up "Confession". After leaving ILL NIÑO, Rizzo had an 18-year stint with SOULFLY, which ended acrimoniously this past summer, with Marc saying that his association with SOULFLY simply "ran its course," while SOULFLY leader Max Cavalera accused Marc of spewing out "lies and bullshit" in some of his recent interviews regarding his departure from the band.

Rizzo broke the news of his return to ILL NIÑO during an October 6 YouTube livestream. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We will be announcing it soon, but I'm doing some recording for the new ILL NIÑO record. And I'm super excited, man. It's a different band. It's not the band it was, obviously, for obvious reasons, from back when I was in the band, in 2002, when I left. A lot of things have changed. So I'm excited to work with these guys. It's great to reconnect with Laz [Pina, bass] and Dave [Chavarri, drums] and work with the new singer Marcos [Leal], who's an incredible singer. So I'm stoked, man. We're gonna record this new record. I'll probably — well, I am gonna do a tour with them soon, and we'll see what the future holds, man. They're gonna be announcing this very soon, and I'm very excited. Yes, I'm rejoining the band, which is awesome. I'm very excited to reconnect with my friends.

"Everyone loves a good reunion, and the fact that me and ILL NIÑO are working together again, it just goes to show that things can happen when everybody can meet up and talk and keep it between dudes," he continued. "Don't bring in managers and people's freakin' girlfriends and wives. You can have a reunion. And when dudes get in a room and just talk and work out anything from the past, good things can come out of it. So that's what's going on.

"More importantly than all that is the music," Marc added. "This new ILL NIÑO record is the best shit they've ever done. Again, the new singer Marcos is one of the best singers in metal. I mean, this kid is spot-on. He writes great stuff. He can sing; he can scream. So, this is really good stuff, man. I'm really excited."

Rizzo has rejoined ILL NIÑO as the replacement for Jes DeHoyos (SONS OF TEXAS), who recently left the band to focus on his family life. Rounding out ILL NIÑO's current lineup is rhythm guitarist Sal Dominguez (UPON A BURNING BODY).

ILL NIÑO's upcoming album, "IllMortals", will feature guest appearances by Sonny Sandoval (P.O.D.), Benji Webbe (SKINDRED), Max Georgiev (FALLING IN REVERSE) and AJ Channer (FIRE FROM THE GODS).

"IllMortals" is slated for release before the end of the year via Break Silence Music (BSM), which is distributed through ONE-RPM.

ILL NIÑO's new LP will mark the band's first release since the departure of vocalist Cristian Machado, lead guitarist Ahrue "Luster" Ilustre and rhythm guitarist Diego Verduzco. Machado, Ilustre and Verduzco, along with Chavarri and Pina, announced in March 2020 that they had "reached a mutual, amicable and binding agreement" that will allow Chavarri and Pina to continue with ILL NIÑO while Machado, Verduzco and Ilustre move on with new projects.

(Thanks: Aalan Slainas)




Hello Familia, cats outta the bag... We have some ill news to announce. Original ILL NIÑO guitarist MARC RIZZO returns...

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FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares is playing guitar for SOULFLY on the Max Cavalera-fronted band's current U.S. tour which kicked off on August 20 at Launchpad in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 33-date trek will conclude in Tempe, Arizona on September 25.

Max and Dino discussed their expectations for the tour in a four-minute video that was filmed during the pre-tour rehearsals in Phoenix, Arizona and has just been uploaded to the SOULFLY YouTube channel. Max said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What I'm looking most [forward to on] this tour with Dino, apart from everything that we've been through, I think it's a celebration of our passion for metal, and our roads meet up again, this time in the form of a tour. And I think it's really cool because we have a lot of the similar fans — a lot of FEAR FACTORY fans are SOULFLY fans; they like both bands anyway. So it's almost like it's gonna be a little bit of a dream come true for all these fans to see the both of us on a stage jamming [and] ripping. And for me, as a Dino fan, before he even got here [to our rehearsal space], I was trying to imagine how sick the songs are gonna sound with that crunchy Dino sound on some of the stuff that has never really sounded this aggressive — just like machine-tight riffing, just make the songs tighter. And he learned everything like the records, which is amazing. So we're playing stuff like 'Fire', 'Bleed' and 'Boom' the way it's on the record, which we never did before. And apart from that, [I'm] also just looking forward to having him on the road and telling stories and joking around, 'cause we do that. It's professional — we love being professional — but you've also gotta enjoy what you do; you've gotta have fun with it. And the whole crew tried to really welcome Dino into the SOULFLY camp. I think it's really cool. He told me even the SOULFLY tribe, all the fans embraced him into our camp, into our tribe. And to me, it's gonna be a unique opportunity. 'Cause he's in FEAR FACTORY, so, of course, he's not joining SOULFLY. But I really think this is a special thing we're doing. And who knows what's gonna come out of this? But it's gonna be amazing. The shows are gonna be amazing. And I'm very, very much looking forward to showcasing everything we've been working [on] here. It's gonna be just a very, very special SOULFLY tour — [more] different than any other tour we've ever had."

Added Dino: "What I'm really most excited about is all of it. From our history that we've had since the first time I met him. Actually, playing these songs and hanging out with him, all these memories are going through my mind. Being alongside, next to my brother and playing these riffs, it's gonna be killer. I can't wait for that. 'Cause a lot of times, over the years, he's invited me on stage to play a song or two — usually 'Eye For An Eye' — but now I'm gonna be able to do a whole set with him, which is really killer. I can't wait to see the smiles on kids' faces, to see me and him jamming together. And I'm really, really thankful that they've welcomed me into their family. I say that now, but I've always been a part of the family. But just being here and being in Arizona and rehearsing with everybody and just how warm everybody is and how they all take care of each other and we all take care of each other as well, and it's just really good to be here. And I can't wait to get out there and for those kids to see our styles collide. It's gonna be killer."

When his addition to SOULFLY's touring lineup was first announced, Cazares said in a statement: "The first time I met Max in 1991, I knew we were going to be longtime friends. I was standing at the bar, he grabbed my arm and yelled 'Papa Capado.' I was like 'who the [email protected]#% are you? He said 'I'm Max' and from there we just hit it off. That same night I played him the FEAR FACTORY demo tape on his cassette Walkman in his hotel room while we were attending a music convention in Los Angeles. He liked it so much that he wouldn't give it back, so I had to wrestle him and take it out of his Walkman, haha. It was my only copy. Max told Monte Conner, the A&R director from Roadrunner Records, that we had a new demo that he needed to check out, so our manager at the time sent our demo to Monte after many labels turned us down. The rest is history.

"Over the past 30 years, I've guested on a few of Max's projects and jumped on stage whenever and wherever I could. Now it's a great honor to be doing this tour alongside Max as the second guitarist. It's going to be amazing for all the fans to see the two of us playing a selection of SOULFLY songs and a few familiar extras.

"Much respect to Max and his family — thank you for always making me feel at home with the SOULFLY Tribe. Let's do this!!!! Um Dois Três Quatro".

Although longtime SOULFLY guitarist Marc Rizzo's departure from the band wasn't officially announced until August 7, it was widely speculated that he was out of the group two days earlier when it was revealed that Dino would play guitar for SOULFLY on the current tour.

Photo courtesy of Dino Cazares

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will release their seventh, self-titled studio album on October 22 via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. Frontman Matt Tuck began writing the album in September 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic brought things screeching to a halt in early 2020. But in June 2020, Tuck and longtime producer Carl Bown, who co-produced the band's 2015 album, "Venom", and produced and mixed 2018's "Gravity", picked up the pace again. Together, they hunkered down at Treehouse Studio in Chesterfield, where the remainder of the album was written.

Speaking to Brazil's Wikimetal about the "Bullet For My Valentine" songwriting process, guitarist Michael "Padge" Paget said: "We started writing in 2018, I think. We had a bunch of songs; we had about 15 ideas demoed up. We went back on tour, and then finished touring in 2019. And then the pandemic hit in March '20. So, we just figured, 'Let's keep writing somehow.' Because in the U.K., there's four different states — what do you call it? — four different countries, but we're all called the U.K. So we have borders. And that was tricky because certain countries were locking down, others were open, you couldn't cross the border. It was really difficult, but, fortunately, I've got a studio at my place. Matt could go to the studio in England or up in Carl's place. Jase [drummer Jason Bowld] can write; he's got a setup in his garage. [Bassist] Jamie's [Mathias] got a little setup in his house as well. So we found a way around it. And, fortunately, it was really good because it gave us more time to write, gave us more focus on what we wanted to write. When the rules eased slightly, Matt came down to my place for a few weeks to write down here. So, the pandemic benefited us, it really benefited us in such a positive way that — let's have another one. [Laughs] Let's have another pandemic in two years. We'll write another record."

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

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

Paget previously stated about "Bullet For My Valentine": "I think it's the most ferocious side of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE that I've ever known. It's time for us to put out a really angry, heavy, aggressive record. I just can't wait to grimace on stage."

"I wanted to come out guns blazing, fucking middle fingers flying, and just go for the throat," agreed Tuck. "I think this is a far more aggressive, intense part of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. It's always been there. I've just never opened the floodgates on it. I want to take people's heads off in a metaphorical way."

He added: "This is the beginning of BULLET 2.0. It signifies where we are right now. The music is fresh, it's aggressive, it's more visceral and passionate than it's ever been."

John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, says that he agrees with rapper Nicki Minaj after she expressed concerns this week about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The rapper tweeted on Monday that she wants to do more research before getting vaccinated and claimed that a friend of her cousin's had experienced adverse effects from it, which health officials have refuted.

Minaj, who has over 22 million Twitter followers, sparked controversy for suggesting the COVID-19 vaccine could cause reproductive issues.

"My cousin in Trinidad won't get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen," Minaj tweeted. "His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you're comfortable with ur decision, not bullied."

Earlier today, the Memphis, Tennessee-born Cooper, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, addressed the Minaj controversy in the latest episode of his "Cooper Stuff" podcast. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Nicki Minaj said something I agree with. And listen, there is a huge price to pay in the entertainment industry, the music industry — celebrities like Nicki Minaj, like SKILLET, in the rock and roll industry — there is a huge price to pay for coming out and saying anything remotely, remotely out of the narrative. And when I say 'the narrative,' that's capital 'T', capital 'N'. The narrative. That is a woke, leftist, authoritarian, 'the science' narrative. And Nicki Minaj didn't even say anything really out of the line. She just didn't speak exactly the narrative. That is the reason this woke movement, I keep telling you guys, is like a religion. She's a heretic now. She has spoken something outside of what you're allowed to say, out of dogma.

"My point isn't to do with the testicles part," he continued. "No idea if that's true or not. That's not what I agree with. What I agree with is, just pray on it and make sure you're comfortable with it, not bullied. Why is that? Because we all know there are side effects, no matter what 'the narrative' tells you, no matter what 'the science' tells you, which all of this stuff is within a religion. In other words, it's religious dogma."

Minaj's tweet immediately sparked global backlash, with several health professionals commenting on her post that the vaccine does not cause testicles to swell. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, also responded to her claims, saying that the COVID vaccine cannot cause reproductive issues.

"I'm not blaming her for anything — but she should be thinking twice about propagating information that really has no basis as except a one-off anecdote, and that's not what science is all about," Fauci told CNN.

Cooper read Fauci's comments about Minaj on "Cooper Stuff" and said: "How do you feel about Doctor Fauci telling you what is good and not good about propagating wrong information? He's been wrong nearly about everything — about everything.

"You've gotta understand, 'the science' is not what we used to think it means," he continued. "It's not scientific data. They're not talking about facts. They're not talking about 'what we know so far' and 'we think this.' And it's a hypothesis, and then we're gonna put that hypothesis to a test.' That's not what they mean by 'the science.' 'The science' is just code basically for 'our political narrative.' That's all it is. 'The science' is just 'this is what we believe is politically right and we're going to look for something to support what we think' whilst censoring everyone else, deplatforming anyone else that disagrees, calling them names — probably like 'racist' and things like that. That's what they mean by 'the science.' And then they say things, 'No, no. We're all agreement.' All that they do is kick everybody out of the scientific community that is not in agreement, so all that you're left with is leftist, authoritarian woke activists for the religion of 'the science.'

"Basically, there's a new religion called 'the science' — it's woke activism, is what it is; leftist authoritarianism, typically now — and Doctor Fauci is the 'high priest' forever; he's the high priest forever," Cooper added. "And whatever he says, well, that's dogma. And it may change tomorrow or the next day. And it won't be based on the science."

Also refuting Minaj's tweets was Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh, who said at a press conference on Wednesday that officials have "wasted so much time" checking Minaj's claim about her cousin's friend.

"As we stand now, there is absolutely no reported such side effect or adverse event of testicular swelling in Trinidad, or I dare say...none that we know of anywhere else in the world," Deyalsingh said.

Cooper made headlines last month when he said that he had an issue with mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling the subject of face coverings "nothing more than theater." He explained: "It is making me jump into an unreality, something that I do not believe, just to acquiesce to either the overlords — overlords meaning government, Big Tech [Editor's note: A name given to the five largest and most dominant companies in the information technology industry of the United States — namely Google (Alphabet), Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft], big business, big media, whatever — to acquiesce to what they want me to do. Even though I know that it's not true, but I'm gonna play the game. And every time I put my mask on, I know that I'm doing something that I do not believe in. In other words, I'm being forced to lie… I'm being forced to jump into something I don't believe, and I'm living by a lie — I'm living by a lie that this mask is actually gonna keep me safe from all harm. To acquiesce to the government, which says that I'm believing something that I know that I don't believe. So now I'm basically living in a fantasy world. That frightens me. And every time I put that mask on, that's basically what I think. I know I'm doing this, I know it's show, I know it's theater, I know my overlords don't even believe in it, because if they did, they wouldn't be breaking all of their own rules."

Wearing face masks and coverings is recommended, or in some places mandatory, in public spaces to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But anti-maskers think government orders requiring face coverings in public spaces or those put in place by private businesses violate their constitutional rights.

Cooper touched upon the constitutional rights argument on a previous episode of "Cooper Stuff", saying: "I can't think of anything in this situation more loving — and I believe in a true biblical sense of the word 'love' — I can't think of anything more loving in this situation than to protect those individual rights. Not because we're a bunch of braggers, not because we don't care about anybody else, but because people fought and bled and died in order for us to have some sort of individual autonomy in the biblical sphere of authority. God gives us these rights. I think it's more loving to protect those rights and fight against the totalitarianism. I'm much more scared of totalitarianism than COVID or cancer, for that matter. Because totalitarianism and tyranny will destroy nations, will destroy cultures. A hundred and fifty million people were killed in the last century from various dictatorships and totalitarianisms and dictators and that sort of thing. I am much more frightened of that, because where you move into is this idea of 'safeism.' And once you move into 'safeism,' when you are willing to trade, 'I will give you my rights, government. I will give you control of my life if you just keep me safe. If you just keep me safe from all harm, I'll give it all over to you.' That's scary. That is a scary, scary place. And mark my words, you will see incredible oppression if people are willing to give up everything they have in order for the government to take care of them."

Fauci, who has served seven presidents since 1984, has been blasted by Republican leaders throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with some of them asking him to resign over his handling of COVID-19.

In recent months, Fauci has responded strongly to growing rightwing criticism and conspiracy theories connected to his handling of COVID-19. He told The New York Times in an interview: "It is essential as a scientist that you evolve your opinion and your recommendations based on the data as it evolves. And that's the reason why I say people who then criticize me about that are actually criticizing science."

He added: "The people who are giving the ad hominems are saying, 'Ah, Fauci misled us. First he said no masks, then he said masks.' Well, let me give you a flash. That's the way science works. You work with the data you have at the time."

With the original strain of the virus, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were about 90% to 95% effective in preventing symptomatic disease. As a result of the delta variant, that efficacy rate has dropped to 66%. Still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that unvaccinated people are almost five times more likely to contract symptomatic COVID compared to a fully vaccinated person.

Fully vaccinated people are 29 times less likely to be hospitalized because of the virus compared to those are unvaccinated, according to a study released by the CDC.

Research shows that fully vaccinated people experience milder symptoms and are half as likely to develop several symptoms in the first week of illness compared to unvaccinated people.

Various polls have consistently find that Democrats are much more likely to report having been vaccinated than Republicans, and Republicans are much more likely to say that they definitely do not want to get vaccinated.

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.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello has defended his friendship with Ted Nugent, saying its "important to keep an open dialogue with people you disagree with."

Morello, who is a member one of the most militant left-wing rap/rock/metal bands of all time, discussed his unlikely relationship with the outspoken conservative rocker during a recent interview with NME. He said: "I reserve the right to be friends with anybody. I reserve the right to confront opinions I disagree with, with open heartedness and love, or by throwing a brick. That's up to me. In the case of Ted, I know he's become this right-wing caricature but there have been several times where I have reached him on issues that you might be surprised about. But he is still crazy uncle Ted who says all sorts of shit."

He added: "It can be important to keep an open dialogue with people you disagree with, especially in this global community of disagreements. Sometimes it's just as important to block them, though."

Earlier this year, Morello explained to "The Howard Stern Show" how he struck up a friendship with Nugent. "For his 60th birthday, someone reached out to me and said, 'We're making a video, and we're asking guitar players [to say a few kind words]," he said. "At the time, the Ted Nugent which was sort of known in the world in general was this kind of more right-wing caricature — people were not thinking of him, first and foremost, as the guy who shredded on 'Stranglehold'. But then I had to think, 'What is the video that I'm going to make for Ted's birthday?' And I put some thought into it, and I said, 'It's gonna be about two things. One, it's gonna be things that Tom Morello and Ted Nugent have in common,' and I went down this long list of [things like] free-speech advocates, our love of rock and roll, our respect for black artists who created rock and roll. And then the second was things that Ted Nugent taught an adolescent Tom Morello about sex. And then I went through 'Cat Scratch Fever' — these strange words, like the lyrics to the song 'Cat Scratch Fever', the lyrics to the song 'Wang Dang Sweet Poontang', which were utterly foreign to me, and I had to ask about on the playground. Anyway, so Ted called me up after that. And while we certainly have differences, I consider him a friend."

Morello previously spoke about his relationship with Nugent during a 2017 interview with The Guardian. He said at the time: "We have very similar views on freedom of speech. His libertarian edge and my anarchist edge overlap considerably.

"Sometimes, if he says something outrageous that will fire up his racist base, I'll text him to say, 'Dude. What are you on about?' We're able to talk about it as friends as opposed to people on the opposite sides of the barricade."

Nugent, an avid supporter of former U.S. president Donald Trump, has repeatedly said that last year's presidential election was a fraud, insisting that "hundreds of thousands of dead people" voted and claiming that machines were "rigged" to give a Donald Trump vote to Joe Biden.

Leading up to the election, Nugent teamed up with Donald Trump Jr. on the campaign trail.

Ted has called Trump "the greatest president in our lifetime," and believes the billionaire real estate mogul represents "the heart and soul of the best American families out there."

Two years ago, Morello referred to Trump as an "orange-faced demagog